** An unfinished post from last June. I am trying to get in the habit of blogging again, so be prepared for a few throwback posts in the coming weeks**
In Taiwan and China there is a holiday at the end of May beginning of June called the Dragon Boat festival. There are many interesting stories behind the origins of this holiday that you can read on Wikipedia. For us Dragon Boat festival meant a four-day weekend. We used the opportunity to get out-of-town and visit Hong Kong.
It is a very short flight, even so I was impressed that China Airlines took the time to feed everyone. That was unexpected, but the beginning of our four days of eating. Transit is rumored to be very efficient and it lives up to the hype. It is very easy to go from the airport to the Central Hong Kong island station in 24 minutes. Our rental was located near the Wan Chai subway stop. A quick assessment of our very small, typical Asian studio, and off we went to explore and more importantly find dinner.
For those of you who know us, you know we enjoy good food and in Hong Kong there was no shortage of great food. D had prepared for this trip by looking up the Michelin star restaurants near our studio. I was certain that Hong Kong must be one of the cities with the most Michelin stars, it actually came in 6th place with over 80 stars, right behind New York City, but does not compare to the over 100 stars of many Japanese Cities and Paris. As we came across the first one, a place specializing in roast goose, the line was long and the wait was over an hour! Never fear a mere 4 blocks more and another Michelin star Szechuan restaurant had room for us.
Life in Taiwan is fun and the food is good, but the Taiwanese are not particularly into spicy food outside of beef noodle soup, so when given the opportunity to eat spicy food we were excited. Spicy chili fried chicken, dan dan noodles, and spicy green beans all equally delicious and tongue tingling.
The weather was warm, but not too humid, making for a nice night of exploration as the Friday night crowd was hitting the bars and restaurants in close proximity to our studio. We walked around to see the sights and actually ended up in a dish store. Plates, bowls, cups, they were beautiful and cheap (granted it is made in China, but again we are in Hong Kong), and the most ironic part is these dishes were the Anthropology lovers dream for a fraction of the price. Seattleites would pay a pretty penny for a set of these, as much as I wanted to take them home, I have a tiny kitchen with no storage, and no desire to carry them around or figure out how to pack them. Wandering around in this metropolis there are elements that remind you that you are in Asia, but it is so metropolitan and international both in restaurants and people. You occasionally forget that you are in Asia. We settled down for one last beer in one of the many English style pubs, another remnant of English colonialism, which is rampant and easily observable.
Wandering around this city I realized how living in Taiwan is effecting me. It was strange at first to see so many different types of people, a strange thought coming from someone who appreciates diversity. I realized that living in such a homogeneous place had made me notice diversity even more. That must be the reason why the Taiwanese always stare at foreigners… it is just not the norm outside of Taipei.
The next morning we got up and went exploring. D. was concerned that he was getting a cold, but persevered on in the name of vacationing. We walked past a small hole in the wall congee shop and on a whim stopped in. I love fish congee, a good friend of mine introduced it to me once and now I almost always order it anytime I eat dim sum. This congee was served with some kind of pickled vegetable and fried youtiao (think Chinese style savory doughnut). It was so simple, but delicious. Congee is a rice porridge and it tasted clean with strands of ginger and chunks of white fish. It does not look pretty or to some even appetizing, but I challenge you to try it. It is like a comforting soup/stew.
After a delightful breakfast, we explored the city walking around what felt like the entire island! We went to Hong Kong park, it has a free aviary and great city views. One of the more memorable moments of being in this park was the stairs that we decided to walk up were also the stairs that the snake was deciding to use to go down. I literally screamed and I think the snake was surprised at seeing us too, as it immediately veered off the stairway into the bushes. After the initial shock, I was sad that I did not have my phone out ready to take a picture of it! To this day, I can still see that little smiling snake taking the stairs… at least it looked like it was smiling.
We walked all over town, it is impressive that a city so built up also makes sure to have some green space and is fairly walkable. That being said we were walking all over town from one food establishment to the next. Little Bao was on my list of places to visit. I had seen it on some travel program and read about it in one of the flight magazines. It used to be an up and coming chef who was named best female chef in Asia. I wanted to try it and support this business. The menu and establishment are small, but it packs a giant flavor punch! This was a memorable meal and I recommend when in Hong Kong you seek out this lovely gem! Oh and we ate egg tarts. When in Asia, eat egg tarts… they are delicious!
While walking around, I appreciated the prevalence of street art. It made me think of a friend back home who used to post a mural every month on her Instagram… she doesn’t anymore and maybe she should bring it back! I will post some examples because I definitely stopped to snap a few pictures of the art.
For dinner we found where all the locals were hiding. Our travel book talked about restaurants popular with the locals that was near a traditional market. We were skeptical that it still existed because when we got there it was very quiet… that was until we found the right door. It was a pretty surreal to open the door and be greeted with lots of people all gathered around communal tables eating and drinking. We struggled through the ordering process, but we hadn’t had a bad meal yet, and this upstairs “cooked food centre” did not disappoint.
After this night, D’s cold progressed. We had Michelin starred pho for brunch in an attempt to make him feel better.
You gotta love his response to what he wanted to do that day, “why don’t you go get a massage? I am going to go sleep”. So, I did just that. Got a massage, went and did some shopping, and met back up with him in time for dinner. That same roast goose place we walked by the first night I talked about earlier, with the same crazy long line, so we got take out and went to sit outside and watch the evening light show. On the harbor at night, they project pictures and lasers on the buildings for an elaborate light show. It is pretty impressive how all of the buildings cooperate in this light show. From there we rode the ferris wheel, which has equally impressive views of the city skyline. Before calling it a night, D could not resist the lull of the ice cream truck and a shwarma.
Early the next morning, D still wasn’t feeling great so I set off on my own adventure. The goal: Victoria Peak. The tram at Victoria Peak was built in the 1880’s to help people get up and down the hillside and a really interesting way to travel. The view of the harbor and the city is breathtaking. Not only do you get a bird’s eye view of the bustling metropolis, but also the city’s placement in the harbor. I took my photos and then continued my solo adventure to the Mainland side of Hong Kong, Kowloon. 
D and I said that we would meet in Kowloon for lunch. I could not leave Hong Kong without trying an egg waffle.
So, I met D at Mammy’s waffle a Michelin winning egg waffle stall before heading to take a stroll down goldfish street. This is a true sight to see. Thousands of fish in bags lining the streets. 
Before heading back to Hong Kong island we went to a night market (imagine the stereotypical knockoffs times 100)! This time from Kowloon we took the ferry, a short ride, but convenient and cheap. This was our last night in Hong Kong, so we had to stop and sample a few more tasty treats before headed back to our studio.
I saw an article that stated Hong Kong is globally fluent. I have to admit, I did not read the article, but I have to admit that title makes sense in many ways. It has that big city feel, but is diverse, and there are multiple languages spoken in the streets. You can get any type of food you want (yes, even Mexican) and find shops from around the world. It was a great quick getaway from Taiwan and I imagine at some point we will go back. Why not? Besides, it is cheesy I know, but I want to go to Hong Kong Disneyland… Anyone care to join me?
Ikimashou? 