A Hong Kong Christmas #2 (Hirata Buns & a Flock of Flamingos)

Little Bao, Central

The cutest & most crowded little restaurant nestling near Hollywood road. I went with a lovely uni friend and we caught up over Mac 'n' Cheese, sticky glazed fries and a selection of delectable hirata buns - the fried chicken was an unexpected hit.

 

Botanical Gardens

Toucans, monkeys, the biggest ever flock of flamingos and a nearby fountain to mess around in.

 

Love,

Geisha

xoxo

CHINESE NEW YEAR: DECORATE YOUR MALL

I hope you guys are getting a really good idea of what Hong Kong is like during the Chinese New Year period :) Even as a local I am finding the experience to be exhilarating and over-the-top and it is making me fall in love with the city all over again.

Hong Kong has been pulling out all the stops with their Chinese New Year decorations:

PACIFIC PLACE

Pretty blossoms and water & bridge features dotted throughout the shopping mall

IFC

A traditional Chinese New Year bonanza with lots of hidden lucky "spots". For instance, if you stand in front of that waterfall light display, you stand directly on a lucky spot on the floor which will enrich you with Chinese New Year happiness :)

THE LANDMARK

A fully moving, over-the-top, all-moving, all-dancing Parisian themed puppet show of epic proportions. You have to see this to believe it!!!!

And this is a little corner of my favourite shopping area, tucked away in the old HMV location in Landmark :)

I hope you're not all HongKong-ed out :)

I just have so many pictures from this vibrant little city that I want to share with you all!

Love,

Geisha

xxx

SHANGHAI TANG x MONGOLIAN YURTS

SHANGHAI TANG

Shanghai Tang's former flagship location in Pedder Building has always been a lasting childhood memory for me: Waiting for my mum to browse the beautiful silks and traditional clothing designs with a modern flair whilst I played hide and seek in the colonial-influenced art deco interior, old fashioned bathrooms and breathed in the ever-present scent of their signature home fragrance. It saddened me greatly to hear that Abercrombie and Fitch outbid them for the rent and the landlord threw them out without so much as a farewell. That's what Hong Kong is about - business, business, business!

(In case you're interested, Abercrombie & Fitch will be paying HK$7million per month, 2.5 times more than what Shanghai Tang was paying. That's US$900,000 per month, for the 12,500 square feet location.)

Shanghai Tang is a legendary shop set up by Hong Kong businessman David Tang in 1994 with an investment of HK$120 million that recruited 12 of Shanghai’s best tailors, successfully selling China’s handmade cheongsams and Tang suits to foreigners, they were acquired in 2000 by the world’s second-largest luxury group, the Swiss Richemont group, which owns Cartier, Dunhill, Piaget and other top brands.

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"MONGOLIAN VILLAGE"

In order to maintain their presence in Central whilst they search for a new flagship location, Shanghai Tang has opened temporary 2 pop-up stores: on the 5th floor of Pedder Building and atop of Central Pier 4.

I visited Shanghai Tang's unique pop-up store on Central Pier 4 (the pier for Lamma Island) which is themed "Mongolian Village". It is definitely worth a visit for a refreshing shopping experience just a stone's throw away from the bustle of Central. This pop-up location will be open until 31st December.

There are different yurts for Women's, Men's and Home and I thoroughly enjoyed browsing each one. The products are carefully presented and every tent was playing traditional Christmas music! (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, anyone?)

I walked away with a lovely Christmas gift for mum and a spring in my step.

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INNER MONGOLIA

I actually visited Inner Mongolia earlier this year with a great group of friends and made some unforgettable memories. It was amazing to see the traditional Mongolian yurts again, especially as they didn't house a pile of scratchy blankets and a variety of dead insects this time! I've included a few photos from my trip :)

What unforgettable holiday locations have you visited?

xxx

SNAPSHOTS

A few photos giving a peek into my life in Hong Kong

1. The swan-lake themed display at the IFC Repetto store.

2. A kooky art gallery above an antiques store.

3. The slightly irrelevant and OTT Barbie display in Times Square shopping mall.

4. The new Jack Wills store in Causeway Bay - just in time for Christmas!

5. Crabtree & Evelyn x Hello Kitty. I am a traitor to my kin and am not a fan of Hello Kitty at all but I LOVE this.

6. Nothing says CHRISTMAS SPIRIT like...

Christmas is coming :)

Are you excited?

#shaytards