Technically day one was the night we arrived after out 12 hr flight from London. That evening was fairly uneventful though. We spent most of the time wandering around Kowloon looking for our hotel. For a good 10 minutes we stood with our noses in our maps only find that it was right across from us. After checking in we grabbed some Strawberry Oreos (why don't they have them here?!) and got a good nights sleep before the next day.
DAY 1:
Or tried to get a good nights sleep... I was still suffering from jet lag. Still, the morning found me awake and ready for our first day of exploration. We split the day into two parts. First we went to check out the space and art museum. You can get in the space museum for half price is you are a student (winner) so the day was already off to a good start. The space museum had lots of cool info in the exhibition and there were plenty of activities to keep you entertained, such as a go on a gyroscope. I came away feeling I'd learnt something which is always a good way to leave a museum.
It was super hot and we were starting to flag so looked for lunch. I'm ashamed to say we gave up and went to McDonalds. It was different though! They have all kinds of different meals, rice boxes and taro flavoured oreo Mcflurrys. After lunch we headed to the history museum just up the road. There was a free exhibition on the pottery found around Hong Kong. We spent ages reading about all the different types of houses which the pottery displayed and how the styles of architecture varied across the districts. For us this exhibition was enough and we decided not to pay the extra to go inside the other exhibitions.
After wandering around the museum area a little more we got on the metro to Central. Now, this was our first day on the metro and I was pretty impressed. It's a lot younger than the underground in London and a lot more modern. There are lights in the trains telling you where abouts you are, what side to get off and even televisions in some. The actual metro stations themselves are so bright. On our way we found some inspiration quotes on the walls which I really liked. I do actually really like the London Underground but the Hong Kong Metro is more modern and has a colourful charm of it's own.
We arrived at Statue Square. Here you can see the various skyscraper buildings. HSBC is straight in front and , although tall, is dwarfed by the Bank of China tower on it's left. The square itself is actually a pretty place to take a breather and munch on some sweet baked goods. From here we headed to charter garden. It's only a small park but full of lots of exciting plants and trees. Further on is Hong Kong Park near Cotten Tree Drive. These two parks are both worth visiting. I loved Hong Kong Park because of it's waterfall, wildlife and calm atmosphere. It's quite large and a nice place to escape. One thing I did notice from visiting these parks was the lack of grass. The parks were full of trees and benches but a lot different from those in England.
By this time we were starting to think about dinner. Our guidebook recommended Yung Kee Restaurant in central. This was my first experience dining in Hong Kong and didn't really know what to expect. I decided to go with bbq pork and rice alongside some noodles in soup. The dishes were both really tasty and my chopstick practice at Wagamamas paid off. Although we definately ate at some better places later in the week, I'd still recommend Yung Kee. The service was good and the menu wasn't too expensive. However, I'd personally say not to go for the black seseme and seaweed desert. I gave it a try but really wasn't to keen on the texture or taste.
There you go, a busy day one. Hopefully you will enjoy my travel diary and end up considering a visit to HK youself.
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