Lau Fau Shan Oyster Farm

My Hong Kong family have been such generous hosts during our stay here. They've given up their homes to us and fed us every kind of fabulous dish you can imagine. Culinary wise, I'm one of those people who tries everything and tends to enjoy most food, so the feasting in Hong Kong has been a real treat. Many of the dishes around Chinese New Year hold some kind of symbolism that promises wealth, health and happiness for the forthcoming year. Some of these I know about, for example, longevity noodles are for a long life and you're not supposed to cut the noodles. Here they are in the foreground of the photo, this feast cooked by my sister-in-law, the food better than you'd find in most restaurants.

Other dishes, I can't remember the exact symbolism though most are sort of word association things, for example, the word for small mandarin oranges sounds like the same word for gold and that's why  there are so many oranges decorating the place.

In the background of the above picture are pigs trotters. I did try them, and much to the amusement of the family, found them not quite to my liking!

In the picture below we have (top to bottom, left to right) cucumber/zucchini stuffed with dried scallops, seafood stuffed Chinese mushrooms, oysters and ginger (these were my favorite - delicious!) chili oil dip, garlic and scallion with oil dressing, dried abalone with dried orange skins, and steamed chicken.

Prawns are another favorite of mine - these ones were massive.

 A whole fish symbolizes wealth.

After lunch (yes - all this was just lunch!) we were sitting around chatting and we were telling them of our plans to explore some more that afternoon when one of the men got a text from his friend who was at the nearby Lau Fau Shan Oyster farms. He suggested that maybe we'd like to visit there and since oysters are one of my favorite foods, we said yes, without hesitating.

Here is a lady shucking oysters.

 The oyster is huge!

 These are oysters drying.

The bridge in this photo stretches all the way to mainland China. In the foreground, you can see all the discarded oyster shells.

Lau Fau Shan market sells all kinds of seafood. Many of the fish are sold live. Because this so close to a public holiday the market was not running at full capacity and many of the tanks where the fish are stores and aerated where empty.

It tweaked my imagination. I imagined being one of those fish. It was to them no doubt like something you'd hear about in those alien abduction stories. You're just going about your normal fishy business and the next thing a UFO (unidentified floating object) sucks up into it bowels of a ship and keeps you alive in tanks.

 You can't escape and the aliens keep you there....until....it's time....to eat you!

 There's no escape even if you try to leave your shell behind.

 Or maybe they tie you up!

And in the end they stretch you out in a hostile atmosphere and stuck the very life-giving components out of your body!

It makes for quite the horror story, doesn't it? But from the alien's perspective, a very tasty horror story!

Byddi Lee

Happy Chinese New Year of the Monkey

By some twist of fate and airfare prices we ended up arriving in  Hong Kong (for the first leg of our Pacific Rim Tour) just in time to celebrate the Lunar New New with My Husband's family.

 

We left home and traveled to San Francisco Airport on Thursday evening and arrived in Hong Kong on Saturday morning just as the sun rose in a crisp blue winter sky. Friday did not seem to register at all!.

When I was a kid dreaming of world travel, crossing the international date line seemed so exotic, as did crossing the equator. On this trip I'll be crossing both imaginary lines on our planet and the thought still thrills me!

Temperatures have been uncharacteristically low here and we were surprised at how cold it felt - and still feels... But the up-shot is beautiful clear blue skies and sunny afternoons.

 

This is the view from our niece's apartment, where we are staying. It's been lovely reuniting with family and great to be celebrating the New Year with them. This holiday is laden with traditions and it was fun to learn about and take part in them.

Everywhere people were rushing about getting ready for the New Year festivities. Nearly everyone seemed to be carrying flowers and there's something about streets filled with random people, young and old, male and female, all carrying bunches of red gladiolas, bowls of daffodils. or branches of blossoming cherry blossoms, that gladdens the heart.

On New Year's Eve we went to the nearby flower market.

 

On the way there, I stopped to take a photo of this bamboo scaffolding that is used in construction in China. It just amazes me how this is just lengths of bamboo lashed together with twine, yet it covers this skyscraper. My awe greatly amused my in-laws who, I'm sure, think I'm quite crazy. That's something they have in common with most people who know me!

 

Most of the plants that are gifted at New Year are chosen because their names sound similar to words such as abundance, wealth, luck and good health, like these citrus trees. They can be kumquats or mandarins it seems and all the businesses have them at their doors.

I couldn't figure out what these were called or why they were so auspicious, but they were very popular.

I'm guessing the the word for daffodils sounds like something prosperous or the color yellow symbolizes gold and therefore wealth.

 

These decorations are on all the doorways. Firecrackers and fireworks play a big part of the celebrations. However, the first night we were here, we heard some fireworks go off at 4.30am, scaring the bejaysus out of us - they sounded for all the world like heavy artillery. Maybe having watched the movie No Escape recently had us on edge! My in-laws slept through it and didn't hear a thing.

We stumbled upon a Lion dance on New Years Eve in the local shopping  mall.

The food is amazing! This is my new favorite - warm sweet dumplings in a sweet ginger syrup. The sesame-seed ones my sister-in-law makes are the best!

恭禧發財

Gung Hay Fat Choy to you all.

Byddi Lee

 

Happy Occasions in Hong Kong

It was with great delight that we headed back to Hong Kong, this time for the happy occasion of our niece's wedding. (I know, I know, I'm not old enough to have a niece getting married!)

Our previous trip to Hong Kong occurred under sad circumstances, and during July, a time of year known for it's heat and humidity. November is a much more climate friendly time in Hong Kong. I'll attempt not to duplicate too much of what I wrote in my post back then, but I will go into more detail about the tourist attractions and how to avoid tourist traps.

My favorite tourist attraction in Hong Kong is without a doubt Victoria Peak, not least because that is where My Husband proposed to me! How could a girl decline when faced with this gorgeous view?

 

If you ever visit this city and arrive in the daylight hours, keep an open mind. In the cold light of day you see her "warts'n'all," but come nightfall Hong Kong lights up like a glittering jewel.

 

My Husband's family had invited my Mum to the wedding too. She accepted and she met us there. It was so much fun to rendezvous on the other side of the planet and a great excuse to hit the tourist spots once more.

We stayed in Kowloon, in Tsim Sha Sui, just across the bay from Hong Kong Island. With space such a premium in Hong Kong and the tourist industry flooding in from Mainland China, hotel prices have skyrocketed. The rooms are small unless you are prepared to pay big bucks, but even though our room was on the compact side, it was fully furnished with all mod cons - flat screen TVs (of course a great idea if space is so valuable), fridges, and coffee and tea making facilities. Views in Kowloon will be back-alleys and other high-rise buildings unless you are on the water front - even bigger bucks for that - but ya didn't come here to sit around your room all day did ya?

Our hotel was all about location location location - we couldn't have asked for better, and thanks are due to our niece who generously put us up in the Ramada Kowloon, a stones throw from the water front and the MTR station (that's the train system in Hong Kong) and a dander (or what passes for a dander through the thronged streets of Kowloon) away from Nathan Road and Kowloon park, where you go to instill some sanity, far away from the maddening crowds!

It's a good idea to get yourself to a 7Eleven as soon as you arrive and get yourself an octopus card. You can add money to it as you go along and you use it to pay for MTR, or in places like McCafe, 7eleven and other stores. It has some electronic thingy in it so you don't even need to take it out of your purse to make it work.

We decided to show Mum the view from the Peak. To get there from Kowloon you could take the MTR under the bay or hop on the Star Ferry for a 20min harbor tour. It's a commuter route and easy on the pocket or rather the octopus card. When you get to the other side you then need to take a taxi, plentiful and cheap, to the tram station to ascend the peak. That is if you want to ride the tram - it's a funicular train and if you've been on one before you can skip the queues and take a bus to the top. It's as cost effective to taxi to the peak if you have 3 or more passengers.

However if, like my Mum, you insist on taking the tram, beware of people herding you into queues for you to buy the package deal to the viewing platform. You can get tickets for it up there. It's gets you a little higher up but you have much the same view from the peak itself.

Simply get into the line for the tram and pay using your octopus. The tram is a commuter route - people live up there, so avoid going at rush hour too. However, if you want to do sunset you may have to just bite the bullet - or better still take the taxi up and the tram down IF you simply must get on the tram.


It's lovely to walk around at the top and ogle the sights below. Another great option is to book a window table at The Pearl on the Peak. It's on the pricey side, but if you are willing to splash out, sunset, here, is the time and place to do it. And the view from our table...

And here's the view from my tummy. I was no cheap date that night!

Mum had done her homework before coming and had read about the Big Buddha on Lantau Island.  Lantau Island lies to the west of the main urban area of Hong Kong. Rural by comparison, even though it hosts the airport, Disneyland  and discovery Bay.

To get to the Big Buddha take the MTR (use your octopus card) to Tung Chung Station (Orange line).  It is accessible by road (bus) or by gondola - think ski resort not Venice!

 

If you've been skiing then don't bother with the gondola. Mum has never been skiing and wanted to take the Gondola - a two hour wait in line. Tourism is really taking off here. My Husband and I'd done the gondola trip back in 2006 and we didn't remember it this bad. What further confuses the issue are the folks wandering around trying to sell package deals and bus ride combos. If you can tear yourself away from the idea of riding in the gondola, hop on  bus 23 to Ngong Ping.

Ngong Ping has it's usual tourist/franchise shops and restaurants, but I like to support the Po Lin Monastry. They sell a meal ticket with entrance to the Buddha. There is no menu - you just eat whatever they are making that day, but you do get a great vegetarian meal there, and they do interesting mock meat dishes made from tofu.

And now for the gardening bit...
Anyone any idea what this fruit is? The tree was growing at the monastery - please leave a comment if you know.

 

From Ngong Ping we took the number 21 bus to Tai O. Dubbed the "Venice of Hong Kong," you won't find any gondolas here! But there are lots of houses built on stilts in this fishing village that dates all the way back to the stone age.

I particularly admired their skills at container gardening.

And liked how they utilized such small spaces to make such attractive wee gardens.

Tai O breathed relaxation into us after all our hectic traveling and  sight-seeing. A break from the bustle of the big city and herds of tourists, we wandered around oohing and aahing at the exquisite cuteness of the place. For example - this tiny temple...

And on closer inspection just click on the picture to check out the detail in the carvings on the roof.

 

We found a little coffee shop, a blissful far cry from Starbucks and city bustle, and we sat on the decking out over the water, sipping our tea from delightful little cups.

 

Had we our own boat, we could have simply tied up at their little dock just on the other side of the wooden rail from where I was sitting.

It was the perfect perch to watch the world not go by.

 

Lovely to have this time with my Mum to soak up the things we both like - water ways, tea and sunsets. Harmonious in our togetherness.

I think you can get that I loved Tai O. Hopefully someday I'll get back there or at least visit more places like it. The number 11 bus gets you back to Tung Chung town center and the MTR line.

And the wedding - simply spectacular. Our niece and nephew-in-law both looked gorgeous. She had six different dresses, each one more beautiful than the one before. The day started at 9am when we gathered at the brides place and ended with a banquet that evening.

My Husband had the honor of giving the bride away. A momentous and emotional moment for the Mother-of-the-bride mother, who was also stunning in her gowns - yes that was plural too. Each one a show stopper. I was so proud of them all.

The bridesmaids were adrift in peach fabric - pretty gowns for beautiful young women. In fact everyone looked downright fabulous! I do so admire the petite figures these Hong Kong women have. I felt huge in comparison, but I'm used to that in Hong Kong. But as I stood for photographs, I couldn't help but wonder - does this family make my bum look big?

Byddi Lee
2011

The many flavours of Hong Kong

When Jonathan Swift wrote Gulliver's Travels I wonder had he traveled directly from California - the land of giants (Brobdingnag) to Hong Kong - the land of miniatures (Lilliput).  In Hong Kong everything is scaled down in size except for the heights of the buildings.  Inside them the apartments are smaller, hotel rooms more compact and the electrical appliance shops look as though they could outfit a Wendy house.  It's all adorably cute, but it makes me feel HUGE!  Huge and very visible with my mad blond curly hair - my husband certainly won't lose me in the crowd! 

There is a tipping point to every visit I have to Hong Kong.  I arrive jet lagged and sweaty, cowering beneath the towering sky scrapers that house people by the tens of thousand,  wondering how on earth humans ever came to live on this suffocating plot of land.  Somewhere between arriving and leaving, I find that I have woken up one morning refreshed, jet lag gone, and as I gaze out of the window of the twelfth floor apartment, I begin to see beauty in my surroundings.

The roof tops of some building have gardens on them and down at street level the shops have their lights on to counter the gloom of the approaching typhoon - yes typhoon!

Of course I'm the only one in the vicinity that is excited about this.  The locals are unconcerned, having seen it all before and if anything, view it as an inconvenience.  I still can't get used to warm rain!  Even in California, when it rains it's cold, and of course in Ireland, even though we say you can tell it's summer because the rain is warmer, it's nowhere as warm as this rain.  Nor as heavy.  This is what we call in Ireland "wet" rain.  A somewhat disappointing description from a nation that has as many words for rain as the Inuits have for snow - of course in Ireland we have as much rain as the Inuits have snow too!

Hong Kong has one of the best public transport systems I've ever been on.  More comprehensive even than the London underground, the MTR (Mass Transit Railway) is fast, clean, inexpensive, air-conditioned and above all safe.  Even the integrated bus system is designed with a view to comfort.

Perhaps its because I'm head and shoulders taller than the majority of the throng riding the trains, but I never suffer that same claustrophobia here as I do in other crowded situations.  The following picture is taken in Hong Kong Central - at the tail end of the evening rush hour - luckily we were going in the opposite direction to the rush.

Its orderly, never boisterous and at rush hour there is staff to ensure that there isn't a crush onto trains etc.  In short, it is comfortable.  Westerners who are apprehensive about traveling in Asia should start with Hong Kong (actually, my Husband says start with Singapore, but I haven't been there - I told him that he would have to take me there so I could blog about it - I thought it was worth suggesting on the off-chance he would!).

Hong Kong Island has a lot of tourists and ex-pats, so English is spoken widely.  Prices on the Island are expensive as this is the main tourist/business hub.  My advice is to stay on the peninsula.  Kowloon is my favorite.  You will find hotels along Nathan Road that are better value for money than those on the Island. It a short hop to the Island on either the Star Ferries - a very Hong Kong experience - or on the MTR.

The shopping in Kowloon is off the charts!  You can do the Lady's Market at Mong Kok for bargains and designer copies of nearly anything, or if you have the money to splash out on the real thing, jump on the MTR and go to Tsim Sha Tsui and shop the designer stores at Great Victora Harbour.  And there's everything in between.  I found a Marks and Spencers there.  Living in California, I have missed this British chain store.  Especially its food section.  I nearly wept with joy as I piled packets of "Extremely Chocolatey Milk Chocolate" biscuits into my shopping basket.  As I write this, I'm polishing off said treats! 

For the traveler who wants to experience real Hong Kong living and its friendly natives, I would urge you to venture into the New Territories.  If you have the days to spare, take the MTR and explore some of the towns such as Tuen Mun and its extensive town center.  But be warned - if you are bigger than a UK size 8 (USA 4) not only will you have trouble finding clothes to fit you, the staff in the shops will be reluctant to even let you try on the clothes - I speak from experience!

Lantau Island plays host to Disney land, and the Giant Buddha (located at Po Lin Monastery).

The later is worth a visit.  I've never been to any Disney Park so I can't comment on it.  We did however visit friends who live in the beautiful residential area of Discovery Bay which has a gorgeous view of Hong Kong's skyline in the distance.

It sparkles with lights at night, with a light show visible on the buildings each night, not to mention the daily Disney fireworks display they are treated to each evening - though for me that paled beside the magnificent electrical storm we were treated to when we visited! 

Hong Kong is sprinkled with gorgeous parks.  July is not the best time to visit with its searing heat and smothering humidity, interspersed with typhoons.  Hopefully, we will never have to be here again at this time of year.  Spring or Autumn is better - cool enough to enjoy the parks and the beaches.  I dragged my long suffering husband around the park in Tuen Mun thinking I might get a look at the plants.

 I liked that they warned us about their use of pesticides!

 The gardens had a variety of water features.

I wondered could we get this one for our garden!

The heat brought out the butterflies, though there wasn't a huge choice in blossoms, they seemed happy with this one.

After about an hour the heat beat us.  We stopped for a refreshing drink of Sweat before heading for somewhere with aircon!

Incidentally, the perfect drink to wash down a tasty meal of chicken feet!

And even though, as I pointed out to my in-laws, it was in dire need of a pedicure, I did eat it!  Though one was my limit.  I draw the line at ducks feet though - that flapping webbed bit really turns me!   Though on this occasion our goose was well and truly cooked!

Delicious - I think I'd have to say this was my favorite dish of the entire trip.


I did make sure I had my All Bran for breakfast each morning, even though the crockery and cutlery was a tad unusual!

Feel free to peruse the following slideshow of images of Hong Kong - a place I can only describe as a fascinating feast of people, lifestyle and food.

Hong Kong - free slideshow maker with music

The photos of the animals were taken at the reptile house in Tuen Mun Park.  They were behind glass so it is cheating a little bit, but I still thought they were pretty cool!

I'd like to thank Nancy for featuring my blog on Leaping Greenly! Please drop by and pay her a visit.

Byddi Lee