Trip Reports Archives - Page 12 of 27

Using Public Transportation in Taiwan with a Toddler

Finding Peace and Quiet in Hong Kong

Eating in Hong Kong

Jan 25 2015

Home for the Holidays: Eating in Hong Kong

Obviously, one of the main draws of Hong Kong is the food. For me, it’s always a matter of balancing good food with nostalgic food from when I was a kid that…might not be as good. Luckily we managed to do a little bit of both on this trip. I’ll just hit our culinary experiences in chronological order.

Spaghetti House

Our first night in Hong Kong, we were still recovering from a pretty tough flight with M. We were looking for some place quick to eat so I suggested one of my favorites from childhood: Spaghetti House!

Having moved to Hong Kong when I was 10, I missed Western food all the time. Spaghetti House was one of the restaurants we would go to after I complained too much.

Like many restaurants in dense Asian cities, you have to look up to find where you’re going. After taking a dinky elevator and waiting a few minutes, we were seated.

One thing I noticed, starting with Spaghetti House, is restaurants in Hong Kong don’t give you a ton of napkins. We only got one each for the two adults and had to ask for a third for M. So come prepared – hey it saves the environment!

Anyway, we didn’t have anything fancy – spaghetti and a salad. M and I enjoyed it – though it probably won’t blow anyone’s mind. Still, if you’re looking for Western food, there are worse places than Spaghetti House.

Random Restaurants in K11 Mall

Like in Taiwan, we were often confined to eating near the hotel. Unlike Taiwan, we weren’t stuck only eating at the food court. The K11 mall has a bunch of restaurants, we managed to try two.

The first restaurant we tried was Good Place. Like a lot of Hong Kong restaurants, Good Place offers all sorts of food – Western and Chinese alike (the British influence). I ordered the pork belly with rice – it was delicious.

Eating in Hong Kong — Pork belly plate. Yum.

That egg is only half cooked and you dip the pork belly in it (forget what it’s called if someone knows please enlighten me). Anyway, it’s pretty common place to find restaurants in HK that offer food from all over (I ate Japanese here, Jess had some Chinese noodles, but we also could have ordered lasagna). Just go with it.

The second restaurant we went to in was Miso Cool. This place was mostly Japanese food; besides the ridiculous/awesome name the food was pretty good. We just ate your standard Japanese dishes (udon and teriyaki with a side of sushi) – I didn’t manage to take any pictures of the food because it was one of those family meals where our hands were full the whole time. They also serve frozen yogurt which Jess would partake in at a later date.

Tasty Noodle

Jess and I discovered this place way back in 2010 on our first trip to Asia together and we have visited every time in Hong Kong since. It’s located in the IFC Mall and can often have a decent wait time. Like almost every restaurant in Hong Kong, take a number and wait for it to show up on the sign.

Tasty Noodle lives up to its name: it has all manner of noodle dishes and an extensive menu that can be overwhelming. We always order at least one order of wonton noodle soup, just because it’s so classic.

Then we usually get some dish with ho fun (flat rice noodles). Often this is Beef Chow Fun (乾炒牛河) but this time I decided to mix it up. There is a standard Hong Kong dish called runny egg beef rice (滑蛋牛肉飯) – I asked for this but on ho fun instead (he fen if you’re speaking Mandarin). I love this dish – I really just seem to love semi raw eggs in general.

We also ordered some vegetables, I guess, and ma la gau (pinyin, don’t know the English translation). Overall we were super satisfied, as always!

Tim Ho Wan

After Disneyland, we made a beeline for Hong Kong Station (near the IFC) to eat at Tim Ho Wan, our second Michelin starred restaurant of the trip (there are other locations as well). This place was pretty annoying to find, it’s like on a middle level of the actual train station – we wandered around for ten minutes to look for it. Just do yourself a favor and ask first instead of being a stubborn guy like me.

Prepare for crowds and tight quarters – all these people have numbers already, back up!

Tim Ho Wan is cheap, tasty, and crowded dim sum. There was a long wait when we got there at 4:15. There is always a huge crowd of people by the podium, but all of them probably have numbers up there. Push your way up to the front and ask for a number, you’ll receive a menu with a number on it so you can mark what you want to save time. There also aren’t any high chairs for you parents out there.

No high chairs at the Central location so bear that in mind

We had a mix of great orders and fail orders, though that was on us not the restaurant. You have to order the steamed pork buns, they are unique here and possibly some of the best I’ve ever eaten.

The glutinous rice chicken (糯米雞) was very generous in portion and tasted amazing, much better than anything we can get at home.

If you're not sure how to order this, just say "Naw Mai Gai" - the last two rhyme with fi from "fee fi fo fum" — If you’re not sure how to order this, just say “Naw Mai Gai” – the last two rhyme with fi from “fee fi fo fum”

We also ordered some shrimp dumplings, which were pretty standard.

Finally, we ordered this fried egg and minced beef on rice dish that was kind of a fail. I mean it tasted fine and all, but I can’t really remember why we ordered it and it just wasn’t as good as the other stuff.

All in all, I definitely believe Tim Ho Wan was worth the wait. For sure you have to try it at least once, but I’m considering it putting it on our list of must visits with Tasty Noodle and Din Tai Fung on future trips.

Cheap Eats

There are a lot of cheap eats in Hong Kong. First, I need to give a shout out to McDonald’s. I did not eat there – a shocker – but we did get a hot chocolate. Couldn’t pass this up. The also were selling a 6 piece chicken nuggets meal for $21HKD (less than $3 USD) WHAT!? If only…

Our toughest find ended up being egg waffles at Lee Keung Kee. They have a location in Tsim Sha Tsui on Nathan Road which really is basically in Jordan (just walk north). Anyway, we read online that they opened at 11 AM so we got there around 10:50 and stood around until they sadly did NOT open. Jess was incredibly disappointed.

The line for egg waffles was not insignificant

Eventually, on one of our last days, M took a nap in the afternoon while I ran up there to get some egg waffles. There was a super long line that took me about twenty minutes to get through. The egg waffles are cheap (like less than $2 each or $3 for a pair), and they are served hot! Anyway, they are a great snack and something you should definitely try if you don’t mind waiting in line.

Worth the wait - best when hot — Worth the wait – best when hot

Final Thoughts

Though you wouldn’t believe it seeing how thin people in Hong Kong are, there are amazing food options to be had in the city. These were some of the places we hit on this trip (didn’t get to go to Cafe de Coral for my chinese fast food fix unfortunately) – it’s tough to find a restaurant in the city that’s not good. Happy eating!

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Using Public Transportation in Taiwan with a Toddler

Finding Peace and Quiet in Hong Kong

Jan 24 2015

Home for the Holidays: Finding Peace and Quiet in Hong Kong

As you may have gathered, Hong Kong can be very crowded. But there is definitely peace and quiet to be had, if you’re willing to look. On this trip (and in the past), we’ve sought out locations of peace and solitude. Here’s what we’ve found.

Discovery Bay

My cousin mentioned to me that he had visited Discovery Bay with his wife and son on one of his off days during the break. We needed to find some space so we decided to pay it a visit. We grabbed a ferry from the Central Piers (Pier 3) and took a short twenty-five minute ride to Discovery Bay.

It turns out Discovery Bay is home to a ton of expats. It’s also very beautiful and very empty. There are restaurants, a nice beach, and some paths to walk. You can’t actually go too far unless you’re a resident. Doesn’t sound too great?

Maybe not, but when you are surrounded by thousands of people all the time in Hong Kong, Discovery Bay feels like a breath of fresh air. It’s obviously it’s own little world – people speak English by default, tons of obviously rich foreigners – but it’s still tough not to enjoy it despite it not feeling like “authentic” Hong Kong.

M had a great time at Discovery Bay. She got her first taste of walking on the beach and seawater. I think anyone who has kids has experienced this – kid hates sand, kid starts getting used to sand, kid starts enjoying sand, kid really enjoys dipping toes in water. We had a great time.

There was also a nice playground on the beach with a huge slide that I may or may not have pushed M down. She enjoyed it. 🙂 But we mostly just spent our day walking around, enjoying the sunshine and space. There are also a few shops to browse if you’re tired of the outdoors.

Kowloon Park

Just a short walk from our hotel was Kowloon Park. To be honest, Kowloon Park can be kind of crowded, but it’s still a nice green space in a busy city. It’s also huge. There are nice things like ponds with flamingos and the like, and it’s a nice place to walk without bumping into people every two seconds.

The park is actually a few stories above street level

But our real discovery was something called the Harbour View Observation Deck. We found it just by wandering and wandering since M was asleep in the stroller again.

The sun was setting and the deck boasted some incredible views of the harbor at dusk. It also was super quiet, there were barely any people there. Basically it was a peaceful little corner where you could enjoy the skyline of Hong Kong without a crush of people like at the Avenue of Stars. It was near some of the cruise ship terminals so the view wasn’t totally unobstructed, but it was still well worth a visit.

One drawback to Kowloon Park is the only elevator access is at the north end (near Jordan instead of TST). We carried M’s stroller all the way up three flights of stairs to get up there. Something to bear in mind if you’re thinking of visiting.

Hong Kong Wetland Park

A little caveat for this one. We visited this in the Summer of 2010 in the searing heat, so it could have been quiet because of that. But it’s pretty far out and you need to take the light rail so I think it’s probably never super crowded. Not like TST at least.

Anyway, the ecological park is just a large botanical garden, complete with ponds, flowers, and a lot of wildlife. It’s beautiful and a really relaxing place to walk – a tiny slice of nature. Really all of the New Territories are much less crowded than the city and worth the exploration.

When I lived in Hong Kong, my dad used to make us go hike around reservoirs all around the New Territories. There are a lot of places where you can get out and enjoy nature – don’t feel like you just need to be confined to the city.

Riding the Waves

I’ve already written about how much we enjoyed the Star Ferry. One more note if you’re trying to get away from the crowds – grab a ferry to somewhere, anywhere, during the middle of the day – and you should be able to find the peace and quiet you might be seeking.

Hong Kong is a beautiful harbor city, so getting out on the water is great way to enjoy it while avoiding the crowds.

Final Thoughts

Sometimes Hong Kong’s crowds can get overwhelming. If you’re looking for some space, feel free to try out one of these options. Every time we manage to find space like this in Hong Kong it just makes us enjoy the city even more. Enjoy stepping off the beaten path!

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Using Public Transportation in Taiwan with a Toddler

Jan 23 2015

Home for the Holidays: Hong Kong Disneyland with a Toddler

I’ve read reports that Hong Kong Disneyland can be pretty empty compared to the theme parks in the States. I totally believed that to be true, but I also knew we’d be visiting on a holiday (day after New Year’s) so I expected crowds.

My cousin gave me some pretty good advice, Hong Kong advice really since he has never been to Disneyland: “Get in when the park opens and leave before 3 PM”. So with toddler in tow, we struck out on our last day in Asia to go see the little mouse.

Getting to Disneyland

Disneyland is incredibly easy to get to in Hong Kong. You just hop on the Tung Chung line (or Airport Express) and alight at Sunny Bay. From there, there is a MTR line dedicated to Disneyland: it runs back and forth between Sunny Bay and Disneyland.

The first thing that struck me on the way to Disneyland was the empty MTR station. I mean, it’s practically unheard of in Hong Kong. So we enjoyed our relatively quiet trip to Sunny Bay. We hopped on the West Rail line at East Tsim Sha Tsui station and transferred at Nam Cheong to the Tung Chung line.

Once we got on the Disneyland MTR, things started to get a little more crowded, but still not so crowded that we couldn’t get a seat. Since the train is dedicated to Disneyland it’s definitely themed – Mickey Mouse windows, Mickey Mouse handholds, etc.

I guess I shouldn’t have expected otherwise, but when we got off the train it felt like a different world for a second. Something about the iconic Disney train station I guess. There was a crush of people (everything is stroller friendly by the way) and a line out the turnstiles so we waited it out. M of course was content practicing her escalator walking.

This never gets old...for her — This never gets old…for her

As we started walking up to the ticket counters, Jess finally started getting a little excited (she didn’t even want to go, come on!). Disney is obviously a master of marketing and something about the Little Mermaid banner just got her ready. Ha.

Anyway, the ticket counters looked like a mess from a distance, but people weren’t paying attention: there was a relatively empty ticket booth all the way to the left so I only had to wait behind two people. After shelling out $950HKD ($50HKG discount for being a HK resident), we were in!

Visiting Fantasyland

It felt like the park was filling pretty quickly so we made a beeline for Fantasyland, stopping to watch a little band along the way. We decided Fantasyland would be the best place to start because it seemed to have the most toddler friendly rides.

The castle looks a lot smaller in Hong Kong - the optical illusion isn't as well done — The castle looks a lot smaller in Hong Kong – the optical illusion isn’t as well done

Even thought we got in twenty five minutes after park opening, the line for Dumbo was already an hour long! So we took her on some of the rides with the shortest lines. We started on the carousel, the line was only ten minutes long. M was pretty happy riding the horse.

After the carousel, we took a ride on the teacups which had a super short line as well, about ten minutes. I guess M is too young to get motion sick because she had a pretty good time spinning around.

You spin me right round baby right round... — You spin me right round baby right round…

The last ride we hit before lunch was It’s a Small World. That song is like a virus – it’s still stuck in my head (well, M makes us listen to it all the time too). The line was super short again so we got on very quickly.

Let's look at the flying carpet! — Let’s look at all the different countries!

I must say, some of the stuff still seems a little racist (flying carpets?!), but I guess it’s fantasy. It doesn’t really bother me but it sure is fun to poke fun at.

At this point it was about 11:45. I’d say our biggest mistake on the trip wasn’t doubling up on rides at this point. We could have exited It’s a Small World and gotten straight back on – same with the teacups. We decided to eat lunch instead.

Eating at Disneyland

I must say, lunch wasn’t that expensive. I forgot to take a picture but I think it was only about $12 for a meal and a drink. Eating at 11:45 actually ended up working out great, after 12:00 it got very crowded very fast. There are various options spread throughout the park, but Fantasyland had the Chinese food.

Nothing like a chicken leg in a vacuum sealed plastic bag!

After lunch, we strolled M around to get her to nap. We also grabbed some snacks – a pair of Mickey Mouse ice cream cones and a chicken leg (gotta love Asia). She fell asleep straight away – too much excitement I guess. While she was out I went on Space Mountain, there is a separate line for single riders that takes half the time (20 minutes when I was there).

Did I abandon my family to go on a ride by myself? Um...yes? — Did I abandon my family to go on a ride by myself? Um…yes?

There were a few people who went to the single rider line together – not a bad idea (they sat separately but it’s so dark in there who cares). I must say, I felt pretty old, Space Mountain isn’t a hardcore rollercoaster by any stretch but I was totally burnt out by it!

Yo Stitch...we just want to get to It's a Small World — Yo Stitch…we just want to get to It’s a Small World

After Space Mountain we got caught by a parade – the crowds were definitely beginning to swell by this point. It was 1:30 PM and our goal was to get M on one or two more rides before calling it a day.

One Last Ride

While M was still sleeping, we decided to eat that chicken leg. Note to self: eat these while hot so it doesn’t start congealing, haha. The chicken leg came complete with a glove so you don’t get your hand dirty. Genius.

M finally woke up and immediately started saying “ride boat ride boat” in Chinese. I guess that long term memory is starting to kick in. We went back to It’s a Small World – 1 hr and 45 minute wait. Wow. We then had to go to Plan B.

Thankfully, the line at the Jungle River cruise was only 30 minutes at this point, so we waited in line for that. There was a warning that it might be a little too intense for children – I think it was a little bit too much for M at parts. At the end there is this gigantic wall of flame (fire gods fighting river gods or something). M didn’t freak out but did hold on to us pretty tight.

One note about the cruise, you can choose to take the tour in English, Cantonese, or Mandarin. We were going to take her to the Mandarin line but the English one looked shorter (they say all the lines take the same amount of time but I don’t buy it). Anyway, that kind of was a mistake, our guide was really tough to understand, but it is what it is. Something to bear in mind if you’re multilingual.

Fantasyland filled up very quickly after lunch — The entire park filled up very fast in the afternoon

At this point, the park was flooded with people. Disneyland in Hong Kong definitely feels smaller. We decided to hightail it out of there, though not before we bought a Tsum Tsum from the gift shop, which was also flooded with people (we could barely move our stroller around).

Final Thoughts

Anyway, I’m here to say you can do Hong Kong Disneyland with a toddler and be successful. M definitely enjoyed the rides and her time there, her eyes were as wide as saucers over half the time there. I’m pretty sure if it hadn’t been a holiday the park would have been a lot emptier, which would have been great.

If you’re looking for some tips on traveling to Hong Kong Disneyland, Trips With Tykes has some good tips and links. I got to fulfill my wish of taking M to Disneyland and it ended up being cheaper than if we had done it in the states – thank goodness this hobby makes the world small enough for us to travel after all! Okay that was bad…

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Using Public Transportation in Taiwan with a Toddler

Jan 22 2015

Home for the Holidays: Typical Hong Kong Tourist Activities

Christmas decorations at the Peninsula hotel

I thought I’d take a brief break in the trip report to hit on some of the typical tourist destinations in Hong Kong. As I’ve mentioned, Hong Kong is difficult to navigate with a toddler due to the crowds – most of our visits to these places were on past trips. These sites are definitely doable with toddlers but try to avoid peak times and be ready to take it slow.

Avenue of the Stars

One of the few sites we managed to hit was the Avenue of the Stars. Basically, the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront is really nice – covering a long stretch starting at the Star Ferry terminal. Hong Kong has a pretty famous movie industry, and the Avenue of the Star’s is Hong Kong’s answer to Hollywood’s walk of fame.

A couple things make the Avenue of the Stars appealing. For starters, the views are amazing. But more importantly, the Avenue of the Stars is incredibly easy to get to – for anyone staying in TST all you have to do is walk! Every night at 8 PM the skyline lights up for the Symphony of Lights, which I find to be a little overrated but still worth a watch.

The major drawback (begin recurring theme) is that it can get really crowded. You often have to wait a few minutes to get an unobstructed view, though once you carve out a spot the view is tough to top.

Bruce Lee at the Avenue of the Stars (2010)

Victoria Peak

The most famous tourist attraction in Hong Kong is Victoria Peak. It boasts some of the most spectacular views in Hong Kong. Most people insist you take the tram up – I tend to agree although the crowds are crazy.

I’ve been to the Peak many times – at night for drinks, during the day with family, and everything in between. I never leave disappointed. One thing people don’t necessarily know are there are a lot of hiking trails. You can hike up to the top, but once you get there you can also take short walks (up to an hour).

While these trails are still kind of crowded, they do offer a bit of respite and are great for exercise. You can always cool down in the little mall after.

The Big Buddha

The most distant tourist attraction is also the largest – literally. The Big Buddha is a very impressive…big Buddha. To get there you need to take the MTR all the way to the end of the Tung Chung line and then take a 25 minute cable car. Since you’re going so far out, there is a huge mall and cinema there (just to justify the trip if the Buddha wasn’t enough).

It was super foggy the day we visited (2010)

We went here a few summers ago. While the site was impressive, the experience was a little shaky. There were high winds when we were on the cable car which were a little disconcerting (they actually shut it down for awhile). Then after we made it back to the Tung Chung mall (Citygate Outlets) we were hit by a huge storm.

We found out later that it was actually a code black rainstorm – aka stay indoors, government orders. So we didn’t really get any iconic views of the Big Buddha (too many clouds and too many people) and the cable car wasn’t very enjoyable. We did, however, get to catch a movie at the mall!

This wasn't at Tung Chung obviously, but a picture of how ominous the clouds can get in Hong Kong (2010) — This wasn’t at Tung Chung obviously, but a picture of how ominous the clouds can get in Hong Kong (2010)

Shopping

There are a ton of shopping options in Hong Kong. The Hyatt Regency TST we stayed at is attached to the K11 mall, which is within walking distance to the iSQUARE mall which is within walking distance to Ocean Terminal. A short ferry ride away there is the IFC mall in Central. If mall shopping is your thing, Hong Kong will not disappoint.

The K11 mall had this crazy spinny top thing when we were there

There are also local places to shop – local in the sense that its less commercial, though these areas can get quite touristy. The Ladies Market in Mong Kok is very well known and crowded, though you can find a good deal despite the touristy nature. Stanley Market on Hong Kong Island is a long trip, but can be worth it – it’s very unique and there’s a beach nearby in case you are feeling overcrowded.

If you’re the type, you can spend a week in Hong Kong and do nothing but shop. Obviously not my scene but we did enjoy running through the malls (M loves escalators). Prepare for crowds.

Theme Parks

There are multiple theme parks in Hong Kong – Ocean Park (the original), Noah’s Ark (for animal lovers and kids), and Disneyland (the mouse is everywhere). We went to Disneyland with M (a post in and of itself), so I’ll talk about the other two a bit here.

Noah’s Ark is based off the biblical story – the theme park has a ton of animals and a gigantic…ark. Ocean Park is part theme park part cultural part zoo/aquarium – I haven’t been there since I was a kid. Ocean Park is definitely the toughest to get to if you have a kid (you eventually have to take a bus or cab). Disneyland is off the MTR and Noah’s Ark is a ferry ride away. We’ll probably hit the other two some time in M’s life…

Final Thoughts

While Hong Kong’s main tourist attractions are very crowded, most of them are well worth a visit. Work around the crowds as much as you can and you should be fine. If you can only visit one attraction, I’d say the Peak should be at the top of many people’s lists – the views just can’t be beat. In a later post I’ll touch upon places we’ve discovered where you can get away from the crowds. But first, Disneyland!

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Using Public Transportation in Taiwan with a Toddler