Hong Kong- a true International City

We adore Hong Kong. Its so diverse, so unique, so “ALIVE”. Last time we came as a couple was on our way to Bali for our honeymoon back in September 2010. You can check out our last post here. This time around we came here en route to our new home in Kuala Lumpur. David had some business to conduct so I was fortunate enough to explore this crazy city for 6 days:).

We chose to stay at the Harbour Grand Hong Kong on Hong Kong Island this time around. It’s located in the North Point neighborhood which is very nice, although there is a TON of construction going on right now so that was hugely irritating. Its very close to a metro stop, starbucks, grocery store, laundry center, etc…so convenient for our 6 night stay. The hotel lobby is massive and so beautiful!! Its modern, smells amazing from the fresh flowers, and has huge chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings. Plus they have a live harpist the plays every evening! The rooms are so modern & clean but small (and we got a suite) but that is pretty normal for Asia. The showers are huge with a round tub & rain can shower (indulgent!), but the fact that the hotel charges daily for Wifi PER device, is insane in this day in age. Luckily David complained enough that they only charged us 1 time for our 5 devices/day. For this reason, the construction, and the somewhat unfriendly staff, I would not stay here again.

That being said, here’s what we did in HK….

Day 1-

For our first evening, we ventured out to the famous Soho neighborhood. We’ve been here before and wanted to head back to the yummy Thai restaurant we tried last time while in HK. Lil Siam did not disappoint and it was fun to take a walk down memory lane:).

Day 2-

Just for fun and because the name made us laugh, we lunched at the Ugly American Bar & Grill near our hotel. Its a fun little place, and I mean little (about 12 tables) but the food is superb! We indulged in a cheeseburger & fries and a tall cold beer:).

The great thing about Hong Kong is that their metro system is awesome & super easy to use. We jumped on and headed over to the Kowloon side of HK as we wanted to experience the crowds & hawker stalls of the ladies market along the streets of Mong Kok and as usual, it did not disappoint.We mostly just “window shopped” and people watched. After hoofing it for a while we decided to give

ourselves a break with a 45 min foot reflexology treatment…at a somewhat sketchy hole in the wall. There are so many of these little joints around town so just hop into one if you are brave:). It cost us the equivalent of $25 USD for both of us!

For dinner we asked David’s coworker who lives here to take us out “like a local” & Samuel treated us right! We went to the Causeway Bay neighborhood on Hong Kong Island to a local’s favorite called Under Bridge Spicy Crab. Wow…unreal.

The spicy crab was completely covered in garlic…heaven. We also dined on pork leg, deep fried tofu, steamed broccoli & scallops, and a local delicacy- conch shell…..not horrendous but not my favorite either; it’s similar to the meat of a mussel, yet more rubbery. A perfect seafood filled meal!! We finished off the night in the ever hopping nightlife scenes of Lan Kwai Fong for a nightcap. A fun & successful first full day:).

Day 3-

Our third day fell on a Sunday so we took advantage of rising early (still was not on the right time zone- haha) and headed over to take the tram up to Victoria’sPeak.

This peak offers unparalleled views of Hong Kong Island & of Kowloon Peninsula.

The tram was built back in 1888 and is an unforgettable experience. At times you feel like you are almost vertical as you scale the mountain to the top though once at the top, you will be rewarded with breathtaking views- I promise!! Unfortunately, we were a bit fogged in but still enjoyed the stunning skyline. Its a little tradition as well to write a love note at the top so we joined in on the fun.They also had a wax museum at the peak so we goofed around with Bruce Lee:).

We also found that there are several hiking paths along the top so we took a (somewhat) strenuous hike through the trees- it was nice to get away from the city!

For lunch we completely stuffed ourselves with the famous dim sum that we love so much. Our first dim sum meal of the week (oh yes, we had it again!) was in the Causeway Bay area at a popular chain restaurant- Din Tai Fung; which actually started over in Taiwan. So delicious- this restaurant in particular is well known for their steamed pork dumplings- a burst of broth & flavor in your mouth!! We walked it off by strolling through the ever-packed & popular shopping district of Causeway Bay.

For dinner we wanted a break from Asian cuisine so we headed once again up to the SoHo neighborhood and found DiVino. It was a super cute wine bar & italian restaurant. The wine list was big yet affordable and the food was an eclectic mix of delicious italian cuisine- it totally hit the spot:).

Day 4-

David had to work since it was Monday but a client he was to meet with asked if I would join them for some traditional Chinese lunch as a way of introducing me to Hong Kong. How could I say no to this warm invite? We dined at the Hong Kong Lao Shang Hai Restaurant in the Wan Chai neighborhood of HK Island. It is a local establishment that has been open for an very long time so it was a traditional chinese setting and was a lovely treat. David’s clients ordered for us and per my usual mantra: “try everything once”, I dined on some….shall we say, interesting dishes. From pork butt to eel to jellyfish (horrendous!) & dumplings, it was one of the most exotic meals I have ever tried. I didn’t take any pictures since this was a business lunch thus I have no visuals to share but let me just tell you- I don’t think many people I know would have been brave enough to try some of those dishes. I am proud of myself, that is for sure! Luckily, they teased me that they took it easy on me this time around but that next time they would introduce me to chicken feet….oh boy, can’t wait (insert sarcasm here). What a fun time though, David’s clients are so very sweet- warm and inviting gentlemen who both spoke amazing english to boot:).

I ventured off alone for the remainder of the the afternoon by wandering through some of the enormous shopping malls of HK:). I headed back to the hotel in fashion via a double-decker cable bus. It cost me about $0.25 USD and was such a fun & cheap way to see the city & to people watch- I highly recommend trying this form of transportation out when you visit HK. When another speeds past you going the other direction, I swear if you reach your arm out you could touch the people in the bus, or get it chopped off- yikes!

David was free for dinner (yea!) so we once again headed over to Soho in search of some mexican food. See, that’s the great thing about Hong Kong- its so international that you can literally get any cuisine from around the world to satisfy your cravings….and its honestly delicious! I gather its because people from all over the world flock here to live and then open up bars & restaurants from their own home country’s cuisine. Anyway, we found Caramba! Mexican Cantina and it was a perfect way to end a Monday- good margaritas, crunchy & spicy nachos, and traditional enchiladas- delicious (as delicious as Mexican can be in Asia) & such a lively little atmosphere:)!

Day 5-

Stanley Market- 2; Kimbra’s Wallet- 0.

I headed out to Stanley on the south side of Hong Kong Island for 2 things- great shopping at the famous Stanley Market & a quiet lunch on the bay. I succeeded on both accounts- woohoo!! My wallet got a little lighter by the end of the afternoon- both from awesome finds at the market as well as a yummy thai beef salad & glass of wine at the Ocean Bay retaurant.  It was well worth it though. I’ve gone to Stanley 2 times now and both times left a very happy camper. I highly recommend Stanley for a day of shopping- its not upscale at all plus I find the quality better than the city markets, the clothes more trendy, and the bartering “nicer” (is that even possible?!).  I still wear items I purchased at the Stanley market from 2 year ago!

The evening took us once again to the Soho neighborhood. David got his MBA in International Business Administration atThunderbird University in Phoenix, AZ. All around the world alumni get together on the 1st Tuesday of every month to network and since on that day we found ourselves in HK, we joined the group for happy hour at The Globe in Soho. What a great group of people! An added bonus? The Globe sold beers from around the world and we indulged in our first American IPA from California of the trip: The North Coast Acme IPA- absolute perfection and just what we needed:):).

Afterwards our friends treated us to another ethnic Chinese Cuisine at the nearby Hakka Ye Ye restaurant. It was good, but not the best I have ever tasted.

Day 6-

Today ended up being a holiday for the locals in Hong Kong so David was able to take it somewhat easy for work. He joined me in getting a traditional Chinese Massage at a great place our concierge recommended us to in Causeway Bay by the name of Big Buckets footbath & reflexology (not sure why its named this but oh well). It was a treat and SO VERY reasonably priced…and by reasonable I mean cheap and did the job to perfection- 60 min full body for $30/each! Don’t expect a full-on spa atmosphere with aromatherapy & candles though…its very bare bones, in fact they give you shorts & a tee-shirt to wear for the massage and do not use oil/lotion at all….but they really dig into those sore spots!

For lunch we once again indulged in dim sum at another popular place for locals in Causeway Bay called Jade Garden- we have to say…not impressive at all. The service sucked and the only redeeming quality was that their steamed & baked BBQ pork buns were delicious:).

For our final evening in HK, we decided to take is easy for dinner and grab a pizza at the close by Ugly American Bar & Grill we had tried earlier on the week- it hit the spot as its easy to get tired of Chinese food- LOL.

We were then going to trek over to the Kowloon side to watch the famous Hong Kong light show- A Symphony of Lights from the Avenue of Stars along the Victoria Harbour. You can catch this show nightly at 8pm for FREE!! We’ve seen if before back in 2010 but we ended up so pooped from the week so we just ended up watching it from our hotel room, which was still pretty cool:)! (it was really foggy anyway)

Hong Kong once again treated us right and although we absolutely love this lively & international city, we are so ready to flee the crowds and begin the hunt for our new home in Kuala Lumpur.

Until next time….happy & safe travels,

Kimbra