HK: 1st night

The 15Gang left the airport after getting our bags and drove to Caritas Bianchi Lodge (where we stayed until our departure for Singapore). The accommodations were clean and decent, and the staff was nice to the extent that all hotel staff are nice. Tired as we were, we dropped off our bags and then wandered down around for some nighttime sight-seeing. Some folks went looking for banks to pad their wallets, and some folks went browsing through the night market on Temple Street.



It was just like farmer's market except that there were no fresh produce and it was at night. There were plenty of stalls set up selling their wares. We also saw plenty of folks out for their night-time snacks. Tables and plastic chairs were set up along the sides of the street where people sat eating delicious dishes of all varieties.



I was fiercely hankering for some noodles just to warm up and to fill my empty tummy, so after wandering about, Mai-Anh and I went in search of food. We found Jeffrey and a few of the gang already seated with their steaming bowls of noodles. Turns out, regardless of where we ventured, most of us ended back at this little noodle place on the corner of one of the streets, where the sanitation level was a bit higher than questionable.





We all ordered wonton noodle soup or fishball noodle soup. A couple of folks like Allan and Pat were still working on picking up their noodles and wontons with chopsticks, but never fear, there were forks and spoons available. (By the end of the trip, every single person on the trip was a pro with those two little sticks!)



The mouthwatering deliciousness hit the spot for the evening, but truth be told, I didn't think it was better than the noodles that I usually eat in the little dive near my church in Oakland. I suspect it might be because I'm used to the fatty, over-salted broth served at the dive!



No matter what, the food was delicious, and I think a few folks felt somewhat relieved that we weren't served things like balut or durian on the first night. Noodles and soup. Pretty solid foods for the first evening of the trip. Little did they know there was much more in store for them... Mwahahahaha...

We were well-fed, at very cheap prices, too. Each bowl was about 12-16 Hong Kong dollars, which wasn't that much at all, considering 1 USD was about 7.5 (7.8?) HKD. It was happy eating, and then we trekked back to the Caritas for a good night's rest.