As I write this, we are rocking our way towards the seaside town of El Nido in Palawan, Philippines. Bodies are sprawled around me like the aftermath of some great party and I’m being treated to views of deserted beaches and dramatic seafront cliffs on countless tropical islands. Our time in Southeast Asia is definitely underway. :)
Our journey to Hong Kong on Jan 5 got off to a slightly rocky start. Uncertainty surrounded us as we worried for the well-being of one of my family members; we were unsure as to our next destination: home or Hong Kong. It became clear, however, that it would be wisest to fly onwards to Hong Kong so that we’d be able to explore options to return home from there, if needed, rather than risk invalidating our entire collection of onward tickets. Thankfully, prospects for recovery are promising and we are holding folks at home in our thoughts each and every day.
Hong Kong was one of the (new) destinations that I was most eager to see. In conversations over the past few months, the city was mentioned as one worth exploring to see if we would consider spending a year living there. I had visions of alleys crowded with street food stalls and streets overrun by markets; big city lights mixed with small-town Asia living. Well, I was wrong. :P It turns out, I know NOTHING about Hong Kong.
The flight was long but relatively painless; the food was actually good enough that I was almost disappointed when it was gone, and the in-flight entertainment had a few surprises in store for me. We arrived in the city around lunchtime and proceeded to make our way out of the airport terminal in a bit of a daze, which led to a rather hilarious exit effort involving a number of wrong turns.
Our hotel, Apple Inn, was relatively easy to find thanks to its proximity to Tsim Sha Tsui station (again, a wrong turn or two had to be made first) and we quickly dropped our bags before setting off for lunch. We were both exhausted, but have learned from past experiences that sitting down with nothing to do is a terrible idea when jetlag beckons. Our chosen lunch spot was a little noodle soup joint with a fun tick-box menu. Choose which type of noodle soup you want (two options – hot or cold), then tick the box next to the toppings and extras that you want, and finally choose how spicy you’d like it. China doesn’t have spicy food outside of Szechuan cuisine, right? We played it safe and went for medium. As it turns out, “medium” actually means “we serve our broth so hot that the extra heat from the chillies will make your eyes water and you may end up wishing you’d never been born.” It’s officially the first time I’ve witnessed the limits of Rich’s chilli tolerance (his ridiculous bachelor party curry stories aside). When I was able to get a bite of soup cool enough that the temperature didn’t sear the entire inside of my mouth, it was clear that the soup – a hot and sour type whose broth would be in the same family as tom yum goong – was actually really tasty (and then the chilli would kick in and send me reeling again). Full of green onions, coriander, Chinese red sausage (in my case; sliced pork caught Rich’s attention), bean sprouts, bits of meat from the pork bones used to make the broth, and delicious homemade spaghetti-style rice noodles, the soup was something of a work of art – it also happened to be potent enough to just about kill me… Having each left half a bowl of broth and our taste buds behind, we set off and agreed to proceed with a little more caution in future.
We spent the next two and a half days battling jetlag demons as we proceeded to spend exorbitant amounts of time wide awake in the wee hours of the night, but we were determined to make the most of our very short time in the city. Along the waterfront Avenue of Stars, I giggled at the size of the crowd admiring Bruce Lee’s statue (the photo of the crowd is more interesting that the statue). We explored the goldfish market, where aquarium-friendly species of all sorts were displayed in their little water-filled bags, each one ready for someone to take them home. A wander through the flower market revealed a colourful display of countless types of blooms that I’d never seen before, including one type of blossom that contained thick bunches of short, slender, green blades mixed with tiny flowers, giving the bunch the appearance of a wildflower-strewn patch of grass. The colourful (and musical) bird market, where you can buy an avian companion in a variety of colours or pick up an ornate, handmade wooden cage for your feathery friend, was dotted with old men who had gathered to chat while their pets visited with one another in their cages, which were suspended from the eaves – think dog walking, but for birds. A trip up the mid-levels escalators – a world record-holding series of escalators that run for almost a kilometer up a series of hills on Hong Kong Island – proved to be a great way to cover some ground. We just hopped on and then got off between escalators while we had a look around each new area. Our walk back downhill led us through the Zoological Gardens, the improbably sad home to three orangutans and a small clutch of gibbons, whose hooting cries could be heard almost non-stop as we walked through the area. Having seen orangutans in the wild during our Borneo trip two years ago, it was blatantly clear that the “habitat” they’d been provided with in this euphemism for a zoo was woefully inadequate and it saddened me deeply to find these beautiful, shy creatures in such relatively small enclosures with very little in the way of foliage for them to climb through or hide in. Oddly enough, as well as a small collection of other primates, the gardens were also home to… a raccoon. I found that little detail endlessly amusing! We criss-crossed different parts of the city, making our way down back alleys to find Full Cup Cafe, walking through bustling markets full of bags, shoes, dog outfits and baby clothes to find a dim sum spot, meandering past herbalists’ shops containing untold wonders to reach another spot of interest. My feet haven’t been that sore from walking since we covered dozens of kilometres of ground in Paris. We were positively aching by the time we called it quits each night. We took the ferry across a hazy harbour, a bus down to Stanley, and a taxi up to the Peak to gaze out over the city’s impressive, smog-dusted skyline.
I am fairly sure that Hong Kong contains more highrises in one city than the sum total of all the highrises I’ve seen in my entire life. In a city whose population density is seven people per square metre, I found myself feeling a little out of my depth as we gazed out at the enormity of this megalopolis.
As it turns out, everything that I’ve heard about the lack of personal space in China rings true for Hong Kong. Walking from destination to destination was one constant game of pedestrian chicken as we fought to find space on the sidewalk, which meant that we often resorted to walking along the road instead. We had low expectations for our hotel room – we expected to find a bed and maybe six square feet of floor space, so it was an exceptional surprise to find a small double bed with a bunk on top (handy when I had a morning video conference) and easily 30 square feet of floor space plus the most comically small bathroom. The shower was placed on the wall beside the toile (out of necessity), making it possible to take care of your entire morning routine all at once, should you wish. Although the washroom size was clearly a result of the shape of the room, I couldn’t help thinking that they had to do it to make up for the excessively “large” room. :)
Many friends know my passion for Asian food, so it was the culinary scene that I was most eager to explore, and that’s where the biggest surprise was found. Street hawkers were almost non-existent, courtesy of a government effort to clear them out over the past few years. We saw just three stalls – although it could’ve been two with one being seen twice; my notoriously poor sense of direction really failed me while in Hong Kong. Another surprise was the fact that shopping malls were home to countless fine dining venues; I struggled with the idea of getting dolled up for a Michelin-starred culinary experience only to then head for a shopping plaza.
Although my cravings for hawker food went unsated, we weren’t at a loss for food options. We spent our time in Hong Kong dining on roast goose and duck; suckling pig and siu mai; steamed pork buns and prawn dumplings; prawn jiao za, BBQ pork rice rolls and steamed garlic tender greens served with mustard (DEFINITELY something I’ll be making when we get home!). Most of what we ate were things we’d tried before, but we quickly learned after a divine meal at One Dim Sum, the most unassuming and affordable Michelin-starred restaurant we’ll ever find, that there’s a big difference between the glutinous mess created by average dim sum spots and the delicate tenderness of well-crafted noodles and rice pastry; between the almost dessert-like cloying sweetness of a run-of-the-mill steamed pork bun and the airy lightness and slight lingering sweetness of masterful ones. What we didn’t try were the offerings of “meat and organs”, pigs’ ears (although that one would sneak up on us later), intestine, or any of the other numerous bits and pieces that come between the snout and tail that can then be chopped, fried, or stuffed into rice pastry. I’m a pretty adventurous diner and haven’t shied away from offerings of barbequed beetles and fried grubs in the past, but the squishy insides of small intestine or crunchy cartilege of a pig’s ear just don’t do it for me. :P
While I wish that we’d had a couple more days to explore – we didn’t get a chance to delve into Hong Kong’s history and I would’ve liked to have had more time to explore some of the city’s temples, our two and a half days did, however, give us a chance to uncover some of what this interesting city has to offer.
El Nido’s long strips of white beaches have come into view and the bodies have all come back to life. Six hours on the boat and our next destination is almost afoot.
Grateful for: friends willing to jump in with aid when needed
Up next: touring the coast of Coron
