July 29, 2010
July 27, 2010
Becoming a Kid Again
A preview of what I got up to on Saturday - we couldn't resist playing on this water slide at one of the rock pools we passed along Ping Nam Stream. I have to add that I was the brave one to test it out first - the others were too scared that the pool at the bottom wasn't deep enough. Of course before I tried it I had a look at the how deep the pool was and decided it was safe enough before testing out the natural water slide. After seeing what fun I had on it, the others followed suit. What great fun we had! :)
July 25, 2010
Taiwan Here I Come...Finally!
I think I must be one of the last Singaporeans who hasn't been to Taiwan. It seems that everyone I know has made a trip there before. So anyway, I'm finally making my way there this Thursday. I thought I'd make a trip there from Hong Kong since it's closer to do so than from Singapore. It also helps that I have just enough Asia Miles and credit card points to redeem for a ticket to Taipei from Hong Kong.
Thursday will also be my last day on the job - I'll be going to work for the first half of the day and then my flight to Taipei will be at 1555 hours. I know, I don't waste any time, do I? :p
I'll be travelling alone and any travelling tips or recommendations are welcomed! Or even better if you can hook me up with some friends who can take me hiking or be my eating companion!
July 23, 2010
I'm No Trust Fund Baby
I fear I may be giving readers the wrong impression that I don't work due to my exploits in Hong Kong. A recent blog comment asked if I worked, because he / she finds it rather incredible that I have the time to trek, eat and travel etc.
Yes, I do work - very much so. It's precisely for work that I'm in HK. Without work, I wouldn't be here. Without work, I wouldn't have the money to eat and travel. I, unfortunately, am no trust fund baby nor am I a rich tai-tai.
I work Mondays to Fridays and on weekends I make sure I get out and do something. I can't stay at home and do nothing. It drives me mad not doing anything at the weekend. When I move to a new place, I believe I should make the effort to know it as much as possible. This is precisely what drives me to go out and discover new places and do new things in Hong Kong every weekend. Imagine how many more things I'd get up to if I didn't work???
Perhaps I really do have more energy than the average person, which is why I always seem to be up and about. Maybe I have slight ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder). Haha. There's nothing to envy about my lifestyle - it's actually really accessible to most people. It's just a matter of making the effort to get out there to do things. It might also involve making little sacrifices like getting up a little earlier to make more use of the day instead of sleeping in. Or bigger sacrifices like deciding to relocate to a new city and starting life anew, quitting a job, giving up some creature comforts, making do with (a lot) less money especially after a holiday. I don't make a lot of money so I travel on a small budget, I don't buy designer goods nor expensive facial products, I don't spend money going to pubs to drink or clubs to party. I guess it's usually only the surface that people see, but there is a lot beneath that they don't.
Age also isn't a barrier to many of the things I get up to. Trust me, many people whom I hike or paddle with are in their late 40s, early 50s and some are even in their 60s! There's a spritely 62-year-old man in my hiking group who can outrun people more than half his age. These people are such inspirations and I hope I'm just as active as them when I reach their age.
I believe life is about the accumulation of experiences and that's what drives me to go to new places, eat new foods and try new things. So really, don't let inertia set into your life. Life wouldn't be very fun that way!
July 18, 2010
Wang Chau 橫洲
In summer, some local tour groups organise hikes in some offshore islands and I joined one several Sundays ago for a trip to Wang Chau 橫洲, an island in the Sai Kung geopark.
The meeting point was at the Tsim Sha Tsui ferry pier and the ferry left from there. From there, the boat made its way up north.
The little rock on the left is one of the most famous rocks in Hong Kong and its Chinese name is literally translated 'Chopping board rock' because of its flat top.
The rock face on the left side of this photo is said to resemble an elephant drinking with its trunk in the water.
The Nine Pins
Basalt Island's sea arch
The back of Wang Chau has lovely volcanic rock columns that resemble the pipe organ in a cathedral.
Wang Chau's sea arch on its north face
There were about 60 people on the tour and we had to take turns to transfer to a small boat in order to sail under the sea arch.
Going towards the arch
Directly under the arch
Volcanic rock window frame
After everyone had a chance to sail under the sea arch, most of the people were dropped off in Wang Chau island to go on a three-hour hike on the island. However, I chose to go swimming instead at Pak Lap Wan beach which is a beach just across Wang Chau on the mainland. It was so hot that I wanted to swim instead of hike. Pak Lap Wan beach was filled with people who got there on their junks. The bay was filled with junks! Near the shore as I stepped into the water, I saw two fishes about 20cm in length! The water that day was simply amazing.
After three hours, the hikers in Wang Chau are picked up by the boat for the journey back to Tsim Sha Tsui.
I'm a sea farer! :)
The tour group I went with is called Yau Shing Travel. The tour costs HKD160 per person and it's a small amount to pay for a fun day outdoors. These tours are conducted in summer only as the winds blowing from the northeast in winter make the waters too rough to head out.
July 13, 2010
Exploring Sai Kung Peninsula
The Sai Kung Peninsula has many islands within it and these islands are part of Hong Kong's geoparks. The landscape in Sai Kung has been formed from millions of years of volcanic action and the islands that you see now are a result of the rise in water levels from the end of the last Ice age about 6,000 years ago. The Sai Kung geopark features many beautiful rock formations that have come about as a result all these volcanic activity. It is worth going on a boat ride to admire these amazing works of nature. All you have to do is turn up at Sai Kung ferry pier and hire a boat. There are usually many available for rent.
I had been wanting to go to the geoparks so I organised an outing with some friends and colleagues two weekends ago. Some of them couldn't make it at the last minute, so it ended up being only six of us. We hired a boat for four hours for HKD1700 - very affordable. Here are the pics!
C and I decided to go for a swim at a cove in Sharp Island, while the other four remained on the boat as they didn't want to go swimming for one reason or another. But me? I'm a total water baby and I couldn't resist the call of the water. The water was also too inviting to resist.
Nothing like a lazy boat ride admiring such lovely scenery on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
Spot beaches, waterfalls and sea caves as you sail along.
You'll be able to see many sea caves formed by thousands of years of erosion as you sail around the islands.
The Nine Pins group of islands (果洲) on the left. It was named the Nine Pins by the British because the islands looked like bowling pins to them. The Chinese, on the other hand, name them 果洲 (literally translated 'Fruits Islands') because the islands looked like they were a platter of fruits that had scattered down from heaven.
Town Island has a white cross at the top of one of its hills and the island houses a drug rehabilitation centre.
At Leung Shuen Wan (糧船灣), we stopped to buy a drink. Those who are hungry can also grab a bite at the small seafood restaurant there. During winter, it's the place to go to have raw sea urchin. The place is actually a sea urchin farm!
Having a quiet, pensive moment to myself at the bow. My colleague took this shot of me without me knowing. I like it - good for Facebook profile pic. Haha.
When we got back to Sai Kung ferry pier, the pier was buzzing with fishermen selling live seafood from their boats and customers looking to buy at the jetty. We had a wonderful and relaxing day out and this is only something you can do in summer as in winter the wind direction changes and the waters become too rough to go out to sea during that time. So grab the chance to get out in the sun while summer's here!
July 7, 2010
Coastal Trek: Po Pin Chau (破邊洲) to Pak Lap Wan (白腊灣)
Reunification Day on 1 July was a perfect summer's day in Hong Kong and it being a public holiday, I spent the day outdoors in my favourite place in Hong Kong - Sai Kung. I joined a local group of outdoor enthusiasts in their coastal trek adventure that started from the eastern end of High Island Reservoir (萬宜水庫) over to a small island called Po Pin Chau (破邊洲) and then back to the main land to Pak Lap Wan (白腊灣). Here are the pics!
Our starting point. See that small island in the picture? That's Po Pin Chau - in Chinese its name translates literally to 'broken sided island' - it's broken away from the main land due to thousands of years of erosion of the volcanic rock. We were going to head towards it to scale it.
And off we go!
You can see I'm absolutely happy being in the outdoors!!!
We trekked along the coast and where we couldn't walk across, we swam!
And in I go! Woohoo!
Upon reaching Po Pin Chau, we climbed up to the top ...
... and were rewarded with some gorgeous views
Our party of 15 going over the top of Po Pin Chau to head down to the shore for us to swim back to the main land and continue trekking along the coast.
We then swam across to this rock where there were many small oysters stuck to it.
Some of the guys decided to have some seafood :)
We then swam towards this rock with two sea caves next to it. We had wanted to go into the sea caves but the waves were too strong so decided that it'd be too dangerous to do so.
We trekked past these amazing hexagonal basalt columns which the Chinese call 六角竹, literally translated to 'six-sided bamboo'. These big columns are about 70m and really impressive looking.
A massive bamboo screen
I look incredibly tiny at the bottom!
At this little pool of water, we rested and the guys went fishing for sea urchins in the pool. They found quite a few and put them in the blue basket we had found along the way.
Of course we opened some to eat it fresh!!! Is this cool or what??? I've never had so much fun I tell you!
The sea urchin loot. It's not the season for sea urchin though - there are more of them in winter. It's just that where we were, the waters are a bit cooler so the sea urchins can survive.
Us adventure seekers loving the trekking, rock climbing and swimming! There's me in front with that funny green float that was found along the way.
Came across a stream along the way and we sat there for awhile to sit in some fresh water and freshen up with the cool stream water. Heavenly.
We passed another pool of water and the guys went in search for sea urchins again.
Final destination - we ended at this beach and then walked a short way, through some bushes, to Pak Lap Wan where we took taxis back to Sai Kung town centre.
Part of the coastline we trekked along. This was such an awesome day out that it'll rank as one of my best memories and adventures in Hong Kong! Sai Kung is absolutely beautiful and is my favourite spot in Hong Kong. I'm going to miss all of these ssssooooooo much!!! I haven't even left Hong Kong and I'm missing it already. Why must good things always come to an end?
July 1, 2010
Lok Hau Fook Restaurant 樂口福酒家
A recent trip to Kowloon City (九龍城), where the old Kai Tak airport was located, brought me to Lok Hau Fook Restaurant. This is a traditional Teochew (潮州) restaurant and I was delighted to try some dishes that I had never come across before.
It's a very old-styled restaurant, so don't expect anything fancy.
First you'll get some tiny cups of Gongfu tea (功夫茶). I'm guessing it helps with digestion. If you can read Chinese, that page link brings you to an explanation of Gongfu tea - I'll translate it when I have the time!
Pickled cabbage to 'awaken' those tastebuds. These tasted good - not too sour with a tinge of sweetness.
Spinach and radish in soup - this was like comfort food. The soup was tasty and the radish was also very sweet and fresh.
The fish was actually served like that, with the skin on this side of the fish peeled away to show the flesh. The name of the dish in Chinese is 馬友魚 (Ma Yau Fish) and it is served cold. My dining companions and I liked this dish a lot as the fish was fresh and tasted 'sweet'.
Pig's big intestines with slices of goose 大腸拼鵝片
Oyster porridge 蠔仔粥
Fried noodles with vinegar and sugar 炸糖醋麵 - this was an interesting dish that's to be eaten by adding vinegar and sugar to it.
Deep-fried pig intestines - these were deliciously sinful! Crisp to the bite and encrusted with some salt, these were great to munch on!
Sugar-crusted yam 反沙芋 - I had never eaten this dessert before and even though I love yam, I felt this was a bit too sweet.
Lok Hau Fook is a good restaurant to go to for traditional Teochew food. Kowloon City is also an interesting area to walk around with its numerous restaurants and food stalls. Definitely worth a walkabout for all foodies!
樂口福酒家
九龍城侯王道1-3號
English address:
Lok Hau Fook Restaurant
1-3 Hau Wong Road, Kowloon City
Tel : (852) 2382 7408