Original plan was to visit Ocean Park. But since weather is still not so good so we just went around Tsim Sha Tsui and Mongkok. This is the view outside of Marco Polo Hong Kong. While waiting for my aunty, we waited outside to see the surrounding shops.
For breakfast we went to Three on Canton in Marco Polo Gateway through Canton Road. The sidewalk in Canton Road was wide enough for everyone including my mom's mobility scooter. It is also leveled with inclines for crossing the street. I would say the place is very handicap friendly.
Breakfast was actually good. They also have a similar lift in Marco Polo Gateway just like the lift in Marco Polo Hong Kong. Because to reach their lobby area, there are also a few steps of stairs. After breakfast we went back to our hotel to prepare for our long day for shopping. Since my aunty visits Hong Kong very often, she is already familiar with the places to go (especially for shopping).
Our first destination for the day - Mongkok.
There are two ways that we can go, train or taxi. To check the accessibility of their trains, we decided to try using the train to go to Mongkok. The nearest station is Tsim Sha Tsui station. To get there, we need to cross the streets, then walk underground to access their subway. Crossing the street was not a problem. They also have an elevator that can access the walkway of the subway. My aunty prefers walking underground so no need to worry about cars when crossing streets.
Finally we reached the Tsim Sha Tsui station. The entrance that has handicap access is in A1.
They have a stair lift that will take you down to the level where they sell the tickets. so it is 2 floors of stairs to go down. Both have stair lift.
It took some time for the assistance to come up and help us. So if you are in a hurry, I suggest to just take the cab. It would be much faster. The stair lift also moves a bit slow. Maybe this is also for the safety of the passenger. So for us to reach 2 levels down, it actually took us around 30 minutes (wait time for assistance and travel of the mob-scooter down 2 floors). After reaching the level for the tickets, entrance to go to the trains were not a problem anymore. They have wide entrance to fit wheelchairs and strollers. And they also have elevators to reach the actual train.
They also provide assistance in alighting the train. They have train assistance that provides ramps so the mob-scooter can get in and out easily. The train assistance also confirmed our target destination. I think this is to prepare their staff to be ready on the destination for assistance. We were also instructed to wait and alight in the first train cabin. So when we arrive in Mongkok station, there is already a train person waiting with a portable ramp ready. Then we were pointed to the direction of the elevator. Taking the elevator leads us to the exit to Mongkok.
We are now in Mongkok. The sidewalk in Mongkok were quite narrow. But still manageable when using a mob-scooter. Below are some of the areas that we visited.
They have a street where they sell different kind of items. They have toys, bags, souvenir items etc. We were able to buy some souvenir items. Then we tried exploring the other streets nearby. We chanced upon the Esprit outlet shop having their sale. But it was on the basement floor. The building elevator assistance was kind enough to lead us to a special elevator so we can visit the Esprit outlet shop.
Most of the shops along the sidewalk were small shops but almost all of them do not have any ramps or special access to their shops. So my mom can only see from the outside.
After hours of walking and shopping, we finally decide to go back to our hotel. This time we tried to use the taxi. Since we are already tired of walking and with so many stuff to carry around, taxi is the best option. The mob-scooter's seat and drive handle can readily be folded. So it can fit in the taxi's back compartment. Travel time was less than 20 minutes. Using the train definitely takes more time. But maybe cheaper depending on the destination.
After taking a rest, for dinner we ate at one of the restaurants in K11 mall, place is called Miso Cool. Lots of people eating, we still need to wait for available seats when we arrived. But I think the wait was worth it. Food was delicious! We had their ramen and fruit shakes. I had the Mango shake, while may mom and aunty had the Grape shake.
Before heading back to our hotel, we passed by Avenue of Stars. Since we were already in the underground subway walkway in Tsim Sha Tsui, on the way back we saw the sign that leads to the exit to the Avenue of Stars. So after a few elevator rides, at last we reached the Avenue of Stars. There was also a very nice view of the city lights.
We plan to visit Disneyland the next day. So we just bought tickets at the Circle K outlet in Avenue of Stars. During that time they had a promotion, for every 2 tickets bought there is a free disney umbrella. So we got our free umbrella that we can use for our disney tour the next day.
It was already getting late, so we headed back to our hotel. We were transferred to a much bigger room as offered previously by the receptionist. This time room was big enough for the scooter. But the bathroom still lacks handicap facilities. In the previous room, they provided a seat for the bath tub. BUt this was hard to use for my mom. So for the new room, we requested for a shower chair where my mom can sit on. They have provided a small stool. Not really fit for a handicap, well, at least they tried to provide something we can use. And we have no choice but to just do with it.
Time to rest again and be ready for our disney tour.
