every now and then, i get emails from friends and strangers asking for recommendations of places to go and things to do in Hong Kong. what i usually do is forward them all a copy of an email i hastily wrote a while ago, but for a while now i’ve been thinking of doing up a proper list of the to-do’s in Hong Kong. and i finally did!
it’s not going to be the best and most comprehensive list ever, because after all this is just one person’s opinion, but hopefully it will be somewhat helpful for all you folks who are planning a trip to HK anytime soon :) and if you haven’t been there yet, please do go!!! it’s an amazing city and i absolutely love it. given the choice, i would live and work there.
The List, in no particular order:
To Do
1. Mongkok
Mongkok is, to me, the essence of HK more than any other place. it is loud neon signs, street food stalls on the sidewalks, markets, throngs of people rushing some place, char chan tengs (cafes), traditional medicine shops, DVD stores and clothing stores all crammed into one very haphazard and bustling zone, yet still retaining the gritty and rustic charm of old Hong Kong. so amazing. you cannot go to HK and skip out on Mongkok! located on the Kowloon side, Mongkok houses many of HK’s best tourist attractions, such as the Ladies Market which sells all sorts of clothes, shoes, bags, jewelery and household items; the Bird Market and the Flower Market; Fa Yuen Street which is sport shoe haven; Portland Street, the infamous red light district in Mongkok; and of course, the wonderful Temple Street (aka Miu Kai) which is in my humble opinion the best street market in all of HK.
a quieter Mongkok in the middle of the night
Bird Market, Flower Market, Goldfish Market and Fa Yuen Street are great places to shop at if you’re looking for something specific, but even if you’re not looking for what they specialize in, they are all very interesting places that are worth a visit if you have the time. if you don’t, however, i’d suggest going straight to Ladies Market or Temple Street - the former is more fashion-centric and the latter has just about everything under the sun. dont forget to bargain! Portland Street nearby is also worth a look-see; it’s seedy yet vibrant, and definitely intriguing at night. walking amongst all the brothels and vice dens located here is like transporting yourself into one of those HK triad movies!
2. Victoria’s Peak
it’s a mountain on HK Island that boasts a magnificent view of Hong Kong, barring smog and mist. the sunset and the nighttime view here are gorgeous. take a tram or bus up from Central to The Peak, then follow the jogging trail around the mountain top till you get to That Spot where you’ll find all the photographers camping out. fair bit of walking, but the view is completely worth it.
3. Islands
HK has MANY islands surrounding it, but the more well-known and accessible ones are Lamma, Lantau and Cheung Chau. visiting the islands is something that most tourists dont do because they either dont have time or are not interested in the rural side of HK, but visiting Lamma Island was one of the best things i ever did in HK.
Sok Ku Wan on Lamma Island, where all the seafood restaurants are
Lamma Island is a 20-30 minute ferry or sampan ride from Aberdeen and Central (i would recommend going from Aberdeen because then you’ll boat past the Aberdeen Fishermen Village, a little village where the people live on boats) and is very quaint and tranquil. i spent some time hiking around the villages in Lamma, peeking into people’s houses (discreetly and from afar!) and playing with the random pet dogs that were running around. it was great just being able to observe and be amongst their culture. later in the evening, i had a fabulous seafood dinner while watching the sunset. Lamma is famous for its seafood, but meals here can get expensive!
village in Lamma Island
oh and to TVB fans, Lamma Island is where that show ‘Taste of Love’ was filmed :P
i would really have loved to visit Lantau Island, but sadly in all my time there i never got to go there :( from what i know of it, Lantau is more developed and more touristy than Lamma is. it’s the island on which that massive Buddha with many steps leading up to it is! Lantau is also home to Tai O, a really old fishing village on stilts that is supposed to be a very interesting visit.
4. Disneyland
i didnt like Disneyland very much when i went there. it was expensive, the queues were very long, the rides were unimpressive and the whole of the place just very small. i would give this a miss, but if it’s your cup of tea, why not?
5. Partying at Lan Kwai Fong
Lan Kwai Fong is the hip and glitzy party district in Hong Kong, where the yuppies, models and trendy folk are in abundance. it’s the place to go if you’re looking for somewhere to party - lots of bars and clubs in the vicinity. Martian’s favorite HK club, Volar, is here too. clubbing in HK is really different from clubbing in KL; over there, queuing in at the entrance doesnt mean you get in. they are really selective with who they allow to enter, and if you’re not on the guestlist, chances are you wont be getting in. so i mostly prefer just hanging out at the bars on ground-level to people-watch. oh and there are lots of yummy people to watch here :D lots of good restaurants here also!
LKF in the daytime. the pubs and bars are up the road
Lan Kwai Fong is located in Central, just up the road from Queen’s Rd Central and a short walk from the Mid Levels Escalator.
6. Taking the Ferry
view of HK Island from the ferry
another one of the things i loved doing in HK was taking the ferry across the harbour from the Kowloon side to the HK Island side. it’s just one of those quintessentially Hong Kong things to do! it’s a beautiful view at night as well if you’re coming from Kowloon and heading towards the brightly-lit and glam HK Island. in the evening just as the sun is setting, it’s even more gorgeous. and if you’re lucky, you may be able to catch one of those red-sailed junk boats sailing across the harbour! i NEVER saw one in my entire time in HK, until Martian took me on one for our first anniversary :) so yes, you can go on the junk boats too! though i regret to inform that i dont know how that is arranged :\
7. Temples, Museums & Beaches
i must say that i’ve only ever visited one temple (Tin Hau) and two beaches (Repulse Bay & Stanley Beach) in Hong Kong and no museums at all, but dont let my lack of enthusiasm stop you from checking out these places :P apparently the Hong Kong Museum of History is quite cool, and temples are really quite an important part of HK culture. as for the beaches… well, i guess as a tourist, there’s really much more to do in HK than tanning at the beach. but Martian recommends Shek O!
Stanley Beach
8. Shopping
a lot of people i know equate a HK trip to SHOPPING SPREE!!!, and even though i didnt shop very much in HK, i can definitely see why they say that. the fashion is diverse and up-to-date, you can put together the quirkiest styles here, everyone on the street is well-dressed and is good fashion inspiration, and things can get really cheap during the sales. some places that i like to shop at:
a) Causeway Bay
there is a lot more to CWB than just shopping, and when i’m there, it’s usually to hunt down good places to eat or just to poke around the streets of CWB.. but there are lots and LOTS of boutiques and clothing stores here. mostly trendy stuff that’s geared towards students and young adults. jeans galore. mid-range prices throughout! CWB is located on HK Island, and i would definitely recommend some time spent here even if you’re not looking to do any shopping. lots of good char chan tengs and noodle shops here!
b) Nathan Road
something like CWB, but more concentrated and is one long road instead of a labyrinth. Nathan Road is located in Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon side, and is heavily trawled by teenagers. mostly street wear, also mid-range prices. the surrounding area of TST also has a lot of shopping
c) Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui
THE BEST SHOPPING MALL IN ALL OF HONG KONG. it’s humongous and has EVERYTHING from low and mid range merchandise to the high end stuff like Gucci and LV. it’s a bit like 1 Utama + Pavilion and i absolutely love it to bits. i could spend all day shopping here! there’s also a City Super (excellent supermarket) as well as cinemas here. Harbour City is on Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui.
d) Temple Street
as mentioned above in the Mongkok section
e) Soho in Central
i spent a lot of time in Central because Martian lived really nearby when he was staying in Hong Kong. and believe you me, there’s a lot of shopping to be done here too. the shopping here is very much different from that of Causeway Bay and TST; it’s mostly quirky, quaint and themed. there are lots of these small but classy boutiques in the Soho area of Central, where the merchandise are things like pretty dresses, hats, shoes and bags by budding local designers and jewelery. there are also some really cool shops selling earrings, candles, new age books, antiques, girly things and boy’s toys. lots of places to poke around, especially if you’re looking for things and styles that are unique, personalized and quirky.
there’s also this street in Central called Pottinger Street, where a short and steep street is dedicated to stalls and stalls selling fancy dress costumes. it’s the COOLEST. i’ve bought loads and loads of stuff here, such as animal ears, angel wings, pirate costumes, police and nurse costumes, wigs, hats, face paint and the like. i love this place! prices can be bargained down.
a costume shop in Pottinger Street
besides shopping, you can also head down to Queen’s Road Central, which is practically the artery of Central, and treat yourself to an all-HongKong crowd jostle survival :D dont leave HK without doing this! there are also lots of good restaurants and hole-in-the-wall eateries around Central, which brings me to…
TO EAT
1. Dim Sum
once you have HK dim sum, no other dim sum is ever going to be good enough for you. sigh the siew mai and cheong fun is just …!!! i grasp for words to describe the sublimity. anyways the place where i had the best dim sum in HK is called Fu Sing Shark Fin & Seafood Restaurant. yes they serve shark fin, *scowl*, but the dim sum here is really out of this world - fresh, succulent, delicious, authentic. an absolute MUST-TRY here is the special char siew pau, which is made in polo pau style; it’s slightly crispy on the outside but oh-so-soft on the inside, with juicy marinated barbecued pork filling encased in a fragrant and milky golden bun… MMMM. BEST CHAR SIEW PAU IN THE WORLD. go early though, because this pau runs out quite soon and sometimes you have to place reservations for it. the Fu Sing Shark Fin & Seafood Restaurant is located on the 1st floor of Sunshine Plaza on 353 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai.
another place that is recommended for its dim sum is this place called Luk Yu Tea House which is tucked away in a little lane at 24 Stanley Street in Central. i went there on my first trip to HK and i quite liked the dimsum there, but it can be quite expensive. Fu Sing’s dimsum is better and more worth it!
Luk Yu Tea House in Central
also, you cant go wrong with Maxim’s Palace, which is a tourist favorite. it’s located in City Hall across the Mandarin. it’s not the best food and is always very packed, but it’s convenient to get to and slightly cheaper than other yam cha places.
2. Porridge / Congee
HK porridge is smooth and usually very simple in preparation. and also awesome :D you can get porridge in practically all yam cha spots, and they’re usually very good, but the one i like most of all is from this little congee & noodles place called Happy Garden, located on Canton Road just opposite the Harbour City mall in TST. one trip to HK, my parents and i stayed on Canton Road, and EVERY SINGLE NIGHT we went to Happy Garden for late-night wan tan noodles and century egg porridge. that’s how good it is :D
3. Char Chan Tengs
HK char chan tengs are what places like Kim Gary and Wongkok CCT got their inspiration from. they are noisy, crowded, brightly-lit little eateries that are open till late, and serve fare like instant noodles, fried rice, sandwiches, that notorious honey-coated french toast and drinks. it’s a very specific kind of cuisine that is unhealthy (haha), cheap (by HK standards… still quite expensive upon conversion from RM) but comforting and sticks to your bones.
char chan tengs are everywhere in HK, like EVERYWHERE, and they all really taste the same to me. there’s a chain called Tsui Wah which is supposed to be like an institution of HK because it’s the most familiar to locals and tourists alike, and the food there’s not bad. Martian and i usually pop in there for hot drinks during the winter or for instant noodles when we’re feeling peckish.
even though we get places like Kim Gary and all those other HKish places in SS2, i’d definitely recommend you try the real thing in HK :) tung lai cha and kong chai meen ftw!
4. Yung Kee roast goose
best and most famous roast goose in HK. it’s located on Wellington Street in Central. fat, succulent, amazing, crispy, tender, oily, delicious goose. enough said. *drools
5. Egg tarts
egg tarts at Tai Cheong Bakery
oh but you must. you must. YOU MUST. like dimsum, the egg tarts in HK are also a must-have when you visit. there are several famous (as in SUPER FAMOUS with long queues etc) egg tart bakeries in HK, but the one that i love most and always always always go back to is called Tai Cheong Bakery in Lyndhurst Terrace, Central. sigh so good. i have to have it every trip i go to HK. i bought some back for waimin last time and i think she fainted from how yummy it was. let me try to describe it: the egg filling is custardy, soft and sweet; the pastry is smooth, slightly dense but light, and melts in your mouth. it’s pure magic when you take that first bite and let it spread over your tongue. SIGH. please, if you trust me, you have to go to Tai Cheong bakery and buy their egg tarts.
6. DESSERT - Hui Lau Shan (that mango place) and Honeymoon Desserts
Hui Lau Shan in Causeway Bay
another HK institution. you see it all over the place as well, and even if you dont read Chinese (the signboard is in Chinese) it’s easily recognizable because all these mango-type places usually just jump out at you like that. Hui Lau Shan is a place that sells everything mango, be it pudding, drinks, mango with shaved ice, mango with glutinous rice, mango with sago, and many others. it’s good stuff but the novelty eventually wears off.
however, the place that i REALLY like but dont get to go to often cos it doesnt have as much presence as HLS is Honeymoon Dessert. the dessert array here is much wider and much more innovative, yet maintaining many authentic desserts. my favorites here are the Mango Pomelo Sago, Durian & Black Glutinous Rice in Coconut Milk, and Mango & Black Glutinous Rice in Vanilla Cream. mmmmm :)) Honeymoon Dessert has outlets in Sai Kung, Central, Causeway Bay and some other places that i dont know of.
Durian & Black Glutinous Rice in Coconut Milk, and Mango & Black Glutinous Rice in Vanilla Cream
7. Krispy Kreme
only if you’ve never had them or you have friends clawing at you to buy some back for them! there are several KK outlets across HK, but the only one i’ve ever been to besides the airport outlet is the one at Elgin Street in Soho, Central. the donuts at the airport outlet are slightly more expensive than at the other stores, though!
8. Rice bowls at 7 Eleven
cheap and good; absolutely amazing during the winter when it’s like 10 degrees out. i loooooove because they are cheap and so convenient - just pop the bowl in the microwave oven in 7 Eleven and you’re all set. perfect supper solution if you’re lazy to walk very far and want something hot. Rice with Minced Pork and Salted Fish, i do miss you so!
9. Noodles
shrimp dumpling noodles
again, nothing like the real thing. i dont have a specific place to recommend because these noodles shops are all over the place.. and they’re ALL good :)
MISC TIPS
1. English is only widely-spoken in certain areas in Hong Kong, so it’s always helpful to find out the Cantonese name of the place/street/building you want to go to, as most cabbies dont really know the English name of those places, especially streets and buildings.
2. the Octopus Card is very very helpful. it’s a stored value card that you can use for public transport (buses, trams, MTR), at most supermarkets and 7 Elevens and also McDonalds :D you can get them at all MTR stations, which you will most probably be seeing very often because taxi fares in HK are just killer expensive.
3. from the airport, taking the Airport Express is the cheapest and quickest way out. there are 3 stops: Tsing Yi, Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. a return ticket on the Airport Express should cost about HKD 160 (RM 80), whereas a cab from the airport will cost HKD 350 (RM 175) and up. if you are traveling with 1 other person or alone, then the Airport Express is definitely cheaper and drops you at very strategic locations.
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okay that’s all i can think of for now :) hope it’s helpful, and do feel free to add on to this list if you’ve got any good recommendations for things to do, places to eat at and places to see in Hong Kong!! also do feel free to ask questions, and i will try my best to answer you.
August 12th, 2008
there are the things that matter, the things that don’t matter, and lastly, the things that we convince ourselves do matter, but actually don’t. i used to think that pleasing everyone was not impossible, and to an extent, was important, and that all it takes to achieve that is simply a little bit of effort and compromise on my part. but i’m starting to see that it’s tiring. the tray’s getting a little bit too big. and i suppose it all boils down to priorities: who’s important and who’s not?
i spent the past few days fretting and being hurt and upset over something that i simply could not fix or help. i also spent the past few days trying to understand why people behave the way they do - why they tell lies, why they make up fictitious sources, why they cant just pick up the goddamn phone and reason things out, why the blame-pushing, why the ally-pulling, why the vindictiveness, why the claws. i canceled a couple of dinners and movies with my friends just so i could sit down and think about how i could solve this. yeah, i have two weeks left here in Malaysia with my loved ones and this is what i do. Martian comes to KL to spend time with me, and i thank him by waving him away to tend to this reeking incident that is built upon the scraps of self-indulgence and hypocrisy. talk about priorities.. mine are certainly all wrong.
so yesterday, Martian sat me down (actually, we talked standing up) to explain to me just how silly i was being. the conversation started with him saying, “i am right here in KL and we don’t have much time left together, but you rather tend to these thankless people than tend to me”, and at first i got so angry at him for being so selfish and disregarding the fact that it was important to me that this issue is solved, but as he spoke on, i realized how right he was. if there is anything that this whole incident has taught me, is that the people involved in this are so embroiled in their obsession of coming out on top, that there is just no getting through to them. it’s like talking to someone who’s senile. and i also realize that the more i involved myself in this, the more i am becoming like that too.
it all comes down to what really matters and what doesn’t at all. lately i’ve been desperately trying to salvage the things that don’t matter, thinking that they are important, but not realizing that i’m sidelining the things that really do matter. like.. family. friends. Martian. intern lunches at KLCC :D carl’s jr portobello burger. sleep. milo dogs. things like that. and for what? three people who don’t and shouldn’t matter? at first i was so upset that this fracas has caused me to lose three friends, but really, after thinking about it, these people were never friends in the first place. they are relationships not worth salvaging. i wish i’d taken Martian’s advice and told them to fuck off from the start. it would have saved me a lot of fretting, and i could have gone to lunch with voon, emily, andrew and the mechanical man today.
but like all nasty things usually do, this issue has taught me good lessons and showed me what’s really important. thank you to all the people who emailed and facebooked me their condolences and to all my friends who called and msn-ed to lend their support and to check if i was okay. it was really very, very touching and i am very relieved that the people in my life are not blaming me for what has happened. and then there’s Martian who always believes in me and knows how to set me straight. and A (haha), who is the kindest and most understanding person ever. and then there are my best friends who have listened to me whine and cry about this and given me some excellent advice, and my other friends who defended me when i needed it most. thanks, you guys =)) you’re the ones that really matter. i’m sorry if i have been very difficult or negligent over the past few days.
and one more thing that really matters : earlier tonight, some of my friends threw me a surprise farewell party :))) i was in such a crummy mood and wasn’t expecting it at all. in fact, i almost didn’t get out of the car because i didn’t understand why i had to follow sieutheng up to darren’s house just to get something that she’d left there. but she was like, “DONT YOU WANT TO SEE DARREN’S NEW APARTMENT” and i thought, hey okay why not.
i plunked myself down at darren’s computer and starting chatting on msn while sieutheng went to get whatever it was she came to get, and suddenly these fingers closed over my eyes. thinking it was sieutheng, i started swatting the hands away and telling the person to get lost hahahaha and then i turned around to see IVAN!! and then slowly more and more people started coming out of the bedroom and they all said, SURPRISE!!
T____________T
they even got me a cake that says “Happy Humping in the Big Apple”. hahahaha yeah these are the same bunch of people who got me that naked man cake for my birthday last year.
#1 my farewell cake is a New York Cheesecake. ha-ha guys… so funny…
HK later helped me scrape out the P in ‘humping’ so that if my parents asked, i could tell them the cake says ‘humming’ :D
haih i felt so emo. i didnt think i was going to have a farewell party because sieutheng bluffed me and said everyone was too busy. this beats a boring japanese dinner at South City Plaza (wtf) any day. they all brought food and ice cream and stuff, and we sat around talking rubbish like we always do. i love you guys!! you all make it so much harder to leave malaysia.
#2 i just wanna put up this picture cos sieutheng looks so cute
#3 this is us camming with Jon who’s all the way in Canada. that’s him telling us to be quiet. stupid wan! webcam with him also wanna tell people to shut up!
#4 see. he’s so weird
#5 this is everybody!
#6 this is everybody with Jon.. hahaha! we carried the laptop and put it amongst us the whole night. it felt like Jon was dead and we were bringing him around in an urn :\
#7 JON AND HIS INFAMOUS MOLE
#8 everyone in the kitchen pretending to help Darren clean up
polaroid photos from here on!
#9 me and the Parrot - we used to squawk at each other in Form 2 when we first discovered that she was actually a parrot. the Faber Castell parrot is her boyfriend
#10 this is Sieutheng, my angsty bestie! we were desk buddies for almost our entire high school life
#11 i dont know why Ivan’s face is all crumpled here hahaha but i still love him <3 he's my gal pal
#12 this is Jovann! the only guy i both love and hate. oooooh you should see us when we’re arguing - it’s like World War 3. ‘Holy Shit’ because it’s our new inside joke! it used to be Barcode hahahaha gawd why are we so politically incorrect
#13 let me tell you a funny story about Darren. in Perhentian i kept saying i was a lobster (i forgot why), and then when i asked everyone what animal they want to be, Darren said, “i want to be a dolphin because they are really smart” hahaha okay maybe you just have to know Darren to think that’s funny :\ aiyah the background here is that Darren is a know-it-all. you can ask him any random thing and he will know the answer because he’s like a walking encyclopedia
#14 me and the very pretty christine :D she has like five million x’s in her email address, but that was in 2001 so we all forgive her
#15 this is Jin Hang, whom i am almost as dark as after Perhentian. haih!
#16 this is Teddy, Darren’s housemate, whom i’ve met a couple of times. very nice guy :) future doctor too
#17 HAHA SAILOR URANUS & SAILOR SATURN! ah the geekiness of our younger days :D we were massive Sailor Moon fans, you see. actually i still am *shifty eyes
#18 i dont know why we call Chao Ying ‘Cow’, but we do *___* haih i tried to draw a cow next to the ‘Moo’ but it ended up looking like a pig. art skillz fail
#19 Haow Kang why you teach us bad words
#20 hahahahahahaha The King has come! hahahahahahahahaa quick ask me why we call Freddy ‘The King’!!!
#21 me and Justin! that :\ face is the face that Justin makes right before he throws up. hehe! there, that’s revenge for that car park incident
#22 this is Waimin who always looks gorgeous. that smiley is there because she once chipped her tooth eating pancakes hahaha! only waimin is capable of something so cute. i think she and wwq should meet up and take over the world with their cuteness
#23 and this is us pretending to be unicorns :\
writing this post and all the laughing in between captioning the above photos have put me in such a happy mood :) i feel better than i have for days, and it all began when i learned the difference between what really matters and what doesn’t.
August 9th, 2008
