Plans go awry
Today we awoke with a bold plan and many things to be accomplished. This was our last day to buy computer bits, shoes, anything we wanted as well as see some more sights in HK. The plan had been to get up early, hit the shops, take the booty back to the hotel, pick up the camera and go sightseeing until an early dinner and bed.
9am we got down to the shops and saw that many were closed and the one I wanted to go to wouldn't be open until 11am! Bloody! :S Hunger led to grumpy discussions and it was decided to walk to the computer malls and stop for breaky on the way. Luckily we saw the sign for Maxim's yum cha which was on right at that moment and we dashed in to get a table! This was probably the best yum cha I have ever had in my life. We paid about $40 for it, almost the same as we might at home, but the 8 dishes we ate were all so excellent. Many were ones we were familiar with and we marvelled at our they were just that little bit nicer! The staff were lovely even though we didn't speak Chinese and it was lots of fun! With a full tum of yum cha, plans going astray was much easier to take!
Since most of the computer shops were closed also (RB should have realised nerds sleep late after a night of gaming or net surfing) we switched to doing the sightseeing. We took the Peak Tram up to one of the highest points on Hong Kong Island to check the view. This tramway has been running since 1888, taking people up the hill. The best thing besides the view was the rainforest on the top of the island. It was great to walk under the overhanging trees and feel the cool air after the hot humidity down in the town. If I lived in HK I'd be up in the forest all the time to balance the highrise living + working.
The HK Botanic and Zoological Garden was our next stop. From a botanical side it was pretty crap. A few signs on some trees and a glass house with several different orchids doesn't cut it. Singapore still holds the crown for the best Asian botanic garden I have visited. They had a few animals to see. The birds were off bounds because of bird flu fears. Lots of zoos are actually vacinating their bird stocks to keep them safe. The jaguar was sleepy in the near 30C heat. The monkeys were much more vigorous and they had a few cool species I hadn't seen before. I also saw an echidna!
With the first pair of shoes purchased we had another beer around at Lan Kwai Fong and great fries to soak it up. Computer bits were found, and then it was back to the first shop where it had all started. We ended up with 4 pairs of shoes (3XHH, 1XRB), and a discount on them care of the lovely Chinese couple we met while trying on all the shoes. RB was doing a hard bargain and as this couple were paying at the same time the man said, "Use my new discount card to give my friends a discount please!" Woohoo!
I gave up my dreams of buying a pair of green, purple and pink Nike Air shoes after we couldn't get them in my size at 2 stores. We'd already chased across town to 3 shoes for one pair of shoes, so now it was time to get the ones we did have into the backpack to get back to Guangzhou!
9am we got down to the shops and saw that many were closed and the one I wanted to go to wouldn't be open until 11am! Bloody! :S Hunger led to grumpy discussions and it was decided to walk to the computer malls and stop for breaky on the way. Luckily we saw the sign for Maxim's yum cha which was on right at that moment and we dashed in to get a table! This was probably the best yum cha I have ever had in my life. We paid about $40 for it, almost the same as we might at home, but the 8 dishes we ate were all so excellent. Many were ones we were familiar with and we marvelled at our they were just that little bit nicer! The staff were lovely even though we didn't speak Chinese and it was lots of fun! With a full tum of yum cha, plans going astray was much easier to take!
Since most of the computer shops were closed also (RB should have realised nerds sleep late after a night of gaming or net surfing) we switched to doing the sightseeing. We took the Peak Tram up to one of the highest points on Hong Kong Island to check the view. This tramway has been running since 1888, taking people up the hill. The best thing besides the view was the rainforest on the top of the island. It was great to walk under the overhanging trees and feel the cool air after the hot humidity down in the town. If I lived in HK I'd be up in the forest all the time to balance the highrise living + working.
The HK Botanic and Zoological Garden was our next stop. From a botanical side it was pretty crap. A few signs on some trees and a glass house with several different orchids doesn't cut it. Singapore still holds the crown for the best Asian botanic garden I have visited. They had a few animals to see. The birds were off bounds because of bird flu fears. Lots of zoos are actually vacinating their bird stocks to keep them safe. The jaguar was sleepy in the near 30C heat. The monkeys were much more vigorous and they had a few cool species I hadn't seen before. I also saw an echidna!
With the first pair of shoes purchased we had another beer around at Lan Kwai Fong and great fries to soak it up. Computer bits were found, and then it was back to the first shop where it had all started. We ended up with 4 pairs of shoes (3XHH, 1XRB), and a discount on them care of the lovely Chinese couple we met while trying on all the shoes. RB was doing a hard bargain and as this couple were paying at the same time the man said, "Use my new discount card to give my friends a discount please!" Woohoo!
I gave up my dreams of buying a pair of green, purple and pink Nike Air shoes after we couldn't get them in my size at 2 stores. We'd already chased across town to 3 shoes for one pair of shoes, so now it was time to get the ones we did have into the backpack to get back to Guangzhou!
posted by Polecat at 1:57 AM
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