Sunday, August 31, 2008

Brushing Shoulder with Ocean Liners

posted by Vegie @ 4:18 PM 0 comments

Evening Stanley

We thought it was still too early to go home, hence we boarded Bus No 6 to Stanley Market. Stanley Market is the oldest open air flea market in Hong Kong. However our motivation was not at all the market, but the exciting hilly ride on a Bus No 6 double decker bus. The bus departed from Exchange Square, and started scaling the hilly and windy road like a Formula 1 driver, brushing tree branches and overtaking Posches and Marsarrati.

On the way Stanley, we passed Repulse Bay, the residential areas for the rich and famous and went woo and wa over the magnificent hillside bungalows that overlook the yathcing bay.

We had dinner at Murray House at Stanley Bay. Unfortunately I left my cap behind at the eatery. We plan to conquer Lantau Island and Tai Yu Shan in the coming weeks. If the sunbeam is going to keep its intensity, I better call the restaurant if they would mail my cap back to me.

posted by Vegie @ 3:08 PM 1 comments

Returning to Hong Kong

After a late lunch of sumptous seafood of stir fried brocolli with scallops and steamed garoupa, we headed back to Hong Kong. This time we got to sit on the upper open air deck and got a full view of the surrounding sea. In the distance were two Star Cruises ship docking at the Tsim Sa Tui Jetty

posted by Vegie @ 3:04 PM 0 comments

Collecting shell delicacies

She is digging deep into the wet sand bedrocks to evacate shell fishes. I don't know the name of the shellfish but it shaped like a short drinking straw that is used to serve the Taiwanese bubble tea. Fried "rod shell fish" with black bean sauce and red cut chili, makes a good dish to go with bowl of white rice - tangy, juicy and spicy, a simple and yet delicious fisherman cuisine.

You can see the fish farm in the distant background. We do not know how the fish farm works, but Sharon believes the fishermen use this farm like a temporary storage warehouse for daily live catches they get from the deep sea.

posted by Vegie @ 2:58 PM 0 comments

Gotham City

The Lamma Island Power Plant is a modern coal-based power generating plant which supplies electricity to the entire Hong Kong Island. I read that Lamma Island used to have plastic factories, which have now been demolished. My heart twitched a little, wondering about the chemical waste and pollutants that are buried beneath the seabed of this sleepy island

posted by Vegie @ 2:49 PM 1 comments

The hike

The hike took us about 90 minutes. We thought it would be through the wood but did not expect to walk fully exposed under the noon sun. Luckily no one got sick, probably we need to thank A Po for her cooling tau-fu-fa. Though it is approaching the mid-autumn fesitval, it still considered a late summer in Hong Kong. I think hiking would be a good outdoor activity around October when the weather is cooler.

A sense of calmness over the South China Sea. It is hard to imagine that we just had a Level 9 Typhoon Nuri sweeping across the same sea.

posted by Vegie @ 2:43 PM 1 comments

Don't wake a sleeping dog

There are a few handicrafts stall and a hut renting surf boards. This house looks spooky to me.
I zoomed my camera through the peeping hole on the thick cemented wall but before I could catch a full protrait of our guardian friend, it woke up and came charging to me. I ran for my life at Olympic gold medallist speed.

posted by Vegie @ 2:37 PM 0 comments

The Sleepy 南丫島

Man and dog chilling out under the shade. Blacky has got spots on his tongue. He must be fierce.

Another one snoring away under the hot afternoon sun..

It is quiet outside a local seafood restaurant. Folks from Hong Kong Island do come out here for cheap seafood.

Residents get around with bikes. There is a libray, 2 schools, a municipal hall and two temples. I am surprised to spot Oprah's Big O magaine on the magazine rack. I later found out that there is a camping site and a beautiful beach about 30 minutes walk from here. Probably that is why the magazine stall is so up to date

posted by Vegie @ 2:29 PM 2 comments

A Po's Tau Fu Fa

This island is apparently famous for its Tao Fu Fa. We ran into this stall at the start of our hiking trail. Since it was half past eleven, and neither Claire and Sharon had their breakfast, we thought we deserved to treat ourselves with local delicacies. A-Po herself mended the stall. The silky tofu is scooped out of two large round belly pots and dripped with generous portion of ginger syrup. Personally I thought the Tau Fu Fa backhome at Lucky Garden next to the fish market is smoother and better textured than A Po's. But hey, is the experience that counts.

posted by Vegie @ 2:16 PM 0 comments

Getting away to 南丫島

Lamma Island (南丫島), the hometown of Chow Yuen Fatt, is a sleepy fishing island of 6000 inhabitants located 40 minutes ferry ride away from the Metropolitan Hong Kong Island. The three of us decided to explore one of the many hiking trails that Hong Kong offers, and get a taste of the root of Hong Kong and probably checked out if the residents share the good look of Chow Superstar. According to Sharon's trusty Lonely Planet, there were archeological findings of early civilation at the southern part of the island dated back to 1600BC, the Neopolitan and Bronze Age. The ferry ride of 40mins costed HKD12.5, the same price of a string of char siew pork.

posted by Vegie @ 2:07 PM 0 comments

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Dinosaur Egg

I am not joking. Dinosaur egg is its name. It goes for HK12 (RM5) for five. A little label on the fruit says is imported from United States of A. It is sweet and more crunchy than peaches. The local market here has a great variety of fruits, blueberries, strawberries, guava and even custard apple. For today there are two varieties of papaya, from Hawaii and ...guess where ? Malaysia

posted by Vegie @ 10:32 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Mongkok Blaze

HK mourned the death of two firemen who died in last week blaze at Mongkok at Kowloon. It was a huge blaze at Kowloon area on Sunday morning 9am-ish. 200 people were evacuated. The fire apparently started from an old night club and spread like wild fire. I wonder if it was the work of arsonist. The fire was put out only at around 2pm. The firemen who died apparently gave their oxygen tanks to two victims before soldiering on into the deeper part of the buildings to rescue more people. The two victims who survived on the oxygen tank were subsequently rescued and now recovering. Quite sad actually....

I noticed one thing about HK ...every thing has got grading and levels. There are grading scale for storm (amber, red and black), levels for wind strength (level 3, 5.....8) and even fire (level 1, 3....5) The blaze on Sunday was level 5.

posted by Vegie @ 10:34 PM 0 comments

Friday, August 08, 2008

Hitting "Small Men" (Villian)

I finally worked out what it was all about. I walk to work every morning. On the way to the office, I pass the market, one chinese orthopaedic, many breakfast eateries, and night clubs and sauna who are sending off their last few customers. But what caught my attention is always this lady under the driveway bridge. She sits on a large green mate beside burning incenses and two small statues of diety Guan Yin and the Tiger God and a vase of fresh flowers. She has the setup of a fortune teller but I know is too early for a fortune teller especially not one sitting right at the junction of morning rush hour.

Then a few days ago, I saw a customer sitting next to her on a tiny stool watching her beating a paper cut man with a shoe. Now I realize what she was doing - a supersitious ritual "hitting the small man" . Sister P call her the "hit woman". I wonder how much I need to pay to beat up the paper cut figures of our political leaders.

posted by Vegie @ 10:31 PM 1 comments

The shape of something once there

My tiny mini TV at KL home finally took its last breath, ending its 11 year of service. It happened today when I pressed the ON button, I heard the sound like letting off wind. Soon after smoke came out from the side. This little fellow has been my loyal companion over the years, delivering to me from world news to soap drama, bringing me tears and laughters. May this little cathod ray tube rests in peace. Amen

posted by Vegie @ 10:25 PM 0 comments