hk day 1

ok...so regent (my pen-pal) came and met us at the hotel lobby and off we went. first stop, with the tram which is right in front of our hotel, to the mtr station to buy our public transport travel card aka octopus card. paid hk$150 with the card with $100 usable value while the $50 is deposit which you will get back when you return the card. the station that we went to was sheung wan. this is also where we bought our turbojet ticket to macau $150 each. the journey to macau would take only 1 hour from the pier.

hk-macau pier.

their mtr system. the carriage was empty because this photo was taken on sunday morning before 8a.m. very efficient and no breakdowns.

the tram system in hk island. get up at the designated stops...which is like every 50 metres and pay only when you get down. it does not matter how far you travel or how many stops, the price is the same: $2.00. these trams are really living heritage. the seats were all wooden and the stairs going up too.

this is the street behind our hotel, dried seafood street. this is where everyone comes to stock up their supplies. i think the prices are cheap but we did not buy any because we were really not sure what is considered 'cheap'. later go back get scolded. there are like 2 blocks of shops selling nothing but dried seafood on both sides of the rooad.

we went to mongkok area for a walk. it was bustling and shops were everywhere. the shopping haven? err...not really because i find the things rather expensive this time around. prices are not that competitive already compared to last time. they have a lot of shops selling clothes and facial stuff. are they really that beauty-conscious? i think you can figure out the answer yourself.

we had our dinner here...the street hawker fare and pizza. well, the pizza wasn't my choice actually but regent's. so i just went along with it. yee also had her milk tea drink with pearl. none for me because milk is not my cuppa.

smelly beancurd....which we bought one....and had to force ourselves to finish. the first bite was ok...but as you ate, the more pungent the smell became. it was crispy on the coating and soft as tofu should be outside. business was brisk at this stall.

our favourites are here....we had curry fish ball and fried squid. yummy...

and oh, while yee was queueing up for her milk tea, i spotted these mini egg puffs. bought a rack for $12. they are chewy and i finished almost all of them.

the pizza we had...just ordered a pizza supremo and shared among the 3 of us. could not really stomach so much actually.

opposite the pizza shop is already the famous lady street aka tung choi street. signs of failing economic recession is there. the place was not crowded at all (because we were early? around 8p.m.??). it was bustling few years back. well, this is the place if you want petaling street stuff.

the street is quite long...about 3 or 4 blocks.

that weekend was the celebration of the birth of tin hau, the goddess of the sea i think.

pirated goodies anyone???

then we walked all the way to langham place, a mall. yee wanted to go to H&M, we came out empty handed. overpriced items but still it was crowded. hk ppl can really spend. inside was seibu dept store as well. my first time in seibu i think........not as upscale as lane crawford but almost there. before that i got something from esprit outlet store. cheaper ah.

some herbal tea to cool the body.

my gwai lin gou, hk$50. expensive hor?? but it is a big bowl and really good. eating in hk is not cheap so be prepared to spend happily while eating. that way, you won't starve.

walked all the way to tsim tsa tsui water front and of course you will see the clock tower by the sea and opposit the road is the peninsula hotel. din go in lah of course. but i went to the washroom before and they have someone to hand you paper towels after you wash your hands.

then regent sent us all the way back to the hotel. i think we called it a night only at around 11.30p.m. what a day of walking.