Hong Kong 2009 – Day 2 & 3 @ Tsim Sha Tsui

Tsim Sha Tsui was a popular shopping haven for tourists and locals alike. It congregated some of the most well-known shopping malls such as the mega Harbour City and the five-star hotels such as Sheraton and Peninsula Hotel. There was even a helicopter pad at the top of Peninsula Hotel for the landing of the rich and famous guests to the hotel.

Food
Many local eateries lined the two sides of Granville Circuit. How could we miss the one of the best known local delicacy – Wanton Noodles when we were in Hong Kong? We found a small eatery crowded with the local office crowd and shoppers noisily slurping down the bowls of soupy wanton noodles. The wanton noodle was priced about SGD4 but had 4 wantons the size of a fist each and had a generous serving of noodles. We felt very full after slurping down the entire bowl of wanton noodles. These noodles would certainly give our home-grown Crystal Jade a run for money if it decided to branch out to Singapore shores.

For those of you who have been to Hong Kong or Macau before, you would be fully aware of the nuance between the Hong Kong and Singapore versions. Even if you have not but have patronized Crystal Jade, you would already have had a taste of the Hong Kong type of wanton noodles. A typical serving of Hong Kong wanton noodles would consist of only the noodles and the wantons (dumplings). There was no char siew (barbecued pork). In addition, the dry version would be mixed in soy sauce gravy and not chilli.


The well-known dessert chain – Hui Lau San could also be found around the corner along Carnarvon Road. A trip to Hong Kong without sampling the famous mango dessert would be tantamount to a trip to Hokkaido without eating ice-cream. The mango puree with mango chunks, sago and dumplings was so rich with fresh mango flavor my entire palate was infiltrated mangoes and more mangoes. The papaya with white fungi was refreshing and less sweet than the mango. Ee were disappointed with the fried carrot cake. The kitchen took a long time to prepare and it was too oily and charred for my liking.

If you walked along Nathan Road, just after Miramar Shopping Centre, you would find a small snack stall selling egg waffles with a queue in front. The Lee Ken Egg Waffle was recommended to be the best representation of the egg waffles in Hong Kong. The aroma from the scotching hot waffles would certainly whet your appetite no matter how full you were.

Shopping
Bargain shopping could also be found along Granville Road. However, the target shoppers were mainly those below 25 as most of the items were trendier. Most of the tops could not be tried on and were usually of free size. However, many of them were at a price below SGD20. My mother got a simple short sleeved round neck black knitted top at SGD6.

The outlets of mid-ranged fashion chains such as Espirit, Bossini and Giodano could also be found along Peking Street.

For those who preferred more upper-end shopping, there were several mega malls found in Tsim Sha Tsui such as Harbour City, the New World Centre, Sogo, Parklane Shopping Mall and Miramar Shopping Centre. The boutiques of many local designers could be found in New World Centre. For those would wish to get some pastries, esp the signature Wife’s Biscuits for relatives, there was an outlet at the basement of Sogo. Hence, you would not need to travel all the way to Yuen Long to get them. I would personally recommend the walnut biscuit instead of the Wife’s Biscuit. Parklane Shopping Mall provided open air shopping where the shops lined straightly along Nathan Road. The Kowloon Park was conveniently located above and behind the Parklane Shopping Mall. Miramar Shopping Centre housed both Muji and Uniqlo. The Uniqlo in Miramar Shopping Centre was bigger and more spacious than the one in Hokkaido.


Avenue of Stars
The Avenue of Stars faced the Victoria Harbour at Hong Kong Island. Walking along Avenue of Stars allowed us to be acquainted with the palm prints of the well-known celebrities of Hong Kong. We were amazed at the smallness of the palms of Allan Tseng. My mum was delighted that her palms matched that of Lin Qing Xia.

There were also many bronze statues providing an introduction to film making along Avenue of Stars. One could even take the hot seat of the director to immerse in the responsibility, power and the magic of film making.

Of course, the laser show at 8 pm nightly should not be missed. The night skies of Hong Kong were instantly lighted when the facades of various landmarks were dressed in various light coatings. Laser beams emitted from the top of these buildings danced to the rhythm of the music played.


Some of the wealthy group of Hong Kong locals could be seen driving their yatch to the seas between Hong Kong Island and Tsim Sha Tsui to admire the laser display. However, the strong waves kept them bobbing quickly along the seas for about easily 50 metres during the 15 minute laser show. I wondered if the passengers would feel sea sick with the bobbing. Well, I certainly felt slightly giddy watching the boat bobbed.

If you would like to have a snack while you were admiring the brilliance of the laser, you would be lured by the barbecued squids in one of the pushcarts along the Avenue of Stars Walk. Clearly, great minds thought alike with the queue in front of the pushcart.

Personally, I felt the laser show was less interesting than the fireworks display 2 years ago when I visited Hong Kong.

Star Ferry Terminal

If you would like to travel to Wan Chai or Central from Kowloon, an alternative to taking the MTR would be the Star Ferry. Firstly, it was cheaper than the MTR (about HKD 2.50 per trip) and slightly faster (about 10 minutes). You could pay the fare with the ubiquitous Octopus card. During the journey, one could also feast our sights to the city landscape view of Hong Kong Island.


Clock Tower
The clock tower just beside the Star Ferry was a historical monument that has since become a popular place for newly wedded couples to take their wedding photos at.


Places of Religion
If you think that Singapore is the only country which is multiracial, then you clearly have missed out Hong Kong.

Along Nathan Road between Tsim Sha Tsui and Jordan MTR stations which were only 1 station apart, you could walk past a Mosque, a Church and a Temple. However, the only question that nagged at me was the lack of halal food that I managed to spot. McDonald’s was not halal certified in Hong Kong as it served a double-ham burger which was made up of pork patty.