Hong Kong 2015 Day 1 - 2: Mongkok - Macau

DAY 1: 30 NOV 2015

Ruins of St Paul's in Macau

Another adventure to mark the end of 2015!
This time round I wanted to visit Hong Kong, probably because I miss Disneyland.

Unlike previous trips, we booked this trip pretty late as my protected time wasn't announced yet.
So, we only started booking from mid-September onwards.
But, we managed to score a pretty good deal for our SQ flight at S$320 for a return trip.
As for our accommodation, I didn't want to spend over a hundred per night.
And I know that Hong Kong is an expensive city, be it food, shopping or accommodation.
After searching various platforms, we settled for this cozy room situated in Mongkok.
We paid about S$82 per night after using a referral code, which was reasonable!

We took the 9.55am flight and we arrived in Hong Kong at 2.20pm.
Upon clearing the immigration, we had two important things to do before leaving the airport.
A week prior to this trip, I have downloaded this app called Klook which is actually a
third party website that sells attraction tickets and packages at discounted rates.
I bought the one2free 3G SIM card for 7 days unlimited data usage at S$11 through the app.
All I had to do was print out the confirmation note, head straight to the
A13 counter at the arrival hall and get my SIM card fixed immediately!
The network was really great and fast!
I bought the airport express tickets through the app as well.
After using the DBS promo code, I paid S$19 per pax for a return ticket to Kowloon.
As usual, just print out the confirmation document and head to the platform
 customer service centre to redeem the tickets and off we went!

By the time we arrived at our accommodation in Mongkok, it was already close to 5pm.
So, we decided to explore some of the famous malls in Mongkok!

We made our way to Langham Place because the H&M store was having holiday sales.
And how timely it was.
A pop up LINE exhibition was happening at Langham Place too!

Though I am not a super avid fan, but I have to admit the characters are really cute!

We headed to Argyle Centre next.
This place resembles a little like the shops on the second level of Bugis Village.
They were mostly selling ladies' clothes, shoes and handbags.
After shopping for a while, we headed to the ground floor for the famous cold noodles 百味!
Do note that this stall is located at New Town Mall, which is connected to Argyle Centre.

Cold noodles

A small packet of noodles cost HK$4 and you can add ingredients to your noodles.

For every ingredient added, you will need to top up HK$4.

There are special ingredients that might cost more, so you have to read the notice displayed!

My favourite is definitely the octopus and jellyfish, topped with their special spicy sauce.

It was so good, we returned for another packet after dinner!

After shopping along the streets of Mongkok, we decided to head for dinner at the
highly raved One Dim Sum.

One Dim Sum
Shop 1 & 2, G/F, Kenwood Mansion, 15 Playing Field Road, Prince Edward
Mon - Fri: opens at 11am, Sat & Sun: opens at 10am

I guess it's because we came during dinner time, so we didn't have to wait that long.
While waiting, we were given an order slip, so we could have a look at them first.
I had a hard time reading the chinese characters...as usual.
But fret not, there is a menu with english written on it at your table!

Beef Balls and Sui Mai

As we were not exactly famished, we ordered three dishes to try:
1. Steamed Minced Beef Balls 鲜竹牛肉球 HK$16
2. Steamed Sui Mai 蟹皇蒸烧卖 HK$24
3. Sticky Rice w/ Lotus Leaf HK$26

Initially we wanted to try their famed char siew bun, but it was already sold out.
Anyway, the must-eat is definitely the beef balls.
I have never tried this at dim sum places in Singapore, and it was really tender and flavorful.
So do try this dish when you are in HK!

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DAY 2: 1 DEC 2015

So today we planned for a day trip to Macau!
There are two ferry terminals in Hong Kong: Tsim Sha Tsui and Hong Kong Island
Since we were staying in Kowloon, the ferry terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui was a better option.
The downside is that the frequency is not as fast as the other terminal.

It was a 10 minutes walk to the ferry terminal from Tsim Sha Tsui MTR.
We used GPS, so it was easy to get there!
When we arrived, there were two companies selling ferry tickets: Cotai and Turbojet.
We decided to join the Cotai queue and the staff told us that there was a discount if it was
your birthday month.
Our return trip costs only HK$438 for two pax, which was a steal!

Prior to boarding the ferry, you will be given a seat number at the counter
before proceeding to the immigration checkpoint.
We boarded the 10am ferry and arrived at Macau Outer Harbour ferry terminal at 11am!
Similar to HK, Macau has two ferry terminals, Outer and Taipa.
So, do plan out your route first and choose the nearest ferry terminal to disembark from.

As our first stop in Macau is to visit the Senado Square, we took the Grand Lisboa shuttle
since it was the shuttle closest to the attraction.
There are several free casino shuttles in Macau and you do not need to spend a single
cent on transportation!
Shuttle schedules can be found online and the frequencies are pretty good too.
You do not need to wait longer than 15 minutes.

We arrived at Grand Lisboa within 10 minutes and we were all set to explore Macau!
Oh, do note that we had to enter the casino in order to get to the main streets.
If you are below 21 years old, you will need to find another route out from the drop off point.

While walking along Av. do Infante Dom Henrique, we chanced upon a sign indicate the direction
of a cafe famous for their Portuguese egg tarts: Margaret's Cafe.

Margaret's Cafe E Nata
新馬路馬統領街金利來大廈 17B 地舖
Gum Loi Building, Rua Alm Costa Cabral R/C Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro, Macau
Operating hours: 0630 - 2200, closed on Wednesdays

Once we were in the alley, the fragrant smell of the egg tarts drew us in.
Each egg tart costs HK$7 and it was really good.
The crust comprises of many thin crispy layers which was different from
the regular egg tarts we usually have.
The sweetness and together with the crispiness, the egg tart is a must-try in Macau!

After a pleasant snack break, we continued walking down the street to get to Senado Square.
It was a huge square surrounded by many retail stores.

Little alley at Senado Square

There were many shops to take a look at when we were walking in the direction towards
the Ruins of St Paul's.

Shopping streets

Ruins of St Paul's

Upon reaching the famous Ruins of St Paul's, we were greeted by tons of tour groups.
The steps leading to the top were full of tourists, as expected.
But I can see why it is packed here, because the architecture is really as stunning as
some of those I have seen in Europe. even though this is all that remains
We headed down to a gallery where you can view the artefacts kept in the church.

Thereafter we headed for the Monte Fort located just beside the ruins.
It was an easy climb up and we were greeted by lovely views of Macau.

Grand Lisboa from the Monte Fort

Canons on the fort

Next on our list was The Venetian in Taipa.

In order to get to The Venetian, we boarded the City of Dreams (COD) 

shuttle from Hotel Sintra and took a 10 minutes walk to the casino.

The Venetian

Even if you do not have an intention to gamble, you should at least have explore at

The Venetian before bidding goodbye to Macau.

I have been to the one in Las Vegas, and the interior is exactly the same.

Just spend some time walking through the shopping area and feel the vibe.

We happened to walk past Lord Stow's bakery which is another place famous for
their Portuguese egg tarts.
So, why not?

My mum preferred this to Margaret's, because the crust held together better.
I thought that they were equally good though.

After exploring The Venetian, we decided to head to Taipa Village.

Taipa Village
官也街
Rua do Cunha

In order to get to Taipa Village, you will need to make your way to the hotel's west lobby
and exit from there.
You will notice that the coach and shuttle bus terminal is located there as well.
Then, walk towards the right side of the terminal nearer to the road and you will spot an
overhead bridge there as well as a super long travelator across the road.
At the end of the travelator, there will be a sign leading you to the village.
It will only take you around 15 minutes to reach the village from The Venetian.

At Taipa Village, we had the crispy pork chop bun from Tai Lei Loi Kei for lunch.
Each pork chop bun costs around S$5-6 if I remembered clearly.
It was disappointing and did not live up to the hype.
Regret.

Taipa village is rather small and you can cover the entire place within less than an hour.
One of the major retail shops you can visit is actually Koi Kei Bakery.

Koi Kei Bakery
官也街46-50 號
46-50 Rua Do Cunha, Taipa, Macau

This bakery is well known for its almond cookies and egg rolls.
They do have outlets in HK as well, but the products sold here are at least S$3 cheaper.
Since we intended to buy lots of pastries back as gifts, it will save us a lot by purchasing in Macau.

After shopping, we decided to call it a day and make our way to the Taipa ferry terminal.
We could either take the shuttle from Galaxy Macau or The Venetian, but I was afraid
that we would get lost finding Galaxy Macau and so we took the Venetian shuttle instead.
Before boarding the shuttle, please double check the name of the ferry terminal!

It was a quick 10 minutes bus ride and we arrived at the terminal around 4.15pm.
So, a day trip is possible if you do not intend to gamble.
We actually had ample time to visit Galaxy Macau as our ferry was set to depart at 5.45pm.
But we were a little tired due to the heat in the afternoon, so back to the ferry terminal!

Our dinner that night was at Mak Man Kee!

Mak Man Kee Noodle Shop
佐敦白加士街51號
G/F, 55 Parkes Street, Jordan
Jordan MTR, exit C2

Wanton noodle soup

When in HK, you definitely need to have wanton noodles.
The wanton at Mak Man Kee has an entire prawn as well as seasoned minced pork in it!
You do not even need any additional sauces to go with it.
That's how good it tasted.
Because of this, we returned on Thursday to satisfy our cravings.

Mango sago with pomelo

After dinner, we had desserts at Hui Liu Shan, a few doors down Mak Man Kee.

I have been wanting to return to this place ever since we booked our trip.

A bowl of this goody is rather pricey, but how often do I get to come to HK?

And that marks the end of our adventurous day!