Back to Hong Kong

My first time going to Hong Kong was in 2009. It was my first trip out of the country (heck, out of Luzon even) and I always said I'd go back there. 

Honestly, though, I didn't think I'd go back after just four years. *laughs*

It wasn't exactly part of my travel plans for this year. It's just that my aunt and uncle, who are based in America were on vacation in the Philippines, wanted to go to Hong Kong and wanted someone to accompany them. My mom and I went. I did the itinerary and all. It was May and it was a good escape from the unbearable Manila heat.

Tsing Ma bridge (taken during the bus ride from the airport to the hotel)

I reserved a room at Hao's Inn (located in Tsim Sha Tsui). It's pretty cheap for HK standards. The rooms are small (which is the norm in HK) but the place is immaculately clean (the housekeeper is Filipina, by the way). There's a water dispenser at the common area which saved us a lot of money as bottled water is quite expensive in HK (well, I'd say everything's expensive in HK). Oh, the staff are very nice too!

The first day was "chill day". My aunt and uncle aren't exactly the "travelling type" so I had to relax our itinerary. We basically just went around TST and to the Avenue of the Stars.

Mom and I at the Avenue of the Stars

This shot would have been better if the skies were clear.

We had dimsum and noodles for dinner at the foodcourt in Sogo Mall near the Avenue of the Stars. Seriously, food is like one of my favorite things about Hong Kong. 

At 8pm, we went back to the Avenue of the Stars to watch the Symphony of Lights which, unfortunately, underwhelmed me. Maybe it was the bad weather or maybe it's because it's no longer my first time to watch the show.

It felt good to go back to HK, though. :)

Second Half

Fifteen days of no update because:

1. I got a bit too occupied with work. 
2. I got hit by a car last week while crossing C.P. Garcia Street with my co-workers. We were on our way to UP to play frisbee/go jogging. I twirled midair, bounced and then landed on the pavement. Good thing there were no other oncoming cars when I landed. My forehead hit the pavement pretty hard which turned my nose into a scary faucet of blood but thankfully my CT Scan results showed no internal bleeding. No other fractures except for a nasal fracture which may or may not need surgery .(Hopefully, I will know this week.) Bruises, wounds, spasms and an awful lot of mental trauma. Anyway, doctors said I'm lucky that I got away like this. I'm actually back to work.

I've been through a lot of pain this year. If there's anything I'm praying for, I just want the second half of the year to be less painful, if not free of pain.

Now, some doodles. I've been doodling a lot just to take away the stress, the worries and the fears because I have many.

Cafe Mitra in Kathmandu

While researching about Kathmandu, I chanced upon Cafe Mitra. Seeing that it's one of the highly-recommended restaurants on Tripadvisor, I decided that I will eat there when I got to Kathmandu.

After the trip to Nagarkot, my friends and I decided to eat lunch at Cafe Mitra in Thamel. The entrance is small and we actually passed by it without noticing and had to turn back to find it. The interior is quite big though. The place is tastefully-decorated and cozy.

They offer both outdoor and indoor dining but because it was noon, we opted to eat indoors. I would say it has a different feel from the other restaurants I've been to in Thamel as most of them are not this modern-looking.

There's an iPod classic and a speaker if you want to hear music.

The menu was limited and the food was kinda pricey compared to other restaurants in Thamel (from NPR500 to above NPR1000 or ~USD12 to above~USD24).

We were the only customers that time.

Surprised by the price range and being the cheapskate that I am, I ordered one of the cheapest items in the menu: goat cheese with mashed potatoes and vegetables (NPR550).

The goat cheese was quite strong and sour to me at first but eventually, I got the hang of it. It was really good. 

This photo makes me really hungry.

My food may not look like much but it was very filling and super tasty. Even my friends who tasted it loved it. It may also be one of my most expensive meals in Nepal but I think it's really worth it! At first, I even felt a bit guilty about dragging my friends to an expensive place (not that I'm aware of it) but even my friends said the food is worth it!

If you have money to spare, I say you should try Cafe Mitra at least once during your stay in Kathmandu.