Departures, Causeway Bay and Central (Day 4)

I woke up to the view of elderly people practicing Taichi on my window, and was half expecting my Lola to be among them (don't bet on it!).  We had breakfast at a nameless hole in the wall Chinese restaurant beside 7-Eleven and opposite New Yaohan.  Up front is a takeout counter and dine-in customers are served at the second floor.  There is no English on the menu, and the rude staff do not speak English either so ordering was an adventure.  Surprisingly, the food were delicious especially the siomai which tasted like it came from a top Chinese restaurant, and everyone in the group seemed satisfied with their orders.  After eating, we returned to the hotel, packed up and made the return trip to Hong Kong.

Priceless View

Place for breakfast

Last minute sightseeing

We arrived around noon at the China Ferry Terminal and had lunch at Cafe De Coral, a Chinese fast food chain located near the ferry ticket counter.  While most of my family didn't enjoy their food, I actually loved mine.  I ordered a pork chop meal in spaghetti-like sauce with pineapple on the side served with yang chow fried rice plus iced tea, which ranks as one of the most delicious pork chop variations I have ever had.

After lunch, we took the taxi back to YMCA.  We rested for a while before heading back out.  In case you're wondering how far YMCA is from the ferry terminal on foot, it is 15 to 20 minutes brisk walk.

Hello again, Hong Kong!

Cafe De Coral

Sarap!

Around 3 pm, we headed to Causeway Bay.  We took the MTR to Causeway Bay Station which is in the Blue Line.  If you are going DIY in Hong Kong, I suggest that you buy the Octopus Card which is a convenient and rechargeable card used on the MTR, bus, tram, and star ferry.  You can buy it in the airport or at MTR stations for HK$ 100 (50 deposit which is refundable, 50 load); you can reload at the MTR stations or 7-Elevens.

Causeway Bay is a district famous for shopping located in Hong Kong Island; a less touristy version of Tsim Tsa Tsui.  First up, we went to the Times Square Mall above the MTR Exit A. We then parted ways as we had different interests in shopping.  Like Tsim Sha Tsui, you could easily spend hours checking out the establishments in the main streets and surrounding side streets in Causeway Bay.  There are many interesting local and foreign fashion stores and retail shops in the area.  There seems to be a branch of the same shops in every corner.  I always go to the Adidas Originals located in a side street near Park Lane Hotel, as well as the Giordano store near Times Square, not because it sells anything special, but to check if a friend still works there.  In our last visit, we got to know a teen aged Chinese male working in Giordano.  He was nice, engaging, and spoke decent English, he even told us where he lived and invited us over but we politely declined.  Unfortunately, he was no longer working in Giordano so that's that.

Spread IPhones instead!

Entrance to Times Square

SOGO at the heart of Causeway Bay

Closed to vehicles

Map of Causeway Bay

Needing a change of scenery and because I wanted to check out shoes at the Adidas-Yohji Yamamoto store in the IFC Mall, we headed to Central (Take the MTR to Central Station).  Central, the business district of Hong Kong and heart of the MTR, is the gateway to Victoria Peak, the historic Peak Tram and the Midlevels Escalator.  It is occupied by tall skyscrapers moonlighting as malls and flanked by bars and restaurants at nightlife area Lan Kwai Fong.  Aside from Victoria Park, most of our kababayan OFWs hangout here, especially on Sundays.  For some reason, I've never fully explored Central aside from the obvious sites, and I'd like to in future visits.

Elevated Walkway at Central

Map of Central

We returned to Times Square and met up for dinner at Crystal Jade Restaurant located at the basement floor. We had to wait for a good 10 minutes before we got a table as there was a long queue from the hordes of people wanting to eat here. The food was delicious, well prepared and authentic Chinese but it wasn't special enough to warrant the long lines and steep pricing.  After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to end the day.

Just to put it out there, these are the restaurants that I recommend in Hong Kong:

- Maxim's Palace (Best Restaurant I've eaten in HK) (MTR Centra Exit A2, City Hall Back Entrance 2F)

- Din Tai Fung (Best Xiao Long Bao and Porkhop, expensive) (Silvercord Mall or Causeway Bay)

- Lin Heung Teahouse (Sheng Wan MTR Exit E2)

- Tao Heung Super 88 (Silvercord Mall)

- Triple O Burgers (Parang Brothers Burgers) (Time Square Basement or Harbour City)

- Mongkok Streetfood (Go here at night, for the best street food) (MTR Mongkok)

Yang Chow, Sweet & Sour Fish, Xia Long Bao, Soya Milk

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