Hong Kong Highlights:
- Congee from Mui Kee Congee in Mong Kok
- Victoria Peak Tram and view from the top
DAY ONE
Day One in Hong Kong is in the books. My main goal today was to stay out and active, so that I beat this jet lag as quickly as possible.
I started the day off right with some tasty egg tarts from a tiny bakery.
Then I went to the third wave Craft Coffee for some single origin pour-over coffee from Peru. So delicious and perfectly prepared.
Fortified, I headed over to Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) and Central to explore. The local train called the MTR is super easy to navigate. The signage and announcements are very clear and helpful, making it pretty hard to get lost. I jumped on the Tung Chung line and pretty soon I was in TST.
Honestly TST was not particularly interesting. Lots of construction, gigantic buildings, and that’s about it. There’s a few museums there too, but that wasn’t on the itinerary today.
Central had much more to offer. Fancy shops, yummy looking snack stalls and cafes, and several touristic sights. The Central escalators were kind of neat, basically a lazy way of navigating around this hilly area. Sadly, they only go one direction, so you do have to walk yourself all the way back down.
Then it was off to the Victoria Peak Tram. I really loved taking the classic tram up and down Victoria Peak. Such a quaint way of ascending and descending up a mountain. And the views from the top are really unmatched.
Once back down in Central, I wandered around looking for a lunch spot. I was surprised to find a couple of legit street side restaurants serving various Chinese dishes. The menu was a bit overwhelming, so I just got the “pig offal and vegetables” which was actually really tasty. And you can’t beat the street vibes.
In the afternoon I made my way back to Mong Kok. I wandered over to the Ladies Market, which is a huge outdoor street market selling all manner of housewares, clothing, souvenirs, produce, and more. I stopped in a local coffee shop for a much needed espresso.
The biggest disappointment of the day was finding out that the congee place I was hoping it visit was closed when I went by at 5pm. Sigh. I grabbed some decent Chinese BBQ over rice, instead. And I closed out my day with much tastier dessert of taro ice cream over coconut shaved ice, with fresh mango and other treats. Ice cream makes everything better.
Now to rest up so I can be up bright and early for my first day at Hong Kong Disneyland tomorrow!
DAY TWO
Spent the morning exploring some of the local markets in Mong Kok.
I started in the bird market, which seems more like a social club for bird people. So many beautiful birds in elaborate cages.
Then I checked out the flower market. Gorgeous flowers and plants of every type on display. I’m not really a flower person, but I could appreciate the care it takes to cultivate them and present them so pleasingly.
Finally I walked through the live fish market. I love an aquarium, so seeing all these fish being sold in various shops was so cool.
DAY THREE
I made it to the famous Mui Kee Congee spot on my last day. It’s pretty hidden despite being so well known, at the top of a large wet and dry market. Definitely worth it for the vibes alone — a large open air space with scores of plastic covered tables and chairs, hard working chefs stirring large vats of congee and serving up bowl after bowl , regular folks slurping up large bowls of congee and dipping in savory Chinese donuts.
And yes the congee was excellent. I wish I was hungrier and could order more! Achievement unlocked.
