We arrive in Hong Kong Airport and for the first time in years I actually headed towards immigration to leave the airport and set out for the city. We had planned to take the Airport Express, and after doing some research, I found that they have a type of Octopus Card (their version of the Oyster Card), called the Airport Express Travel Pass. The card costs HK $200 or HK $300 (refundable deposit of $50), which include a one or two single journeys on the Airport Express, as well as three consecutive days of unlimited travel on the MTR . You are supposed to be able to use it on trams and buses, but it never worked for us on the buses – instead we topped up with $50 at one point to be able to get on the buses. Besides that hiccup, I think this card is worth it especially if you are only going to be there for a few days. These travel cards can be bought as soon as your clear immigration.
Photo taken from the dicoverhongkong.com website
After purchasing our travel cards and drawing some cash, we headed to the Airport Express platform. There are areas as you enter the train where you can store your luggage during your journey into town. I knew Hong Kong was modern, but this train was fantastic. It was quiet, the ride was extremely smooth, and fast. Depending on where you’re stop is, you can be in Central in 24 minutes. We accidentally got off at the wrong stop, but we had the option to get back into the train or take a free shuttle bus service, which stops at most major hotels and transport interchanges. We decided to give the shuttle bus service a go. Not the best decision! It was great for the experience; however, it wasn’t the most comfortable journey! The driver drove like a maniac and the seats were rather small, so trying to buckle up while he was whirling through the city was completely impossible. We literally had to hang on to our seats for dear life! But it gets you from A to B, and you have a funny story to tell afterwards. We were dropped off in front of the Novotel hotel, as this was the closest stop to our hotel. So if you are staying at the Novotel this option might be great for you. It was about a 3-minute walk to get to our hotel. The weather was fantastic, and the smell of Chinese food everywhere welcomed us as we walked. We definitely knew that we were back.
As I mentioned in my last post, I was having trouble deciding which side of Hong Kong to stay in. Everyone said Hong Kong, but most of the places I wanted to visit were in Kowloon, plus my friend also lives in Kowloon. By the end of our trip, we were glad that we decided to stay in Kowloon side. Everything just seemed to work out, the hotel, my friend living round the corner from us, and really, if you want the true vibe of Hong Kong, it’s in Kowloon. Dare I say, we found the people in Kowloon a lot friendlier.
After checking-in, we headed to Tsim Sha Tsui to grab some late lunch in Din Tai Fung, Silvercord mall. The last time I had Din Tai Fung was when I was living in Singapore. Back then I was totally unaware of the popularity of Din Tai Fung until I left Singapore. We had the famous Xiao Long Bao, and another fish dish. Dishes were rather pricey, and although it tasted good, I wasn’t closing my eyes and letting out a soft appreciative ‘mmmm’ after every bite. It didn’t help that I recently tried Shi Lin, and it is very close to DTF’s Xiao Long Bao.
Xiao Long Bao - Known as the soup dumpling. I read somewhere that each dumpling recipe is exactly: 1g of dough, 16g of pork and 18 folded pleats, precisely. Once in your mouth you savour the the soup juices ooze out and you slowly chew the filling of minced pork, ginger and spring onion.
After lunch we wandered around the TST area, to get our bearings for the next day.
Heritage 1881 - the former Marine Police Headquarters. Now home to luxury brands, an exhibition hall and hotel.
Victoria Harbour
After all that walking, the day’s journey was slowly catching up on us. We also had an exciting dinner to look forward to that evening (which I think merits it's own entry), so we headed back to the hotel to rest and freshen up.
To be continued…
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