So I might go to Hong Kong this January for my winter vacation trip. Ideally I want to get a Chinese visa so I can also visit Shengzhen (and see the Minsk) and Guangzhou.
Any suggestions or ideas for things to see in Hong Kong or in the area?
The Great Wallet of Mono is reputed to be quite a sight........visible from space in fact. But check on the opening times as it is usually closed.
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on December 20, 2009, 03:36:58 AM
The Great Wallet of Mono is reputed to be quite a sight........visible from space in fact. But check on the opening times as it is usually closed.
:lmfao:
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on December 20, 2009, 03:36:58 AM
The Great Wallet of Mono is reputed to be quite a sight........visible from space in fact. But check on the opening times as it is usually closed.
PTOM, unless he takes offence: then this is a horrible insulting post that noone should laugh about! :lmfao: ;)
1. The Peak, for an excellent view of the harbour (weather permitting). This is almost a must see, and is basically free
2. Giant Buddha statue on Lantau island. We built a cable car ride to it.
3. If you're into theme parks, then Hk Disney and/or Ocean Park.
4. Temple street hawkers/flea market
5. Restaurants. I can give you suggestions if you want.
6. Meeting me.
7. Electronics shopping.
8. Lan Kwai Fong. It is basically a small area cramped with bars. A favourite of expats and tourists.
9. Shopping in general. Harbour city is the largest mall we have.
10. Star ferry ride across the habour. Cheap, convenient, fast, excellent views. Pay once (US$0.3 or so) and you can stay on the ferry for as long as you like. The ride is like 10 minutes.
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on December 20, 2009, 03:36:58 AM
The Great Wallet of Mono is reputed to be quite a sight........visible from space in fact. But check on the opening times as it is usually closed.
:lol:
I demand a Mono meet AAR.
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on December 20, 2009, 02:18:46 AM
Ideally I want to get a Chinese visa so I can also visit Shengzhen (and see the Minsk) and Guangzhou.
Get one from an HK travel agent rather than before you leave. It's much quicker and easier - you can get it overnight. Just don't do what I did and put "Journalist" as your profession :Embarrass:
It's Canton, ffs.
Quote from: Brazen on December 21, 2009, 06:59:07 AM
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on December 20, 2009, 02:18:46 AM
Ideally I want to get a Chinese visa so I can also visit Shengzhen (and see the Minsk) and Guangzhou.
Get one from an HK travel agent rather than before you leave. It's much quicker and easier - you can get it overnight. Just don't do what I did and put "Journalist" as your profession :Embarrass:
:lol:
What happened?
Outright refusal or a little guy following you?
Quote from: Tyr on December 21, 2009, 07:04:06 AM
:lol:
What happened?
Outright refusal or a little guy following you?
The travel agent Tippexed it out and put "Office Manager" which caused no end of embarassment when the tour guide (we had one for just the two of us) asked what I did for a living. :blush:
Quote from: Tyr on December 21, 2009, 06:55:41 AM
I demand a Mono meet AAR.
Easiest way is to write it yourself :cool:
I think I'll be in Hong Kong for a weekend or so from February to April sometime...
I have some suggestions, which I'll give you a bit later. Have to go to work now.
Quote from: Tyr on December 21, 2009, 06:55:41 AM
I demand a Mono meet AAR.
Mono has now met several Languishites IIRC. Just don't tell his wife...
Definitely ask Mono for restaurant recommendations. He knows good food.
For my part, my favourite Hong Kong restaurant is FINDS (Finland Iceland Norway Denmark Sweden) - it serves modern micro food from Scandinavian ingredients. Very taste and fairly unique.
You should probably do high tea at the Peninsula for that old time colonial feeling.
It's worth walking along the street... whatever the hell it's called... in Soho with all the antique shops, just to look through the windows. There's this one intricately carved mammoth tusk that's just... well, very nicely done (not an antique though).
I enjoyed the police museum near the Peak. A bit sleepy, but interesting if you're into history and police and crime. Perhaps I like it for professional reasons; it's probably more of a grognard museum than a modern experience though they did try.
The Star Ferry and the night market(s) are worthwhile as well, as Mono says. And take one of the trams some time too - you pay $HK 2 when you exit, no matter how far you go.
Another recommendation - for transit to and from the airport I recommend getting a return ticket to the airport express (assuming you're going to Kowloon or somewhere not too far from Central) and then a cab from your hotel to where ever you go. It's much quicker than driving, easy and convenient and when you leave you can check in your bags directly at the train station. What I usually end up doing is check out from my hotel, go to the train station to check in and then spend the rest of the day hanging out in Central until I catch the train to the airport (assuming an afternoon or evening flight). Much easier than having to go back to the hotel for the bags, I find.
How long are you staying?
Motherfucker, jake did you write off your visits as "research". you did, didn't you.
Quote from: katmai on December 21, 2009, 04:33:07 PM
Motherfucker, jake did you write off your visits as "research". you did, didn't you.
There was nothing to write off. Everything was paid for. Hard to write things off when you aren't spending any money :)
But yeah, it was all research.
Quote from: Jacob on December 21, 2009, 01:46:20 PM
Definitely ask Mono for restaurant recommendations. He knows good food.
For my part, my favourite Hong Kong restaurant is FINDS (Finland Iceland Norway Denmark Sweden) - it serves modern micro food from Scandinavian ingredients. Very taste and fairly unique.
You should probably do high tea at the Peninsula for that old time colonial feeling.
It's worth walking along the street... whatever the hell it's called... in Soho with all the antique shops, just to look through the windows. There's this one intricately carved mammoth tusk that's just... well, very nicely done (not an antique though).
I enjoyed the police museum near the Peak. A bit sleepy, but interesting if you're into history and police and crime. Perhaps I like it for professional reasons; it's probably more of a grognard museum than a modern experience though they did try.
The Star Ferry and the night market(s) are worthwhile as well, as Mono says. And take one of the trams some time too - you pay $HK 2 when you exit, no matter how far you go.
Another recommendation - for transit to and from the airport I recommend getting a return ticket to the airport express (assuming you're going to Kowloon or somewhere not too far from Central) and then a cab from your hotel to where ever you go. It's much quicker than driving, easy and convenient and when you leave you can check in your bags directly at the train station. What I usually end up doing is check out from my hotel, go to the train station to check in and then spend the rest of the day hanging out in Central until I catch the train to the airport (assuming an afternoon or evening flight). Much easier than having to go back to the hotel for the bags, I find.
How long are you staying?
If you go to Peninsula for high tea, it is best to do so on weekdays. There are huge queues during weekends and public holidays. IMHO, they offer the best high tea sets in HK. If you have to do it on weekends, go after 5:30 pm when the queues disappear. They actually do high tea before 7:00 pm. My wife and I sometimes rush out of the office by 6:30 pm, then race to the hotel and place the order *just* before 7.
The antique shops are on Wellington street in central, in the Soho area. 99% of the stuff they sell are not real antiques, but it is worth looking at nonetheless. Another place I suggest is China Arts and Crafts. They have branches in many places, and sell everything from antiques, clothes, jewelry, accessories, fine china, paintings, scruptures, etc. They have everything from the cheapest stuff to things that cost millions apiece. Worth looking at even if you don't buy anything.
Quote from: Monoriu on December 21, 2009, 07:22:44 PM99% of the stuff they sell are not real antiques, but it is worth looking at nonetheless.
But they'll claim it's real. I'm interested in getting some nice replicas at some point, so I went in to talk to them but they insisted everything they had was real. I wonder if I can find the source of the replicas and just buy from them directly at some point.
Quote from: Jacob on December 21, 2009, 09:18:42 PM
Quote from: Monoriu on December 21, 2009, 07:22:44 PM99% of the stuff they sell are not real antiques, but it is worth looking at nonetheless.
But they'll claim it's real. I'm interested in getting some nice replicas at some point, so I went in to talk to them but they insisted everything they had was real. I wonder if I can find the source of the replicas and just buy from them directly at some point.
They lie :lol: The source is somewhere across the border. There are many different stores in the Wellington street area, but many of them are actually owned by the same groups. And they share a lot of the same sources. So everything may actually be produced in several factories somewhere in China.
Thanks for the info and advice!
How cheaply can I get by per day? I found a fairly cheap place in Kowloon - I assume public transportation is good enough that its feasible to stay there and take a train or bus downtown?
I won't be able to get away with surviving on cheap Ramen (my traveling partner would kill me), so how are the local, hole-in-the-wall places for breakfast and lunch? I figure I'll eat out a few times, at someplace that's good but not too expensive (so not too good, I guess).
http://www.cuisinecuisine.hk/eng/
Jacob, next time when you come to HK, try this place. The style is very contemporary, and the quality is superb. The restaurant is located at ifc mall in central. Why is it so good? Because a co-owner of the ifc mall has an office in the ifc tower, and he needs to eat somewhere. This guy is one of the richest man not just in HK, but in the world. So when he picks the tenant for his Chinese restaurant, the rent level is not the most important consideration, but whether the food is good enough :mmm:
There are two branches. The newest branch is in Tsim Sha Tsui, again in a hotel that the same tycoon owns. Go to the central branch, the TST branch is not as good.
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on December 21, 2009, 09:50:26 PM
Thanks for the info and advice!
How cheaply can I get by per day? I found a fairly cheap place in Kowloon - I assume public transportation is good enough that its feasible to stay there and take a train or bus downtown?
I won't be able to get away with surviving on cheap Ramen (my traveling partner would kill me), so how are the local, hole-in-the-wall places for breakfast and lunch? I figure I'll eat out a few times, at someplace that's good but not too expensive (so not too good, I guess).
Don't worry about transportation. All you need is the Octopus card (electronic money) and you can get anywhere by bus or MTR (subway).
If you come to HK, you should eat dim sum for breakfast or lunch. The best place for dim sum is this -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luk_Yu_(tea_house)
If you go before 10:30 am, many old ladies will carry dim sum around the place and you can grab the food from them and pay later. If you go after 10:30 am, they'll give you a piece of paper for you to choose the dim sum you want. It is best if you go before 10:30 am if you can't read Chinese. Don't let the fact that this place is frequented by celebrities fool you. The dim sum is cheap considering its quality (about US$4 each, and 4-5 is enough for 2 people).
You can also try the Wing Wah noodle house, known for its al dente wanton noodles. It is good and not expensive -
89 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, 2527-7476
http://www.whampoaworld.com/diningtips_shopinfo.asp?shopID=119
This is the best place for spicy Sichuan noodles (Jacob's wife will know) in HK.
http://www.zagat.com/Verticals/PropertyDetails.aspx?VID=8&R=123647&pid=215
And this is the best Shanghai food in town that doesn't require a membership card. It is more expensive, but worth it. If you eat dim sum lunch it really isn't that expensive (about US$50 for 2).
For a place that is both good and not too expensive, I recommend this -
http://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g294217-d583732-r47921526-Hong_Kong_Disneyland_Hotel-Hong_Kong_Hong_Kong_Region.html
The name of its Chinese restaurant is Crystal Lotus. The price is reasonable because it is located so far away from the city centre. Don't worry about its association with Disney, trust me the food is good :mmm:
And make sure you go to the right hotel. There are 2 hotels in Disney. If you see blue on the hotel exterior, you're in the wrong building (where the food is the usual Disney stuff - crap).
Thanks a bunch! :cheers:
I'll check out the dim sum places. That sounds like what I'm looking for breakfast/lunch.
If money is an issue but you desire decent quality, the Maxim's line is a good compromise. They have lots of choices, but the House of Jasmine is one of the better ones. It is Cantonese with a new twist.
http://www.maxims.com.hk/en/main.asp
If money is not an issue and you just want to have one great Chinese meal, probably the best all round Cantonese restaurant is Lung King Heen - the Chinese restaurant of Four Seasons Hotel. Located at IFC mall in central. Their dim sum is good, but Luk Yu is better and cheaper. So this place is good for dinner or lunch without dim sum.
http://www.fourseasons.com/hongkong/dining/lung_king_heen.html
If you want to save money and want to experience something that is unique to Hong Kong, you should try one of the "HK style cafes". They offer grass root type food, tons of choices at cheap prices but decent quality. The tea with milk and HK style pastries are particularly good and memorable. This is one of the best HK style cafes, and they have tons of branches -
http://www.tsuiwahrestaurant.com/eng/main_e.html
I've been talking about Chinese food only because that's what I guess you are interested in. But we also have very good Japanese, Thai and western restaurants if you want. If you absolutely want the best view of the harbour no matter what, this is the place to go -
http://www.shangri-la.com/en/property/hongkong/islandshangrila/dining/restaurant/restaurantpetrus
On a good day, the view is even better than the Peak (look at the pic in the link - it is closer to the water). To save money, you have to buy their set lunch menu, which should be about US$60 per person (one glass of wine included, I remember because I always decline it). The food is 9/10.
Quote from: Monoriu on December 21, 2009, 10:03:04 PM
If you come to HK, you should eat dim sum for breakfast or lunch. The best place for dim sum is this -
I love dim sum. Fried char sui and then egg custard tarts :mmm:
QuoteThis is the best place for spicy Sichuan noodles (Jacob's wife will know) in HK.
Ants on a tree trunk (or something similar)?
Quote from: Sheilbh on December 22, 2009, 01:07:36 AM
Quote from: Monoriu on December 21, 2009, 10:03:04 PM
If you come to HK, you should eat dim sum for breakfast or lunch. The best place for dim sum is this -
I love dim sum. Fried char sui and then egg custard tarts :mmm:
QuoteThis is the best place for spicy Sichuan noodles (Jacob's wife will know) in HK.
Ants on a tree trunk (or something similar)?
The best egg custard tart in HK (and a favourite of Chris Patton, the last governor of HK) is this -
http://www.taicheongbakery.com/tc/
Make 100% sure that you eat the tart HOT. It should be a crime to serve cold or lukewarm egg custard tarts.
Don't know what you mean by fried char sui :unsure:
Ants on a tree trunk is not really noodle, strictly speaking. It is more like vermicelli that is made from peas. I like tan tan noodle better - egg noddle in spicy sauce.
Quote from: Monoriu on December 22, 2009, 01:13:40 AM
The best egg custard tart in HK (and a favourite of Chris Patton, the last governor of HK) is this -
http://www.taicheongbakery.com/tc/
When I go to Hong Kong I'll visit there. To be honest my entire trip to Hong Kong is planned around food :blush:
QuoteDon't know what you mean by fried char sui :unsure:
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fhttp.cdnlayer.com%2Fsmoola%2F00%2F00%2Ff7%2F033f438e2d5ada23_m.jpg&hash=fc7ab741894e99eb5c019b3fc2a7d5fe3723f8d1)
Not the steamed buns.
QuoteAnts on a tree trunk is not really noodle, strictly speaking. It is more like vermicelli that is made from peas. I like tan tan noodle better - egg noddle in spicy sauce.
I had the ants on a tree trunk at a Sichuanese restaurant in London (the name won me over), so next time I'll try the tan tan noodle :)
The best char siu bun can be found here -
http://www.fooklammoon-grp.com/en/home.htm
Their char siu bun is deliberately never placed in their menu. It is considered a special treat that only regular customers will know to order. Fook lam moon is one of the most expensive places in HK, and their dim sum is like US$6.5 each. I always see a huge Maybach car owned by one of the tycoons parked just outside the restaurant (with 3-5 bodyguards waiting) when I go there. IMHO, they have the best shark's fin soup in HK hands down.
"Fook" means fortune. "Lam Moon" means coming to your door. 30 years ago they were not a restaurant, but a caterer who does parties and big dinner at people's homes. My grandmother was one of their first customers.
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/Hong_Kong/Restaurants-Hong_Kong-Sweet_Dynasty-BR-1.html
This is a very popular Chinese dessert house. They also offer dim sum (which is not great but okish). The dessert is good though, and the variety is mind boggling. For some reason Japanese tourists love it. Not expensive at all, and you can have breakfast or lunch here. A bonus is that it is located just across the street of Habour City, the largest mall in Hong Kong.
Oh I forget one very, very important thing. In HK, you don't need to tip the waiters at all. 10% service charge is almost always added to you bill, and you just need to pay the billed amount.
Quote from: Monoriu on December 20, 2009, 06:45:16 AM
1. The Peak, for an excellent view of the harbour (weather permitting). This is almost a must see, and is basically free.
Went up there one night when Berkeley was in harbor, and the weather was very nice, and... wow. That's a sight I will treasure for the rest of my life.
Kinda curious: is Ned Kelly's Last Stand still around? It was a terrific Aussie bar in Kowloon, where you could go and see Aussies in the wild, behaving like Aussies do when they think no one else is around. Literally punching each other full-force in the jaw, and then laughing at it and drinking another "beah" (though not with their right hands, which were bruised and skinned to an extent they thought hilarious).
If the bar is still there, I think it well worth a visit.
Quote from: grumbler on December 22, 2009, 02:40:15 AM
Quote from: Monoriu on December 20, 2009, 06:45:16 AM
1. The Peak, for an excellent view of the harbour (weather permitting). This is almost a must see, and is basically free.
Went up there one night when Berkeley was in harbor, and the weather was very nice, and... wow. That's a sight I will treasure for the rest of my life.
Kinda curious: is Ned Kelly's Last Stand still around? It was a terrific Aussie bar in Kowloon, where you could go and see Aussies in the wild, behaving like Aussies do when they think no one else is around. Literally punching each other full-force in the jaw, and then laughing at it and drinking another "beah" (though not with their right hands, which were bruised and skinned to an extent they thought hilarious).
If the bar is still there, I think it well worth a visit.
This is not the first time you mention that place, so I did take a look when I went to Ashley road. The last time I went there, which was about a year ago, it was still there.
There is a very good Japanese restaurant just across the street (which is the reason why I go there).
Mono, do you have a site for cheap flights in SE Asia?
Quote from: Zanza on December 22, 2009, 06:17:05 AM
Mono, do you have a site for cheap flights in SE Asia?
I don't. My wife takes care of these things :blush:
Quote from: grumbler on December 22, 2009, 02:40:15 AM
Quote from: Monoriu on December 20, 2009, 06:45:16 AM
1. The Peak, for an excellent view of the harbour (weather permitting). This is almost a must see, and is basically free.
Went up there one night when Berkeley was in harbor, and the weather was very nice, and... wow. That's a sight I will treasure for the rest of my life.
Kinda curious: is Ned Kelly's Last Stand still around? It was a terrific Aussie bar in Kowloon, where you could go and see Aussies in the wild, behaving like Aussies do when they think no one else is around. Literally punching each other full-force in the jaw, and then laughing at it and drinking another "beah" (though not with their right hands, which were bruised and skinned to an extent they thought hilarious).
If the bar is still there, I think it well worth a visit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s19lgGjTb4Q&feature=related
Apperently.
I almost never go to bars. So no comment on bars :lol: