The Holiday That Did Not Feel Like One

Joshua and I took leave to go on a holiday to get away from work. Of all places, we chose livewire Hong Kong. One could hardly wonder why we did not feel rested. The pace in Hong Kong over the weekend is as fast-paced as any weekday in Singapore.

It is not a fantastic getaway, but I should still write about it. Maybe I might grow senile one day and would need to some help to recall the past.

Let's talk about Macau first. Before seeing Macau for myself, I thought it was a glitzy city of lights and extravagent architecture, quite like Las Vegas. I was disappointed when I got there. Yes, there were magnificent buildings that were the international casino hotels - Sands, MGM and Wynn. But beyond these, the streets reminded me of the those in Shanghai and Kunming - poorly lit, cobbled and peppered with litter and spittle.

I was even more miserable with the weather. Temperatures hovered around 12 to 15 degrees Celcius. It was like the Northpole for a tropical babe like me.

Doesn't help that the heater in the hotel room is only for show. The slinky nightie I brought to wear could hardly keep me warm. So instead of attempting to seduce Joshua for endless nights of bang bang during this holiday, I ended up wearing socks, a sweater and gloves to bed.

The temptress had to bow to Mother Nature's biting cold.

I had to wrap myself in thick coats before heading out of the hotel. Joshua was comfortable in just a sweater. Damn. He absolutely loved the weather.


On the first night, we headed to Fisherman's Wharf. The was the only place I liked. So what if the classical buildings were in fact modern structures made to resemble some buildings of yore? At least the streets were clean and bright. And the restaurants looked like decent places to dine at without getting the runs.


We spent the night walking down the stretch of Fisherman's Wharf. Perhaps because it is located along the sea, the wind was stronger and colder. I had to huddle into a ball behind Joshua. It didn't help.

We warmed up over dinner at Hero Restaurant, which offers a mix of Sichuan and Cantonese cuisine. I ordered La Zhi Ji, which is a spicy dish of deep-fried chicken cubes in a heap of dried chillies. It was potent and Joshua sweated after taking a piece of chicken. I had to finish the entire plate myself. The spice coated my lips and I could hardly feel them by the end of the meal. Whoot! I love!


Joshua settled for Dan Dan noodles, which although appeared very simple, tasted super. Frankly, that was the only meal in Macau that was suited to my pampered palate.

After dinner, we walked around some more before heading to Senado Square, which is one of the historical sites in Macau. Every tourist guide applaud the beauty of Senado Sqaure. I am sure it must be beautiful most of the times.

But when I was there, Senado Square was like Singapore's Chinatown just before Chinese New Year - packed. The large gaudy lanterns shaped into God of Fortune took away the beauty of Senado Square. We strolled through Senado Square then walked all the way back to our hotel at Avenida do Dr. Rodrigo Rodrigues. It took us almost an hour to stroll back. My feet almost died, but I thought it was one romantic walk with Joshua.

The next morning, we woke up early to visit the Grand Prix Museum.


Just like every little boy, Joshua went nuts over the display of racing cars... and a dead dummy.

Then we took a bus to Senado Square, bearing hopes that the morning sight would be much better than the night. Thankfully, it really was. Even the gaudy lanterns were forgivable.



We also ate authentic Portuguese egg tarts. It was freshly baked and hot, thus offering a treat to the cold tummy. And right after our snack, we met the grand sight of St Paul's Ruins.


It was packed with people jostling for photo opportunities on the famous steps and I gave up trying to get a photo of myself against a clear view of the structure. Instead, I headed right up close, sprawled on the ground and got this upwward shot.

It was 3pm when we left Macau for Hong Kong via Turbojet. By the time we arrived at our hotel at Queens Road East, it was close to 6pm.

We put up at Cosmo Hotel, the younger sister of Cosmopolitan Hotel. The room decor is quite similar to the Holiday Inn Express, which was primely sited opposite Times Square.

The first thing I did upon arrival was to place a table reservation and a booking for half a goose at Yong Kee, the roast goose haven. The lady who took my book sounded surprised when I asked for half a goose to be reserved for me.

"Eh, half a goose for two person?" she repeated my order after a pause.

"Yes. Can't I?" I queried in return.

"Can, if you like," she replied quickly.

Dinner was at 9.30pm. Even by that time, Yong Kee was still packed with diners and a large crowd at the lobby still awaiting their seats. It is that popular.

I love Yong Kee's roast goose. I have said this in every post on my travels to Hong Kong, but I can never say it enough. The skin is juicy and crispy, the meat tender and flavourful. Just look at it!


We ordered a dish of brocolli with crabmeat (real crabmeat, of course) in addition to the roast goose. And that was all we had for dinner. I was really more keen on the goose.

After slightly more than half an hour, this is all that is left:

And the joke was, as I downed the last piece of meat, the restaurant manager came over.

"Wah, you must really love our roast goose. We were wondering if you could actually finish half a goose between the both of you. And you did!" he exclaimed with a big grin.

Duh, you have no idea this was really all I came to Hong Kong for. Oh, and for the wanton noodles and century egg porridge at Ho Hung Kee.

After dinner, we rounded the bend to Lan Kwai Fong for beers and live music.

The next day we had lunch at Mongkok and spent an afternoon at Langham Place and the famed Temple Street bazaar. The latter is a bloody waste of time for me. Much of the products were too shoddy and dated. The only thing I bought was a Hello Kitty mug from a shop near the edge of the bazaar.

Lunch was at a forgettable Shanghainese restaurant. The only thing good was the crispy noodles. The Shanghainese dumplings were a disappointment.

I was so looking forward to H&M before coming to Singapore. Alas, the season collection was not too nice and I bought only a skirt. That skirt turned out to be the cheapest apparel I bought in Hong Kong.

Despite telling myself to avoid Causeway Bay for shopping since that is always where I go during my business trips to Hong Kong, we still ended up there in the evening. The variety of boutiques at Causeway Bay is still unbeatable. It is there where I burnt a large portion of my money on clothes. The priciest item was a navy blue jacket with a pink imprint of Goddess Guan Yin from Tough Jeans at Bauhaus for HKG$890. I have a weakness for Bauhaus clothes, especially Tough Jeans and Salad brands. And boy, are they expensive! I heard they have a branch in Singapore now, but I don't know where.

With much lesser cash, Josh and I decided to take the train and explore some parts of Hong Kong. A full day MTR pass that offered unlimited rides for tourist costs only HKG$50. Excellent.


We kicked off with a stop at Tsim Sha Tsui and spent a long afternoon strolling down Avenue of the Stars and having coffee at the New World Centre. The wind that day was especially cold and our hot brews turned lukewarm waaaay too soon. Gah! So much for keeping warm with hot drinks.

Then I spotted Hong Kong actor Anthony Wong's handprint and I went gaga. I love him, especially for the perverted roles he played. Heh. This is possibly the closest I can get to him.

Next stop, Wan Chai. After interrogating a chai yan (Hong Kong slang for policemen) for a good 15 minutes on where we could have dinner, we figured that Wan Chai was too boring for us. So we headed back to Causeway Bay for dinner then made time for a visit to The Peak. From Central Station, we followed the street signs and took a 15-minute walk to The Peak Tram Station.

I say, The Peak should have a different weather forecast from the rest of Hong Kong. It was blasting icy winds right at the top. I could hardly stand straight against the wind and the cold bit into my ears. I gave up trying to smooth my hair in place, which was being blown around in all possible directions, including upwards.


I also gave up trying to pose prettily for a shot. Keeping my face warm and my teeth from chattering is of utmost importance then, which explains this unglam photo of me with dishevelled hair.

Ahh, but the scenery is worth the torture. Trust me, the photo does the night scene no justice at all.

After a mere 15 minutes up there, my fingers were numb from the cold and even Joshua, the perpetual sweat-ball, started to feel the chill. We escaped back into the warmth of the building and took the tram back to civilisation.

I had to jog my way back to Central Station to keep warm.

We took the ferry back to Macau the next morning to catch our return flight to Singapore. And well, that sums up what we did in Hong Kong and Macau.

Ain't very exciting eh?