hong kong

The goal of this Asia trip was to visit Hong Kong, so KL and I were both super excited when we finally arrived. We were also glad that we came here after Seoul:  better food, more efficient public transportation (no need to walk up and down multiple flights of stairs), and easier means of communication. 

I am also addicted to egg waffles. Someone please buy me a mold...

HK in summary: air conditioning drippage everywhere (yuck), breakfast is the most important meal of the day, "thick" air, drinks drinks drinks, and instant food all the time. Also a lot of people looked at us weirdly because KL would order something in Canto and I would order in Mandarin.  How are we friends? How do we communicate?

Day 1

When I was at the airport checking into my Seoul-HK flight, the lady at the counter asked me if I was pregnant because I was being placed in the exit row. "You okay? Not pregnant?" I said no, and continued with the checking in process. But when the lady gave me my ticket 5 minutes later, she asked me the same question again, in case I was lying the first time. KL and I got to pass through a special "women only" security line. I was amused that the security info screen had a gochujang icon as an example of a forbidden liquid.

Later when we were going through immigration, I heard one of the immigration patrol guys say to the Chinese woman next to me: "Are you pregnant? Step back and let me see."

After a few days of "depending" (if you can even call it that) on my Mandarin to survive in Korea, it was finally KL's moment to shine and use her Canto. So of course everyone she spoke to, including our hostel host, responded to her in Mandarin. We decided that if she ever went to mainland China, she would just say, "我不知道. 我沒有錢." I, on the other hand, learned how to count to 10 in Canto.

KL: "Meagan! I still need you..."

I accidentally took my first photo in Mong Kok with the AF turned off. How artsy. 

Our first activity after enjoying the most delicious pork chop rice and beef fried noodles and perfectly sweetened Hong Kong milk tea (for only 3 additional HKD each!) was to watch the Symphony of Lights. It was completely underwhelming so we spent the rest of the evening walking around the Tsim Sha Tsui area and then found some tangyuan on Hong Kong Island. When it was finally time to go back and sleep, we found out our awkward host didn't tell us we needed a door code. We tried going down to a phone booth to call the main desk, but no one picked up. Eventually we returned to the room where I just banged loudly on the door until a very tired looking old man opened up the door for us. Whew.

Black sesame tangyuan - it oooooozes out. Quite fun :D

Day 2

This day began with a trip to Lantau Island to visit Ngong Ping village and see the giant Buddha. KL had a voucher for the crystal cabin cable car, which had a clear floor so you could envision your potential doom. Along the way, KL's selfie stick mysteriously broke. A very sad day, since we both agreed the selfie stick was better at taking selfies than we were. RIP selfie stick.

When we climbed up a few stairs to see the giant Buddha, we had to wait a while to take photos at a scenic location because there was an emotional crying couple that began making out.

We then went to the fishing village of Tai O, where there was another unfortunate KL vs. Mandarin episode. She attempted to ask a lady a question about egg waffles, but ended up scaring the lady because she thought KL was attacking her. The lady then gave a lengthy response in Mandarin, which was useless to KL.

On the way back from Lantau, everyone in our cable car spoke a different language: Catalon, German, and Tagalog. Very cool :D

Duck skewers and cheese filled fish balls. !!!

Day 3

First stop of the day: went with KL to a temple in the Wong Tai Sin area. The moment we exited the MTR station, KL got chased/followed by a man who tried selling her incense sticks. In the short walk to the temple, I managed to get burned by an incense stick, which made a small hole in my dress sleeve. Before KL left me temporarily to do her temple activities, she informed me that she would make an exceptionally conscious effort to not burn anyone like she did in Seoul. Too bad a man ran into her 5 seconds before she was done. So close, so close...

After the temple, we went to the Nan Lian Garden. Pretty scenic area, but we were craving dim sum by then and didn't want to go to the nearby Chi Lin nunnery anymore. Except we realized we had unknowingly stumbled upon it, thinking it was still part of the park. Hooray!

More juxtaposition. Very important. 

Next: RANDOM SHOPPING! Loved all the spontaneous breaks we took to visit stores and Uniqlos at MTR stations. For those of you who are familiar with iCarly, think of "RANDOM DANCING!"

After a bit of RANDOM SHOPPING, we went to the famous Tim Ho Wan for dim sum in Central. Pork buns: legit. Everything else: meh. KL observed that the two Korean couples sitting to our left and right were on the same travel website, trying to figure out what to order.

In the subway station, KL tried a yogurt sample from M&S. 

Me: "What's that?"

KL: "Mango and... emotional fruit? Oh, passion fruit!" 

We decided to supplement our day of shopping with more shopping at Causeway Bay. KL mysteriously disappeared for 5 minutes because a soap sales lady put soap on her hand when she wasn't paying attention and pulled her into the store. At night, I was really craving an egg waffle and KL really wanted something light. Imagine our joy when we walked around Mong Kok and found an egg waffle place right next to a sushi take out place! Thanks, Mong Kok. You're awesome.

Day 4

We visited Cheung Chau island in search of some seafood and mango mochi. While we were looking for mango mochi, we stopped in the relatively empty road to quickly check our maps but got yelled at by a scary angry old lady who was walking very slowly in our direction with an umbrella. I couldn't understand anything so I had no idea why she was yelling at us until KL translated for me: "Get out of the way! Do you think you own the road?!"

5 minutes later KL and I found the path we were supposed to go on and saw that the scary lady was still walking... and had only moved about 10 feet from where we last saw her.

Mango mochi = DELICIOUS. And I ate fruit. Double win. 

For lunch, we decided to try out a local seafood restaurant. KL was insistent that she would not eat at a place where waiters would come out and insist on having you eat there.  

KL: "I'm not gonna get trapped, I'm not gonna get trapped."  

We ended up eating at the first place that ambushed us with menus. Good job KL.

Mantis shrimp. So weird looking. 

Cheung Chau day continued with some healthy hiking around the island. We went along the beach in search of the mini great wall and KL encountered a "gross scary moving flat thing!!!!" It was a butterfly.

On the way back, there was a huge crowd and mad rush to enter the ferry, but when we got on... we didn't know where everyone went. Such is the case of the mysteriously disappearing Asians (though we're pretty sure they went to the top level). Since KL and I were conversing in English, a teenage couple behind us thought it was safe to start complaining and hating on everything and everyone on the ferry. Concerning me: "Oh my gosh, why is her camera SO big? Why doesn't she just use the camera on her phone?" (You have to read that like "Becky, look at her butt. It is so big."). Haters gonna hate.

Too much anxiety trying to count money for this meal. 

At night, we FINALLY got to go to Victoria Peak, which is something KL wanted to do since day 1. I was amazed at how steep the tram ride was, and also amazed that the tram has been around for over 100 years. On the ride back, I got to stand facing down, which was kind of like a fun (and chill) roller coaster experience.

Day 5

Best dim sum ever at a place called One Dim Sum in Prince Edward. No pictures because we were too busy inhaling it. They also called their chicken feet, "chicken paws."

KL abandoned me after lunch to fly home, so I spent the rest of the day around Kowloon Park, walked down Shanghai Street in a failed search for an affordable egg waffle mold (I know, I have a problem), and enjoyed some tomato soup udon that the boyfriend has been telling me to eat for months. 

On the flight home, I sat next Also to the politest Japanese kid ever :3