Hong Kong (A Decade Later)

Hong Kong!

The bullet train from Guang Zhou to Hong Kong was surprisingly quick. Only an hour and a half!

We arrived mid-afternoon and made it through customs somewhat woozy with all the gates and corridors. But we eventually made it through the doors and into a cool sunny day.

We took a taxi to stay in an apartment that my aunt found for us.

I've only really spoken with my aunt over the phone once in a blue moon. Calling overseas is an hours-long conversation that my mom likes to keep private. Sibling talk. So I only hear the echoes of a familiar voice in the distant walls of our house.

So it was a bit surreal to see my aunt and cousins 10 years later. 

Greying hair, wrinkles, and different postures come all at once to take into view.

Although it didn't take long, they were a branch of the family that I had to relearn how to exist around. 

Views from a sky bridge.

My cousin showed me around the neighborhood as the older adults rested up and divvied up the dried herbs, fish oil pills, vitamin E pills, Bengay, and other things that were brought from America.

We got some rice noodles and shu mai from a street vendor (so good). And I began my agenda of creating a stockpile of snacks and souvenirs to bring home to New York.

Fruitips — A nostalgic gummy candy that I used to eat a lot of but has since disappeared from Chinatown supermarkets.

Durian Cake — Why not? Sounds delicious (and risky).

More gummy candy — They're in Sumikko Gurashi packaging! (It's a super cute Japanese Sanrio brand of plushies/characters, and I can't stop looking for their merch wherever I go. And it seems like China and Hong Kong have so much more Sumikko things than NYC. Good news for my happiness. Bad news for my wallet).

Keychain Charm — This is actually an octopus card (transit card)! My cousin got me this One Piece figurine that I can reload money in so I can tap it on the train or in stores :) How cool! I wish our Metrocards were as cute haha.

We made it back to the apartment where we had some dinner and tried to rest up from a day of traveling. I got to meet one of my cousins for the first time and my aunts were teasing me about how traveling with them that day was driving me crazy. 😅

The next morning we did our duty as a Cantonese family — and went out for dim sum, haha. 

I know I sound like a broken record, but the food is so good!!!

We split up after brunch and took the train to explore Mong Kok's shopping area and the rest of city.

    

Lemon iced tea for a hot day in the sun.

Of course, I managed to find a store full of cute things like Sanrio characters and Sumikko plushies. (My aunt was not impressed haha).

Ladies Market

My aunt and I wandered pretty far downtown. We walked the majority of Nathan Road, about 1.5 miles from Mong Kok all the way to Victoria Harbor. It was a really nice day so we both didn't mind the distance — stopping here and there to look into stores and chat.

My aunt and I have never really hung out one on one before so it was really nice just taking the day as it came. We found this food hall and stopped in this hole-in-the-wall noodle shop.

    

Delicious wonton noodle soup! 

A dish that I will eat forever no matter if it were boiling out in the Summer heat.

We eventually made our way into Kowloon Park. It's a small oasis from the city noise and bustling streets. It was really calm and quiet inside the park. People were enjoying the sun and enjoying themselves under the shade.

The color and shapes of the taxis remind me of the romantic and melancholic Wong Kar-wai movies.

We eventually made our way to Victoria Harbor as the sun was setting.

The view of the ocean and Hong Kong Island is breathtaking. I love how the ocean and sky open up as you stand by the water. You can really feel the towering effects of the rolling green mountains that sandwich the city and the skyscrapers.

We eventually called it a day and headed back to the apartment for dinner and to rest up.

The next morning we went to a local cafe for breakfast. (I was struggling to read the menu and had to ask my family for help. Reading Mandarin was one thing, but traditional Mandarin ON TOP of it being written in Cantonese dialect — my brain refused to compute). 

Hong Kong-style milk tea with a bacon and egg sandwich.

One thing about Hong Kong chacha tangs (or Hong Kong cafes) I find interesting is their fusion of Cantonese and Western cuisine — remnants of Britain's colonization.

We returned to the harbor — this time we were boarding the ferry to cross to Hong Kong Island.

The sky was so sunny and beautiful.

We wandered around a street market (mixed with my slight worry that I'd lost sight of my aunt and mom). After a long time of browsing and shopping — we found a small noodle shop for lunch before taking the train to Hong Kong Park.

Fish balls, fish cake, and beef ball noodle soup!

    

    

The park had a flower show called "Melodies of Autumn Blooms" within their conservatory.

    

We had just enough time to walk through the conservatory before it closed. It reminded me of the fun happy accidents that happen when you travel. 

I try my best to find one or two attractions I want to see and allow myself the space to wander in those areas. That way I have the peace of mind of never getting lost by navigating my way back to a train station or building. Even though I have that safety net — it feels nice to come out of my shell not knowing what's next. 

And I think my aunt and mom felt it too. I'm sure their years of trying to make a living in New York City don't allow them to be adventurous anymore. And if that meant following me mindlessly in areas of Hong Kong, then I don't mind that they can relax and don't feel pressured to figure everything out on their own.

Once we saw most of the park, we walked through the mall next door — Pacific Place. It had a bunch of nice shops and a convenient train station that took us back to our apartment.

I (of course) had to make several detours whenever I saw stationary and cute things...

My end-of-the-day loot of souvenirs (hehe).

We washed up and got ready for dinner. It was my cousin's birthday so we all got to sit down, enjoy food, and banter about him getting old!

After dinner, we were all winding down in the apartment. 

Chatting about our days, caring for my grandma, and talking over one another (as usual). I liked to spend my time writing in my travel journal. Similar to this whole blog post, it was where I wrote recaps of my days away from home.

I did this all while sitting, laying, and sleeping on the most uncomfortable fold-out bed.

I wouldn't even call it a bed, it felt like a straight-up table. 

It seemed like I was the only one bothered by it because my family thought hard beds were better for their back. For me? No bueno. My hips started to feel sore when I woke up. I even started folding blankets and sheets under me as extra padding.

Truly, first-world problems. Nonetheless, it just meant I spent less time being lazy in bed and more outside. 

Mosquito nets to keep the bugs out during the night.

The next morning, I got up bright and early!

My family planned on leaving the house at 11 AM or noon. Errr... that wasn't going to work for me. We're in Hong Kong! I was out the door in a flash — promising to meet up with my family in the afternoon.

I avoided the morning rush hour and got on a train to Sha Tin, 沙田.

It was a nice slow and calm atmosphere away from busy bodies. 

The neighborhood was mostly elderly folks getting their morning exercise and stretches done in the park (love it). And I walked over this cool bridge that had a lovely view of the river.

I took a small seat in the shade to enjoy some trail mix in my bag before finding my way to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.

The whole museum was nearly empty except for a few locals and a class of children. So it was nice walking around with all the space for myself.

The exhibits were also quite exclusive. There's a big "No Photography" policy so I only have a few to share. 

An expansive exhibit about Cantonese Operas and the tradition of the performances around China.

An exhibit about Hong Kong pop culture. It talked about music, films, radio, tv, and everything in between — something that felt like it was for me to appreciate. Incredible!!

You can't talk about Hong Kong without Bruce Lee of course.

The museum collaborated with his family and had a lot of his personal letters, clothing, and books on disply.

I eventually made my way downtown to have a late lunch.

These adorable stationary stores that I keep finding just LOVED grabbing my attention...

A giant floating dino in a mall? Yes, please!

    

I had saved this restaurant on my Google Maps for a long time after seeing a video online raving about its clay pot rice. 煲仔饭 is a comfort dish that my dad used to make at home when I was young, so I had to try this spot. 

Hing Kee Restuarant 興記菜館

Even at 3:30 PM, the place was popping. But it didn't take long for them to find a seat for 1.

There were tourists from all over. An American family here and a South Korean couple there.

Chicken and shiitake mushroom clay pot rice.

The rice was crispy, fragrant, and crackling goodness. The meat and mushrooms were nice and tender. The soy sauce I poured over had soaked into every crevasse it could. A meal was well worth the visit :)

I of course went back to buy some plushies as souvenirs :)

The next morning my family and I ventured out to Hong Kong island to find some dried seafood to bring back to the US. Dried shiitake mushrooms, dried shrimp, and dried seaweed for all things herbal soups and umami goodness.

It took us a while to find Bonham Strand. My aunt had forgotten how to get there so we asked some elderly folks to get there. It was about two or three streets of stores that had the familiar glass cases of dried oysters, dried scallops, and other things.

My family went home because they didn't want to hang outside too long. Nor did they want to go to the top of Victoria Peak later, so I stayed on the island to look for this famous milk tea place that brews its tea through silk tea "socks."

I stumbled on this alleyway that everyone was taking pictures of. Not sure why, haha, I assume it's because it's a cool slope looking up and down the island.

蘭芳園 Lan Fong Yuen

The line wasn't super time-consuming especially because I was getting food too. The place was pretty packed with people and not a place to linger around.

    

I got a tomato and beef soup with elbow pasta and an iced milk tea. 

The milk tea was reallyyyyy good (maybe it was because it was so hot outside).

I went to a nearby mall to catch the bus that takes you to the top of the mountain. What a beautiful winding road to go up during sunset!

The 360 rooftop.

I went down a few trails before turning around to go up the peak.
It was about 20-25 minutes of powerwalking uphill but it was well worth the hike.

The sky was the perfect blend of pinks, blues, and purples.
What a perfect sunset to close out my final full day in Hong Kong.

I tried to go to the rooftop but they were at max capacity and weren't selling any more tickets.
It was already late so I decided that was the sign to go back home.

I took the bus back down the mountain and it was probably a 20-30 minute wait. There were about 7 buses that came and went before I could finally board. I took the train back to the mainland and met up with my cousin for dinner.

We went back home and he gave me some Sumikko Gurashi plushies he had, haha.

It was a chill night of chatting, packing, and hanging out with my grandma. 

Aka, watching my aunts stuff as many things they could into their suitcases. And me cracking jokes because I packed so lightly.

We all went out to have breakfast together before we got ready to leave later in the afternoon.

We took pictures and called some cabs when it came time to go. I had booked my return flight to match my aunts. And my mom was staying for a few more weeks to stay with my grandma.

It was a bittersweet goodbye.

Hopefully, I can come back soon. 

Until next time!

x Vicky