Chapter 31. HONG HONG KING KONG

It was Day 5 of our trip. We had to travel from Chiangmai to Hong Kong via Bangkok and Macau. Got me exhausted just thinking of it.

Macau Airport

So here was our itinery for the day.

1. Chiangmai - Bangkok (1hr)
2. Bangkok - Macau (4hrs)
3. Macau - Hong Kong (2hrs)

**All flights are operated by AirAsia.

It was quite weird landing so close to the water in Macau Airport. Few inches off the mark and we would be swimming with the fishes.

Macau Airport

From the airport, we grabbed a cab to the ferry terminal. 20mins (57HKD). The taxi uncle was kind enough to instruct us how to get the tickets and where to board the ferry.

Be careful - Go to KOWLOON!

At the ferry terminal, one may choose to go to Hong Kong island or Kowloon. Both journeys are identical in terms of price and time.

We got our tickets to Kowloon. Our hotel is around that area. There was a guy trying to sell us cheaper tickets before the counter. Wonder if they're counterfeit.

HKD 140 (one way)

It costs HKD 140 = RM60 which was quite expensive for a ferry ride. But then again, we're in Hong Kong, which is infamous for its inflated prices of goods.

First Ferry

We were just in time for the 5:00pm ferry. We're hoping the ride wouldn't be too chompy as the GF might get sea sick. It looks sturdy enough though.

Have to note that it was quite tedious to lug around the luggages from the airport to the ferry. We had 1 big backpack, 1 trolley bag and 1 medium slingbag. We're poor travellers so we opted for the cheaper option. Rich travellers can fly direct into HK.

If we had travelled now we could fly direct from Bangkok - Hong Kong, a new route by AirAsia.

The interior

The ferry was quite comfortable. With air conditioning and snacks and drinks for your convenience. Luckily it was quite spacey as I'm claustrophobic. ;o(

The ride was quite chompy especially nearing the piers. The entire ferry bobbed up and down like a cork in the sea.

Finally touched down in Hong Kong

I've been to Hong Kong before on a company organized excursion. (2 days) I enjoyed myself so much I don't mind coming back again and again. This is the GF's virgin trip to the Pearl of the Orient.

Snacks stall

We finally arrived at our hotel about 7.00pm. We were dead tired after an entire day of travelling and definitely starving. (No food on AirAsia) ;o(

After checking into our hotel (mongkok area) we hurriedly went downstairs in search for food. We didn't have to walk far before we came across a familiar sight.

Curry Fishball + Beef steak

It is the "Curry fishball" so dearly loved by the hongkies in their TVB dramas. FYI we had a whole list of food and places to visit which was thoroughly researched and meticulously jotted down on our little notepad.

This dish was right on top of our "TO EAT" list. However we didn't really like the texture as it was made of flour rather than the normal fishball we're used to having in Malaysia.

It taste more like china dumpling than fishball. The beef on the other hand was excellent. ;o)

Entree

I think we paid about HKD20 for that. This was just entree before we walked in search for our main course.

Scene around Mongkok

Our hotel is about 10mins walk from Mongkok MTR. It is strategically located steps away from Mongkok's main shopping area which includes Ladies Street, Jade Street & Sports Street.

Look at how many people there are walking about. It's like ants moving about fast forward at X3 speed. Singapore felt like a kampung compared to the hustle and bustle of HK. ;o)

Cafe De Coral

In the end we decided to try Cafe De Coral, which is a chain of food court available in almost every nook and corner of HK. There are 2 stores located just blocks away from each other.

Menu options

The menu is listed at the entrance. Everything was in chinese so we spent a while reading and grasping what's available. To make matters worst, there are tons of combinations where you add this, substract that, add a combo etc etc.

When its my turn to order I almost fainted when the counter staff asked if I wanted to add this and that, why don't I add this for just HKD15 etc etc. Took a while and the customers behind me were slightly aggitated.

I need some time to get used to the speed here man!! It's like bullet train speed. ;o(

It didn't feel this fast when I came here from Singapore. I guess staying in Australia does slow one down, mentally and physically.

Rice + gravy chicken + soup (37HKD)

This turned out to be quite a suprise. Wasn't what I thought I ordered. hehe Rice was normal, nothing to shout home about. Soup was also so-so.

(Expected the soup to be superb, since Hongkies are famous for making sky- movingly delicious soups. Maybe we were expecting too much from a food court)

BBQ rice (37HKD)

It was good, as expected from cantonese cuisine. Famous for their BBQ stuff.

37HKD (RM15) felt kinda pricey for a meal especially since we just came from super cheap Thailand. hehe

Ladies Market

After our dinner we strolled around our area. We found Ladies Market which I missed during my last trip.

Night Market

It's basically a night market. True to its name, most of the stalls here sell goods catering to the species of XX cromosomes. Its really long and it has more than 80 stalls. (my guess)

Shoes, bags, hair accessories etc etc

Stamps and Cutters

We saw lots of press stamps with various designs, including the "double happiness" stamp for making wedding invites.

We only found out back home that these "double happiness" stamps are very popular and unavailable there. We should have bought a bunch of them and sold them for exhorbitant prices.

Sexy lingerie (Notice the guy versions?)

Price haggling is a must in Ladies Market as prices here are slightly higher. The one thing I dislike is they don't show their prices. Ask in cantonese (normal high), ask in mandarin (very high), ask in english and have blonde hair (super duper confirm kena cut throat high).

Haggling?

If you show slight interest by asking the price, they will cling on to you like leeches, lowering their prices again and again.

If you still decline, they will scold you. One lady walked away while the furious stall owner shouted, "Give you so cheap still don't want. You go lah! If you come back price will not be so cheap anymore!!!"

Welcome to HONG KONG! ;o)


Note: Photography here must be done discreetly. Some stall owners don't your photography unless you pay. If words of wisdom are not heeded, they have prepared an entire vulgar vocabulary to scold you + entire family. (including your pets)


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