Since hubby was on a short business trip to Hong Kong, we took the opportunity to take a mini-break together and visit some interesting sites both in HK and in Macau.

Our room at Lan Kwai Fong hotel, it was quite old and maybe a bit dusty but it was very central and the staff were nice and spoke good English.

this is our view from the hotel

It was hubby’s first time to visit both countries, while this is already the second time for me. Our hotel was very central, located in-between Sheung Wan and Central MTR stations, and within walking distance to the Ferry Port.

On our first day, hubby was off to work doing a presentation to the HK branch of his company while I did the Jose Rizal tour of Hong Kong. From our hotel, which is close to Hollywood Road and Lan Kwai Fong, I had to take the escalator at Shelley Road to arrive at Rednaxela Terrace.

The escalator leading to Rednaxela Terrace, where Jose Rizal lived with his family while in Hong Kong.

this is the longest series of escalators in the world

 It was a good thing our hotel was situated within walking distance to all the Jose Rizal sites.

It’s nice of HK to give recognition to Jose Rizal

The entrace to Rednaxela Terrace from the escalator at Shelley Road

Rednaxela Terrace is the place where Jose Rizal lived with his family while he was on self-imposed exile in Hong Kong. I found this place called The Rednaxela alongside the tiny passage called Rednaxela Terrace.  I was not so sure, though, if it was the exact location of Jose Rizal’s apartment/house in HK back then since I couldn’t find the number of the buildings in the area.

From Rednaxela Terrace, I had to retrace my steps back to Stanley Road to get to the long overpass which takes me closer to D’Aguilar Street, where he had his clinic when he was practicing medicine. I got off at Queen’s Road and made a turn at D’Aguilar Street to find this place. It was right at the corner of Stanley Street and D’Aguilar Street. just a very short distance to Lan Kwai Fong.

Another Jose Rizal site in Hong Kong (D’Aguilar Street)

This is the building where Jose Rizal practiced medicine during his stay in HK

recommended by Lonely Planet

I went to eat at an authentic Chinese restaurant recommended by my Lonely Planet guidebook in-between Lan Kwai Fong and D’Aguilar Street, and then had coffee at a Starbucks branch right inside the Jose Rizal building.

After lunch, I decided to walked around the Lan Kwai Fong area a bit, and found this quiet amphitheater with lots of graffiti and some kids playing.

A quiet amphitheater at Lan Kwai Fong

I get scared walking right next to or under these bamboo braces (?) of construction sites on the road

old and dilapidated apartments near our hotel

antique shop

inside Man Mo Temple (under renovation)

After my siesta I went for a walk around our hotel and towards Man Mo Temple. When I got there, it was under renovation. And when I went outside, I got covered with soot from the cylindrical joss sticks suspended from the ceiling. Along the way, I passed by some nice old dilapidated buildings housing apartments, restaurants and shops. I find them quite charming.

In the evening, hubby and I took the MTR to Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon to meet an ex-colleague who now lives in HK for dinner. The MTR station was overcrowded during rush hours. It was crazy. And also maybe because it was the Chinese Holiday season and HK was even more crowded because of the visiting tourists from Mainland China.

everybody waits at the “NO WAITING” area

Slicing the duck in front of guests

The Chinese ducks are very different from the french ducks, they don’t have so much fat under the skin..

Handmade noodles in progress

Mmm…

The restaurant in Kowloon looked really fancy and served authentic Peking Duck dishes. They slice the duck and make the noodles in front of guests. It was my first time to have Peking Duck. Our friend taught us how to eat it together with a slice of cucumber, dipped in thick sweet soy sauce all wrapped in Chinese wrapper. It was quite good.

Afterwards, we had a short promenade by the harbor to take pictures at the Walk of Fame area.

More next time… ciao for now!

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