LittleSandyBeach

After a two hour flight we landed at Hong Kong International Airport. The views coming into land with all the different islands was amazing. We quickly grabbed our bags and boarded the A11 bus to take us to the city centre.

Hong Kong has by far the most skyscrapers out of any city in the world with over 567 buildings above 150m and a total of 9,000 high rise buildings. It also has the highest life expectancy of anywhere in the world with females living on average to 88 years old and 82 for males giving a combined average of 85!

Due to the city’s extreme density many living spaces are known as ‘coffin rooms’ typically measuring 15-20sq ft. As we had booked a budget room we were expecting a tight squeeze but we were pleasantly surprised when we checked in.

As per tradition, bamboo is primarily used for scaffolding and remains a hallmark of the Hong Kong skyline. It’s favoured for its speed, low cost and extreme flexibility. It can also be erected 6x faster and dismantled 12x faster than steel systems.

On Tuesday, we went to check out the Central-Mid-Levels Escalators and walkway system which is the longest covered escalator system in the world. It opened in 1983, stretches over 800m and climbs a vertical height of 135m.

Afterwards we explored the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens. It is the oldest park in Hong Kong and is nicknamed ‘Bing Tau Fa Yuen’ (commander in chiefs garden) as the site once served as the official residence of the Governor.

There was also a large greenhouse housing a variety of plants including cacti, orchids and a magnificent arrangement of Phalaenopsis which are also known as the ‘Moth Orchid’ as their flowers resemble moths in flight.

Entrance was free and even included animal enclosures featuring otters, meerkats, tortoises, birds, wallabies, many varieties of monkeys and even orangutans!

In HK there are the iconic red taxis with many retro Toyotas still serving the city – some even more than 30 years old. Taxi licenses are highly valuable as the government stopped issuing new taxi licenses in 1994.

Walking around the city we noticed some M&S food stores and we were happy to see lots of home comforts including sandwiches and proper sausage rolls which are near impossible to find anywhere else in Asia.

Along Victoria Harbour is a famous promenade known as Avenue of the Stars which was created to celebrate the rich film industry in HK. Along the railing are over 100 handprints of prominent figures including legends like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.

Just behind Avenue of the Stars is K11 Art Mall which is a 7 storey shopping centre with many high end stores on the lower levels to pick up your designer goods! On the rooftop you can also catch a fantastic view of the city skyline.

Just next door is the HK Museum of Art where we strolled around all five floors showing many different exhibitions from Chinese snuff bottles to traditional hand fans. Just like most attractions around HK, it was free!

In one of the exhibitions you could take a personality test to match you with a certain style of art. We completed it separately and both results told us we are Elegant! This proves to be even weirder later on…

In the afternoon, we took the MTR to Mongkok and explored the Ladies Market. It was established in 1975 as one of the city’s first designated hawker permitted areas and is 1km long! You can pick up many souvenirs and clothes at bargain prices.

The supermarkets here have been the best we’ve seen having a great mix of Western and Asian foods. We’ve enjoyed looking around the wide range of produce, especially their melons…

Due to the British influence there have been lots of English style pubs. In the evening we checked out Churchills for their happy hour. We loved the homely decor.

On Wednesday morning we started the day with HK’s famous pineapple bun and egg tarts. Despite the name, the pineapple bun doesn’t actually contain pineapple but refers to the look of the bun’s texture.

Nearby our accommodation is Victoria Park which is 19 hectares in size containing many different sporting facilities including tennis and basketball courts, football pitches and a swimming pool. A large section was cordoned off as they were setting up for HK Flower Show next week.

Afterwards we headed to the Quarry Bay area to find the Monster Building. It is a group of five connected buildings and has been used as inspiration for many movie sets including Transformers. In the small area there are 2,343 units that currently accommodate 10,000 people. It truly shows how densely populated the city is!

Later that day, we visited the HK Museum of the War of Resistance and Coastal Defence. Located at a former fort that was built by the British in 1887 intended to defend Victoria Harbour. It was absolutely massive and very educational.

As we’ve been walking around we’ve noticed a lot of eagles flying. There are many different species and they thrive off the abundant food source from the harbour.

On our walk to the next destination we came across Sai Wan Ho Wet Market and had a look inside. It sold lots of varieties of fish, meat and even live frogs.

We finally reached our next stop of Nan Lian Garden which is a classic Chinese garden designed in the Tang dynasty style. It was completed in 2006 and includes traditional Chinese structures and water features.

Connected to the garden is Chi Lin Nunnery which is a large Buddhist temple complex founded in 1934. In front of the temple was a lovely courtyard featuring lotus flower ponds.

In the evening we spontaneously decided to visit Happy Valley Racecourse. Every Wednesday is called ‘Happy Wednesday’ where locals and tourists alike come to try their luck. It was built in 1845 to provide horse racing for the British people of HK. In 1918, a temporary grandstand collapsed causing a fire which killed at least 590 people. It has been extensively renovated over the years and now has a capacity of 55,000 people.

As a tourist it was free entry, you only needed to show your passport! There were lots of beer trucks and food stations. We of course had to sample some locally brewed beer from Young Masters brewery. We took advantage of their special deal, order two pints and get a free pint glass to take home as a souvenir.

There was a total of nine races, the first one starting at 6.40pm. The number 1 horse in the first race was called ‘Elegant Life’ and because of our personality test the day before we thought we’d try our luck. And would you believe it, it won!

As Lady Luck was on our side, on race 4 we did a place bet (can finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd) on three different horses. And we couldn’t believe our luck when they all finished in the top three!!

We had a great evening and it was Tasha’s first time at the races, definitely one to remember! In between the races there was an international singer Beverly to get the party going.

To be continued…