Asian Adventure - The Streets, 4 May 2019

Breakfast at the Dorsett Mongkok was exceptional, just like the Light Hotel in Hanoi. I have always considered standards to be higher in Asia - the hotels, service and of course the breakfast. The amount of different types of food on offer was large, certainly not the miserable displays I have consumed in continental Europe; this was a banquet fit for a king. You may well take the boy out of England, but you can't take England out of the boy - naturally I chose English fayre, or rather the Hong Kong equivalent, which was pretty good. We ate as much as we could before the day ahead, by now standard practice. Navigating the streets of Hong Kong on a full stomach was preferable to a rumbling belly. The restaurant on the second floor was busy, as an early start beckoned, a walk through the famous streets of Kowloon was the plan, nothing too strenuous on our second day in this large thriving city, the pearl of the orient!

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It must have taken us an hour to walk to Nathan Road. Rain was spitting ever so slightly and I know we were all glad to see the bright lights of Hong Kong's famous shopping district. People were gathering on corners taking photographs, laden with heavy shopping bags full of designer clothes and bargains from one of the many department stores, that patronise the area!

We decided to find somewhere to eat in one of the many Cāntīng Houses at the top of a shopping mall on the periphery of Hong Kong's famous district. After much deliberation we settled on a restaurant over looking the shops and bustling road below and sat down waiting to be served. We ordered a beer to start, which we were informed wasn't possible. This was rather confusing, since we were sat right next to a bar, advertising alcohol for sale, draft Hong Kong beer on tap and bottles of wine on display. Maybe it was just tourists who couldn't drink? Maybe we just weren't allowed to drink before midday? We just had no idea. Bewildered, we got up and left, leaving the poor waiter looking dumbfounded! It became blatantly obvious that we wouldn't be able to purchase an alcoholic beverage before 6pm, at least in this part of Hong Kong.

It was strange walking around the streets with all the food on display, freshly cooked to order, yet not a glass of wine or bottle of beer in site, in complete contrast to Europe, which would be full of holiday makers and tourists alike, having an afternoon aperitif before lunch!

We spent the next few hours walking around shops and markets, buying some souvenirs, haggling with vendors and soaking up the lively atmosphere. To be honest as much as I was enjoying my experience in downtown Kowloon, it wasn't particularly different from any other city I have ever been to. Overpriced gear, tourist tat and a population on the move, without a care for anyone but themselves. Pushed and shoved, hit by umbrellas, we stopped in a local restaurant for a bite to eat, without the much needed alcohol!

The food in this small cafe right next door to KFC, which we had considered going in first, was lovely. I chose some of my now favourite Dim Sum and a rather hot rice and beef dish which was tasty, well cooked and filled a hole, at least in the food department. I was still rather miffed we couldn't get a beer, but accepted that wasn't going to happen until we returned to the hotel. The price was rather good too, costing about twenty pounds for three of us to eat. Considering we were in Nathan Road, the Oxford Street of Hong Kong, prices were more than reasonable. Looking over my shoulder outside, I was content to sit and watch the people outside, rushing to their destination, popping out for a bite to eat in their lunch break, or like us admiring the great expanse before them. This was a city like no other and it was a World away from the UK.

The walk back to the hotel was long, having got lost on a number of occasions. Once again I was delighted to observe, contemplate and appreciate the culture on display. Despite Hong Kong's western feel, there was still much about the place that oozed the far east. The way people live and work, buildings so tall they made me shiver inside. Live fish and other aquatic life for sale, consumed fresh from the stalls. Colours and smells unlike anything I have experienced before, all temping the senses, as we eventually found our way home.

At 6pm we went to the Executive Lounge at our hotel, where guests were given complimentary wine and food to consume at leisure. This was something we opted for when booking this friendly hotel and we weren't disappointed. For an hour and a half we sat comfortably, watching the sun go down outside, as Kowloon took on another persona. This was an ever changing neighbourhood of Hong Kong that I liked. It wasn't in the flashy business district with no soul or personality, it was the centre of normal life for most residents of this part of China. The Dorsett Mongkok hotel was the perfect stop for us on our Asian Adventure, centrally situated and within walking distance of bars, shops and eating houses. The Executive Lounge was an added bonus, beautiful serene, comfortable and very much appreciated after a busy day walking.

We managed to get through a good few bottles of wine before leaving our hotel and  exploring the local area, enjoying a few well earned beers along the way. Chillworks, just a few blocks up, was a local bar run by by Kenny Mok, who made all of us feel at home, as we sat talking to an Australian couple, also travelling across Asia. This was the evening I felt finally relaxed, despite having a nine pound pint of Stella spilled on me; an accident effectuated by our new Ozzie friend, rather drunk after copious amounts of alcohol. Still it didn't put a damper on the evening and we all chatted the night away. Hong Kong is an amazing place, full of encounters one couldn't find anywhere else, so it was heartening to find this little bar, tucked away in a side street. Chillworks felt like a home from home; do try and make time for a visit, should you find yourself in the area. Hong Kong does seem rather different from the bottom of a glass, sometime alcohol can be an amazing tonic!

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