Dharma & Nita travel blog

Day 4 last full day in HongKong, our plan was to visit HongKong Island, Victoria Park, and TimeSquare. and somehow squeeze a late lunch at Woodlands again. Evening was planned on catching up with Rex (Jayesh/Priya’s ex Staff from Canberra) then heading for the highest club/bar in HongKong ….. well that was the plan!?!

Breakfast today was across our Hotel at a hidden gem, “Charlie Brown Cafe”, this place is all themed around the Charlie Brown comic characters, very tastefully decorated. Coffees were great, however food was just average.

Next was hopping on MTR to Hong Kong Island, we were getting good now at switching trains and making the most of the MTR system. Fortunately no seats were available on the train which allowed Nita and Priya to show some of the pole handling skills on the packed train!! It was a sight!

Got off at Causeway Bay station, this side of the town is definitely more newer looking than Kowloon side. Walking to Victoria Park, we made a detour to a supermarket!! This one had everything under the one roof; Bakery, fresh fruit, Sandwiches, Sashimi, Sushi, Alcohol, Meats, and lots lots more, it was a very impressive setup….We were able to get some very nice baked goodies, Jayesh was in heaven with the variety of fresh fruit juices. Ended up grabbing a few things for a spur of the moment picnic basket – lets use it in Victoria park for a picnic.

Then off to Victoria Park, most of the places were occupied, finally found a bench area – we had our location for a mini picnic.

After a good half hour break, it was time to head towards TimeSquare, the walkways today were jammed pack with people, locals here do come out in the thousands on weekends – this Saturday was no exception!

En root to our destination, Nita & Priya stumbled across Forever 21 store, not sure what it was, but had them both excited, this was a ladies shop and had too many customers in there with no seats!

Poor husbands were bored, we headed across the place and found a small area on the side walk way and took refuge! Sitting on the ground, we had a great view of lots of different styles of legs and bums going past us!!

 
(bored, waiting, …. please help)

Finally after what seemed like an eternity, the girls emerged victorious with shopping bags in hand!!

Next stop, another mall, Hysan Place and then onto TimeSquare. That place is very impressive yet strictly window shopping for us!!

(TimeSquare HongKong)

(4 escalators are required to move the mass of shoppers!!)

Finished off around 3pm, and headed out for a late lunch at Woodlands, could not get enough of that place! Unfortunately reaching there, we were told the kitchen had just shut and the chefs were out till 6pm , bit of a bummer!

Headed out and walked along the row of pubs trying to decide where to eat, when Nita Priya caught a glimpse of High Tea in Shangri-la, that was it, had to do that instead. Girls had high tea buffet, me and Jayesh went ala-carte.

High Tea menu was good, with lots of desserts & cakes, there was also a hot buffet included. Jayesh ordered an amazing Thai Green curry, I opted for a Tandoori wrap. Everything turned out nice, the exception being the Thai Green Curry, simply mind blowing, the best we have tasted to date.

Finished off high tea post 5 pm and headed back to the hotel. We were meeting Rex around 7:30 and then going out for drinks & dinner at the Ozone Rooftop Bar (Ritz Carlton) – the highest bar in Hong Kong on 118th floor, our last night here had to be special!

By 7:20 Nita was all ready for the big night…..

Rex was already there, all met up and headed out together, grabbed a Taxi to the Ritz around 7:40, lucky we were able to squeeze 5 in the one cab – these taxis can fit 2 adult passengers in the front seats! Traffic was horrendous, there were jams everywhere – Sat night in Hong Kong. During these traffic waits, Rex started telling us about an approaching Typhoon estimated to hit HongKong the next night, apparently this was the most powerful Typhoon since 1970’s and on a scale of 1 to 10, it was a 10 for severity!!   This was not good news at all, we frantically – whilst stuck in traffice, began dialing Turkish airline numbers to get an idea of flight options, Rex meanwhile confirmed that HongKong airport was to cancel ALL flights from 6pm the next day – which would not affect us then, but there was no dates of when they would resume. Also would the ferries to Macau be in operation tomorrow, if they do, then can we get back to the airport from there on our checkout, will the seas be too rough,…… too many questions, we contemplated a few scenarios, and in most, the end results meant we could lose a few days in Turkey.
Could not get thru to any turkish airlines contacts and could not really get an airport phone number that could assist us. Checked our itinerary, our flight on Monday was @ 11:25pm, we assumed the same flight would also operate today (nothing was coming up in the Hong Kong airports departure site!!). We made an instant decision to turn back to the hotel, pack-up and head out to the airport ASAP for the 11:25 flight – which we had not idea if it existed or not, nor did we know if any seats were available. This decision was made at around 8:05pm.
The Taxi driver was great, whilst stuck in traffic, he swerved around, made illegal u-turns and somehow got us out of the traffic jams. Took us a further 20 minutes to get back to the hotel. Once there, we gave ourselves 10 minutes to quickly pack-up everything and vacate the hotel….. We told the reception what was occurring and to keep our rooms just in case our efforts to get on an earlier flight failed, we would be back.

Around 8:45, we were in two cabs, rushing to the airport. We were anxious, however the ride did show us lots of different HongKong sights which we had not previously seen. Got to the airport just after 9:15, we all rushed out of the cab with our luggage into the departures hall. Could not see any flights on the departures screen… things were not looking good…. then Nita saw the Istanbul flight at 11:25……how did we miss that, there was some hope!

Headed to the check-in row where it was being boarded and asked the servicedesk to assist in getting us on this flight due to the upcoming Typhoon. Seats were available, however it was going to cost us almost the price of an additional ticket …. this was extortion, the lady behind the counter (local HongKong person not Turkish) could not care less, that was the price if we wanted to go – basically take it or leave it. We were very disheartened, not sure what to do next. Jayesh and me approached her again and requested her to check with her superior and see if any exceptions could be made – we made a story of how we did not have much cash left and could not really afford that ticket price….hehehe , even that did not help too much, as she kept on about how she was not sure if the manager would come by or not, we insisted we would wait and hope for the best. Jayesh also suggested a strategy of all standing directly in front of the service desk, and all put on our saddest faces!! We needed her to feel how helpless we were …   .

Close to 10:15 and still nothing, hopes were dying. Around that time, the service desk girl, left for her break, during which I approached another service desk person – a very young boy and requested if the manager could assist here…….. all he did was nod his head, picked up the phone and started talking in Cantonese,,,,, had no idea if he was helping me or ignoring me. This went for around 5 minutes, during which I stayed at the counter with the most saddest face I could make….., although when Jayesh took my pic, it was making me crack up was hard to keep a straight face

then another lady was there assisting him and soon we were told we could get on the flight with a nominal charge of $50AUD per person!! This was better than buying a new ticket. Instantly paid them and handed over the passports, it was still not over, the tickets had to be reissued and this was taking a long time!!!

By the time we could check-in, it was close to 10:45, the lady processed us as quickly as possible and told us to run to the gates. Said our byes to Rex, poor guy, we had planned a dinner night with him, and all we could offer was a trip to the airport and back!! Sorry mate!
 

We were quick through immigration and then it was sprinting to the train that links to the departure gates terminal. Got through on the other side, and there were Turkish airline staff awaiting us, ushering us towards the gates and running with us. It was funny, everyone was looking at our group running through the terminal.
We made it to the gates at around 11:15pm, phew, it is something special to be the last persons to board – everyone stares at you as you walk through the aisle of the aircraft. We must have been super duper lucky, we were in the last row of the plane occupying the last 4 vacant seats and they were all together!!! Just amazing.

There were some regrets for sure, on missing Macau, the rooftop bar, however this was much safer option, we did not want a situation where our flight from HongKong would be further delayed.

A very interesting evening with lots of quick and amazingly lucky decisions being made. All seems to have worked out in the end, now lets hope our hotel in Istanbul can accommodate us earlier – but that is the least of our worries, at least we will not be caught up in any delays. 

Day 3, plan for the day was Mall hopping!

Today we were better prepared, had a late breakfast at Delifrance – only 2 minutes walk from our Hotel – started the morning late since HK did not start till around 10:30.
First stop of the day was Granville Road – this street is full of outlet style shops and was the next block to our hotel.
Getting into the street, we were surprised to find all shops still closed at 10:30! Asked around and apparently it was a PUBLIC HOLIDAY today, which meant street shops would open at midday or after!!
Decided to head to the next Mall on my list – China City Mall. For some strange reason, we were seeing lots of people with Suitcases (small and large) coming in this centre – this place must cater to some serious shoppers!!
The mall did not seem to have many stores, but was packed with people with suitcases!! Headed to the next floor and only then realised the reason for the people with luggage – this was also the ferry terminal for international departures/arrivals to Macau and the near regions. This worked in our favour, we had not yet booked our Macau transfers and were quickly able to sort that out. Got 4 tickets on the turbojet – Hydrofoil ferry.
Macau transfers now sorted, we decided to head out on the streets to see the near by –  high street stores – Armani, Gucci and others ….. and whilst visiting these, we  some how ended up in another upmarket Mall – HongKong seems to have an abundant supply of Malls all intervened together!

After an hour of roaming around, it was time to head out – but wait, which way was the exit, this place was sooo big all we could see is Shops and cafes, no windows to see out to the streets. Found an information screen, click on it expecting a touchscreen map, however on the screen came a live feed of a Customer service person, we could directly ask her what we needed, she was interactively explaining the route to us using the map on the screen – very impressive……
Out on the streets again (was around 1 pm), it was lunch time calling, decided to do Woodlands Indian veg resturant, which was only 3 blocks from where we were. Walking to it, our ladies spotted a big ESPRIT store and headed there – bit difficult to keep ladies out of shops! Back on the streets again and this time we had to find a washroom – ladies were bursting!! Why!!
Saw a nice hotel near by and stepped in. Noticed a big YMCA sigh there and everywhere else in there. Very confused, the interior was 5 star and yet YMCA signage and memorabilia everywhere, damn we should have just stayed here, so central & 5 star plus YMCA would be cheap right? Turned out this was the old sight of the original YMCA building and have been converted to a luxury hotel retaining the YMCA heritage.

(old YMCA building)

With the ladies relaxed now post washroom visit, time for the hopefully short walk to Woodlands. Outside temperatures were HOT and HUMID making things very uncomfortable, also we were walking on the main road near the harbour where taxis could not stop, attempted to hail a few with no luck. Decided to keep going , google maps was very helpful here.
Got to Woodlands, were sooo glad the place was nicely air-conditioned! The decor was not much at all, however they had lots of people there and the food looked good.
We ordered a Pani-Puri and 3 Thali’s and a Dosa special. The Pani-puri was soooo good another one had to be quickly ordered. All the meals turned out to be super excellent. All enjoyed thoroughly and were already trying to fit another visit here in the next day!

The walk back to our hotel was surprisingly quick, we were literally so close to this place, yet had not realised that. Quick drop-off bags at the hotel then off to Granville Street. Wow this place was busy!! Walking through the streets was slow, too many people and too many interesting stores keeping our ladies very intrigued!

By 5:30 Nita’s legs were getting too tired, off to the hotel, on the way I stopped by at a pharmacy to buy 4 masks the locals wore to filter out the smoke (I think) – this was going to be a joke between me and Jayesh.

At 7 we all met up again at the lobby and were off to see the Symphony of Lights on the HongKong Harbour – apparently the worlds biggest synchronised light and music show.

Got to the viewing area near the Starferry area Kowloon side and the place was already getting busy. The HongKong Island skyline looked great from here!

Show started at 8pm, and although it was good, I was expecting more, got us all a bit bored after about 2 minutes of it!!

To make up for the lacklustre show, we decided to imitate locals and wear the face masks – (used to cover smog I think or hide the bad looks??)!!

Next stop was the ladies market, again lots of walking, browsing thru all the small stalls and bargaining things down well below half the first called price. Half way thru, both Nita and my legs were totally buggered. luckily in HongKong there seems to be a never ending supply of foot massage places, informed Jayesh where we were and then we were in our well deserved foot massage and pedicure (apparently my skin was not soo good and needed one!!)

Jayesh Priya joined soon after, by this time, the place was packed with others, however everyone except for us were super quiet!! We were the loud ones and talking to the masseuse and cracking jokes. We had a good laugh and was great relaxation for the legs.

Out of there, in the CAB and of to Tsim Sha Shui East Centre – this place is great, has a row of pubs/restaurants overlooking the harbour. We ended up at an Aussie pub, Waterloomooloo. By this time, Nita was feeling much better with her legs recovered, she got into the Mud Slide Cocktails, I stuck to my regular – Carlsberg Beer!. Also had some pizzas, these were one of the best woodfires pizzas we have hard so far – simply amazing.

A great nite at the pub! We were already making plans to visit this place again and try a different PUB tomorrow……

Day 2 first morning in Hong Kong, did not have the best of sleeps for both of us, missing our bed…. Crazy it was, both of us were up around 5 am and just could not get back to sleep… Nita was busy chatting with Neha who obviously did not realise the chatting with mum at 9am (Fiji time) is 5am HK time! Well atleast it made Nita relaxed know Neha was having a great great time there.
At around 7:30, I checked in with Jayesh, he had just gotten up around then – since we had a lot to cover today, we agreed to all meet up for breakfast at 8am. The big day plan was due to our iPhone weather man having reported, Thursday being clear and the other days all rain! We had to cover off, Big Bhudda (for Jayesh/Priya – we had already done that), visit the Citygate outlet place and the Peak today.

Around 9 am , post breakfast, headed to the TST MTR station , destination LANTAU island, the train ride was quick and efficient, we were there around 9:45 – time was of the essence!

All decided to visit the outlet place first, Nita & me could head back with Jayesh/Priya’s shopping whilst they do Big Bhudda, however to our dismay, we found out the majority of the stores do not open till 10:30-11!!  To make the most of the available time, we decided to split, Jayesh Priya could do Big Bhudda now, and we would all just meet up at the hotel later on.

We finished off our outlet browsing just after midday and headed back to Hotel, the plan was to have Sushi, had seen a good place across our Hotel. We were so busy chatting did not realise our stop go by and had ended up at Kowloon station. Got off, and to our surprise, this was the same station where we checked-in to our flights when flying out with the family 2 years back! Connected to the station was the Elements mall – memories all coming back now from 2 years. Headed there, we had seen some nice restaurants in our last visit however could not really experience that with kids! This was our chance, decided on a Sushi place –  “San-ryo”, looked quite good. There were a few people waiting, got the to-seated place, was told to use the touch screen to enter details: number of PAX, and telephone contact, could not understand what was occuring, till I got handed my ticket number!! So we were in an electronic queue! Very cool system, especially for a restaurant.

(the sushi place, and Nita waiting for our turn)

We only had to wait around 5 minutes, and am so glad we did hang around …. food was excellent. Also interesting was how green tea, Nita requested one, waitress pointed out to the empty cup, the stash of green tea powder and the instant hot water outlet on every seat ….. that was impressive!

(nita making her green tea)

Got back to the hotel around 3:30 pm, break time. Jayesh and Priya made it back to the hotel soon after….. gave ourselves an hour to freshen and then we hit the roads again, wanted to finish of the peak during dusk.

We got to the Peak Tram station soon enough, were shocked to see the number of people there, apparently everyone was interested in seeing the views from the Peak at Dusk! The queue for the Tram was long, a 2.5 hour wait – this was at 5:40pm and we only had a further 1.5 hours of light left in the day.

(too many people queuing for the Peak Tram)
All agreed to take a taxi up, which was an obstacle in itself, seemed like lots of people were doing that. After 10 minutes we got lucky and landed a Taxi. Got to the peak soon enough.

The first stop was at the Peak Galleria, which is opposite the main viewing building platform. This had great views to the ocean side of HongKong.
Then it was off to the main Peak viewing tower facing the City side.

Caught some very good sights of HK skyline from dusk till dark, however the windy platform was not the most comfortable, soon after we made our way down, the plan was to take the tram down and then head out for dinner.
But the Tram was not meant to be for us tonight, the queue for going down was also crazy, change of plans, we decided to explore some more the peak galleria and surrounds – and am so glad we did that!

During our exploration, we came across the “Decor Cafe Bar & Grill” its atmosphere was good, but what caught our attention was the dessert menu – ladies got very interested!

(flaming creme brulee)

Food was very good, we had BBQ Pork ribs, Aussie lamb Chops! and Pasta, complimented by perfectly chilled Carlsberg – just the way I like it, and desserts was wow!

Got a Taxi back, which also required some bargaining – to avoid the massive queue for metered taxis.

Overall a great day and night.

Early morning start, finally after months of waiting today was the day. Dad dropped us off at the airport around 7:30 am, flight on-time and check-in was very quick, we were thru in under 5 minutes, very different from the experience a couple of days back when we dropped off Neha!
Had a quick breakky in the departures lounge and then it was on the plane. Had not seen our boarding-cards till we were in the queue and only then realised we were seated way way way towards the back, row 74! Nita was hoping it was not near the toilets, hmmmm the aromas….!?! We were on the 2nd last row from the back, luckily it was not the toilets there….. phew relief!

The flight had a quick stopover in Cairns, weird that we all had to get out of the plane and then re-board in an hour! What a waste of time.
The long haul leg was next, back to our back row #74. Lunch service was shocking, by the time we got lunch it was past 3pm, flight had taken off @ 9:30 am (BNE time) and we were having the rumbles in the tummy!  Being in the 2nd last row meant we were served towards the very end by which time they had run out of the chicken option! The hostess more than made it up by offering us Business Class meals, they were very good.

Flight landed just after 6pm (HK time), by the time we were out with our bags, it was already 6:45pm. In the arrivals hall, waiting for us were Jayesh & Priya, after booking this trip months in advance, finally the holiday was all happening. Found out from them, for reasons unknown their flight had departed over an hour earlier (lucky they were at the airport early) and they had been waiting for us for over an hour!
All on the airport express train to Kowloon – lots of memories flooding back from our prior trip with the kids!  
The train ride was just over 20 minutes and it went by quick – lots of catching up to be done between the 4 of us. From there it was on to the complimentary hotel shuttle from the Kowloon station ….. that shuttle should be renamed to the Roller Coaster!! We had the craziest driver who for some reason was trying to get to the hotels in record time!
Somehow we did manage to reach our hotel: Park Hotel in one piece, hotel was not as big as the Holiday Inn, but still nice and clean.

Priya was well organised with printouts of all bookings, she took charge of the checking-in process, got our rooms sorted, both next to each other on the same floor.
By 8:30pm we were all out on the streets walking to Gaylord Indian restaurant. Walk was just over 10 minutes, not too bad, however the ladies were in lots of distress, they had decided to wear heels and their feet were killing them!! Thank god for the boys flats!!

Got to Gaylord, lucky not tooo busy, got a great table directly opposite the live singers, coincidently this was the same table that we had on our last visit with the kids!

We were quick to get the orders in, everyone was starving!

Nita & Priya were on to the Mango Lassi, us boys could not resist KingFisher beer (typical us!)
During all this eating and lots of drinking, the live singers kept provided some great tunes. Wasn’t too long before we were requesting songs. Also there was a big group of diners requesting songs and at a point they had a couple dancing along. Did not take long for Jayesh/Priya to hit the floor and we had to follow, could not let the team down. Was a bit crazy, as literally there was not enough room , just a small area between the singers, and the large of group of diners…. was interesting and lots of fun.

It was a great first night.
(Nita missed you on the night Simz!)

By the end of it, girls were feeling the effects of jet-lag, made our way back to the hotel around midnight. A great evening