Hong Kong Day 5: Dim Sum and Then Some

I decided to spend my last day in Hong Kong on a low-key note, since it was probably going to be awhile before I got another chance to rest. So I slept in, did my laundry at the hostel, checked out, and basically milled about the city at my leisure.

There were a few final attractions I wanted to visit before I boarded my evening flight. First and most important on my list was a little hole in the wall restaurant called Tim Ho Wan, which specializes in dim sum. What makes the dim sum at Tim Ho Wan famous is simple: it's good. Tim Ho Wan has a Michelin star to its name, and is billed as being the most inexpensive Michelin starred restaurant in the world (notice that I've been using "in the world" a lot when describing places in Hong Kong). The crowd assembled outside waiting to get in was ridiculous, but I had time to kill and curiosity to satisfy. I asked a person queued up how long she'd been in line, and she told me that her party of two had already waited for close to an hour. I resigned myself to twiddling my thumbs for awhile and went to the front to add my name to the wait list.

"How many in your party?"
"Just me."
"Come this way, please."

I tried not to gloat too much as I was led to a lone empty chair at an otherwise occupied table.

Tim Ho Wan is notorious for its  BBQ pork buns, so I ordered those along with a few other dishes. While waiting for my food, I did a little eavesdropping. The two young travelers I was seated with were from Korea, and my Korean is decent enough to know that they were talking about little ol' me. Eventually they said hi to me and asked where I'm from, and after I introduced myself I had a little fun.

"한국 사람?" (You are Koreans?)
"한국말할줄 알아요??" (You speak Korean??)
"조금 ㅋㅋ." (A little!)

Suffice to say the two turned red pretty fast, but they were nice and we chatted until my food arrived. The first thing I tried was a BBQ pork bun, and it took just one bite to see why they're so renowned. Hot and fresh with a sweet, cookie-like exterior, the interior is soft and chewy and packed with a savory morsel of BBQ pork. For less than $2, you get a plate of three, which is practically a steal when you taste how amazing they are. I also had vermicelli rolls and stewed beef, which were both excellent, but without a doubt the highest praise belongs to those incredible pork buns.

It's become a sort of habit of mine to visit the tallest building in a city on or before the last day of a visit, so from Tim's I went to the ICC, the International Commerce Center, and took an elevator up to the observation deck on the 100th floor. Although the view was obscured by fog, the observation deck was practically devoid of people so it was a nice chance to look out over the city and reflect on my time in Hong Kong. Following that I took the elevator up a few more floors to the Ritz Carlton for a cocktail, and as the staff courteously guided me to the hotel restaurant I did my best to look like I was the sort of customer who could afford a room at the Ritz . Sadly, all of the window booths were already reserved for afternoon teatime, an interesting cultural leftover from Hong Kong's period under British colonial rule. I had my cocktail regardless and scooted out.

I spent the rest of my day checking out small restaurants and trying to satisfy my hunger for Hong Kong food. Eventually I made my way to the airport and arrived without incident. I left Hong Kong that night around 8pm, on a plane that would take me to Bangkok, Thailand.

Hong Kong Day 4: Fishing Villages and Big Cities

I met up with my Korean friends early in the morning and we departed Hong Kong for nearby Lantau Island, easily accessible via metro. Once there we took a cable car up through the hills of Lantau to reach Ngong Ping Village, located atop a mountain in the island's interior. Normally the wait to get on a cable car would have taken several hours, but my friends had the foresight to reserve tickets a week before our trip. The cable car ride was a thrill, with glass bottoms that let us get a better idea of just how high up we really were. Amusingly, the other family shoved into the car with us was also Korean. I sat by while my friends and the family conversed in Korean and helped each other take a plethora of Korean-style family and group photos. If you're unfamiliar with how Korean family photos look, just imagine v-signs. Lots and lots of v-signs.

First stop in Ngong Ping was the Po Lin Monastery. While it is currently occupied by monks who are busy with their day to day duties, the monastery, and its cafeteria, are nonetheless open to the public. We ate what the monks eat, and since Buddhist monks don't consume meat, we enjoyed a Chinese-style vegetarian lunch. I don't typically go for the vegetarian entree when I eat out, but what we had at Po Lin was possibly the tastiest vegetarian-style meal I've ever had.

After lunch we climbed up a nearby hill to take in the Tian Tan Buddha, the largest seated bronze Buddha in the world. I was easily dwarfed by the Buddha, and yet standing next to it and looking out over the ocean, I couldn't help but be filled with a sense of calm and serenity.

I parted ways with my friends following the visit to Buddha; they wanted to go back to the mainland to do some shopping, and I wanted to continue exploring the island. I took a bus down to the northern coast of Lantau to visit Tai O, famous for being an authentic fishing village where the people live in stilt houses. Having recently become a popular tourist destination, signs of development are beginning to show in Tai O, but fortunately at the time of my visit the village appeared to still be a drowsy, peaceful little town of fishermen and peddlers. I took a speedboat tour of Tai O and the surrounding waters, then used my feet wander up and down its tight narrow roads and along its creaky wooden stilt walkways. I probably was too nosey for my own good, allowing my curiosity to practically take me into people's living spaces, but none of the locals seemed to mind. They were too busy talking with neighbors, or watching tiny television sets, or drying out fish. The only one to pay me any heed was a dog who came to say hello as I stood on a walkway outside someone's home.

I returned to Ngong Ping Village and rode the cable car down to the metro station, where I hopped on a train back to the mainland. I was feeling a craving for dim sum take hold of me, so I found a restaurant and consumed more than I probably should have. It was then time to reunite with my friends to see the Symphony of Lights. Although I had already watched the show a few nights prior, they hadn't, so we got a seat along the harbor to enjoy the magic. I didn't mind a second viewing, as it gave me a chance to experience the show from a different vantage point.

Our last activity for the day was a trip to the Ladies Market, yet another outdoor market, but this one well-known for being one of Hong Kong's biggest. Contrary to its name, the Ladies Market sells goods aimed at a wide range of demographics, and though I had already spent more than I had budgeted for the Hong Kong segment of my trip, I couldn't stop myself from walking out of the Ladies Market with a new leather bag. It helped that one of my companions is probably the best haggler I've ever met, and she secured me a deal for 50% off.

It was then time to part ways, as my friends would be returning to S. Korea the following morning. I would remain in Hong Kong. I had one more day left in the city before I got on a plane to go to my next destination.

Hong Kong Day 3: From the Seas to the Mountaintops

After spending the past two days exploring the northern part of Hong Kong Island and the adjacent mainland, I decided it was time to venture down to Hong Kong Island's southern half. I had heard that the beaches along the south coast were especially nice, though to be honest I wasn't expecting much. I had seen what S. Korea considers a nice beach when I visited the port city of Busan, and I figured Hong Kong's Repulse Bay would be more of the same: over-crowded, nowhere to relax, with waters too frigid to barely poke a toe in.

Thankfully, I was completely wrong. Repulse Bay was, at least when I visited, a gem of a beach. I spent all morning swimming, lounging on the sand, and developing a wicked sunburn that would plague me for the rest of my vacation. It was worth it though, just to escape from the bustle of Hong Kong for a few hours.

Further down south along the coast was Stanley Market, another outdoor market and one that's particularly popular with tourists. I browsed for a little bit, got some lunch, and found a sweet deal on neckties. Six for $10, how could I resist?

I met up with some friends of mine from S. Korea in Stanley Market, and together we headed back to the northern half of the island to check out some of the landmarks. We rode the Central-Mid-Levels escalator, purportedly the world's longest outdoor covered escalator system, which took us from Hong Kong's busy financial district up to the numerous restaurants and cafes of SoHo. Along the way we would hop off the escalator at several exit points, once to locate a famous bakery for some egg-tarts and again to pop into a popular noodle shop to enjoy a quick meal of wonton noodle soup.

That evening we took a bus to the top of the island, to a building succinctly named The Peak, where we could see the best views of the city. It was insanely crowded at The Peak, to the point where I wondered how it was possible to fit so many people on the roof of one building, and the wait in line to get on a trolley back down to the city took several hours, but the whole experience was great. I'll never forget the view of Hong Kong that night, all lit up and stretched out before us.

Gunpla Expo and Gunpla Builders World Cup 2014, Hong Kong

By the way, the Ani-Com convention was also the host for the Hong Kong Gunpla Expo and the Hong Kong Gunpla Builders World Cup 2014. Did I know this when I made my plans to go to Ani-Com? Nope. Was it a nice surprise? You bet.

Of course I took pictures. Of course I took so many that I'm going to make a blog post dedicated solely to Gundam models.

Before we get started, I want to say that while S. Korea's entries into the Gunpla Builders World Cup were pretty impressive, the quantity and quality of the Gundams on display in Hong Kong made the models I saw in Seoul look like child's play. Apparently the people living in Hong Kong take their hobbies that much more seriously.

But hey, don't take my word for it. See for yourself in the pics below.

Hong Kong Day 2: Trying to Blend In

On my second day in Hong Kong I went to the Ani-Com anime convention happening at the seaside Convention and Exhibition Center. I thought it would be fun to see what a Chinese anime con is like and compare it to past cons I've been to. Not surprisingly, Ani-Com was pretty similar to its Korean and American counterparts, which was fine by me as it made me feel right at home. Now, having been to anime conventions in the USA, S. Korea and Hong Kong, I guess all that's left is to check out an anime convention in Japan?

Whereas Comic World in S. Korea is focused on the fan aspect of the anime and manga community, with most of its booths belonging to private individuals attempting to sell their own homemade wares, Ani-Com was all about the commercial side. Big name distributors and companies were on site to get that sweet nerd money, making their presence known with giant expensive booths designed to draw you in with huge displays of the latest video games and amazingly detailed life-like action figures. I'll admit I didn't leave the convention empty handed... But in my defense I had been looking to buy some drink coasters for a long time, so finding some for sale (Gundam-themed, no less) was pretty sweet.

Before leaving the con, I watched a cosplay contest featuring contestants in elaborate costumes performing skits, songs, and in one case, a wicked taiko drum show. The contestants were apparently the ten finalists from a previous competition, and I don't know if it's the style in China or what, but the costumes being shown off were some of the most glittery, borderline gaudy cosplay I have ever seen. I thought it was great.

For lunch I got some dim sum in my belly. This is as good a time as any to confess that I ate as much as I could while in Hong Kong, and most of what I put in my mouth was dim sum and wonton noodles. If you're unfamiliar with dim sum, just picture delicious appetizers sold at affordable prices. I had a lot of great dim sum, but one of my favorites is the steamed barbecue pork bun. I could probably eat those all day, which is really less of an assumption or more like a fact.

In the afternoon I took a ferry across the bay, leaving Hong Kong island to explore Hong Kong mainland. The city on the mainland was even more labyrinthine and congested than what I encountered on the island, and I occupied myself for hours walking up and down narrow streets. On the sidewalks were the most aggressive salesmen I've ever encountered, almost all Indian, almost all trying to lure me into their shops to get a custom suit or to buy a new Rolex, and getting past them was exhausting in of itself. Eventually I stumbled upon the Temple Street Night Market, one of Hong Kong's famous open-air markets. After doing a little shopping there, I took a bus back to the harbor for a ferry tour of the bay.

At 8 pm almost every night, all of the major buildings located along the waterfront light up for a synchronized light show, apparently the biggest of its kind in the entire world. My ferry rode out to the middle of the bay and parked itself in a spot where I could get a perfect 360 degree view of the whole Symphony of Lights. I took pictures of course, but it's definitely one of those things that's better appreciated in person!

When I got off the ferry, I headed back to my hostel. Two days down, three more to go.

Hong Kong Day 1: Center of the World

Summer has come and gone, and with hardly an update from me. If you assumed that was because I was traveling, you'd be right. I spent two weeks this summer tromping about Asia, and even though it's been about half a month since my journey ended, I still don't feel like I've fully processed all that I did and saw. I look over my photos now, selecting from over 3000 which to upload here on my blog, and I can hardly believe that the places I see in my pictures are places that I visited. Then the reality sets in, and the memories come flooding back to me, and I start to daydream about my next adventure.

My first stop was Hong Kong. I've heard Hong Kong referred to as one of the centers of the world, and after staying there for five days I completely agree. More than just an Asian city, it feels like a global city, with peoples of all races and cultures filling the streets. It's also very distinctly a Chinese city, but with a strong English flavor left over from it's time as a British colony. I was more than impressed by Hong Kong, and it's easily become one of my favorite cities.

I arrived in Hong Kong on a Monday around 4 pm and spent the afternoon getting myself situated: I picked up some Hong Kong dollars, purchased a SIM card for my phone, bought a transit card for the metro and bus and found my hostel. I stayed at the Yesinn @ Causeway Bay, a small, narrow hostel located on Hong Kong island. For the price and location, Yesinn was perfect. The sleeping arrangements in the room were interesting, with nine people sleeping on bunk beds that were three beds high, but I liked it. After finishing all of my errands and dropping off my bags, I had some time to venture out into the city and explore in earnest.

Hong Kong feels like no city I've ever been to. It's crowded, it's narrow, it's completely vertical while stretching out horizontally as far as the eye can see. It's alive, it's organic, it doesn't sleep and there's always something to do. I had no real destination when I left my hostel; I simply wanted to wander the streets and explore, get a little lost, and definitely try some local cuisine. I did all of that, and very quickly I discovered that I love Hong Kong food. Wonton noodle soup is now one of my favorite dishes, and I wish there was an easy way to get it here in South Korea.

I got to bed early that night. I had a busy week planned, and I was going to need all of my rest.