My glass is half full; I have half my time in Hong Kong left, almost. Time does seem to fly when you are having fun, or using public transportation. The list of things we have done grows longer day by day, but so does the list of things we want to see and do before we leave. And of course everything, for me, revolves around taking pictures, and eating. Especially eating. I’m gaining weight.
Nonna’s sister Jo arrived here last Wednesday, her first trip back to Hong Kong since she left forty years ago. We met her at the airport and brought her to our apartment, then we went out to dinner at a seafood restaurant in Yung Shue Wan. After traveling for 36 hours she did great.
The next day we rode the ferry and then took bus 70 from Aberdeen to Central and ate dim sum at Tim Ho Wan, where they have the most delectable baked barbecue pork buns. We then walked a bit, then took the escalator - world’s longest - up to the midlevels, to the very end . A short distance from there we found The Panorama, where Nonna and Jo used to live. They walked up the long driveway to see it better, and got the opportunity to see the inside of their old apartment when they bumped into the current occupant, who apparently was impressed with their story.
Next we went to the Star Ferry and rode that to Tsim Sha Tsui , and went to dinner at Shanghai Ye, in the Marco Polo hotel. It was dark, romantic, and sophisticated, and the tea leaf smoked duck was to die for. To get home we took the MTR - subway - across the harbor to Admiralty station, caught the 70 bus back to Aberdeen, and connected to the 10PM ferry back to Pak Kok.
The next morning we got up and did it all again; took the ferry to Yung Shu Wan, changed to the ferry to Central, took the MTR to Diamond Hill station, and went to see the Chi Lin nunneryand Nan Lan garden, a serene Chinese style garden in the heart of the city. It was amazingly empty, which Nonnie attributed to the fact that the restaurant was closed for renovation. After one more stop to see the Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple we headed for my favorite - dinner. After some wandering - Hong Kong addresses are not overly logical - we found the Sen Hotpot restaurant. Maybe if the name were in English and the door were on the same street as the address it would have been easier. We ordered beer from the menu but they said they didn’t have beer. But when the deep fried pork ribs with black bean sauce arrived it was so damn good that all was forgottenand forgiven. And yes, we did have to take the MTR, bus 70, and the ferry to get back home.
Saturday we took Jo to a hotel in Kowloon where she was going to meet friends and attend her high school reunion. Today Nonna and I went to Yung Shue Wan for breakfast, but are otherwise having a quiet day - no buses or trains, no lines, no crowds, no waiting.
Life is good here.