Hong Kong Day 2

We started day 2 by having breakfast at another fabled Hong Kong eatery, Australia Diary Company over at G/F 47-49 Parkes Street (Jordan MTR Exit C). The nondescript black and white signboard harbored a large following inside.

Like most Hong Kong eateries, the place was packed to the brim with hungry patrons.

We ordered the milk custard and their breakfast set (macaroni soup with thick toast and scrambled eggs + milk tea) which were more then enough to feed 2 hungry girls women.

Next, we headed off to explore Lantau Island. Upon entering the MTR station, we spotted Sadako, whom apparently had heard about the sales in Hong Kong and had decided to vacation here too!

Switching at Lai King MTR interchange, we stopped at Tung Chung MTR and walked over to ride the Ngong Ping 360 cable car to Ngong Ping Village. The rain could not dampen our spirits!

The normal cabins cost HKD98 for a return trip, whereas the crystal cabins cost HKD157. Touted as a novelty, the crystal cabins seat 4 passengers and come with a transparent floor. Personally I feel that normal cabins suffice, because it seats 6 passengers comfortably and offers the same breathtaking view of the mountains and the South China Sea.

Apart from the visitors in modern clothes, Ngong Ping Village looks like you've stepped into some Wu Xia movie set.

From Ngong Ping Village, we took a bus (no. 11) to Tai O village, a quaint little fishing village. Do note that according to Hong Kong law, it is an offence to speak to the driver whilst he is driving. The driver was super skilled. He drove down hill super fast and before we knew it, we were at Tai O!

We chanced upon a boat ride (HKD20) promising a ride to view the perimeters of the village and the famed pink dolphins. I wasn’t too sure about the part on seeing the dolphins but still decided to give it a try. And lo and behold, we really saw dolphins! Both the pink and grey bottlenose dolphins!!

on the boat

Some of the houses were destroyed in a fire. The metal huts on the right are houses rebuilt by the Government.

There are many multi storey houses and restaurants in the village

I was so excited because it was my first time seeing wild dolphins. They jumped out of the water repeatedly as they played near the shore. Though the boat could not get very near (as they would have been scared away), it was enough to see them break through the water’s surface doing their little impromptu ballet.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to capture the dolphins on film.. sobs! Buy me a Canon DSLR please!!

We took a stroll in Tai O and had lunch at a local eatery. We ordered their Che Zai Mien (small car noodles) and soya bean which was a huge serving and very good.

Che Zai Mien with choice of toppings. Mine was beef!

We retraced our steps back to Ngong Ping Village for the return trip via the cable car. This time, the clear weather brought even better views.

stunning views!

we saw this lone cow randomly grazing on a platform.
How did it get there?!

In the late afternoon, we went to Citygate Outlets (Tung Chung MTR Exit C) and bled money. The outlet shops had huuuuuuuuuuuuge bargains. People flocked to Esprit and bought insane amounts of clothes. We saw a party of 4 buy so many pieces until the pile on the counter totally blocked the cashier.

The Polo Ralph and Coach outlets were equally evvvvvvvvvvvvvvvil. With 40%-70% discounts on evergreen designs, yes, we threw all caution away and shopped. And shopped. And shopped.

In the end, we lugged overflowing packages and much lighter wallets back to the hotel. For dinner, we went down to Aberdeen Seafood Restaurant over in Temple Street for seafood. Super yummy though the chef could have cut the broccoli into more dainty, bite sized pieces.

super fresh seafood

At the end of the day, our snack bar spawned into a wall of instant noodles! Happily stuffed to the brim, we slept, anticipating another adventure the break of dawn would bring.

junk food haven
hurray for Calbee, Nissin and Kee Wah!!

totally drained

Hong Kong Day 1

We’re back safe and healthy from our 5 day stint in Hong Kong and what an adventure that was! Our flight on Cathay arrived in Hong Kong at 12noon. The food and entertainment was dismal. I was so sad. Upon clearing customs and waiting for transport, we managed to reach our hotel around 2pm.

Hong Kong International Airport

The airport gave us a bout of drama when this girl named Jessica (revealed by tag on luggage) kept shooting us dirty looks and incessantly complained because of the long wait for the shuttle to the hotels.

She's this plump chick with bleached rebonded hair and mopeng face who came with her (also mopeng) boyfriend and parents. Her parents each had a hand carry, smaller then my striped crumpler, while she and her BF shared a cabin sized pink luggage.

How they managed to fit all their clothes inside is beyond me.Maybe they fitted their bags with those compressed clothes that can only expand after soaking in water. Haha..

She sent her boyfriend (though much more like slave), who RAN to the 7-11 to buy a drink after complaining aloud (yes, again and again) and had to exclaim (probably directed at Stick and I instead) the different multiple notes she got back after breaking her large note.

She so rich hor...*rolls eyes*

She should have opted for the helicopter ride or paid a premium if she insists for immediate service. Otherwise, she should be patient and wait like all us normal folk without that much whining.

on the way to the city

We recommend Prudential Hotel, which is situated directly above Jordan MTR Station in the heart of Kowloon. We stayed at room 911. The rooms were comfortably spacious and clean, complete with a bath tub for my nightly soaks. Most importantly, the hotel is very quiet. The noisiest guests must undoubtedly be us. Haha..

The view, however is remarkably Hong Kong – read : you mainly peer into someone else’s home. Or worse still, toilet! (insert scary music)

Our room!
We have a couch, a desk and an LCD TV

the bathroom

After a brief tour of our room, we decided to take the MTR off to Mongkok. At Jordan MTR, we witnessed a scuffle between 2 young men. The MTR officers tried to mediate the situation while 1 guy continued to shout and instigate the other party.

Stick Insect says that we always see these drama everytime we travel. Hahaa.. I presume its to 'christen' our trip? Hohoho..

Then we visited Langham Place Shopping Centre (Mongkok MTR Exit C3 or E1) to see if H&M lived up to its hype. Disappointingly, it didn’t. So we headed off for central Mongkok, the mecca of street markets in Hong Kong where the roads are blocked off in the evenings to transform the streets into one huge pedestrian area.

Mongkok shopping district

Ladies Market

Following an online recommendation, we had our dinner at Lok Yuen Beef Ball King.
Add : G/F Sai Yeung Choi St South. It’s the street parallel to Nathan Road. It’s more suitable for people whom prefer their beef balls chewy or like car tyres. Personally, I found it too rubbery but the soup base and noodles were good.

If you happen to get lost like we often do, you can ask the Police Officers stationed all over. Some are helpful while others often give the wrong advice. Stick Insect even states 1 police officer looks like a mingxing (celebrity).

the rubbery beef balls

After which we ploughed the streets in search for more food and bargains. We bought some clothes over at the Esprit Outlet, toiletries in SaSa and more food along the way.

Hong Kong's leading dessert chain - Xu Liu Shan



Stick Insect's "die die must try" choice

Next, we went down to Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station (Exit F) to view the famed Avenue of Stars and Symphony of Lights. The lights and laser show start every night at 8pm. I recommend that you come half an hour before the show starts to book a clear spot as the crowd can get quite large.

Beware.. TST station has a Longchamp boutique at Sogo in the basement level so you may want to catch some bargains or tighten your wallets cause things are cheaper in Hong Kong. There’s also my fave Kee Wah pastry shop outlet there. Be sure to buy the little pastries with the salted egg yolk. THEY ARE TO DIE FOR.

Then we braved the rain and headed back to Jordan MTR station and found the legendary Mido Café (Exit A) at Shanghai Street after a super long and hard walk. It’s adjacent to the Yau Ma Tei Community Centre and beside a park.

the view from Mido Cafe where you can see many stalls lining Temple Street

around busy Temple Street

See the retro interior of Mido Cafe
Try the red bean drink, an old HK tradition

The pork chop rice and seafood noodles

Stuffed and tired, we finally headed back to our hotel. Though we took a detour to the rooftop to admire the view just before retiring for the night. The magnificent twinkling lights just takes my (bad) breath away. From the rooftop, its also possible to see the Symphony of Lights!

and here's the tidbits we got for the days ahead!!
Yum Yum!!

Bye Folks

Hello.. Stick Insect and I are at Changi Airport, trying to ride out the time til our scheduled flight. We hope Hong Kong's weather gives us cloudy and cool.

No heavy rains please!

Well, see you in 5 days folks!

Max Speed

The days have whizzed by like some tornado.

The annual Nurses’ Day Dinner held at the Meritus Mandarin brought the Team back (except for Shitty, whom was unfortunately left out due to a lack of Muslim placements).

the layout

flame on!

Our server was this young thing whom my table teased relentlessly. We all thought that he had this 'thing' for Summer as he shot glances at her whilst serving. The food didn't live up to it's hype, though we had their infamous Chatterbox chicken rice.

I've not had that for almost 4 years.

But as long as the meal is free, I will still most definately partake!

here chickie chickie!

I even managed to instigate the Team to cheer for my ward manager as she walked up the stage to collect her award. She beamed amidst the thunderous applause and wolf whistles.

Sis Siva then revealed that we lost the debate. Well, it’s déjà vu, isn’t it?

Some members took it quite hard. As for me, I’m ok with it since I’ve never won before. Wahaha.. and wasn’t expecting to win either. If there's 1 thing I've learnt is that politics and luck play a hefty part in the whole drama.

However, that aside, the defeat was still baffling because it was evident we were the stronger team.

Even our opponents knew that our facts beat them hands down. The speakers could not refute our stance and the final speaker threw her case away as we sapped their haughtiness away. They even cried after the debate because they knew they got slaughtered.

Nonetheless, I respect the judges’ decision. No matter how drunk or cognitively handicapped they may be.

people!

The next day saw my life kick back into hyperdrive as Team Ross + Gremlin and I headed for Batam. They managed to charter transport around the island and we covered some ground.

street stalls

Can you see all the LV, Miu Miu etc?

Shopping centres were bursting at their seams with imitation luxury goods. They were everywhere! We reckoned some bags paraded in Singapore must have to be bought from Batam too.

yes, the mimicking isn't exclusive to designer bags! hello! it's BFC!

Ross said Batam’s dusty streets were reminiscent of Singapore in the 70’s. I simply took in the sights and sounds of colourful Batam life. From the touts to the roadside stalls.

We ate at a local nasi padang little eating house recommended by the driver. Just look at how 1 man can hoist so many dishes at a go! And such a wide array of dishes to choose from!

there was so much food, the plates had to be stacked!

Rudy even tried the turtle egg

my fave has got to be A&W..!
Give me a fucking root beer float, coney dog and curly fries any day!

we left Batam as the sun set

back in Singapore's embrace

And today, I met up with Stick Insect for lunch at Chinatown with Gremlin. After which, we stocked up on toiletries and zoomed off to stuff our faces with Mac’s oily, lip smacking-msg laden seaweed shaker fries, leaving all the grit lovingly cemented to the gaps between our teeth.

A sight deadly enough to induce an outcry in oral hygienists globally.

We’re flying off tomorrow. For another adventure to add to what we’ve amassed thus far. I've packed my bags. I checked my hand carry. My clothes are ready and neatly ironed.

Every time before I fly, I can’t help but feel a pang of ache for the family I’m leaving behind. I hope they miss me too. Irritating Gremlin already has a whole list of stuff he wants me to buy.

Sigh.Nevermind, i will torture you when i return..!!