Hurricane Hallie Hits Hong Kong

I’ve always said that I love Hong Kong best when I get to show it off to a newbie. And a perfect case in point occurred last week, when my friend Hallie came to visit. Although she was only here for about four days, we crammed a ton of sightseeing into her itinerary. And, in my book, it certainly ranks as one of the highlights of this quickly-vanishing year.

Hallie and I met back at the very beginning of 2007, when we both studied abroad in Paris on the same program. We became fast friends and spent lots of time together over those five months overseas. Since the end of our semester in France, we’ve done a pretty good job of keeping in touch, and I even stayed with her for a couple of nights back in October 2012, when I passed through Chicago on my way to Joe’s wedding in Minnesota.

A long, long time ago... on the Paris metro in 2007!

So I was over the moon when, in October, I found out that she was in the midst of a Southeast Asian extravaganza, working in the hills of Chiang Rai, Thailand, teaching English. I always knew she’d love Hong Kong, and I was thrilled when she informed me that she had actually booked her flights to the Pearl of the Orient.

Hallie arrived around 7pm last Tuesday evening, complete with Thai elephant pants and an enormous backpack. Walking from my office to the Airport Express station to pick her up, I noticed that a gentle rain was steadily falling from the skies above. Nevertheless, I held fast to my original plan to dine on street level at a popular dai pai dong called Shing Kee. 

Covered by some umbrellas, we took our seats at the end of Stanley Street, sharing our table with a friendly local who offered us some of his Carlsberg while he made suggestions about what to order. Delicious beef with vegetables was a real winner, while a squid dish was just so-so. Still, the ambiance can’t be beat, and even with the precipitation, it was a lively spot for old friends to catch up on each other’s lives.

Dai pai dong ambiance

Post-dinner, we had some gelato before I had to head back to the office. I have offbeat hours these days, working 3pm until midnight several times a week to adequately cover European and African markets. Instead of a lunch hour, I now get a dinner hour, which fit in well with Hallie’s arrival. But my business day wasn’t finished yet.

At the stroke of midnight, we were Happy Valley bound, on a tram of course! With a cheeky 7-Eleven beer, Hallie got her first good look at Hong Kong as we glided homeward. 

On my roof, there was some more catching up and some more beer, in addition to homemade pumpkin pie leftover from Thanksgiving—a welcome treat for Hallie after two months in the Thai jungle. And then, we headed out to Wan Chai for some neon lights and live music at Amazonia.

Although we stayed out late enough to catch a tram home around 6am, Wednesday still started bright and early. I didn’t have to be in the office until noon, so I wanted to take the morning to tour Hallie around Sheung Wan, a favorite neighborhood of mine. We took the tram once again, and wandered up Graham Street Market towards Hollywood Road, walking down side alleys and quaint streets taking in the charming atmosphere. I call it Sheung Wandering, and I can’t think of a better way to get to know this part of town.

We walked past Man Mo Temple and up steep Ladder Street, eventually coming out onto Blake Garden and Po Hing Fong, in the shadow of the picturesque Museum of Medical Sciences (housed in the Old Pathological Institute). Inspired by passing several coffee shops, we grabbed a table at a neat place called 3rd Space for a hot drink, until I had to head to the office.

Coffee shop on Po Hing Fong in Sheung Wan

Hallie took the afternoon to explore the markets of Kowloon while I did my best to sell some insurance policies, but we had plans to meet up for my dinner break later that night. None of my visitors leaves Hong Kong without a meal at Crystal Jade, my favorite Chinese restaurant, and this was the natural time to fit it in. Luckily, the queue for a spot wasn’t bad at all, and before long, we were feasting on xiao long bao and dan dan la mian in ifc mall.

Stuffed after the meal, we somehow found room to squeeze in Tim Ho Wan’s signature char siu bau, delectable buns filled with the most delicious roast pork you will ever eat. "It's like eating pork candy," Hallie observed as we enjoyed these scrumptious morsels atop the mall’s public roof deck, taking in the view of the surrounding skyscrapers, as the nightly laser light show kicked off. And although it might sound a little offbeat, that's not a far-off description. I guess you'll just have to come and try them for yourself if you don't believe me.

I put Hallie in a taxi back to the Valley while I ran to the office again. But at 9:30 we met up for a night of live horse racing. I have it set up that I only work until 9pm on Wednesdays, so as not to miss my favorite mid-week pastime. And I was thrilled to bring Hallie to my local track.

Playing the ponies at Happy Valley

The tram whisked us to Wan Chai after the eighth race had finished, and we met up with some friends for our second successive night on the town. Amazingly, we outdid our record from the previous night, and weren’t homeward bound until Thursday’s morning light shone through.

I booked both Thursday and Friday off from work to devote myself full time to tour guide duty. And Thursday was perhaps the highlight of Hallie’s brief visit. We got a bit of a late start—completely understandable owing to the night we had on Wednesday—but at 2:15pm, we were sitting on the aft deck of the Cheung Chau ferry as it departed Pier 5 for my favorite of Hong Kong’s outlying islands.  

Pulling into Cheung Chau

We didn’t have much time to stroll around, but we did duck into Pak Tai Temple before our seafood lunch. Cheung Chau’s waterfront promenade is known as the Praya, and it’s lined from one end to the other with open-air restaurants showcasing the freshest catches from local waters. At the far end of the Praya is my perpetual pick, New Baccarat, first recommended by my Frommer’s guide and a place I’ve been returning to ever since my first visit in 2009.

Hallie in front of Cheung Chau's Pak Tai Temple

You can’t really go wrong here, and I’ve sampled many of the menu’s items over the past five years, though there are some staples I almost always order. That day, our meal consisted of steamed scallops covered in minced garlic, crunchy salt-and-pepper squid and outstanding clams in black bean sauce, all accompanied by simple steamed rice to sop up the sauces and a big bottle of Tsing Tao to wash it all down. The weather certainly could have been better, but overlooking Cheung Chau’s colorful harbor, we hardly cared. It was a heavenly feast.

Fresh seafood feast on Cheung Chau

A very brief visit to the beach so Hallie could officially “feel the ocean on this side of the world” brought our short but sweet visit to a close, as we re-boarded the ferry to head back to the Central Piers.

Waiting for us as we disembarked was Sarah, eager to accompany Hallie and me to Victoria Peak. The 15 bus hit a bit more traffic than usual, but the cloudy day had turned into crisp, clear dusk. As the city’s buildings started lighting up, we began our ascent to Hong Kong Island’s highest locale.

I deliberately chose Thursday for our Peak visit because a special event was taking place at the Matilda International Hospital. Local school groups and choirs were performing Christmas carols, while volunteers served mulled wine and Santa posed for photos. With the Peak’s chilly night air augmented by festive songs, the Yuletide atmosphere was undeniably palpable.

That stately colonial edifice, the Matilda International Hospital

The Matilda is unlike any hospital you’ll ever see. In fact, a friend we bumped into up there explained to Hallie that it’s “not really a hospital but rather a five star hotel with an attached maternity ward.” The gorgeous old colonial structure was built in 1907—the year the first patients were admitted—and ever since, it’s been one of the classiest hospitals on the planet.

Schoolkids caroling outside the hospital

Post-carols, we did the Peak Circular Walk, blessed by one of the clearest nights I’ve ever had the good fortune to experience here. You could see straight out to the Kowloon Hills, with a perfect vista showcasing Hong Kong’s immense cityscape in all its magnificence. 

View from the Peak

The Peak feels so far removed from the metropolis below, like you’re looking out over a colossal, impossibly glorious movie set. But when you walk down, you quickly realize how close the city really is, as things change from jungle to civilization in the blink of an eye. 

We said goodnight to Sarah as we headed to dinner and she caught the ferry back to Lamma Island, where she recently moved. And then we met up with my friends Bernadett, Edouard and Ines at one of Hong Kong’s best restaurants, Man Mo Café.

Located on bric-a-brac-filled Cat Street (officially Upper Lascar Row), lined with tin stalls selling all manner of curios and collectibles, Man Mo is the brainchild of a Swiss chef named Nicolas, who struck upon the brilliant idea of encasing Western flavors inside the buns and dumplings of traditional Chinese dim sum.

Nicolas is always eager to talk about the combination of tastes in his creations or perhaps about the ever-changing local art adorning the café’s walls. He’s also good friends with Edouard and Ines, which means we got VIP treatment that night—including a sample of a new dish that’s not yet on the menu!

One of his two head chefs used to work at Joel Robuchon while the other was at the Michelin-starred dumpling restaurant Din Tai Fung. Together, and under his guidance, they create pitch-perfect fusion. As far as I’m concerned, this place is the apotheosis of dim sum, with combinations like fois gras xiao long bao, cheeseburger buns and truffle brie dumplings. Inside others you’ll find chicken and mustard, ratatouille or maybe tomato and mozzarella.

Mix in a couple of bottles of wine, delectable desserts and the best dining companions imaginable and you have a meal I’ll remember for a very long time. It rubbed off on Hallie, too, when about midway through dinner she announced in all seriousness that she’s planning on moving to Hong Kong in the new year.

 

With Bernadett, Edouard, Nicolas, Ines and Hallie at Man Mo Café

A pair of chic cocktail bars in SoHo made for a couple of ritzy post-dinner drinks, while we further discussed Hallie’s future in the Pearl of the Orient. But in order to take full advantage of Friday, we were on our best behavior and hailed a cab before it got too late, taking scenic Kennedy Road back to Happy Valley.

The next morning was set aside to explore Wan Chai by day, since the quarter completely transforms when the sun rises. Meandering along energetic market streets, we took in the sights and sounds of butchers and fruit vendors and fish mongers selling their products to local residents. 

It was nice to finally see a few patches of blue sky above our heads, so we rode the glass elevators in the Hopewell Center up and down three times before walking down to Wan Chai’s Pak Tai Temple and the colorful tenements along Stone Nullah Lane.

Having fun riding the Hopewell Center's glass elevators

One thing I desperately wanted to make sure Hallie got to experience while here was a walk through the Umbrella Revolution in Admiralty. Although it’s not quite as crowded as it was in early October, it’s still a sight to behold: the multi-lane highway occupied with tents and protestors, colorful street art as far as the eye can see and an infectious spirit of astonishing, inspiring peace. Messages of encouragement are hanging everywhere, and Hallie added her own supportive note to the multitude of post-its lining a particularly popular wall.

Tents along the highway, part of the Umbrella Revolution

Post-it notes of support from people all over the world

The Star Ferry transported us to Kowloon for a quick view of the skyline from the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront and a jaunt through the legendary lobby of the plush Peninsula Hotel on Salisbury Road. Then we boarded the bus to Fanling to hike the Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail.

After an hour’s ride through the heart of Kowloon into the New Territories, we made our way from one ancient walled village to the next, gaining a tangible, first-hand peek into a lifestyle that has nearly completely disappeared under the veneer of modern-day Hong Kong.

In the main gate of an ancient walled village called San Wai

We picked a spot in front of the Tang Chung Ling Ancestral Hall to enjoy a picnic lunch of tasty cold chicken, amazing chocolate cake and a bottle of Côtes du Rhône, and then continued the trail to the final walled village of San Wai.

Picnic in front of an ancient ancestral hall

On the MTR back to Hong Kong Island, it was hard to believe how fast the past few days had flown by. But sure enough, Hallie had to head home to finish up some packing while I attended a company Christmas party with some colleagues.

My roommate Derek linked up with Hallie at the apartment, and we all met at RED Bar around 11:30pm to head into Lan Kwai Fong for some Friday night revelry. Of course, we hit up Al’s Diner and Le Jardin, bumping into friends and having a ball of a time in the streets of Hong Kong’s premier nightlife district.

Looking up at the International Finance Centre from RED Bar on Friday night

Although my somewhat optimistic plan for 6am dim sum before Hallie’s 8:45am departure shockingly didn’t materialize, she made her flight to Bali and plans to return to Hong Kong in early 2015 to give it a go in the greatest city in the world! And I’m ready to catch up on some much needed sleep!