Hong Kong/Macau Photo Diary + Up All Night Photo Tour
We're having a party! An #AprilFeelsDay, to be exact. Romance writers, readers, enthusiasts and friends are gathering on April 17, 2016 to celebrate the books we've loved and written and to generally have fun with this small community. I love these people like crazy, and I'm so glad we're going to do this. One of the promotion things we're doing is an Instagram challenge, where we have different themes per day and an appropriate hashtag. Today's theme is #FeelsTrip, where we post photos of the places we've featured in our books. I think it was appropriate that I had this little post lined up!
Anyway. I've been coming and going to Hong Kong since I was a little girl. So much so that I still remember it as a slightly old, very crazy city with stairs and corners and side streets on side streets of stores. Last month I had to go back and forth twice for work, and I decided to take a few snapshots on the way as well. No guide this time, since Hong Kong is the kind of city that kind of leads you where you're meant to go, if that makes sense.
I wrote Up All Night for #WriteBreakupSongsAbout with these places in mind. Hong Kong is a crazy, vibrant city, and when Penelope tells Anton that all she wants to do is go to Jollibee, he can't just take that lying down.
The book begins with Anton whisking Penelope off to Macau right from the airport via helicopter. That's one of the three ways people can get to Macau. From the airport, it's easy enough to follow the signs and find the ferry, but when you're already in Hong Kong, there's a mall in Kowloon (on Canton Road) from which you can go to the top floor, which hosts the different ferry companies going to Macau. You can also hire helicopters from there.
Anton of course, being a bit of a snob, went via helicopter.
The shabu-shabu place is real too! We went there for a client meeting, and honestly we were talking more about the food than the actual things we needed to talk about because it was that good.
The famous Senado Square, just off of the Ruins of St. Paul, were also featured in the story. This is where Penelope 'steals' almond cookie samples from the store. I looove those almond cookies, which you can get in the big, purple boxes with flowers at the Pastelaria Koi Kei, also available in Hong Kong.
There's a part in the story where Anton and Penelope take a breather in the Four Seasons to order high tea. This is where they do it. IFC is a financial center/awesome high end mall in Central, and it's pretty hard to miss. We always eventually end up hanging out where when we're in Hong Kong, since most of our clients are on the Hong Kong side of the city.
Aside from the centrali-ity of it all, the building also has one of Anton's favoirite food stops--Tasty Congee. Getting a table there isn't as impossible as he leads Penelope to believe, but the fact remains that the place is always full.
When you see this sign on the floor above the Airport Express area, you're in the right place. This is everyone's favorite place to get congee. It's so famous that if you're a couple, you may find yourself seated in a table for six with strangers and ushered away before you've laid down the money for your bill. Some prefer the quieter stall in the airport, but trust me when I say that it is so worth it. Make sure you order crullers with your food! Ugh, divine.
After their meal, Anton and Penelope take a walk across the Elevated Pier just outside of IFC and see this spectacular view. This is Central Hong Kong, the same buildings you always seen on photos of the skyline, just on the same side.
The walk goes on for quite a bit, but eventually leads to this pretty building.
Hong Kong Central Pier in the evening.
The Central Pier has all the ferries that cross the bay to Kowloon. Sure you can take an MRT, but why would you when the ferry only costs HK$2 and has a view like this? But please don't be like Penelope and run after the ferry. Locals do it and it's not always safe!
The story ends where all stories set in Hong Kong must end--on the Victoria Harbour in Kowloon. I won't spoil what happens, but come on. With a view like that, how can you not fall in love?
April Feels Day is happening on April 17, 2016 at Pegi Waffles in San Juan, Metro Manila. :)