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Published: August 6th 2007
Exploring All That Hong Kong Has To Offer
Rain, Rain, and More Rain We woke up pretty early and got breakfast in the hotel. Our plan for the day was to go up to the highest peak above the city to a lookout and possibly ride one of the ferries to see the city from the water. Unfortunately at least some of the plans were dashed by the weather. The rain had started falling the night before and had not stopped and would not stop all day.
Instead of going up to the peak, we instead went with plan B and headed to the Star Ferry terminal to see if there were any ferries worth taking. Luckily there is a ferry meant for tourists that heads completely around the harbor giving you a great view of all the major sites in downtown. Despite the incredible quantity of rain we were able to sit on the covered deck and see a ton of the city. It’s amazing how small a city, land wise, Hong Kong occupies. Because of its layout, which is on small mountainous islands, the architects of the city have had to overcome
the lack of space by building up. This need to build up has manifested itself in really tall buildings which tower up to the sky. In any direction you look you see huge buildings. It’s really very impressive.
Once the ferry ride was over we were at a bit of a loss about what to do next. Kel consulted our pocket sized Lonely Planet and we came up with a few options. We ended up settling on going out to Stanley Marketon the far side of the island’s mountains and check out the market and maritime museum. The only challenge was getting there.
While we had mastered the MTR at this point (really not a difficult proposition) we had yet to get on a bus. Kel did some digging and came up with a few buses that would take us where we needed to go. We took the MTR from Central to Admiralty and found the bus depot. Once there we spent ten minutes walking around like stupid tourists trying to find the bus stop. Finally a lady stopped and helped us.
We found the bus stop and waited for our specific bus. Four buses went to
Stanley but we weren’t sure where in Stanley they let off. We stood in the rain and read the signs trying to figure out exactly what we were doing, which of the four buses to take, and how much it was going to cost us to get there. While we were doing this, at least 25 people came to the stop and got onto passing buses that would have taken us to where we needed to go. We missed the first five buses as we stood around like fools. We finally settled on the 260 bus and waited for the next one to come. While we waited a plethora of 66 and 6 buses came and went (all going to Stanley) but no 260. We watched all of our fellow travelers depart happily as we sat under a small cover getting soaked by friendly motorists who I swear swerved into the gutter to spray us with puddles of rainwater. It got so bad that I would lunge toward the curve with our umbrella pointed towards the road in hopes of stopping at least some of the water deluge these cars were sending our way. Alas, my efforts were mostly to
no avail.
After waiting close to twenty minutes we got impatient and got on a 66 bus and headed toward Stanley. Hong Kong has the largest collection of double decker buses in the whole world. Every bus that drives the city and surrounding area is a decently modern double decker bus. We, of course, got on the top level and got some seats when they became available. The views of Hong Kong on the way to Stanley are really unique because the bus travels over the mountains to get to the other side of the island. We were able to see the city from above, see Repulse Bay and some unique grave yards which were built on terraces right into the side of the mountains. Pretty cool!
Once off the bus we stopped at the closest restaurant on our way around to the Maritime Museum. We got a pretty good lunch at what turned out to be a big ex-pat hangout in Stanley which served really good, and pretty expensive, western food. After filling our stomachs we walked over to the museum and were thankful that the rain had abated for at least the meantime.
The museum
isn’t incredibly large but it is very modern and very informative. It follows the history of ship building in China and to some extent the rest of the world. Kel and I really got a kick out of some of the hands-on exhibits including one where you get to pilot a cargo boat or a ferry in a simulator. I think Kel’s favorite was the Morse code exhibit where she got to simulate sending distress calls over a telegraph machine. I’m not sure what Brian liked the best, but we all thought the museum was a pretty good use of time.
With the museum behind us we decided to see what Stanley market had to offer. Our guide book had put this kitschy market in the top ten or fifteen things to do in Hong Kong but I can say that after having been to other markets in other cities, this one isn’t really worth your time. The stalls sell cheap souvenirs, clothing (the real claim to fame here is the XXXXL+ sizes) and other general stuff which is pretty much useless. If you like bargaining and buying general stuff this might be the place for you but we
weren’t overly impressed.
After Stanley market we headed back into town and back to the hotel and rested a bit before dinner. We met back up around 7:30pm and went to the concierge to get a recommendation for a cheap but good restaurant in the area. Armed with some information and hungry stomachs, we set off to find dinner.
Every once in a while when traveling around we stumble upon an experience that points out the fact that no matter how much experience you have you are still going to look like an idiot every now and again. The concierge gave us the name of the restaurant (Tsueng something-or-other), and a map with the destination marked on it. This should have been a piece of cake!
We headed the three blocks to the restaurant and only found one obvious restaurant in the area called Cheers Restaurant, obviously not what we were looking for. We walked into the nearby mall thinking maybe the restaurant was in there. We had been told to go to the third floor so we started up the escalator only to find that there was no third floor. Hmmm. At Kel’s goading I went
to the information desk and asked for help. The nice man behind the corner said to go back outside and head in the direction we had come in where we hadn’t seen the restaurant in question. After poking around for a few more minutes we gave up and decided to look at the menus of other restaurants around. Eventually we found our way back into the mall to look around. While standing around looking a bit like fools the same information desk guy came up to me and asked if we were still looking for the restaurant. After I said yes he said, “Follow me.” At this point he proceeded to leave the mall and lead us into the restaurant next door called Cheers Restaurant. He was so concerned about us that he didn’t just point it out and say, “There.” Instead he actually led us into the restaurant before returning to his job. Man, did we feel dumb but his actions spoke volumes about how caring and kind people in this city are. Very nice of him to desert his post to help us out!
When we followed the hostess to our table it was like a scene
right out of a movie. We turned a corner and there we were in a huge room filled with Chinese people as far as the eye could see. We expected to hear a record scratch and have everyone in the room turn to see who these crazy foreigners were that entered into their restaurant. Instead we were ignored by everyone, seated and given English menus.
We made a few choices and I was designated the spokesman for the moment - we take turns at being the one to look like an idiot, this happened to be my turn. The waitress came up and proceeded to tell us, in broken English, about a abalone special for the evening and ask if we wanted an order. I said no and pointed out our first item, sweet and sour pork. She then asked again if we wanted abalone, again I replied no and proceeded to the next item. This little dance continued until we had ordered our shared dishes and some rice. Each time she asked, each time I said no and moved on to the next item. I was pretty certain we were going to get abalone whether we wanted it
or not.
About fifteen minutes later our dishes started arriving and we started eating. The food was amazingly good which was probably why the concierge had recommended it. Thankfully no abalone arrived and we got all of the things we wanted with the exception of the rice.
At this point it was Brian’s turn to be spokesperson and at least get some rice for Kel. The first person who walked by was a waitress. Brian asked her if she could help us and, while she said nothing, her body language gave her fear away. As she retreated a step her face screamed, “Oh no, he speaks English, this isn’t good!” Thankfully she calmed down and Brian managed to get her to bring Kel some rice. At this point we were two for two, no abalone and some rice.
As we were eating we noticed that some of the people around us were very interested in the crazy Westerners eating amongst them. The table across from us kept staring at us and when we’d make eye contact they’d smile at us. At multiple points I found at least six people looking at me at the same time. Hilarious.
I never thought I was that interesting but these people thought we were all really something - they were both amused and impressed at our use of chopsticks. When they were done all of them smiled and said bye as the left. Funny!
Our final test of the evening was getting a menu to find out about dessert. Brian stopped a guy and asked for a menu. He went over to the wait stand to find one and never returned. After a ten minute wait we stopped another waiter and asked again for a menu. Again ten minutes passed and finally the abalone woman from earlier returned to find out why we were troubling the other members of the staff. Again, “can we get a menu?” but this time she actually went and got us one.
We later ordered a fruit plate and a plate of dim sum buns with some sort of sweet stuff inside them. All of them were yummy and were a great way to end the meal. When the bill showed up the total meal (5 main dishes, rice, fruit, dessert dim sum and tea) came to about $40 US. Pretty wild how cheap
things can be if you’re willing to get off the beaten path and eat like locals. All around it was a great evening both food-wise and experience-wise. I’m proud of us. We managed to keep our heads, not get too embarrassed and have a good time while we were at it.
I hope you guys are doing well back home!
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Katie M
non-member comment
Humid Hong Kong
Hi Kelley and Mike - I enjoyed reading about your experience in Hong Kong. We also went to the Stanley Market and, I agree, it's a bit cheesy. If you get a chance, the "junk boat" ride is fun. There is a dock near Jumbo, the world's largest floating restaurant. Sounds like you guys are continuing to have a great time. The stay in Australia sounded awesome. How long are you in Asia? I hope all continues to go well. We're occupied here with all things kiddo. Sophie is growing like a champ and Claire continues to be a funny little rambunctious toddler.