DimSumDolly* - the different morsels of the life of a foodie

Sunset Peak 大東山

About a month ago, I volunteered to be an assistant organiser in response to the hiking meetup group that I go hiking with, and my debut as assistant organise was supposedly a hike along the South Country Lantau Trail. But I had missed a turning at a fork not too far from the start of the trail and instead led the group up Sunset Peak (大東山) instead. So what was supposed to have been one of the easiest trails in Lantau became one of the hardest as we scaled Hong Kong's third highest peak at 869m by accident! This hike was done on 2 May before my bout of costochondritis, else I might not have survived it!

Sunset Peak is along Stage 2 of the Lantau Trail (鳳凰徑).

We started from Nam Shan (南山) where you can get to by bus (Bus No. 1 or 3M) from the bus terminal at Mui Wo (梅窩). Alternatively you can also walk to Nam Shan from Mui Wo. As you can see, it's a 2-km walk from Mui Wo. To get to Mui Wo, take a ferry from the Central Piers in Hong Kong Island.

You'll come across a helipad near the start of the trail.

Lovely views on a perfect spring day as we made our ascent. We could see the Macau ferries speeding to and from Macau on the south side of Lantau.

A little stream along the way. I scooped up some water to freshen up as it was getting pretty warm.

Fog and cloud surround us as we get to the top of Sunset Peak and the temperature drops to the low 20s. And what are those weird houses? From what I've found out online, these were 'resorts' built by British missionaries in the 1930s for them to get away from the hot and humid weather in summer. There are 20 of these 'resorts' on Sunset Peak. It was an interesting discovery for us and none of us in the group knew of their existence before that.

We leave the 'resorts' behind as we make our way down Sunset Peak.

Lantau Peak (鳳凰山), Hong Kong's second highest peak at 934m, is shrouded in clouds and looms in the distance. It is along Stage 3 of the Lantau Trail, and no, I did not attempt it that day. Next time! We ended our hike at Pak Kung Au (伯公坳). It is located at the end of Stage 2 and the start of Stage 3 of the Lantau Trail, between Sunset Peak and Lantau Peak. There is a bus stop along the road at Pak Kung Au and most of the buses that pass by will take you back to Tung Chung Town Centre where the MTR station is.

This hike is a lovely and picturesque one but be prepared for a long uphill climb - the views are worth all the hard work though!

Cheung Chau Bun Festival 長洲太平清醮

It was a public holiday in Hong Kong yesterday due to the celebration of Buddha's Birthday which falls on the 8th day of the 4th month of the Chinese lunar calendar. A special celebration - the Cheung Chau Bun Festival - goes on in Cheung Chau island on this day and I decided to brave the crowds to take a peek at the festivities. Stupidly, I forgot to bring my camera and so I had to use my mobile phone to take photos, hence the really bad quality of the photos below.

The normally sleepy island is bombarded with visitors on this day. The only way to get there is by ferry from the Central Piers and people start going to Cheung Chau really early.

Lots of bun paraphernalia are sold on the island. They are so cute that I couldn't help but buy some of these touristy things. I bought a bun-shaped cushion, two bun magnets, two phone charms, and a postcard. I know, I know, I'm such a typical tourist!

I love this T-shirt with all the different Chinese characters that have the word 包 as a radical. On its own, the word 包 means bun.

The 平安 (meaning safe and well) buns have different fillings like lotus paste, red bean, and corn. They are sold for HKD6 each.

Snacks made from glutinous rice flour.

All the restaurants on the island will have vegetarian fare on their menu on this particular day and even McDonald's goes vegetarian by having a veggie burger.

At midnight, 12 men will scale this bun tower and they will have a basket strapped to them. They have to collect as many buns as they can as they scale up the tower. The ones at the top are considered the luckiest so it's a competition to see who gets to the top fastest. These buns are not real ones, but rather ones made of spongy plastic.

The Pak Tai Temple is flooded with people going to pray.

Three big bun towers placed in front of the Pak Tai Temple. The paragraph below is taken from Wikipedia:

'One story of the origin of the festival is that in the 18th Century the island of Cheung Chau was devastated by a plague and infiltrated by pirates until local fishermen brought an image of the god Pak Tai to the island. Paraded through the village lanes, the deity drove away evil spirits. Villagers also disguised themselves as different deities and walked around the island to drive away the evil spirits.'

Mini bun towers

There is a parade that goes through the main street to Pak Tai Temple and there are children dressed in costume as part of the tradition.

These two kids are dressed as an ancient king and queen.

School bands take part in the festivities as well, adding to the convival mood.

Lion dance performances with gongs and cymbals banging away are also an integral part of the celebrations. The parade ends in front of Pak Tai Temple, but we didn't want to wait at the temple for three hours to see it.

My friends and I didn't stay till midnight to watch the bun snatching competition as we didn't want to spend the whole day in Cheung Chau. Moreover, the island was getting too crowded and we were feeling hot and sticky, so we decided to leave the island after we had seen part of the parade.

If you haven't been to the Cheung Chau Bun Festival before, I think it's worth braving the crowds to have a look around the island. It's a very unique festival that's integral to the history and culture of Cheung Chau and Hong Kong as a whole. One can sense a strong sense of community from the locals who take part in the parade and I love how tradition is upheld with this festival.

Costochondritis

Yes, I'll bet you did a second take at the title of this blog entry and you're probably thinking 'What the hell's that????'

Until four days ago, I didn't know what it was either. On Sunday, I self-diagnosed myself with this medical condition after some online research using the symptoms I observed on myself. A visit to the doctor on Monday confirmed my self-diagnosis.

So what happened? Last Friday evening I started feeling a dull pain running from my left shoulder, down my shoulder blade and then round the chest. I thought, OK, maybe it'll go away the next day. Saturday morning, the pain didn't go away but I thought I was well enough to go on a hike that was to go round Chi Ma Wan Peninsula in the south of Lantau Island. A quarter-way into the hike I started experiencing chest pains and a shortness of breath as I was going uphill. At that point, I decided to turn back as I still wasn't too far from the starting point. I was afraid that I'd faint and have to be airlifted from the bushes by helicopter if I decided to continue! Thankfully I had the good sense to turn back and get back to civilisation sooner than later.

Anyway, costochondritis is chest pain caused by the inflammation of the cartilage that joins the ribs to the sternum (aka breast bone). It usually involves only one side of the sternum and it tends to be the left side. Apparently it tends to affect more females than males - oh, the injustices of the world! Costochondritis can be caused by virus or bacterial infection or it can be caused by repetitive microtrauma to the cartilage. In my case, it's most likely all the paddling I've been doing over the years and also the lifting of weights etc.

The condition is making it difficult for me to breathe without feeling pain. Taking deep breaths, yawning and laughing have become painful actions. There is no treatment for this condition except to just wait it out and let the body heal itself. All forms of physically strenuous activities are a no-no at the moment as that would mean having to take deep breaths, which would in turn impede recovery. Recovery time can be anything from days to months. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a speedy recovery as I'm bored shitless what with not being able to hike, run and paddle.

I don't know what to do with myself without sports!!!

Nagasaki 長崎

The last major city my mum and I visited in Kyushu was Nagasaki (長崎), the capital of Nagasaki Prefecture. With only a population of about 500,000 people, I found Nagasaki a very pleasant city - not too crowded but yet has all the mod cons like any top tier city in Japan. The city is also very picturesque with its undulating hills and mix of Western and Japanese architecture due to its historical significance as being the only city in Japan that foreigners could trade in before Japan opened its doors once again to foreign trade in 1859.

A view of Nagasaki city from Mount Inasa, a 333-metre tall hill situated west of the city. You can take a cable car to the top and there's an observation deck there that offers spectacular views of the city on a clear day like this. The hills and bays in the far back of the photo belong to Kumamoto Prefecture.

On the other side of the observation deck you can see the offshore islands and the beautiful bay. Ah, I just love cities that are surrounded by water!

Sushi platter for dinner! I was sushi-ed out by the time I left Japan.

At the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Musesum, thousands of cranes are strung together in a common wish for world peace. While it's indeed sad that the people of Nagasaki had to endure immense suffering for the sake of having World War II come to an end, hardly anything is said of the atrocities committed by the invading Japanese Army in other parts of Asia. I would say it's a very skewed picture of World War II that's presented. Nonetheless, it's a museum worth going to, if only to remind humanity of the terrible consequences of nuclear warfare and the need to not repeat history.

Glover Garden is a park that has many old, Western-style houses of historical significance. The park sits on a hill that overlooks Nagasaki harbour. The rich Western businessmen who contributed greatly to Nagasaki's economic prosperity lived in luxurious houses in this area. Visitors are allowed to go into these houses to see what life was like in the 19th century.

I was hungry while walking around, so I picked up a yakitori stick from one of the street stalls. Yummy.

If you're travelling in Kyushu, I'd say Nagasaki city is definitely worth stopping over for a few days. From Fukuoka, it takes only 1 hour 50 minutes to get there by train. It's a relatively compact city and it's easy to walk from one tourist attraction to the next. The narrow streets are also a delight to wander around. There are many historical buildings around the city that offer an insight into Nagasaki's role as once being the only window to the West in Japan.

Kagoshima 鹿児島

I liked the calligraphy on the placemat of the restaurant I had dinner at the first evening I spent in Kagoshima. I don't know what it says exactly, but I know it's something to do with friendship. Maybe someone who knows Japanese can enlighten me??

Wafer-thin slices of black pork (kurobuta) to be cooked shabu-shabu style. It was delicious!

Sakura-flavoured ice cream with its pale pink colour and faint aromas of sakura was a lovely way to end the meal.

Sakurajima (桜島), the former volcanic island which still has one of the world's most active volcanoes, imposes a grand presence on the city of Kagoshima. From Kagoshima's ferry port, it's a 15-min ride to get to Sakurajima. While in Kagoshima, my mum and I went to an outdoor onsen (known as an rotenburo) that had a view of Sakurajima. It was a great experience to soak in the hot water and be able to enjoy the beautiful view of this volcano.

The world's largest radishes (daikon 大根) are grown in Sakurajima.

The best tonkatsu I've had so far - crisp light batter encasing succulent black pork and paired with mustard. I had this at this restaurant called One Two Three which is located on the 5th floor of the shopping complex called Amu Plaza, next to Kagoshima-Chuo train station. One Two Three specialises in black pork dishes and you can eat practically every part of the pig there.

At One Two Three, I also had this dish where a mixture of vegetables and thin slices of pork were served with dashi soup and you had to add rice into the soup mixture before eating everything together. The soup was light yet tasty and the vegetables and pork added texture and flavours.

Another recommended dish at One Two Three is also their braised spare ribs with burdock. The pork was extremely tender and it, together with the burdock, were bursting with flavour.

Thanks to my curiosity and my constant questioning of the chef at the counter (we were sitting at the counter) on the food he was preparing, we got rather chummy and he offered this dish to me on the house! This has spinach sandwiched in between rolls of pork which is then deep-fried. Yum yum. If you like yaki tori, you can also have grilled liver, tongue, intestines etc.

Apart from black pork, Kagoshima is also famous for its sweet potato. Shochu, which is distilled from sweet potato, is also one of the prefecture's specialities. Anyway, I love sweet potato, and couldn't leave without buying these cute pig-shaped sweet potato cakes. These cakes can be bought at any department store in Kagoshima and also at the food souvenir shops at Kagoshima-Chuo train station.

I really enjoyed Kagoshima as the city has a rather relaxed feel. The streets are spacious enough for people to cycle around the city and I've always loved cities where people can get around on bicycles. Kagoshima's beauty is also greatly enhanced by the grand presence of Sakurajima that seems to stand guard over the city. Definitely worth a visit!

Around Beppu

If you're in Beppu, I'd suggest making your way to the following places as well if
you have the time.

Getting up close and personal with Mount Naka, one of five peaks of Mount Aso (阿蘇山), the largest active volcano in Japan. It's about an hour's train ride from Beppu and from the train station you need to take a bus to get to Mount Naka's peak. I must say it is pretty cool to be able to come so close to an active volcano.

If you haven't seen a Japanese castle before, it's definitely worth going to Kumamoto (熊本) to have a look at the castle there. Kumamoto Castle is a reconstruction of the original that was completed in 1607. You can climb to the top floor of the tower to get a good view of the city. Kumamoto is only a short train ride away from Mount Aso and it's also linked to many major cities in Kyushu by express trains.

Usuki (臼杵市), a small town about an hour away from Beppu by a local train, is famous for its Stone Buddhas that are believed to be carved in the 12th century. There are 59 carved stone buddhas in the temple and the temple grounds are very peaceful and tranquil in a way that's beautifully subtle.

Me tying my written wish to a shrub, in the hope that the deities will grant my wishes one day. Still keeping my fingers crossed!

Home for the Weekend

A rare sight of a rainbow from my home in Singapore, 21 March 2009

Am zipping off to Singapore from 7-11 May, primarily because it's my uncle's wedding on Saturday. Getting on the Airport Express train and zipping to the airport straight after work in an hour's time. I want to go back and have popiah, bak chor mee, and cheng tng!

Yufuin 湯布院

Yufuin (湯布院) is a small town 25 km from Beppu (别府) that's worth a day-trip if you're spending a few days in Beppu. I found that Beppu wasn't actually that nice a city and preferred Yufuin instead. Here are some pictures to give an idea of what the town's like.

The twin peaks of Mount Yufu loom behind Yufuin.

Colourful koi lanterns and toys decorate this tree, adding some charm to the small street where it stands.

A mother and her son soaking their feet in the public foot bath that's just beside a car park. I love these public foot baths! Such a cool idea!

Afternoon tea - the swiss roll on the right is very popular with the Japanese for some reason. We saw many people eating it so we decided to try it. However we were very disappointed as it tasted really ordinary!

Eggs being cooked in water from the hot spring being sold for 100 yen each.

My favourite shop - a shop selling stuffed toys and other memorabilia of characters from famed director Hiyao Miyazaki's animated films. I love Totoro the most!!!

A shop specialising in different types of chilli and soy sauce.

I love this glass house which houses a shop selling pottery ware and a cafe.

For fans of Marc Chagall, there is a small musesum with some of his artworks inside. It's about a 20-minute walk away from the train station. Just follow the signs.

For die-hard Hello Kitty fans, there's a mini shrine next to the Hello Kitty shop.

Yufuin is somewhat touristy, but it's touristy in a pleasant way. Many Japanese people like to go there for a weekend getaway and it's also a place where there are many onsens (hot springs) you can visit.

Getting there: From Beppu take a train to Oita (大分). Then from Oita Station hop onto the Limited Express train on the JR Main Kyudai Line. The whole journey from Beppu to Yufuin will take about an hour.