Christin and Jared in Hong Kong: Day 5

Refreshed by a day's rest, it was time to venture off Hong Kong Island and concentrate on the center of Kowloon...

Katherine and I needed to stop by University Health Services to get a check-up on our coughs (which we've had for six weeks or so - they are getting better, but aren't completely gone yet), so we dropped Christin and Jared off in the HKU Senior Common Room (a faculty lounge with food and a great view)...

We joined them after our doctor's appointments for a bit of breakfast

Katherine needed to return to work, so Christin, Jared and I bussed down to the central piers and set sail for Tsim Sha Tsui on Star Ferry...

All aboard!

Sipping Starbucks on the way

Fresh off the boat

Making like Bruce Lee on the Avenue of Stars

After wandering Tsim Sha Tsui for a while, we zipped through the MTR to Mong Kok...

One of my favorite districts!

Busy by day (but even busier by night)

Trying the waffle-like "little eggs" (雞蛋仔) a second time

Finishing all four blocks of the "Ladies' Market"

Shopping in a soccer specialty store...

...and finding a Hong Kong national team jersey

Exploring the Flower Market...

...with no end to the flowers in sight!

Trying turtle pudding at 海天堂 (our favorite purveyor)

Nearly bringing home a puppy from the pet shops of the Goldfish Market

After making use of the bathrooms in a nearby McDonald's, we thought we should thank them by having a little snack

Wading through tight market shopping on Fa Yuen ("Garden") Street

Completely canvassing Mong Kok was a major accomplishment, so we returned to Tsim Sha Tsui for a little reward at the flagship Charlie Brown Cafe...

If you love Peanuts characters, this is the place for you!

My Peppermint Hot Chocolate was garnished with a Peppermint Patty profile

Later in the evening, we met up with Katherine for dinner at 有骨氣, one of our favorite hot pot restaurants...

You order raw meat, seafood, and vegetables and cook them yourself in a pot of boiling broth

Like pork balls...

...and squid meat noodles

After dinner we went back to Mong Kok so Christin and Jared could see it at night...

Very luxurious, I'm sure

The "Ladies' Market" at night

Joined by our buddy Brook, who was staying in Hong Kong for one night on his way back to the States, for dessert!

Gray's mango shaved ice cream

Christin and Jared shared some chocolate shaved ice cream

Brook had these rolls of mango and black glutenous rice

Katherine's mango with coconut noodles

We finished the evening by returning to Tsim Sha Tsui and seeing Victoria Harbour at night...

Always a crowd-pleaser!

Christin and Jared in Hong Kong: Day 4

We pounded the pavement pretty mercilessly over the last few days, so today we took some time to rest at home (and do laundry). When dinner time rolled around, though, we sprung back into action by visiting Yung Kee, one of my favorite restaurants...

Serving Cantonese cuisine for nearly 70 years

We started with their famous homemade thousand-year-old egg with pickled ginger...

The extra gooey yolk is highly desired by thousand-year-old egg connoisseurs

...and we all tried it

(even the previous photo's camerawoman)

With the eggs out of the way, we got down to the good stuff (well, at least in my opinion ;>)...

Stir-fried sweet pea shoots

Their world-famous roast goose

Succulent roast pork

Fresh shrimp stir-fried with pine nuts

Washed down with steeped chrysanthemum flowers

A meal to remember!

After dinner, we worked our way back through Central...

Skirting along the this sidewalks of Wellington Street

...until we reached the IFC Mall...

Looking across Victoria Harbour (towards Tsim Sha Tsui) from the IFC Mall promenade

Hanging out just below 2 IFC, currently the tallest building in Hong Kong (though it will be unseated shortly)

IFC was our chosen destination not just for its cityscape sights, but also because tonight saw the opening of James Cameron's Avatar in 3D and we went to the very first showing...

Avatar was magnificent. If you get a chance to see it in 3D, take it!

The perfect closing to a battery-recharging day.

Christin and Jared in Hong Kong: Day 3

Our first two days were spent fairly close to home with a focus on city spots. Day 3 was decidedly different in both of those dimensions...

We started by catching a bus to Stanley, one of the popular beach areas on the south side of the Hong Kong Island...

Strolling along Stanley Main Beach...

...while hunting for some shells to take home

Exploring the Main Street waterfront on our way to our lunch spot in Murry House

A Spanish meal on the balcony of Mijas

Bruschetta tapas

Cuttlefish and salmon cakes

A creamy soup of the day

Christin's grilled Chilean sea bass

Jared's fried fillet of Sole

Gray's seafood and lamb paella

Christin's crème brûlée

Gray's apple mango crumble

Jared's Chocolate lava cake

The Tin Hau temple beside Murray House

...which we reverently entered

Casting their gaze to the southeast with Main Street in the background

Meandering the Stanley Market

After Stanley, we took a detour on our bus trip north to see Cyberport, where Katherine's brother works...

We then ventured off Hong Kong Island and into Kowloon, where we met Katherine in Jordan to shop at Yue Hwa (our favorite Chinese department store)...

Ready to shop!

Sampling freshly-brewed teas (Jasmine pearls, oolong with osmanthus, "bolay", etc)

Once we were shopped-out, we walked a few doors down for dinner at a fantastic Thai restaurant called Wong Chun Chun...

Jared's coconut milk with cendol and mango

Whole crab in an unbelievably tasty curry sauce

Grilled whole squid

Fried rice with pineapple and chicken

Messy, but good!

We weren't too far from the night market on Temple Street, so we ran over there after dinner, but our stay was cut short by rain...

This was our longest day out so far and we were all ready to crash when we got home. Fui Fui made sure we didn't sleep too late this morning, though...

Satisfying a request from Carson!