I'm Going to Go Back There Some Day

What do two travel addicts do when their travel will be drastically curbed come 2012? Pack up the suitcases and pack in the trips! Leaving Asia without seeing Hong Kong one more time was unthinkable for me, so about a month ago we took that 3.5 hour flight from one of the world's most eh-alright cities to one of the world's greatest (in the humble opinion of the author, but trust me). We visited one year ago, nearly to the same date, but we had only moved four months prior and all our friends were still living there, so it felt as if we had hardly left. Paul also worked for two days when we were last there, while this time we went purely for the purpose of being in a place that we love.

After our cramped 6:30 a.m. flight, we had to wait on the non-resident immigration line at the HK airport because our resident cards have expired; no more breezing through with the magic thumbprint. Everything else was instantly familiar. We got into town by early afternoon and checked into our first hotel in Lan Kwai Fong, the crazy busy center of the city. It was a nice hotel, but it's in a tower that also contains bars and restaurants and overlooks the streets of LKF where sidewalk revelry continues late into the night. It was only a Thursday, but when I briefly woke at 2:30 a.m., I could still hear a buzz.

After checking in we quickly headed off to the tailor that has made custom suits for Paul in the past. They have all his measurements on record but they re-checked a few before he chose material and ordered another suit and some pants to be collected on Saturday - two days later. How many ways is this city great?

We hopped on a tram toward Wan Chai, our former neighborhood. To my surprise, my beloved $2 tram (a few cents in USD) now cost $2.30. We were lucky we had some spare change or we'd be fare dodging criminals on the run. We took a short walk before lunch. Much was the same. There were several new eateries that I have no doubt we would have eagerly sampled (sigh). We had a lunch reservation at Rokaku, our favorite sushi place. That's right - I ate sushi, and I and my unborn child lived to tell the tale. Don't tell the pregnancy cops. To Paul's great disappointment, they had no salmon sushi, which he had been imagining since he made the reservation. But it was still as good as always.

Next on the list and just around the corner was Sift, the cupcake shop. Personally, that's what I've been dreaming about... always. We ate them outside and savored every crumb. Then Paul went off to get a haircut while I did a little shopping. The selection of maternity clothes in Singapore is rather dismal and, not surprisingly, overpriced. So I took the opportunity to hit up some shops I knew in hopes of picking up some essentials.

We both eventually ended up at the hotel where we freshened up for dinner. When planning our must-have meals, our first choice was our favorite restaurant Wagyu. Tragically, they decided to close for renovation the week we were in town. But Wagyu Lounge, the smaller sister restaurant/lounge nearby has a very similar menu so we had a suitable back-up. And really, there were no complaints. Service was still as service should be. We shared a delicious appetizer and mmm'd over excellent steaks. We ordered a bottle of wine, of which I had a glass.

***Disclaimer*** My doctor stated that she has no problem with the occasional glass of wine. I didn't even ask. She brought it up, and she has certificates on her wall. I am just a sensible adult, but I agree.

Upon receiving the bill, we realized what perspective can do. We had a truly satisfying dining experience - with wine - and the price seemed reasonable... better than reasonable, almost inexpensive

compared to what we would pay for the equivalent (as if there were one) in Singapore.

We stopped at a small bar in Soho called 1911 that we used to go to occasionally. Then we walked back to LKF Tower which housed our hotel and stopped in one of the new bars there, Lily, just taking in the variety of old and new. We would probably find ourselves at Lily again if we still lived there, preferably when I could have an actual drink rather than watching others drink. It was great to have so much within walking distance of the hotel. Hitting the bed became the next must-do activity after a long day of travel.

The next day Paul went off on his own while I met friends for lunch at a new place, also by the Wagyu group. Considering how hard it is getting a group of busy girls together, it was a pleasant surprise that all whom I met in the YWCA's "At Home" class my first year in HK were available, at least the six who remain in HK, and we had a lovely lunch. Then my friend Victoria came maternity shopping with me. She's also pregnant with her second, due one week after I am.

Don't feel too bad for Paul being abandoned. He did some shopping of his own and fit in a massage at our favorite Wan Chai place. In the evening we met my friend Peggy and her husband Sander for dinner at W52, another new Italian place which was very good. Peggy bought us our first baby gift, actually our first baby item whatsoever, an adorable little outfit with a rabbit on it since the baby will be born in the year of the rabbit in the Chinese Zodiac. At least it better be a rabbit because if I have a dragon, as cool a nickname "Dragon" is, it means I will have been over two weeks past the due date.

We spent our second and third nights at a different hotel than the first, a Novotel in Wan Chai, because we used credit card points to pay for it. It wasn't as swanky as Hotel LKF, but the room was quieter (and free). It also put us in walking distance of a very important destination: The Flying Pan. Saturday morning started with a satisfying breakfast at our favorite weekend comfort spot. We frequented the place enough that the wait staff always knew that we both ordered iced lemon teas every time and they would practically hand them to us as we came through the door. After nearly a year and a half, they seated us and stunned me as one said, "Two iced lemon teas?" Then I felt guilty that they may think we just don't go there anymore! 

Flying Pan

After breakfast, we went to the Thai massage place where I indulged in one of the things I miss most, a cheap 90 minute foot massage. Paul joined me, but maybe he shouldn't have since he woke the next day to bruises on his legs and a mild rash from the massage oil. It wouldn't be a trip for us if he didn't claim that I try to kill him somehow. My legs were fine.

I had a brief meet-up with another friend, and then Paul and I spent the rest of the afternoon walking, shopping and picking up the finished suit. For a trip that should have been inexpensive, with a free hotel and budget flight, it ended as anything but. Paul bought a camera (long cringe-worthy tale regarding a series of injured cameras); I bought a camera lens, and we both bought clothes. We bought all this there because it's much cheaper than in Singapore, so we continue our questionable endeavors of spending money to save money.

Exhausted, we had a quick rest before meeting our friends Victoria and John at yet another new find, Duecento Otto (208). Excellent food in an elegant atmosphere. Unfortunately I had woken up with a sore throat and by evening felt an oncoming cold, so I had less of an appetite than I should to fully appreciate everything on my plate, though I heroically persevered through dessert. After dinner Paul and I made stops at two of our old spots, MO bar, where I had a glass of orange juice rather then my favorite lychee rose martini, then live music at The Lobster Bar, where I had peppermint tea rather than my favorite chocolate mint martini.

Sunday I awoke feeling terrible. At least the full force of illness struck on the last day, not the first. We decided on a final meal of dim sum at Peking Garden. I had even less of an appetite, and I knew that that would make me sad some time in the future when I may be in the mood for good dim sum. We walked back to Wan Chai and absorbed many familiar scenes, as if I could transport them with us. We paused once more at Ship St., our old residence. I stood and gazed down the street with a lump in my throat. Then off to the airport.

Down on our old corner

I was so truly happy to be in Hong Kong again. I loved every moment, and I said aloud more than once what I felt inside: I am happy. Some of the storefronts, names and places have changed, but the essence of Hong Kong thankfully remains the same. Some friends have since moved, but it was a joy to see the friends who are still there; they are part of what made our experience all that it was. We revisited old favorites yet we were also met with many new delights. It's also wonderful to have cities of the world, once foreign, feel familiar... to walk around without a map, to smile at the best, to grumble at the worst (people still walk straight into you). In many ways it still felt like home. What a privilege.

Sometimes you don't know what you have until you miss it, but I cannot say this about Hong Kong. I'm thankful that I knew that I loved it while I lived it. I hope we encounter its vibrance again one day. 

Two iced lemon teas, on the way!

A little Mac in Hong Kong

Deja Vu

We've returned from the 4-day tour of Hong Kong. Paul, the employed one, flew business class on Singapore Airlines while I flew economy on Jetstar - at 6:40 a.m. (yawn). You do what you must for a cheap flight. A smile still found its way to my weary face as I looked out the window to find the green mountains sprawling toward the approach to Hong Kong's airport, just where I had left them. I didn't have much trepidation being on my own because I know HK's marvelous airport intimately.

It was raining when I got there. I had arranged lunch with two friends so I checked in at the hotel and my feet barely grazed the room before I was off to meet them. Over the course of lunch the rain reached "Black Rain" status (there's a description here, probably from June 2008 about black rain; it's an indicator of a whole lotta rain). Good to be back! It was an excuse to linger over tapas. Eventually, the rain mostly subsided and husbands resurfaced from work and tracked us down. Paul met me pre-dinner time after his half day at the office and we ate in Yung Kee, an HK classic. We went straight back to the hotel and quickly surrendered to exhaustion.

The next morning I was a tourist. There's a place, the Chi Lin Nunnery, that I honestly meant to visit for almost two years and, somehow, I failed to get there. I was determined this time. It's quick and easy to travel by train from the city. My friend Peggy met me there before she took off for a trip home to New Zealand. The rain had cleared overnight and it was hot. I know I live in Singapore, a tropical climate. So could Hong Kong possibly be worse - in July and August anyway? It seems impossible, but I boldly say, Yes. Sweat rolled down the sides of my nose the minute I stepped from the train station.

Luckily, the trip was worth the sweat. What a beautiful, tranquil spot in the midst of a bustling world. I've seen lots of temples in my Asia travels, but this one was perhaps one of the prettiest, and all the wood structures were built without one nail. What I found most interesting was the juxtaposition of a scenic retreat against the ubiquitous high-rise apartment blocks and the backdrop of green hills. There was a tea house on the grounds and Peggy and I stopped in for some tea and dumplings in an effort to escape the heat. If any of you ever visit someone else who lives in Hong Kong, I highly recommend a visit to Chi Lin.

 

Later that afternoon I ran off again to meet two friends for afternoon tea. My friend Victoria brought her one-year-old son and my friend Hester is pregnant, as is another friend whom I didn't get to see because she was visiting the UK. Something about that rain...

There are important decisions to make in life. As the dinner hour approached again, Paul and I faced ours. After careful consideration we chose our favorite little sushi place in our old neighborhood of Wan Chai. No regrets with that decision, except that it was so good it makes me wish I could go there right now. Did you know salmon could melt in your mouth? Back at the hotel we stopped in the bar, which we always liked, for some live music. Morning tea  + afternoon tea + a few sips of dinner tea = I know better but I like tea and I'll sleep some other night.

Early the next morning I got my hair done since I haven't yet found anyone too reliable in Singapore. In my non-stop social blitz of Hong Kong, I met a group for lunch at a posh restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental hotel. My friend Leslie made it her noble ambition last year to dine at as many Michelin starred restaurants as possible. I made it to two with her before I left and I was lucky to be present for another on this day. Leslie is in treatment for breast cancer and my visit also coincided with one of her good weeks between chemo rounds. She looks great and has an inspirational strength and an irrepressible sense of humor.

At lunch I also got to see my friend and old J Residence neighbor Maggie who, as of this past weekend, has moved to China. She and her husband were also staying in a hotel since movers packed them up the day before, so I didn't get to visit J Res.

A drink with Leslie then off again to dinner. This time we chose our overall favorite HK dining spot, Wagyu, and my friend Victoria and her husband John joined us. Happily none of our chosen meals disappointed. A final drink in Lan Kwai Fong and then I finally saw the hotel room for more than a few minutes.

On Saturday morning Paul and I did a little required shopping and I had a stroll around Wan Chai before we met one of his coworkers for a dim sum lunch. Then Maggie and her husband Chris met us in Wan Chai for the event I had been waiting for: a foot massage at Siam Thai Massage. I got really accustomed to those massages. Hey, when you can have your feet rubbed for an hour for about $10, it's simply wrong to pass up. Singapore lacks such economical pursuits of relaxation.

Then we got tattoos. You see, I love Maggie, but I don't love her love of theme parties. That night was her and Chris' farewell party and - similar to her birthday last year where everyone had to wear a uniform and I was a Mad Men style secretary and Paul was a chef - the theme was trailer trash. When in Rome... So Paul sported a big eagle on his arm and one on the other forearm: the double eagle. I went for a classy rose on my chest. Let's just say that the tats complemented the chosen outfits. And let's also say that after the party while everyone was hanging out at a bar, someone asked Paul where he was from. When he said NY, the guy said, "No way! You look more like you're from Texas than I do - and I'm from Texas." Maybe it was the handlebar 'stache. My husband dedicated himself to the occasion and shaved part of his face that I haven't seen in about 15 years. My outfit, complete with pink fuzzy pants that I wear to sleep but some people wear in public (often with a logo written across the butt) earned a lot of stares. Trashy costumes: successful. Oh, my friend Kathleen is also pregnant now but not yet pregnant enough to pull off the classic 'pregnant woman in a too small shirt holding a beer can and cigarette.'

I had to leave a little earlier than Paul for my flight home on Sunday. I was sad to leave - again. I miss Hong Kong - again. Everyone asked me how I find life in Singapore and for most, "Fine" was not a sufficient answer. I sincerely don't wish to sound negative or unappreciative, so I managed to provide some details of how Singapore is "fine," but I can't deny that I (we) prefer Hong Kong. I was asked, if we had moved to Singapore first, do I think we might like it more. That's a good question and I think, perhaps, we would. But it's impossible to withhold comparisons now that it is in fact our second home in Asia. As I walked through the streets of Hong Kong, the strangest feeling was that I was not a stranger. We haven't been gone so long and everything remains so familiar that it still felt like I was home, and the only odd part was not staying.