We would go to Aberdeen Fishing Village first, then TSL diamond factory, then a cheap clothing store, then Avenue of Stars, then Lantau Island.. and THEN to the most magical place on the planet- haha.
From our hotel, Aberdeen is about 20minutes away. Along the long and winding road that took us on the busy Cross-Harbour Tunnel and 1.9km Aberdeen Tunnel that went right under The Peak, we also caught a glimpse of the crib that belonged to the richest man in HK- Mr Li Ka Shing. Known for living an austere life including wearing a Seiko watch in spite of his tycoon status, his abode mirrors this no-frills lifestyle.
At the fishing village, we got on a shampan, as the locals refer to it, to go around the water body and take in the sights and smells of the beautiful floating Jumbo seafood restaurant which is designed like a Buddhist temple.
The private condominiums along the waterway were typically HK-style: sky scraping, unbelievably razor thin and built high and mighty on mountain/hill tops. I would be so damn nervous living in one of those! Especially because they retail at about HKD$6m (S$1m) for a tiny unit (3/4 the size of my 5-room flat).
The morning was quite chilly, perhaps 20 deg and the girls obediently put on their jackets. It was not an easy task in days to come, Sofia especially found it cumbersome and preferred to do without it, clinging to me instead for warmth (read: back ache).
The next 2 stops were typically tourist deathtraps- the diamond factory and the cheap clothing store- total waste of time. I did learn how diamonds are set though!
On the way to Lantau Island, we stopped briefly at the Avenue of Stars, which is pretty near our hotel, parts of which were under construction, for a photo taking opportunity. I believe there is an 8pm daily lights show on the opposite side (Causeway Bay side) but we missed it during our stay. As you can see, the wind was intense but it thankfully not too cold!
Off we zoomed to the scenic Lantau Island, I really enjoyed that place. The main reason being we FINALLY found a halal restaurant, a Mediterranean/Indian chain called Ebeneezer's. I bumped into my bestie's ex-neighbour while she was living in KL, Zarina, and laughed about the coincidence of it all! Didn't I say this was a bandwagon?
Mum was worried we had over-ordered but we totally cleaned out our plates. The kiddies had cup noodles brought from Singapore. When we did run out on Day 4, it was hell trying to get more because all the cup noodles sold in 7-Elevens had pork in them, even seafood or mushroom flavours!!
To get to Ngong Ping 360, the high point on Lantau Island, we had to get on a very large cable car, once again bypassing long queues. Hafidz has acrophobia but the capsule was large and stable that he didn't look nervous although we kept on climbing higher and higher with steep gorges on either sides. The girls, needless to say, were happy to be 'flying'!
It was pretty much a touristy place and modeled like an old Chinese village with the Big Buddha at the top end. Hafidz looked right at home here, his Guangdong lineage blending perfectly with the rest of the Chinese. :)
There was even foam snow which was oh-sho-pwetty with none of the wet puddles we get from fake snow at home. I want!!
And then finally at 4pm, we were ready for half-day Disneyland. We were already pooped by then and the weather was not accommodating either so I had to be the bearer of bad news to the 5 year old who protested vehemently with "So not fair!!"
Instead, we got back to our tiny room, had some packed curry from Ebeneezer's (they provide delivery service too by the way) washed up and jumped on the hotel shuttle to the City area where we discovered many many Indian/Pakistani cafes along Nathan Road, but the one craving we were aiming for- a place called Surya Restaurant on Mody Road in Kowloon City- was nowhere to be found.
No matter, there is still 3 days of Hong Kong left in search of authentic Chinese dim sum!
And for Disneyland.. because as Buddha says "It is better to travel well than to arrive". Try explaining that concept to a 5 year old and the sulky reply would be "Not Fair!"
It is better to travel well than to arrive
~ Buddha
~ Buddha