travelswithalice

October 16, 2016

 

Is the sun setting on my Hong Kong?


Even as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge gets underway across the South China Sea, Hong Kong is becoming more and more just a suburb of China. With hardly any foreign looking faces around much anymore, most signs are now in Chinese. With English translations in small print.


I was there in January but I didn't feel it then. This time though, the change is palpable.

The harbour is quiet. The shops are quiet. There is no buzz, no kinetic frenzy, no busy busy busy vibe. The place looks tired; defeated, almost.



Maybe it's just me. Maybe it's because all our favorite places are gone. 

Agnes b's La Loggia cafe in IFC of course is gone; it left last year I think. Dunhill's Alfie's in Landmark, gone. The designer furniture place on Star Street across from Chez Patrick Deli, gone. Chez Patrick Deli itself, though still there, is not really Chez Patrick anymore, hasn't been for a while now. 

Grappa's in Pacific Place, gone. The big Agnes b on the ground floor had earlier migrated to a small shop on the third. Vilebrequin left before I even learned to pronounce it. In its place, an eclair shop.



Dan Ryan's, gone. Not that I mind, I didn't really like it, but it was so much part of the Pacific Place landscape!


In its place, Operetta. Any good? Too early to tell. But I have to admit, when we got out of the cinema late Friday night, and I simply had to have spaghetti, (I was dreaming of it through most of the Snowden movie) they quite happily changed their vongole to suit my bolognese craving. Good start.

Serge et le Phoque in Wan Chai market was closed for lunch Friday and Saturday. Is it going too?



Back in Manila Saturday evening, a pleasant surprise:





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posted by Alice Dimalanta Jones  # October 16, 2016

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