Hong Kong | Noodles for breakfast
Asia is a travel destination that I personally never had on my radar: too far away, too foreign, too loud, too dirty. (Almost) all prejudices, as Mr. Wallygusto told me after his business trips to China, Japan and Korea. With each of his business trips, my fascination for these countries grew especially Hong Kong was a big hit for me. Slowly but surely he infected me with his enthusiasm, so that last year we decided to visit the metropolis and special administrative region on the southern coast of the People's Republic of China together.
A few weeks ago I already gave you some impressions from Hong Kong, Lantau& Macau shown as an appetizer- finally the first of four travelogues is finished. I hope I can infect you a little bit with the fascination I felt and still feel for Hong Kong.
„allotments" in the New Territorries
At night
The Royal Plaza is located in Mongkok, one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in the world. No wonder, then, that this part of Hong Kong has an unparalleled array of markets, restaurants and malls that guarantee hours of shopping marathons. Conveniently, the Royal Plaza has direct access to MOKO, one of the city's largest shopping malls with over 200 stores. The transport links also leave nothing to be desired!
Our room is big, modern and luxuriously furnished, the bed is huge and very comfortable. Through a panorama window with a wide window sill we enjoy a unique view of Mongkok. The bathroom leaves nothing to be desired, it is spacious and very clean. The WI-FI access, which is available to guests free of charge throughout the hotel, also works really well.
Normally, Mr. Wallygusto and I always book hotel rooms without breakfast, because we want to start our city trip already with breakfast and discovering new, exciting locations. But since we have little concerns about getting a proper vegetarian breakfast without any knowledge of Chinese, we make an exception in Hong Kong. We do not regret this decision, because the breakfast in the Royal Plaza can be seen, the selection isuppig and varies daily. Besides western things like bread rolls, jam, cheese, scrambled eggs. Yogurt, fresh fruit and sweet things, there are also changing Chinese dishes with vegetables, noodles and rice. On request, these are also freshly prepared. And we find out that noodles for breakfast are really something very, very delicious. We could actually get used to this. A special treat at least for those who like it- are goose and chicken feet, which are offered almost every morning. Our personal highlight, however, is the pancake machine, which produces small pancakes at the push of a button as if on an assembly line.
We also recommend a visit to the chic hotel bar Lion's Rock, which serves beer from the Hong Kong Brewery.
Internet: www.royalplaza.com.hk
Address: 193 Prince Edward Road West, Kowloon, Hong Kong
During the day
The Lonely Planet travel guide Hong Kong has proven to be a very practical companion: In addition to an extensive city atlas, many inspiring photos and exciting background information about Hong Kong, there is also an extra chapter about Macao. Particularly informative were the many city walks, which connect many interesting sights and at the same time provide compact information about each of them.
But also otherwise it is quite easy to get around in Hong Kong: The public transport network is excellent and there are English signs everywhere, so that we can easily find our way around. Especially entertaining is a ride on one of the double-decker streetcars. Thanks to the rechargeable Octopus Card, the fare can be paid quickly and without cash in most means of transport. And we also remember the high humidity, the oppressive heat and the almost unbelievable crowds of people that come here every day& When we are out and about at night, we quickly get used to. The only important thing is to always have enough water with you!
One of the many beautiful temples in Hong Kong
As you can imagine, a city like Hong Kong has quite a few sights to offer. Therefore, I would like to limit myself only to our very personal highlights:
Temple Street Night Market is Hong Kong's liveliest night market. But also the goldfish market, where all kinds of colorful fish are offered for sale, fascinates us. At the Tung Choi Street Market, also Ladies' Market called, I can not resist and buy me a Chinese lucky charm. Beautiful is also the Flower Market with its fragrant flowers and imaginative arrangements.
Bamboo at the Flower Market There is also a lot of kitsch at the Flower Market
The fact that Hong Kong is a city of contrasts becomes especially clear when we visit the Sik-Sik-Yuen-Wong-Tai-Sin-Temple: Behind the colorful temple, surrounded by clouds of incense, monstrous, unbelievably ugly skyscrapers rise into the air. One can hardly imagine how it is to live in something like this.
Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple
A similar picture is seen when we visit the Chi Lin Nunnery, which is one of the most impressive buildings in Hong Kong. We are amazed by the golden pagoda in Nan Lian Garden, which is not very impressed by the big skyscrapers.
Golden Pagoda in the garden of Chi Lin Nunnery
But of course we look at more temples, for example the one of the 10.000 Buddhas! It impresses us with its countless golden Buddha statues- actually there are 13.00o. But since in Chinese 10.000 is the largest possible counting unit and 13.000 is synonymous with "countless" it is just called Temple of the 10.000 Buddhas. By the way, there is a small vegetarian restaurant with tasty snacks!
Temple of the 10.000 Buddhas First counting Buddhas, then eating spring rolls.
The most popular spectator sport in Hong Kong is horse racing. No wonder that Hong Kong has two huge horse racing tracks: Sha Tin and Happy Valley. Most exciting we found the night races in Happy Valley, which resemble a crazy carnival- Beer in the plastic pitcher included!
The skyline behind the Sha Tin Racecourse is already impressive. Race days in Happy Valley are like a folk festival!
Opposite the Happy Valley racecourse, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of traffic and surrounded by skyscrapers, there is a cemetery worth seeing: Some people might imagine their final resting place differently.
A cemetery in the middle of skyscrapers& Traffic
By bus we drive up Victoria Peak, which is the highest point (552 m) on Hong Kong Island. After sunset (and of course before) we enjoy the breathtaking view of Honkong's skyline.
View from the Peak to the shining Hong Kong
During our visit to Central, we discover that there are also beautiful skyscrapers: The HSBC building in particular impresses with its architectural finesse. But also Statue Square with its many monuments of members of the British Royal Family and the Hong Kong Zoological& Botanical Garden is worth a visit.
The HSBC Building is an architectural masterpiece On the way in the Central District
To get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, we take a trip to Dragon's Peak. The short but beautiful hike surprises us with silence, fresh air and fantastic views of the coastline. And that we would be sitting on the beach so close to the gates of this noisy, exhausting city, drinking a beer in peace, we would hardly have believed hours before. The tour as well as many other practical tips for a vacation in Hong Kong can be found on Discover Hong Kong.
The way over the Dragon's Back In the middle of the wilderness, the Moloch in the back
Evening
Although there are a lot of small food stalls and mini-restaurants around our hotel, we don't dare to eat there without knowing the language. Too big the risk of inadvertently catching something with meat or fish. If you are not a vegetarian or vegan, you should definitely try the local specialties. As a rule of thumb: the smaller the restaurant, the better the dishes. Everyone else doesn't have to starve either, because Hong Kong is a city with damn good taste and really offers everyone a culinary experience- no matter if they are from the Chinese, Italian, Indian, French or German cuisine. The choice is so great, That I will devote a separate post to the subject of food. So you can be curious!
Conclusion
A visit to Hong Kong without flat feet is impossible. And it's really hard to resist the fascination of this metropolis, which manages the balancing act between tradition and modernity with bravura. Besides, there is also Lantau and Macao- to name just two interesting destinations in the immediate vicinity.