HONG KONG 2016 | DAY 2
Started the morning by finishing some work. The forecast showed that it was going to rain on and off throughout the day so I had to be flexible with my destinations. I decided to go to Central Hong Kong because the places I wanted to eat and visit were all there. Because there weren’t that many things to do on my schedule, I decided to walk around the whole city and take pictures.
The first place I went to was a famous rice noodle/milk tea restaurant called Lan Fong Yuen. It was highly recommended by couple of my friends so I decided to go give it a try (mainly because I love noodles and milk tea). It was kind of a pain finding the place but after being dropped off in a nearby town by the cab, I was able to find the restaurant. As I entered their shop, they immediately seated me next to a bunch of random people in a round table. It was super awkward and intimate. I had no idea what to order because the whole menu was in Chinese. I just said noodles and tea and luckily the server understood. The food came out and it was pretty freakin bomb. It was super simple – the texture of the rice noodles were similar to cup noodles and they just added this soy-based sauce with steamed veggies and sliced meat. The milk tea was pretty freakin amazing as well. As simple as the dish was, it was really good. Super cheap too.
After eating lunch, I literally walked around everywhere. It started to shower rain so I had to take cover at this little alley with a small sheet metal roof. The rain calmed down a bit and it began to lightly drizzle so I was able to walk around again and take pictures. What’s really interesting about Hong Kong is that the city is so hybrid – one part of it is super gentrified while another part seems super poor. Other parts are pretty high-end with crazy retail stores. It was almost a mix of everything from low to high class in the same area. You would walk in a high-end part of the city but you would also see a lot of struggling workers in the same street. Hong Kong is a really busy city filled with a lot of hard workers.
I was able to ride this long escalator that went all the way from the bottom of central city to mid-level. It’s supposedly a famous escalator just because it’s super long. It was kinda cool to experience it. I continued to walk around until I decided to go to the place I wanted to visit most – Victoria Peak.
I was able to find the base of the peak and where I had to take a tram up the mountain. Victoria Peak is one of Hong Kong’s most notable places to visit. You get to see the whole view of Hong Kong from this mountain. While on the tram, the views were spectacular.
The tram stopped at the top of the mountain in this huge mall. You had to take several escalators to reach the top view of the peak. When I reached the top of the peak, I was super sad. The whole city was covered in fog due to the weather. Are you telling me that I busted my ass coming up this damn mountain for nothing!? Jk. It was still awesome being on top of the peak. All in all, it was still good to experience the peak and get some fresh air on top of a mountain. I was, however, able to go down to a lower level and the fogs weren’t bothersome at that point. I was able to get a good look of Hong Kong and the view was breathtaking.
After the peak, I wanted to really try out Tim Ho Wan for dinner. It’s named one of the cheapest Michelin Star restaurants. It was super close to where I was so I had to try it. I found the restaurant inside of a mall and again, was seated with random people. I ordered a bunch of different dumplings. To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of dumplings. I could care less. So the food wasn’t THAT amazing but the experience was worth it for sure. and it was super cheap. I only spent ~$20 for a very satisfying meal.
After dinner, I ended up walking around more and taking pictures. I know that some people may view that as a waste of time but for me, taking pictures when I travel is a vital thing.
This trip definitely had its ups and downs. It sucked I couldn’t go on the hiking trails I wanted to visit because of the weather. But I was glad I was able to go to most of the places I wanted to visit. I freakin love how Hong Kong is designed. I love the tall and rustic buildings and the shady alleyways that lead to nowhere, but at the same time how there are so many lively places in the same area. I love how the city is engulfed by all these mountains and ocean. It almost reminds me of a hidden city in the middle of nowhere. It’s really hard to put it into words – you just have to come here to experience it.
Although it was only 2 full days, I’m super glad I got to come to Hong Kong. It’s probably one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. I will most definitely come here again – hopefully with my future wife/family. Because all the couples and families here made me gaddamn envious!
