Savoring Hong Kong

Greetings from good old New Jersey! It’s so nice to be back here. On Wednesday morning, at 10:25am Hong Kong time, I flew home for my once-a-year visit. With a twelve hour time difference, I arrived on Wednesday afternoon at 1pm, so the fifteen hour flight had me landing about three hours after my take-off time. Luckily I can fly direct from Hong Kong International Airport to Newark International, which is very close to my family’s home in Old Bridge. It’s so convenient!

I had no trouble sleeping during the flight. I pretty much slept for its entire duration, only waking up for the three meals. I didn’t even have time to watch a single movie or television show. I was that tired. But there is a good reason for my exhaustion: my last five days in Hong Kong were spent with a good friend named Kristen, who came to visit following an eight month work experience in Australia. The two of us ran around pretty much non-stop the whole time she was in town, and our final night, we never went to sleep, opting instead to stay out until heading to the airport around 9am.

“What drug did you take?” the Jewish couple seated next to me on the plane asked after we touched down in Jersey. “You slept the entire time!” Spending five fun-filled days in Hong Kong has the potential to do that to anyone, but after spending those days there with Kristen, it was an inescapable outcome. I could have slept much, much longer! She has endless energy, and coupled with my desire to show her pretty much everything the city has to offer, it was the only drug I needed!

Kristen landed very early on Friday morning, just after 6am. I met her Airport Express train as it pulled in to the station below my office, IFC2. Wearing an unmistakable Villanova sweatshirt and an even more unmistakable smile, Kristen looked ready for adventure. Unfortunately, I had a full day of work ahead of me. She came up to see my office and we had a good, long chat to catch up. Although we had spoken on the phone and exchanged several e-mails over the past months, the last time we had actually seen one another was New Year’s Eve in New York, on my last trip home over eight months ago. It was so nice to just relax and chew the fat. Around 10am, I sent Kristen on her first adventure: from my office to my apartment by herself to drop off her luggage.

Back just in time for lunch, we went to Hunan Garden, a delicious Chinese restaurant near my office. I had booked a table for four people, but my two French friends bailed last minute, so it looked like it would just be me and Kristen for lunch. However, as soon as we sat down, I recognized another friend, Melanie, just being seated at a nearby table with her friend Minh. I went over to say hello, and they decided to come and sit with us. It was a wonderful introduction to the city, complete with Tsingtao beer, prawns in chili sauce, xiao long bao, pan-fried pork dumplings, fish steamed in black bean sauce and sweet and sour pork. Everything was tasty, and I was so glad Kristen got to sample so many varied dishes. And having Mel and Minh along for the lunch also added a lot to the meal.

After lunch, I deposited Kristen on the Star Ferry and sent her to the Hong Kong History Museum in Tsim Sha Tsui. I’m not sure if I’ve written about it before, but the History Museum is one of the greatest museums I’ve ever been to anywhere. It divides the history of Hong Kong into eight gigantic rooms, each covering a portion of the territory’s past. It starts with the geological formation of the region and traces the earliest roots of civilization before charting the Opium Wars, the British colonial period, the Japanese Occupation during World War II and, finally, the handover back to China in July of 1997. Although a touch of jet lag and a confused Cantonese-speaking bus driver delayed Kristen’s arrival at the museum, she still managed to enjoy the afternoon.

We had agreed to meet at the Star Ferry pier in TST at 6:30pm, and afterwards we strolled along the Avenue of Stars to a waterfront bar called Deck ‘n Beer, where we enjoyed a pint of San Miguel while waiting for the nightly 'Symphony of Light' to start at 8pm.

Deck 'n Beer

After the light show, we got a photo in front of the skyline and then took the ferry back across to Central, where we had dinner in Rat Alley, a ramshackle assortment of mismatched tables and chairs in an alley near Lan Kwai Fong. In spite of the dilapidated décor, the food is absolutely delicious—a mix of Thai, Indonesian and Malaysian cuisine—and Kristen loved it. Just ask her about the yellow curry!

The skyline from TST, with red-sailed Aqua Luna in the foreground

My French roommate Véronique and German friend Bernadett joined for the meal, and after dinner, we hit up Al’s Diner in Lan Kwai Fong for some Jello-shots. Next, we visited Le Jardin, another fun and chill bar above Rat Alley. Finally we made our way to Wyndham Street, where Hayley and Jeroen were celebrating their final night in Hong Kong at a bar called Tonic. I’m going to miss them a ton… I only have a handful of friends in Hong Kong whom I have known longer than these two… And we have experienced a lot together over the past year-and-a-half. I wish them the best and look forward to the day when we meet again.

With Hayley at Tonic

We cut the night short before it got too late, owing to the early morning junk trip I had planned for Saturday. We had to be up super-early in the morning to procure some last minute rum and ice cubes, and I was a little stressed because the weather report was not very promising.

Anxiously, I awoke the next day and set out with Kristen to take care of the last minute necessities. The rum was easy—the first supermarket we went into had it stocked on a shelf right near the registers. The ice proved more elusive. The first few shops we entered offered no help, but as we were walking along Johnston Road, we saw a Chinese man pushing about ten bags of ice, delivering them to various restaurants. Luckily, one shop offered to sell us their just-delivered ice for a small amount of money. What a relief!

The junk left from Pier 9 in Central, and all the stress of the morning washed away as we sailed past the iconic skyline of the city, watching as the uber-tall skyscrapers faded into the distance as we reached the rugged, green mountains of Sai Kung. The "it-might-rain-at-any-minute" skies slowly transformed into a beautiful sun-filled day. And after we dropped anchor at Clearwater Bay, we whiled away the hours eating, drinking, swimming, wakeboarding and sun bathing. It was almost certainly my favorite junk trip ever. I had spent weeks planning and coordinating, and it was great to see the whole day come together flawlessly.

On the junk

Following the junk trip, we brought the leftover booze to a public viewing deck near the pier and spent a few more hours playing cards and enjoying great company. All in all, it was a wonderful day.

Sunday started early again, with 9am church service at St. John’s Cathedral. After church, I gave Kristen an impromptu walking tour of Central, stopping in Statue Square, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, the Central-Mid-levels Escalator, Hollywood Road, Cat Street and the Man Mo Temple. At noon, we met my friends Chiara, Andrea, Jamie and Giuseppe, Andrea’s friend from Italy who was also visiting for a few days, for brunch at Gaia, an Italian restaurant in Grand Millennium Plaza.

I’ve wanted to eat here since the first time I strolled by and saw the outdoor tables spilling out into the piazza. Sitting outside by the impressive fountains, drinking Chiara-approved Italian wine, and surrounded by great people, I loved the meal all the way through. The “appetizer” was a huge buffet table filled with fresh vegetables, cheeses, prosciutto and fruit. And the entrée was a choice from four or five options on the menu, of which I chose salmon and Kristen opted for pork.

Afterwards, we strolled around Central and Sheung Wan some more, and we even had “chops” made. A “chop” is traditional Chinese seal with someone's name carved onto it. In Hong Kong, many businesses and individuals use "chops" as an official stamp, almost like a signature on a legal paper. You rub the bottom of the "chop" in ink, and then you imprint the signature on a letter or document.

And there is one remaining street in Hong Kong (known unofficially as 'Chop Street') where the practice of carving them is alive and well. You choose from literally hundreds of designs, and the owner of the "chop" shop finds your Chinese name, carves it onto the bottom of the seal and voila, you have a cool (if not exactly practical) souvenir! We arranged with one shop owner to have our "chops" include both our Western names and the traditional Chinese equivalent. And we set a pick-up time for the next morning.

At 4pm, we attended a classical Chinese music concert in Hong Kong Park. Then, we walked over to the nearby Peak Tram, where there was, miraculously, hardly any line at all. We took the historic, eight-minute ride to the top of Victoria Peak to spend a few hours in Hong Kong's most gorgeous neighborhood. Up there, I took Kristen on the one-hour circular walk before she treated me to dinner at Café Deco, one of the Peak’s most popular restaurants.

Back at my apartment in Wan Chai, we got ready for a night out. Even though it was Sunday, Spicy Fingers had its signature live cover band, and although the bar was nearly empty, we made friends with a pilot from Luxembourg and put in our requests with the band. It felt like a private concert! We stayed until closing, and walked back home after the band had played its last tune.

Monday we had a game plan: pick up our “chops” and head straight to Hong Kong Disneyland! Having almost lived in Hong Kong for two years, it was a little mind-boggling to me that I still hadn’t been to Disney. But believe it or not, most of my HK friends have absolutely no interest in paying a visit to the park. I've tried to convince people to go with me in the past to no avail. So when I found out Kristen was coming to Hong Kong, I knew I would finally have a chance to go.

A Visit to Hong Kong Disneyland

Of course, the day was incredible. Hong Kong Disneyland was smaller than other Disney parks, to be sure, but it was absolutely lovely. There were no crowds and the weather was beautiful! Space Mountain's line was so short, in fact, that we walked right on twice in a row! Over the course of the afternoon, we caught the 5th Anniversary Parade, rode most of the rides, saw two stage shows, and capped off the visit with a phenomenal fireworks display at 8pm. And before we left, I upgraded my one-day ticket to a full-out year's pass, so you can bet I’ll be back sometime soon!

Sleeping Beauty's Castle, Hong Kong Disneyland

Back in town, we went to one of my favorite spots, Yorkshire Pudding, for dinner. I am in love with their eggs Benedict, which luckily are available all day, so we indulged in a little "breakfast for dinner" action with Véronique. After the meal, we went to Typhoon to meet Alex, Amy and Sonia. Of course, eventually we had to make our way to Dusk till Dawn. I know I’ve written about it before, but yet again, we had a phenomenal night dancing and singing along to the Filipino cover band. Even on a Monday night, the place had a good crowd and was a ton of fun.

Fun times at Dusk till Dawn

Tuesday was our last full day in Hong Kong and we had already decided to stay awake until our Wednesday morning flights, so we knew we had a long day ahead of us. Chiara planned yet another delicious al fresco Italian lunch in Kowloon at a restaurant called Joia, which specializes in Northern Italian cuisine. We sat outside and enjoyed a view of the International Commerce Center, which is Hong Kong's tallest tower and currently the fourth tallest skyscraper in the world! Ho bao is Cantonese for "I'm full," and after the amount of food we ate, I think it's the expression Kristen and I used the most that week. Lunch at Joia included an unlimited appetizer and dessert buffet, with homemade gnocchi as a main course, so you can imagine how much we both ate!

Tuesday's lunch at Joia

After lunch, we got to visit Jamie at the kindergarten where she teaches English and art. I might call the teaching experience the highlight of Kristen’s visit. The children were absolutely adorable, and we got to sing with them, color pictures and even teach them “Itsy Bitsy Spider.”

Miss Jamie and her class

With Jamie and the students

After class, Jamie and I took Kristen around Mong Kok’s markets—the flower market, bird market, goldfish market and Ladies Market. In TST, we enjoyed one last massive Chinese meal, complete with Peking Duck, at Peking Garden in Star House. Ho bao again, as you probably guessed!

Market shopping

Neon on Nathan Road

Peking Garden Restaurant "Noodle Making" Demonstration

We arrived back on the island (via Star Ferry, of course) and packed our bags for the next day. Sticking to our plan to stay out until the 9am journey to the airport in the morning, we headed back into Wan Chai with Véronique. First up on the evening’s agenda was a visit to a bar called Carnegie’s, which has a vodka special on Tuesday nights. It was absolutely packed, but for some reason, around 2am, they closed. Véro took it as a sign that she should go back home, since she had to be at work in only a few hours! Since her internship ends while I'm back in the States, I won't be seeing her again in Hong Kong. She has been a wonderful roommate, and hopefully I'll be able to visit her in Europe on my next visit. I'm going to miss her enthusiasm for the city and hope we keep in touch.

With quite a few hours left to kill, Kristen and I took a chance on LKF. Although it was pretty dead, Zinc had a decent crowd, so we chilled there for a few hours before heading back to the apartment around 6am. We got our bags, made our way to the "In-Town Check In" desks, and then had one last dim sum meal at Lin Heung Tea House.

Somehow we both made it to the airport that morning. Kristen was off to Paris for a few days, and then on to Rome to meet up with her brother, and finally to Munich to experience Oktoberfest, before getting back to New York. And I was flying direct to Newark. But in a funny coincidence, both of our flights were scheduled to depart at 10:25am, so we got to stay together until we actually went to our separate gates. One of the last things I remember before take-off is looking out the window and seeing her Air France jet two planes behind mine. Exhausted and on the verge of passing out, I’m sure Kristen was looking forward to the long flight just as much as I was. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect last few days in Hong Kong. Now I’m excited for the month ahead of me. I have a wedding at ‘Nova next weekend, and I’ll also be going to Texas at the end of the month to spend a weekend away with my old college roommates. See ya in October, Hong Kong!