Last Days in Hong Kong

As we wrapped up our last days in Hong Kong and Asia (where did the time go?!), we indulged in a few activities not to be missed out here. . .

Dim Sum with Sakura (her name means 'cherry blossom' in Japanese)! The restaurant Serenade by the HK Cultural Center has a nice waterfront view and variety of dim sum, but they require ordering from a menu, which is becoming the trend as its supposedly fresher than the cart method. Overall, we prefer ordering from the cart ladies because we know what the heck we're ordering -- just point and shout.

A rare treat - catching up with HK natives Kendrick and Lavina. Nooshin merrily reunites with fellow Farm buddies.

High Tea at the Peninsula is a must. A string quartet plays from the 2nd floor, adding to the ambience of a bygone era. Nooshin could live off their clotted cream. Delish - so fluffy and light, it almost seems healthy.

Hours before our departure from HK. Our last day is our first sunny day. At least we could finally see the city shimmer under blue skies.

One more go at the 'Symphony of Lights' spectacle and moment to view the HK Island skyline from Kowloon. We miss Asia already!

On Board to Discovery Bay & Lantau Island

Sunday seemed like the perfect day for non-urban activities so we headed to Lantau Island which has a few sites to check out. Then finally ended with a reunion and dinner with a view.

We first took at fast catamaran from Central to Discovery Bay - a popular "getaway" area for expats and some locals. There's a small beach, open air cafes and resort-y type complexes with funny names such as "Chianti," "Paradise," "Sienna," etc. People ride around in golf carts or use the resort / condo shuttles to get around - no cars allowed.

Realizing that we can't really get to other spots on the island from here, we then take a hard to find ferry from Discovery Bay to Mui Wo, which is more of a transport hub town.

Mui Wo - not as pristine and yuppified as DB. Locals, buses, a beach and tons of bikes.

Windy, rackety but thankfully air-conditioned bus ride to the 85 ft tall Giant Buddha, perched at the top of Ngong Ping.

We got their after the crowds had left - there's supposedly an amazing vegetarian lunch served inside the Buddha during normal hours. Cooler at the top too.

The Po Lin Monastery is at the base of the hill.

After another long, windy bus ride we decide to take the MTR home from Tung Chung station (above). Newer looking apartment complexes don't necessarily mean more spacious. It's incredibly dizzying looking at how many apartments are squeezed into these buildings.

Finally, to end the long day where we ended up using 7+ different forms of transportation (ferries, cab, buses, MTR), we reunited with Nooshin's friend who is also visiting from Japan. Time for a relaxing dinner at Phillippe Starck decorated restaurant Felix at the top of Hong Kong's first hotel, and award winning Peninsula Hotel.

Off to Victoria Peak

We finally got a somewhat clear day so we had to take advantage of the weather to check out the best view around Hong Kong at Victoria Peak.

The Peak Tower at the very top of Victoria Peak, visible above the Hong Kong Island skyline.

Our hotel, the YMCA Salisbury, and the view from our room.

Posing with the mascots of the 2009 East Asian Games.

Another view of Central from the Kowloon side with old fashioned boat.

You get to Hong Kong Island using one of the iconic green and white Star ferries departing from Central Pier, on Victoria Harbor.

The trip is fast and smooth.

The most visible landscape item on the other side is of course the International Finance Tower 2, the tallest building in Hong Kong.

However, back on the other side of the river, active construction on the International Commerce Center will bring an end to the IFC 2 claims as the tallest building in HK.

A short bus ride from the ferry gets us to the departure station of the Peak Tramway.

The tram moves quite fast for an old piece of machinery, it almost feels like we have a vertical climb at some spots.

The tram arrives right inside at the bottom of the Peak Tower.

The panoramic roof provides a 360 degrees view of Hong Kong Island.

Japanese food at the top. Yum.

Fog starts rolling in fast by late afternoon.

Bank of China building (top) and other high rises in the finance / govt / commerical work area of Central.

Descending the tiny spiral staircase of the old-fashioned tramways on the way to Happy Valley race track.

We pass the crowded Wan Chai area (view from our old-fashioned tram).

When races are not scheduled, locals still come here to watch televised horse races and bet. Smoking and tracking bets with the newspaper listings are the main activities.

One of the older, but still classy mall The Landmark which eventually connects to the Mandarin Oriental hotel.

Walkways connect the ground shopping levels of the high rises and hotels in Central. It's nice option to walk above street level to avoid cars.

We end up in the IFC mall on the way out to the Star ferry to return to Kowloon.

More Neighborhoods in Hong Kong Island

Wandering around the various streets and alleys in Central HK Island.
Another rainy day, which means we unfortunately have to the little photo camera again.

After taking the Star ferry to Hong Kong Island, we started our exploration by foot.

Westarn Market: an Edwardian style market built in 1906 near the Western side of Central Sheung Wan area. It's small scale stairs, doors and shops remind us that folks weren't as tall back then.

More west of Central, still incredibly packed: there not much space left.

Repair structures on buildings are entirely made of bamboo and light rope - looks pretty impressive when reaching 30 stories high.

Random street shops around Sheung Wan and Tai Ping Shan street below.

We finally manage to find the tiny Hollywood Road park surrounded by buildings - it's quite hard to escape the city landscape.

Man Mo Temple, dating back to the 1840s is very much actively used for worship / incense burning.

We then started walking higher up the road- it can be pretty steep, so escalators in the Mid-Levels are very helpful.


SoHo's Elgin Street & vicinity are popular with expats. Many arty shops and cafes.

We took a cab to go back all the way down to the HK convention center area.

HK Convention Center holds symbolic importance as it's where the handover from the Brits to the Chinese took place.

Exploring Kowloon & Hong Kong Island

We made the most of the gloomy weather (maybe it's always overcast?) to walk the streets of West Kowloon, and then later end up across the water in HK Island.
Note: Due to the rain, pictures on that day were taken with the Canon Powershot camera instead of the Nikon D60, which explains the lower quality.

The atmosphere is quite warm and humid (as you would expect), but contrary to the weather we had in Shanghai and Singapore, the sky is overcast all day long and there's often light rain. View from Kowloon Park.

Outside of the touristy areas, English signs rapidly disappear and it really feels like China, or more accurately, like a more overcrowded, fast-paced Shanghai.


Space is used very efficiently: apartments in buildings are really incredibly packed and buildings inches away from each other.


Older damaged buildings are often next to brand new ones - we haven't found a strong consistency in age or style between them.

A pleasant stroll through the Jade Market. Fakes and real pieces can be tricky to tell apart. Bargaining is essential. Nooshin managed to get 20HK dollars ($3 US) off a ring. Victory!

Langham Place (youth centered mall, less designer-y) is located in Mong Kok, a good less touristy shopping district.

The higher levels become even more teenage oriented.

People's worker recruitment.

Pacific Place mall all the way across the water in HK Island in the Admiralty area.

Finally, dinner in the night life and expat inclined area of Lan Kwai Fong. People head here after work for happy hour, night life, and of course, some shopping.

Great authentic Vietnamese food at Indochine 1929 in Lan Kwai Fong. Pierre-Olivier has a moment of connection to his 1/4 Vietnamese heritage.