CX A350 to Hong Kong, the Mira Moon Hotel, and a Run to Victoria Peak

[yflyer]

After taking in the view, I reversed my steps and jogged back down (Faster going down!) and continued my run back to the Mira Moon...

Not far from the Peak, on the way down, I encountered the group of men again, who were just arriving at the top..."Great view from the top!" I said as we high-fived again...



The return leg was 5.8km, so the total distance uphill and back to the hotel was close to 9km, not too far from my target of 10km, although I think the climb did make up for the shortfall in distance.

The verdict?

A run up to Peak Tower is definitely feasible. At 3km distance, it is not far for anyone with a decent level of fitness, and can be done in less than 30 minutes.

Many people do a slow walk up (Probably budget 60-90 min), or walk their dogs along the trail. At least one tourist couple decided to walk because the tram queues were too long.

A run to the top would be a decent workout, and there are enough natural pauses (road crossings, etc) to break the monotony and breathlessness of a continuous upward climb.

Anything to watch out for? A few points to note. It is not a busy route. I met a number of people on the way up, but on many stretches I was alone on a deserted path as far as the eye could see. The route also takes many twists and turns, with a couple of forks in the track, and is not the best sign-posted route, although most of the way it is quite obvious which is the way up. Still, if not for Google Maps, I might have gone the wrong way. Better to use some sort of navigation tool or GPS.

And last, on the day I was there, I spotted a wild boar close to Peak Tower.



This one ignored people, and some of tourists went quite close, perhaps not aware of the danger. I was horrified and warned them that they should keep their distance. As these were wild animals, it was probably best to stay well clear.

I believe the wild boar sighting was a one-off event though -- a rare occurence, which should not discourage anyone from heading up to the Peak on foot. It is a very pleasant and scenic route.

"How about up the stairs at ICC or IFC...That will be tougher than up to the Peak!" a friend commented. Yes, but probably not as scenic on the way up!

All that said, would I recommend a run (or a walk) up to the Peak? Definitely!

To be continued...

[yflyer]

Other memorable meals we had on this trip included Wing Hop Sing claypot rice, which has moved to a new location at Des Veoux Road...





Traditional claypot rice with a variety of toppings...



We chose beef with egg...which was served with a raw egg...



... which would be cooked at the table in the heat of the claypot...



This was the sort of place I would return to over and over to try different claypot rice toppings...

We also had noodles and congee at an outlet of the chain Mak's Noodle.

This may be a chain with many branches (Including a branch at Centrepoint in Singapore), but there is no denying the quality of their food.



Mixed congee, with some of everything...



Noodles with shrimp roe...



...with the deep, rich flavour of the shrimp roe really enhancing the noodles...



And of course, delectable shrimp wonton in a tasty prawn broth...

[yflyer]

As for dessert, on one evening, we tried Guiling jelly (Tortoise shell jelly)...



...a very traditional dessert with supposed herbal and health giving properties.



These oriental desserts are probably an acquired taste (with bitterness being a key flavour element), and are not set to replace Haagen Daz or Ben & Jerries as the dessert of choice among the younger generation....



...but Mrs yflyer and I are fans...



You can have it hot (Her choice) or cold (my preference)...with as much syrup as you want, in order to counteract the bitter flavour.



I prefer it with just a little syrup, in order to savour the intense bitterness of the dark jelly.

Let's hear it for the Dark Side!

[yflyer]

Hong Kong is also home of Young Master Ales...a much lauded craft beer brewery which has won many accolades for their small batch beers.

While they have just released a selection of bottled beers, the best way to sample their beers is probably on tap in various bars and taverns in Hong Kong. One evening, we headed to Stone Nalluh Tavern in Wanchai to have a couple of their signature ales...







The Young Master Classic Pale Ale, was delicious, with a heady, fruity aroma and light refreshing flavour -- one of the tastiest beers I have had, although I am admittedly not a beer connoisseur.



The other pour, the Rye on Wood, which was almost a deep red in colour, was richer, darker and more intense. Delicious in a different way, and quite a different style from the classic.

Their brewery in Ap Lei Chau is open for visits on most Saturday afternoons, and they do private tours or tastings on request as well. I've never visited, but it is on my todo list.

Mrs yflyer was shopping at a factory outlet not far way, and popped by the brewery to buy a few bottles of their beer to bring back to Singapore.

[yflyer]

Apart from all that eating, one thing we noticed in Hong Kong was the widespread use of bamboo scaffolding.



Far from being a poor alternative to metal scaffolding used in other countries, this was a sophisticated and well engineered practice...



...with proper techniques and inspection processes...



...which enabled low-tech bamboo to be used in major high rise projects...



What a great use of bamboo, which this CNN article rightly describes as an ancient art.

[yflyer]

On one of our outings, Mrs yflyer and I caught a tram to Happy Valley, near the HK Jockey Club Happy Valley Racecourse.

We were on the upper deck of the tram, as usual, which had a good view of the racecourse, which also had athletic fields in the center of the track.



While observing the sports practice happening on the fields, I noticed that there were runners on the paved road running parallel to the grass track used for horse racing.

Hmmm...I wondered if they were open to the public. A quick Google search confirmed that the path around the race track was open to the public every day except race days. I had no idea! Fantastic!

"I'm going to go for a run there later, before dinner. Meet you back at the hotel at 7.30pm!"

Mrs yflyer went for another round of shopping, while I returned to the hotel to change into PT kit...and headed back out.

I began my run at the Mira Moon, and dodged pedestrians along the busy sidewalks in Causeway Bay (No different from running in Manhattan, NY on the way from the hotel to Central Park...) to get to the Jockey Club entrance to the track. The entrance to the fields is via the underground driveway next to the main spectator stands on the northwest part of the complex, along Wong Nai Chung Road, close to Queen's Road East.



You are not allowed to step on the grass racetrack itself...



...but there is a paved track, the infield track, running parallel to the racecourse which is widely used by runners, joggers and walkers...



This is a great spot for a run in Hong Kong...the track lap distance is 1.38km, which made laps much less boring than your typical 400m track and field lap.



There were both casual runners and serious athletes...



I did 7 laps, and passed by both the same runners and different runners in the course of the run.

In a way this was a great source of encouragement.

"Him again?...if he can do another lap so can I"...I would think...



Overall, a very satisfying route to clock kilometers. I think this is a place I would go to for a run whether on holiday or a business trip. Note that the track is closed on race days.

Total running distance that day was about 11.8km, including the distance to and from the Mira Moon.



To be continued!

[yflyer]

On the last evening of our trip, we headed by MTR to the Kowloon waterfront to watch the evening light show.



This is something that is put up for tourists each evening, and when this happens at 8pm, the area close to the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront is quite packed with visitors.





While I found the 13 minute light show itself a little underwhelming, it was a nice, cool evening to be out. And the waterfront on the Kowleen side is a great place to view the Hong Kong skyline, especially at night.

I enjoyed the short ferry ride on Hong Kong's traditional Star ferries across Victoria Harbour back to *** Chai.



For HKD 2.50 on week days and HKD 3.40 on weekends (payable using the Octopus card), you are essentially treated to a short harbour cruise as the ferry crosses the harbour from Kowloon to Hong Kong island...



A must-do activity for visitors, and great back for the buck...

[yflyer]

After disembarking from the Star Ferry, we headed to Java Road Market, located near North Point. We got there by taxi, although it is accessible via MTR and tram as well.



This market looked deserted at night, and the market itself was closed, but there was a cooked food center on the upper level which was bustling with activity.



We were there to eat at Tung Po, a well known establishment in the Hong Kong food scene, and a restaurant which Anthony Bourdain visited and featured on his No Reservations program on Hong Kong several years ago.



Inside, the place was positively buzzing. It was packed with diners...tables were piled high with food and drink, and there was loud pop music from the 80's and 90's blasting from the sound system.

"Music from our era!" Mrs yflyer remarked.

We began with beer poured into bowls...



Everyone looked to be having a rauciously good time, and it was not just the diners...the staff joined in as well, breaking out into impromptu dance moves and taking selfies with the guests...





The cuisine featured local and modern Chinese dishes, with an emphasis on fresh seafood...





A soup to start -- Chinese borscht...a rich broth of tomato, cabbage and potato, possibly with a seafood base...



Green vegetables, lightly stir fried with crisp ginger topping...



Oysters deep fried in salted egg batter...



Juicy slivers of grilled ox tongue...

[yflyer]

The next course was fish steamed with melon and tofu in a lotus leaf...this was wonderful, with great flavour and texture...



...we ate these dishes with white rice...



...and ended with a complimentary sweet ginger and sweet potato dessert, which was exactly the right thing to wash down our meal.



An unforgettable meal in a unique setting!

[yflyer]

Early the next morning, we checked out early...



...and took a taxi to Hong Kong station to check-in for our flight at the downtown check-in area.



Our flight was a 9am departure on CX, but we checked in down town fairly early, at 6.20am. I asked the check-in agent what the check-in baggage cut-off was for the 9am flight, and she said it was 7.30am, 90 minutes prior to departure.

A look at the other check-in counters showed that the check-in cut-off for SQ was also 90 minutes.



With luggage checked-in and boarding passes in hand, we took the Hong Kong Airport Express for the ride to the airport...



At the airport, we headed first to the MTR/Airport Express ticket counter to refund our Octopus cards, before heading through security into the airside area...



...where we made our way to one of the CX Business Lounges in HKG, The Bridge.

[yflyer]

The Pier is a very pleasant lounge to spend time in.



It has spacious seating areas with good tarmac views.



The lounge also had a few of CX's signature workstations...



The seating areas were not too busy...



The dining area was almost full with travellers having breakfast...



...that said, turnover was quite quick and getting a table was not an issue.

Dim sum and chee cheong fun...



Western breakfast standards...



...and bakery items...



Congee, as well as hot soya been milk...



Salads and cold starters...



Beer and soft drinks...

[yflyer]

After sampling the breakfast selection, we headed out of the dining room to the bar...



A very comprehensive beverage selection at the bar...



...including champagne, as well as a mimosa that our warm and friendly bartender mixed for Mrs yflyer with champagne and orange juice, when she asked if there were any champagne cocktails available...



A quick glance at my watch showed that it was time to head to the gate. Time sure flies by fast when you are in a nice airline lounge...

We gulped down the rest of our champagne and headed to our gate, where B-LRK, a 2 month old A350 was being prepped for our flight to Singapore.



On our way to the gate, we also spotted some of Cathay Dragon's aircraft looking very sleek in the new red livery...



Lines had already formed prior to boarding. A fairly short one for J and CX/Oneworld frequent flyers...and a very long one for Y...



Boarding commenced on time...

[yflyer]

On our outbound flight, we flew Business. On this return leg, we were flying Economy, so would have the opportunity to check out the Economy cabin on the CX A350.

We passed through the Premium Economy cabin. I took the opportunity to briefly check out the PEY cabin.



The CX PEY seat is very impressive. It is quite comfortable, and subjectively seems more spacious than the SQ PEY seat, although both CX and SQ share the same 2-4-2 layout in PEY.

This is the PEY seat fully reclined. Each seat has a calf rest.



The recline looked to be very generous.

Large IFE screen in PEY.

[yflyer]

The Y cabin is laid out in a 3-3-3 configuration, which looks to be standard for most airlines operating the A350.



The bulkhead seats have good legroom, with the IFE mounted on the wall in front of the seat.

The 3-3-3 layout extends all the way to the rear of the plane, with no cabin width tapering, and no pairs of 2 seaters in the rear.



The rear of the aircraft is mostly taken up by a large galley, although there is one restroom on the left side of the aircraft.

Another view of the Y cabin...



The Y seat backs have a large widescreen high resolution touch panel with full AVOD IFE.



The tray table looks to be a new design which I had never encountered before, with two separate fold out trays, a large one for meals, and a smaller one with a cup holder and ledge for small items.



Recline is decent, with the whole seat pivoting forward slightly when reclined.



The armrest goes all the way up, which means that if your flight is lightly loaded, there is the opportunity to turn 3 Y seats into a flat sleeping surface.



Good seat pitch, with no underseat obstructions.





The row 59 emex seats are 2 seaters. The row 60 A and K seats are very desirable as there is no seat in front of them, which gives you a window, a lot of legroom, and direct aisle access.



On CX, the fold out IFE screen on 60A and 60K only has a small protrusion, unlike the humonguous protrusion on SQ's equivalent A350 seat in row 48 which gets in the way of your leg.

[yflyer]

Seat recline in the last Y rows of each Y cabin also look to be fine, without any limited recline.