Tea at the Peninsula

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I was really excited about today. Enis and I were having afternoon tea at the Peninsula Hotel. We woke up late, went to Pacific Coffee Company for coffee before tea, then we went to the Peninsula Hotel right at 2:00 and only had to wait about five minutes before we were seated for afternoon tea in the lobby. I believe it costs 368 HKD for two people, and it is totally worth it. No sport shorts or flip flops allowed.

The hotel itself is a stunning piece of architecture and it is one of the few hotels I saw in HK that wasn't ugly on the outside. I thought this building was beautiful inside and out. Afternoon tea consisted of two truly bottomless pots of tea (you can also have coffee) and the best scones I've ever eaten, along with finger sandwiches and small pastries. It was all good. Except I noticed I didn't even get a thank you from Enis, who seemed to really enjoy it. It was, after all, another 'experience' he didn't have to pay for. Maybe it slipped his mind and he'll say thanks later. We relaxed at tea for about two hours I think. The service was excellent and elegant. This was a great way to relax and enjoy an afternoon in Hong Kong.

This night we met Enis' friend Pearl for dinner. She is a native of Hong Kong and knew exactly where to go for Japanese food that wasn't expensive. We had a nice dinner, although it was a bit challenging to find something we could all eat. Enis doesn't eat pork, I can't eat seafood or fish, and Pearl doesn't eat beef! We managed to find several dishes we all liked and it was a good night.

After dinner Pearl took us for a bus ride down Nathan Road to a popular, and very crowded, night market called Mong Kok. You could find everything from t-shirts to statues to shoes to food to sex toys. Weren't expecting that last one, were you? We walked around a while but none of us were really shopping and Enis and I arranged to meet Pearl for dim sum for breakfast and we said goodnight. We headed back to our hotel on foot, much to Pearl's disbelief. It was about a 2-3 km walk I think, but we hadn't walked much today and decided we could use a bit of exercise after eating all day.

Pearl was lovely company and I was looking forward to dim sum in the morning.

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Photos

My shoes
on the Avenue of Stars

Enis in the director's chair
On the Avenue of Stars they have some very cool statues.

Me and Enis
on the Avenue of Stars. Our favorite place, Pacific Coffee Company, was near here.

Afternoon Tea
at the Peninsula Hotel

Enis and Pearl
near the clock tower. The decorations are for the lantern festival which occurs 15 days after the New Year.

Clock Tower
near the Star Ferry Pier and Hong Kong Cultural Museum

Pearl and Me
in the Mong Kok market

Nathan Road
Always busy.