Hong kong Day 1

Day 2 – Holiday. Day 1 - Hong Kong.


Woke up far too early! The view from the hotel is not quite so spectacular.y. Those roof tops do not look the same in the cold light of day, and some very interesting electrical wiring.
A good buffet breakfast under our belts and it is time to hit the shops! Brian wants shoes, Courtenay wants a handbag and shoes, also Rebecca, and I just want stuff!

The first thing we notice as we step outside is that it is hot! Damn hot. The second thing is that the shops don’t open until 11.0am – possibly because they close at Midnight.

So we walked and walked – Brain got us lost twice! Until he turned the map upside down and read it like a girl, then we worked out where we were. The ladies market was getting ready to set up and some of the shops were starting to open. Our first shopping experience was at the Mount Everest mountaineering shop – just in case we decided to alter our return stop over from Bangkok to Kathmandu. But they had a great range of footwear for all terrains, and after much deliberation and some discussion on how much they really were in AUD we left with some Saloman runners for Brian and a pair of Oakley thongs for yours truly.

By this time we were realty hot, but then the heavens opened and soon we were really wet!!! We walked into the hotel foyer drenched – much to the amusement of the people in the lobby. A quick change of clothing and we ventured out again into a sea of umbrellas. We too purchased the obligatory umbrellas from the nearest street vendor and headed down Nathan Road for the Star Ferry and the number 6 bus to the Stanley Markets. Catching the Ferry was easy, the number 6 bus was another challenge, but in true Amazing Race style a local man told us to follow him, and he guided us to the correct bus terminal. The front row, top deck of the Stanley Market bus has been described as one big Roller coaster ride – they were not wrong! The streets and road are amazingly narrow and very steep in some places. We found a little restaurant behind the market for a late lunch – Rebecca looked around and noticed we were the only round eyes there and suddenly decided she wasn’t hungry. But Courtenay Brian and I polished off a sensational feed of dumplings and noodles, all for about HK$150.00 (AUD24.00). The market was a bit of a disappointment thought – quite small and it has become very touristy. But the girls got some silk PJ’s (after some unsuccessful price haggling from me)

After sweltering at the bus stop we headed back to Central station and caught the underground train back to Kowloon. The Hong Kong train system is amazing – cheap, quick and spotlessly clean!

The girls had a snack in the hotel and headed for bed and Brian and I went out in search of some authentic Hong Kong cuisine. One street back from Nathan Road and the streetscape changes dramatically, and everything is a lot older and all English signs disappear. We sat down at the Temple Chilli Crab – a street side eatery (the word restaurant sounds a bit fancy), and scoffed a big feed of Chilli crab and about 45 San Miguels (the local beer). Good food, but very dodgy surrounds – the dishwasher was couple of buckets and a hose. Check the photo’s!
A quick wander through the Temple Street market – still going stron at 11.00pm, and we headed back to the hotel. For everyone at work participating in the Global Corporate Challenge – I did 23874 steps for the day.