EatWalkShop (1): HONG KONG

EatWalkShop (1): HONG KONG (November 19, 2010)

“To travel is WORTH ANY COST OR SACRIFICE. I am loyal and constant in my LOVE FOR TRAVEL, as I have not always been loyal and constant in my other loves. I feel about travel the way a happy new mother feels about her impossible, colicky, restless newborn baby – I just don’t care WHAT IT PUTS ME THROUGH. Because I ADORE it. Because it’s MINE. Because it looks exactly like me. It can barf all over me if it wants to – I JUST DON’T CARE.”

– Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love)


Earlier in June this year, Kriselda, Mary, Paula, and I took advantage of one of Cebu Pacific’s seat sales and bought round trip tickets to Hong Kong worth Php 4,000. The available promo date was still sometime in November, but we booked the tickets anyway. Five months down the line, itineraries were made, leaves were filed, bags were packed, and four very busy working girls left for a weekend in Hong Kong –  determined to have the time of their lives. This trip had to push through against all odds (e.g. a transition to a new company, a promotion, a resignation, and all the work we left behind), because while we are known for working very hard, we travel even harder. So for three full days, we traveled our hearts out and had a grand time. We ate (and drank milk tea!), we walked (at the end of each day our feet were screaming), and we shopped (oh yes we did).

A R R I V A L

Our first glimpse of Hong Kong was at Friday dawn. The flights we booked were at night, and my flight from Cebu arrived at around 1 in the morning. The Manila girls were at the airport earlier and had to wait for me to arrive from Cebu. While waiting they had dinner and bought the ever-reliable octopus cards. I had been to the Hong Kong International Airport a year ago, so I was still familiar with the place despite its hugeness. Immigration was a breeze, and my bag was no longer the last one out, unlike the last time I was in Hong Kong. Tita Dig-dig met me at the arrival hall, we searched for the rest of the group, and we took a red taxi to Kowloon (Fare: HKD$290). By the time we arrived at the Harbourside it was close to 2AM, so we called it a night and reserved our energies for the next day.

Exchange Square Bus Terminus

T H E  R O A D  T O  S T A N L E Y

Well-rested, we greeted the morning of November 19th (Friday) with giddy excitement. The first thing on our itinerary was Stanley, which none of us (except my tita) have ever been to before. To get to Stanley we had to go to the nearest MTR Station (Kowloon). Luckily, my tita lives just beside it, so it was very convenient. From the Kowloon station we went on the Tung Chung line and got off at the Hong Kong station at Central (Fare: HKD$7.9). The journey took just around 5 minutes, and from the Central station we went out at Exit D, which led us to the Exchange Square Bus Terminus. Here we boarded Bus No. 260 (Fare: HKD$10.90), the Stanley Express.

The scenic bus ride

The 45-minute bus ride was very scenic, starting from the cityscape of Hong Kong (passing by Wan Chai and the Aberdeen Tunnel) to the greener areas approaching Stanley. We went on the coastal road which was mountainous and very scenic, and because we were seated at the right side of the upper deck, our views of Ocean Park, Repulse Bay, and Stanley were quite spectacular. 

S T A N L E Y  S T R E E T  M A R K E T

Welcome to Stanley

Stanley is a town located on a peninsula in the southeastern part of Hong Kong Island. Due to its location, Stanley used to be a small fishing village, but over the years it has been developed into a major tourist destination.

All the pasalubong you can ask for

Stanley is famous for its street market, which is a cornucopia of little shops selling all kinds of goods – from boots to designer bags to dresses to shoes to scarves to magnets to ash trays to sunflowers. It’s a haven for shoppers looking for bargain items and all kinds of quirky things, and it’s also the perfect place to buy pasalubong for the people back home. I’ve had my share of street markets in Hong Kong, and Stanley is by far the most organized and the least stressful. In the last store we went to, where we bought so many pashminas, the saleslady was a Filipina and was so nice, a welcome change from the aggressive sellers Hong Kong street markets are known for.

Milk Tea

As shopping took up most of our morning, we were so tired, hungry, and desperate to eat in the first decent restaurant we could find within the market. Unfortunately, because it was lunch hour, all the restaurants were full and it took some time before we were finally able to secure a table at New Star Restaurant, a Chinese restaurant which thankfully had English translations in their menu. Desperately hungry but still determined to be on the safe side, we ordered the most cliché items in Chinese cuisine – Yang Chow Fried Rice, Spicy Spare Ribs, Sweet & Sour Pork, Beef & Broccoli, Fried Dumplings, and our favorite, Milk Tea. The food was comforting (hello, Chinese food!) and more than enough to fill our stomachs and reenergize us for the day (Lunch: HKD$55/head).

Stanley waterfront

After lunch we walked along the Stanley Main Street to the Stanley waterfront, which provides an idyllic seaside view and a lot of photo opportunities.

C A U S E W A Y  B A Y

Inside Times Square

From Stanley we rode the Green Minibus No. 40 to Causeway Bay (Fare: HKD$9), a journey that took around 35 minutes. Causeway Bay is one of Hong Kong’s premier shopping destinations, home to popular malls like the 13-storey Sogo Department Store and the 9-storey Times Square Mall.

We went inside Times Square to check out Zara, Uniqlo, and Muji. Most of the stores are really pricey, so we didn’t really get to “shop ‘til we drop” here. Instead, we decided to board the Island Line MTR to Central (Fare: $HKD4.5, Journey Time: 7 minutes) and look for our priority shopping destination – H&M.

T H E  S E A R C H  F O R  H & M

We finally found H&M

Once we arrived at Central we didn’t really know where to exit because we didn’t know exactly where H&M was. After consulting the maps, itineraries, and everything else we could “consult,” we finally got off at Exit G, thinking H&M was located inside The Landmark, another mall. Of course we were wrong, so we had to get out and walk a few blocks. By this time the sole guiding principle was instinct, and thankfully, our instincts were spot on.

H&M (Hennes & Mauritz AB) at Central is the biggest branch in Hong Kong, which is why we insisted on finding it. Once we were inside, all hell broke loose. Shopping, particularly bargain shopping, has always brought me joy, and shopping at H&M was just a fantastic experience. A lot of items were on sale, and of course the merchandise was really stylish and of good quality. There were so many people though, but that only added to the shopping experience. From Central we rode the MTR back to Kowloon (Fare: HKD$7.9) and went inside Elements, to yet another H&M store. Here we shopped some more while waiting for Angel, who came from Disneyland to do her starfish duties (so cute!) at the parade.

Four kinds of meat

D I N N E R

Hungry and exhausted, we searched for a restaurant in Elements and ended up at Fairwood, a tried-and-tested Chinese Fast Food located near the skating rink. We ordered rice toppings (four kinds of meat, roasted duck, etc.) and of course, milk tea. The food was sumptuous and cheap, so even if we were exhausted, we ended the night very satisfied (Dinner: $HKD43/head).

Next stop, Macau!