Hong Kong 2009 - Day 3 @ Central

Central, together with Admiralty, was the central business district of Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange – The Exchange, could be found just beside the Central Pier where you would alight after taking the Star Ferry from Tsim Sha Tsui. In front of the Exchange Square, you could find yourself face-to-face with a bronze bull statue – the symbol of a bustling stock market.

There was a long sheltered connector from the Central Pier to the major offices in Central along the Connaught Road Central to the Mid-level escalator. Follow the trail to discover the charms from the interaction of the historic and modern right at the heart of Central.

Graham Street Market
Once we saw the Central Market along Jubilee Street, we knew we were on the right path to Graham Street. You may ask what was so special about Graham Street? Well, Graham Street housed one of the oldest wet markets in Hong Kong. It was open air and on a slope. Behind the stalls selling fresh produce – including seafood and vegetables, there were also many stores selling sauces and dried food.

The famous Kow Loon Sauce with its home-made soy sauce and other condiments for cooking could be found in the market. However, a bottle of the sauce was quite expensive probably since it was largely home-made.

My mum was very excited when she noted how fresh and cheap the seafood on sale was. We even bought a bunch of bananas as they were a fraction of the price of what we saw in the supermarket at Tsim Sha Tsui.

Mid-way through the market, we were already very exhausted from the climb as the gradient was steep. We could not help being grateful for the markets that we had in Singapore. We were puzzled by how the locals could manage this climb regularly especially if their hands were full with their purchases. We were already exhausted despite being empty handed.

A view of the market when I was standing on higher ground. The gradient was real. I had not deliberately held up the camera. It was simply taken at eye level.

Unfortunately, during our climb of the market, we met some local students who were making a documentary of the place. We overheard them saying that this market would be demolished soon. If you would be in Hong Kong soon, do pay a visit before it ceased.

Food
Mongkok was not the only place in Hong Kong where you could taste local delicacy or the traditional Hong Kong cafes. Central also congregated many nice food and Dai Pai Dong (hawker stalls). The Dai Pai Dongs could be found along streets perpendicular to Graham Street. The Dai Pai Dongs were literally just stalls with make-shift tables and chairs in the open just in front of the stalls. At least in Singapore, we had a roof over our heads in the hawker stalls. If you were looking for hawker centres, I had only found one along Fa Yuen Street, above the Fa Yuen Street Market in Mongkok.

One of the most well-known Hong Kong Café which started as a Dai Pai Dong was Lan Fong Yuen on Gage Street. However, the prosperous business had led to expansion to a shop behind the stall and another shop two shops down. The place was packed even on a Saturday morning. We had to squeeze and share a table with other patrons. With the good business, the stall was slightly unfriendly as the owner insisted that everyone who sat down had to order something. We were initially thinking of sharing only some snacks as we just had a heavy breakfast.


However, the food had certainly lived up to its reputation. The macaroni was very delicious. The toast was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The pork burger seemed tempting but we simply had no more space in our stomach to take in more food.


There were different sets offered before 11 am and after 11 am which sounded vaguely familiar to the menu of McDonald’s. Hence, you would not have a lack of choices even if you were here twice a day.

Travelling further up to Lyndhurst Terrace, we reached the famous Tat Cheong Confectionery which made the most famous egg tarts in Hong Kong. The egg filling was creamy and very rich in eggs, unlike some of the watered version you might have tasted elsewhere. The pastry was crispy and flaky. As we were simply too full, we only bought one to sample. Moreover, it was slightly pricier at HKD5 each.


Another local food in Hong Kong was its barbecued meat. We found a very oriental looking restaurant along Jubilee Street. We were to try everything, so we had one type of meat each which included the barbecued pork (char siew), fatty pork and goose. The char siew was available in both fatty or lean version. The servings could be large or regular where large version had more meat. Just as many rice dishes in Hong Kong, the rice was in very big serving. Barbecued goose tasted almost indistinguishable to grilled duck.

Central Mid-levels Escalator
The Central mid-levels escalator was the longest escalator taking us up mid-level of Victoria Peak. Taking the escalators allowed us a good view of the Central mid-level. It was one of the longest escalators. Before 10am each day, the escalator travelled downwards. From 10.20am, the escalator started travelling upwards.

Pottinger Street
Pottinger Street was a cobblestone street which was one of the featured trails reflecting the colonial history of Hong Kong. It also had many stalls selling knick-knacks.

Lam Kwai Fung
Lam Kwai Fung came alive only when night fell. The many pubs drew many local yuppies and expats here for a drink to wind-down after a hectic day. This place was a favourite hang-out for many celebrities.

Shopping
Shopping was more of a national hobby for Hong Kongers than Singaporeans. There was shopping everywhere. More often than not, both low to high end shopping could be found side-by-side.

A three-storey H & M store could be found along Queen’s Road Central. Similarly, other stores such as Espirit retail and G2000 could also be found here.

If you were more into branded stuff, there were several floors of Armani in one of the shopping malls near the Central MTR. Across the street, Louis Vuitton flagship store in Hong Kong could be found.

Tram
One could take tram along Des Voeux Road to Causeway Bay. The tram could take a longer trip than the MTR but it would also be cheaper as the fare was HKD2 per trip regardless of the length of the journey. At the same time, one could also enjoy the sights from Central, through Admiralty, Wan Chai to Causeway Bay.

To board the tram, you board from the end of the tram and would pay only at the end of the journey when you alighted at the front. The inside of the tram was narrow and could only allow one person to stand between two rows of seats. It was open-air with no airconditioned.