Gong Xi Fa Cai! Happy Year of the Rabbit! One of the holidays I get to enjoy for receiving red pockets, feasting in large gatherings, & spend almost a full week off. No, I don't celebrate Chinese New Year, so I don't even have to go through week-long awkward family gatherings. Instead, it's just extra days that I don't have to clock-in the office.
We went Hong Kong (HK) a weekend before Chinese New Year (CNY) to avoid the crowds, and I'm soooooooo glad that we did. Even Macau was hella full! A crowded sight that I have not seen in years (*ehem* since covid). I'm not gonna lie but it was a bit overwhelming. I hate crowds, so I avoided places I knew would definitely be filled with people. Although, I won't deny the collective happiness & freedom the locals felt during the holidays. I didn't get to visit Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro (or San Malo as the locals would call it) when they closed off the streets from cars, opened it up as a walkway, and had art installations & food stalls around. Although, they would have a round 2 this February 2nd to the 4th in celebration of the Lantern Festival, so if I finally got to include pics in this blog post, you'd know :P (P.S. I DIDN'T HAHAHAHAHA)
For what we actually did during the 4-5 days holiday, well, let's just say that there was a lot of sleeping and binge watching Critical Role's campaign 3. I got some much needed rest but also got too lazy to edit our HK vlog, or even finish writing up the previous blogposts. There was a lot of late night drinking, unexpected hot pot & pinoy food gatherings, and happily got to squeeze in a morning of hiking. Adrian & I were planning to hike in HK but our friends wanted to come with so we stayed here and hiked in the usual Taipa Grande trail. I still feel like dying every time we try to reach the highest point but I made it! Waking up to have undecided breakfast at 8am, freezing with under 10 degrees (celsius), and a few scary encounters with unseen cat callers & a snake that fell from the side of the rock makes the hiking trip... I guess... special? We had fun sliding down fake grass too!
That's pretty much it! I feel like I rambled a lot in this one, but hope you enjoyed this random read. Check back in soon for another blog entry!
Much love!
~Katee Of The Day
Photo Credits: Adrian C. (@dash_ad)
Less than an hour away from the bustling streets of Central, Hong Kong; passing along Repulse Bay sits Stanley Main Beach. A place I've always wanted to visit before the pandemic, but never got the chance to until now. If you're planning on spending time in Hong Kong, surely add at least half a day to walk around Stanley.
Funny enough, it was too cold when we visited (coz like duh, it's early January) so I've already decided I'm coming back in the summer to actually enjoy the beach. For this mini adventure, Adrian and I decided to walk around the market & plaza instead. Unlike our previous trips, I barely did any planning for this one. Simply because I really just wanted to walk around enjoy the area without thinking too much. I THINK TOO MUCH. TRUST ME.
Haven't done this in a while, but keep scrolling for photo snaps, tips, & guides to help you plan your upcoming trip to Stanley. I'll be sharing ways to commute there, foodie recommendations, and other simple activities you might want to do there.
Watch our Hong Kong Vlog here:
Snaps around Stanley Market & Stanley Plaza.
The weather forecast stated: cloudy with sunny intervals. The temperature was expected to drop midday down to 12°C and it definitely did. Probably even lower. A mild rain shower came upon us while walking around the "outdoor" mall/plaza, so we had to take cover inside the only few open shops at the time.
I wanted to take good photos at Stanley, so my goal was to get there early, find a cafe and just walk around. If you're around Central or Admiralty, you can take buses such as 6/6A/6X/260 and drop off at Stanley New Street. From there, you'll arrive at the opening of Stanley Market; keep walking past the market and you'll reach the port area, where the Plaza and the Murray House are located.
Most shops and restaurants open at 12pm, so getting there at 9:30am was a bit too early especially when you go with an empty stomach (trust me, I know). Perks of getting there before 11am though is that you can take so much photos without the crowd. So, it's sort of a win-win situation.
After walking about an hour, we decided to have brunch at this rooftop style cafe at the plaza called "Terrace by LQV". We had to wait another hour before they could serve us lunch, so we instead had our morning coffee 1st while enjoying the breeze. The food was f*cking amazing! Definitely worth the wait! The hummus platter & the grilled octopus were so bomb that I want to go back all the way to Stanley just to have them again.
Another place I really wanted to try was Bakehouse. They have multiple branches around Hong Kong, but I really wanted to try their Stanley branch. It was a bit difficult to find their store but we finally did just before we left. Their coffee was good, but their breads & pastries were their showstoppers indeed.
You have to try their sourdough egg tart for sure. Entering the cafe, I immediately got hit with the hugging scent of freshly baked bread, and I tell you, this girl is a certified "bread b*tch".
And that's pretty much everything that we did at Stanley! We spent about 4 hours around the area which is honestly more than enough. Hope this helps you on your next trip to Stanley! Did you miss part 1 of this Hong Kong diary? Click here! Much love!
~Katee Of The Day
Photo Credits: Adrian C. (@dash_ad)
A simple weekend getaway past the borders is enough to quench that travel thirst that's been building up in me these past three years. I was just a jolly gal excited to ride the ferry again on our way to Hong Kong, a place so close yet so far to visit when Macau was locked down due to the pandemic. I've missed this place so much!
It's not really much of a 'travel' considering that Hong Kong is just an hour away from our place, but I'll take it! Anything out of lil' old Macau will do. With travel policies starting to ease up again, you best bet I've already got plans of roaming around this year. At least for me, blogging & vlogging will have meaning & a purpose again.
But enough about that, keep scrolling as I take you through what we managed to squeeze in our 2-day itinerary. I've decided I won't add any travel tips on this one because traveling situations still keeps changing.
Watch our Hong Kong Vlog here:
We checked-in at Ibis Hong Kong Central & Sheung Wan like we always did before. Because I like familiarity, and honestly the location is great! We've never had problems with their service, there's a Starbucks at the ground floor for quick bites & coffee, and the view is also amazing for how cheap the room is.
Right after dropping off our things in our hotel room, we walked back to Central at IFC mall to meet a sweetheart I've been talking to for years but never met in person. I was super excited to finally get to meet Catherine; she's the super talented & hardworking boss babe of Sari Sari Sundry, fellow Taurus who also enjoys make-up. Probably another soulmate of mine! We also got to meet Russel, the minds behind the production. Just like Adrian, he works behind-the-scenes, but are the most helpful & supportive partners!
If you both are reading this (Catherine & Russel), thank you truly for your time! A few hours while munching on JCo Dougnuts was surely not enough! I'm also super grateful for all the earrings I got. You have no idea how long I've been a fan of Sari Sari Sundry!
For some odd reason I was craving for Outback Steakhouse. And for another random odd reason, we decided to take the Star Ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui. The fog was so low that day, that I have no regrets for the decisions we made. The ferry ride was so ominous and beautiful. I've taken the Star Ferry numerous times but never at night, and never with a thick fog surrounding the whole shore. Definitely a moment to remember!
We walked around for about an hour or two, and finally found an Outback Steakhouse somewhere I don't even remember. After a very full & hearty meal, we took the Star Ferry back to Central and walked all the way back to our hotel.
And that's about it for day 1! The next day had a bit more planning as we headed to Stanley Main Beach. Wanna continue reading? Click here! Much love!
~Katee Of The Day
Photo Credits: Adrian C. (@dash_ad)
