Well we’re on our own today, free as the wind to do whatever we want in 34c 80+% humidity. We got well and truly heated out yesterday so we decide to try something a lot less frenetic. First thing first is, of course, breakfast. Nice and slow to the extent that they have to come and tell us that they are closing 🤣. A quick trip to the interweb gets the HK transport Octopus app and our phones so that we can easily use the MTR, buses and trams, with the added bonus that we can use it in convenience store and some restaurants. How cool is that.
So off we trot heading for Nan Lian Gardens which is over on Kowloon. Its about 45 mins and three separate lines on the MTR and comes in at the princely sum of £1.40. Eat your heart out Transport for London. The MTR trains are massive and bring a whole new dimension to the definition of Mass as they can get very crowded but on the plus side the aircon is very efficient.
Now whats not to like on a tube train which has a first class (BTW we were in pleb class)
Its just a short walk from Diamond Hill MTR station to the gardens. These are a public park and as such are free to enter. They are built in the Tang Dynasty style and are full of giant bonsai trees. I think bonsai has a subtly different meaning here where it references the shaping of trees rather than making them very small. The end result is that there is a tranquil haven in the middle of bustling HK full of amazing rocks and sculptured trees which is just stunning. Rather than try to explain it I’ll just post some pictures.
It’s interesting to note that you can’t screen out the outside world however hard you try.
They have a rock museum which is a lot more interesting than it sounds
and a restaurant behind a waterfall
Lots of fish
It really is a wonderful place to gently wander around, sit in the shade and enjoy the views.
So we eventually head back to the Diamond Hill shopping mall to find a cold drink. Find a Starbucks and a couple of cold coffees is just what the doctor ordered although the price is a little steep.
It’s good to see that we Brits are exporting the best in British culture to the world as the whole of the central atrium is full of PEPPER PIG 😮🥴
Mind you, you can only admire an inflatable that big. Makes our average bouncy castle look a bit feeble. Retracing our steps back towards our hotel we come across the HK version of Halfords. Shop no bigger than our kitchen and workshop facilities to die for.
We decide to get a meal out and go to a place called Frites which Alan our guide told us about yesterday. This was started a few years ago by a Belgian guy and has really taken off with the Hong Kongians with several branches in HK. Now what are Belgians famous for?
Beer, in this case Leffe Brun. It has been years since we had any of this and this is draft wonderful
Moule Frite. Of course when is HK its quite normal to have Belgian food 😂
Chris of course does not like Moule so had salmon instead. I do’t think I have ever see as big a piece of salmon on a plate as this one and she struggled to finish it.
Now its starting to dawn on us that unless you eat in a totally Chinese establishment, if you can even manage to get something ordered, HK is not the cheapest place on earth. Two beers and two meals come to around 75 quid!!😮 however both are amazing!!
Back to the hotel, another much needed shower and a couple of drinks in the bar on the 41st floor and its time to write the blog. So here it is and I’ll see you all tomorrow. 😉
XX🌳🧚🌳XX