Chapter 2: Hong Kong
So, it turns out that blogging requires a few things: quality internet, downtime, self-discipline. All things I’ve been delighted to be lacking the first two weeks of this adventure.
But as the thrill of finally actually starting the trip starts to mellow, Travis and I are getting into more of a balanced travel rhythm. Finding time to slow down and lean into all the less exciting in-between moments — hand washing clothes, sending postcards to friends, letting our bodies recover. And, at long last, taking the time to begin documenting the journey through this blog.
On April 1, we started our trip from DC —> San Francisco (6 hrs) —> Hong Kong (15 hrs).
I’m the rare breed that loves a long flight. Possibly because my mom used to make the long journey stateside with my brother and me when we were toddlers every summer, first from Hong Kong and then from Singapore and I grew to feel at home in airports and on planes. I relish being “that person” who becomes intimately close friends with the person seated next to them, exchanging those stories and secrets you only share with strangers, just to wish each other safe travels and never talk again.
Or possibly because it’s one of the only times I’m forced to be still. It allows for some processing time, to really take in a transition. And then when you’re settled in, with windows closed and lights dimmed, I love curling up in a ball and binging airplane movies until I doze off, aided by a glass of wine and half an ambien. Travis especially enjoys the 10 minutes of entertainment when my ambien hits and I’m still resisting the sleep. He managed to capture a photo of me on my way out that I have no memory of, which I’m sure will be used as blackmail at some point in the future.
We landed in Hong Kong at 6am, took the high speed rail into the city at 7am and checked-in early to our lovely compact hotel room right in the heart of Hong Kong Island. HK is insanely hilly and, as a charming result, the city has developed the longest series of moving walkways in the world which helps a great deal. Especially if you actually use them — which we only figured out on day 2. (Pictured below: us trekking up every hill in the city with our backpacks)
Day one, some classic mistakes were made. Exhausted but excited, we skipped rest and instead started the day with way too many sugary egg-based tarts that were fantastic but had consequences later on. We took the funicular up to Victoria Peak for beautiful panorama views of the city. The tradeoff was high prices, long lines, hoards of tourists and no real food for a long stretch of time. In retrospect, hiking — not funicular-ing — to the top, with food in our stomachs, would have been the way to go.
In the afternoon, Travis retired to the hotel room to deal with the consequences of said egg tarts and I explored our neighborhood. Some highlights:
Tai Kwun, a fascinating former colonial prison turned memorial / museum / cultural center / art exhibition. It functioned as a prison and police headquarters in some capacity from the 1841 to 1997. It was converted through what became the city’s most significant and expensive revitalisation projects to date, opening in 2018.
PMQ formerly, the “Police Married Quarters”. In 1951, in order to increase police recruitment in response to the influx of Chinese immigrants after the Chinese Civil War, PMQ provided units for married officers. In 2014, its residential units were turned into exhibitions spaces, studios, shops and community space.
The Savory Project, a creative craft cocktail bar serving up savory drinks inspired by HK dishes. I later returned with Travis so that we could slowly work our way through every drink on the menu. (I befriended the bartender who helped with this initiative by saving me the extras of prepared cocktails so I could have just sips of everything.) Favorites included: the Mala Punch (sichuan pepper, mint, peat, passion fruit, fermented bean, gin, clarified milk), the Pepper + Corn (charred corn musk, cumi, chilli, tomato, mezcal, MSG bbq, warm spices) and the Thai Beef Salad (beef broth, peanut, coconut, chilli, kaffir lime, rum).
Day two, we got an early jet lagged start, meandering down to the water, and then took the classic Star Ferry over to Kowloon (you can read some Star Ferry history, dating back to the 1880s here). The views of HK Island from Kowloon Bay were spectacular and we took our time walking the waterfront before strolling inland for a day of food fun, including yummy noodles and wontons, bubble waffles, and fruit markets.
We happened to walk by the police headquarters which had a bulletin board out front with dozens of “wanted” signs with $1M HKD+ rewards for turning in pro-democracy activists. Many were students — most younger than 20 when the government first called for their arrest — and have since fled HK but remain in grave danger, as do their families. We spent a somber afternoon sitting and googling each name, reading in detail about each courageous activist and where they are now. The quiet public fear tactics were creepy and will be seared in my memory. The obvious parallels to our current administration were a heavy gut punch.
Later that afternoon, we took the ferry back to Hong Kong island, landing in the Wan Chai neighborhood so that we could spend our last couple hours of the day playing at the local bouldering gym. The space was one room + a loft on the 27th floor of a highrise. A perfect way to meet both locals and expats, and we left with a Lithuanian friend who insists on connecting us to climbers when we visit in July.
Day three was spent exploring Lamma Island with tons of day tripping families celebrating Qing Ming, “Tomb Sweeping Day”. A public holiday when families visit the tombs of their ancestors to clean the gravesites and make ritual offerings to their ancestors — which we finally connected after seeing dozens of people hiking across the island with weed whackers and machetes. We ended the evening with a Hong Kong reunion, dining with my parents’ HK friends from the 80s who remained in the city. We met them at the historic members-only Foreign Correspondents Club (the “FCC), which still hosts correspondents, reporters, and diplomats, though we imagine the vibe has… changed.
The perfect end to a perfect beginning: heading back to my beginnings. Day four, our final morning in HK, we walked down Kotewall Road to visit the apartment complex I spent my first few years of life in: the Villa Veneto. We walked into the parking garage, flashed a smile and a wave at the guards and just kept walking. And it worked. We had no idea how to navigate the building so just did a ceremonial ride up and down the elevator to try to trigger some divine flashbacks, took some photos, and used our imaginations.
Hong Kong is a complex place, full of equally complex people, flavors, landscapes and history. We loved our quick visit and will absolutely be back again.
Onward to Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
PS For a “just the food” peek at the trip, you can follow NTeatworld on Instagram. It is as described: just the food, a quick pic of everything we eat.
