Hong Kong: Day 8

Won Tai Sin Temple:  Although we got there fairly early, the temple was already packed with coach trips. It's so strange how this temple is surrounded by skyscrapers. At the front you are submerged in the bustle of people trying to take photos with statues, stroking the lions paws and giving offerings. The garden at the back is totally different. Somehow the pools of water and crafted bridges create such a peaceful atmosphere that you almost forget you're in the middle of the city. 

Chi Lin Nunnery: It was a bit of walk but we eventually found the nunnery. This is another that I wish I'd read more about beforehand. Like the temple, the nunnery is surrounded by sky scrapers and busy roads. You just walk up some stairs opposite a shopping centre and there is it is. The architecture is truly stunning and in the garden below there is a minature representation which shows it's true complexity. There are bonzai trees all around the central square and we watched the gardener go around each on and deliately trim their edges. I recommened looking around the whole nunnery before going into the garden down the steps. It is a sight to see itself. We didn't walk around the whole of it because the heat was starting to drain us. From these pictures though, you can hopefully see how colourful and vibrant the garden is. I imagine that even on a rainy day it would be a sight to see. 

The Walled City: This was perhaps one of my favourite cultural sights that we visited. Rather unexpectedly too. On the way we caught a view of Lions Rock. It look me a while to see why it is named so because it's mainly the head of the Lion and not the whole body. Pretty cool anyway. On reaching the walled city we went through the East entrance. We walked around examining some more bonsai  trees before going to the exhibition bit in the centre. Here the building from the old walled city still remains. Inside there are various games and videos which teach you about the walled city and it's residents. I learnt so much and their interactive methods of getting the information across were really effective. Standing under the trees, it was hard to imagine the walled city as it would have been. Listening the some of the residents reflecting on their everyday life in the city, the closeness of both the houses and the residents, made me want to read more of the history of the city. The area now seems very different from what it was a few decades ago. 

Lion Rock

We did quite a lot of walking this day and so ended the day with a big meal. We went to Tasty Congee and Noodle Wontun Shop in the ICC and I was not disappointed. The meals are pretty sizable and if you are with a big group I recommend getting the prawns in sweet and sour sauce to share. Oh and the sweet pork buns are bloody delicious. 

Hong Kong: Day 7

STANLEY

It was decided another chillaxing kind of day would be good. Stanley was decided as the destination and so we hopped on the same bus we got to Repulse Bay and drove further from Hong Kong Central. I wish I'd read more about Stanley before going. One thing we did find was Murray House. Our guide book told us that this building was moved from the center to it's current location, brick by brick. 

After grabbing a bite at our new favourite cafe (Pacific Coffee Company) we had a quick look around the market. It was different to the ladies market. Less crowded and the items had prices so less haggling as a consequence. We were in search of one thing though, a I heart HK t shirt. If you want touristy items this is the place to go. We got 3 of the t-shirts for a reduced price and I picked up a cute little panda toy while I was there. Once we had what we wanted we crossed over the road and headed for Stanley's sandy beaches.

This beach was pretty different to repulse bay. It was less crowded but smaller and with less shady spots. We set up camp under a tree near the back and found that the french tourists we'd seen at repulse bay were right next to us again. After swimming to the raft and back I had a snooze and read of North and South on the kindle. It was round about then that Jack Wills turned up and started doing a photoshoot right in front of us. Despite my attempts to get in the background I think I failed and will not be appearing the new Hong Kong Jack Wills advertisement. 

Stanley is the perfect place for lounging around and on the seafront by Murray House there's plenty of places you can sip cocktails. There's pizza express and European atmosphere to match the old colonial architecture. Oh and there's a supermarket in a old police station. Pretty cool, ey?

Hong Kong: Day 6

This day was a little out of the ordinary. I got to go to the Peninsula hotel and eat yummy food. Thinking back on it is making me crave tempura prawns real bad. I won't go into it too much (for once) but leave you with a few of the day's snaps. 

Hong Kong: Day 5

BIG BUDDHA 

Considering the hotness and excitement of Disneyland the day before, I didn't think a walk up 100s of steps would be the best idea but given our schedule it seemed like the only day to visit the Big Buddha. He was expecting us and it would be rude to not turn up. We set off later than intended and grabbed brekkie at Starbucks. It was another hot hot humid day and my energy was flagging so I decided to have a nap on the way up to Ngong Ping. There were a few reasons why we opted for the bus up:

1. I could nap better in a bus 
2. The queue for the Ngong Ping 360 cable car was MAHOOSIVE 
3. It was cheaper than the cable car

I honestly must have slept the entire way but E managed to get a few snaps of the views on the way up for me. When we got there I was much more awake and ready to walk the many steps to the Buddha. After grabbing our meal ticket for lunch at monetary we made our way up. There were a lot of steps but it wasn't as bad as I expected. There were loads of people making their way up and navigating past the crowd of selfie sticks was the main challenge. We did attempt our own selfies with the Buddha but they pretty much failed and presented our sublime ability to acquire several chins instead. 

At the top of the steps you realise just how large the statue really is. From far away it looks big so close up it is huge. The bronze colour was shimmering the sun and the mists passing over really added to the atmosphere. You can go into the Buddha and see the relic which is kept there. From up in the buddha there are some stunning views of the surroundings. It wasn't the clearest of days but you could still see miles into the distance. 

We came down and headed to lunch. On our way we were interviewed by some children about our time in HK. We even got certificates to keep! Just after we found the monestary and sat down for lunch. For the little extra we went for the duluxe lunch. I'm not sure what the difference was but we got to sit in a different room. The soup for starter wasn't the best but the spring rolls were amazing! It was nice to have a vegetarian meal for a change too. 

Fully fueled we headed past some abandoned tea plantations to the Wisdom Path. The walk was hardly 15 minutes from the big Buddha and yet the place was almost empty. I'm so glad we went because it turned out to be one the most stunning places. The path is set in the mountains and surrounded by the islands peaks. It was humid and hot still but cooler up in the heights and I almost regretted not bringing my walking boots.  

We mooched a bit in the souvenir shops before getting the Ngong Ping 360. The single trip down wasn't too expensive and there was a queue but it was much shorter than one at the bottom of the island. We opted for the standard ticket we'd been told the crystal cable car wasn't worth it. By this point I was pretty tired and dehydrated because i'm silly. My head hurt and the kids in the cable car were making one half of a racket. Needless to say, I didn't enjoy the views as much as I might have done another day. Still, I got some snaps of Hong Kong city. The stark difference between the vast green of Lantau and the huge skyscrapers is quite interesting. We also spotted a path which runs the whole way up the island to the Buddha. I think I even saw some brave brave people attempting to walk the path. Maybe one day...

Hong Kong: Day 4

DISNEYLAND!

Unlike many of my friends, I've never been to Disneyland. My parents preferred resort hotels and seaside trips in the UK instead of jet setting off to see Mickey. So as you can imagine, I was pretty excited about visiting Disneyland HK. We set off on the HK express metro line. My day started off well. Not only did the carriages have mickey shaped windows but the insides were also Mickey-fied with special handles and seats. The journey is pretty quick and you arrive at the dedicated Disney station, just a minutes walk from the entrance. One con I would mention is that the tickets are $450 HK dollars. I thought this was pretty steep but I don't know how much a Disney experience costs. I wanted my value for money and therefore on entering the park my expectations were high. 

In attempt to skip the queues we headed straight for the big rides. Space Mountain was already packed so we grabbed a fast track ticket for that and then went to check out the Grizzly Grouch ride. In full wild west style you are put into some rusty waggons and sent into the gold mine. Originally I didn't think the ride looked to good but there is a twist in the bears story which was quite entertaining. It was also fun to hear the man in front of us scream his head off. Mystic Manor was the next stop. This is a sit down story ride around a haunted type mansion. It's based around a mischievous monkey called Albert. I think he's supposed to look cute with his big eyes and fluffy tail but I just found him darn right creepy. I enjoyed the ride and can see how it would be scary for younger children but it wasn't the best story. One plus is that the ques are fairly fast moving and there are things to keep you occupied along the way. 

Lunch was next. We opted for Banquet Hall where we had a choice of different foods. I went to for big cheeseburger which was satisfying. You could also get mickey mouse pizza and bento boxes. We topped up on water too as it was probably one of the hottest days of far.The indoor rides are great because they all have Arctic air conditioning systems. (Almost forgot, I had the most amazing waffle as an after lunch snack. Bloody spensive but oh so good.)

Our Space Mountain slot came around and boy was it worth getting the fast track ticket earlier! We headed straight inside and had to queue for probably about 5 minutes max. I loved the star trek feel to the place too. The ride itself was awesome. It was dark and full of twists and turns. My only complaint is that it seemed quite short. Seeing the planets and stars whizzing around was so pretty. It made me want to go on the other space mountain rides some time. After going on a few more rides, including 'its a small world', we headed back into Hong Kong. The day was pretty exhausting but well worth the travelling. I'm not sure the price was right for what you got but it was an experience I won't forgot.

We freshened up and set about finding dinner. Eventually we decided against cheap noodles and opted for the Italian Restaurant 'Bene'. It was the first place we were served water for free instead of tea and so already very different. It was our holiday so we went all out. I got a passion fruit smoothie which was super refreshing after our long day. 

There were so many options on mains but I decided to go for the goats cheese calzone. I was so glad I did because it was the best calzone I've had anywhere. The dough was so thick and filling. I was stuffed after finishing the last bit but still had room in the desert stomach. We had a passion fruit cake with chocolate. The texture was kind of funny for a cake but the sauces were delicious. Bene was one of my favourite meals that week. It felt a bit strange having Italian when there was so much cheap Chinese food close by but the change was nice. Now my aim is to recreate that dough and make my own scrummy calzone. Thankfully Great British Bake Off is back to help me on the way.

Hong Kong: Day 3

It's been a while since I went on holiday and so I was pretty excited for our scheduled beach day. We chose to go to Repulse Bay as it was fairly easy to get to and there were shark nets about to keep us safe. Getting there was fairly easy. Just get the metro to central and then hop on a bus out of the city towards Stanley. Although we got there fairly early the beach was already pretty busy. Repulse Bay is a tourist hive. There was enough space to swim around but umbrellas everywhere and people taking photos against the stunning backdrop. If you want a more quiet beach I'd definitely recommend heading further out. The quality of the water wasn't pristine either but we were happy enough.

We picked one of the hottest days to go (it was a scorching 38c at one point) and so after a while we decided to venture for some cool refreshments. If you want anything you need to head up from the beach and up the hill. We went up some stairs and eventually found Repulse Bay Hotel. In the plaza there were shops, cafes and restaurants. We found Pacific Coffee Company and decided to grab a bite. This was a beginning of a perfect relationship. It was this day that I had the best frappichino (or chillino as they call them) I've ever tasted. I ordered the mocha brownie chillino and it was filled with creamy goodness and chunks of brownie. Just what you want for a hot summers day! The panini was full of delicious goats cheese and bigger than those you get in the Costa back here. To treat ourselves we got an Oreo cheesecake to share and ate it outside by the fountain. This didn't disappoint either. And so you see how my undying love for Pacific Coffee Company began. 

After having a snoop around the plaza (and watching some turtles for a good while) we headed to the bus stop. We hopped back on towards the city and got off a deep water bay. This is the beach just before Repulse Bay. It was a little quieter and calmer than Repulse Bay, but that could just have been as it was later in the day. I mainly did some sunbathing and started reading North and South. It was lovely to be able to just chill after having been on the move so much over the past few days. The day over all was so very relaxing. We left just as the sun was beginning to set and ended the evening by going on our first tram ride. 

Hong Kong: Day 2

While I'm glad to be finally reflecting on everything that happened in Hong Kong,  it was does make me feel very holiday sick as I prepare for another long day of work tomorrow. 

Alas, Day 2 went as follows: 

After getting up slightly later than planned, we hopped on the metro and headed to Mongkok to visit the ladies market. 

I thought the ladies market was going to be larger and spread over 3 streets but it turned out to only be along 1 street. Still, it went a long way. There were so many stalls selling all kinds of things. I've been to markets before where as you soon as you lay eyes on something you are fairly committed to buying it. Here though, the sellers left us to our own devices and let us look around. I bought as silk kimono in the first five minutes and at a stall further down got a pretty lilac dress that caught my eye. If you want to find souvenirs the ladies market is perfect. There are chopsticks, teapots and fans galore. 

Sunday is a busy day to go around Hong Kong. The streets were full and after a couple of hours around the market we were pretty tired. Thankfully the guidebook ( DK Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide: Hong Kong) pointed out the perfect place to grab some dim sum for lunch. The map showed it to be just around the corner. We searched for ages for this restaurant. For a while we should googling it and wondering how it could be so hidden. A friendly local girl noticed that we looked a little lost and asked if we needed help. It was a good job she did as she informed us that the restaurant was very good for dim sum but had relocated. The girl was really helpful and took her time to help us find where to go. Eventually we located Tim Ho Wan and sat down to a very late lunch. 

Personally, I think the food we got at Tim Ho Wan completely made up for the hours spent searching for it. We were served tea straight away and then set about ordering some Chinese dim sum! The menu itself had us a little boggled but the people on the table next to us helped us fill it out. You just but a little cross by the dishes you want and your table number at the top. Like with most of the restaurants in Hong Kong, the service was speedy and efficient and in no time dumplings and turnip cake was on our table. In truth, we probably ordered too much for just two people. There were so many great dishes! And it's so cheap! For both of us it was probably around £10. If you are in Hong Kong and want a cheap lunch I would go to Tim Ho Wan. And please try the bbq pork buns. They were sweet, rich and stuffed with delicious pork yumminess.

We left full with dim sum. But, there was, of course, some room left in the desert stomach. We grabbed some cupcakes from inside Olympian City and ate them in the sun. The evening was then spent meeting E's parents and dining at Chinese restaurant near Times Square. Hong Kong is the best place to get food. Not all of it is cheap but, as we found, after a little looking you can get great value for your money.