Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Hong Kong, Day 1: Chill Night... Yeah Right!



Depressed by the thought of being left behind by my sister’s family (especially my adorable niece, Nana) when they took off for New York, my dad decided that it was time for another trip to Hong Kong.

We as a family love that city. When we were kids, we would go there in the summer or during “sem break” with our Lolo Meo, Lola Nena, Titos, Titas and cousins. I remember trekking down the long corridor from our hotel to Toys R US at Ocean Terminal in Kowloon with my sisters and cousins, then lugging back our purchases to our room where we would feast on fried chicken, mushroom soup and strawberries with whipped cream.





Hong Kong’s charm for me is that it is exotic and exciting as any foreign city, yet I have established a cozy familiarity with the place which is comfortable and relaxing. After trips to Toys R Us have been abandoned for more grown-up activities, it still continues to deliver all kinds of thrilling escapades which I constantly look forward to. Thankfully, this particular trip did not fail to deliver.





As we- My parents, sister Foxychef and I- checked into our favorite hotel (the Marco Polo Hongkong) on Canton Road, we were told that we were going to be given an upgrade to a Harborview Deluxe Room. This was wonderful news, since anyone who has been to Hong Kong would know that the views from Kowloon of the skyscrapers on Hong Kong Island are quite stunning. If you sit on the Star Ferry pier at around 8 PM, you would be able to catch a captivating lights and sounds show that showcases the architectural masterpieces on the other side of the harbor.




We met Foxychef’s friends, Beersponge and Juggies, for a late lunch at Crystal Jade Xiao Long Bao Restaurant at Harbour City. As always, we then headed to City Super where we stocked up on snacks and, ehem, beverages. I wish we could have supermarkets in Manila like this, where there are several choices of gourmet and deli products. On our last day, Foxychef went to town on it by grabbing bottles of dry herbs and spices, condiments and cooking tools.


As we attempted to think conservatively, we decided to just chill in the room with our drinks and snacks, reserving our energy and funds to “fight another day”, so to speak. After all, we had enough drinks in our pantry to last us through the night. But, as in any random drinking spree, events could always take an unexpected turn.





A few beers and a bottle of wine after, our group decided to take a cab to Knutsford Terrace on Kimberly Road. We found a table at Que Pasa, a Mexican and Spanish restaurant at the ground floor of Knutsford Plaza. I ordered a Reposado Margarita on the rocks, Foxychef and Beersponge ordered their beers, and for Juggies- a “jug” of Strawberry Margarita, which we were only too happy to help her with.



And then, the craziness began.


For your viewing pleasure, some pictures from a nearby club called All Night Long

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

ha,ha,ha.......funny photos at the end, Chinkee. And I am quite curious about Hong Kong. Please, more photos and information.

I stayed in Copenhagen/Danemark last week-end and visited one of the Top 10 restaurants in the world called NOMA. Here are some photos:

http://dat.erobertparker.com/bboard/showthread.php?t=194861

Nice trip,
Martin
www.berlinkitchen.com

Unknown said...

Hi Martin! Glad you enjoyed the photos. That was one fun night, for sure. Hanging out with my sister's friends keeps me feeling young. Hehe.

I will be posting more entries about my trip to Hong Kong. Stay tuned...:-)

Noel said...

Sheesh, I used to have around 8-9 cases of Belgian beer in my basement, Grimbergen (but the dubbel, not blond like what you had - I prefer dark beers) included. I wound up giving more than half of my stock to my brother-in-law and my wife's late uncle (a great German fellow). gave the Doc a mixed case as well if I recall....I should have met you sooner, I would have given you some too.

N

Unknown said...

Hi Noel! Shucks, sayang. I really liked Grimbergen Blonde, and I'm sure the dark one would be just as yummy.

Basta if you get more of that stuff, don't forget your raging alcoholic friends.:-)

Unknown said...

how fun!!! :)