kowloon city.
havent been blogging for awhile because, well, nothing much has been happening. or maybe, i am just being lazy, rather stay in the room to watch my heart of greed (hk drama serial) than to go out exploring places i havent been to. i guess the weather plays a part too. it's been pretty hot and hazy these days. -_-
anyway, i took a walk to kowloon city after class just now. i usually see it in the night, together with the other 3, as we walk all the way there and pay ~4 to 5SGD each having dessert (yup it's at least twice the price of our ice kachang, but not that i'm complaining cos dessert at kam mun tong is pretty savoury) and then occasionally having thai street side snacks and our egg tarts / other pastries from Hoover cake shop, a place we have come to frequent quite regularly.
perhaps because of the daylight, i saw kowloon city a lot clearer than i usually do - most shops were open and there was actually a regular stream of people at every corner i turned and every street i walked down.
walking around kowloon city in the day gave me a very messed-up feeling. the buildings are old and worn-out, and only a few storeys high because this is where the old airport was located. i see small family-run eateries, retail shops selling factory rejects, the occasional boutique that looks like those in tsim sha tsui or mong kok, high-end restaurants, rice / vegetables wholesalers, thai / viet / korean / japanese eateries, steamboat restaurants, primary school in the middle of nowhere, a few nursing homes, a pretty big dispensary / dental clinic that looks nothing like private practice, automobile / tyre shops, a shopping mall that becomes a ghost town in the evening but enjoying a regular flow of consumers in the day, and some other shopfronts doing businesses i cant put a name to. but you get the idea, it's like most other places in hong kong - disorganised landuse.
today i walked all the way to the street at the far end of the area - kai tak road, where i found an eatery that i read about online. the place was just slightly bigger than my living room. it sat in a quiet corner, and was very local - like what we always see on tv. the boss simply stood at the counter reading betting guides for soccer matches throughout the whole time i was there, he doesnt greet customers, and doesnt even say a word when settling payment. yah, not even "thank you". like the typical "i'm the boss" kinda feel. the place has no menu, but a very nice auntie (i assume she's the lady boss) served me, recommended something to me when she could tell it was my first time there, and she was the "cook" at the same time. the fish / meatballs and dumplings i had were the most springy ones i have eaten so far, and i finally had guo tiao here =) i deliberately took a while to finish my iced milk tea so i could take in the atmosphere. i dunno how to express it, but i really like the 人情味 and 亲切感 i felt in there. these are things that you can just feel, not knowing how to make other people understand. lol =P and you know what? i have no qualms dining alone now, i've been enjoying the solitude and how i actually blend into the local community.
i like the people i have met and the things i have experienced so far. i can so imagine myself not bearing to leave when 3 june comes. the different side of hong kong i have seen so far exudes a certain charm that you have to be here for an extended period of time to experience it to understand what i am talking about.
if you are lost reading this post, it's okay cos i also dunno what exactly is the point of this entry. perhaps, it's just to remind myself of these seemingly insignificant little daily experiences i had here in hk with the local community when i look back at this 5 mths away from home in time to come. =)
if things go according to plan, we should be heading to ocean park tmr. and if we really are, i hope it wont be too crowded and the weather will be good so that we can have lots of fun and i can post more photos up here! =)
anyway, i took a walk to kowloon city after class just now. i usually see it in the night, together with the other 3, as we walk all the way there and pay ~4 to 5SGD each having dessert (yup it's at least twice the price of our ice kachang, but not that i'm complaining cos dessert at kam mun tong is pretty savoury) and then occasionally having thai street side snacks and our egg tarts / other pastries from Hoover cake shop, a place we have come to frequent quite regularly.
perhaps because of the daylight, i saw kowloon city a lot clearer than i usually do - most shops were open and there was actually a regular stream of people at every corner i turned and every street i walked down.
walking around kowloon city in the day gave me a very messed-up feeling. the buildings are old and worn-out, and only a few storeys high because this is where the old airport was located. i see small family-run eateries, retail shops selling factory rejects, the occasional boutique that looks like those in tsim sha tsui or mong kok, high-end restaurants, rice / vegetables wholesalers, thai / viet / korean / japanese eateries, steamboat restaurants, primary school in the middle of nowhere, a few nursing homes, a pretty big dispensary / dental clinic that looks nothing like private practice, automobile / tyre shops, a shopping mall that becomes a ghost town in the evening but enjoying a regular flow of consumers in the day, and some other shopfronts doing businesses i cant put a name to. but you get the idea, it's like most other places in hong kong - disorganised landuse.
today i walked all the way to the street at the far end of the area - kai tak road, where i found an eatery that i read about online. the place was just slightly bigger than my living room. it sat in a quiet corner, and was very local - like what we always see on tv. the boss simply stood at the counter reading betting guides for soccer matches throughout the whole time i was there, he doesnt greet customers, and doesnt even say a word when settling payment. yah, not even "thank you". like the typical "i'm the boss" kinda feel. the place has no menu, but a very nice auntie (i assume she's the lady boss) served me, recommended something to me when she could tell it was my first time there, and she was the "cook" at the same time. the fish / meatballs and dumplings i had were the most springy ones i have eaten so far, and i finally had guo tiao here =) i deliberately took a while to finish my iced milk tea so i could take in the atmosphere. i dunno how to express it, but i really like the 人情味 and 亲切感 i felt in there. these are things that you can just feel, not knowing how to make other people understand. lol =P and you know what? i have no qualms dining alone now, i've been enjoying the solitude and how i actually blend into the local community.
i like the people i have met and the things i have experienced so far. i can so imagine myself not bearing to leave when 3 june comes. the different side of hong kong i have seen so far exudes a certain charm that you have to be here for an extended period of time to experience it to understand what i am talking about.
if you are lost reading this post, it's okay cos i also dunno what exactly is the point of this entry. perhaps, it's just to remind myself of these seemingly insignificant little daily experiences i had here in hk with the local community when i look back at this 5 mths away from home in time to come. =)
if things go according to plan, we should be heading to ocean park tmr. and if we really are, i hope it wont be too crowded and the weather will be good so that we can have lots of fun and i can post more photos up here! =)
Labels: day 73 in Hong Kong, kowloon city
posted by lays at
5:42 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home