First 24 hours in...,  Hong Kong

first 24 hours in hong kong

jojo:
what do i like?
-the energy of the city; noticeable at anytime of the day in almost every part of town
-the endless amount of food options; i’m leaving my meal options is the hands of
a) frank – goose, pork belly, duck and roasted pork are some hobbies we share.  high cholesterol will likely be the next .
b) my uncle – questioning any of his suggestions are foolish
c) my cousin victor – this man just ate a whole chateaubriand (for two) at tonight’s dinner.  i’m scared for my life.

what do i dislike?
-the pricetag.  due to unfortunate timing, the exchange rate from cad:hkd isn’t ideal and by tacking this on after taiwan (which i feel may hold the reigns as the ‘best value’ destination for this whole trip), everything seems exponentially more expensive.  having said that, one can eat cheap or expensive but have it remain good in both cases

biggest adjustments from the previous stop?
-people everywhere at all hours of the day.  the constant bombardment of lights, sounds, cars and signage from all angles at all hours of the day.  taiwan had its moments where traffic got hectic but those periods are so short-lived.  hong kong is constant and the same thing that makes it chaotic is what makes it soothing as well.  the dinner rush generally doesn’t start until 8pm whereas by 8pm, restaurants are starting to cleanup, turn off lights and drive people out in taipei.  by 9pm, taiwanese sit-down restaurant options are few and far between

what was our first meal?
-bbq pork, roasted goose, fried fish, sauteed bok choy and white rice… at home.  the meats were takeout items from kam’s place (a 1-michelin star stand in causeway bay) but the rest was good homecooking courtesy of my uncle.  a very welcome break from our insane eating schedule of taiwan

overall impressions?
-i’m excited for the rest of my time (a one week stint followed by a five day stay later this month) in hk as well as being able to take haha around since it’s her first time visiting hk.  my last trip here was scheduled to be a month and ended up being 10 weeks; needless to say, i love this city.

haha:

what do i like…
Home cooked food…so yummy!
Being able to communicate in English everywhere.
Shopping is great, lots of stores and better selection of sizes.

what do i dislike…
Lots of people…so many people…
Thundershowers being forecast all week, we saw lightning when we landed at the airport and it has been raining since.

biggest adjustments from the previous stop?
Having housekeeper do our laundry and getting underwear back nicely folded. Not used to such luxury.

what was our first meal?
Home cooked fish and veggies with bbq goose.

dinner
overall impressions?
I like Hong Kong so far because there is a sense of familiarity since Vancouver is known for being Hongcouver but the real HK is definitely more cosmopolitan, polished, busier, better dressed.

 

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