We left the house with mixed emotions, both very nervous about the trip and a little snappy. I have learnt as I have grown up that I am not very good with leaving places and seeing the most miserable cat in the world hiding under the table wasn’t helping me get out of the door. The Jimjam arrived to take us to the airport and we left getting excited about what lay ahead. A few swift wines in the Koru lounge and we were on our way.
And on our way we were, mostly up and down ferociously for 7 hours. I have never been through such incredible turbulence that even the staff were anxious. You know its bad when one says out loud “bollocks to this” after being dragged by a meal tray into the air and down again. The cabin manager said very calmly as we landed in Hong Kong “that was the worst I had in 23 years.” The Bald Man managed to sleep pretty much from the first seatbelt sign on for the majority of the journey. Desperate for sleeping pills I waited until some poor battered steward made it within 3 foot of me, demanded water, slung some tablets down my neck and managed to miss a very scary dive the plane made just as Barry work up. Good Luck Auckland you have some amazing weather about to hit you.
Once in a taxi on the way to Claire’s in Clearwater Bay, I relaxed. Hong Kong looked thoroughly miserable as we drove from the airport, grey, dirty and overcast. I’m pretty sure that was just my 6.30am eyes not appreciating they were still alive and within an hour we’d managed to fine Claire’s house. The view from the Balcony is of rolling hills, super rich green foliage and identical houses. All the houses in the area are the same three story flat roof divided into “tribal” villages of two or three streets. Most are split into flats, Claire and Mark’s being 2 storeys with huge amounts of space. And huge amounts of space will be needed for Claire’s adorable daughter Danielle, who kept us all entertained yesterday with bouncing legs and a huge smile, such a content little baby.
We qwaffed down coffee and toast before showering and heading straight into town. The house is a good 30minute cab ride out of town but it gave us huge insight into HK living rather and the suburbs, something you wouldn’t usually get if you stayed on the island or in Kowloon. We met Mark in a beautiful Dim Sum Restaurant, Maxim’s at City Hall which compared to Auckland Yum Cha restaurants was incredible. The food was exquisite, delicate and throbbing with taste. We tried numerous new dishes not usually available to us in NZ, one being a marinated and fired cuttlefish which I could have eaten all day. Claire recommended a milky black rice pudding which was delicious even though the texture wasn’t for me. Ornate silver pots of green tea were forever replaced and the Bald Man and Claire had amazing fresh apple juices which looked exactly like as they should do, deep green and frothy.
From Dim Sum to the Peak on a rather nerve wracking tram which at one points feels at right angles to the rest of the world. The view from the top, breath taking, empowering and enormous. Looking down you know that squillions of billions of millions of dollars were being made, sold or lost and we were just standing on a mountain above it all having a bit of a break. Coffeed up to the gills we descended to the Chinese wet markets, somewhere I was really looking forward to. And it held up to expectations. Ginger the size of my arm falling out of buckets there was so much, fish and crabs so colourful in polythene boxes, they looked floral. Huge strands of herbs hung from the stalls like big green curtains and scarlet tomatoes on their vines were as round as gob stoppers. Yet to be named pink and orange fruits with curly spikes added more texture and I slowly caused a little chaos stopping every second moment for a photo. We pottered for an hour of more in and out of tiny alley ways which were flooded with smells and tastes. I was a little surprised that Claire said very few ex pats use the wet markets, I thought they were sensational.
In the evening after a brief trip home to get changed, Mark took us to Lin Heung Tea House for dinner. It was a very unflash local restaurant full to the brim with locals. My determination for evening had been for Roast Goose which was arrived plump and juicy. Mark chose the rest with huge lumps of pork ribs, scallops and broccoli and beautiful eggplant just some of the dishes we washed down with a Marlborogh Sav byo and litres of green tea. An amazingly devine place! Tummies full and the Bald Man and I a little weary, a small scotch at home, ear plugs and eye masks and there endth the first day.
And on our way we were, mostly up and down ferociously for 7 hours. I have never been through such incredible turbulence that even the staff were anxious. You know its bad when one says out loud “bollocks to this” after being dragged by a meal tray into the air and down again. The cabin manager said very calmly as we landed in Hong Kong “that was the worst I had in 23 years.” The Bald Man managed to sleep pretty much from the first seatbelt sign on for the majority of the journey. Desperate for sleeping pills I waited until some poor battered steward made it within 3 foot of me, demanded water, slung some tablets down my neck and managed to miss a very scary dive the plane made just as Barry work up. Good Luck Auckland you have some amazing weather about to hit you.
Once in a taxi on the way to Claire’s in Clearwater Bay, I relaxed. Hong Kong looked thoroughly miserable as we drove from the airport, grey, dirty and overcast. I’m pretty sure that was just my 6.30am eyes not appreciating they were still alive and within an hour we’d managed to fine Claire’s house. The view from the Balcony is of rolling hills, super rich green foliage and identical houses. All the houses in the area are the same three story flat roof divided into “tribal” villages of two or three streets. Most are split into flats, Claire and Mark’s being 2 storeys with huge amounts of space. And huge amounts of space will be needed for Claire’s adorable daughter Danielle, who kept us all entertained yesterday with bouncing legs and a huge smile, such a content little baby.
We qwaffed down coffee and toast before showering and heading straight into town. The house is a good 30minute cab ride out of town but it gave us huge insight into HK living rather and the suburbs, something you wouldn’t usually get if you stayed on the island or in Kowloon. We met Mark in a beautiful Dim Sum Restaurant, Maxim’s at City Hall which compared to Auckland Yum Cha restaurants was incredible. The food was exquisite, delicate and throbbing with taste. We tried numerous new dishes not usually available to us in NZ, one being a marinated and fired cuttlefish which I could have eaten all day. Claire recommended a milky black rice pudding which was delicious even though the texture wasn’t for me. Ornate silver pots of green tea were forever replaced and the Bald Man and Claire had amazing fresh apple juices which looked exactly like as they should do, deep green and frothy.
From Dim Sum to the Peak on a rather nerve wracking tram which at one points feels at right angles to the rest of the world. The view from the top, breath taking, empowering and enormous. Looking down you know that squillions of billions of millions of dollars were being made, sold or lost and we were just standing on a mountain above it all having a bit of a break. Coffeed up to the gills we descended to the Chinese wet markets, somewhere I was really looking forward to. And it held up to expectations. Ginger the size of my arm falling out of buckets there was so much, fish and crabs so colourful in polythene boxes, they looked floral. Huge strands of herbs hung from the stalls like big green curtains and scarlet tomatoes on their vines were as round as gob stoppers. Yet to be named pink and orange fruits with curly spikes added more texture and I slowly caused a little chaos stopping every second moment for a photo. We pottered for an hour of more in and out of tiny alley ways which were flooded with smells and tastes. I was a little surprised that Claire said very few ex pats use the wet markets, I thought they were sensational.
In the evening after a brief trip home to get changed, Mark took us to Lin Heung Tea House for dinner. It was a very unflash local restaurant full to the brim with locals. My determination for evening had been for Roast Goose which was arrived plump and juicy. Mark chose the rest with huge lumps of pork ribs, scallops and broccoli and beautiful eggplant just some of the dishes we washed down with a Marlborogh Sav byo and litres of green tea. An amazingly devine place! Tummies full and the Bald Man and I a little weary, a small scotch at home, ear plugs and eye masks and there endth the first day.
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