19 Sep Tuesday
After a long nice sleep, we set off fresh to have our breakfast at Cafe Sang Lei ����������ʳ, located at 17 Rua do Comandante which is just opposite our hotel, along a small alley behind a building where a big jewellery shop called Chow Tai Fook �ܴ� was. As the small road/alley names weren't shown on Macau map, we based on the directions given by the hotel recep.
When we reached the alley, the first cafe we saw was the famous Magaret's Cafe and Nata ����� which sell the famous portugese egg tarts. But since our plan was to try their traditional tea house breakfast, we proceeded to Cafe Sang Lei where we ordered porkchop noodle ������ (MOP13), fried fish slice noodle ը��Ƭ�� (as recommended on the Macau tourism website - MOP11), ham & cheese sandwich ����֥ʿ (MOP8), butter sandwich ����֥ʿ (MOP4), yuan yang ԧ�� (combination of tea & coffee - MOP7) and almond milk ������¶ (MOP6) ... all shared by the 4 of us where we spent MOP62 in total.
The
recommended fried fish slice noodle wasn't as fantastic as it stated as
"irresistable" on the webby ... it tasted more like soggy kolobok in a bowl of
soupy noodle. Their porkchop noodle was good cos their pork was tasty and tender. Yuan
yang and almond milk weren't bad either though I dun really fancy thick almond taste like
the rest ... but still worth a try.
After our breakfast, we proceeded to Magaret's Cafe and Nata to buy the 4 portugese egg tarts at MOP5.50 each as our tea break on board the ferry. While choosing the tarts, someone spoke to us ... it was Magaret! ... ����! as if she was a big star or wat :P ... but she having been interviewed and appearing in many travel & food programmes where Macau food was recommended, that caused the famous ba. So you see how excited I was :P ... and plus she was so friendly, I bucked up my courage to approach her to take a pix with us ... err ... rather me actually :P
With all the ta bao-ed portugese egg tarts, we headed off back to the hotel to check out and headed straight to the ferry terminal via the hotel shuttle bus.
We were much too early when we reached the terminal. We was told that we could take any ferry earlier than the timing we booked for. So while dilly dally as to whether to board or not to board the 11am ferry, the gate closed :P So no choice, we just had to wait for the next scheduled time, 12pm.
Finally the gate reopened once more at 12pm 'sharp'!
One thing to take note ... there will be crews stationed at the entrance of the ferry, instructing every passengers to put their luggage in the front deck of the ferry regardless of where your seat will be. And you better follow their instruction cos they will not give you 'face' if you do not follow so ... regardless of whether you are the locals or foreigners, or whether you understand their language or not. They will not repeat more than once to you even though you seems to look blur or trying to finger out what they were saying. Though this kind of 'rude' attitude wasn't to any of us 4 (cos we are very �� ... hehe ...), we heard and saw those from our seat which was quite near to the entrance. Other than the attitude of their crews, the ferry was very clean and pleasant to travel. JT who was sitting beside me during our journey to HK was still able to 'look here look there', but I think I got a bit of sea sick then cos I seated quietly in a straight sitting position all way :P Anyway, none of us took any of the egg tarts on board the ferry... just in case we waste the food ... haha ...
It
took about 1 hr before we finally reached China-HK Ferry Terminal at Tsim Sha Tsui. So
once we stepped out of the custom, that's where my first ԩ��· started. As
according to the MAP, the first traffic turn once we were out of the Harbour City Ocean
Centre will be the shortest way to Tsim Sha Tsui MTR. While writing the post of this trip,
I realised we should be looking at China HK City �и۳� instead. BIG MISTAKE!!
Anyway, I was leding the way confidencely then until I saw Austin Road ��ʿ���
sign, and then I realised that we had long passed that turn and the nearest MTR has become
Jordan ���� MTR :P. We were then stucked at a big junction where inorder to cross over
to the other end of the road towards Jordan MTR, the only way was to go through the
underpass ... which involved a lot lot of stairs ... pai sey =^_^=
After climbing up and down from many stairs from the underpass WITH OUR LUGGAGES, we went through the Bowring Street Market ������м� before we reached the nearest entrance to the MTR. And when we finally saw the entrance, we were 'shocked' to see another flight of stairs. This was when we realised how good our government (or SMRT) was to install lifts and escalators for our convenience. So by the time we reached the MTR ticketing office, we were patting like hell.
Finally we reached the YMCA hotel (@ rate of S$163 per rm/nite) located along Waterloo Road �Ѵ��ϵ� in Yau Ma Tei ����� near 2pm. After unpacking, spraying perfume around (cos it's quite smelly) and resting for a while, we headed off to our next destination on our itinerary, Tsim Sha Tsui ��ɳ��, for lunch and shoppings :)
Upon reaching Tsim Sha Tsui, we started going in search for a dessert shop called ������ located at Hau Fook St ��. You must be thinking that we must be crazy to choose desserts for lunch, but they do sell proper lunch too which was very yummy. I especially like their ��ʽ���㳴�� and ը��â������â��ɳ����. Their desserts were simply full of mango. We spent HK$127 there.
We began our shopping spree after recharging from our late lunch-cum-dessert. We first went to Park Lane Shopper's Boulevard ���������� for window shopping (I managed to buy perfume there lah :D) before heading off straight to the Avenue of Stars �ǹ���.
Along the way of Nathan Road ��ص� to Avenue of Stars, we were 'distracted' by an electronic signboard which 'told' us to 'come in' :P
Well, before reaching the Avenue of Stars, we had to go through underpass again. After the 'ordeal' in the afternoon, we were quite phobia towards stairs :P Luckily it wasn't as bad as we thought so, but it was rather the extra walking due to the uncleared direction given on the map. We almost going to climb the stairs to the Intercontinental Hotel inorder to get through to the Avenue of Stars. After some directions given by people in the New World Centre ����������, we finally found ourselves at the Avenue at last! Phew! **stress** ... hehe ... It was around 6pm then. The harbour wasn't as clear as what I saw 10 years ago ... dunno was it caused by the air pollution or because of the fog? Anyway, since the sky was getting darker, we might as well take the night shots more instead.
It was 7pm+ by the time we reached the Star Ferry Pier ������ͷ area. JT suggested dinner at �Ƴ� (full name is �Ƴ���Ʒר�ŵ� ... you see! It's dessert place again :P) and so we headed off to the restaurant at 88 Canton Road �㶫�� which was located on site after The Marco Polo Gateway hotel. Understand from JT that it was a famous chinese restaurant where they sell good dim sum and chinese dishes. But we were shocked to see people smoking in the restaurant. Think some people were just reluctant to be educated not to smoking in an air-con area like a proper eating place. Anyway he was seated quite a distance from us, so we just continued to enjoy our meal : )
We ordered �泦 (char siew zhu chang fen - HK$28), ������������ (HK$32 ... I misssed the ���㻨���� from Ta Po in Chinatown which they had stopped selling :( ... ), ����� (carrot cake - HK$13), ��ľ�� (PL's - HK$28), �Ӻ� (almond paste ... AG's - HK$18), ���� (mine - HK$20) and С�� (JT's - HK$19). Spent HK$174 on the meal.
We
started 'marching' off to the night markets, Fa Yuen Street Market �����м� at
Prince Edward ̫�� and Ladies' Market Ů�˽� at Mong Kok ����. When we
reached Fa Yuen Street ���� around 9pm+, we were wondering whether the stalls were
just going to open or closing cos most stalls were unoccupied. Nevertheless, we still
managed to spend some time and $$$ at the shops along the street before we headed off to
Ladies' Market.
Along the way back to our hotel, there was this small and unnoticeable shop, along Dundas St. �ƴ�ʿ�� just opposite Kwong Wah Hospital �㻪ҽԺ, selling homemade carrot cake �ܰظ� (HK$2) and bowlcake ���и� (HK$2), which we bought as our supper, were very tasty too (I forgotten to take pix of those).
By the time we returned back to the hotel, the main entrance of the hotel was closed! Din realised that they will close the main entrance at 12am, and since it was 12.15am then, we got to make a big round to the back entrance (where we came from in the morning which is nearer to Yau Ma Tei MTR station) to 'report' to the security guards stationed at the temporary counter that set up after 12am ... quite safe sia ...
I started sorting and packing the barangs bought today into another luggage that I brought along, until JT told me about the 1 luggage restriction per passenger on the ferry to Macau. Actually PL only checked out this restriction for TurboJet Ferry but just in case First Ferry also practised such restriction and prevented us from boarding their ferry, I had to be 'wise' with my purchases for the next 2 days in Hong Kong ... At this moment, I really regretted not bringing a bigger luggage!!! :(
Anyway, as usual, we would gather at our room for settling the 'debts' for the day cos I'm oso an unofficial 'financial accountant'. But I was too confused with my own record, plus I was also too tired to carry on, we 'dismissed' and 'postponed' this 'report' to the following day instead. It was almost 3am liao and we were only left with 5 hours of sleep before our planned set off time at 8.30am the following day ... or rather that morning.
My ս��Ʒ for the day ... did I
missed anything out? hmm ...
