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

Mau Wu Deserted Fortress 茅湖廢堡

Another spot to check out for those who want an easy hike in Hong Kong. This one goes up to the Mau Wu Deserted Fortress 茅湖廢堡 near Tiu Keng Leng. From Tiu Keng Leng MTR station, make your way to O King Road 澳景路 and walk up along the hill to the entrance to Stage 3 of the Wilson Trail.

As you walk up the trail, you'll get a view of the Tseung Kwan O district from the section of the Wilson Trail that's near Tiu Keng Leng.

And then we made our way to the Mau Wu Deserted Fortress which was built during the Qing Dynasty to look out for enemy ships entering the harbour.

There's me standing on one of the roof beams.

Though derelict, the windows still offer a fantastic view of the Tseung Kwan O district.

The downside of having more people know about this old fort is that inconsiderate and un-civic minded people start defacing the fort by leaving graffiti on it.

Nei Shan Stream 彌深石澗

Winter, I was glad to realise, doesn't put a stop to stream trekking in Hong Kong. The only difference is that one doesn't get to jump into the rock pools. On 10 Dec, I hiked along Nei Shan Stream in Lantau Island with some friends. It's a relatively easy stream to hike with rocks that are easy to scale. To enter the stream, go through San Tau Village which can be reached easily by taking a 30-minute walk from Tung Chung.

You'll pass the water pipe and this little 'wall' very early on in the stream trek.

This stream has many pools that you can go into for a dip in summer. Surprisingly there's still water flowing in the dry season. As there are no households upstream, the water in this stream is very clean and clear.

One of the taller waterfalls along the stream

We had to conquer this rather steep and tall cliff - my estimate is that it was about 50m high. Either scale up directly where the water flows in summer, i.e. in the middle, or scale up on the right side via the forested area.

This particular pool looked very magical with the sunlight streaming through the forest canopy to give the water a bluish-green tinge. The pond skaters moving on the water surface were like little stars flickering away.

At around an altitude of 450m you will reach the Donkey Trail that will take you to Ngong Ping (where the Big Buddha is) if you turn right. Turn left and you'll head back to Tung Chung. The fastest way back to civilisation would be hiking to Ngong Ping and taking a bus back to Tung Chung from there.

We, however, took another route back down to Tung Chung. We went via a mountain path that saw us bush-whacking our way all the back down to San Tau Village. We then walked back to Tung Chung from there.

Overall, Nei Shan stream is one that would be pretty easy for beginners to handle. The not-so-fun part is getting out of the stream and back to civilisation. It's quite a long way to get back to Tung Chung. Though there are many pools, they are not really that big. I might return in the summer to see if it looks any different!

Chung Hom Kok 舂磡角 & Wong Ma Kok 黄麻角

On a sunny Saturday in the beginning of November, my friends and I went to Chung Hom Kok 舂磡角 & Wong Ma Kok 黄麻角 in the south side of Hong Kong island to do some rock climbing around the boulders that dot the hills.

Chung Hom Kok 舂磡角 & Wong Ma Kok 黄麻角 are very close to the tourist-infested Stanley Market and beach front. I wouldn't have known such cool spots existed if not for my bunch of local friends who know of these nooks and corners.

Chung Hom Kok 舂磡角 is the area to the right side of Stanley beach. Here we are clambouring up the rocks.

Spot the dog's head with its snout facing the right!

Our colourful hiking tops stand out against the beautiful blue sky

After lunch we went to Wong Ma Kok 黄麻角, the hills on the left side of Stanley Beach. This is the view of Stanley from the hill we climbed up.

And then I discover a nice spot for a short lay while my friends are busy posing for photos

Can you spot the pig?

I'm sitting on the rhino's horn!

Seen from this angle, the rhino becomes an elephant.

What a safari we were on! From dogs, pigs, rhinos to elephants - wonder what other "animals" we'll spot next in our adventures? :)

Thousand Stream Coastal Trek

Went on a hike along a stretch of coastline in Sai Kung called the Thousand Stream Coastline. There aren't really a thousand streams, but I guess there were quite a few small ones hence the name. The Chinese sometimes love to exaggerate. Even though it was raining almost the whole time we were hiking, we weren't too bothered as we were planning on getting wet anyway. But as the sea was too rough due to the strong winds, we stayed safe and didn't jump into the water to swim. Here are the pics from another coastline my hiking buddies and I have conquered!

The bay below Sharp Peak

Mr Long Legs does a big split to get across. And no, I wasn't going to attempt to do the same.

I do it the safe way!

The Thousand Hand Buddha?

Can you spot the dinosaur whose back we are climbing on?

Now spot the snail we are standing on

One of us even managed to find a live crab!

No, it's not as precarious as it looks - we're only getting our feet wet!

Back up the mountain trail we go towards the later part of our hike. Along the way, we spot the Two Grains of Rice (两粒米), ie the two small islands in the distance. What interesting names the islands have been accorded!

Ng Fan Chau (五分洲) Coastal Trek

My friends and I can't get enough of coastal treks! Here's one more for this year's album.

We started off from Shek O beach (one of the most popular beaches on Hong Kong island) where we were quite a sight with our full gear compared to the beach goers sunning themselves on the beach. To get to Shek O, take bus No. 9 from the bus terminal just outside Shau Kei Wan mtr station.

Then we swam over to Ng Fan Chau (五分洲). The island's name can be literally translated to 'Five Sections Island). This is because there are four "grooves" in the island that kind of split it into five sections.

Upon reaching it, we trekked around it and admired the beautiful rock formations.

There's me trekking along.

After going round this small island, we swam across to Tai Tau Chau (大頭洲), literally translated as 'Big Head Island'.

Lunch break! We look like refugees who have swum illegally into Hong Kong.

Group picture! Later, we swam back to Shek O beach where we first started and we saw many fishes and sea urchins along the way. Good fun!

Tap Mun Coastal Trek

While summer in Hong Kong is very hot and humid even by my standards (I have a very high threshold for heat), it's also the time where my hiking buddies and I revel in all the coastal and stream treks we get to do. Once temperatures go down, we won't be able to partake in such activities, hence we're trying our utmost to go on as many "wet" treks as possible - weather and our bodies permitting. Here's one we did two weeks ago in an island called Tap Mun 塔門 (known as Grass Island in English) within the Sai Kung peninsula.

We had to take a ferry from Wong Shek Pier to get to Tap Mun. The fare is a very affordable HKD14. You can also hire small speed boats at the pier to take you there (HKD20). To get to Wong Shek Pier, take Bus 94 from the bus terminal at the Sai Kung town centre.

The north face of Sharp Peak, Sai Kung's highest peak standing tall at 468m, looms majestically in the distance. Just a few weeks ago, we had scaled that peak from sea level in an overnight hike that lasted from 11.45pm to 8am!

Tap Mun pier

Villagers putting out some clams to dry

A map of the island we were going to go round

A glimpse of the lovely coast we were going to trek along

Here we go again

The pebbles on this beach actually bounce off other rocks when you throw them down. Not sure why this is so, but you gotta be careful if you throw one down as it may come bouncing back to hit you in the face!

Taking a breather and cooling off in the water. We took every opportunity to dip in the cool water as it was a very hot day!

Swimming into our lunch spot

Back in Tap Mun New Fishermen Village where the local fishing folk still live

And the sun sets on yet another beautiful day spent in Sai Kung. I don't want summer to end!!!

腐乳cheesecake

A few weeks ago I went to the Hyatt Sha Tin to visit my friend F who introduced me to this delightful cheesecake that cleverly marries Chinese fermented beancurd (腐乳) and cheesecake. I know it sounds weird, but those who know food will know that this combination works - such a stroke of brilliance by the chef at Sha Tin 18!

Cut to resemble the cube-like 腐乳, the faint salty flavour from the 腐乳 adds more dimension to this light cheesecake's taste. Think seasalt caramel - same concept. The red wolfberry (枸杞) on top not only makes the cheesecake look more attractive, but also adds a slightly sweet and sour taste.

Definitely worth the calories!

Sha Tin 18
18 Chak Cheung Street, Sha Tin, New Territories
Hong Kong
Tel: +852 3723 1234

Coastal Trek to Po Pin Chau (破邊洲)

Last Saturday saw me and my hiking buddies on another coastal trek along the Sai Kung coastline near the east dam of High Island reservoir. Last year, I had done the same route but in the reverse direction with another hiking group. No matter how many times I've been to Sai Kung, I never get sick of it. The beauty of the peninsula takes my breath away every time I'm there and I feel so in touch with nature each time. For the past four weeks or so, I've gone to Sai Kung every weekend; I don't think I'll ever tire of it.

This was our second attempt at this route. Two Saturdays ago, we couldn't finish the route as the waves were too strong due to the easterly winds. Last Saturday however saw fine weather with slow westerly winds. Here are the pics of our adventure.

Inviting turquoise blue waters greeted us

Our group leader, a daredevil through and through, climbs to the top of the cave and leaps from it. *gulp*

The basalt columns formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago look like a magnificent pipe organ in a cathedral.

Another guy in the group dives into the pool at our lunch spot.

There were many sea urchins in the water but they were too small to be eaten. We did actually have a knife with us, all ready to cut one open to have some fresh uni.

Me in a red rashie with my fellow outdoorsy and adventurous gal pals who prove that the girls can keep up with the boys!

We swim across to a cave just before reaching Po Pin Chau

The beautiful columns of Po Pin Chau, the islet we were heading for

Swimming across the strip of water that separates Po Pin Chau from the mainland. Through the gap, the east dam's breakwater is visible.

The coastline we trekked along

Breathtaking scenery, lovely waters, gorgeous sunshine and awesome company - what more can one ask for of a Saturday day out?

Sharp Island Coastal Trek

Two weeks ago I trekked along the coast of Sharp Island, a geopark within the Sai Kung peninsula. Yes, Sai Kung is my favourite spot in HK...I have spent many weekends there and I never get sick of the place. It's just so incredibly beautiful and the scenery so breathtaking out there. I always recommend friends to go there to see another side of HK.

We swam in this "pool" for awhile when it was filled up during high tide. A few hours later, the tide had gone down and the water level went down as well.

Swimming into a cave

A group shot before we leave the cave

I found this cute octopus on one of the beaches we landed at. At first I had thought it was a ball and was going to take it to play with. Then I realised it was an octopus! We had a fun time posing with it for photos. And yes, my hair's a huge mess.

Us walking along the tombolo (a type of sand levee that's a coastal sedimentary landform) that links the main island to the small island of Kiu Tau. The tombolo is visible only when the tidal level is lower than 1.4m.

To get to Sharp Island, take a ferry (HKD30 for return trip) from Sai Kung pier. There are a few operators so just choose any one. The ferries leave every 15min and the different companies differentiate themselves by the colour of the flag at the front of the boat. So when you're returning, get onto the correct ferry as you'll need to show your ticket to the boat driver.

Tai Long Wan Boat Trip

Pictures from a boat trip I organised for my hiking friends on Saturday. We couldn't have asked for better weather. One of the best things about HK is the affordability of boats for a day out at sea. We paid HKD300 each for the boat inclusive of food we had ordered. On Saturday we went to Tai Long Wan in Sai Kung where some of nicest beaches in HK are.

Some of the beautiful volanic rock formations in the Sai Kung peninsula that were formed millions of years ago.

The lovely turquoise blue waters of the beach we anchored at. 蓝天白云！

We swam to the beach and there, one could really how clear the water was.

Having fun in the sea.

Getting ready to jump!

We had a lot of fun jumping off the top of the boat. Wwwweeeeee!!!!

We brought lots of cute floats with us to play with.

Lazing around on the front deck, enjoying the sea breeze and sunning myself dry.

Tin Mei Hang stream 田尾坑涧

Some pictures from a short trek I did a few weeks ago with a local group in the Sai Kung country park. This group indulged in a moveable feast as you will see from the pictures below.

Our waterfall for the day

Setting up some shelter at our chosen spot

Then we started getting out all our toys

Someone actually brought an inflatable raft. Crazy I know! And here I am trying to control it but to little avail because of the water's force.

Our mini barbecue pit! Yes, the guys had lugged the pit, the charcoal and all the food with them.

Pork chop

Traditional Cantonese dessert soup - papaya with snow fungus made with natural spring water! Yes, we literally just took the water from the stream. How cool was that?

Mussels with cheese. Is this gourmet barbecue or what?

Trying out the dessert soup to see if it's ready

Lamb chops

Leaving the pot of dessert soup to cool down in the cool stream water

Toasted bread...yum yum.

We ate throughout the afternoon...it was as if there was an endless supply of food! There were also chicken wings, fish balls, meat balls, fruits, etc. I was stuffed by the time we were done. So stuffed that I skipped dinner that night. Doing this is great fun though - as long as I'm not the one doing the barbecuing. Haha.

Ngong Sham Stream 昂深石涧

On Reunification Day last Friday (1 July) I didn't choose to march in a pro-democracy demonstration like some locals, but instead chose to trek along the Ngong Sham stream located in Lantau Island. Because it had been raining a lot in the days before I went on the trek, the streams were flowing with lots of water, making them a delight to walk in.

A big swimming pool at the start of the trek - no, it's just a water collection pool and no swimming is allowed.

But of course there's no one around to catch you even if you decide to go in. At the top of the tunnel it's an old Hong Kong Water Works sign that says 'HKWW 1963'.

One of the big waterfalls we came across and one of the nicest ones I've seen in HK.

The most beautiful and spectacular waterfall I've seen in Hong Kong has to be this one called Thousand Layer Waterfall (千层瀑). This four-layered waterfall stretches over 100m and can be seen from the cable car that goes to the Big Buddha in Ngong Ping. The top of this waterfall was close to where we ended our trek in Ngong Ping.

The best part of summer in Hong Kong is being able to stream and coastal trek. I get a lot of joy from being outdoors amid nature. It's so relaxing to get away from the crowds which is why I love spending my weekends in Hong Kong doing that. Truth be told, I think it's the mountains, streams and the sea that drew me back to Hong Kong. I love all of this and being near these works of nature makes me happy. I love how easily accessible these beautiful spots are. Well OK, it does require quite a bit of effort to trek there, but still, it's there to trek to and I don't have to hop on a plane for this.

Being around nature relaxes me and recharges me for the work week ahead. It creates that balance for me. It's as if my body goes out of sync if I don't get some time in to be around nature. At work I never like to stay in and have lunch at my desk. I like going out for lunch to get a breather and take a walk. It's been hot but I still like going to the park near my office. My colleagues think I'm mad. They can't understand why I love the sun so much. I can only say I'm a tropical being and love the sun!

Whatever the case, I know I definitely want to live in a place that has lots of greenery and nature. For now, Hong Kong is the spot.

Man Cheung Po 萬丈布

Last weekend I brought three friends who were visiting from Singapore to two of my favourite spots in Hong Kong. As they are friends I got to know from paddling, we're all people who love the great outdoors so it was only natural that I'd bring them to chase some waterfalls since this is just about the most fun thing to do in summer. My usual hiking pals had also wanted to go to this waterfall and so we decided to head there together.

We went to Man Cheung Po in Lantau island. The waterfall is near Tai O village and is easily accessible by trail. We had the most fabulous afternoon swimming in the pool that we had all to ourselves.

After a few days of rain, there was a lot of water gushing down...awesome!

Our little piece of heaven

Hong Kong's best infinity pool

Enjoying my dip under the falls

I found a little nook among the rocks to sit in and it felt like a natural jacuzzi!

Nine Pin Islands (North & South) 南北果洲群島

Sunday day out to the North and South Nine Pin Islands. According to Wikipedia, the Nine Pin Islands is "a group of 29 islands in the easternmost waters of Hong Kong. The Nine Pin Group falls under the jurisdiction of Sai Kung District of Hong Kong". My friends and I joined a tour organised by a local company that specialises in taking people on day trips out to the offshore islands to hike.

We had to transfer to small boats to take us to the islands. It was raining in the morning and we look like pathetic refugees escaping to some island in this picture.

Mountains in the mist

Sea arch - spot the tiny Tin Hau temple at the top

Supposedly Hong Kong's smallest Tin Hau temple on the South Ninepin Island

I was careful not to go tttoooo close to the edge - it's a perilous drop down!!!

A panoramic shot of the islands

Pretty pink flowers dot some of the vegetation on the uninhabited island

Ping Nam Stream Trek 屏南石澗

My first stream trek for 2011 to usher in the summer was at Ping Nam stream, located in Fanling which is close to the Shenzhen border. As Hong Kong has been having a rather dry spell, there isn't much water flowing in the streams, resulting in very few rock pools. Thankfully there were still a few pools for us to frolick in. Here are some pics:

Trekking upstream

One of the few waterfalls we came across

A small little tub-like pool just good enough for one to soak in, with an awesome view to boot.

Letting the water beat down on me

Hiking buddies

Kayaking Day Out

My first Saturday back in Hong Kong was spent kayaking in Sai Kung - my favourite spot - with two friends. The speed of these kayaks are a far cry from the outrigger canoe and the surf ski that I used to paddle in but oh well, I shan't complain. It felt good being back on the water and being surrounded by the rolling green hills in the Sai Kung Peninsula.

We paddled to a sandbar called Pak Sha Chau and had a short break there.

Then we paddled over to Yim Tin Tsai island where there's an old Catholic chapel and village. Who'd have thought such places existed?

St Joseph's Chapel as seen from the water.

Deserted salt farms on the island

An old school building

The interior of St Joseph's chapel is so quaint and charming! Such a lovely place to hold a small, intimate wedding.

Organic aloe vera grown by the island's villagers for sale. You can pay any amount you want for it, and all proceeds will go to the chapel. These considerate people even provide plastic bags!

The cafe at Yim Tin Tsai where we went for lunch. This is such a gem of a place, not because of the food, but because of the fact that it's so far removed from the hectic pace of city life. Here, you feel like you've left the city behind. Being in such a relaxed environment is so good for the soul.

Friendly garden gnomes around the cafe.

We found an abandoned turtle on one of the beaches we stopped at and later we "adopted" it by deflating it and bringing it back with us.

At another beach, we started picking clams that lay hidden just beneath the sand's surface.

Our stash of clams which had to be rinsed to get rid of the sand.

We had dinner at one of the seafood restaurants along Sai Kung Pier and got them to cook half the bag of clams we picked. They charged us HKD30 for cooking these small clams. The staff at the restaurant were very amused by our picking of these tiny clams. The ones they had at the restaurant were about fives times the size of ours. Nevertheless I enjoyed our clams because that was the first time I had eaten something I had picked by myself right from its source. And that felt really good!

There was also steamed fresh abalone with orange peel which were really cheap for about HKD63 for seven of them.

Then it was dessert at this dessert house called Sweetheart Dessert. The delicious mango horfun dessert that comes with horfun-like strips made from coconut gelatin, also had fresh mango slices, sago and mango juice. It was the perfect ending to what was a fantastic day out at sea!

InterContinental HK High Tea

One of the things that people say you HAVE to do in Hong Kong in the way of food is to have high tea at The Peninsula hotel. However, I beg to differ on that as I think high tea at the InterContinental, just across the road from The Peninsula, is much better - if only for the view.

High tea at the InterContinental lobby will accord you with this panaromic view of Victoria Harbour - something you won't get if you're having high tea at the lobby of The Peninsula. Call me a sucker, but I'd rather pay for this view while enjoying a leisurely afternoon eating and chatting with my friend, than follow in the footsteps of some taitai tradition of having high tea at The Peninsula.

I went to the InterContinental with a good friend during my last week in Hong Kong. We ordered the high tea set which costs about HKD200 (before tax) per person. We liked the bottom tier best with its canapes. There was a smoked salmon canape on the extreme left, the shrimp with cavier on its right, the duck pate, and the tomato with mozzarella cheese with pesto on the extreme right.

We didn't like the dessert platter as we didn't think they tasted all that good. To be honest, they were somewhat boring too. The lemon tart to the extreme left had a nice buttery pastry and tasted citrusy enough. If I had to choose the best among the five there, I'd say this lemon tart was best. Next to it was a chocolate cup with small pieces of multi-coloured jello placed in it. The look didn't appeal to me so I gave it a miss as I didn't want to waste calories. In the middle was a cheesecake which tasted really ordinary. I took a bite and left the rest of it. If you're a fan of milk chocolate, the next dessert is probably your thing. I don't like milk chocolate, so I left it to my friend to finish it. The attractive rose-red dessert on the extreme right is a slice of raspberry mousse cake which I didn't mind eating as it wasn't too sweet. Again, it was alright, but not mind-blowing.

The carbs platter consisted of scones, madeleines, a brownie and some millefeuille pastry. I liked the scones best as they were warm, buttery and moist at the same time. Yum.

Take your pick of peach jam, double cream and strawberry jam to go with the warm scones. Did I mention that I really love a good scone? Pair it with a cup of earl grey tea and it's comfort food at one of its best.

It comes with a pot of tea for each person. Service was very good as the wait staff were very prompt at refilling our cups.

One of the waitresses then came round with a whole platter of macarons from which we chose one of each flavour. The yellow one was lemon-flavoured, the brown was chocolate, the light brown was caramel, the green was matcha (aka green tea) and the grey one was black sesame. Personally I'm not a huge fan of macarons and so I didn't enjoy them as much as a macaron fan would.

High tea at the InterContinental Hong Kong would be my pick over The Peninsula any time. There's something very leisurely and a little indulgent about sipping tea and treating yourself to morsels of food there whilst taking in the Hong Kong skyline. High tea runs from 2.30 to 6.30pm.

InterContinental Hong Kong
18 Salisbury Road
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2721 1211
Nearest MTR stations: Tsim Sha Tsui (尖沙咀) or Tsim Sha Tsui East (尖東)

Tai Tong Lychee Valley 大棠荔枝園

Sometime in mid-July when I met up with a Singaporean friend who was visiting Hong Kong, I suggested going to Tai Tong Lychee Valley instead of doing the usual touristy thing in Hong Kong i.e. hang around popular tourist spots like Central, Causeway Bay and Mong Kok. Summer is lychee season, so I thought it'd be a good time to go to Tai Tong Lychee Valley to pick some of our own.

Unfortunately when we got there, we were told that the lychee trees had all bore fruit and been picked due to the extremely hot weather. The only other fruit we could pick was longans. However, the longans were perched so high up on the tree that we had to get this staff member to go up on a ladder to pick a bunch of longans for us.

There were also water apple trees in the lychee valley. Many other fruit trees like jackfruit, pomegranate, dragon fruit, custard apples and lime were grown as well.

There was even a forlorn looking bunch of green grapes.

A tiny waterfall can be found as you walk farther into the gardens. We had expected something a little more spectacular.

Then we sat down to have our longans. The management doesn't allow fruits to be brought out of the farm, but you're allowed to consume as much as you want while you're in the farm. But really, the amount we ate wasn't worth the HKD80 (or it could have been HKD70 - I can't quite remember now) that we paid as entrance fees. It's really expensive but ah well, I shall see it as donating to a good cause.

A friendly staff member then came over with this bunch of 'wampee' (黃皮) after I requested to try some. According to Wikipedia, this is a fruit native to South East Asia, though I've never actually seen it in Singapore! The flesh is a translucent white colour that surrounds a small, oval shaped, brown seed. The fruit tastes both sweet and sour at the same time.

Tai Tong Lychee Valley would be a good place to go to for a relaxing day out with the family as it has horse rides for the kids and a playground for the kids to play in. There are also bbq pits for rental. But seriously if there are no lychees to be picked, then don't bother going. So it'd best to call up beforehand to check - don't make the same mistake I did.

Getting there: Take red minibus K66 from Long Ping (朗屏) station that's along the West Rail line. The bus should be going in the direction of Yuen Long (元朗). Click here for more transport details.

Tel: (852) 2470 2201

Hong Kong Wetland Park 香港濕地公園

For people who want to enjoy the outdoors in Hong Kong and prefer it to be just a walk in the park (literally and figuratively), head to the Hong Kong Wetland Park that's located in Tin Shui Wai (天水圍), New Territories. This area is a lovely little oasis located next to a housing estate and is easily accessible by public transport.

According to its website, it was originally intended to be an ecological mitigation area (EMA) to compensate for the wetlands lost due to Tin Shui Wai New Town development. Further studies conducted by the Hong Kong government concluded that 'the development of the Wetland Park will also enhance the ecological function of the EMA to a world-class conservation, education and tourism facility'.

I had heard about the park and decided to make my way there one Thursday morning with two friends to have a look. To get there, take the West Rail line to Tin Shui Wai station (天水圍站) then transfer to the Light Rail (輕鐵) and take either number 705 / 706 to the Wetland Park (濕地公園) Light Rail stop. Once you alight, there are clear signs directing you to the Wetland Park.

There are broadwalks around the 61-hectare park which are very family- and wheelchair-friendly.

There are also exhibitions and guides to educate the public on conservation.

There's such a big disparity between the foreground and background. The flats that overlook the wetland park have a really good view of the place! You can buy an annual pass for HKD100 and go to the park as often as you please. If I lived next to the park, I'd buy the annual pass and go to the park for a jog every day!

A blob of water sits on a lotus leaf - there are several lotus and water lily ponds in the wetland park. Many avid photographers bring their cameras to the wetland park to take photos of the flowers.

The view from an observation tower where birds can be observed. The buildings in the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone can also be seen in the distance. The water channel is called the Western Channel (西河道) and the Mai Po Nature Reserve is on the right of the channel.

The mangrove swamp broadwalk that sways as you walk along it.

If you're with children, make sure you keep them busy and interested by getting them to collect these stamps as you walk around the park. Of course if you're into cheap thrills like I am, you can always do the same!

And here I am, very pleased with my stamps. :)

When you're done walking, head to Cafe de Coral for a drink or afternoon snack. This is probably the Cafe de Coral outlet with the nicest view in the whole of Hong Kong (Cafe de Coral is a chain F&B outlet selling local Hong Kong food). It's extremely relaxing sitting there with the lovely backdrop of the wetland and mountains as company.

Before we left the park, I was asked to fill up a survey form and add my nation's flag to the board. Can you spot where mine is?

My very poor attempt at drawing the Singapore flag. Admittedly, I'm no Picasso.

A trip to the Hong Kong Wetland Park makes for a relaxing day out with family and friends to enjoy the outdoors. It's an easy option for those not inclined to climb up and down mountains. There are buses you can take there directly from Causeway Bay and Admiralty in Hong Kong Island. More transport options can be found on their website. Entrance fees are HKD30 for adults and HKD15 for children (3-18), full-time students and senior citizens aged 65 and above.

Tai Shing Stream 大城石澗

In the thick of summer in Hong Kong, one can't quite get enough of stream trekking. The cool fresh water is the perfect antidote to the summer heat and humidity. On Friday 13 August, three of us met first for yumcha at Tsuen Wan (荃灣) MTR station. Our breakfast was the dimsum we stuffed ourselves with - a fitting way to fuel our bodies before we set off on our trek.

After our party of five gathered, we took green minibus 82 from Shui Wo Street (兆和街) which is about three minutes' walk from Exit B of the MTR station. Take the bus to the last stop - Shing Mun Reservoir (城門水塘) - and that is the trail head.

You'll see this sign at the bus stop. Enter the trail from here.

Head towards the Pineapple Dam Nature Trail.

Then look out for this sign and head in the direction to which it is pointing to.

Walk along the trail and you'll soon be able to hear the sound of water flowing and then you'll see small pools of water like that to entice you as to what awaits farther on.

Then look out for this barricade and sign that has been vandalised. Walk past the barricade and follow the stone trail. As you walk along the trail, look out for ribbons hanging from branches. Follow those ribbons as they will lead you to the stream.

Look out for this group of ribbons as it's the point to turn off the main trail and down to the stream. To those who can understand Cantonese, the words '乐澗' should rightfully be written as '落澗', meaning to go down to the stream. 乐 means 'happiness' and 落 means to 'descend', but their spoken form is similar. The person who wrote the words probably forgot how to write 落!

Our playground!

Enjoying my dip in the one of the rock pools.

We scaled up the waterfall and this was a shot taken from half-way up the waterfall.

My friend Ivan even caught two prawns (this is the second one he caught) in the rock pools! Of course, we let it go after that. The fishes, though many, were a bit more difficult to catch.

Not only did we spot prawns and fishes, we even spotted a water snake hiding under a huge rock. I was beside myself once I spotted it!!!

On our way back, we traced back our route until where the vandalised sign was. Instead of turning right (which was to follow where we had come from), we turned left and followed the trail so that we could get to this spot to see these trees that are partially submerged in water.

And here's me, the hiker filled with feelings of happiness and sadness. Happiness at being at that spot with a bunch of good friends who love nature and sadness at the thought of having to leave Hong Kong and all of that beauty behind. Writing this entry now fills me with many fond memories and also makes me wistful of all the adventures in Hong Kong. I just know that I HAVE to somehow engineer something so that I can live in Hong Kong again. Wish me luck.

木綿洞 Mok Min Cave

Being the avid hiker that I was in Hong Kong, it was only fitting that my last Sunday there was spent in my favourite spot - Sai Kung (西貢). Writing this blog entry now and looking at the pictures brings back such fond memories of Hong Kong that it makes me want to go back right away!

We started our coastal trek (泳涃) at Pak Lap Chai (白腊仔). This shows us moments before we went into the water. There's me in red with my yellow float.

The winds were really strong that day, resulting in large wave action as seen from all that froth in the sea. If you look carefully, you can see some of my friends still bobbing in the water. We couldn't get onto shore at those parts as the waves were too strong and we were carried back and forth by the waves when we attempted to climb onto the rocks. It was impossible and at one point I was seriously scared.

Thankfully after a while all of us managed to swim into this little cove where the waves weren't so strong. It was there that we all managed to climb onto the rocks. Upon assessing the strength of the waves, we decided to abort the rest of the coastal trek as it was too dangerous to go into the water. Two of my friends had to be rescued by two of the guys as the two weaker ones weren't able to swim into the cove.

I LOVE SAI KUNG!!!!

Mok Min Cave (木綿洞), one of the famous landmarks in Sai Kung.

Waves crashing onto shore - we certainly didn't want to be in the water at that spot!

I can't say it enough - I love the beauty of this place.

I look like a 傻婆 (meaning crazy woman in Cantonese) with my hair flying in all directions, but this was taken when we were standing on the other side of Mok Min Cave.

An unusally quiet Pak Lap Wan (白腊灣) on a sunny Sunday. Usually the bay is dotted with yachts.

We then made our way to 沙橋 where's there's a beach and seafood restaurant. It takes about 20 minutes to walk there from Pak Lap Wan (白腊灣).

Close to shore, we could see lots of sea urchins! There were many fishes too. It was just a bit difficult catching them on camera.

Our contingent of eight who braved the choppy waters. Later that evening, we all sat down to a delicious seafood dinner at the Sai Kung town centre. My friends very generously treated me to the meal as a farewell dinner for me. It's fantastic that I got to know this group of local hikers who go on such interesting coastal treks. Being all locals, they all naturally spoke Cantonese among themselves and this gave me a chance to practise speaking Cantonese. In the year that I was in Hong Kong, my Cantonese improved a lot and I'm a little sad that I don't get to use the language as much back in Singapore.

I need to find a way to get back to Hong Kong to live!!! Ideas anyone????

Getting to Pak Lap Chai: From Sai Kung town centre, take a taxi and tell the taxi driver you want to go to Pak Lap. You'll be dropped along the road and there'll be a sign pointing down to Pak Lap Wan. You'll have to take a 10 to 15-minute walk down. Pak Lap Chai is a small beach next to Pak Lap Wan and you can get there by walking through a path at the back and then leading left of Pak Lap Wan. The taxi fare will cost about HKD90 from Sai Kung town centre.

50 Things I Love About Hong Kong

Sai Kung, my favourite place in Hong Kong

How fast a year has gone by. Today I leave Hong Kong on an evening Singapore Airlines (of course) flight back to Singapore after what has been an absolutely fantastic year in Hong Kong. For a person who's been in Hong Kong for just one year, I think I've been really good in making an effort to know the city. I'm leaving Hong Kong with mixed feelings as I actually can't bear to leave it. If I loved my job more in Hong Kong, I'd probably have chosen to stay awhile longer. But there's something I need to do at the moment and I want to do it in Singapore, so back I go. Hopefully I'll return to Hong Kong to live one day. While I'm away from Hong Kong, here are the things I love and will miss about one of my favourite cities!

FOOD

1. I can get food at any time, anywhere!
2. Whatever the size of your wallet, you can always get good food.
3. Dai pai dongs
4. Fantastic Cantonese food
5. Tasty and great variety of dimsum
6. The great variety of food - Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Italian, French, German, etc
7. The shops - 凉茶铺 - that sell traditional herbal teas that are in every other street corner
8. Good patisseries
9. All the dessert shops (糖水铺) selling traditional Cantonese desserts
10. High tea at the Intercontinental - fantastic view from the dining area (I think it beats The Peninsula)
11. Freshly baked egg tarts of traditional bakeries at every other street
12. The wet markets with all the fresh vegetables and live seafood
13. Citysuper supermarket (especially the one in Causeway Bay 'cos it's the biggest!)
14. SOGO's supermarket
15. Vegetable farms in the New Territories
16. 飲食男女 － the very well-written and well-researched weekly food magazine which comes with the trashy tabloid 忽然一周. I buy the latter just to get the former - really.
17. Jenny's Bakery - love their pineapple tarts and butter cookies!

TRANSPORT

18. Star ferries that ply the harbour and the outlying islands
19. Trams in Hong Kong Island, more affectionately known as the 'ting ting' by the locals
20. Efficient and well-run MTR train system
21. Mini-buses, even if the drivers drive like maniacs
22. The frequency of buses and its comprehensive network
23. Octopus cards that can be used to make payment at all major shops, car parks and even vending machines
24. Chep Lap Kok international airport
25. The Airport Express - the best airport commute in the world
26. Taxis - you can flag one down easily any time, anywhere

PLACES

27. Tai O fishing village in Lantau Island for the unique lifestyle it offers Hong Kongers
28. Central (中環) for its little alleys and mix of modern and old-styled shops and restaurants
29. Hong Kong skyline as you look at it from the Kowloon side
30. Victoria Harbour
31. Victoria Park (just a five-minute walk from where I live)
32. Mong Kok's madness and quirky streets like Goldfish Street

GEOGRAPHY

33. Dragon's Back hiking trail - one of the best urban trails
34. Sai Kung for all the outdoor activities it offers - hiking, coastal trekking, stream trekking, wakeboarding, boating
35. Lantau Island for similar outdoor activities to Sai Kung that it offers
36. All the hills in Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories that offer numerous hiking trails
37. Mild winters - I can't deal with harsh winters and Hong Kong's winters are perfect for me!
38. Proximity to China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and South East Asia

SERVICES

39. Efficiency of the immigration department
40. Efficiency of services - time is money, so people do things fast!
41. Laundrettes that are everywhere and provide cheap laundry services
42. Traditional Chinese Medicine physicians are recognised and allowed to give out medical certificates
43. Being able to hire a junk boat or yacht for an affordable price, for a whole day and with food catered! Makes going out to sea a very accessible and affordable activity for the masses - fantastic!

PEOPLE

44. The cosmopolitan and international mix of people with a respect and tolerance for people of different races, creed and religion to co-exist
45. Tradition and modernity co-exist in this cosmopolitan city
46. People can protest and take part in demonstrations without getting arrested. People actually make the effort to take part in a demonstration / protest for a cause they believe in.

SHOPPING

47. My favourite lifestyle shop G.O.D
48. H&M - I never walk of the store empty-handed
49. Cheap tickets for concerts staged by Hong Kong artistes
50. Cameras are relatively cheaper - I love my new waterproof Pentax Optio!

Ping Nam Stream 屏南石澗

Ping Nam Stream 屏南石澗 is located in Fanling and is considered one of the most beautiful streams in Hong Kong.

The trail head starts in Nam Chung 南涌.

Crossing the stream

草裙瀑布 literally translates to hula skirt falls.

Standing beneath the falls

Pothole

The next pool we swam in

Fish in the pool

Me standing at the side wondering or not whether I should make a jump for it

Wweeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!

Our final pool stop

Going down my water slide

The skyscrapers of Shenzhen are visible in the distance

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! :)

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.

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!

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?

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

Wishing Tree 許願樹

Many of us who have been watching TVB dramas for years would have heard of the Wishing Tree (許願樹) as it was an oft-used location for shoots before the authorities banned people from throwing oranges on its branches. It's a short mini-bus ride away from Tai Wo so I decided to head there to have a look at this tree that's famous among locals.

Take mini bus No. 25K from Tai Wo. The bus stop to get on is not too far from Fu Shin Street. The trip costs HKD5.10. Tell the bus driver that you want to go to Wishing Tree so he'll know when to let you alight. The tree is in Lam Tsuem (林村) and you'll see it on your right side of the road as the mini bus passes it.

The Wishing Tree is now supported by many wooden beams because it's now very weak due to years of people burning incense below it. Its leaves' pores are probably choked from smoke! Its branches are also weak from the weight of oranges that people hurled onto it over the years. So now the tree is only a display piece.

To make a wish, buy one of these papers for HKD10, write your wish on it and hang it on this board. You have to hang it below the column which corresponds to your Chinese zodiac sign.

There's also the Tin Hau temple nearby where you can offer some prayers.

About 15 metres away from the real wishing tree is this fake one. You can buy fake oranges to tie to your wish that you've written on paper and throw it up onto the tree. I thought throwing would be easy, but it didn't seem so when this girl on the right (in black) tried it about 7-8 times. She did get it up eventually.

After having a look at the tree, go to one of the stalls nearby to have some dessert soup (糖水). I had this very refreshing lily bulb with snow fungus and egg soup.

The Wishing Tree is nothing exciting but I thought it'd be nice to have a look since I saw it so often in the TVB dramas I watched when growing up. Am glad I've seen it, so now it's one more item checked off my to-do list in Hong Kong before I leave in August.

Exploring Tai Wo (太和)

As part of my playing-tourist-in-Hong Kong plan, I've been visiting some old neighbourhoods in order to know another side of Hong Kong. On 29 May, I made my way to Tai Wo, an old neighbourhood in the New Territories. Tai Wo used to be one of the old market towns in Tai Po Town.

Another dimsumdolly and her ramen-loving friend - I found them in the shopping centre next to Tai Wo train station.

Tai Po Railway Museum - just about seven minutes' walk from Tai Wo MTR station

Love these old light switches in the museum

Old signalling devices for the trains

Tunnelling back in time by sitting in an old train carriage. I should be wearing a cheongsam and I'd fit right into the setting!

The neighbourhood barber - many things still seem to have remained the same as they were decades ago.

The Fu Shin street market along Fu Shin street (富善街) - a street full of stalls selling food and other household items.

Old-style pyjamas and grannies panties. Heehee.

Coils of incense hang in the Man Mo Temple along Fu Shin street. From Wikipedia:

'A Man Mo Temple or Man Mo Miu (文武廟) is a temple for the worship of the civil or literature god Man Tai (文帝) / Man Cheong （文昌） and the martial god Mo Tai (武帝) / Kwan Tai (關帝). The two gods were popularly patronised by scholars and students seeking progress in their study or ranking in the civil examinations in the Ming and Qing dynasties.'

A shop specialising in clothing and accessories used in belly dancing (肚皮舞) - what are the odds of finding such a shop in such an obscure place???

Getting to Tai Wo: Take the East Rail Line (東鐵綫) - the line is coloured light blue on the Hong Kong MTR map.

Ng Tung Chai (梧桐寨 ) Waterfall & Kadoorie Farm

Hike on 6th June, trail head - Ng Tung Chai village, which is a 10-min taxi ride from Tai Po MTR station.

Subsistence farming in Hong Kong, certainly an alternative lifestyle. A stream runs beside the farm and it's so lovely to have the hills behind and to hear the constant sound of flowing water. There's something so soothing about that sound.

The highlights to await us

But not without walking flights and flights of stairs first

Middle Falls (I missed out Bottom Falls as I was at the back of the pack and I thought everyone had gone past Bottom Falls so I didn't stop to look if they were there or not. In the end, I went ahead of everyone. How silly.)

Main Fall

Our last waterfall of the day - this one didn't have a name

After the hike, we made our way to Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden which was just a 15-min walk away from the trail end.

The farm practises organic farming and has a few pigs, some chickens, rescued wildlife like exotic parrots, eagles, monkeys etc. It also grows plants such as herbs, maize, vegetables among others. It's a huge place and it's a good place for the family to spend the weekend in such tranquil surroundings. And look at this sow - seriously, can she get any bigger???? How many piglets do you think are in there??

The vegetables being grown along the terraces of Kadoorie Farm.

There's also a small farmers' market where farmers from the nearby farms come and sell their produce. I bought some cherry tomatoes and lychees and they were delicious! Us hikers couldn't resist not getting these local produce. There is also a shop selling organic dried food stuff just next to this farmers' market.

The Ng Tung Chai Waterfalls are really easy to get to and it's another gem of a place I've discovered in Hong Kong. To get to the Main Falls, it's basically climbing a long flight of stairs for about 1.5 hours and it's definitely worth the climb! The little trip to Kadoorie Farm was a great way to end the day out. :)

Shui Lo Cho (水澇漕) & Man Cheung Po (萬丈布) Stream Trekking

As most of my friends know, I LOVE being in the water. As such, I couldn't miss out on the chance to go stream trekking when it was organised last Saturday by the hiking group I usually hike with. We went to Lantau and trekked along Shui Lo Cho (水澇漕) & Man Cheung Po (萬丈布). The aim was to get to this pool so that we could go swimming. To get to the trail head, we first had to take Bus 11 from Tung Chung to get to Tai O, the fishing village.

First we had to dodge many spiders .... eeeekkksss!!!

The first of many rock pools

We make our way across the first waterfall and dip our feet in for the first time. It had rained earlier in the week so there was more water in the stream that day. The cool, clear water was so refreshing!

Turn back and you get a lovely view of the mountains.

That's me being helped across the stream.

Let's pause for a picture before scaling the next waterfall!

We finally reach our rest stop where we were to have a 1.5 hour break to have lunch and swim!

Yes, the sign does say 'NO SWIMMING' and 'DANGER' ...

But we swam anyway! :) Who could resist not swimming in the world's best infinity pool (to me anyway)???? I'm somewhere swimming ... most likely at the edge admiring the gorgeous view of the mountains.

There's me bobbing in the middle of the photo. :p

We also went to the other rock pool where it proved a good spot for a natural jacuzzi.

On the way back to Tai O, we passed this abandoned villa that used to belong to a government official.

The lily pond that sits in front of the abandoned villa. All these hidden spots in Hong Kong! Who'd have known??

This stream trek and the swimming in the pool in that gorgeous infinity pool has to go down as my top ten moments in HK. I love being in the outdoors and I'm still constantly in awe by HK's natural terrain and all the outdoor activities it has to offer. I know I'm going to miss this so much when I leave!

MacLehose Trail Stages 1 & 2

The MacLehose Trail (麥理浩徑), named after Hong Kong's longest serving gonverner Crawford Murray MacLehose, is a 100km long trail that runs east to west across the New Territories, cutting across some of the finest natural scenery in Hong Kong. It was MacLehose who established the country parks - he was an enthusiastic hiker himself.

Every year in the third weekend of November, there is the Oxfam Trailwalker charity hike/run where 500 teams comprising of four members in each, hike/run the trail to raise funds for charity. For the event, the MacLehose Trail is divided into eight stages. All four members of the team are supposed to do the entire course together and support teams will be stationed at various points to give them food and water as refuel.

Initially I thought of doing it this year, but then decided that I couldn't risk destroying my already weak knees at this age. Moreover, my body type - fat - isn't really suitable for running. There'd be too much impact on my knees what with the undulating hills throughout the trail. So that thought was banished.

Instead I chose to do this trail in stages. On Saturday I hiked Stages 1 & 2 of the trail and with that I've done all eight stages of the trail on separate occasions. Hurray! Here are some snapshots from Saturday's hike.

The start of Stage 1 in Pak Tam Chung (北潭涌). You can get there by taking bus 94 from the Sai Kung bus terminus in the Sai Kung town centre. Or if you're in a group, just grab a taxi.

Stage 1 of the MacLehose Trail follows a road that runs along one side of the High Island Reservoir. You're walking on paved road all the time and the terrain of Stage 1 is very flat - not a very interesting part of the trail.

You might also come across free roaming cows. But don't worry, they're very tame and won't hurt you. Just be careful of the large mounds of turd they leave in their wake along roads and trails. Haha.

Basalt rock formations in their characteristic hexagonal columns.

Not far into the initial stages of Stage 2, you'll come across Long Ke Beach. It's a beautiful beach with soft clean sand and it's worth a trip if you'd like to go to an easily accessible beach. I loved the view of the water's azure and turquoise colours from the top! You just have to take a taxi and tell the driver to go to Long Ke Village (浪茄村). Bet you never thought such lovely beaches existed in Hong Kong, did you?

View from our lunch spot - the High Island Reservoir in view.

Sharp Peak in the distance

A cafe at Sai Wan (西灣), another beach along the trail. This is another popular beach in Sai Kung and also a nice one to head to for a day out. We stopped for a drink and I was so tempted to go swimming. But no, I had to focus on the mission at hand, i.e. to complete the first two stages of the MacLehose Trail - all 25km of it.

The trail runs along several types of terrain - beach, mud tracks, paved roads, dirt paths etc.

Ham Tin beach

Up for some surfing, anyone?

The end of Stage 2 at Pak Tam Au (北潭凹). No, I'm not heading back in that direction! Done for the day! I was completely exhausted by the time I reached Pak Tam Au. The last 5km seemed to go on forever! There is a bus stop just about 30 metres down the road and you can take bus 94 back to the Sai Kung bus terminus.

When we got back to the Sai Kung town centre where the Sai Kung Pier is, there was a floating fish market going on. The fishermen bring their catch to the pier and customers banter prices with them from the pier.

Live fish, crabs, lobsters, eels and a whole lot of other seafood for your picking. I love this floating fish market - really delightful!

The Sai Kung peninsula is one of the loveliest parts of Hong Kong and is definitely worth a trip out. You can hire a ferry from the pier and tour round some of the islands. Many of the islands are designated ecoparks with some spectacular rock formations. There are also many seafood restaurants at the pier, but these are generally expensive and tend to be tourist traps.

For information on getting to Sai Kung, click here.

Tiananmen Candlelight Vigil

Every 4th June, people gather in Hong Kong's Victoria Park for a candlelight vigil to remember the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacres in 1989. This year marks the 21st anniversary of the horrific incident in Beijing and I went with my colleague to have a look.

Some pro-democracy protesters making their point in Causeway Bay.

Causeway Bay was packed with people making their way to Victoria Park.

Posters of victims put up by the Tiananmen Mothers Campaign who had lost their children to the indiscriminate killing of the Chinese army. Many of the victims happened to be passerbys or just someone stopping to help the injured.

六四 (meaning 6/4) is the common reference to the incident amongst the Chinese people. The other two words mean 'mourning' in Chinese.

There were an estimated 150,000 people gathered in Victoria Park and everyone held a lit candle in their hands. Songs were sung to remember the victims and some of the older people were seen to be crying. Pro-democracy slogans were shouted in unison, led by pro-democracy leaders of pro-democracy political parties and student union leaders from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

A charity in support of Chinese dissidents unable to return to China. The Chinese words 我要回家 mean 'I want to go home.'

Books, T-shirts, DVDs and other pro-democracy material being sold to raise funds. I was touched to see so much fervour and passion especially in the people who were selling these items and urging people to donate to their cause or to donate to the mothers who had lost their children.

Dimsumdolly Meets Another Dimsumdolly ...

and friend outside Maxim's restaurant in the shopping arcade next to Tai Wo MTR station. :p

Gong Guan 公官會所

If you're looking for a private kitchen restaurant to go to, you could consider going to Gong Guan 公官會所, a restaurant that serves a fusion of Cantonese and Shanghainese cuisine. The tiny restaurant is located in Sheung Wan and has three rooms with a big table in each. To get a booking, you'll need to have at least 10 but up to a maximum of about 12/13 people in your party. I ate at Gong Guan at the end of February when a friend of mine visited and I joined in the dinner with her friends. Here's what we ate:

Shanghainese style minced vegetables with tofu

Braised tofu with Chinese mushrooms and black fungus

Slices of beef

Preserved vegetables

Eggplant with pork floss

Melon with mung bean vermcelli

Tofu soup

I loved this dish most with its slice of pork and dried crispy beancurd to be eaten by placing both sandwiched inside the pancake.

Broccoli with crab meat and lily bulb

Tea smoked chicken

Steamed fish

Stew pork

Stir-fried mix vegetables

This was one of the best dishes of the night with the crispy brown rice cakes and the minced meat. The rice was nicely browned and smoky and went well with the minced meat.

Dessert was glutinous rice balls with millet.

As it was such a long time ago, I've forgotten exactly what each dish tastes like. However, I remember enjoying the meal and thought it was worth the HKD380 (not inclusive of corkage) that I had spent.

Gong Guan 公官會所
12/F Fung Woo Building
279 Des Voeux Road Central
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
(Sheung Wan MTR station Exit B)
Tel: +852 2577 9789

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.

Wine & Bike

As most of my regular readers would know, I love the outdoors and on weekends I usually go hiking either on Saturday or Sunday, and sometimes on both days. Last Saturday, though, I did something different. I went cycling with this meetup group called 'Tao of Wines'. Usually this meetup group goes for a hike, and at the end of it, finds a spot to sample a few bottles of wine that they take along on the hike. Last Saturday it was 'Wine & Bike' instead of 'Wine & Hike'. We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather for a picnic last Saturday - sunny blue skies with temperatures in the low 20s.

We met at Tai Wai (大圍) MTR station and rented bikes from a shop opposite the station.

I'm all set to go with a bottle of Riesling stashed in my backpack. Heehee. Other members in the group had goodies stashed in their backpacks as well.

The Tolo Harbour cycling track has proper cycling lanes that run from Tai Wai all the way to Tai Po, passing through Sha Tin and the Tolo Harbour. There are many cyclists on the track with both leisure and serious cyclists sharing it.

In Sha Tin, you'll see the scullers practising in the canal. There were also dragonboaters having a training session.

The Hong Kong Science & Technology Park was our rest-stop after cycling for about 11km. The Science & Technology Park sits in a lovely spot that has great views of the harbour and the hills in the New Territories.

It was such a gorgeous day to dine al fresco!

As you cycle, you'll be able to enjoy the view of the hills that unfold before you. In this photo, you can see the Pat Sin Leng (八仙嶺) ridge.

After cycling about 21km, we reached our end point cum picnic spot in Tai Mei Duk （大美督）. This particular picnic spot is called Chung Pui (涌背). Out comes the wine, cheese, grapes, and bread.

What a great way to end the bike ride! The first wine we sampled was an Australian Logan Pinot Gris 2008. It was really nice and refreshing and I liked it.

The spread.

A view from our picnic spot. It's a lovely way to spend the afternoon fishing or reading a book. I saw people fishing and even managed to see a man net a fish!

You can also cycle to the dam where you'll get gorgeous views of the mountains that surround the area. Here you see Pat Sin Leng (八仙嶺) again with its eight peaks. Pat Sin Leng literally translates to 'Eight Immortal Ridge' and each individual peak is named after one of the Eight Immortals in Chinese mythology. The highest of the eight stands at 591m and the lowest ones are at 510m. I've hiked this ridge before but unfortunately on the day I hiked it, the day was so foggy that I couldn't see a thing below the fog. My fellow hikers and I could only use our imagination. It'd have been an amazing view that greeted us had it not been rainy and foggy that train. The Pat Sin Leng Country Trail is a hike I'd recommend for anyone who hasn't done it yet.

If you're keener on cycling, definitely try out this route for a start. It's a great route for beginners as it's very flat. And of course, ending the bike ride with a picnic is the cherry on the icing for a perfect day spent outdoors!

Dragon's Back and Cape D'Aguilar

I had to work the first half of Saturday over the weekend and was really bummed out that I couldn't go hiking because of it. Thankfully I managed to get my hiking fix on Sunday. The slightly warm weather was also perfect for hiking. I didn't have to go far to get to the meeting point for Sunday's hike - I only had to make my way to Chai Wan MTR station which is only a few stops away from where I live in HK Island.

From Chai Wan MTR station, we walked across to the cemeteries. There are several cemeteries for different religious groups in Chai Wan. There's a Buddhist, Muslim and Christian cemetery. This coming weekend is the Qing Ming Festival weekend but many people were already going to pay their respects to their ancestors a week before. There were traffic police around to marshall traffic because of the crowds. This particular cemetery in the photo above, though, was a picture of calm and serenity. Mainly because the people buried there were British soldiers who had died in World War II. They were all men who had their candle snuffed out too early.

From the back of the cemetery, we walked through the hills to get to the trail leading to Dragon's Back, one of Hong Kong Island's most popular hiking trails. The view from Dragon's Back is one that allows you to appreciate the beauty of Hong Kong Island's south side.

A paraglider hovering above Dragon's Back after taking off from there. I have never paraglided before but I'd imagine it's heaps of fun to be soaring above everyone else and having some quiet time to yourself.

From Dragon's Back, we made our way to Cape D'Aguilar. We hiked up to its peak and then made our way around it and landed back down at Shek O beach which was the end point of our hike. This is a shot taken by a fellow hiker and I'm the person on the left admiring the lovely view before me at a spot not far down from the peak, at about 300 metres above sea level.

Anyway, I'm off to the Land of the Rising Sun for a holiday!

Konnichiwa Nippon!

Strawberry Picking

The thing I love about Hong Kong is that it's easy to get away from the urban sprawl to get some air and space. I need to get out on the weekends as it's where I find my balance. When I don't get to do that on the weekends, I feel like something's wrong and that I've been deprived of my time outdoors. Seeing all the mountains and the greenery around me is so therapeutic and good for the soul.

Last Sunday I went strawberry picking with three other friends at Rainbow Organic Strawberry Farm, located in Fanling.

This sign warns you that if you're caught eating a strawberry without paying for it first, you'll be charged HKD60 for it, i.e. the same price as one pound (approx 450g) of strawberries.

Pick up a basket and a pair of scissors and you're set to go!

The strawberry fields nestled in front of the surrounding mountains in Fanling.

Strawberries waiting to be plucked.

My loot cost me HKD48. I ate two straight away and they were really sweet!

You can also pick the tomatoes which go for HKD20 per pound.

There are also vegetable plots where cabbage, lettuce, carrots and sweet corn are grown. However you aren't allowed to pick these.

The Rainbow Organic Strawberry Farm is located within Lavender Garden. You'll have to go through Lavender Garden to get to the strawberry farm. The entrance fee is HKD5 per person.

The lavender flowers that give the garden its name.

Lavender Garden is a good place for a family outing as the children can feed the few goats that are here.

Or they could feed the koi.

You can also book a pit for a BBQ.

Before reaching Lavender Garden, you'll see these letter boxes belonging to the villagers at the village entrance. Very cute, isn't it?

Getting there: From Fanling train station take the 52B (Hok Tau) minibus, which runs at 20 minute intervals. Alight the minibus before it turns right at the entry to Hok Tau Village. Walk straight along Hok Tau Road for a few minutes and you will see Lavender Garden on your left.

Lavender Garden
Tel: +852 2674 7822
Address: DD76 Lot 655 Hok Tau Road, Fanling, New T.
Opening hours : Monday-Friday 10 am - 6 pm
Sat,Sun & Holidays: 10 am - 10 pm

Lantau's Hidden Beauty

Some scenes from the hike I did on Saturday 30 January in Lantau Island. It's the toughest yet most beautiful hike to date. No pain, no gain. :) The pain was worth it though - the views were magnificent but I didn't take that many photos as it was hard to whip my camera out as I was climbing around the various precarious slopes that dropped down a few hundred metres.

From Tung Chung station, we took Bus 11 to Shek Pik Reservoir where we started our hike.

View from a rest stop

Hiking up a ridge

Going up the West Dog's Teeth Ridge. We went up to about 800 metres and were literally in the clouds.

The Big Buddha sitting at Ngong Ping with its back to us.

One of many rock climbs we had to do. Lantau has some of most scenic hiking trails in Hong Kong and it's one of my favourite places to hike. It's definitely worth hiking in if you're an avid hiker.

Yellow Door Kitchen 黃色門廚房

Mel, a friend from university days, was visiting Hong Kong with her husband on the last weekend of February and the couple suggested eating at Yellow Door, a private kitchen in Central that they knew of. Dinner at this private kitchen comprised these dishes.

There were a total of eight appetisers that came to the table all at once.

蒜泥白肉 Sliced pork with spiced garlic sauce.

甜酸小王瓜 Pickled cucumber

凉拌鲜腐竹 Fresh soya bean sheets with spicy garlic sauce

凉拌三丝 Salad with potato, carrot and seaweed

葱油灵芝菇 Shimeiji mushrooms with oil infused with spring onions

麻香皮蛋 Century egg in sesame sauce

香辣鸡丁 Stir-fried dice chicken with dried chilli

松脆虾球 Deep-fried prawns with bread

The first of the main courses was the scallop and Chinese cabbage soup 翡翠元贝汤.

鲜山椒焖冬瓜 Winter melon braised with picked chilli

宫保虾球 Fried prawn in Sichuan sour and spicy sauce

口水鸡 Chicken and shredded leek with spicy sauce

烟熏普洱蜂蜜焖腩排 Smoked pork rib with honey and pu-er tea leaves

八宝鸭 Shanghai stuffed duck

京葱捞米 Rice noodles with minced pork and fried onions

芝麻汤圆 Sesame glutinous rice balls

To find it, look for this 7-Eleven at the Mid-levels escalator. It's the small building next to the right of this 7-Eleven. It's a three-minute walk from H&M.

Though Yellow Door Kitchen is mentioned in the Hong Kong edition of the Michelin guide, I wasn't bowled over by their food. Most of the food was mediocre and nothing to rave about. The stir-fried diced chicken was way too dry and hard. The biggest disappointments were the rice noodles and the fried prawns. The noodles were too bland and I didn't bother finishing the bowl after taking a bite. I made it a point to mention its lack of flavour to the waiter. He only apologised but didn't bother to follow up with the complaint. The prawn batter was too soggy and thick and the prawns didn't taste fresh. Dessert was also very uninspiring and boring. I mean, even if you wanted to serve a traditional dessert, at least attempt to put a spin on it! I wasn't impressed by the lack of imagination.

Only two dishes were good - the Shanghai stuffed duck and the smoked pork rib with honey and pu-er tea leaves. The Shanghai duck was stuffed with glutinous rice and the pork rib was very tender. There's nothing like a delicious piece of pork ribs!

Service was pretty good but not exceptional and the dinner cost us HKD298 each. It's not a place I would return to, and for the same amount of money I think there are better places to go to for a meal.

Yellow Door Kitchen
6/F Cheung Hing Commercial Building
37 Cochrane Street, Central.
Hong Kong
Nearest MTR exit：D2 Central MTR Station
Tel: +852 2858 6555

Celestial Court 天寶閣

Contrary to popular belief, I don't have dimsum every day even though I currently live in the land of dimsum. I usually go for dimsum only when I have visitors. I went to Celestial Court at Sheraton Hotel when my friend, R, was visiting in early Dec. He's the same friend I went to Bo Innovations and Tastings Wine Bar with. Every time we meet up, all we do is eat.

As he had a voucher to be used at the Sheraton Hotel where he was staying, we decided to use it for dimsum.

I liked the tea light placed under the tea pot to keep the tea warm. I thought that was a nice touch.

This plate of spring rolls wasn't ordered by me. I usually order the steamed items only. But R had to have his spring rolls. I call it his typical American behaviour! Haha. Anyway he ate all of it. I wasn't going to waste calories on those spring rolls.

Pork dumpling (siew mai 烧卖) the usual suspect, topped with crab roe.

Plump and fluffy roast pork buns (char siew bao 叉烧包)

Prawn dumplings (Har Gow 虾饺)

Some fried radish cakes and slices of lotus root which I actually enjoyed more than the radish cake. It was like eating chips!

This isn't a regular on dimsum menus so we decided to give it a try. I can't remember its name but it had a piece of chicken and a slice of Chinese mushroom wrapped in fish maw and then put to steam. It was light yet tasty and full of the ingredients' natural flavours.

Claypot beef brisket with rice flour rolls (牛腩肠粉). The was really tasty but probably best eaten after eating the other steamed dimsum that are lighter in flavour.

The pièce de résistance which even came in its individual mini bamboo steamer. The bottom orange bit you see is a thin slice of carrot with Chinese mushroom sitting on it. The Chinese mushroom is in turn stuffed with chicken, topped with scallop, sea urchin and bonito flakes. OK, it all sounds very good, but actually I think the raw sea urchin was a bit wasted in this. Its natural sweetness was lost among all the other flavours dancing on your palate as you bite into the piece. A tad disappointing.

We also had steamed fish head in black bean sauce. Nothing like eating the cheeks!

Fancy mango pudding with the gold leaf shreds. Nothing to rave about. Frankly any normal dessert shop in HK could do one just as good.

Black sesame pudding topped with gold leaf shreds as well. All I can say is that the gold is more nicely contrasted in this than the mango pudding. Again, the taste was mediocre and isn't something I'd bother to order if I were to go there again.

Overall it was a pretty good dining experience and service was good. But for now, once is enough as there are many other dimsum restaurants to check out!

Celestial Court
Sheraton Hotel
20 Nathan Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
Hong Kong
Tel: + 852 2369 1111

Dragon's Back 龍脊

Dragon's Back (龍脊) is one of the most famous hiking trails in Hong Kong and it's an easy trail to walk. Looking at the crazy crowds in Causeway Bay and the skyscrapers in Central, you'd never guess that such beauty existed in Hong Kong Island.

I went to Dragon's Back in November when my good friend and her fiance (now husband) visited. The length of the hike is a mere 4.5 km and can be completed in 2 to 2.5 hours.

Here are some pictures.

To get to the start of the hike, take the MTR to Shau Kei Wan Station and get out at Exit A3. From there, take bus 9 or a taxi. Then get off at Cape Collinson bus stop. The bus will pass a wooded hillside, then a tiny roundabout. Alight at the stop just after this. The end of the hike will take you to Shek O Road. Then make your way on foot to To Tei Wan village (there are signs to sign post it). From there, take a bus back to Central or Shek O village. I'd recommend going to Shek O to have a look at a more laid-back area of Hong Kong Island.

Sh!ok

When I feel like having some Singaporean fare, I sometimes head to Sh!ok. In Singlish, 'Shiok' (spelt rightfully with an 'i') is a word us Singaporeans use to express pleasure and delight at something that brings about these feelings.

At Sh!ok, you'll most likely hear lots of Singaporean accents among the diners as my fellow countrymen go there and get their fix of food from home.

I like their longan drink - a nice pick-me-up on a hot summer's day. In winter, you can have it warm.

One of my favourite dishes there is this Fried Pork with Kam Heong. Kam Heong is a paste that's made with some curry leaves and some spices that I, unfortunately, couldn't identify. This dish is really tasty though, and is a definite must-eat.

I also like their fried carrot cake. Their black version is better than the white one, so I'd just stick with the former.

My last favourite is their Kaya Toast. What's special about this kaya is that it's very light and its texture is like custard rather than jam which is the norm in Singapore. This type of kaya is known as seri kaya and is hardly found even in Singapore. It's made the traditional nonya way and Sh!ok doesn't use any preservatives in their kaya, which is why their kaya only keeps for three days.

A friend told me that their Bak Chor Mee (minced pork noodles) is good, so you might want to give it a try if you're there. However, I'd give their Bak Kut Teh a miss if I were you. When I tried those two dishes, they were very disappointing in taste. The Bak Kut Tek soup was a bit bland and flat. There's always a today's special and those of you who love laksa will have to go on Mondays to get your laksa fix. The second time I went was a Tuesday and that day's special was Char Kway Teow. It could have been good except for the fact that it lacked wok hei. Despite some misses, Sh!ok is still a decent place to get some Singaporean fare.

Sh!ok
66 Peel Street
Soho, Central
Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2899 2001

Tofulism 豆腐主義

I don't subscribe to any religion, but if I were forced to, my reply could possibly be 'Food and I'm sure I have many fellow believers'. ;p A branch-off of it for tofu devotees would be Tofulism. I love tofu and most of the time I'll eat tofu in whatever form it comes in.

I came across this Tofulism outlet when I ended up in Tung Chung after finishing a hike in Lantau Island. Ivan of Food Recentrunes joked that this is the religion of old lecherous men. Why? Because in Chinese, the phrase '吃豆腐' (eat tofu)' means to take advantage of a woman in a sexual way. Ha.

Well, see it any way you want, but Tofulism sells tofu in many forms. You can get soya bean milk (豆浆) in various flavours - plain, papaya, mango, watermelon, ginger, green bean, red bean. You can also choose to have soya beancurd (豆腐花) with some of mango, green bean and red bean.

Those jars on the shelf are fermented soya beans (南乳) which is used in more commonly used in stewing and stir-frying meat and vegetable.

Pieces of pan-fried tofu are also sold together with these pieces of vegetables (sweet potato, green chilli and eggplant) that have been dipped in batter and deep-fried. I didn't think these looked very appetising. I tried the plain soya bean milk and a few pieces of the pan-fried tofu. The soya bean milk was fresh but I thought the tofu wasn't particularly good. Five pieces of tofu cost me HKD11 and the soya milk was HKD6. The food was a little disappointing, but nevertheless I like the idea of a place devoted just to tofu!

Tofulism
G/F Shop No. 8
Fu Tung Shopping Centre
Tung Chung, Lantau Island
Hong Kong

Tung Chung to Tai O

Instead of taking the cable car to the big bronze Buddha statue in Ngong Ping, my fellow hikers and I took the healthier but much longer option of hiking all the way there from Tung Chung (where the MTR station is). From Ngong Ping, we hiked for another 1.5 hours to the fishing village of Tai O. Here are pictures from the hike that took place on 9 Jan.

A photo taken at the start of the hike. Our first rest stop was the cable car tower at the top of the picture.

Walking on the broadwalk that follows the same route of the cable cars above.

At this point of elevation, we were able to see Hong Kong's Chep Lap Kok international airport and the cable cars at the right of this photo.

At our third rest stop, there were several wild dogs who were eyeing the food brought by hikers passing through.

Our lunch stop accorded us a lovely view of the sea and airplanes flying towards the airport - spot the plane on the left upper third of the photo! We were probably about 450m above sea level at that point.

One for the album! It doesn't look like it, but it's really the sea down below. The clouds have cast their shadows on the sea hence it looks a little dark!

A view of the Buddha from afar. We still had about 40min of walking to do before reaching there.

A side view of the Buddha facing Lantau Peak.

Finally we reach Ngong Ping station and the Buddha!

From Ngong Ping, we hiked along the cliffs that line the coast to make our way to Tai O.

I love the sea! I love cities that are surrounded by water. There's something about the ocean that I find so compelling.

Along our way to Tai O, we came across a family of free roaming cows. The calf is so cute! Never expected it in Hong Kong, did you?

An old lady hangs fish out to dry at her home in Tai O. The residents of Tai O lead such a vastly different lifestyle from fellow Hong Kongers. You almost can't believe it's Hong Kong when you're in Tai O.

To reward ourselves after a 5-hour hike, two fellow hikers and I treated ourselves to a bowl of soya beancurd each in Tai O's village centre. It tasted especially good as we were exhausted by then!

石磨坊 Shek Mo Fong (Stone Mill Place)

For a small neighbourhood, Tin Hau has many dessert eateries. It seems like this area that's a stone's throw away from Causeway Bay, but sans the craziness, is made for me the dessert monster.

I'm a big fan of the Cantonese dessert pastes that are grounded from nuts. At 石磨坊, literally translated to mean 'stone mill place', they do these grounded nut pastes very well. Sesame, walnut and almond pastes can be commonly found around Hong Kong, so when I go to 石磨坊, I usually go for the chestnut or cashew nut pastes which are less common. Back in Singapore, I can't find anywhere that sells it!

Chestnut dessert paste 栗子糊 HKD18

I love chestnuts, so I tend to go for the former most of the time. But as chestnuts are seasonal, the chestnut paste is only available during autumn and winter.

Cashew nut dessert paste 腰果糊 HKD18

Or if you fancy trying two different flavours, you can have them mixed as shown in the picture above with a mix of chestnut and cashew nut paste. It costs the same, i.e. HKD 18, to have it mixed.

This black and white concoction is a mix of black sesame (黑芝麻) and almond (杏仁) paste.

Another popular dessert is this black sesame roll filled with pieces of mango and black glutinous rice (芒果黑芝麻糯米卷). It's served warm and tastes pretty good surprisingly! The glutinous rice gives it some added texture.

Apart from these desserts, 石磨坊 also serves shaved ice desserts. There's also a yam and sago baked pudding which is pretty good. It's a substitute (though it can't really replace the real thing) when I get cravings for my favourite Teochew dessert 'Or Ni'.

石磨坊 Shek Mo Fong
Shop 3-3C Lau Li Street
Tin Hau, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2398 9493

五代同糖 Five Generation Desserts

五代同糖 is one of my favourite places for desserts in Hong Kong when it comes to shaved ice desserts, which Hong Kongers call 雪花冰. This type of shaved ice dessert originated from Taiwan and is now a favourite with Hong Kongers, judging from the number of dessert places that sell it.

The star of 五代同糖's various flavours has to be its durian shaved ice (see above). It's creamy, rather than icy and has a strong, yet not overpowering durian taste. It's almost like eating ice cream. We were told by one of the staff there that the ice contains milk and durian; the milk slows the melting process thus allowing you to linger and enjoy the dessert for a longer time. It surprisingly goes well with cornflakes, with the cornflakes giving an added crunchy texture.

The yam flavoured shaved ice that comes with red bean and some green tea-flavoured syrup. I'm a big fan of yam, but for some reason, I don't like yam done in this way. I didn't think the yam tasted real, and it somehow didn't go well with red bean. Other flavours I'd recommend are guava (very refreshing) and peanut. If you're a die-hard chocolate fan, go for the chocolate one. Mango lovers can opt for the mango-flavoured one which comes with mango syrup, pomelo and sago. That one's very refreshing too on a hot summer's day.

Do note that the English name in the title is what I've translated from its Chinese name and is not its official one. I like its Chinese name though - there's a play on sounds here. The word 糖 ('tong' in Cantonese and 'tang' in Mandarin) is pronounced the same way as the word 堂. In Chinese, 五代同堂 refers to five (五) generations (代) living under the same roof (同堂), with its intrinsic meaning being that of an extended family living in harmony. It signifies happy family life and that life is sweet. Very apt for a dessert eatery, no?

五代同堂
Shop G11, G/F Elizabeth House
No. 250-254 Gloucester Road
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 3486 8528

Tai Mo Shan 大帽山

After all that eating I've been doing, I had to get rid of some of the calories - though it's not quite enough to help me lose some weight. Right now I feel like a bear going into hibernation during winter. It's getting cold in HK and I'm eating more. My body also seems to be going into hibernation mode by storing layers and layers of fat, a large majority of which centres at my tummy. Gosh, I look like I have a baby bump. It's embarrassing ... a baby bump with no baby inside. Eeeks. But as long as I'm living in HK, this baby bump is unlikely to go away. I think the only way I'm ever going to be thin is if I lived in somewhere in Africa where good food is scarce.

Anyway, in my bid to expand some energy, I went hiking on Sunday. This time it was up Tai Mo Shan (大帽山) the highest peak in Hong Kong at 957m. Its name translates literally to 'Big Hat Mountain'.

This picture was taken on my way to the meet-up point at Tai Po Market MTR station. I'm quite pleased with this shot taken with the Colour Accent function in my camera. I got on at Yau Ma Tai, the first stop of the Kwun Tong line (green line on the MTR map) hence it was rather empty.

The hike of the day was to hike long Stage 8 of the Maclehose Trail which is the route for the Oxfam Trailwalker charity run that takes place in Hong Kong every November. The Trailwalker route is 100km long that runs across the New Territories from Sai Kung to Tsuen Wan. The charity run requires people to be in teams of four. You have a maximum of 48 hours to finish the run as a team. Most people do it overnight. The tough Gurkhas from Nepal hold the record for doing it in 11+ hours. If insanity does strike, I'll do it next year ... am kinda considering it.

Way down below is the hustle and bustle of the busy suburbs. It's so therapeutic for the soul to be up here with a nice view, fresh cool air and tranquility. I find that I need to get away from all the crowds and small spaces every weekend to recharge myself. It's the only way to stay sane in this city.

Once again, I'm awestruck by Hong Kong's natural beauty. While climbing up I'm mentally cursing myself for subjecting myself to such torture, but once up there, all that effort is rewarded by lovely views. The scene is made all that much sweeter 'cos of all that effort put into getting there.

My fellow hikers and I passed through Lead Mine Pass enroute to Tai Mo Shan and we ended up in some place called Tsuen Kam. While hiking, we came across numerous mounds of cow dung. Later, we spotted wild buffaloes grazing in the grassland.

The Hong Kong weather Observatory sits at the top of Tai Mo Shan, and is closed to the public. Hence there is no way going right to the summit. But anyway, we were close enough - probably just about 25m shy of the peak. It was hard work getting up as there were many steep slopes and stairs to climb. Do this every other day and you're guaranteed buns of steel!

Tai Cheong Bakery 泰昌餅家

Yes, yes, I know Tai Cheong Bakery has been written about millions of times in newspapers and many other blogs because it has the most famous egg tarts (蛋撻) in Hong Kong and possibly the world, thanks to former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten and all the brouhaha that was created when it was forced to close down its original outlet due to high rent back in 2005. Hey, I remember queuing up for 45 minutes with fellow food blogger Chaxiubao back in May 2005 in their last few days of operation at their original outlet.

Hong Kongers were so dismayed at the impending closure of their favourite egg tart store that they managed to find another shop space down the road from their original outlet for them to reopen. So thankfully Tai Cheong's egg tarts haven't disappeared from Hong Kong.

Anyhow, I figured I can't be in Hong Kong and not post an entry about this egg tart institution. After being made famous by Patten's affection for them, these tarts are now affectionately also known as 肥彭蛋撻, literally translated to 'Fat Patten's egg tarts'.

The bakery doesn't sell egg tarts only - you can also buy other traditional Cantonese pastries like 沙翁 (a form of puff that's deep fried and sprinkled with sugar), chicken pie, bread, egg rolls, sesame candy, osmanthus pudding, sesame pudding, wife's pastry, sponge cakes, etc. But really, the star is the egg tart.

I can never resist these yellow darlings especially when they're fresh out of the oven. What I love about Hong Kong is that I can get freshly baked egg tarts at almost every street corner where there's a Mom-and-Pop traditional bakery. On weekday mornings, I especially love the smell of freshly baked egg tarts in the morning when I walk past a bakery on my way to the bus stop where I catch a bus to work. Anyway, I like the shortcrust pastry egg tarts more than I like the flaky pastry (酥皮) ones. Tai Cheong egg tart's shortcrust pastry are so buttery and delicious.

I also found out that certain branches (yes, they have expanded!) sell it cheaper. The Wan Chai branch (Shop No. 2, G/F, 74-80 Johnston Road) sells one for HKD4.5 but the main branch and the one in Causeway Bay (Shop B Jardine Centre, 50 Jardine's Bazaar) sell it at HKD5 each. I suppose these places have higher rent.

Other branches can be found in Queensway, Mong Kok, Kowloon Bay, Diamond Hill and Sha Tin. The main shop is located at 35 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central.

Tastings Wine Bar

One of the most interesting things about Central is that there is a good mix of both fancy and modern versus old and traditional eateries. They somehow co-exist to form this vibrant and eclectic gastronomical scene in the pulsating heart of Hong Kong. In a nondescript lane an offshoot from Wellington Street sits Tastings Wine Bar. It's a nice place to go for pre- or post-dinner drinks. Happy Hour runs from 5-8pm.

Bottles of wine stored in sleek fridges for tastings. You slot a pre-paid card in and you choose whether you want a tasting portion, half-glass or full-glass. It'll also be able to record the wines you've tried so that you can keep track of the ones you've had.

The bar

My friend, R, and I ordered the Happy Hour appetiser platter that consisted of buschettas, mini beef slices and cherry tomatoes on a small slice of baguette, and bite-sized slices of pizza. I had a Riesling and he a Cabernet Sauvignon. Loved the beef slices with cherry tomatoes, but the other two tasted very ordinary.

The cellar

You can also their cheese platter. Take your pick of three cheeses that are on their menu. We had the roquefort, parmesan reggiano and brie de meaux. There's also blue cheese available for those who love them.

We left at about 7.45pm, having hung out there for close to 1.5 hours already. By that time, the place was filled with young, mobile professionals in Central who has just knocked off work. It's a pretty nice spot to hang out for wine lovers. I also like the idea of allowing people to buy tasting portions so that they don't have to burn a huge hole in their wallet in order to try a new wine.

Tastings Wine Bar, Basement
Yuen Yick Building, 27 & 29 Wellington Street
Central, Hong Kong
Tel: 2523 6282

Bo Innovation

My friend, R, the travel geek was in town for a few days and as is the usual case when we meet, we ate a lot. He flew off this morning and I feel a little sad that I have one less foodie friend to hang out with. Last night, we went to Bo Innovation and were impressed by Demon Chef Alvin Leung's (that's how he brands himself) creations that made use of scientific knowledge to bring out the best in the fusion of ingredients from various types of cuisines.

Our booking was made for 7.30pm but found that we were only the second table to be seated. As the night progressed, more people came and the inside seating area was filled by about 9pm - and this was a Monday night. The restaurant does only one seating per night so best to make reservations.

The chef's table seats only six people. If you want those spots, definitely make reservations.

I love the table setting. There are two menus for the night - the tasting menu (six courses for HKD680+) and the chef's menu (13 courses) that costs double the price. Our pockets weren't THAT deep so we went for the former. For wine, we chose a Cabernet from Napa Valley.

Raw oyster with snow pea shoots, ginger snow and some sauce that was both slightly sweet and citrus at the same time. Sorry, can't quite remember what it was. Think it was kumquat or something. Forgot to take notes. I loved the play of flavours in the mouth.

The second appetiser was this squid ink noodles topped with raw sea urchin and dried shrimp flakes. To eat it, you have to mix everything up first and then pick it up with a pair of chopsticks. That was the eating style as recommended by the waitress anyway. Each dish was explained to us in detail by the wait staff who served it. I loved the mix of Italian (the squid ink noodles), Japanese (raw sea urchin) and Chinese (the dried shrimp flakes) cuisines in this dish.

Seared scallop carpaccio with snow peas and honey miso sauce and a few pieces of guoba (锅巴) to add a crunchy texture. 锅巴 is a type of rice cracker that's commonly used in Sichuan cuisine.

The coolest dish on the menu had to be this molecular xiaolongbao (小笼包). And no, this is no egg yolk. This post-modern interpretation of the traditional dumpling has the xiaolongbao broth wrapped in a skinned made from gelatined broth and topped with a strip of red vinegar. It slids into your mouth and the broth squirts out with the slightest bite. Absolutely delightful and smart!

The last appetiser was this smoked trout topped with a vinegared bak choy and ginger jelly. The order in which to eat it is to have the smoked trout first, followed by the bak choy and then the ginger jelly. I loved the smokey flavour of the trout and the sourish bak choy followed by the tangy ginger jelly were wonderful palate cleansers. Those black specks are black bean powder.

My main course was a piece of smoked pomfret with a piece of foie gras topped with apple foam. The apple foam was a delightful pairing with the rich flavours coming from the smokey fish and the oh-so-sinful-but-pleasurable foie gras. My friend went for the wagyu beef (Grade M9+) that sat on top of some steamed rice rolls (肠粉) and laced with black truffle oil - another smart take on a traditional street food found on the streets of Hong Kong. For the wagyu beef as a main, you'd have to pay an extra HKD350 for a 4oz piece and HKD550 for an 8oz piece. That piece of beef was tender, juicy and robust in flavour. Enough said. It's wagyu - nothing else needs to be said.

Flyfish roe fried rice. One of the best fried rice I've ever had. The tiny flyfish roe gave the rice a crunchy texture and a beautiful orange sunset colour. It almost looks like Indian bryani rice!

The dessert was banana slow poached in Chinese wine served atop silky smooth chocolate ganache. The humble banana has never tasted so good. I'm beginning to think this Chinese wine paired with chocolate combination is my favourite food duo du jour.

To prepare your senses for the next course, a small bowl of petals is brought out and liquid nitrogen is poured over it. You're supposed to inhale the sweet floral smells and enjoy the visuals. I call this stage 'smelling the roses' cos life should be about that and eating and enjoying one's food should be a part of it.

The petit-fours were these sweet little morsels served in a cute little cage (they were stacked on top of one another and there was a cover). These petit-fours all had hawthorn (山楂) used in them. Bite into that sesame ball and a rush of hawthorn juice bursts into your mouth. I'm not a fan of macaroons because I usually find them too sweet. But this rose-pink one was so lovely in colour and tasted great with its light hawthorn flavour. The slightly pink cube is a hawthorn-flavoured marshmallow that melts in your mouth and the last nougat-tasting morsel had hazelnuts and hawthorn in it.

After finishing our petit-fours, we thought we had come to the end of our meal. We were stuffed really and I don't know how I would manage the chef's menu had I gone for it. But as luck would have it, my friend, R, bumped into a friend at the restaurant. His friend and his friend's date had gone for the chef's menu. The date couldn't stomach the main she ordered and his friend sent it over to us instead. So we had an extra course. Wahahaha.

Our bonus round: Wild pigeon with red rice topped with longan (龙眼) sauce. The pigeon didn't taste too gamey and was cooked to perfection. The longan sauce was also a great accompaniment to the rice and pigeon.

Similar to a night out at the theatre, Leung was like the director who put together this wonderful sensory experience with the help of his staff who were a fantastic cast. Service from the wait staff was impeccable and there's even a staff member waiting to hand you a hot towel when you step out of the washroom!

The restaurant deserves its two stars awarded by the Michelin guide, and even though it'll burn a huge hole in your pocket, it's worth every penny.

Bo Innovation
Shop 13, 2/F J Residence
60 Johnston Road
Wan Chai, Hong Kong
MTR station: Wan Chai (Exit A3)
Tel: +852 2850 8371

Christmas Cheer

Two Sundays ago I went to Flower Street (花墟街) , that's located in the absolutely crazy, but oh-so-Hong Kong district of Mong Kok (旺角), and came across this shop by the corner selling all sorts of Christmas decorations. One step into the shop and you couldn't help but be infected by all that Christmas cheer. It felt like Christmas Wonderland, and even the most cynical of souls would have forced out a smile. I was feeling miserable that day because of something, but stepping into that shop and spending an hour and a half in there with my friend, deciding what to decorations to buy, really cheered me up.

So here's what I've done to my little abode with the decorations I bought that day.

My tiny Christmas tree in the corner

My Christmas tree is a rather interesting and beady version of the actual one. I love it. :) It has green, red and silver beads at the end of each 'branch' which is bendable.

A snowman on the door knob that only cost me HKD16 which is approximately SGD3. A pretty good and cheap find!

A Christmas garland with fake red berries and small little pine corns (these are real) hangs by the entrance to my room. I had intended to hang it on my front grill but decided it added more cheer inside the flat where I could see it.

So even though I don't celebrate Christmas in a religious sense, I'm pretty happy with the little Christmas cheer I've brought into my tiny abode!

Four Months Down

Friday night, and I've spent it alone in my shoebox-sized flat in Tin Hau. Had I been in Singapore, I'd be out with friends having great conversation over a delicious dinner. The feeling kinda sucks; I'm not very good at being alone these days. I guess I'm sick of being lonely. When I went back to Singapore for 1.5 days I was SO happy to be able to catch up with my closest friends and have deep, heart-to-heart conversations with them without afraid of being judged. How I miss that!

I guess thank god for Internet broadband where I can download episodes of "How I Met Your Mother" and "30 Rock", two of my favourite comedies. And thank goodness for online chatting which allows me to chat with friends back home.

The hardest part about relocating is really the building up of a social network again. I'm not Miss Social Butterfly or Miss Party Goer so I don't meet that many people. Hell, I haven't met anyone new in the past month or two. Also, being new, you just can't be someone's next best friend over night. Such things take time and sometimes I wonder if I'm strong enough to stick around that long.

Not taking into account the emotional side of things, I have to say I really love living in this city. I've always known I love it, but now I love it even more. Hong Kong really does have an immense charm of its own. There's always something dwelling in the small alleys and side streets waiting to be discovered. The food's fantastic in this city and there's good food catered to every budget.

I love the hiking and paddling, and the easy access to the scenic spots. Many people don't realise that Hong Kong is actually very beautiful. Did you know there are actually waterfalls on Hong Kong Island itself? Waterfalls, streams, rock pools etc...all waiting for the intrepid traveller to discover. The hiking and paddling are things I'm definitely going to miss when I leave Hong Kong.

In a few days' time, I'll have been in Hong Kong for four months. It's been a pretty good four months I guess. Work's been manageable (albeit I work overtime every day and I have to work tomorrow - on a Saturday morning) and colleagues are nice. Yet, I never feel I'm settled. The other day, my colleague asked me if there was any point in my life where I felt very settled, where you could tell yourself 'This is it. This is home.' I told her immediately that, no, I've never felt that way. I'm too restless a being. I guess I might feel settled if I have a partner and that's probably when I might have a sense of where home is. For me, home is where the heart is. Cliched but true.

No regrets in coming to Hong Kong though. I'm enjoying the change of environment and love discovering new places in the city. It's nice to be away from Singapore for awhile - makes me appreciate home more. Am getting more chances to practise my Cantonese as well!

Anyway, am just rambling and writing out some random thoughts here. Sorry if I sound whiny and repetitive, but writing is cathartic for me. And heck, no one really reads this blog anyway.

Have a good weekend everyone.

甜姨姨 Auntie Sweet

The area I live in, Tin Hau (天后), has several eateries specialising in Hong Kong desserts and 甜姨姨 is one of my favourites.

It's located along Tsing Fung Street, which is the street just below the flyover. It's usually packed to the brim on Fri and Saturday evenings.

If you love mango, go for this ultimate mango dessert that consists of mango juice, mango ice cream, fresh mango slices and dried mango strips. You'll be mango-ed out.

This is my favourite dessert there - durian soya beancurd (榴莲豆花). I know it sounds weird and looks rather gross, but it's delicious. I come here and have this when I need my durian fix. Trust me, every durian lover whom I've brought here and has eaten this has said it's good!

This is the ubiquitous mango pomelo dessert (杨枝柑露). It was nice but pretty ordinary.

Their seaweed jelly drink with fresh fruits consisted of diced watermelon, honeydew and mango in mango juice together with some jelly cubes. It was called 'seaweed jelly' but I didn't taste any seaweed.

Another mango dessert you could go for is the mango green tea jelly which was delicious too. There's also jasmine tea jelly to choose from. I like their tea jellies with their faint accents of tea when you bite into them.

天后清風街13號地下
13 Tsing Fung Street
Tin Hau, Hong Kong
Opening hours: 3pm-3am

Bao Dim Sin Seng 包點先生

I happened to be walking along Aldrich Street in Shau Kei Wan (筲箕灣 - a district to the northeastern side of Hong Kong Island) and I came across Bao Dim Sin Seng 包點先生 - a shop that specialises in steamed buns. I was very taken by the wide selection of buns in the shop and couldn't resist taking a few snapshots.

I loved the shop signage

Different types of Mantou (饅頭) or steamed buns. There are ones filled with spring onions, while others are plain, and others have chocolate etc. What a variety!

See the bakers at work behind glass screens in the shop

The purple buns are my favourite 'cos they're filled with yam paste. I love anything that has yam (also known as taro)! The orange ones that look like pumpkins are filled with black sesame (黑芝麻包). There are also buns filled with meat & vegetables (菜肉包） and chicken & mushroom (香菇鸡卷) among others.

These buns were so adorable. The yellow ones in the form of chicks are filled with lotus paste while the porcupine ones are filled with red bean paste.

If you want your buns steamed and piping hot, place your order at this counter and bite into a steaming hot bun straight away!

Tai O

One of my oldest and best gal pals, Des, came to visit a couple of weeks ago over the weekend. It's so nice to see a familiar face and great to be able to indulge in girly chat. One of the places we went to was Tai O, a fishing town in an obscure part of Lantau Island. The town is known as the 'Venice of Hong Kong' but trust me, it's a rather poor cousin of the Italian city.

Nonetheless, Tai O is not without its charm and tourists flock there despite the journey being quite a trudge from either Tung Chung MTR station or the Mui Wo ferry terminal. Here are some snapshots from Hong Kong's version of Venice.

Stilt houses all cramped next to each other.

Fish being dried and preserved

More dried fish, cuttlefish, prawn paste etc. Stuff I'm not very fond of!

Eeeks! Look at this stingray!

Vendors selling cuttlefish grilled over charcoal. Love that smoky charcoal flavour, but I'm not a fan of cuttlefish so I didn't buy any to munch on.

For some reason, every other eatery and street vendor was selling soya beancurd. I like the ones stored in wooden buckets like these. I love that traditional look.

A type of tea called 紫背天葵茶 that's produced in Tai O. Its English name is Matthiola incana R.Br, and I gather it's a type of herb. It's supposed to be good for quenching thirst, dispelling 'heat' from one's body, preventing high blood pressure and aiding digestion. The tea is a reddish-purplish colour and you can find the tea being sold in bottles all around the town centre.

Tangerine peel - used a lot in Cantonese soups and desserts (糖水)

Despite the not-so-pretty stilt houses, the backdrop of the hills makes the place look rather scenic.

I thought this was hilarious - "Snow White Spouse Wanted".

Cute round salted egg yolks

We were walking around the stilt houses and came across one that had old-fashioned stoves like these, still heated by charcoal and wood. Don't see much of this these days.

A calligraphy shop's grill has classical Chinese poems written on every panel of the grill. A common theme ran through the different poems - they all had to do with how time flies by so fast without us realising it and thus we have to treasure the little time we have in this life. How true.

Double Deer Stream Trek

I went stream trekking along Double Deer Stream in Sai Kung last Sunday. It was an awesome hike and I've concluded that Sai Kung is one of the most beautiful areas in Hong Kong. Here are some snapshots.

Campers at the beach where we started our hike

The first rock pool we came across along our trek

Two of the guys scaling the second rock pool along our way

If you look carefully you can see me making my way across the rocks in my red bikini towards the jumping spot

I can never back away from such challenges. So I stepped off the cliff that was about 10 metres in height without spending too much time up there thinking about it. The more you stand up there to ponder, the worse it becomes. So off I went and screamed my way down. But man, those few seconds were liberating!!!

Scaling up the rock wall. There's me in the black top carrying the orange backpack.

The easy part of the trek

Our lunch spot. Most of us couldn't resist taking a dip in the pool. I swam under the waterfall too and had a bit of a natural jacuzzi!

Scaling another rock wall with the stream to the right

And we are rewarded with a view after reaching the top

Making our way across a tricky part

This jump - only about 1.5 metre - was a piece of cake compared to the one I had done earlier!

Enjoying a bit of a massage by the cascading water

Ah, how nice...our very own private pool! We were sharing it with some fish as well!

The rolling green hills of Sai Kung and the sea beyond. Breathtaking.

Teresa Festival

I'm thankful that the area where I work, Quarry Bay (鰂魚涌), has many eating places to cater to many palates and budgets. Even 7-Eleven sells hot food like rice boxes and noodles. If I were to write a single entry on all the different places I usually or can go to for lunch, it'd take up probably close to 100 entries (maybe more)!

Anyhow, this short entry is about the delicious cookies by Teresa Festival.

I paid HKD65 for this packet of butter cookies which I wolfed down in two days. Yes, I'm a cookie monster. The cookies are of the crunchy sort and it came in an assortment. Some were plain, some had almond bits, others had swirls of chocolate dough, a morsel of jam, and one was topped with poppy seeds. The cookies are also sold in a big glass jar - these make really good gifts!

To celebrate one of my colleagues' birthday recently, he requested an American cheesecake. Cheesecake lovers will like this dense cheesecake. They do cheesecakes in several other flavours too. I also tried their chestnut mousse cake (below). I wasn't wow-ed by this cake, possibly because I didn't think there was enough chestnut puree.

My favourite is still the cookies and when I want a good cookie fix - I make sure I only eat good ones so that I don't waste my precious calories - this is where I'm going to get it.

Teresa Festival
Shop 5B G/F, 7-9 Hoi Kwong Street
Quarry Bay, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2565 1368

Sha Tin 18

A few weeks ago, thanks to my friend Felix, I got to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon and evening in Hyatt Regency Sha Tin. Felix was staying there for a short while, and told me to go over to make use of the pool and to chill out in the hotel that's located in a scenic part of the New Territories. The hotel is a three-minute walk from the train station 'University' (大学).

The view from the club lounge on the 25th floor. I had a very leisurely swim in the pool, soaked in the jacuzzi for half an hour and made use of the sauna. Boy was it relaxing.

We had lunch at the Chinese restaurant in the hotel called Sha Tin 18. The restaurant has an open kitchen concept and serves Cantonese and Northern Chinese cuisine.

We had some scallop dumplings （带子饺） which were small and really mediocre in taste.

The skin of the braised chicken feet (凤爪） was still rather chewy and hard which, according to Felix the gourmet, means it wasn't deep-fried long enough. The sauce, however, was very tasty and flavourful.

We also ordered some dumplings which I liked. The skin had the nice springy texture to it. I only wished there was more meat stuffed into it!

Steamed beef balls is an item I like to order. This one was alright but it didn't stand out.

We also had the pork and century egg congee which I thought was good. It was smooth and tasty, and I liked that it came with the peanuts, spring onions and preserved radish on the side.

What I enjoyed most in Sha Tin were two of their homemade ice creams. They were two flavours I had never tried before - Chinese wine chocolate (五粮液朱古力) and papaya snow fungus （木瓜雪耳）.

The papaya snow fungus ice cream was very light in flavour with traces of papaya. The bits of snow fungus embedded in the ice cream added an interesting texture to this rather guilt-free dessert. The crispy and wafe-thin sesame wafer was also delicious to munch on.

Now this I have to say is one of the best chocolate ice creams I've ever had. I love chocolate and I take every opportunity to eat chocolate ice cream. This one was silky smooth and the Chinese wine (五粮液) being mixed with the dark chocolate is such a brilliant idea. The bitterness of the Chinese wine really enhances the flavour of the chocolate and my god, the wine hits you the moment that ice cream touches your palate. I swear I could get drunk on this Chinese wine chocolate ice cream. LOVE it.

So my conclusion is that the main food items in Sha Tin 18 are pretty mediocre. The star items are these two homemade ice creams. A definite must-try!

I'm Still Alive!

OK, just to prove I'm still alive, kicking and eating in Hong Kong, here's a picture of me about to tuck into some steamed egg custard - one of my favourite desserts - taken last Saturday. I've been lazy with my blog and I know I need to start writing again. I know by now I don't have many readers left (not that I had many to begin with) with the long hiatus so I'm not too concerned about putting my photo up. Haha.

More soon, I promise!