Hung Hom Promenade Walk

I was in the Hung Hom area, just checking out my old Hong Kong stomping grounds.  (This is where I first moved when I came to Hong Kong all those years ago.)  Hung Hom district is such a great area for food and living.  I just love the fond memories I have of walking the blocks around here. 

There are loads of different restaurants around every block.  The housing is pretty standard…there are all the conveniences of life just nearby…And the transportation to Tsim Sha Tsui (or anywhere in Kowloon), Central (or anywhere on Hong Kong island), and, even to Lantau Island, is just so convenient!

It actually sort of feels like a young college district too, since it is quite close to Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

After lunch, my friend and I went for a walk to burn off some calories…as you do.  We headed down to the Hung Hom Promenade, which is a great place to do a nightly summer jog…because it isn't too long.  So, if you are a beginner, the length, the flatness, and the lack of crowds is perfect.

Though it's been nearly five years, the promenade hasn't changed much.  It's still a lovely, flat, clean area to walk/run and enjoy the scenery.  It also looks out onto Kowloon Bay, when, in the evenings, you can see the Mega Box Mall in all its lit glory.

In the evenings, as well, when the Symphony of Lights is running, the Hung Hom promenade (nearer to the ferry pier) is a great place to enjoy the show.

The promenade extends from the Hung Hom ferry pier all the way back past some residential apartment complexes.  It's a pretty safe area in the evenings, but it seems quite abandoned in the day time.

The promenade reminds me of the seaside because of the scale-like tiling on the walkway.

The view over Kowloon Bay and also over Victoria Harbour are spectacular…

Along the promenade, there are multiple areas to sit, which is such a great thing!!!  It makes me want to pack a lunch next time and have a waterfront picnic.

Besides the calming of the lapping water, the green islands and also the bushes along the walkway make this place even more serene than some other promenades that I've walked.

It's pretty awesome to just get lost in your thoughts here…with all the fast-paced-ness of Hong Kong…it's really quite nice to find such a peaceful place in the city.

Walking along the promenade, there were also a few line fisher people who were trying to fish.  There were a few guys with buckets, bate, and fishing poles…I think they were out there more for the socialization than to really catch any fish.

There was also this woman who had dropped her hook and line down into one of the holes in the walkway to try to catch something.  I think she was more there for committing to do something interesting for the afternoon than to really catch any fish as well…!

It's really interesting to just sit and watch what these fisher people get up to.  It makes me think of how Hong Kong used to be made up of fishing villages... It also reminds me a lot of Seattle, where you can watch people crabbing down by the waterfront or fly fishing at the beaches.

Fun Fact:  Hung Hom's promenade is where the Cross-Harbour Swim begins.  It's a race that was really popular back in the early 1900s until 1979.  A few people have told me that the race was cancelled because the pollution in the Harbour got so bad.  But, the race was reinstated in 2011 and has been an annual shindig ever since!

We doubled back to the Hung Hom ferry pier, where there is a public restroom to use just in case!

There were some people fishing over here as well...

And we were lucky to catch a glimpse of the famous Hong Kong sampan skimming across the Harbour…

Because of my new initiative to begin 2016 with being more active…basically, walking more, I've really started enjoying discovering new places where I can just walk and let my mind wander.  It's even more fun to have someone to walk with me…

I'm a lover of walking…but having someone to chat with makes the time pass by more pleasantly!

Jumping Gym, Hung Hom

I was reminiscing about my childhood days...spending time at the arcades.  Back when my folks would go bowling…my sister and I would have a go playing Pac Man.  I remember one of my favorite arcade games was a Simpson's game…where we would be skateboarding and dodging obstacles.  My memory is a bit foggy on all that detail, but I remember it was fun.

Back in high school, when I moved to Seattle, the biggest thing to do with friends was to head over to Gameworks.  I remember thinking was like the upgraded version of Chucky Cheese or even the Fun Factory (which I think might only be a Honolulu thing).  If it is still there…that would be a miracle.

All this reminiscing made me want to head out down to Hung Hom's Jumping Gym and dive into one of Hong Kong's indoor amusement parks.  It's actually a place for kids, but there are a lot of adults passing the time there as well:  people going on dates, senior citizens trying to win at those coin drop games, and people who just want to pass the time.  

It's easy to find, once you enter Treasure World (which has a Toys R Us too!)…

The Jumping Gym that we went to, which I have been to a few times because I used to live in Hung Hom is located in the Wonderful World of Whampoa.

Hung Hom Jumping Gym Info:
Location
Shop 2B2, 2nd Basement Treasure World
Site 11 Whampoa Garden
Hung Hom

Contact
2362 - 2555

Inside, there are crane machines galore...

There are indoor rides for kids…

There is a massive jungle gym for kids...

And, my favorite part, there are games that you can win tickets from and trade in for prizes…

Tokens can be purchased at the main counter.  If you are not a member, then you can get one token for $2.  Every machine indicates how many tokens that you need to pop in to play.  Each machine also notes how many tickets you can win for scoring so much points.

There are also some carnival games…like coin tossing games, where you can win prizes that are at those stations.  If you win, the attendant gives you coupons to use for prizes (like the photo below)…

After about an hour, we collected about 200 tickets from playing random games and also 120 points for playing a carnival coin toss game…

For all our hard work, we got a snack of dried squid bits, a Tsum Tsum tin of stickers, an empty black mechanical pencil and a pen.

Though the prizes we got were mediocre at BEST, we had such a fabulous time reliving childhood.  I would say this is a great place to have a little date night.  After a nice romantic dinner somewhere in one of the lanes of Hung Hom, it's a nice little walk over to the Wonderful World of Whampoa and down to the Jumping Gym.  It isn't such a crowded place and there are not as many kids as I would have thought there might have been.  It's a great place to have fun with friends, too!

Eating the Weekend

There are so many places to eat in Hong Kong.  I have been here for a couple of years and must have tried hundreds of places.  Most of the time, I am amazed at the deliciousness of everything.  It's quite rare to find mediocre foods around, which is great for Foodies.

Here is a sampling of eateries I indulged in over the weekend.

[Friday]

We started the weekend off in Tsim Sha Tsui.  And a street that always has a good selection of restaurants is Hau Fook Street.

Dinner @ Sarangchae

We got the bimbimbap and a beef with turnip dish.  Both were pretty darn good.  I would suggest getting the bimbimbap in the stone bowl because the regular bimbimbap without the crispy rice just isn't the same.

Korean food is always a great way to start off any weekend!

[Saturday]

I was down in Causeway Bay for the day, so my husband and I had breakfast in the area.  Usually, for breakfast I'm always up for the local congee or rice roll place.  I like a simple breakfast!  But, having something like noodles for breakfast is also a pretty good option.

Breakfast @ Nam Kee Spring Roll Noodle Co. Ltd

We got one signature fishballs and noodle dish, which was pretty good.  It was even more delicious when I added condiments and spice to the mix.  The second dish was beef tendon, which was also delicious.  The sauce was what made this dish.

For lunch, I met up with a friend for some grub on Haven Street, which is a swanky little dead end in Causeway Bay.  There are a few really nice looking eateries along this dead end, but Cafe Yawn was the first that I'd tried.

Lunch @ Cafe Yawn

We split a skillet dish and got two mini skillets to eat off of.  Quite excessive, but quite thoughtful, in the customer service sense. 

The dish was delicious and left me satisfied.  Who doesn't love a good potato and egg mix?  And the guava juice I got quenched my thirst.  Guava, by the way, is one of my favourite juice flavours... being from Hawaii and all.

A few hours later, we headed to one of Causeway Bay's popular dessert houses.  This was another totally new place for me, so I was totally up for trying it.

Afternoon Tea @ Chung Kee Dessert

Chung Kee Dessert was actually quite barren during the middle of the day, but probably gets busy during the evenings.  We ordered a mango puff and a mango shaved ice.  The shaved ice melted before I could get halfway through.  It didn't compare to some of the shaved ices I've had back in my Hawaii days, but it was good for the hot weather.

When I go back next, I am definitely going to try the shaved ice cream.  I'm not sure what it is called, but some places have called it the Taiwanese ice cream.  I had it before on Cheung Chau Island and also down in Cheung Sha Wan.  It's always the best fail-safe thing on the dessert menus for me.

[Sunday]

Yuen Long, where I live, was known for food back in the day. It still has a bunch of great eateries, but so does every district in Hong Kong!

Because we were in the center of Yuen Long today, we walked around in the hopes of finding a new place to test out.  I'm always looking out for places where I can comfortable order food, interact with servers who have huge amounts of patience, have orders made quickly, is pretty convenient to get to from my place and is worth returning to.

There is one place that caught our eye…a place that usually has a line outside when dinner rolls around, but for lunch it seemed to have open seats.

Lunch @ Hok Kee 

Congee seems like a lot of people's comfort food in Hong Kong.  

Hok Kee is really in such a convenient location, right next to the Tai Kiu Market.  Also, the food is quickly served, so that you can be in and out within minutes (depending on how fast you eat).  That's something I like about Hong Kong…how FAST fast-food can be.

I can totally understand the presence of the line, though.  The congee is pretty darn tasty.  I mean, usually, you may think congee is dull, but this was nice.  We also got beef noodles, which were also quite nice.

I believe that I will come back here... perhaps make this place one of my regular places to eat a quick and simple meal. I just have to go during non-peak hours.

Dinner @ Go Inside & Friends

For dinner, we went down to Hung Hom.  Originally, we were going to see if the ribs were being served at Go Inside & Friends.  I am starting to think that the ribs are never coming back onto the menu!!!

But, instead of ribs, we ordered pork chop and salmon steak.  Both were incredibly delicious.  I have yet to order a mediocre dish from this place!  I'm not too sure what the soup was, but we ordered tiramisu at the end.

It was a great meal to celebrate the end of the weekend.

I noticed a fawn on one of the columns of Go Inside & Friends


My friends always say how it is easier and sometimes cheaper to eat out in Hong Kong.  I would sort of agree with that thought, but that's only if I am eating at a local canteen or local dai pai dong.  If I am craving some pesto penne, I think that it would definitely be cheaper to make that on my own.

But, living in this city, the atmosphere of going out with friends or having an evening out with my husband makes for eating out a lovely experience.

I would definitely recommend trying out new places every once in awhile.  Trying a new place is like gaining some new life experiences.  Y.O.L.O. right…(does anyone say that anymore?)