This is my second time going to Wan Chai. The first time seriously sucked because we had no idea where we were going. We wanted to YOLO our trip but that isn't exactly possible in Hong Kong. What ends up happening is that you just sun burn on the hot streets of HK while wandering around trying to figure out where you are. This time was a little different. I'm more free now since I've just finished my papers and projects. Finals are a bit away so I have time to actually plan what I want to see and do.
Since it's been a while. I decided to give Wan Chai another chance. I decided to plan what I wanted to see this time around. That was definitely the smarter choice. When I started to look up things to do in Wan Chai, I realized that there was actually quite a bit. There's the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center and right out side of it was the Golden Bauhinia Square. That's the Golden Bauhinia right there. It was an interesting place to be. So this was the place where Britain officially handed Hong Kong back to China. On that day, it was raining like crazy. Today was a little gloomy but otherwise the weather was refreshingly cool. The view from the board walk is amazing. You can see TST and if you walked a little more, |
you can actually also see the IFC building from here. They're actually building a ferris wheel right next to IFC. It looks like the London Eye to me but I wonder if it'll be done by the time I leave...
Next I headed back towards Wan Chai station. There's a street market right opposite the station. I thought it would be a nice place to find some souvenirs for my friends.
The first time I had anything with Kiwi juice in it, I was absolutely disgusted. It tasted like sugar and candy to me (Hi-Chew actually haha). But the more I drank it, the more I could stand it. And this one with Aloe is one of my favorites.
So after getting that porkchop bun, I nommed my way up to the Blue House. It's a historical HK building that was restored to preserve its unique architecture.
People still live in this building but sadly there's no running water or toilets either. Stores still hold up shop. On the right hand side, there's Hong Kong's House of Stories. It's a vintage little museum that has artifacts from a previous generations. From the ceilings dangle retro lights. There are old fashioned radios, telephones, albums, and furniture amongst other things. I loved the ambiance with the record player playing |
classic tunes. It really did show a different side of Hong Kong's past that you wouldn't be able to see elsewhere.
Since I had a bit of time before class started, I decided to keep going up the street. Lo and behold at the end of the street was a park that led into Yuk Hui Temple. I totally did not expect to find this.
This place is a real gem in the city. It's one of the largest temples on HK island. It was built in 1862 during the Qing dynasty and is considered a Grade 1 Historic Building. The architecture was amazing and I was lucky enough to actually get there when a ceremony was taking place. The priests were praying to the Pak Tai statue in the main hall. Surrounded by incense and traditional music, it felt like I was in another time and another place. |
I'm so glad I came to Wan Chai again. I got to see so many different sights of Hong Kong and I had a must-try snack while it was hot and steaming. It was definitely a productive and fruitful day.