travel report - hong kong 8-11 sep 05

was in hk recently with dad, mum and eric. we stayed at sis place at hoi yi pun dou (south horizons phase I) - it's a very nice place!





















very comfortable and feels like home... it's on the 10th floor (considered low as the highest floor is 40!) and overlooks a domestic harbour with many bumboats. i found it really cool that you can take a bumboat ride across to the other side of the river using the Octopus card, which can also be used on trains and buses. very impressed with their integrated transport system. So convenient! also, you can check-in your luggage in town and shop till the last minute before you go to the airport.

the great thing abt homestay is that you get sumptuous home-cooked food!
















here's bro dodging the infamous hk paparazzi
















missy piggy spotted on the star ferry on the way from kowloon to hongkong island.

















picnic at Shek-O.

















can't believe there is actually a little 'Phuket' here in hk! complete with hawkers renting out beach umbrellas and chairs. there were also mats for sale and we bought 2 cos we forgot to bring them. we later found out that these were second-hand mats that were left behind by pple and picked up by some tenacious old ladies who make a living selling and re-selling the same mats. we didnt leave ours behind but went to the extent of washing them and bringing them home. Shek-O was very picturesque with a nice hill in the background. i like Shek-O.... not only because it has all the junky touristy things like shops selling souvenirs and floats and bikinis; colourful beach umbrellas lining the beach; beautiful people in full make-up strutting around in mini bikinis.... most of all i like it because it is so unexpected. tucked away behind the hill, you dont see the beach until you turn around a bend and what a breathtaking view it is to see the beach from such a high level. there were different activities at different parts of the beach. Tai Long Wan (Big Wave Bay) at the furthest end is a surfers hangout. Stanley is where the sailors and windsurfers are. Shek-O is the family place for revellers who just want to chill out, get a tan or wade around in the sea.

that's the great thing about hk. there's a little something for everyone. i love the diversity of things you can do or find here. like walking down lan kwai fong, turning around the corner you find an old, run-down but popular shop selling very good soya bean milk, and a few stalls down, a swanky, cool bar. the chaos is very exciting cos you don't know what you're going to find around the next corner.

me at lan kwai fong





















bonz enjoying mango pudding with ice cream at xu liu shan.










the not so great part about hk is the hygiene.. or the lack of... afterall, this place is the hotbed of all sorts of animal flu - bird flu, pig flu, SARS blah blah...

fear factor 1
















fear factor 2
















fresh meat for sale, displayed in the open along the streets - how gross is that?

other quirky things abt hk:
you can get fined for strangest things, such as talking to the bus driver while the bus is in motion.






















and you sometimes find martians on the streets

















MACAU
anyways, while in hk, we took a day trip to macau. walked down the senado square - a touristy area, very nicely conserved. love the cobblestone pathways.





















watched the dog races
















mum shrewdly noted that dog no. 4 looks perky and raring to go. we put our free betting ticket on that guy and won $25 i think.

well time to go home...
















notice the whimsical mickey mouse icon on the road signage

miss hk already....

serene's wedding

my friend, serene, just got married and what an elaborate wedding ceremony she had! so glad to be part of the celebrations...

it came complete with a procession, performance of traditional dances, and singing of Quranic verses (i think). there was also a big group of musicians creating a festive atmosphere with their fascinating drum beats. the bride and groom also get to sit on a 'throne' on the dais like a King and Queen. very dramamama, isn't it?





















jas thinks the groom resembles ix shen. so good-looking, right?


close-up of the pretty bride.




















photo-taking with the king & queen.















here's me in wrong dress code




















well, i was just thinking of wearing something colourful to rival the malay guests' multi-coloured baju kurongs. didnt occur to me that a tube dress would be considered too 'revealing'! until i got there and suddenly felt conscious that everyone around me were all 'wrapped up'... in long sleeved tops, long skirts and heads covered with tudongs.. sorry serene, if i caused you any distress!

















the food was really good! a fantastic array of desserts.
in the foreground of the picture is
- a bowl of bubur, a sweet porridge made of glutinous rice, brown palm sugar and coconut milk.
- some kuehs
- fermented banana wrapped in pandan leaf. that's hsiangying, my taiwanese friend, showing a funny expression after trying the banana. it's not for the faint-hearted!