Central is the place where you can see all the skyscrapers displaying prominent names of financial institutions like Citibank, DBS (did not know that there is a branch of DBS in Hong Kong, really), Morgan Stanley, HSBC, and of course, the place where I used to work, my beloved Standard Chartered Bank. Oh wow, this Central HQ of Standard Chartered Bank looks so damn cool compared to my office at Marina Bay in Singapore. My friend asked me to pose here since after all, it's used to be where I spend most of my hours in the day is. Oh gosh. Why did I work so hard again? Ah right, to sponsor my travel I suppose. And the circle continues. 

Hmm, I recall that Hong Kong has just survived against one of the worst typhoon in their history every, Typhoon Hato. I wonder how does it feel to work in those skyscrapers when typhoon is in town. Most likely you don't have to come to office on typhoon day, but then again, staying at home probably not any safer? Suddenly, I feel so grateful to work in Singapore where its worst natural disaster is probably...smelly haze from the neighboring country. Oh right, since it's is typhoon season in Hong Kong from June to October, you should be careful when you visit Hong Kong during these months. 

YY nearly forgot her main intention to wander around Central area of Hong Kong. Her husband of 2 years, who happens to be a philatelist, asked her help to buy some stamps from Hong Kong. Since none of us know the best place to buy stamps other than post office, YY decided to go for General Post Office. The building of the post office looks pretty much government-ish. Just like how the old office buildings in Jakarta look like. I wonder if Hong Kong goverment decides to keep it that way since after all old building exudes historical vibe of a city. 

The post office counter is decked out in green and white and somehow I got a very retro feeling about Hong Kong. This is where customers can queue for the counter to send their mail or package to anywhere in Hong Kong or outside Hong Kong. But if you are looking for stamps or any other collectibles such as postcards, you need to go down to the level below and make your way to the post office store. There are limited edition stamps and all but since I am not really a fan of stamps, I did not really buy anything. YY seems to be quite satisfied with her selection of stamps to add her man's collection. A happy man indeed to have YY as his ever devoted wife. 

After YY's to-do-list is done, we continued our exploration in Central by tracing our way to Hong Kong's antique street, Hollywood Road. Despite being at Central for so many times, this is the first time ever I tried to trace my way to the road which is supposedly filled with history, antiques store, art galleries and fashion boutiques. In order to reach the road in the fastest way ever, we did try to cross many shortcuts just like this intriguing alley which is also functioning as a market for the nearby residents. You can find roasted meat, drinks, fruits, fishes and vegetables from this one stretch of market. It is so interesting to see the concept of wet market in Hong Kong. The markets here can be in all kind of spaces from one huge building to an alley. 

After we exiting the market, we have arrived at Graham Street which is located right next to our destination, Hollywood Road. Why did I specifically mention Graham Street? It is because Graham Street is one of the many nice photo spots in Hong Kong as there is a street art on the left side of Graham Street. Street arts can be spotted here and there in Central area of Hong Kong, it's just you have to open your eyes widely to spot them, as they can be located in well...any nook and cranny of the city. 

Welcome to Hollywood Road, the street full of independent fashion boutiques, antiques store, art galleries and hair studios. If you are looking to shop for clothes from local HK designer, you may want to visit The Fitting Room by Grana. The interesting concept about shopping at Grana is that while you can try for the clothes there, you cannot purchase by grab and go. Grana is an online store and you need to book your purchase 2 days in advance and they will deliver your order to your doorstep. Hence, the purpose of setting up the store at Hollywood Road is for fitting purpose as it is difficult to see how the cutting of the clothes match your body shape from the website. If local designer fashion is not your cup of tea, you can also find a lot of Korean fashion and Japanese fashion boutiques at Hollywood Road. 

Other than curiosity, my main reason to go to Central is actually to find something unique to give to my friend as birthday present. It's really not easy to find something different for birthday present so I dragged both YY and R5 to the former Hollywood Road Police Married Quarters or PMQ, for short. The building was initially built as a dormitory for police officers but it has then been converted into creative hubs with a lot of retail spaces selling all kind of artsy object and collectibles. If you are confused on where to start looking for art object of your desire, multi-label concept stores Goods of Desires and Kapok may be your best starting points. Picture taking is not allowed at any of the stores in PMQ though. 

The Fitting Room by Grana is situated at: 

108 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan

Hong Kong

Opening hours: 

Monday to Friday 12PM - 10PM

Saturday and Sunday 10AM - 10PM

PMQ is situated at: 

35 Aberdeen Street, Central

Hong Kong

Opening hours: 

Daily 7AM - 11PM