Wan Chai is in Hong Kong Island.
The reason why we stayed in Wan Chai is because we attended a conference at the HongKong Convention and Exhibition Center (HKCEC).
Here is a feature of Wan Chai from Wikipedia:
Wan Chai (English pronunciation: /ˌwɑːn ˈtʃaɪ/ Chinese: 灣仔) is a metropolitan area situated at the western part of the Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Its other boundaries are Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to the south. The area north of Gloucester Road is often called Wan Chai North. Wan Chai is one of the busiest commercial areas in Hong Kong with many small and medium-sized companies. Wan Chai North features office towers, parks, hotels and an international conference and exhibition centre. As one of the first areas developed in Hong Kong, the locale is densely populated yet with noticeable residential zones facing urban decay. Arousing considerable public concern, the government has undertaken several urban renewal projects in recent years. There are many unique buildings and skyscrapers, most notably the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC),Central Plaza and Hopewell Centre.
This is Harbourview Hotel where we stayed. This should not be mistaken as the 5-star Renaissance Harbour View Hotel or the Grand Hyatt Hotel which are connected to the HKCEC.
But, Harbourview Hotel is the next closest hotel (cheaper I mean, although, price in the travel websites have a wide range!) about 2 to 5 minutes away from HKCEC, depending on your strides. We were comparing the Asian small strides to the American's long strides and how fast they reached the Convention Center!
HongKong Convention and Exhibition Center (HKCEC).
from Wikipedia: The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) is one of the two major convention and exhibition venues in Hong Kong, along with AsiaWorld-Expo. It is located in Wan Chai North, Hong Kong Island. Built along the Victoria Harbour, it is linked by covered walkways to nearby hotels and commercial buildings. The venue was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, in association with Wong & Ouyang (HK) Ltd. Larry Oltmanns led the design, who is a former Design Partner with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP.
The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre is not to be confused with the Hong Kong Exhibition Centre, which is another exhibition venue in Wan Chai North.
Morning.
 |
| back part of the HongKong Convention and Exhibition Center |
 |
| Harbour view from our Convention Hall huge glass window |
 |
| Harbour view from our Convention Hall |
 |
| Harbour view from our Convention Hall |
Inside the HKCEC. Buddhist Convention May 2011 with huge white Budddha at the main lobby.
from Wikipedia: Central Plaza is the third tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong. With a height of 374 m (1,227 ft), Central Plaza is only surpassed by 2 IFC in Central and the ICC in West Kowloon. The building is located at 18 Harbour Road, in Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island. It was the tallest building in Asia from 1992 to 1996, until the Shun Hing Square in Shenzhen, People's Republic of China, was built. The 78-storey building was completed in August 1995. The building surpassed the Bank of China Tower as the tallest building in Hong Kong until the completion of 2IFC.
 |
| view of the first floor lobby from above the escalator. |
Walkway to the MTR passing Gloucester street.
from Wikipedia: Gloucester Road (English pronunciation: /ˈɡlɒstər/) is a major road in Hong Kong. It is in the north of Wan Chai and East Point on Hong Kong Island. It connects toHarcourt Road at its western end and it ends east along west side of Victoria Park. It forms part of Hong Kong's Route 4 and connects to the Island Eastern Corridorvia Victoria Park Road. The road is connected to the Cross Harbour Tunnel near the Canal Road Flyover. It is one of the only roads in Hong Kong with service roads.
 |
| Gloucester Street |
 |
| entrance to the Central Plaza from the walkway |
 |
| entrance to the Central Plaza from the walkway |
 |
| at the side of the building, bamboo stands for construction purpose |
Wanchai Milk Tea.
Shop 4, G/F, Southom Centre, 150 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai
Hong Kong-style milk tea is a beverage originating from Hong Kong consisting of black tea with evaporated milk or condensed milk. It is usually part of lunch inHong Kong tea culture. Although originating from Hong Kong, it is also frequently found overseas in restaurants serving Hong Kong cuisine and Hong Kong-style western cuisine. In the show Top Eat 100 aired on 4 February 2012, Hong Kong-style milk tea is ranked number 4 in Hong Kong cuisines and Hong Kongersconsume a total of 900 million glasses/cups a year.
Hong Kong-style milk tea is a beverage originating from Hong Kong consisting of black tea with evaporated milk or condensed milk. It is usually part of lunch inHong Kong tea culture. Although originating from Hong Kong, it is also frequently found overseas in restaurants serving Hong Kong cuisine and Hong Kong-style western cuisine. In the show Top Eat 100 aired on 4 February 2012, Hong Kong-style milk tea is ranked number 4 in Hong Kong cuisines and Hong Kongersconsume a total of 900 million glasses/cups a year.
Criteria for quality milk tea
The first criterion of a good cup of milk tea is its "smoothness" (香滑); in other words, how creamy and full-bodied it is.
Another criterion for tasty milk tea (and also bubble tea) is some white frothy residue inside the lip of the cup after some of it has been drunk. This white froth means that the concentration of butterfat in the evaporated milk used is high enough.
The taste and texture of 'Hong Kong' style milk tea might be influenced by the milk used. For example, some Hong Kong cafés prefer using a filled milk variant, meaning it is not purely evaporated milk (as with most retail brands) but a combination of skimmed milk and soybean oil.
 |
| My first milk tea |
Wanchai Computer Center.
http://www.12hk.com/area/WanChai/WanChaiComputerCenter.shtml
http://www.12hk.com/area/WanChai/WanChaiComputerCenter.shtml
The Wan Chai Computer Center has two floors of practically nothing but shops selling computers, computer peripherals and supplies, digital consumer electronics, cell phones, etc.
Most of the shops are not chain stores but their prices are sometimes better than the chain stores. If you don't live in Hong Kong, just remember that you can't easily bring something back to get serviced once you leave! Personally I have had good experience in getting small items from the small shops in computer shopping centers in general, but have chosen to deal with chain stores when it comes to big purchases.
Wanchai tram.
Hong Kong Tramways is a tram system in Hong Kong and one of the earliest forms of public transport in Hong Kong. Owned and operated by Veolia Transport, the tramway runs on Hong Kong Island between Shau Kei Wan and Kennedy Town, with a branch circulating Happy Valley. Trams in Hong Kong have not only been a form of transport for over 100 years, but also a major tourist attraction and one of the most environmentally friendly mass transit systems[citation needed]. It is the only exclusively double-decker operated tram system in the world, and one of only three non-heritage tram systems in the world that use double-deck cars.
Wanchai MTR.
From Harbourview Hotel, it takes about ten minutes to reach the MTR. Not too close, but still okay.
From the Wan Chai MTR, we can easily go to other places in HongKong, so even if we only had a few hours after 6 p.m. for our "lakwatsa", it is still fine.
Also, it is quite safe to go home even after midnight through the walkways in the Wan Chai area. After a few days in HongKong, I was able to successfully go home past midnight! T'was a feat for me!!!
From Harbourview Hotel, it takes about ten minutes to reach the MTR. Not too close, but still okay.
Wan Chai is a station on Island line of Hong Kong's MTR. It serves Wan Chai. The main MTR railway is beneath Hennessy Road in the district. Due to the large area of Wan Chai, more than 50 ticket gates and eight entrances have been set up. One of the exits lead to the footbridge along O'Brien Road, which continues toImmigration Tower in Wan Chai North. The livery colour is lime green.
The tunnel for eastbound trains from this station towards Causeway Bay Station once featured an advertisement presented in the form of a slideshow. The large number of sequential panels, in conjunction with the fast movement of the train, allows passengers to feel as if they are watching a moving commercial.
Also, it is quite safe to go home even after midnight through the walkways in the Wan Chai area. After a few days in HongKong, I was able to successfully go home past midnight! T'was a feat for me!!!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete