These are getting lengthy—but the adventure continues! I’ll start by grouping Tsim Tsa Tsui and Central together. We visited both places more than once, but they’re geographically just across each other from the Victoria Harbour.

Tsim Tsa Tsui + Central

One of the days we went to TST, we first made a quick trip to Australia Dairy Company (47 Parkes St, Jordan, Hong Kong) in Jordan first. I’ve never been but know it’s a must-try so we finally went. There was already a lineup when we got there, but it moved quickly. That’s because once you enter the restaurant you have about 15 minutes to eat before you are pressured to leave. And thus we experienced one of our most chaotic eating experiences in Hong Kong. We ordered the milk pudding (delicious, but burnt the roof of my mouth on this as I was trying to gulp it down), and a breakfast set. The food was great. I was just super stressed the whole time due to the nature of the restaurant.

We went to the Avenue of Stars promenade and also took some pictures by the Victoria Harbour waterfront. This is a nice place to get pictures of the Hong Kong skyline.

Another nice place for pictures (but will cost you a pretty penny) is the Sky 100 Observation Deck (International Commerce Centre (ICC), 1 Austin Rd W, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong)! My cousins treated us to high tea here with my little nieces and nephews! The tea set is actually by the Ritz-Carlton. I felt very fancy. I had a great time hanging out with the little ones and took some cool photos with my family.

For Central, we walked up Pottinger Street. This street looks so unique due to how it leads upwards on tiny steps with stalls surrounding both sides of it. We didn’t stop for shopping though as we had another destination in mind

Past Pottinger Street, we walked to Tai Kwun—the former Central Police Station Compound! They have a free exhibit of old jail cells and museum displays to explain the history of the Hong Kong police force. I’ve never been here before so this was a nice visit out to deepen my knowledge of HK’s history.

Tsuen Wan

Tusen Wan is another neighborhood that I loved going to with my mom and sister when I was young. Old malls and new ones litter this district.

The mall I mostly frequented was Nan Fung Center, which was also connected to New Town Mall. There are many malls the get connected either internally or via pedestrian footbridges in Hong Kong.

In Nan Fung Center we ate at KFC. I adore HK KFC. It’s so different from the Canadian KFC (I avoid KFC in Vancouver at all costs) and my favourite thing to get is their Portuguese egg tart. I feel they’ve perfected it. Nan Fung is the older side of the mall with stalls that sell crystals, jewelry, phone accessories, and the like. They also sell the best (in my opinion) curry fish balls that are properly spicy.

Within Nan Fung lies New Town Mall. This was an old haunt of mine. I actually got my ears pierced in this mall. They are well known for their rows of gacha machines, and I also used to take sticker photos with friends here. I love visiting this accessories store called Magenta, and I was delighted to find they still exist. It’s crammed full of sparkly things for your ears, neck, and hair.

The fiancé and I also walked some footbridges to the surrounding area and other malls. At one point we stopped to eat some fresh rice rolls on the street too.

On our second last day in Hong Kong, I had to come back to Tsuen Wan because they had some cheap iPhone MagSafe accessories I wanted to buy before leaving. It also meant we had an excuse to eat at Mx (美心) in Nan Fung too! We then went again to the nearby surrounding malls where the fiancé got an Oreo Mcdonalds ice cream, and I picked up a froyo cone from Appolo. I remember when there was an Appolo near my grandpa’s place in Mei Foo! This triggered a flush of vivid memories for me—but my mom and sister don’t seem to remember this brand strangely enough.

Jordan

I already talked about Australian Dairy Company up above, but in Jordan, we also visited Temple Street Night Market. It has become quite touristy, but I also think it’s pretty. There are many stalls of trinkets, clothes, and even outdoor food stalls. We passed by a fortune teller section of the market too where many people waited in lines to have their fortunes told. I had wanted to buy some jade buddhas for my fiancé’s sisters here but I couldn’t find a good enough bargain.

We went back to around Temple Street to the Jade Market (251 Shanghai St, Yau Ma Tei, Hong Kong) where I ended up haggling prices way down for a jade bangle and 3 jade buddhas. The lady at the stall said I was truly ripping her off (in a laughing manner) and I told her I know that’s probably not true, but I told her it still made me feel proud so I thanked her for it. They also initially showed me jade bangles that were very suspiciously fake and probably meant for tourists (which I am too–but come on). I started ringing the bangles and examining it under the light, which led her and her stall mate to go behind the stall to take out a batch of other bangles that looked much more convincing. Are the jade pieces real? I think you can go in assuming it’s not—or that it’s probably some low-grade jade. That said, I’ve learned that it’s really hard to tell even if you’re a jade expert. Either way though, I left with some nice pieces to take home for fun!

Ocean Park/Causeway Bay

Since my fiancé had never gone to Ocean Park during his prior 2 visits to HK, we took him to visit this Asian amusement park! It’s now much more convenient to get there. I remember when I was young, we’d have to take the subway and then a bus that would make me incredibly car-sick. There now is a direct MTR stop to Ocean Park! We had a good time here exploring the animal exhibits and some of the strange experiences. My dad’s ticket was super cheap since he’s a senior! He really should go more often.

After a day of walking around Ocean Park, we met up with my mom to tour around Causeway Bay. We spent a good amount of time at Donki (Don Quijote) and bought lots of stuff back for friends and our doggo! We also ate at 2 places for dinner. We first went to a fancy Michelin-starred wonton noodles place called Ho Hung Kee (Shop 1204-1205, 12F, Hysan Place, 500 Hennessy Road, Hong Kong). Then later at night, we went to Ichiran (Shop H – I, Ground Floor, Lockhart House, Block A, 440 Jaffe Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong) to eat late-night ramen! Surprisingly enough, even my mom and dad got a bowl. A delicious night of hot noodles in our bellies.

Mei Foo

I’m saving Mei Foo for last because I have many fond memories with family here. Growing up in Hong Kong, every Saturday we’d visit Mei Foo for family dinners. My grandpa on my mom’s side and my grandma on my dad’s side both lived in Mei Foo. It was a central place for my mom and dad’s side to convene with their brothers and sisters. I grew up with my cousins through these weekly get-togethers.

Mei Foo has changed a bit. Some old stalls I’m accustomed to are no longer there. Yet the base bones of Mei Foo remains the same. My grandpa’s apartment looks different—he’s since passed away for many years now. My cousin now lives here with 5 cats. On the family altar, I looked at the black and white photos of my aunts and uncles who have joined the shelves behind the incense bowl. I lit some incense during my trips up tothis apartment to pay my respects. I miss them dearly, but I hope they know that we’re all doing well down here and Mei Foo is still a place we all continue to build fond family memories around.

Till next time Hong Kong!