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Tuesday, 23 February 2016

Hongkong free and easy : Lamma Island


How to get there:
Took a train to Central and walk to the ferry terminal.
Take the ferry from Central Pier 4
The frequency of the ferry is between 20 minutes to 40 minutes
The fare is hk$17.10  for adults and hk$8.60 for children and senior citizens from Monday to Saturday.

The fare is hk$23.70  for adults and hk$11.90 for children and senior citizens on Sunday.
Better to go on weekdays as it is less crowded and cheaper. 


The map at the merry terminal. The ferry will bring you to Yung Shue Wan


Reach Lamma Isalnd. Weather was a bit dull that day, but the good thing is that the weather is very cooling and not sunny. 

We turn right as there is the direction where everyone is going.
That is the side with more attractions and eateries.

 You can grabsome local produces and maybe some fruits to eat along the way





We went into a Cha Chan Ting that was quite crowded. I think it is a safer bet. The restaurant is famous for red bean dessert drink and the rice with fried fish and bean curd skin. This is the first time I seen this kind of rice set on a menu, the food was quite delicious. My mum ordered fried noodles, Singapore style, which means with fried noodles with curry powder. The red bean dessert drink is a must for anyone who love red beans, look at the amount of red bean. 

If you are into cafe hopping, there are also a few cafes for you to choose from.




There is a lot of eateries at Lamma Island, not just seafood restaurants. If you are worried about being overcharged at seafood restaurants or you are allegeric to seafood. There are a few cha chan ting and cafes, even shops selling pastry. Don't have to bring much food but do bring water. However, do control your water intake as toilets are not all over the place









Good Place for the ootd or for instagram








We walked from from Yung Shue Wan ferry Terminal to Sok Kwu Wan Ferry TERminal. and took the ferry back from Sok Kwu Wan Ferry termainal.
We skipped the Lamma Power station because it seems too far and the slope looks steep. 
The walk or trek has ups and downs (slopes). Wear good walking shoes as it takes around 4-5 hours from Yung Shue Wan ferry Terminal to Sok Kwu Wan Ferry TERminal.


Time table for ferry from Sok Kwu Wan to Central


Some one decide to set up a stall at a junction selling batik shirts. Hope his business is good. 

There are starfruit trees, banana trees around the island. Great place for city kids who does not have a chance to get close to nature.







There pit stops along the way. That was toilet and sell some light refreshment. This was somewhere before Hung Shing Yeh Beach. I think they are famous for their soya bean curd.  I only tried the grilled sweet corn. They used pearl corns,  the corns are a mixture of white and yellow. This type of corns is sweeter and more expensive.


View from the pavilion



 The rafts


Some tips:
Try to go early if possible and finish the walk around early afternoon before it gets hot and sunny.
Apply sunblock and also bring a cap and sunglasses if possible.
Check the weather before you travel if there is forecast of heavy rains, will need to postpone the trip.
If you someone who may get seasick and will vomit out your breakfast, you can grab a heavy brunch here before setting off for the walk. Then eat some snacks along the way. I don't see as much eateries at Sok Kwu Wan. And after the trek, can head back to Central for a early dinner.
Bring water but do not overdrink. I only know toilets are available at the beach and near the ferry terminal.
Good walking shoes are a must.
If you intend to hang around the beach till evening, then bring extra attires
There are quite a number of slopes, not for elderly who can walk long distances. There is no turning back so once you set them on the track, they have to keep walking. That is the case for my dad. He have to force himself to continue walking because we are somewhere along the middle when he felt like giving up. It is around 7km. We do not mean to torture him, we did not know there was so much slopes. He did receive a lot of support and love.





Sunday, 14 February 2016

Hongkong free and easy : What I ate

This time round, my food journey is different as my brother who goes to Hongkong to work at times is the suggestion places to eat.


Big signboard. Quite easy to spot



The famous Tim Ho Wan. 添好運The cheapest Michelin restaurant.

We went to branch at Sham Shui Po. 
We went around 2pm. There was no queue at all. We had to wait for around 5 minutes as we had to wait for a big table to accommodate all of us. We spend hk$437 for 7 hungry people. The food was good and reasonably priced. I believe the reason why some people are disappointed is because they have really high expectations or very good tastebuds. We had it around 2pm, a very late lunch. We were hungry and our judgement may not be perfect. We enjoyed the meal, no queue, price was reasonable. I definitely don't mind making a trip again if there is no long queue and on the way.


G/F, 9-11 Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon
Nearest MTR station: Tsuen Wan Line, Sham Shui Po, Exit B2 ( 10 minutes walk)
Opening hours: 8:00 am-9:30 pm daily





Cong Sao Dessert 聰嫂私房甜品

Everyone loves dessert. My 7 year old niece's eyes light up everytime I mention desserts. My brother recommended this place. This place is quite small and cramped. Expect to queue and share tables.
The desserts are better than the Xu Liu Xiang. The mango ice has a strong mango flavour, must try for mango lover. The durian pancakes was creamy and delicious.
I will definitely visit this place again. 

11 Yiu Wa St Causeway Bay
Walking distance from Times Square at Causeway Bay MTR
Hours: 1230pm to 12am.



何洪記粥麵專家 ho hung kee congee&noodle

Another Michelin starred resturant
The differences between Hongkong Wanton noodles and Singapore
1. There is no Char Siew 
2. They prefer they noodles slightly harder and more chewy
3. Their wanton are bigger and there is big proportion of prawns inside.
For those who love small wanton and Mee pok, this may not be the must try for Hongkong trip.
I love big and juicy wanton and chewy noodles, so Wanton noodles are a must eat for my trips.
I can't really tell the differences of this from the other famous Hongkong Wanton noodles except that it is just as good. There was not queue when I went there around 9pm. We had to wait for 5 to 10 minutes for a big table to accomodate 7 people. 
A small bowl of Wanton noodles cost HK$38 and a big bowl is HK$54.
 I will not make a special trip to eat this again. If it is on the way, I may have this again.


Hysan Place, 500 Hennessy Rd, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

MTR station : Causeway bay







Disneyland food. Average.



海皇粥店 ( Hai Wang Zhou Dian) 
Was looking for a place for supper after a long day at disneyland. Famous Porridge place near Yau Ma Tei near my Hotel.
I just can't find the photo of the porridge.
A decent Porridge place, nothing bad. Nothing special, nothing bad.

They have a lot of branches so is quite convenient. They sell other food, not just porridge. A good place for breakfast if you prefer porridge and noodles for breakfast.

生記粥麵 

This little eatery is just opposite the hotel I was staying in ( Cityview Hongkong). My parents discover this place by accident.
This place is actually quite famous for their porridge. (google results).  The porridge is a bit salty to me. The serving of the porridge is quite big. One bowl of porridge plus a side dish will be  will be just nice for 2 person. The porridge is smooth and silky. They are very generous with their ingredients ( for my case is the pork and century egg), is definitely value of money.


Yau Ma Tei MTR
Exit A2. walk straight and then turn right. ( not a need to cross any road)
Hours: 11am to 10pm




HuiI Lau Shan aka Xu Liu Xiang


The famous HuiI Lau Shan aka Xu Liu Xiang. A good place for desserts.They are famous for their mango desserts. Definitely worth a try especially during summer. However, this is slightly pricey. The cost of drink is around hk$30, but they use fresh fruit so we can just persuade ourselves that we are being healthy

Lots of outlets especially at Mongkok








金記冰室 (Kam Kee Cafe)


We wanted to eat claypot rice nearby but it was closed. We loiter around Sai Wan 西環 and found this little cafe or cha can ting. For those who like cafe hopping or maybe to take photos. This place is very  instagrammable as the menu, cups and interior are quite interesting. The food did not leave an impression or maybe we have no idea what to order and some of things are not available as it was tea time. Good for cafe hopper and instagram lovers. After doing some research at open rice, i realise I really order the wrong food, not the highlight of the restaurant. Will make another trip there to try out the delicious food recommended by the other reviewers the next time.

香港西營盤德輔道西213號地下


MTR Sai Ying Pun Exit B2
Mon-Sun: 
7:30 am - 9:30 pm 





风味园 (風味園)


One of the main reason we choose this place is it is hard to find a place to have dinner at 9pm and we wanted to eat claypot rice. If you are looking a place to have a very late dinner or supper at Mongkok, this is not a bad place to go. I forgot the price of the food, but is quite reasonable.
We ordered some claypot rice as shown and a plate of vegetables. The claypot rice was fragrant, not as oily as the one at temple street. The serving is quite generous, even for the proportionate of meat. 
I will prefer this and not the one at Temple street. Slightly drier but suit my tastebuds more.


旺角通菜街110號
MOngkok MTR: D1
11:00am-03:00am
110 Tung Choi St, Mong Kok, Hong Kong



Hongkong Street food. 

This little shop at the edge of Mongkok, near to watsons.
They have the famous curry fishballs and the internal organs. I am a fan of neither.
They sell something not found at other stalls,  grilled squid and fried squid. Although it is a bit salty, the squid is delicious. I ate it two nights in a row. All squid lovers should try this. 



Paper Stone Bakery

We passed this nice little Bakery at Sheung Wan. Too bad, we did not have time to try the cake. They look so good. Can give it a try if happen to pass by it. They have a cafe setting, they are seats for you to enjoy the pastries and cakes.
Hongkong cakes seems to be of better quality than Singapore. We bought a simple cake at the bakery store at the MTR station for my dad birthday. Everyone,  the young, the old, picky eater all enjoy the cake.

Shop 4-5, G/F, FWD Financial Centre, 308 Des Voeux Road, Sheung Wan
上環德輔道中308號富衛金融中心地下4及5號舖
MTR: Sheung WAn Exit B
Mon-Sat: 07:30-20:30
Sun & PHs: 09:00-19:00


強記飯店 Keung Kee Meat shop


For the last day of my trip, we wanted to eat roasted meat. We went back to Keung Kee Meat Shop as it was nearby and I love the food there.



Thursday, 11 February 2016

HONGKONG FREE AND EASY : Dragon's back


Hongkong is not just about shopping and eating. For this trip, it was more of an excursion for my niece so there is very little time allocated to shopping. There are ample places for trekking. For people who want to take a break from city, do some exercise (burn off the fats) and also get some fresh air. There is a great view of Shek  and Big Wave Bay


To get there, take the From MTR Shau Kei Wan Station Exit A3, take bus 9 at Shau Kei Wan Bus Terminus to To Tei Wan, Shek O Road
It was quite easy to reach there as this is the stop where most people get off.


It was my first trek. Will not say is a difficult trek. There are some some dirt treks and some are proper stairs but with no railings.  The trek is usually spacious enough for both direction of the traffic. My brother keep pestering me to go at a faster pace as my 7-year old niece is so full of energy. She has no problem conquering all the slopes and stairs. We finish reach the peak and came down in around 3-4 hours.

There are no convenience stores and much toilets. Bring your own water and snacks. There is a market and some shops at Shau Kei Wan Bus Terminus
The weather was a bit gloomy when I was there. The photos turn out a bit dull. On the other hand, it was not sunny but windy so the trek was enjoyable.

It is a good place to go to burn off some of the fats from all the eating, get some fresh air and see a different part of hongkong. 

For more information:
There is supposed to be an ending point and a nice village. The ending point is near to Wan Chai But we just walked back after reaching the peak, as my parents will waiting at base. It was too tough for them.










Hongkong free and easy : The Cityview HOngkong Review

My second time staying at cityview. 

Location
1.It is just a minute walk away from Yau Ma Tei MTR station
2. There are eateries, supermarket around the area.
3. It is not super crowded like Mongkok or Tsim Sha Tsui, walking from MTR station to the hotel is slow down by human traffic.
4. It is 5 to 10 minutes walk to Mongkong. Just walk out from the hotel entrance. There is an alley opposite OK shop. It is an alley but not dark or quiet. Just walk through it and you are at Mongkok.


Rooms
I choose to stay in the Premier Room. It is newly renovated so everything is clean and nice. The room  is quite spacious for Hongkong standard. It is impossible to get this room size and location at Mongkong or Tsim Sha Tsui. My room has a nice view of Hongkong island. However, it depends on where the room. Photo below Can put a request for it if you want a nice view. There is free wifi too.

The Premier room comes with free breakfast. Selection of food at breakfast is not a lot. There are cereals, salads, breads, fruits and 3-4 chinese cuisine. The food run out quite fast so be early or there is not much left. The Cafe is very pretty. Photos beloewThe Premier room also comes with a free phone. The phone has free wifi and map so you can use it to do your research.  It can also be used to make phone calls, however, the procedure to make a call can be quite troublesome.

And connecting rooms are available. Good for family trips.

The only problem I have is that they do not have a check out counter. Therefore, if everyone in front of you is checking in. It will take quite some time for you to hand over the keys and leave. We ask if we can just pass the key and leave. Hence, we queue half an hour to pass the keys and walk off.













View from my room








A nice newly renovated place to have breakfast. Selection was not a lot but the place was clean and everything looks fresh and good