get up early and take a leisurely walk through Hong Kong Park, where I'm entranced by the slow-motion grace of t'ai chi practitioners and the wonderful birdlife of the Edward Youde Aviary. Now I'm ready for a hearty breakfast (invariably involving eggs) in one of Central's cafes, somewhere with an interesting crowd like Eating Plus in the IFC Mall. After breakfast I head outside and squint up at the bullet-shaped outline of the city's tallest building, Two IFC, before jamming myself among commuters for the trip across spectacular Victoria Harbour to Kowloon on the ungainly Star Ferry. I arrive in Tsim Sha Tsui and meander along its promenade to admire the view back across to Hong Kong Island. I may even duck into the Hong Kong Space Museum to take in its enormous planetarium or a new IMAX film. Next I walk up the Golden Mile (Nathan Rd) to breathe in the commercial chaos and pay my respects to the authentically decrepit Chungking Mansions (a favourite place to stay) before diving into Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station. I catch a train two stops north to Yau Ma Tei, where the tourist traffic is almost nonexistent and I can wander down Temple St and observe the streetlife as stallholders set up the Night Market. Hungry now, I'll ride the MTR south again and enter the basement of the Kowloon Hotel, where I've booked myself a fabulous dim sum banquet at Hoi Yat Heen.
I ride the Star Ferry back across the harbour (once is never enough) and catch the steep Peak Tram for fantastic late-afternoon views from Victoria Peak. Then I'll ride the tram back down and make for the Central Escalator, which trundles me up through the Mid-Levels to catch glimpses of Hong Kong life through the windows of the bars and residential apartments crowding around it.
Finally I disappear into the alleys of Lan Kwai Fong to celebrate the day with numerous drinks and some decent after-hours food. |