TRIP TO HONG KONG (8 TO 12 JULY 2008)

8 JULY 2008 (TUESDAY)

1200 hrs: Hurray! Class was over! In 4 hours' time, I'll be on my way to Hong Kong. Thanks to the promos by various budget airlines, I've been chalking up my frequent flyer miles lately. Mommy had spotted the S$20.10 flight tickets to Hong Kong back in February 2008 and she had booked them before they were all snapped up.

1430 hrs: Ah Gong dropped us off at the airport. He wasn't coming with us this time. Only Daddy, Mommy, Ipa, Su Ann and I were going to Hong Kong. The counter staff for Jetstar Asia informed us that the flight was very full. We prayed that Su Ann wouldn't make us too unpopular on board with her cries.

1615 hrs: Jetstar Asia Flight 3K695 was half an hour late in taking off. The flight to Hong Kong was a smooth one. We kept Su Ann busy with something to chew on. The leather seats on board were by far the most comfortable for any of the budget airlines we'd flown.


1950 hrs: We landed safely in Hong Kong. After clearing customs and collecting our bags, we purchased our Airport Express Travel Passes. The passes gave us transfers to and from the airport, as well as unlimited usage of the MTR for 3 days. They cost HKD300 each, with a HKD50 refundable deposit.


2050 hrs: We were on our way to Kowloon Station by Airport Express. Believe it or not, it was my first time on a train! I've never even taken the MRT in Singapore before. :( There were very few passengers on board, so we had plenty of space to ourselves. Our first experience with Hong Kong's public transport was a very good one. Clean, efficient, equipped with tvs, and one could even track the progress of the train by looking at an electronic panel in the train.


2115 hrs: The Airport Express pulled into Kowloon Station. I was dying of hunger, and Ronald MacDonald came to my rescue. I had chicken nuggets and fries for my first meal in Hong Kong, whilst we waited for the free Airport Express Shuttle Bus to take us to our hotel, the Renaissance Kowloon Hotel.

2135 hrs: The shuttle bus was finally here.

2145 hrs: It was a 10-min bus ride to our hotel. The wait was longer than the ride.

The Renaissance Kowloon Hotel was along Salisbury Road, just a stone's throw from one of Hong Kong's most luxurious hotels, The Peninsula Hotel. The Renaissance Kowloon Hotel was just next to the Avenue of Stars and had great views of Victoria Harbour and the very impressive skyline of Hong Kong Island. The hotel was connected to Tsim Sha Tsui Station by underpass, which made travelling around Hong Kong very convenient. All in all, the hotel was well appointed.


We booked our rooms through http://www.asiarooms.com/, and paid S$210.00 per night per room. Breakfast was not included. The hotel was built in the 1970s, so the building was looking rather tired. However, the rooms were refurbished in 2005 and they were of decent size.


2300 hrs: By the time we checked in, settled into Rooms 1009 and 1010, it was already 2300 hrs. We approached reception for advice on where to go for food at this hour. They suggested that we walked to Nathan Road and check out the surrounding streets, but they couldn't be sure that anything was still open at this hour. We were very surprised to hear this, given that Hong Kong is supposed to be a city which never sleeps and this was busy Tsim Sha Tsui we were talking about.

We walked towards Nathan Road. True enough, most of the shutters were down. Even 7/11 had its shutters down! Not quite how we envisaged Hong Kong to be. Outside the old and dilapidated Chungking House, there was a large number of Africans and Indians standing around chatting away.

2330 hrs: All of a sudden, rain started pouring down. We dashed through the streets desperately looking for a place to dry up and have some food. Finally, we found one "cha chaan tang" with its lights still on, looking very lonely amidst all the closed shops. Daddy ordered beef with egg on rice for himself, curry beef brisket rice for Mommy, beef brisket noodle soup for Ipa, fried rice and fish ball soup for me. The food was extremely salty. Feeling thirsty, Mommy gulped down 2 glasses of iced milk tea, only to regret later. The milk tea kept her wide awake for the next 24 hours, and she didn't manage to sleep a wink the whole night.


0045 hrs: We made our way back to the hotel in the rain after we had our food.

0130 hrs: By the time Su Ann and I washed up and went to bed, it was already 0130 hrs. We were going to Disneyland in the morning, and I couldn't wait for the sun to rise.

9 JULY 2008 (WEDNESDAY)

1030 hrs: We were ready to head out for the day.

To get to Disneyland, we had to take the MTR from Tsim Sha Tsui Station to Central Station, then transfer to Sunny Bay Station, then transfer once more to Disneyland Resort Station. Some of the buildings in the Tsim Sha Tsui area were real eyesores, but they add a lot of character to the place.


As we made our way towards Disneyland, we looked for somewhere to have breakfast. We ended up buying some cakes from a confectionary in busy Central Station. We planned to enjoy the cakes whilst we explored Disneyland, so we got everything packed in a box.

1200 hrs: Daddy bought 2-day passes (HKD450 with the promo) for us at Disneyland. Mommy figured that 2 days would be just right if we were to take our time with the rides.

After getting the tickets, we had to go through a security checkpoint before we could enter the Magic Kingdom. We thought: "Wow, they take security seriously at Disneyland." We couldn't be more wrong. Those Mickey Mouse security officers weren't looking out for bombs and other dangerous objects. They were looking out for "contraband items" like cakes and other foodstuff. The female officer explained that the Magic Kingdom had its own food and beverages outlets, thus anyone who entered the Kingdom could only consume food and beverages bought from their outlets. We were denied entry into the Kingdom till we finished our cakes.

1225 hrs: There were 4 main parts to HK Disneyland - (1) Main Street, USA, (2) Fantasyland, (3) Adventureland, and (4) Tomorrowland.

We walked down Main Street, USA to get to the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Fantasyland. I was all hyped up about meeting Sleeping Beauty, but she was nowhere in sight. She was probably sound asleep.


1240 hrs: We went to the Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride instead, where the marker indicated that we'd to wait 25 mins for our turn on the ride. We were standing in line when a group of tourists from China elbowed us and squeezed in front of us. Mommy was shocked at the rudeness of those tourists, but their group was just too large for Mommy to say anything to them.

We continued to stand in line. We turned back and saw another group of tourists from China just behind us. Two of the girls in that group started playing with Su Ann; stroking her cheeks and going "Goo, goo, goo.". We smiled at them, thinking they were friendly. However, the moment the queue moved, they started elbowing and shoving us too. Goodness gracious. Mommy and Ipa were resilient. They held hands and formed a barricade, to prevent us from losing our spot in the queue.

Mommy has been to Disneyland in Anaheim, Orlando and Tokyo, so she knew that the queues at those Disneylands were far longer. Yet, in all her years of visiting the Magic Kingdom, she'd never experienced queue cutting quite like that in HK Disneyland.

1300 hrs: It was our turn on the ride. It was relatively short; just right to whet my appetite for more action in Disneyland.


1315 hrs: We had just reached Mickey's PhilharMagic when the rain came pelting down. This was an indoor 3D adventure, which was just perfect for a rainy day. Right after we were issued our 3D glasses, the cinema doors opened. We quickly took our seats.


The show was interesting. With our 3D glasses, we could see different Disney characters coming right at us. The show came complete with smells, wind, water, etc. at the appropriate junctures. For instance, when Donald Duck sneezed, water came sprinkling down on us. One of my favourite songs ,"Be Our Guest", was sung during the show which was a pleasant surprise for me! I happily sang along.

When the show ended, the entrance to the cinema flung open even before we left our seats. Groups of tourists started making a mad dash for seats. Mommy almost screamed in horror when she saw them coming straight at us. Fearing that we'd be trampled on, she picked me up and ran us out of the cinema. Ipa did the same with Su Ann.

1330 hrs: The rain was still pelting down after the show, so we took shelter in the souvenir shop for a few minutes.

1350 hrs: When the rain wasn't as heavy, we made a dash for "Fantasy Gardens", where we could take pictures with different Disney characters under a pavillion. I met Minnie Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, and Mickey Mouse there. There were more characters at the various pavillions, but Daddy said we should go for lunch instead.


1415 hrs: We dashed through the rain to get to Clopin's Festival of Foods for lunch. Obviously with the rain, the sheltered area was very crowded. When we got there, a family had just finished their meal and were vacating their table. We stood by patiently to wait for the table. However, the moment they stood up, the table of tourists from China next to them had to lean over and place their elbows on the vacated table. Inexplicable. They already had a table of their own, everyone in their group had seats (in fact, their shopping bags had seats too), and they had no food just drinking cups on their table. Yet, they felt it was necessary to deprive others of a place for lunch.

Mommy ignored their rude gestures, sat us down and went to order food for us. The plate of fried rice I got was pitiful. It was the worst meal I had in Hong Kong. Price-wise, the food and drinks there were expensive, but that was to be expected at a tourist attraction. Tourist attractions in Singapore charge even more ridiculous prices at their F&B outlets.

Whilst we were eating, a lone tourist from China came along and sat at a table near us. He coughed up a ball of phlegm in the loudest possible manner, held up a tissue to his chest (note, chest not mouth), and watched as the giant ball of phlegm descend into the tissue below, as if inspecting its size and consistency. Lovely.

1500 hrs: Mommy reckons the most interesting attraction of HK Disneyland is actually its horde of tourists and their behaviour, but after that last stomach-churning experience, we felt it was time to move on, even though the rain was still falling.

We made our way to the It's a Small World attraction, which was added to HK Disneyland not too long ago. We joined the queue, and once again found selfish, queue-cutting tourists among us. By now, we knew what to expect, so were careful not to let up on our place.


The cruise through the It's a Small World attraction was class. I truly enjoyed looking at the colourful characters and listening to the It's the Small World tune being sung in different languages. Even Su Ann, who is usually sleepy, perked up and enjoyed herself during this ride.

1530 hrs: We wanted to catch "The Golden Mickeys" show in Fantasyland, but it was cancelled due to the rain. We proceeded to Adventureland instead and stood in line at the Jungle River Cruise. This attraction was available in 3 languages - Mandarin (Putonghua), Cantonese and English. No prizes for guessing the line we picked to get away from the obnoxious queue-cutters.
1600 hrs: The warning attached to the Jungle River Cruise said: "This attraction may be frightening for children". I'm proud to say I survived it. The riverboat meandered through dense jungle where we saw cobras, gorillas, hippos, elephants, met treacherous waters and felt the heat of fiery explosions. Su Ann burst into tears, but I was brave!


1625 hrs: We took a wrong turn and found ourselves back in Fantasyland. There was no queue at Cinderella Carousel, so Ipa and I went for a ride on the graceful, prancing horses.


1635 hrs: We walked to Tomorrowland. I was tired and wanted to rest, so Daddy and Mommy left me and Su Ann with Ipa whilst they went on the Space Mountain ride. The sign outside the ride promised a 15-min wait, so Daddy and Mommy said they'd be back as quickly as possible. That didn't stop me from bawling my eyes out though. I wanted my Mommy.


1700 hrs: Daddy and Mommy were back. The wait outside the Space Mountain ride was now down to 5 mins for single riders. Daddy wanted to go again. Ipa went along so she could give the roller-coaster a try. Mommy stayed with Su Ann and me.

1715 hrs: Daddy and Ipa were back. Ipa was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Hehe. Nah, not that bad, but her voice was hoarse from screaming.

Just as we were walking out of Disneyland, a thunderstorm sent buckets of rain down on us. We sought shelter at the Guest Relations Centre. During our wait, we saw women coming in to look for their lost children. A chill went down Mommy's spine because she'd read online that children were sometimes kidnapped from HK Disneyland. I was very glad to be safe with my parents.


1730 hrs: The storm didn't look like it was going to pass anytime soon. We ran through the driving rain to get to the Disneyland Resort Station to catch the MTR back to Central Station. Lunch was a failure and we were all looking forward to having dinner at one of Hong Kong's most well-known restaurants, Yung Kee along Wellington Street, Central.


1910 hrs: Yung Kee was famous for its roast goose. We were shown to a table right next to the entrance and the waiter promptly came over to give his recommendations and take our orders. Daddy ordered roast goose, stir-fried beef with crullers, tofu on a bed of bean sprouts, stir-fried vegetables, fried rice, congee and lastly, HK-style chicken rice for Ipa who didn't like goose.

Daddy said the goose was good, but overrated. Mommy didn't like the goose at all. Another culinary flop for her. Clearly, Hong Kongers didn't think so. There was a constant stream of local customers, and Daddy spotted 2 actors amongst them.


2015 hrs: We caught the MTR from Central Station to Tsim Sha Tsui Station, then returned to our hotel. It had been a tiring day for all of us, especially for Mommy, who didn't sleep the night before after downing 2 glasses of highly caffeinated milk tea.

Daddy had paid for 2-day passes at Disneyland, but it was no longer our intention to return. We had exhausted the rides we were interested in going on, and there were more adventures in the city itself to be had.

10 JULY 2008 (THURSDAY)

1130 hrs: Since there wasn't any buffet breakfast to look forward to in the morning, we all slept in. Our plan was to have brunch at a dim sum restaurant. By 1130 hrs, we were famished and ready to go.

On our way out, we walked through the New World Shopping Centre right next to our hotel.


Mommy had downloaded a list of Hong Kong's best dim sum restaurants from the internet, and had picked Maxim's Palace Restaurant (http://www.maxims.com.hk/) as the place to go. The restaurant was located in City Hall, Central. Dim sum was served from trolleys and the restaurant offered views of Victoria Harbour.

For a change, we decided to catch the Star Ferry from Tsim Sha Tsui to Central. The Star Ferry Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui was just down the road from our hotel. At HKD1.70 per ticket (about S$0.30), The Star Ferry (http://www.starferry.com.hk/) was amazingly cheap for modern day Hong Kong. The ferries were frequent, you don't have to jostle with the crowds in the MTR Station, and the view from the boat was great. Highly recommended.


1310 hrs: Maxim's Palace Restaurant was packed when we arrived. Queue numbers were handed out to customers, but the staff were quick to clear tables and show new customers to their tables. We were seated within 10 mins.


1320 hrs: We were so hungry we could eat a cow each. Mommy stopped each passing trolley and ordered something from each. Before long, our table was filled with different dishes of delectable dim sum. We had panfried beancurd skin with pork and mushroom filling, pan-fried carrot cake, vegetables in oyster sauce, green capsicum stuffed with fish paste, chee cheong fan, deep-fried prawn puffs with mayonnaise, crispy egg white sprinkled with honey and sesame seeds, yang chow fried rice, bean curd in syrup, pastry with custard filling, egg tarts, coconut jelly, jelly with coffee cream, watermelon with sago, black glutinous rice with coconut cream, and deep-fried milk. I tried a little of everything, except the bean curd in syrup which I fell in love with and had a whole bowl to myself. Everyone enjoyed the meal immensely.


1500 hrs: After stuffing ourselves to the brim, we dragged our heavy frames out of the restaurant. We looked for Central Station, then caught the MTR to Causeway Bay Station.

1600 hrs: The largest shopping mall in Causeway Bay was Times Square. We spent an hour and a half wandering around the different floors of the mall. Didn't see anything we wanted to buy, even though most stores had the words "Further Sales" plastered on their big glass windows. Further from what, we didn't know.

1715 hrs: We had enough of Times Square, so we took the underpass to the Paterson Street area where there were more shops. How some of the malls were done up was rather intriguing. Blocks and blocks of old and dilapidated apartments had their first few floors completely revamped and refurbished to house really trendy and ritzy shops and malls. Yes, you could have a slum-like looking place atop a Louis Vuitton or something like that.


1800 hrs: We made our way back to Causeway Bay Station to take the MTR to Mongkok Station. This was the first time we were caught in the thick of Hong Kong's rush-hour traffic underground. There were hundreds of passengers waiting on the platform and each train which came was sardine-packed with commuters. Crowd Control Officials were stationed on the platform to help control the human traffic. When they saw us tourists with a pram, infant and small child approaching the platform, they looked worried.

1900 hrs: We made it to Mongkok Station in one piece. Su Ann was strapped to Ipa, who clung onto the pole on the train. Mommy clung onto the pole with one hand, and held Ipa with the other to make sure Ipa wouldn't fall. Su Ann looked curiously at the myriad of faces surrounding her. I sat in the pram, with Daddy taking care of me.

So far, our experience on Hong Kong's MTR had been a mixed one. The trains were clean, efficient, and well connected to everywhere we wanted to go. However, the stations weren't the least bit child-friendly. First of all, the stations had steep steps leading down to them and going back up again. Each time we had to go up and down the stairs with the pram, it was a struggle. As it was raining constantly during our trip, the steps were dangerously slippery. There were no ramps to be found, and elevators weren't always available. It was the same getting to and from the train platform. Where there were elevators, there'd always be a big crowd of people fighting to get into the elevator. These were not people who needed to use the elevators; they were able-bodied individuals who merely preferred the elevator to the escalator or stairs. There were signs next to the elevators to ask people to give way to those who really needed to use them, but Hong Kongers really didn't give a hoot. It was the same with getting seats on the train. Ipa had Su Ann strapped onto her, but during our trip, only one kind lady gave up her seat to Ipa and Su Ann. Even then, Ipa and Su Ann didn't get to sit down because a young man pushed past them to take it. What a shame. Last but not least, the narrow tap-card gantries and turnstiles at each MTR Station made it impossible for prams to go through. An impractical design compared to what we have back home.

There was a tsunami of people gushing out from Mongkok Station onto the street. Stop and we'd be swallowed up by the wave of people behind us. We abruptly turned into a random building on our left to escape a possible stampede in the drizzle.


At the basement of this random building was a popular HK-style fast food restaurant. I think the restaurant is called "MX", short for MeiXin. It's part of the Maxim's Group which owns Maxim's Palace Restaurant where we had dim sum earlier in the day, and many other eating places in Hong Kong. MX has branches all over Hong Kong and they serve Chinese, Japanese and Western food. We decided to have dinner here.


1915 hrs: I love the winter melon soup at MX. They also have the world's greatest dessert - chin chow with black sesame ice-cream. I took my time to savour the good food.

2030 hrs: I was done with my meal, and I really needed to pee. I told my parents that I couldn't hold it in any longer, which sent a wave of panic through them. After being in Hong Kong for a few days, we realised that public toilets were a rarity here. The best place to find them would be in big shopping malls and hotels. In smaller shopping centres, you can only access the toilets if the shopkeepers unlock the toilet door for you. There was a phenomenal queue outside MX's toilet and Ipa, who had been, said the toilet wasn't clean. Mommy consulted her map, scooped me up and raced me off to the Langham Place Mongkok Hotel, the nearest hotel in the vicinity.

That proved to be a good choice. The toilet in the lobby of the 5-star hotel was very clean. They even had really neat towels to dry your hands.

2100 hrs: Adjoining the Langham Place Mongkok Hotel was a sizeable mall called the Langham Place. It was here where I rode the longest escalator I've ever been on. The escalator went up several floors. Mommy's legs turned to jelly each time she looked down.


At the end of the escalator was a "Peanuts" shop. I was very excited to see Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty, Snoopy and Woodstock on the walls. I worship Charlie Brown and friends. Unfortunately, the "Peanuts" shop only sold adult clothing. *Sigh* Nothing for me.

2130 hrs: After walking around Langham Place a little, we decided to head to Ladies' Market along Tung Choi Street instead. The usual touristy items were on sale at the market, but one stall stood out - the one which sold bath towels. They had "Peanuts" bath towels on sale! Daddy bought two for me, and two for Su Ann.

2210 hrs: Just as Daddy was paying for the towels, a thunderstorm brought heavy rain once more. We ran back to Mongkok Station to catch the train back to Tsim Sha Tsui.

Shortly after we got to the platform, the train arrived. Ipa somehow managed to slip on a puddle of water and fell. One of her feet got stuck in the gap between the platform and the train and her slipper fell off the other foot into the gap. Su Ann was strapped onto Ipa, so when Ipa fell, the back of Su Ann's head hit the ground. Su Ann screamed in pain, and Ipa struggled to unwedge her foot and get up. Mommy quickly pulled her up. The seats in the train were all taken. No one came forth to offer any assistance, no one offered their seat to Ipa and a crying Su Ann; everyone just stared at us blankly. What has become of the world or is it just Hong Kong?

2230 hrs: Ipa threw her remaining slipper in the bin, and walked through Tsim Sha Tsui Station barefooted. She was very self-conscious, so Daddy lent her his flip flops and walked the rest of the way barefooted himself.



11 JULY 2008 (FRIDAY)

1130 hrs: Yesterday's dim sum experience was wonderful, and we wanted more. Mommy had read online recommendations about Super Star Seafood Restaurant (http://www.superstarrest.com.hk/), so we decided to have brunch there today. Online reviews said their dim sum was served from trolleys, which we deemed essential for a fulfilling dim sum experience. The restaurant was also within walking distance of our hotel.

Enroute, we browsed through the shops in the underground passage. Daddy was looking for a pair of rubber boots, but we didn't see any on sale. As if the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui would sell fishmonger-type things! I was hungry and impatient to go.


1220 hrs: Super Star Seafood Restaurant was relatively quiet and we got ourselves a table upon arrival. Much to our dismay, they didn't serve dim sum from pushcarts and their menus were all written in unabridged Chinese (we use the abridged version in Singapore, just like China). We were very lost. The captain came forward to offer his recommendations, but none of what he described sounded tasty. We ended up ordering pan-fried pork and pineapple buns, carrot cake, chee cheong fun, deep-fried chicken cutlet, vegetables in oyster sauce, and an egg white with coconut dessert shaped like rabbits. There wasn't anything else we wanted to try, and we made up our mind to go elsewhere for Round Two.


The captain seemed unhappy that we didn't order more, and he snatched the chair away from Mommy when we were leaving.

1315 hrs: We walked down Nathan Road. Daddy spotted a pair of red patent shoes at Giordano's concept store, and we stopped for him to shop. He ended up buying that pair of shoes, bermudas and t-shirts from the store. I busied myself with the legos in the store's children's play area, whilst I waited.


1340 hrs: We checked out Cameron Road, then turned back to walk towards Star House along Salisbury Road. We were still very hungry from our last meal and we wanted to have more dim sum at Jade Garden Restaurant in that building.

On the way, we passed The Peninsula Hotel, well-regarded as THE place to go to swap gossip over a cup of English tea and scones. Nah, we'd much rather "yum cha" at a noisy and boisterous dim sum restaurant. That didn't stop us from borrowing the fancy washrooms in The Peninsula Hotel though...


1430 hrs: We took our time in walking to the Jade Garden Restaurant. Mommy had found out that they served dim sum at a discount after 1430 hrs every day. We reached there on the dot, and placed our order. They didn't serve from trolleys either, but with the discount they offered, the restaurant was definitely well worth the visit.

We had steamed buns with creamy duck's egg, deep-fried prawn puffs with mayonnaise, deep-fried salmon rolls, yam puffs, carrot cake, coconut cream jelly, walnut cream, black glutinous rice with coconut cream, and double-boiled milk with red bean. I really wanted bean curd in syrup, but they didn't have it.


1555 hrs: We chanced upon an outdoor shop called Outdoor Depot (http://www.outdoordepot.com.hk/) in Star House and Daddy bought me a new parka, snow pants, and gloves, in preparation for my trip to Whistler in January 2009.


1740 hrs: We crossed the road and caught the Star Ferry to Central. Daddy wanted to check out the Hoods store (http://www.neighborhood.jp/) on On Lan Street, Central. Opened in April 2008, the store was very new. However, the jeans were sold out and the store only had a few t-shirts left to sell. Wow...


1900 hrs: Mommy was keen to try the wanton noodles from Mak's Noodles along Wellington Road, Central. Anthony Bourdain had featured the noodle shop in his "No Reservations" show and had proclaimed that shop as having Hong Kong's best wanton noodles. We walked a long way to the noodle shop. Daddy ordered beef brisket noodle soup for everyone, a bowl of wanton, a bowl of shrimp dumplings (shuijiao) and a plate of vegetables. The noodle was served in rice bowls. Three mouthfuls and it was gone. The noodles were very long and springy, the wantons were very good and the broth was flavourful. A must-try in Hong Kong.


1955 hrs: We were the last customers out of the noodle shop. They had already pulled their shutters down.

We tried to make a dash for the Symphony of Lights show, which can be seen from Victoria Harbour at 2000 hrs each night, but didn't manage to make it.


2030 hrs: We ended up catching the Star Ferry back to Tsim Sha Tsui, then taking the MTR to Yau Ma Tei Station. It was our last night in Hong Kong, and we didn't want to miss out on visiting the night market in Temple Street, Yau Ma Tei.


2130 hrs: The Temple Street Night Market was unexpectedly small. Ten minutes and we were through. We were all feeling extremely thirsty from our last meal. Daddy bought Ribena for all of us, and Su Ann insisted on trying some too.


2145 hrs: We spotted a Hui Lau Shan, a popular dessert joint with branches all over Hong Kong, in the neighbourhood and decided to sample some of its famous desserts. At the recommendation of the waitress, we ordered several bowls of this and that to try. Mango was the main ingredient in most of their desserts. The desserts were ok. Much like what we can find at dessert stalls in Singapore food courts. Certainly not in the "die die must try" category.

2215 hrs: There was still one more item which Mommy wanted to try before calling it a night - the oyster cakes from the "dai pai dong" in the Temple Street Night Market. Mommy saw many locals munching on those oyster cakes and thought they looked delicious. Mommy got some from the dai pai dong. Her verdict, well, far too greasy with hardly any oyster taste. She thinks the oyster omelette in Singapore hawker centres beat the oyster cakes hands down. I haven't begun to eat oysters yet, so can't comment.


2330 hrs: Once back at the hotel, Mommy and Ipa got Su Ann and me ready for bed. It had been a long day for us.



12 JULY 2008 (SATURDAY)

0815 hrs: We were meant to check out of the hotel and leave for the airport at 0800 hrs, but we were late in getting up. Mommy dragged me out of bed. I didn't even have time to brush my teeth before sprinting downstairs.

0835 hrs: We were in front of the hotel waiting for the free Airport Express Shuttle Bus to take us to Kowloon Station to catch the Airport Express. The bus is supposed to make its round to the hotel every 24 mins. The concierge had informed Mommy that the bus would be here in 10 mins, but as the minutes ticked by and no bus appeared, we grew increasingly nervous.

0900 hrs: We had already paid for the return trip to the airport by Airport Express, but my parents agreed that we should forgo the tickets and take a cab straight to the airport instead. We quickly hopped into a cab.

0930 hrs: We arrived at Terminal Two of Hong Kong International Airport to find a long queue at the Jetstar Asia check-in counter.

1010 hrs: Boarding was to be at Gate 11, and there was a sign which said that the gate would be closed at 1050 hrs. Our flight was scheduled for take off at 1110 hrs. We had a few minutes to spare, so we headed to the Krispy Kreme doughnut shop for breakfast. We selected a dozen sinfully sweet donuts and the nice man at the counter gave me a free stick of chocolate coated yam ice-cream. So sweet!

1030 hrs: Time passed really quickly when we were having breakfast, and somehow we neglected to check our watches. At 1030 hrs, it suddenly dawned on us that we might miss our flight. We sprinted to the customs checkpoint, only to find long queues at the customs checkpoint and the security checkpoint thereafter.

1050 hrs: Gate 11 was supposed to be closed by 1050 hrs, and we were not anywhere near it. We still had to catch an in-terminal train to the gate. Mommy broke out in cold sweat.

1105 hrs: We made a mad dash for Gate 11, and were the last ones there. Fortunately, we were still allowed to board the aircraft. *Phew*

1140 hrs: Take off was delayed by 30 mins. Don't know if it was due to us though...


1510 hrs: We were back on home ground. Ah Gong and Ah Ma came to pick us up and I had lots to tell them about my adventures in Hong Kong. Once we got used to the general lack of civic mindedness and were able to laugh it off, the trip became a lot more enjoyable. Hong Kong is truly a vibrant and fascinating city. We didn't have sufficient time to cover all that we wanted to do. We shall return one day.