Shopping, drinking and a small bit of culture

On Friday I left work at 5:30 (!!) but alas not straight to the pub, I went to a talk by the ICE as part of operation 'become chartered engineer' - I think I'm now inspired to apply this year, watch this space! 

The talk was actually really helpful and good to see how the Institution works in this part of the world, it was also held in a building right next door to another enormous shopping centre, so not all bad.

Uniqlo store number 4 for the week (more on this later).

After the lecture / quick snoop around the shops I went to meet Stephen in the bar near his work and enjoyed a couple of big bottles of Magners (he later told me they were £7 each, ouch - think I prefer my after work local!). Still it was a good laugh although we managed to stay out too late to find anywhere to eat other than McDonalds. (There are places open but the menus are all in Cantonese and we're either not brave enough or are embarrassed by our complete lack of linguistic ability). I had a McCurry burger, was alright but not a patch on the McProsperity burger they were selling during Chinese New year.

On Saturday Stephen went to play volleyball while I sat knitting and watched American Idol... I then thought I should do something slightly more productive and got off my lazy bum and went to the gym. Stephen returned home from volleyball with some amazing bread from a bakery he'd walked past.

In the afternoon we went into central and took the star ferry over to Tsim Sha Tsui. We've not been over there for quite a while but for good reason it seems. Men accosting you asking if you want 'copy watch' 'tailor suit' handbag' the minute you get off the ferry and generally just crazy busy with people queuing to get into the designer shops! My mission however was to find some red shorts to match my red shoes. I'd seen them in Uniqlo but the stock of size XXL (no I haven't put on several stone in 2 weeks, that's just what a UK 12 equals to round here) was limited. (I've been to 4 other Uniqlo shops on the island this week hunting them down). I now have the same shorts in red, navy and purple - result!

Pretty!

I also got myself a new North Face rucksack for the gym half price, so not a bad haul for an afternoons work. After all this shopping, Stephen needed a beer so we went to see if Beer Bay was open, as it had been closed the previous times we'd been past and were worried it had shut. Fortunately not and we enjoyed some cheap beers (and british bar snacks - bacon fries and peanuts!) watching the ferries come and go.

Several pints later and sustenance was required. We'd read about a Thai restaurant in Pacific Place (another high end shopping mall) so jumped on a bus to Admiralty. There was a 10 minute wait for a table and we looked at the menu prices, £15-20 a meal (this is HK, it's all relative!), made some feeble excuse about meeting friends and left. Before leaving though we used the facilities - seriously the poshest toilets in the world!

We then got on the tram to Fortress Hill to go to a different Thai restaurant I'd heard about - good move! We ate like kings for £30 total, was incredible.

Singha for Stephen, Longan tea for me 

 Tasty

New favourite desert - Sticky mango rice

Definitely one we'll be going back to / taking visitors to. It was in a cooked food centre so very basic but an experience you don't get in the UK.

This morning we went for a walk around Sheung Wan, mainly because I wanted to go to the bakery Stephen had been to yesterday to get another ham bread thing - look at it, it was ace!

Enormous breadstick full of ham!

We then set off walking to the City Gallery - it used to be called the Museum of Infrastructure and Urban Planning but I'm not sure that attracted many people....

En route we came across Olivers - a western supermarket we'd heard about but never been. It seriously sells everything - Bacon Fries, Creme Eggs, UK cleaning products, you name it. It also had a freezer full of oven pizzas... how much?! £7 for a chicago town pizza?? I know we don't have an oven but even if we did why would you pay that - only a couple of pounds more to eat at the amazing new pizza place we went to last week.

Ouch 

The City Gallery was really interesting and amazing to see how HK has grown over the last hundred years and everything they've got planned for the future. One of the main differences between here and the UK is if they want a new rail line, they'll build it - there's no red tape, no lengthy consultations, it just gets done. (Also free entry!).

Entrance 

TST today 

TST 'yesterday'

After the museum we went for a quick walk along the newly reopened waterfront, it's really smart and definitely something to do when the weather is a bit nicer than today - serious smog / fog!

Admiralty in the distance 

Central government offices

Smoggy view

Now we've just enjoyed a curry takeaway and are watching the Bahrain Grand Prix. Think I'll do a spot of knitting and then it's bedtime ready for another week of work. Only 5 days though as we're flying to Phuket next Saturday morning for a long weekend - can't wait!