HK 8-14.04.08
warning: SLPA (super-long post alert)
NHPA (non-halal post alert)
for 2 decades i have waited for this. yes. 20 years since i last stepped out of Malaysia. a breath of fresh air. new perspective of things.
i had the privellege to travel to Hong Kong or Fragrant Harbour (direct translation) to most importantly, visit my darling girlfriend and also to tour the island (and surrounding areas). i will try to explain in as much detail possible about my adventure.
DAY 1 - to Macau & HK
cetana and i had to finish our projects in hand so that we could go on leave for this trip. after completing our tasks, we left the office at 1am. the plan was to journey from the office to LCCT, then board our flight to Macau, then from Macau, take a ferry to HK. gavin drove cetana and myself to the KL Central station (thanks bro!), and from there we took a bus to the LCCT.
one thru security and checking in our luggage, we boarded Air Asia AK50 Airbus to Macau. and off we go!
i have been waiting for scenes like this:
ok now you can call me jakun. 20 yrs never sit on plane, ok?
cetana and i were tired from our late nights ordeal (due to OT over the weekends), so we nodded off several times during the ride.
once we landed, we were in the Macau international airport.
we decided to fill our stomachs with something first, so we ended up in the airport restaurant...
...which was a big mistake!
bowl of noodles + beef stew + vege + soft drink = HKD 87 / RM35!!
this is henceforth my first and MOST expensive meal for this trip. my only consolation is that the portion is huge and i therefore couldn't finish it. for those who know my appetite, this has got to be really big. but still, its RM freakin 35.
ok, whatever. before our trip, our boss gave us a really good tip on getting to HK WITHOUT paying a single cent for transportation and here's how: take a free shuttle service on a bus with "The Venetian"(more info)(wiki) on it, to, well, the Venetian (d'oh)which is an internationally renowned casino-resort. and from there, sign up with a privilege card called the Cotai Rewards Membership for free as well, and from there, take another free shuttle service to the Macau Taipa Ferry Terminal, and then go to a specific pier and flash the privilege card and ride their exclusive CotaiJet Ferry...yes, you've guessed it, for free, to HK.
outside the Macau International Airport, i made a few observations about Macau and its transportation:
roads here are considerably CLEAN and empty. maybe the for the fact that we're not in the city center.
Macau is full of casino resorts, so there are many free (possibly) shuttle services like this one which goes to Grand Emperor.
and you will see a lot of "Gung choy che"s
taxi's. taxi drivers drive toyotas and mazdas. in Malaysia? sigh. smelly beng-ified iswaras.
the Venetian free shuttle service, which heads to the casino resort.
the bus is either quite high tech, or i'm a frog beneath the coconut husk. they have freakin cameras as their reverse aid.
another observation is that drivers here are more slow paced and courteous. but not painstakingly slow.
The Venetian Macau by night (taken from link)
decor of the driveway of the resort:
interior:
after registering for the privilege card, cetana and i discovered that only half of our boss' tip worked: it was only a promotion valid in february. ARGH+SWT+OMG+WTH+BBQ. so we had to pay for the ferry ticket afterall. either way, we made full use of the free shuttle service to the ferry pier.
suspension bridges like the one below are a common sight, even in HK as i discovered later.
not sure what this tower is, nor do i know its significance.
New World First Ferry: HKD 140 = RM56.50
quite a comfortable ride: air-conditioned, and smooth sailing. i tertidur halfway during the journey which took about an hour.
i woke up due to the announcement on the speakers, that we have arrived in HK, and that we will be docking soon. my heart was beating with anticipation. finally i made it to HK! (ok don't mind me, i'm just having the time of my life)
first view of skyscrapers from the ferry. the building on the far right has a gap in the middle of the building, like a giant arch.
we ended up in Kowloon (we actually thought we'd end up in sheung wan) so cetana and i had a mini amazing race asia event of our own. armed with only a limited map of the area, we walked around with our luggage. our first task was to look for cetana's motel, which is located in Mongkok.
advertising is everywhere in HK, and the billboards here are 3 times the ones you see in Malaysia. below is only one of the medium sized ones. the huge ones will be almost as tall as a skyscraper (which you will see later).
we finally located cetana's motel, hidden away in one of the buildings in mongkok. we encountered 2 bloody conmen trying to sway us to their hotel (or they'd probably get commission for fishing victims). 1st one was a bad conman, we almost immediately shrugged him off. the 2nd one nearly lead us to another motel. i discovered his bluff later because he took us further away from the block where the motel was located. when he saw that we were hesitant to follow him, he even threatened to leave. so cetana just said "go lah". haha.
what was more shocking was the motel itself (sorry i forgot to take pictures). oh. my. goodness. www.it-is-freaking-small.com. i missed home when i saw his motel room. there's hardly any place to walk around. and i thought the room was a claustrophobic's nightmare. until i saw the TOYLERT. OH MY GOUURRRDDDDDDDDD.
enter bathroom. in front, sink, on the right, toilet bowl. if you had to change in the bathroom, you'll have to do it standing. i had second thoughts about taking a bath after seeing the bathroom. even a contortionist will complain. while taking a bath, i elbowed the toilet door several times. i can even hear sounds from the next room CLEARLY.
ok, enough about small rooms and toilets. after this, we made our way to Rachel's office which is in north point, using the MTR from Tsim Sa Tsui (TST)(pronounced "chim sa cueh").
using public transportation in HK is easy; IF you know which transport to take, where to exit or get off, or board which mode of transportation (taxi, tram, MTR, cab, walk, bus). if you know HK from the back of your hand, public transportation is relatively efficient. otherwise it will be time consuming because you need time to figure out where to go and etc. which is what happened to cetana and i. but we managed and made our way to north point, following Rachel's directions given several days beforehand.
two more convenient points is that most public transportation connects you to most locations, and you don't have to walk very far, and another being that over here, public transportation and places are very disabled friendly. at pedestrian crossings they have beepers which alert the sight-challenged whether it is green or red light. at MTR stations they have markings on the floor towards lifts, entrance and exit points to board the train and beepers at the foot and end of escalators.
bus and taxi drivers here can be scary. speed + skill = rollercoaster ride. and backseat belts are a must.
also, it would be advisable to get an Octopus card available at selected places including MTR stations.
the Octopus card can be used for virtually all public transportation, 7-11s, laundry, and a number of other services or stores. its an equivalent to Malaysia's Touch-n-Go, only more flexible. reloading it with cash is also relatively simple, also at MTR stations at reloading kiosks where you can even scan your card to find out how much balance you have left. cool eh?
the MTR station logo
the MTR or Mass Transit Railway is the fastest and efficient way (economically and comfort-wise) to travel around commercial areas of HK (the MTR line does not cover southern part of HK island). it is fast, on time, and frequent. and it can get chilly inside, because the wind blows strongly inside the train.
a typical scene in an MTR train.
believe me, you ain't seen rush hour yet, and you definitely don't want to be in rush hour in an MTR. full to the brim.
taking the MTR almost everyday, i can see all kinds of people from all walks of life. and again a few observations:
1) a lot of the working men are in suits.
2) everyone who has a cellphone probably has a 2nd cellphone, and even more probably using it to play games / talk or using it instead of keeping it in the pocket.
3) nearly every youth has a Sony PSP or a Nintendo DS. more often a PSP. iPhone is also everywhere.
4) everyone talks out loud on the phone
5) 80% of the girls are slim (and healthy looking)
6) 80% of those girls are lala.
what is lala?
1) a type of clam or shellfish eaten as seafood.
"mai hum! mai hum!"
2) a type of girl either:
i) dressing fashionably (or so she thinks she is!)
ii) posing in front of the camera with a peace sign
iii) posing and acting cute with the camera
iv) posing with a visible camera or phone with camera in hand and self shot photo either via mirror or directly
v) posing like a model wannabe
examples below:
feeling abit naughty, i decided to just walk in her office to make a surprise entrance instead of calling her first. my heart leaped for joy when we embraced each other tightly. that, is my definition of happiness.
so after she packs up and leaves her office, we checked out her apartment which is conveniently down the road.
Rachel lives on the 14th floor of her apartment. the view is not too bad, i could see the sea, a lot of skyscrapers and some activity going on one of the rooftops. (if you look closely on the 2nd enlarged image below, you will notice some folks doing tai chi)
at night, rachel took us to a cha chan teng (which means coffee shop, and is equivalent to our coffee shop).
when seated, customers will be served hot tea. and here comes the interesting part.
you can tell a local and a tourist from what he/she does with the hot tea. tourists will drink the tea.
locals will wash their utensils in it. LOL, i can imagine that look on your face because thats the same look cetana and i had after being told that AFTER we took a few sips. rest assured, it is safe to drink. but still cetana and i didn't drink it after.
we will also be usually served 'chin tong' (clear soup)
sadly, yet again, i forgot to take pictures. words cannot describe how delicious our 'ku lou yuk' (sweet n sour pork), mushroom chicken and vege tasted. the authentic hong kong style exquisite taste. mouth watering indeed.
DAY 2 - Ngong Ping 360
today is Ngong Ping 360 and a lil shopping day. Ngong Ping is a village among the mountains and hills on Lantau island. and to access that area, we need to take a MTR to Tung Chung, which is one end of the MTR line.(also leads to HKIA airport) and the 2 highlights which i seek in Ngong Ping is the Tian Tan Buddha statue (largest outdoor seated buddha statue) in the Po Lin Monastery up 268 steps up the stairs and the wisdom path which is 300+++ steps along a long path (yes, alot of walking)
Along the way, i saw these:
Citygate shopping mall in Tung Chung, right outside the MTR station (in fact, its connected!)
this shopping mall consists of mostly outlets. meaning, its like the FOS of major brands. you will find brands like Nike, Adidas, Quiksilver, New Balance, cK, A|X, Esprit and many more...ALL OUTLETS. i nearly bought a Esprit jeans for HKD270 = RM108. but i figured i can buy this another time, since i am planning to come to HK again.
looks familiar? if you guessed Guardian, you are correct. here its called Mannings. just like how Burger King in Australia is called Hungry Jacks, and Ah Bengs in UK are called Chavs. lol?
Tung Chung Bus Terminal
Tung Chung Post Office
and the Tung Chung Cable Car Terminal
Ngong Ping 360 (wiki) is a tourism project by the gov, combining services of the cable car and the village at the end of the cable car ride. Return ticket costs about HKD135 = RM54.50
passengers go in...
...switch closes the doors...
...and off we go!
before purchasing the tickets, the staff were nice enough to inform us that the weather is a lil cloudy and windy so we might not get a great view, plus the winds would shake up the ride a lil. we went for it anyway.
and that guy was right. misty mountains.
angle station. at this point, the station steers the cable cars
small fishing village in Tung Chung.
view of the HK International Airport (HKIA)
looking down from the cable car, we noticed a trekking path stretching all the way, cutting across the mountains until the village (i think)
and we spotted some trekking enthusiasts. i must say they're pretty energetic for their age, to be trekking this far. and very friendly too. they waved at us when we passed them overhead.
i was wondering what the hell happened to this cable car! (its actually meant for maintenance crew)
from this point onwards, it became more misty and the fog eventually thickened...
...till we couldn't see a thing.
eerie glow from headlights on one of the pylons.
and finally, sight of the village! phew! (one more ride back to go)
Teahouse
Starbucks followed us everywhere we went. not kidding.
the thick fog that enveloped the village gave it a 'ghost town' feel. its kinda cool.
the Bodhi tree where Buddha achieved 'enlightenment'.
by now you would've noticed that its a fake right? look at the leaves ;)
creepy atmosphere. this gateway leads us out of the village, towards several other locations, including the tian tan buddha (which is where we're headed)
stairways up to the statue. and this is where the mist isn't cool. we're supposed to able to see the statue.
Gateway to the Po Lam Monastery.
interesting carved altars along the way to the top
and this is all we got of a shot of the statue
the buddha is surrounded by 6 buddhistic statues, praising and making offerings to the buddha.
try not to fall down, yea?
after the descend, our next visit was to the wisdom path.
and no, that is not the wisdom path. well, in a way it is. after walking on it, you will suddenly realise that you should've brought roller skates!
in the middle of the walkway towards the wisdom path, we came upon another eerie spot, probably open only during holiday season. closed restaurants, empty (almost seems like abandoned) houses, scarecrows everywhere and not a soul in sight. panoramic shot:
carved and painted figure of a phoenix.
this goes to I-don't-know-where. if you can read the characters on the signage, please let me know and i will update the commentary.
and here it is:
"Wisdom Path, an outdoor replica of the centuries-old Heart Sutra, one of the world's best-known prayers that is revered by Confucians, Buddhists and Taoists alike. The sutra is displayed on wooden pillars placed in the form of a figure "
" to symbolise the idea of immeasurable splendour and infinity." (quoted from link)
this is when the mist adds a really good atmosphere!
mealworm spotted on rock steps
empty panel. if you had your own words of wisdom, what would you inscribe here? insert your ideas in the comments page.
on the way back
by the end of the day, it was already dinner time, so we went to Tsui Wah Restaurant (link), a famous cha chan teng because some HK celebrities will come here to eat. well i didn't manage to catch any of them, but even if i did, i probably wouldn't be able to recognise them.
and guess what? i forgot to take pictures of the food again. SWT!! dunno bring camera for what. anyway, the portion is still huge here, had beef fried rice and some toast bun with condensed milk and butter. DELICIOUS!
DAY 3 - Cheung Chau Island
Cheung Chau is accessible via ferry at the Central Ferry Terminal, Pier 5. This island has been inhabited for longer than most other places in HK, and is known to be a fishing village. in comparison to HK mainland and island, life on Cheung Chau is more laidback and slow-paced. People there take their time to do their own things.
On the way to the ferry terminal, panoramic view of a construction site along the coastline. in the background you can see the HK Convention Centre (HKCC) right behind the crane on the left, and on the right, the AIG tower, and far right, the Bank of China Tower. see that smaller building draped with green covers? underneath it is a Calvin Klein ad i was talking about that was as tall as skyscrapers. huge eh?
the First Ferry, that takes us to the island.
the fare is considerably cheap, economy seats are about HKD10 = RM4. but for that price you get this:
poorly air conditioned, open-air, carbon monoxide filled ride. but still bearable.
remember what i said about suspension bridges? they're building one here.
journey took us about 45 minutes, and we have a view of the cluttered fishing com
munity
some unknown weird red stuff hanging outside a restaurant
some known weird red stuff sitting outside the restaurant
more weird unknown stuff outside the streets (later i found out this is fish stomach)
bicycles are a common mode of transportation on the island. some ppl rent them to go around.
markets along the streets
small vehicles like this one is common on the island. they use it to load and transport bulk/heavy goods.
even in Cheung Chau, advertisements can be really loud.
we stopped by one of the shops to have lunch
hardly see any coffeeshops like this in HK!
we ordered 'Yu Tan Hor Fun' (Fishball Kuay Teow) Soup. the black thingy is their version of sambal. more fragrant and savoury than sweet.
walking around the island, a typical street road
i'm beginning to think ppl on this island do eat alot of weird stuff. i'll let you guys figure out what it is, as for me, ignorance is bliss.
not only in Cheung Chau but in HK as well, workers use bamboo from china for construction as it is cheap and strong
typical house
they have trishaw services too
some random structure
fishing boats docked along the shore
some people use mirrors, hoping that the demons will be scared off by their own reflection. here they use CDs.
random temple
intricate carvings and statuettes, decorating the roof of the temple, probably depicting a myth, legend or a story.
buddhist school
panoramic shot of the sea from shore
a lot of seafood drying outside.
like, freakin a lot.
one random restaurant had a display of various edible sea creatures:
morebeatrice elvie lala
i just discovered these weird looking things are called Geoducks (wiki). like, what the heck?
someone told me this is some rockfish with starfish (is starfish edible??)
mantis shrimp?
lobsters
horseshoe crab aka king crab. should they be lucky to be horseshoe crabs in this predicament? (are they even edible??)
poor stringray in shallow water, being sucked by cleanerfish all day
we had dinner in another restaurant, ordered 'ko lo pai kuat' (sweet n sour pork ribs)...
and fried garoupa
banner advertising bun scrambling competition. for more info read here.
Park n Shop. an equivalent of 99 market.
panoramic view of Cheung Chau at night
DAY 4 - Shopping in TST, Mongkok & Causeway Bay
i've never seen so many people and signages in my life!
Ladies Street
i skipped sneaker street because if i went there, i would be SURE to spend money on a pair of shoes. those who know me and my "Imelda Marcos footwear collection" will know my shoes and sandal fetish. here's an excerpt of a MSN conversation with adrien while i was in HK about sneaker street:
._zilchº says:
they 'worship' sneakers here
so there's a street full of sneakers
guess what its called?
Adrienz says:
sneaker street!
._zilchº says:
lol, bingo
Adrienz says:
OH I GOT IT RIGHT LOL
._zilchº says:
LOL
this is going into my blog
lunch at one cha chan teng in TST. this is some fried fish skin. eaten as snack or soup dip.
Char Siew Hor Fun
Taiwanese minced pork rice
shopping experience is like this: CROWDED. everywhere there's people, and the fact that most malls spaces are like the ones in sungei wang plaza doesn't help either. only some malls like time square and sogo are large enough to walk around. even so, they're always full with people. walking on the street has never been so troublesome. people keep banging into you, stepping on your foot and people walk and smoke at the same time. nevertheless, these areas that are mentioned above, are full of shopping malls. so worry not, even if you're as picky as me, you will find at least a few items to look at.
streets of Mongkok at night. taken from quiksilver shop (their shops are huge!)
Times Square in Causeway Bay
Day 6 - The Peak & more TST
The Peak is accessible by tram. so we walked from Central, towards Battery Lane then past the Court of Final Appeal and St John's Cathedral. we couldn't check out the church premises because there was a wedding ceremony taking place.
Court of Final Appeal
St John's Cathedral
back view of the cathedral
St John's Building. on the left of the building is where you purchase tram tickets to the Peak.
in the tram
the tram goes up at an angle of roughly 45º most of the time. i wonder how heavy is this thing because its going up considerably quick, must've required alot of power to do so.
once up, we are in The Peak shopping mall. greeting us outside Madame Tussaud's is Bruce Lee's wax figure.
and...his 'stuff' is protruding, so i volunteered to mosaic it out. hey, anyone could be reading my blog right??
view of the city
outside the shopping mall, an older version of the tram
the Peak Galleria (shopping mall) which is opposite the Peak shopping mall.
some restaurant with nice english architecture
apartments on the hills. it seems that Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh lives somewhere on The Peak.
once again, bad weather hampered our view of the city below. quote from Sean (who joined us few days ago) "It was marvellous! We saw nothing!"
pathways along the edges of the mountain
going back down...
eating late lunch in TST. apparently some places have same problems, same source.
nevertheless, food is good. curry chicken dish:
vege doused with tangy mayo sauce
some seafood fritters.
after that, we headed for dessert! ad on staircase:
Sweet Dynasty
nice interior and decor
from this point on, i'd like to apologize to all diabetics...sorry!
red bean dessert
honeydew + sago pudding
sweet rolls + strawberry and mango (mango is a famous fruit in HK)
tau fu fa (hidden beneath mango) with fruits. check out the presentation man!
something savoury for a change. shrimp cheong fun
streets at night in TST
going back via tram (photo taken from flickr)
the tram is probably the cheapest mode of transportation. locals call. it 'ting ting' because of the sound of the tram bell. passengers board the tram from the back, and only pay HKD2 when they get off their destination.
DAY 5 - Church + Dim Sum and rest
attended Rachel's church, Island Evangelical Community Church (Island ECC) in . they don't have a fixed location, so every week's venue could be different. this week their meeting was in the JW Marriot Ballroom in Queensway, Admiralty. Fastest mode of transport: taxi.
worship experience was great, and the message was challenging as well. the speaker spoke about abstinence and the message cut right thru the congregation.
after the meeting, we went for dim sum with Rachel's friends at Metropol Restaurant. per person: HKD100 = RM40
Victoria, Rachel and me
giant sharkfins in the restaurant. Michelle don't look!
Rachel took me to try this weird looking but good tasting dessert in Causeway Bay
who wants to guess what this is? is this:
A) tau fu fa
B) yoghurt
C) milk
D) none of the above
some cutesy shoes Rachel bought. (and she's very proud of it!)
DAY 6 - Back to Malaysia *sob sob*
people say that time flies when you're having a good time. and sooner than expected, its already time to leave HK and Rachel behind. oh well, all good things can wait :)
finally decided to try McDs. this is called Big and Tasty Burger.how interesting.
there was some communication problem with cetana and sean and i somehow ended up taking the CotaiJet back to Macau Ferry Terminal.
its not too expensive though because i took the economy class at about HKD 145 = RM58.50
Macau sea is dirty compared to HK
some new ferry terminal under construction
at the Macau International Airport, planes land on a separate island then slowly drive thru a long runway towards the airport on land and take off in a similar fashion in reverse.
goodbye Macau...
i certainly hope i don't see anyone walking outside this area during the flight
alas, at the end of the trip, tired but happy and satisfied. i would conclude that HK is a nice place to visit, but definitely not good for long term stay (ie work, study) because the life here is pretty much fast-paced, there's hardly time to breathe (or room for that matter!) unless you live on Cheung Chau or outside the city area.
i wish i didn't have to leave Rachel behind too, as i know we'll both be sad to be away from each other again.
here i'd like to dedicate this post to my loving girlfriend. i cherish you and i love you. thank you for the wonderful and unforgettable experience and time we spent together in HK :)
NHPA (non-halal post alert)
for 2 decades i have waited for this. yes. 20 years since i last stepped out of Malaysia. a breath of fresh air. new perspective of things.
i had the privellege to travel to Hong Kong or Fragrant Harbour (direct translation) to most importantly, visit my darling girlfriend and also to tour the island (and surrounding areas). i will try to explain in as much detail possible about my adventure.
DAY 1 - to Macau & HK
cetana and i had to finish our projects in hand so that we could go on leave for this trip. after completing our tasks, we left the office at 1am. the plan was to journey from the office to LCCT, then board our flight to Macau, then from Macau, take a ferry to HK. gavin drove cetana and myself to the KL Central station (thanks bro!), and from there we took a bus to the LCCT.
one thru security and checking in our luggage, we boarded Air Asia AK50 Airbus to Macau. and off we go!
i have been waiting for scenes like this:
ok now you can call me jakun. 20 yrs never sit on plane, ok?
cetana and i were tired from our late nights ordeal (due to OT over the weekends), so we nodded off several times during the ride.
once we landed, we were in the Macau international airport.
we decided to fill our stomachs with something first, so we ended up in the airport restaurant...
...which was a big mistake!
bowl of noodles + beef stew + vege + soft drink = HKD 87 / RM35!!
this is henceforth my first and MOST expensive meal for this trip. my only consolation is that the portion is huge and i therefore couldn't finish it. for those who know my appetite, this has got to be really big. but still, its RM freakin 35.
ok, whatever. before our trip, our boss gave us a really good tip on getting to HK WITHOUT paying a single cent for transportation and here's how: take a free shuttle service on a bus with "The Venetian"(more info)(wiki) on it, to, well, the Venetian (d'oh)which is an internationally renowned casino-resort. and from there, sign up with a privilege card called the Cotai Rewards Membership for free as well, and from there, take another free shuttle service to the Macau Taipa Ferry Terminal, and then go to a specific pier and flash the privilege card and ride their exclusive CotaiJet Ferry...yes, you've guessed it, for free, to HK.
outside the Macau International Airport, i made a few observations about Macau and its transportation:
roads here are considerably CLEAN and empty. maybe the for the fact that we're not in the city center.
Macau is full of casino resorts, so there are many free (possibly) shuttle services like this one which goes to Grand Emperor.
and you will see a lot of "Gung choy che"s
taxi's. taxi drivers drive toyotas and mazdas. in Malaysia? sigh. smelly beng-ified iswaras.
the Venetian free shuttle service, which heads to the casino resort.
the bus is either quite high tech, or i'm a frog beneath the coconut husk. they have freakin cameras as their reverse aid.
another observation is that drivers here are more slow paced and courteous. but not painstakingly slow.
The Venetian Macau by night (taken from link)
decor of the driveway of the resort:
interior:
after registering for the privilege card, cetana and i discovered that only half of our boss' tip worked: it was only a promotion valid in february. ARGH+SWT+OMG+WTH+BBQ. so we had to pay for the ferry ticket afterall. either way, we made full use of the free shuttle service to the ferry pier.
suspension bridges like the one below are a common sight, even in HK as i discovered later.
not sure what this tower is, nor do i know its significance.
New World First Ferry: HKD 140 = RM56.50
quite a comfortable ride: air-conditioned, and smooth sailing. i tertidur halfway during the journey which took about an hour.
i woke up due to the announcement on the speakers, that we have arrived in HK, and that we will be docking soon. my heart was beating with anticipation. finally i made it to HK! (ok don't mind me, i'm just having the time of my life)
first view of skyscrapers from the ferry. the building on the far right has a gap in the middle of the building, like a giant arch.
we ended up in Kowloon (we actually thought we'd end up in sheung wan) so cetana and i had a mini amazing race asia event of our own. armed with only a limited map of the area, we walked around with our luggage. our first task was to look for cetana's motel, which is located in Mongkok.
advertising is everywhere in HK, and the billboards here are 3 times the ones you see in Malaysia. below is only one of the medium sized ones. the huge ones will be almost as tall as a skyscraper (which you will see later).
we finally located cetana's motel, hidden away in one of the buildings in mongkok. we encountered 2 bloody conmen trying to sway us to their hotel (or they'd probably get commission for fishing victims). 1st one was a bad conman, we almost immediately shrugged him off. the 2nd one nearly lead us to another motel. i discovered his bluff later because he took us further away from the block where the motel was located. when he saw that we were hesitant to follow him, he even threatened to leave. so cetana just said "go lah". haha.
what was more shocking was the motel itself (sorry i forgot to take pictures). oh. my. goodness. www.it-is-freaking-small.com. i missed home when i saw his motel room. there's hardly any place to walk around. and i thought the room was a claustrophobic's nightmare. until i saw the TOYLERT. OH MY GOUURRRDDDDDDDDD.
enter bathroom. in front, sink, on the right, toilet bowl. if you had to change in the bathroom, you'll have to do it standing. i had second thoughts about taking a bath after seeing the bathroom. even a contortionist will complain. while taking a bath, i elbowed the toilet door several times. i can even hear sounds from the next room CLEARLY.
ok, enough about small rooms and toilets. after this, we made our way to Rachel's office which is in north point, using the MTR from Tsim Sa Tsui (TST)(pronounced "chim sa cueh").
using public transportation in HK is easy; IF you know which transport to take, where to exit or get off, or board which mode of transportation (taxi, tram, MTR, cab, walk, bus). if you know HK from the back of your hand, public transportation is relatively efficient. otherwise it will be time consuming because you need time to figure out where to go and etc. which is what happened to cetana and i. but we managed and made our way to north point, following Rachel's directions given several days beforehand.
two more convenient points is that most public transportation connects you to most locations, and you don't have to walk very far, and another being that over here, public transportation and places are very disabled friendly. at pedestrian crossings they have beepers which alert the sight-challenged whether it is green or red light. at MTR stations they have markings on the floor towards lifts, entrance and exit points to board the train and beepers at the foot and end of escalators.
bus and taxi drivers here can be scary. speed + skill = rollercoaster ride. and backseat belts are a must.
also, it would be advisable to get an Octopus card available at selected places including MTR stations.
the Octopus card can be used for virtually all public transportation, 7-11s, laundry, and a number of other services or stores. its an equivalent to Malaysia's Touch-n-Go, only more flexible. reloading it with cash is also relatively simple, also at MTR stations at reloading kiosks where you can even scan your card to find out how much balance you have left. cool eh?
the MTR station logo
the MTR or Mass Transit Railway is the fastest and efficient way (economically and comfort-wise) to travel around commercial areas of HK (the MTR line does not cover southern part of HK island). it is fast, on time, and frequent. and it can get chilly inside, because the wind blows strongly inside the train.
a typical scene in an MTR train.
believe me, you ain't seen rush hour yet, and you definitely don't want to be in rush hour in an MTR. full to the brim.
taking the MTR almost everyday, i can see all kinds of people from all walks of life. and again a few observations:
1) a lot of the working men are in suits.
2) everyone who has a cellphone probably has a 2nd cellphone, and even more probably using it to play games / talk or using it instead of keeping it in the pocket.
3) nearly every youth has a Sony PSP or a Nintendo DS. more often a PSP. iPhone is also everywhere.
4) everyone talks out loud on the phone
5) 80% of the girls are slim (and healthy looking)
6) 80% of those girls are lala.
what is lala?
1) a type of clam or shellfish eaten as seafood.
"mai hum! mai hum!"
2) a type of girl either:
i) dressing fashionably (or so she thinks she is!)
ii) posing in front of the camera with a peace sign
iii) posing and acting cute with the camera
iv) posing with a visible camera or phone with camera in hand and self shot photo either via mirror or directly
v) posing like a model wannabe
examples below:
feeling abit naughty, i decided to just walk in her office to make a surprise entrance instead of calling her first. my heart leaped for joy when we embraced each other tightly. that, is my definition of happiness.
so after she packs up and leaves her office, we checked out her apartment which is conveniently down the road.
Rachel lives on the 14th floor of her apartment. the view is not too bad, i could see the sea, a lot of skyscrapers and some activity going on one of the rooftops. (if you look closely on the 2nd enlarged image below, you will notice some folks doing tai chi)
at night, rachel took us to a cha chan teng (which means coffee shop, and is equivalent to our coffee shop).
when seated, customers will be served hot tea. and here comes the interesting part.
you can tell a local and a tourist from what he/she does with the hot tea. tourists will drink the tea.
locals will wash their utensils in it. LOL, i can imagine that look on your face because thats the same look cetana and i had after being told that AFTER we took a few sips. rest assured, it is safe to drink. but still cetana and i didn't drink it after.
we will also be usually served 'chin tong' (clear soup)
sadly, yet again, i forgot to take pictures. words cannot describe how delicious our 'ku lou yuk' (sweet n sour pork), mushroom chicken and vege tasted. the authentic hong kong style exquisite taste. mouth watering indeed.
DAY 2 - Ngong Ping 360
today is Ngong Ping 360 and a lil shopping day. Ngong Ping is a village among the mountains and hills on Lantau island. and to access that area, we need to take a MTR to Tung Chung, which is one end of the MTR line.(also leads to HKIA airport) and the 2 highlights which i seek in Ngong Ping is the Tian Tan Buddha statue (largest outdoor seated buddha statue) in the Po Lin Monastery up 268 steps up the stairs and the wisdom path which is 300+++ steps along a long path (yes, alot of walking)
Along the way, i saw these:
Citygate shopping mall in Tung Chung, right outside the MTR station (in fact, its connected!)
this shopping mall consists of mostly outlets. meaning, its like the FOS of major brands. you will find brands like Nike, Adidas, Quiksilver, New Balance, cK, A|X, Esprit and many more...ALL OUTLETS. i nearly bought a Esprit jeans for HKD270 = RM108. but i figured i can buy this another time, since i am planning to come to HK again.
looks familiar? if you guessed Guardian, you are correct. here its called Mannings. just like how Burger King in Australia is called Hungry Jacks, and Ah Bengs in UK are called Chavs. lol?
Tung Chung Bus Terminal
Tung Chung Post Office
and the Tung Chung Cable Car Terminal
Ngong Ping 360 (wiki) is a tourism project by the gov, combining services of the cable car and the village at the end of the cable car ride. Return ticket costs about HKD135 = RM54.50
passengers go in...
...switch closes the doors...
...and off we go!
before purchasing the tickets, the staff were nice enough to inform us that the weather is a lil cloudy and windy so we might not get a great view, plus the winds would shake up the ride a lil. we went for it anyway.
and that guy was right. misty mountains.
angle station. at this point, the station steers the cable cars
small fishing village in Tung Chung.
view of the HK International Airport (HKIA)
looking down from the cable car, we noticed a trekking path stretching all the way, cutting across the mountains until the village (i think)
and we spotted some trekking enthusiasts. i must say they're pretty energetic for their age, to be trekking this far. and very friendly too. they waved at us when we passed them overhead.
i was wondering what the hell happened to this cable car! (its actually meant for maintenance crew)
from this point onwards, it became more misty and the fog eventually thickened...
...till we couldn't see a thing.
eerie glow from headlights on one of the pylons.
and finally, sight of the village! phew! (one more ride back to go)
Teahouse
Starbucks followed us everywhere we went. not kidding.
the thick fog that enveloped the village gave it a 'ghost town' feel. its kinda cool.
the Bodhi tree where Buddha achieved 'enlightenment'.
by now you would've noticed that its a fake right? look at the leaves ;)
creepy atmosphere. this gateway leads us out of the village, towards several other locations, including the tian tan buddha (which is where we're headed)
stairways up to the statue. and this is where the mist isn't cool. we're supposed to able to see the statue.
Gateway to the Po Lam Monastery.
interesting carved altars along the way to the top
and this is all we got of a shot of the statue
the buddha is surrounded by 6 buddhistic statues, praising and making offerings to the buddha.
try not to fall down, yea?
after the descend, our next visit was to the wisdom path.
and no, that is not the wisdom path. well, in a way it is. after walking on it, you will suddenly realise that you should've brought roller skates!
in the middle of the walkway towards the wisdom path, we came upon another eerie spot, probably open only during holiday season. closed restaurants, empty (almost seems like abandoned) houses, scarecrows everywhere and not a soul in sight. panoramic shot:
carved and painted figure of a phoenix.
this goes to I-don't-know-where. if you can read the characters on the signage, please let me know and i will update the commentary.
and here it is:
"Wisdom Path, an outdoor replica of the centuries-old Heart Sutra, one of the world's best-known prayers that is revered by Confucians, Buddhists and Taoists alike. The sutra is displayed on wooden pillars placed in the form of a figure "
" to symbolise the idea of immeasurable splendour and infinity." (quoted from link)
this is when the mist adds a really good atmosphere!
mealworm spotted on rock steps
empty panel. if you had your own words of wisdom, what would you inscribe here? insert your ideas in the comments page.
on the way back
by the end of the day, it was already dinner time, so we went to Tsui Wah Restaurant (link), a famous cha chan teng because some HK celebrities will come here to eat. well i didn't manage to catch any of them, but even if i did, i probably wouldn't be able to recognise them.
and guess what? i forgot to take pictures of the food again. SWT!! dunno bring camera for what. anyway, the portion is still huge here, had beef fried rice and some toast bun with condensed milk and butter. DELICIOUS!
DAY 3 - Cheung Chau Island
Cheung Chau is accessible via ferry at the Central Ferry Terminal, Pier 5. This island has been inhabited for longer than most other places in HK, and is known to be a fishing village. in comparison to HK mainland and island, life on Cheung Chau is more laidback and slow-paced. People there take their time to do their own things.
On the way to the ferry terminal, panoramic view of a construction site along the coastline. in the background you can see the HK Convention Centre (HKCC) right behind the crane on the left, and on the right, the AIG tower, and far right, the Bank of China Tower. see that smaller building draped with green covers? underneath it is a Calvin Klein ad i was talking about that was as tall as skyscrapers. huge eh?
the First Ferry, that takes us to the island.
the fare is considerably cheap, economy seats are about HKD10 = RM4. but for that price you get this:
poorly air conditioned, open-air, carbon monoxide filled ride. but still bearable.
remember what i said about suspension bridges? they're building one here.
journey took us about 45 minutes, and we have a view of the cluttered fishing com
munity
some unknown weird red stuff hanging outside a restaurant
some known weird red stuff sitting outside the restaurant
more weird unknown stuff outside the streets (later i found out this is fish stomach)
bicycles are a common mode of transportation on the island. some ppl rent them to go around.
markets along the streets
small vehicles like this one is common on the island. they use it to load and transport bulk/heavy goods.
even in Cheung Chau, advertisements can be really loud.
we stopped by one of the shops to have lunch
hardly see any coffeeshops like this in HK!
we ordered 'Yu Tan Hor Fun' (Fishball Kuay Teow) Soup. the black thingy is their version of sambal. more fragrant and savoury than sweet.
walking around the island, a typical street road
i'm beginning to think ppl on this island do eat alot of weird stuff. i'll let you guys figure out what it is, as for me, ignorance is bliss.
not only in Cheung Chau but in HK as well, workers use bamboo from china for construction as it is cheap and strong
typical house
they have trishaw services too
some random structure
fishing boats docked along the shore
some people use mirrors, hoping that the demons will be scared off by their own reflection. here they use CDs.
random temple
intricate carvings and statuettes, decorating the roof of the temple, probably depicting a myth, legend or a story.
buddhist school
panoramic shot of the sea from shore
a lot of seafood drying outside.
like, freakin a lot.
one random restaurant had a display of various edible sea creatures:
more
i just discovered these weird looking things are called Geoducks (wiki). like, what the heck?
someone told me this is some rockfish with starfish (is starfish edible??)
mantis shrimp?
lobsters
horseshoe crab aka king crab. should they be lucky to be horseshoe crabs in this predicament? (are they even edible??)
poor stringray in shallow water, being sucked by cleanerfish all day
we had dinner in another restaurant, ordered 'ko lo pai kuat' (sweet n sour pork ribs)...
and fried garoupa
banner advertising bun scrambling competition. for more info read here.
Park n Shop. an equivalent of 99 market.
panoramic view of Cheung Chau at night
DAY 4 - Shopping in TST, Mongkok & Causeway Bay
i've never seen so many people and signages in my life!
Ladies Street
i skipped sneaker street because if i went there, i would be SURE to spend money on a pair of shoes. those who know me and my "Imelda Marcos footwear collection" will know my shoes and sandal fetish. here's an excerpt of a MSN conversation with adrien while i was in HK about sneaker street:
._zilchº says:
they 'worship' sneakers here
so there's a street full of sneakers
guess what its called?
Adrienz says:
sneaker street!
._zilchº says:
lol, bingo
Adrienz says:
OH I GOT IT RIGHT LOL
._zilchº says:
LOL
this is going into my blog
lunch at one cha chan teng in TST. this is some fried fish skin. eaten as snack or soup dip.
Char Siew Hor Fun
Taiwanese minced pork rice
shopping experience is like this: CROWDED. everywhere there's people, and the fact that most malls spaces are like the ones in sungei wang plaza doesn't help either. only some malls like time square and sogo are large enough to walk around. even so, they're always full with people. walking on the street has never been so troublesome. people keep banging into you, stepping on your foot and people walk and smoke at the same time. nevertheless, these areas that are mentioned above, are full of shopping malls. so worry not, even if you're as picky as me, you will find at least a few items to look at.
streets of Mongkok at night. taken from quiksilver shop (their shops are huge!)
Times Square in Causeway Bay
Day 6 - The Peak & more TST
The Peak is accessible by tram. so we walked from Central, towards Battery Lane then past the Court of Final Appeal and St John's Cathedral. we couldn't check out the church premises because there was a wedding ceremony taking place.
Court of Final Appeal
St John's Cathedral
back view of the cathedral
St John's Building. on the left of the building is where you purchase tram tickets to the Peak.
in the tram
the tram goes up at an angle of roughly 45º most of the time. i wonder how heavy is this thing because its going up considerably quick, must've required alot of power to do so.
once up, we are in The Peak shopping mall. greeting us outside Madame Tussaud's is Bruce Lee's wax figure.
and...his 'stuff' is protruding, so i volunteered to mosaic it out. hey, anyone could be reading my blog right??
view of the city
outside the shopping mall, an older version of the tram
the Peak Galleria (shopping mall) which is opposite the Peak shopping mall.
some restaurant with nice english architecture
apartments on the hills. it seems that Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh lives somewhere on The Peak.
once again, bad weather hampered our view of the city below. quote from Sean (who joined us few days ago) "It was marvellous! We saw nothing!"
pathways along the edges of the mountain
going back down...
eating late lunch in TST. apparently some places have same problems, same source.
nevertheless, food is good. curry chicken dish:
vege doused with tangy mayo sauce
some seafood fritters.
after that, we headed for dessert! ad on staircase:
Sweet Dynasty
nice interior and decor
from this point on, i'd like to apologize to all diabetics...sorry!
red bean dessert
honeydew + sago pudding
sweet rolls + strawberry and mango (mango is a famous fruit in HK)
tau fu fa (hidden beneath mango) with fruits. check out the presentation man!
something savoury for a change. shrimp cheong fun
streets at night in TST
going back via tram (photo taken from flickr)
the tram is probably the cheapest mode of transportation. locals call. it 'ting ting' because of the sound of the tram bell. passengers board the tram from the back, and only pay HKD2 when they get off their destination.
DAY 5 - Church + Dim Sum and rest
attended Rachel's church, Island Evangelical Community Church (Island ECC) in . they don't have a fixed location, so every week's venue could be different. this week their meeting was in the JW Marriot Ballroom in Queensway, Admiralty. Fastest mode of transport: taxi.
worship experience was great, and the message was challenging as well. the speaker spoke about abstinence and the message cut right thru the congregation.
after the meeting, we went for dim sum with Rachel's friends at Metropol Restaurant. per person: HKD100 = RM40
Victoria, Rachel and me
giant sharkfins in the restaurant. Michelle don't look!
Rachel took me to try this weird looking but good tasting dessert in Causeway Bay
who wants to guess what this is? is this:
A) tau fu fa
B) yoghurt
C) milk
D) none of the above
some cutesy shoes Rachel bought. (and she's very proud of it!)
DAY 6 - Back to Malaysia *sob sob*
people say that time flies when you're having a good time. and sooner than expected, its already time to leave HK and Rachel behind. oh well, all good things can wait :)
finally decided to try McDs. this is called Big and Tasty Burger.how interesting.
there was some communication problem with cetana and sean and i somehow ended up taking the CotaiJet back to Macau Ferry Terminal.
its not too expensive though because i took the economy class at about HKD 145 = RM58.50
Macau sea is dirty compared to HK
some new ferry terminal under construction
at the Macau International Airport, planes land on a separate island then slowly drive thru a long runway towards the airport on land and take off in a similar fashion in reverse.
goodbye Macau...
i certainly hope i don't see anyone walking outside this area during the flight
alas, at the end of the trip, tired but happy and satisfied. i would conclude that HK is a nice place to visit, but definitely not good for long term stay (ie work, study) because the life here is pretty much fast-paced, there's hardly time to breathe (or room for that matter!) unless you live on Cheung Chau or outside the city area.
i wish i didn't have to leave Rachel behind too, as i know we'll both be sad to be away from each other again.
here i'd like to dedicate this post to my loving girlfriend. i cherish you and i love you. thank you for the wonderful and unforgettable experience and time we spent together in HK :)
posted @ 12:30 AM
3 Comments:
At 3:38 PM,
a.G said…
... nice...
wonder whose d photographer...
At 12:13 PM,
angelyee said…
Is that dessert milk?
At 5:24 AM,
zilch™ said…
allen: yours truly :)
angel yee: fermented dessert milk. apparently they moved :(
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