Give me a holiday in high temperatures, with great food, and I am likely to be your friend for life. A week to eat my way around Hong Kong in summer sounds perfect.
With 7 million people, it’s one of the world’s most densely populated cities. My taxi driver delights in telling me that in New Zealand we have towns with about 3000 residents, while here they have single apartment buildings with the same number. The city heads skywards with views that can quickly bring on vertigo.
The roads are busy, making Hong Kong’s underground trains a great way to travel. Day passes save the scramble for change at the ticket machines and the trains can take you almost everywhere. oy hotel, the Harbour Grand at North Point, is a few steps away from a station and close to pleasant shopping at Causeway Bay.
Enormous shopping centres seem to be everywhere. High fashion and designer labels are also widespread, and although European designer price tags are inaccessible to most of us, at stores such as Milan Station you can find last season’s second-hand handbags at a reduced rate.
If this is still beyond your budget, you’re bound to find something you like at the Temple St Market at Jordan, sited on the Kowloon side of the city. It opens late afternoon and goes well into the night. Arriving early in the evening we take our pick from the many daipon dongs – open air street cafés offering great variety.
Choose one that’s busy and has lots of locals patronising it and you are sure to be served some great food.At the market stalls it’s expected you will haggle, so don’t be shy. It’s also worth trawling the surrounding streets where thousands of stores sell almost anything – including Chinese cooking equipment. We found great bargains, including some pretty paper cupcake cases.
The Jade Market is just a short stroll away, as are the goldfish markets. Here the streets are lined with plastic bags holding colourful fish, which somehow seem to survive in the intense heat.
In general, eating out in Hong Kong is an absolute delight. Yum cha lunch is an essential experience and top of the list is Tim Ho Wan Dim Sum, a very affordable oichelin-starred restaurant located in the oongkok district. A wait is inevitable here, so it’s worth arriving well before hunger takes over, with a magazine or phone in hand to while away the time.
Fred, my guide, assures me I will experience the very best steamed pork buns ever – and he is absolutely right. Clouds of puff pastry envelop hot sticky pork with just the right level of sweetness.
At the high end of the market, Bo Innovation provides an unforgettable dining experience. Engineer-turned-chef Alvin Leung sources food from around the world – including yak’s milk cheese from Tibet – to create his highly intricate fusion dishes. Try a chef’s menu of tasting plates with wines to match. They will wow your senses and challenge your thinking.
With all that eating, exercise is essential and it’s extraordinary how quickly you can find yourself in the wilderness. Just half an hour’s drive from the city takes you to completely uninhabited spaces where the bush is carefully preserved and the many meticulously maintained hiking tracks cry out to be explored.
In summer heat it’s advisable to leave early and take plenty of water. our early morning walk around Dragon’s Back Ridge is pure bliss. It’s hot and humid, but being in the quiet bush with panoramic views over Hong Kong’s islands and the South China Sea, it’s idyllic. There are no other hikers about, so it’s just us and a myriad of colourful butterflies.
Dragon’s Back ends at Big Wave Bay where – despite the name – waves are not much above knee height. You can catch a bus or taxi here, or continue walking past the exclusive Shek o Golf Club to the nearest village, where transport is available.
Deep Water Bay is also worth visiting, and nearby are the Stanley Markets, known for their fine cotton, cashmere and silk. With air conditioning (phew!) they’re also quieter than the night markets.
once you’ve completed your purchases here, you can revitalise yourself at one of the many bars and cafés lining the beach before moving on.
After a day shopping and bush walking, a massage will leave your body feeling energised again. My friend Tess takes me to Foot, where, despite my blisters and fatigue, I’m soon in a calm and relaxed state. In fact, I’m almost ready for another bout of shopping and eating.
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