Sometimes things need to be planned. Today was the day to see museums. I planned to go to Causeway Bay and the Museum of Coastal Defense in the old Lei Yue Mun Fort but it is free Wednesday and CLOSED Thursday. Today is Thursday. Oops.
We had another nice breakfast at L'Escalier, good food, friendly chit chat with the maitre d'. Once fortified, we strolled up Hankow Road to have another look at the Kowloon Gardens. The rose garden is still in bloom and obviously well cared for. We walked past the garden center where a lady was crouched behind a thin screen fence weeding the nursery beds listening to a Chinese talk show interspersed with Jazz. Strange but enjoyable to sashay among the roses listening to "In the Mood".
There is an arboretum under construction with a wide variety of trees. Some were old but many more are still young and will add their splendor to the garden in years to come.
Further along there is a Chinese pavillion opening to the Chinese garden. Very peaceful with a fountain and koi pond as the center. Once again an ad hoc group had dropped their things to do some Tai Chi.
We made our way kitty corner across the park and came out on Nathan Road. At this exit, the music was Strauss Waltzes advertising Musical Theatre.
We were heading for the Hong Kong Museum of History on Chatham Road next to the Science Museum. The neighbourhood was more rundown than the area around our hotel but busy and comfortable enough to walk through. We found the museums with no difficulty and guess what? It is Thursday, they are closed.
It is the coolest day we have had so far so we took time to warm up at the Hong Kong equivalent of a fast food restaurant sharing a four person booth with other couples as they came and went. We had Soya Sauce chicken with rice and something similar to Gai Lan with oyster sauce. Lunch was good and came to only $6.50 CAD.
The next direction sign we saw mentioned the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade. That sounded promising so we followed the arrow and wandered along the waterfront all the way back to our neighbourhood. The busy waterway and views of Hong Kong Central on one side and the huge hotels of Canton Road on the other. Once we reached the Art Gallery, Concert Hall and the Peninsula Hotel we headed up Hankow Road once more to get buns for tea at a wonderful bakery. Then back to our room to plug in the kettle and settle down for a well deserved rest.
It is our last night in Hong Kong so we decided on a memorable dinner at a very prestigious address - The venerable Peninsula Hotel. Apparently their Spring Moon restaurant had dishes within our reach. We were greeted with tiny thin porcelain cups of tea and a silver bowl of candied walnuts. We ordered Chicken with black bean and peppers, a marvelous seasonal vegetable in crispy nest and fried rice wrapped in lotus leaf. The vegetables included the familiar as well as fresh lotus root, a Chinese pumpkin and fresh water chestnuts unlike any we have tasted before. We sipped on endless cups of fragrant jasmine tea. Dan may never get over the bill and I will never forget I walked down the grand staircase to the lobby of the Peninsula Hotel. Very old world. Very "Noble House".
It was raining when we left but the route home was almost entirely underground. We came out near our hotel at "1886" to find the courtyard had been transformed with circling Pharaohs advertising a new Hennessey Cognac. A soiree was underway. The smell of cognac was heavy in the air and it seemed very nice but we were not offered any as we strolled through!
Back in our room safe and sound - our last night in Hong Kong. Tomorrow, Cebu...
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