Wednesday 24 June 2015

Hong Kong - Day 2

Bright and sunny morning here in Hong Kong.

Refreshed from our first day out and about in HK, we started the day by having a leisurely breakfast together. So niceeeee...lovey dovey gitu.


Husbie posing sikit yer. It was still too early in the morning for heavy traffic to be seen in the background though.


Wifey pun happy. Sudah bersedia untuk berjalan-jalan sumore...



Kita makan dulu


Yummy breakie. I find I prefer HK food compared to Mainland food. When I was in China, I find their food a tad more oily. Luckily for me, the vegan option here was good and veges in their fried rice were still crisp and sweet.


Why the long queue? I kept wondering as well so my inner-kepochi went ahead and asked one of the waitresses. Supposedly, they were queuing up for these amazing butter cookies by Jenny's Bakery. Googled it and I saw that they come in cute tins and would make nice souvenirs for the peeps back home. Initially, was tempted to buy but after calling Lenny for some local insight, thought better of it. According to him, it's not too bad but only the Mainlanders prefer it more than the locals. They would come in drones to buy in bulk and sell it back home. Oh, forgot to mention, they limit the sale of those butter cookies per person.


Fresh juice everyday. Husbie and I sneaked a few to our room. We found out later there was no need to do so. On our way out, there was this family who just took ALL the ones on display, organised nicely in rattan baskets, at the front of the entrance...seriously, ALL! 

Whereas Husbie and I just took one of two. Itu pun malu-malu and nyorok-nyorok.

After breakfast, we made our way to Landmark. Most shops open at 10.30 am on Sundays. Since we were there a tad early, we jalan-jalan survey-survey ajer dulu. Once opened, first place we went to was Husbie's chosen boutique, which I shall not disclose here. All I can tell you is that Husbie loveeeed them.

Also, a point I'd like to make here is that the branded shoe boutiques here don't have them in stock on site. So what happens is that you try the shoe that you like, order the size you think would fit you e.g. a size or two size smaller/ bigger, wait an hour or two, and they will bring the size that you'd like to try and seriously purchase from their warehouse. A bit of an inconvenience if you're in a hurry. Whilst waiting for mine after trying it out, I forego the idea of buying it afterwards as I found another item where I can purchase immediately and already on site. I must say though that their service is impeccable. They do call and text to say that your item had arrived if you're interested to purchase. 

Jalan-jalan, saw this cute window display. Look at those little hangers!




This was one of the shops which captured Husbie's attention. Mine too, at first, but then I quickly lost interest. Husbie was still eyeing them in detail despite Wifey was already waiting outside the shop. It's nice to look at and all but unless you're a keen collector, with that price, money is better well spent elsewhere.


After more window shopping and me comparing the price of something I have already targeted for myself, we dropped by their grocery outlet before making our way back to the hotel. 

One of my fave things whenever I travel is to go to a grocery store. That's where I can get chocs, biscuits or other local tit bits to munch on or bring home. 

My back was killing me at this point and I thought of just buying a simple bowl of salad/pasta or sandwich to go and head straight back to the hotel without having to make any pitstops. Urghhh, mahal doooohhh! It looks good and all but I'd rather get something at the MTR station.

Lucky for me, on the way back, at the MTR station there was a M&S Food outlet. Ooooh, dah lama tak pekena prawn mayo sandwich and smoked salmon sandwich. Add some crisps and lunch was SETTLED! 

p.s. Truly, food and drinks in HK memang mahal. I've checked with my friends who'd been to HK and all gave the same view. Two bottles of big mineral water I kena around RM20-ish.

So, post afternoon nap and golek-golek/chillax in hotel, sambung jalan-jalan all along Nathan Road/Golden Mile until the end of Nathan Road. Near our hotel is this lovely mosque. I think this is the one which serves Halal Dim Sum in their canteen but you'd have to rush in the morning cos' I hear it's always packed. 


At the end of Nathan Road, we took the MTR to Mongkok cos' Husbie wanted to tour around Sneakers Street. Plenty of choices there but none caught my husband's eye. He did, however, encounter the holy grail among sneaker enthusiasts. Some basketball player's sneakers, sold out in minutes, can never be found ever again, selling at around RM3K a pair. 

"Nak?"

"Taknak ar"

"Wokey!" (My back had begun to hurt again. Kena jalan slow-slow)

That out of the way, we moved on to Ladies' Market. Those whom would like to hone their bargaining skills, you can try them out here. Pricing wise, ok lar. A bit on the expensive side. I was made to understand later that things are much better now in Ladies' Market. Back then, the merchants were rude or trying to cheat you in some way. Reviews in Trip Advisor too had some negative comments. Alhamdulillah, in my case, neither of us had any negative experience while we were there.

We then made our way to Central. I wanted to check out this local shoe boutique frequented by expats, Vickie's. Sizes are European/Mat Salleh sizes and pricing fits the quality. I say around RM200+ a pair. HK's very own version of Charles and Keith I guess. I didn't purchase any. Already got my eye on something I was sure I want to splurge on.

This was the day we purchased Husbie's turntable and speaker from HMV. The salesman was very attentive, gave us a demo and tips on what to get etc, so rather than wait for tomorrow and risk rushing around, we bought it that lovely Sunday evening. 

Since we were both already aching and the very thought of lugging it up the hill to Hard Rock was painful, they didn't mind putting it behind the counter for us and picking them up later.  Yay!

After a slow walk to Hard Rock Cafe, WAJIB the usual touristy pic in front of Hard Rock. Obviously, bought some shirts for ourselves and family members.



Then the painful walk back down to HMV to pick up our stuff. This time, we splurged on a cab to return to the hotel. Thank God! My back was aching so bad that the pain was getting too much and I felt like vomiting. 

Back at the hotel, I laid in a hot bath to soothe my back and still it didn't work. Husbie took pity on me and went out to nearby Chungking Mansion to tapau some biryani for dinner. Serious, I couldn't take one step further out our hotel room.

IT WAS ALL WORTH IT THOUGH! 

We covered more grounds, got what Husbie wanted and reduced the chances of rushing around at the last minute before check-out. 

Awesome Possum :).

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