Hong Kong September 2023

Saturday 23rd September

  • We started our day bright and early at 7:30 a.m., feeling refreshed after a relaxing shower. The pull of ham and cheese sandwiches greeted us as we headed downstairs for breakfast, accompanied by a steaming cup of tea/coffee.
  • Around 10:30 a.m., Caroline arrived. We met Ashley outside the hotel’s entrance, and together, we made our way to their cosy apartment. After some catching up, we decided to head over to the nearby 86 Degrees Café for a delightful coffee and sandwich. The perfect start to a wonderful day!
  • Today, we had the pleasure of visiting Ellen and Joe, bringing along a toy car for Joe. Joe enjoyed unwrapping and playing with his new toy. However, he had been feeling a bit under the weather, having experienced some bouts of sickness earlier in the day.
  • After our heartwarming visit, we returned to our hotel and took a quick detour to stock up on supplies for the upcoming BBQ event tomorrow.
  • We embarked on a gastronomic adventure to the Indian Veggie Paradise, Woodlands, with our partners-in-dine crime, Ashely and Caroline. We waltzed through a garden of flavours and emerged victorious, our taste buds singing praises in five-part harmony.
  • Post-feast, we summoned a magical chariot (or as some call it, a taxi) to whisk us away to our humble abode (hotel). Lo and behold, Tom, the ever-patient guardian of our lair, stood sentinel, his presence more anticipated than a superhero’s grand entrance!

Sunday 24th September

  • Had another breakfast in a box (noodles, hard boiled egg and two pieces of ham) and then walked to meet Tom & Joe at their apartment block. Ellen was teaching so we went to the soft play area with Joe and had a bit of time getting to know him.
  • Went back to Tom’s apartment and had a coffee and later went to Ashley & Caroline’s again.
  • They had booked the BBQ area in their apartment block for the afternoon and Tom cooked sausages, burgers, corn on the cob, steak and jerk coated chicken drumsticks. Ashely & Caroline had made lots of salad things to accompany the BBQ food. All very nice but we ate too much!
  • There was also another play area adjacent to the BBQ area where Joe could have some fun.
  • We walked back to our hotel about 7.30.pm, absolutely shattered and watched the first edition of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing series.

Monday 25th September

  • I felt sick during the night and didn’t sleep much. We both felt a bit off and we didn’t bother with breakfast. We had showers and then walked to Ashely & Caroline’s to put some washing in their machine (they were at work today)
  • We stayed there until it was finished and then decided to go back to our hotel and not meet Tom and Ellen as previously planned. We had a sleep in the afternoon and we both felt really tired and our stomachs/digestive system was off. We didn’t eat anything all day but went to MacDonald’s in the near by KITEC centre to get a chicken burger

Tuesday 26th September

  • Had a reasonable night’s sleep but we both felt weary and not top form. Caroline was sick this morning too and took half a day off work. Then Tom & Ellen got diarrhoea – we were all suffering from some sort of bug.
  • We took a bus to the TST MTR station after breakfast (cheese & ham roll and boiled egg in a box again). From there we walked to the Star Ferry terminal and caught a ferry across to HK central. We bought tickets for the Hop-on, Hop-off bus and took the green route to Stanley.
  • We had a walk around Stanley through the street market to Stanley Beach where there was wingfoilers and windsurfers – quite a big water sports centre there.
  • We had a Starbucks coffee and then had a long wait to get back on the bus. We went across on the Star ferry again and then took the MTR from East TST to Kai Tak. We got some food for tea from a shop and some grapes which cost £10!
  • We collected the washing from Caroline & Ashley’s and then walked back to our hotel. Mel’s stomach was still not right but mine seemed to have settled down.

Wednesday 27th September

  • We went to the Hong Kong History Museum in the morning which was very interesting and then popped into the Science Museum where we have been before with Tom & Ellen. Both are free to enter on a Wednesday.
  • We then went to a café nearby which Ellen recommended – Reaction Coffee Roasters – and had a very healthy and delicious lunch. We had a problem ordering iced café latte – mostly our problem not understanding what was available!
  • Went to the K11 Musea afterwards – another shopping mall with a roof top garden.
  • Went across to HK Central on the Star Ferry and went to the Apple Store but they had no iPhone 15s available until the end of October!
  • Went back to TST side and had a drink in the Harbour Shopping Mall before meeting Ashley & Caroline in Ink café where we had fish & chips! Stayed for the light show and Tom came to join us. Got a taxi back to our hotel.

Thursday 28th September

  • Went to Tom & Ellen’s and had a bagel and coffee for breakfast. Had a bit of time with Joe before he went for a sleep. Went to the new shopping mall called Airside near Tom and Caroline’s apartment blocks. It opened for the first time today at 12 o’clock and we had a walk around before Tom had to go to work.
  • We went back to our hotel for a rest whilst Tom went to work.
  • We met Tom after work and he took us to the local Dai Pai Dong place to eat. Ellen met us there and ordered the food for us. A very Chinese selection which we would have struggled to choose without Ellen’s help! Very enjoyable and interesting meal all eaten with chop sticks.

Friday 29th September

  • We went on the MTR to Tai Wai and hired bikes from a rental shop near the MTR station. We cycled along the river to the Science Park and stopped there for some food and a latte from Starbucks inside one of the buildings. 60 HKD (£6) to hire a bike and no deposit!
  • It was a bit cloudy and a few spots of rain whilst we cycled and a bit sweaty and hot when we got back but otherwise all good.
  • After a rest at the hotel, we got ready to go to Tom’s to get a taxi to go to Ellen’s family’s place in Fanling to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. It was quite a long way to go, it was a very different side to HK, about an hour’s drive away. Ashley & Caroline came too; it was lovely to meet Ellen’s family, some of whom came to Tom & Ellen’s wedding in the UK.
  • There was a BBQ, traditional lantern lighting (which we weren’t very good at) and lots of fruit to finish (which is very expensive in HK). Huge slugs in the garden! We made a wish to the moon at the end and then said our farewells. Everyone was very friendly and made us feel very welcome, it was a lovely evening. We went back in a taxi to our hotel with Ashley & Caroline.

Saturday 30th September

  • We met everybody in the morning to go to Airside for breakfast. There was a lion and dragon display in the centre which we thoroughly enjoyed watching. They were amazing at jumping around like acrobats in the very ornate costumes.
  • We went back to the hotel to collect the jade carving which Ellen’s Dad had given us the night before. We hadn’t realised the intricacy of the carving of a lion in the jade. We went to the jade area in town and bought a cord to put it safely round my neck.
  • We met Ashley & Caroline there and had a drink with them before heading back to the hotel.
  • Went to Tom & Ellen’s later and Ashley & Caroline brought us all an Indian take away meal, which we enjoyed. Tom came back from work and had his share too.

Sunday 1st October/Monday 2nd October

  • Packed our suitcases and checked out of the hotel. Ellen, Tom & Joe came to meet us and we went back to their apartment. Joe wasn’t feeling too happy again so Tom took him our and then we went across to Airside and had something to eat at Starbucks. Airside was extremely busy as it was the first weekend it was open and it was the Mid-Autumn holiday festival so lot of people about.
  • Ashley and Caroline came round later and we had a take away from the local ’12 Flavours’ place which was interesting! Tom booked us an Uber Taxi about 8pm and we said our goodbyes and went to the airport.
  • We flew to Dubai and then on to Manchester with Emirates again. Arrived in Manchester at 12pm and picked up the car. Got back home about 2pm very tired but managed to stay up until about 8/9pm.