Re-discovering Hong Kong

June of last year I went on a day trip in Hong Kong. It was actually a stop over from my trip from Canada. While I always loved the HK, I just found it too crowded during that day trip. There were just too many people walking the streets. It felt almost chaotic.

This June 2007, I visited Hong Kong again with Mike, his brother, Bob, and Bob's girlfriend, Joy. It was actually a choice between Singapore and Hong Kong but the brothers chose the latter since it had Tom Lee, a large musical instrument retailer where products ranged from classical instruments (wind, percussion, string, pianos) to electric guitars and other musical paraphernalia.

This trip allowed me to rediscover the charm of this bustling city.

Hong Kong remains to be a tourist friendly place. Arriving at the airport, you are instantly met with booths carrying brochures on what to see and do in the area. Also, a tourist information center with available street maps welcome you into the city as you exit the immigration area. Most signs are accompanied with english translations and now, streetsigns in pink help direct you to the most common tourist destination. An example would be a pink sign along Nathan Road that points you to the side street which would lead you to the Jade Market or the Ladies Market.

We were able to make advanced bookings at Eaton Hotel which gave us 15% savings on accommodations and the location is quite convenient too. The hotel is situated along Nathan Road, just a few minutes walk to Jordan MTR station. Also, it's quite near Temple St. Night Market. The rooms are cozy and clean and not too small at 17-19 square meters. I guess it also helped that the hotel is currently being renovated. The staff were helpful and friendly as well. Breakfast wasn't so bad. (I have a bad memory of HK hotel breakfasts as it always meant scrambled eggs and toast that was just not to my liking.) Eaton continental breakfast consisted of assorted bread, butter, jam and fruits with coffee/tea and juice which was fine with me since I'm not a heavy breakfast person anyway. Mike and the others weren't too happy as breakfast is the most important meal of the day for them. So, on the 2nd day, we tried their buffet breakfast which was quite a feast (sausages, bacon, salmon, assorted breads, cereals... the works!) but we had to pay an extra HK$50 each. It was well worth it. It only lacked fried rice to make the breakfast buffet perfect for us Filipinos.
While the weather wasn't as cool as I hoped it to be, it was still the tail end of summer after all, it was comfortably warm and walking along Nathan Road wasn't a bother at all. Seeing the familiar assorted shops from jewelry stores, local snacks and goodies, magazine stalls and of course a Giordano in almost every other corner exemplified the entrepreneurial character that is very Hong Kong. Not to mention the distinct smell of their food.

Speaking of food, while my companions preferred to eat at McDonald's most of the time(in fact, on our last day, breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks not to mention our first HK meal was spent at this world famous fast food restaurant --- I swear, I've never eaten that often in McDonald's my entire life!), we got a taste of local food at a restaurant along Pak Hoi street towards Temple Street night market. I really enjoy Chinese food and this was no exception. Despite the carinderia atmosphere and lack of service hospitalilty we are used to, the food satisfied my taste buds and my hungry belly.

While food is expensive, HK is still a place full of bargains. With good negotiation skills, the numerous clothes, bags and knick-knacks sold in the street markets all over Kowloon side is definitely a treat for the bargain hunter. And Bob didn't waste any time. Looking for plus size shirts has been a constant challenge for him in Manila but the street market seem to have successfully provided him his shirt needs for the next six months! Likewise, the brothers enjoyed the significantly cheaper prices of guitar gears i.e. blues driver, tube amp, etc. in Tom Lee (on Cameron Lane, in Wanchai and in Causeway Bay) and Nelson Piano, distributor of DiMarzio, located in Mong Kok. Personally, I only shopped for pasalubong for the family which consisted the usual champoy and a few shirts that were on sale at Giordano.

The trip to HK also meant for us, a day spent at its newest attraction: Hong Kong Disneyland. But that is worthy of another blog entry. :-)

Now a visit to HK won't be complete without a trip to The Peak, the highest point where you can take a peek at both Kowloon and Hong Kong island. It was my first time to visit this place at night and the view was just amazing! The night lights, the cool breeze and peaceful atmosphere seem to take you so far from the urban madness; only to be jolted back to the reality by a swarm of over-zealous tourists.

Amidst the madness and seeming chaos, HK will continue to be a destination for me and most tourists alike. City persons like me continue to feel at home amidst HK's busy streets as navigating around the city is convenient and easy but few train rides and short walks bring me to amazing destinations that tell me I'm still on vacation.