Trip to HK
June 06, 2008, 22:09
Sun:
Arrived in HK where I would put up at Pau's cozy apartment in the middle of town for the next few days. We then went out for a late lunch at Tsui Wah, a typical tea house that served such wonderful fare like toast soaked in butter and milk tea.
Proceeded to Causeway Bay by MTR where I explored the night market and even had a haircut. The stylist was rather talkative and was surprised that I could speak Cantonese. We had a nice chat about what one could do in HK.
For dinner, went with Pau to this restaurant along Central which is famous for its claypot rice. As it was almost closing time, I had soup instead which was quite good. Their trademark dish is snake cooked in various styles. Proceeded to the dessert store next door after that. They had such a large variety of dessert that one was tempted to eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Mon:
Took the bus to Aberdeen to do some shopping. Aberdeen is also famous for being the site of the Typhoon Shelter where ships would be moored to escape the damaging effects of a typhoon.
While waiting for my clothes to be altered, I set off for the beach resort of Stanley. A quaint little town with a large number of expat residents, Stanley boasts an art market and a pristine beach where watersports of every kind take place. Relaxed by the beach for sometime before heading back.
Tues:
Met Alsa for the first time at Tsim Sha Tsui. We headed for Victoria Harbour to view the awesome paranomic view of skyscrapers lining along the opposite coast on HK Island. Walked on the Avenue of Stars where the handprints of famous HK actors such as Jacky Chan and the Hui brothers are enshrined on the walkway for eternity. Along the way, we took pictures at the Edwardian clock tower behind the harbour.
For lunch, we went to an affordable Macanese cafe which served really huge portions! Conversation was good and I got a better idea of how people in Hongkong lived, worked and played.
We then walked to Mongkok to visit the famous Flower Market, Goldfish Street and Bird Market. The Flower Market was especially fascinating as the entire street was lit up by flora of different colours! Saw a TVB star there too!
Of course, there was much feasting as well. Tried the curry fishballs on Bute Street, had dessert at Hui Liu Shan and soyabean milk at Hoh Woh!
In the evening, went with Pau to Lamma Island for delicious seafood. The wonderful thing was that the seafood restaurant had a free ferry service which sent us back to HK after dinner. The ride was enjoyable and we got a great view of HK by night.
Wed:
Went to Cheung Chau Island with Alsa.A small little island off HK, the island's population are mainly in the fishing or tourism industry. Walked along the beach, trekked a bit up a hill and even visited the fortune-teller!
Went for lunch at a cafe owned by this Christian lady (apparently, theres a huge Christian presence on the island, with some seminaries/retreat houses/religious communities based there. Perhaps the quiet of the island was conducive for meditation and prayer). Had dessert at a shop overlooking the sea, with a view of the hills of the outlying islands.
Went back to Jordan to walk around and get a massage. Was pretty tough finding a decent place considering that most of the places offering massage services were rather seedy.
Bought some CDs from a store with an all-blonde ah Beng manning the till.
Dinner-Went to Yung Kee with Pau to try their roast goose and char siew. Nice, but pricey.
Thurs:
Headed for Macau. Did not visit the casinoes but was surprised at the extremes which some punters would go to get money for their addiction. Macau still retains much of its Portugese charm with its cobbled streets, blue marbled street signs and its magnificent churches. Went to the famous ruins of St Paul and visited the adjacent religious museum where the bones of St Francis Xavier are in full view for all to see. Amazing that usually talkative mainland visitors would find it within themselves to retrain their behaviour and whisper in hushed voices upon stepping into the museum and the other churches in the area.
Had lunch at this famous portugese restaurant owned by one of those portugese left behind. With a mainly Chinese staff who communicated with Portugese/Mestizo/Chinese patrons in Portugese, the restaurant was filled to the brim very quickly.
Evening: Went to Tsim Sha Tsui to eat streetside food. Had dessert at Hui Li Shan again. Woman at shop said my handwriting was pretty.
Fri:
After checking my baggage at the airport counter in town, I went to Shum Shui Po. One of the poorest and seediest places in HK, it is not uncommon to see tattooed men walking around. Was almost embroiled in a fight with one of them. The housing blocks were old and in decay. Visited the Apliu St flea market where old electronic goods were hawked.
Went to Kowloon Tung thereafter. The sight of the place surrounded by cloud covered mountain ranges was absolutely amazing. Went to the One Jubilee Walk mall which had several upmarket stores located on 6-7 stories. They even had an ice-skating rink!
Headed to the City University nearby where I had a chat with admissions officer on sister's possible application. The place had a good feel about it and people were very friendly.
Was quite overwhelmed when the plane touched down in Singapore. Perhaps its because of the heavy burden that I have to shoulder. Although I may seem to exude an exterior of calm and confidence in dealing with these issues, the fact is, that I feel very much alone and frightened. The vacation was a good break and I hope I would have the energy and confidence to fight my battles and carry my cross.
Many things have been happening in the past week. For better or worse, this will be the last year that I will be in Singapore. Things are expected to be very uncertain until September. I hope a light will shine amongst all that gray and show some clarity. Hopefully, I will have the courage to make the right decision.
last - next