Precious Memories: Hong Kong Disembarkation

Disembarkation, Hong Kong -- December 6, 2016

Our ship sailed into Hong Kong early in the morning when it was still dark. It went around the southern part of Hong Kong island before turning into the harbor through Lei Yu Mun. I went up on deck eager to figure out where we were until we saw lights from tall buildings.

I figured that this must be the Chai Wan area on the port side.

And the Yau Tong area on the starboard side.

Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, Hong Kong

This new terminal was the runway of the old Kai Tak Airport where I left as a teenager to go to college in Canada and later the US on a Pan Am plane. Wow! That was a long time ago! Coming back on a cruise was a totally different experience and I just didn't want to miss a moment of excitement as we were sailing in.

Docking at Kai Tai Cruise Terminal

Straight ahead would be Victoria Harbor.

Interesting building!

Lion Rock

I believe there is a park on the top of the building.

A Star Cruises ship entering the harbor, probably docking at Ocean Terminal in town.

Lei Yue Mun behind us now.

Disembarking was uneventful other than finding our way out to the upper level for our Uber pick-up. There was a little wait in line for immigration but for me it was just a quick swipe of my HK electronic ID card which I reapplied for a couple years ago after being away for over forty years. After picking up our luggage, we were trying to exit the terminal and were given different directions a couple of times before we finally found our way up. Our van came in about 15 minutes after the call. It looked like that the driver was also having problem finding the correct pick-up point. The ride was priced right, cheaper than getting two taxis for the five of us. We then headed toward our hotel for the two nights, the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong TST. Our driver was happy when we gave him a big tip for the ride.

We were definitely too early to check-in so we left our luggage with the counter and took the airport shuttle at the basement of the hotel to Kowloon station to pick up our niece who was joining us from Taiwan on this part of our Hong Kong visit. When we came back to the hotel, one of our rooms was ready and we put all our luggage in that room before going out to explore. By the way, the Handy cell phone that the hotel provided made it very convenient for us to use while in HK. We could make free calls to many countries and also use it as a hotspot for wifi.

Christmas tree at Hyatt Regency.

Another Christmas tree at the flower shop.

Flower shop near the main entrance.

We only had two days in Hong Kong and we wanted to make good use of our time here. Our itinerary for the day was to go to Hong Kong island including a visit to the peak, shopping at Causeway Bay, and have some local cuisine along the way.

First, we went to the basement of the Hyatt Regency where the K11 Mall is. There is access to the MTR station right there. After purchasing the Octopus Cards for everyone, we took the subway across the harbor to Central. Got out from exit C on Des Voeux Road Central and walked toward Li Yuen Street East and then Li Yuen Street West hoping to find the vendor where I got some wrinkle-free dress pants from a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, she was no longer there. For those who are interested in shopping, these two narrow alley ways are good places to check for bargains. There are so much here that you probably can spend a couple of hours just exploring the vendors and stores. Then we walked up to Queen's Road towards the Mid-level Escalator (longest escalator) near Cochran Street. This one-way escalator takes people down from the hill in the morning, then switch to going uphill later in the day to take people back up to their homes. It's a fun way to see the local lifestyle of living in high rises in Hong Kong.

Boldly proclaiming the Love of God!

Here is the escalator.

Mak's Noodle -- 77 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong

First, we wanted to get some lunch and Mak's Noodle was it! Mak's is one of the top eateries in Hong Kong where people want to try the local favorite, won-ton noodle. It is right near the escalator on a side street. It's just a very small restaurant with tight seating. You may have to share tables with others. Food is not cheap comparing to L.A. but certainly delicious, good, authentic local flavor. There were many western tourists trying out the food here that day.

HKD $40 for a small bowl of won-ton noodle. Excellent won-ton!

$58 for won-ton noodle with braised beef.

$32 boiled veggie

Exterior of Mak's Noodle

Oh, we also bought some egg tarts from Honolulu Cafe on the street nearby. So good!

33 Stanley Street, Central, Hong Kong

Now, we are ready to go up on the escalator.

This is also the SOHO area where you can find many bars and restaurants with western clients in mind.

We went up to Hollywood Road before walking back down on one of the side streets back to Des Veous Road Central. As you can see, there are many shopping opportunities along the way as we walked back down.

Then we picked up the local tram (Ding-ding) going east for Sau Ki Wan. This is a cheap way to see the city if you can get upstairs. It was very crowded when we got on so it wasn't as fun. I was able to get a seat at the back of the top level though.

We managed to get off at Causeway Bay, right at Percival Street on Hennessy Road where we walked over to Times Square just a couple of blocks away. We let everybody go on their way and shopped for two hours in the area. There are many name-brand stores and restaurants inside Times Square and many more local shops around this area. You can definitely spend a whole day here.

After checking out the Uniglo store across Times Square, we found a bench inside the mall right outside this store and sat there while waiting for the rest to shop. We were so tired that we actually took a little nap as we waited.

Dinner -- 24 Percival Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
For an early dinner, I thought it would be fun to have our relatives try out the famous restaurant in Hong Kong. Cantonese people like to enjoy snake soup in the fall and winter seasons. It's suppose to keep you warm. BIL was very much interested in it. This restaurant was recommended to us by my brother Tim two years ago. They also serve some delicious roasted meat and sausages here.

Other than soup, they also have many different kinds of herbal soup and this was my order of a soup that had been cooked for many hours.

The waiter recommended that we order a mixed plate of roasted meat to share. Great idea! This plate is a combination of BBQ pork, roast goose, crispy roast pork, and soy chicken. All delicious!

Different kinds of Chinese sausages.

veggies

Again, it was kind of tight but at least we were able to sit at one table. The waiter actually asked a couple of customers to move so we could all sit together. Sorry guys!

Now, that's the soup it's more like shredded chicken.

After dinner, we took the MTR to Admiralty and then caught Bus 15 up to the peak. We were hoping that we would be up at the peak before it gets dark but we ran a little late. By the time we arrived at the peak it was all dark already.

The Peak

The bus dropped us off underneath the Peak Galleria which is a good vantage point to see the view of the harbor up at the top level. It's free entry and a lot less crowded than the Peak Tower where the Peak Tram Terminus is. This is where we get to whenever we visit the peak.

Part of the Peak Tower from the balcony of the Peak Galleria.

Looking across the harbor.

More egg tarts! I believe it was on the 3rd floor of the Galleria where a branch of the famous Tai Cheong Bakery is located. They just had some freshly baked egg tarts out from the oven when we were there. Had to get some, right?! Oh, mine, so delicious! Hot, fresh cookie crust egg tarts versus the flaky crust that was from Honolulu Cafe earlier. Must try! There are Tai Cheong Bakeries all over the place. I believe they also have one at the Star Ferry Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui, right after the first class entrance.

We just sat outside the corner balcony enjoying our egg tarts.

Inside the Galleria. Clean restrooms also available here.

Tai Cheong Bakery. They had a special that included an egg tart and a drink, like hot coffee, which is a good deal.

I can have these everyday!

Entrance into the Galleria across from the Peak Tower.

Lion's Pavilion off Findlay Road on the right of Galleria, another good viewing point.

Long lines for the peak tram back down.

Line for the bus at the bus terminal under the Galleria.

Line for the taxi.

We waited for two buses before getting on, not bad. Go up to the top deck for a thrill ride.

Again, we got off bus 15 at Admiralty, then took the MTR back to our hotel for the night. By now all our rooms were ready, of course.

Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui

This was our second stay here and this time we used our annual free nights for two rooms and then paid early discount for the third room. I believe we paid $170 a night for that third room for booking early. No lounge access this time around though but it was OK. What I liked about this hotel is that it is very convenient with a great location. K11 Mall, subway station and free airport shuttles to the Kowloon Station right inside the building in the basement. One block from the main street Nathan Road. Many restaurants and eateries around the neighborhood made this an easy point for visitors who don't want to waste time on transportation and close to where the 'action' is.