eating and shopping, shopping and eating

So I just returned from a 5-night vacay in Hongkong. Got back just before midnight on Wednesday, took Thursday off because I needed a break from my break. Because, man was it a tiring holi-holiday.

I will try to condense it into one blog entry. And I must admit also straight off that I hardly took pictures! It's like when I visit BKK, I don't really know what to take pictures of... I guess I could've taken some pictures of food, and of the new friends I've made in HK. But, well...

To begin this, let me just say that I never really considered HK a top vacay spot. I've said the same thing about Tokyo. And I was wrong then and I am wrong now. It's a great city and after this trip, I realise that HK is what you call a city, not Singapore. Sg is hardly a city compared to HK with its towering skyscrapers and apartment buildings and packed packed streets.

I visited HK when I was in primary school - the only thing I remember of tt trip was Ocean Park, the trip to see my grandaunt and well, that's about it.

But this time, the shopping and eating, eating and shopping just blew me away!

We stayed at Tsim Sha Tsui and if I ever go back, I'll prob try to stay in that area again. The nearest huge-ass shopping mall is Harbour City but the important (well to me they're important) stores are all along the streets and in the smaller malls like Silvercord. But we also did check out IFC Mall (gorgeous place!) Times Square and some others in Central, oh and of course Mongkok.

I must first confess to not being a fab shopper. While my friends can drag home 5 pairs of shoes and many more clothes from BKK, my loot is far less. So I didn't go crazy over the many stores (that stay open sometimes until midnight even on weekdays!) but I did get...
- a skirt
- a zipfront hooded jacket
- a t-shirt
- a belt
- three earrings
- pants

and 2 t-shirts for my sister, as well as the usual snacks for pp.

But we walked until our legs hurt and the last couple of days, i found myself needing to sit down more often. Finding little cafes that we could chill out at (some cool places on the upper floors of buildings along the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui provided some respite near midnight as well as a nice view from which to check out what other shops we could hit at that time).

I was most impressed by the service there. The sales people were always most eager to help out, whether at a shopping mall or a small store.

Shopping aside, I got to visit the New Territories (and a private apartment on the ... er... 56th floor? with a gorgeous view of the bridge to... er... wherever... you can tell i was paying attention). Took in a tram ride up to the Peak. Of course the Star Ferry to and from the two main islands. Soho and the mid-levels. Jordan. Mongkok. Lan Kwai Fong. I'm sure I'm leaving plenty out. But here's the best part.

I ate all kinds of fantastic food.
but among my favourites: Dimsum at Miramar shopping centre (with this great coconut custard dessert). fish congee at Hau Fook Street (with zha leung). chinese desserts like walnut paste and steamed milk curd. wantan mee (with huge wantan filled with lotsa prawns)
altho honestly the best part was going into any cha can ting and picking stuff off the menu like macaroni soup, mixed grill with rice, and the egg and beef sandwiches (essentially corned beef omelette between white bread). And more importantly, being able to walk into these places at any time of the day (even after midnight) and still being able to order those very items.

I sure wouldn't mind more of those here.

What I do know is that while it is possible to get by in HK without knowing Cantonese, it's not a good idea.

When we stepped into those cha can ting places, they assume straightaway we're local. But after ordering (in English/Mandarin) or asking for an English menu, things change and at one place, we even were asked "Do you want a fork and spoon or chopsticks?" how gweilo we must seem!

And the way the salespeople react after they rattle off politely in Cantonese only for me to say, I'm sorry I don't speak Cantonese...
I've met with a few shocked faces. and then a brief struggle to find the right words in English. But their composure and smiles return soon. Much less can be said about service in Sg. Service with a smile in Sg? I wish.

All in all, this was a great trip. Good company, new friends, great food, new clothes and accessories. And now somehow I have to work up the courage to go back to work tomorrow.


iTunes is currently playing The Observatory's Time Of Rebirth