Oh, the Pollution!
I hadn't really taken much notice of the pollution here in Hong Kong because there isn't much at CUHK, and pollution isn't nonexistent in malls. But today I spent about nine hours out in Causeway Bay, and now my throat is very agitated and I'm coughing a lot more than before.
I started my day off being seated in a smoking section of Cafe EOS where I had brunch. Then I wandered the area looking for Paterson Street where shopping is supposed to be good. Well, I found "Fashion Walk" and realized all the stores were out of my price range. The "consummate shopper" friend of The New York Times' "Frugal Traveler" lied. Or maybe the way it was written misled me to believe that the places he mentioned would be relatively inexpensive.
I also could not find a restaurant that I had found on the very outdated Hong Kong District Food Guide (mentioned in a previous post). I decided to call the restaurant, and, as every other restaurant number I've tried to call from that website, the phone number did not work. It seems like all the restaurants listed on that stupid site are out of business. It's too bad, too, because I (along with my friend, Brian) was really looking forward to eating peking duck.
I headed to Victoria Park hoping to find a spot where I could read, but I soon found out there was a rock concert going on. Though it was blocked off and cost $500 to get in, I could still hear it. I walked around the park and spotted many Filipino "domestic helpers," Westerners, and locals.
There were other festivities going on that were free to the public. There were two inflatable playgrounds for kids, some booths set up, and a stage set up where I watched a Chinese (sort of) acrobat who balanced a bunch of cups on plates on a very long stick on a short stick in his mouth (sorry, that's the quickest way to describe it). He did a few other tricks showing off his flexibility, then these kids came out and did some yo-yo tricks, but they looked very unhappy/bored, so I left.
The park was pretty big. There were football (soccer) courts, tennis courts, basketball courts, a court where kids were rollerblading, a swimming pool, and a shallow pool where people were racing their miniature motorized boats. I couldn't find the HK Central Library, and I didn't see the statue of Queen Victoria either. A huge area of the park was blocked off for the very expensive "Rockit" concert, so I don't know what's normally there.
Most of the benches were already taken, and I probably wouldn't have been able to read in peace, so I decided to continue wandering the streets of Causeway Bay. I suppose I spent most of my time getting lost and looking at menus of possible restaurants to go to with Brian before he called and said he was on his way. I continued wandering the streets/shopping and wandered into the Causeway Bay Plaza. I got suckered in for a makeover by a very nice Smashbox employee and ended up buying the most expensive makeup I've ever bought (but also the best quality makeup and application tools I've ever had.) Sorry Mom. At least I get a free eyebrow shaping!
I met up with Brian and we checked out the menus of countless restaurants and finally went into a Malaysian restaurant on Jaffe Road. I tried a traditional Malaysian noodle dish called Prawn Mee. I also tried a piece of this toast Brian ordered which had some sort of savory-sweet paste in the middle. Malaysian spices are all new to me, so I couldn't put a name to any of the flavors in the dishes.
After dinner, we still had room for dessert, so we went to get some frozen yogurt in Island Beverly. Many frozen yogurt places here let you choose what fruit you want, then they put it in a machine and it mashes it together with frozen yogurt and it comes out flavored! I chose mango and peach. It was yummy, though probably not as good as Hui Lau Shan's desserts.
On our way from the MTR station to the KCR station at Tsim Sha Tsui, we spotted a group of male CUHK exchange students most likely on their way to Lan Kwai Fong. It's amazing how often exchange students go clubbing at Lan Kwai Fong. I haven't even been there! However, I realize secondhand smoking really bothers me, so I probably won't be going to any clubs or bars any time soon.
I should probably sleep now. I hope the effects of the pollution and secondhand smoking on my throat will disappear by tomorrow morning. Ugh.
I started my day off being seated in a smoking section of Cafe EOS where I had brunch. Then I wandered the area looking for Paterson Street where shopping is supposed to be good. Well, I found "Fashion Walk" and realized all the stores were out of my price range. The "consummate shopper" friend of The New York Times' "Frugal Traveler" lied. Or maybe the way it was written misled me to believe that the places he mentioned would be relatively inexpensive.
I also could not find a restaurant that I had found on the very outdated Hong Kong District Food Guide (mentioned in a previous post). I decided to call the restaurant, and, as every other restaurant number I've tried to call from that website, the phone number did not work. It seems like all the restaurants listed on that stupid site are out of business. It's too bad, too, because I (along with my friend, Brian) was really looking forward to eating peking duck.
I headed to Victoria Park hoping to find a spot where I could read, but I soon found out there was a rock concert going on. Though it was blocked off and cost $500 to get in, I could still hear it. I walked around the park and spotted many Filipino "domestic helpers," Westerners, and locals.
There were other festivities going on that were free to the public. There were two inflatable playgrounds for kids, some booths set up, and a stage set up where I watched a Chinese (sort of) acrobat who balanced a bunch of cups on plates on a very long stick on a short stick in his mouth (sorry, that's the quickest way to describe it). He did a few other tricks showing off his flexibility, then these kids came out and did some yo-yo tricks, but they looked very unhappy/bored, so I left.
The park was pretty big. There were football (soccer) courts, tennis courts, basketball courts, a court where kids were rollerblading, a swimming pool, and a shallow pool where people were racing their miniature motorized boats. I couldn't find the HK Central Library, and I didn't see the statue of Queen Victoria either. A huge area of the park was blocked off for the very expensive "Rockit" concert, so I don't know what's normally there.
Most of the benches were already taken, and I probably wouldn't have been able to read in peace, so I decided to continue wandering the streets of Causeway Bay. I suppose I spent most of my time getting lost and looking at menus of possible restaurants to go to with Brian before he called and said he was on his way. I continued wandering the streets/shopping and wandered into the Causeway Bay Plaza. I got suckered in for a makeover by a very nice Smashbox employee and ended up buying the most expensive makeup I've ever bought (but also the best quality makeup and application tools I've ever had.) Sorry Mom. At least I get a free eyebrow shaping!
I met up with Brian and we checked out the menus of countless restaurants and finally went into a Malaysian restaurant on Jaffe Road. I tried a traditional Malaysian noodle dish called Prawn Mee. I also tried a piece of this toast Brian ordered which had some sort of savory-sweet paste in the middle. Malaysian spices are all new to me, so I couldn't put a name to any of the flavors in the dishes.
After dinner, we still had room for dessert, so we went to get some frozen yogurt in Island Beverly. Many frozen yogurt places here let you choose what fruit you want, then they put it in a machine and it mashes it together with frozen yogurt and it comes out flavored! I chose mango and peach. It was yummy, though probably not as good as Hui Lau Shan's desserts.
On our way from the MTR station to the KCR station at Tsim Sha Tsui, we spotted a group of male CUHK exchange students most likely on their way to Lan Kwai Fong. It's amazing how often exchange students go clubbing at Lan Kwai Fong. I haven't even been there! However, I realize secondhand smoking really bothers me, so I probably won't be going to any clubs or bars any time soon.
I should probably sleep now. I hope the effects of the pollution and secondhand smoking on my throat will disappear by tomorrow morning. Ugh.
posted by Michelle at
9:28 AM
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