My Hong Kong Trip (VI)

Recycling in Hong King

Recycle bins are common sight in Hong Kong. Here are some…

In Ocean Park…

In Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Center, Wanchai…

Foreigners in Hong Kong

Before visiting Hong Kong, I already knew that there were many Filipino workers in the Chinese territory. It turned out that there were plenty of Indonesians too.

While Filipinos congregate in Central on Sunday, Indonesians do so in Causeway Bay, not far from my hotel. I later learned that Thais meet at Tsim Sha Tsui.

Indonesians in Causeway Bay…

Hong Kong Girls

I didn’t see many pretty girls in Hong Kong. Which came as a surprise, given that the SAR was an affluent and trendy city.

Occasionally I came across pretty girls. But chances were, they were Mandarin speakers…

No Clear Sky

As an avid photographer, I like to take landscape photos with blue sky. Unfortunately, during my 8-day trip to Hong Kong, the sky was almost always shrouded in haze. The wind had blown the polluted air from Mainland China to the SAR.

Colonial Era Place Names

Unlike Malaysian Government who wasted no time to rename most of the streets after independence, Hong Kong still retains many of the colonial era place names. We came across such names like Jordan, Nathan Rd, Wellington St, Shelter St...

I suspect Hongkongese miss the days when they were ruled by the Brits, especially when the two SAR chiefs, Tung Chee Hwa and Donald Tsang, disappoint them.

My Hong Kong Trip (V)

Eating in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is foodies’ haven. During my visit to the SAR, we had a meal in the famous Yung Kee Restaurant (鏞記酒家).

Yung Kee is most famous for its roasted geese. Unfortunately, I haven’t got the picture to show here. I am not that kind of people who would say, “Don’t eat! Let me take some pictures and upload to Facebook.”

Anyway, I managed to snap a few pictures before we picked up our chopsticks…

Outside the kitchen…

Preserved eggs…

Roasted meat rice…

Yung Kee Restaurant is located at:

32-40 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong

Hong Kong is also famous for, what else, dim sum. And we also had a dim sum meal during our trip. Here is one picture…

But wait a minute… These are not real dim sum, but fridge magnets! We bought a few as souvenirs. I took picture after we returned to Singapore…

My Hong Kong Trip (IV)

Ngong Ping Village

In my last post, I wrote about the cable car ride from Tung Chung to Ngong Ping.

After getting off the cable car, we arrived at Ngong Ping Village. This was a theme village with traditional Chinese architecture. There were shops selling souvenirs and eateries. Ngong Ping Village was very touristy, but I must say that it was quite interesting.

The square...

Bubbles!

Distances to the world, with the Giant Buddha at the background...

Po Lin Monastery

Next to Ngong Ping Village was Po Lin Monastery (寶蓮禪寺). The monastery was famous for the Giant Buddha, the world’s largest outdoor bronze statue. The Giant Buddha sat atop a hill. Surrounding the statue was several smaller statues in the shape of fairies (?) A stair of 268 steps led one to the complex. If you don’t feel like making the climb, you can still appreciate the view from below.

268 steps...

Fairies?

The Buddha & the flags...

Joss sticks...

My Hong Kong Trip (III)

Ngong Ping 360

On the second day of my Hong Kong trip, we went to experience Ngong Ping 360 (昂坪360) at Lantau Island (大嶼山).

Ngong Ping 360 consisted of 2 parts – the first of which was the cable car journey which connects Tung Chung (東湧) to Ngong Ping. When we reached Tung Chung cable car station, there was already a long queue. We waited for half an hour to purchase the tickets, and another half an hour to board the car. Many of the tourists came from Mainland China. Hong Kong was hugely popular among Mainlanders. We would see a lot more Mainland tourists in the subsequent days.

Our patience paid off. The cable car ride was exhilarating. There were two types of cabins – regular and Crystal. Crystal Cabin had glass bottom, which allowed one to see the landscape beneath. As you might have expected, the fare for Crystal Cabin was higher.

We often perceive Hong Kong as a cosmopolitan city, but Lantau Island was heavily forested…

The crowd at Tung Chung…

The ride…

Hong Kong International Airport is at the background…

Crystal Cabin, with glass bottom…

My Hong Kong Trip (II)

Ding Ding

One of the more interesting modes of transport in Hong Kong is tram.

Known as Ding Ding (叮叮) by Hongkongese for the sound they make, trams run only in North Hong Kong Island. Ding Ding is slower than bus, and must stop for traffic light. In a city with highly efficient MTR (Mass Transit Rail) system, it is hard to imagine that Ding Ding survives into 21^st century.

A trip on Ding Ding costs HK$2.30 for adults, or HK$1.20 for children under 12, regardless of distance. Ding Ding fare is really, really cheap. But my complaint is that the air at tram stations is choking...

My Hong Kong Trip (I)

From Singapore to Hong Kong

I joined my parents and sister in Singapore. We flew from the Lion City to the Pearl of the Orient in Singapore Airlines’ double-decker Airbus A380, the largest passenger aircraft in the world.

I often thought Airbus A380 was mainly used for long-distance, trans-continental flights. I was surprised to learn that SIA deployed this plane for its Singapore-to-HK route. Every A380 can seat more than 400 passengers, including those in business class. That is more than double the capacity of A320 used by AirAsia. According to SIA’s magazine, A380 was the most efficient aircraft. Perhaps that’s why we managed to get a relatively cheap airfare. However, due to the large number of passengers, boarding time could be slightly longer. So there are pros and cons with this plane.

We landed in Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok (赤鱲角) after 3 hours and 15 minutes in the air.

Changi Airport Terminal 3…

Airbus A380 super jumbo jet…

Interior of the A380…

Hong Kong International Airport…

My Hong Kong Trip - Preview

Shot taken at Causeway Bay (銅鑼灣), Hong Kong...

For high-resolution pictures, please check out my Flickr...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kamera-otoko