Heavenly Paradise@AdelineAng.com

The snow has pretty much disappeared from sight. The rain has been paying us frequent visits; showering the ground generously to allow plant growth. The grass is green, the sky is blue, and the water is clear. Spring is here! Or rather, summer is near! The weather was scorching hot at 30°C yesterday!

I had the opportunity to walk around the city for some photo shooting for the past two weeks or so. It’s great for not having to worry about the cold chilly winter that freezes my hands when exposed to the air…

 Spanning across Saint John River, the 0.6 km Walking Bridge (old train bridge) connects the North and South sides of Fredericton.

 The Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Fredericton.

A budding plant.

Fallen pine cones.

What are the consequences of the arrival of spring? Flooding is one of them!! I’m not trying to be pessimistic, but it’s true that it happens from year to year. The flooding last year was quite bad. What about this year? The walking trail is flooded, and half of the park bench is immersed in water. Have a look…  

The rising water level of the river resulted from heavy downpour and melted snow/ice chunks accumulated from the winter.

It was time to bid Hong Kong goodbye, after spending four and a half days in this beautiful island. I had an early morning flight leaving for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I got up when the sky was still dark, and waited for the first available airport shuttle bus at dawn.

Carrying a suitcase, a purse, a laptop bag, and at least two shopping bags filled with souvenir goodies, I slowly made my way to the bus stop. The weight I had on me wasn’t even funny. Oh well, it’s worth the effort after all :)

The interior of Hong Kong International Airport, colloquially known as Chek Lap Kok Airport.

The modern design of the airport.

Was there anything for brunch? My hearty meal was served by the Cathay Pacific Airways; omelette, yogurt, fresh fruits (orange, apple, and dragon fruit), a roll, and a cup of orange juice.

I had truly enjoyed my stay in Hong Kong, despite the hiccups when arranging my accommodation. The weather was gorgeous most of the time, during my stay there. The urban city life, quaint architectures, hustle and bustle, delicious delicacies, nice scenery… have deeply captured my heart. Hope you too, will enjoy your stay in Hong Kong one day.

Walking around and taking the public transit is one of the best ways to experience the local culture in a foreign city. After my visit to the Macau Fisherman’s Wharf, I hopped on a bus and headed towards Rua dos Mercadores.

Since I had only one short day to spare in Macau, I had to list down places of interest, so that I don’t miss out things I wanted to see or food I wanted to taste ;)

Macau is known as the first and last European colony in China. Macanese P (MOP$) is the currency used in Macau. Hong Kong dollars (HKD) is widely acceptable too. The exchange rate was at 1:1 during my visit.

The unique European-style architectures.

The famous Pork Chop Bun everyone should try! Silk Stockings Milk Tea is so-called because it’s as  smooth as silk stockings.

Busy street crowded with tourists.

Macau is popular for its food souvenirs.

At a public park.

The Ruins of St. Paul’s. The most famous landmark of Macau. The church was built in 1580 and was burned down in 1835 (leaving only the facade the staircase and portions of a wall).

A nice combination of colour for the building.

Another popular store for food souvenirs.

This restaurant is famous for its Macau-style desserts: Double-boiled Milk with egg White, Steamed Egg with Rock Sugar, and Steamed Milk with Ginger Juice.

Steamed Milk with Ginger Juice, to go with my yummy Polo Bun :)

Due to the time contraint, I had to head back to the ferry terminal to catch the ferry returning to Hong Kong Island. I really enjoyed my short trip in Macau.

Busy traffic in front of the ferry terminal.

The comfy seats in the ferry.

At last, I was back to the Hong Kong Island before the night kicked in.

Underground walkway is popular in Hong Kong. It’s a great way to avoid the heavy traffic.

My last night in Hong Kong, I spend it with my friend. We had supper together at a busy restaurant.

A generous serving of noodle soup with octopus.

If you allow yourself sufficient time to visit around during your stay in Hong Kong, it’s highly recommended to organize a day trip to the neighbouring city, Macau. TurboJEToffers frequent (departures every 15 minutes) ferry schedule on the Hong Kong <-> Macau route. The traveling time each way is about 70 minutes.

Some travelers visit Macau during the day and return to Hong Kong Island in the evening, in order to enjoy the night view of the city. Keep in mind that the ferry fare for evening departures is slightly more expensive, about HKD 30 extra.

I’ve to admit that my knowledge of Cantonese and Chinese characters was put into good use in this trip. It has certainly saved me from lots of troubles.

The HK China Ferry Terminal is located at the China Hong Kong City, on Canton Road. It took me a while to figure that out. I saw the ferry terminal from afar, but couldn’t get there. It was funny now that I looked back, even though it was frustrating at the time…

Busy Tsim Sha Tsui in the early morning. Everyone was getting ready for work. There were free newspapers available on the street. I was handed newly published newspaper on my way to the ferry terminal.

One of the things I looked forward to doing during my short visit to Macau, was visiting the casinos! I’m not a gambler, but have always been enjoying the fun of visiting casinos, especially the world-famous ones.

Upon arrival at the Macau ferry terminal, I was welcomed by the coach buses from various casinos. Resorts/casinos offer rides to their visitors at no cost, with these comfy, air-conditioned coach buses. It was quite an experience!

Opened in August 2007, there are currently 3,000 suites and 550,000 square feet of casino space offered at the Venetian Macao. With 3,400 slot machines and 800 gambling tables, it boasts to be the largest casino in the world!

This 40-storey building is the largest single structure hotel building in Asia and the fourth largest building (by area) on the globe.

The captivating interior design at this Renaissance-Venice themed luxury hotel and casino resort.

The main lobby of the resort.

Enchanting design and layout. I felt very much like I was in Venice!

A statue? Would you like to dress up and act like a statue with your eyes closed for a job? Honestly, I pitied the young girl…

Experience a boat ride in the canals of Venice.

After my quick tour around the Venetian Macao, I took a bus back to the ferry terminal. Employees from the resorts/casinos were well-dressed with their great, big signages. A free ride to the resort/casino, anyone?

Macao is a busy city, mainly due to the big crowd of tourists on a daily basis. Nonetheless, it’s nothing compared to Hong Kong Island. I took a stroll towards the Fisherman’s Wharf, one of the main attractions in Macao you shouldn’t miss.

Yaohan in Macao? Interesting…

The “Tang City.”

Unique stairs.

Souvenir store. Food/snacks you shouldn’t miss!

My favourite polo bun. A sweet bun coated with crunchy cookie dough that resembled a pineapple.

Put Chai Ko, a palm-size pudding cake.

Portuguese egg tart. Yumm…

One of the many Malaysian desserts I missed is the pandan chiffon cake. The aromatic smell of pandan, rich flavour of coconut, soft and smooth texture of cake…

Pandan chiffon cake is light green in colour. The key ingredient in this recipe, pandan paste, contributes to the colour tone. The green is derived from the chlorophyll of the leaf juice. Just like other angel cakes and foam cakes, the fluffy texture of chiffon cakes is created by preparing beaten egg whites that are stiff, and folding them into cake batter, prior to baking.

I was excited when I came across with the pandan chiffon cake recipe here, and was really eager to try it out. It turned out very well. It’s certainly worth a try!

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 + 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 + 1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup thick coconut milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
8 eggs, separated
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp pandan paste
1/4 tsp pandan extract

Directions:
1. Combine coconut milk, pandan paste, and pandan extract, in a mixing bowl.
2. With an electric mixer, beat together egg yolks, sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract, until well combined.
3. Mix together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt, in a separate bowl. Sift the flour mixture.
4. Make a well in the centre of sifted flour mixture. Whisk egg mixture into the flour mixture.
5. Next, beat egg whites until frothy, with an electric mixer. Add cream of tartar and beat until firm peaks formed.
6. Subsequently, fold the beaten egg whites into flour/egg mixture with a spatula.
7. Gently pour the batter into an angel food cake pan. Bake in preheated oven at 350 F for 50 minutes, or until the cake is cooked.
8. Remove cake from oven. Invert the pan (upside down) onto a cooking rack. Remove the cake from pan when it’s cooled. Enjoy!

How can you possibly miss out the dim sum in Hong Kong? There is a wide variety of dim sum dishes, which includes meat, vegetables, seafood, desserts etc.

Yummy dim sum. It’s best to enjoy with a large group of friends.

Piping hot dim sum dishes.

After my dim sum brunch, I headed to Stanley, a nice little town, with Tina.

At a bus stop by the highway.

The view of dam as we crossed the bridge on our way to Stanley.

Stanley was crowded with tourists. The Stanley Market was an interesting place to visit. There are different stores in the building, ranging from clothing, food, souvenirs, to accessories, and much more.

At the Stanley Market.

In 2000, Murray House was successfully restored in Stanley; by putting together more than four thousand pieces of stones and columns that were marked and put away, before the demolition in 1982. The demolition was due to the construction of new Bank of China Tower in Central.

In front of Murray House, a Victorian-era building.

An overlook of Stanley from the Murray House.

Murray House in 1860.

We left Stanley after spending a few hours there, and headed back to Kowloon. What else should you try in Hong Kong?

The stinky tofu! It was crispy, greasy, and stinky. Delicious!

Busy crowd, with people from different culture background.

We visited a Chinese fast food restaurant, Ka Ka Lok, or better known as Café de Coral. Serving more than 300,000 locals in a day, it arises as the largest and most popular Chinese fast food chain restaurant.

Very presentable dish with grilled salmon, pork balls, and veggies.

The yummy-looking dish with grilled salmon and fish fillets.

Why is the restaurant so popular? Delicious and inexpensive dishes, friendly staff, and cozy ambience. On top of that, effective layout and quick service! Place an order and pay the cashier. An order number will be issued. Find yourself a table and wait for the number to be called upon. Collect the food from the front counter and enjoy!

The interior look of restaurant.

I met up with some friends (Stanley, Tina, and Bessie) for lunch in SoHo, Central. It was a fun get-together, after all these years (about 3 years). Lan Kwai Fong, a street in Central, is famous for its busy and exciting nightlife; dining, clubbing, and drinking.

The double decker tram, or known as “ding-ding” by the locals.

Busy construction sites can be seen everywhere on the Hong Kong island. Its rapid development is unbelievable!

A typical ice-cream vendor in Hong Kong.

Try out the smoothie and juice. They’re great energy boosters!

Subsequently, we visited Wan Chai; HK Convention & Exhibition Centre, and Golden Bauhinia Square. It was a nice view of Tsim Sha Tsui from Wan Chai.

Causeway Bay was the next stop. It’s a busy shopping district.

Magnetic chess/board games. Anyone?

Rent a shelf compartment and promote your products! It’s a wonderful idea, due to the staggering store rental and limited business area.

Mr. Corn: Pamphlets! Anyone?

The Times Square.

Busy crowd outside Times Square in the evening.

Tina and I visited a Taiwanese restaurant for supper.

Cold noodles with salmon and crab flakes.

I had the minced pork noodles with egg and tofu.

After our late supper, we headed to the Victoria Peak by bus, for some gorgeous night views! The scene is simply breathtaking!

Peak Tram. It was the last tram of the day, from the top of mountain to Cotton Tree Drive, at midnight.

Next, we took a bus ride to the Wan Chai Ferry Pier. The night view of the island from the water is never to be missed! We headed north, back to Tsim Sha Tsui.

Very neat bench design. The back rest can be moved to either left or right, depending on which direction the ferry is heading into.

Pretty lighting was seen from the Avenue of Stars.

My journey continued, as I walked north. Kwun Chung is a street parallel to Canton Road; King George Memorial Park located between them.

The Kwun Chung Municipal Services Building.

On my way to the Temple Street. Businesses are rather competitive here. Shops can be found on both sides of the street with their easily spotted large and striking signage.

A busy street.

The famous Temple Street.

Food is one of the things you don’t have to worry about in Hong Kong. Wherever you are and whatever the time is, food is always there for you. I was delighted when I saw these:

Chinese bakery!

Yummy baked goods.

The meat floss puff with dried seaweed was delicious.

Pawn shop.

BBQ Restaurant. BBQ chicken, BBQ pork, BBQ duck, BBQ…. All the BBQ delicacies you can think of, and beyond!

Whole durian or packaged durian? Take your pick!

Dried goods (shrimps, mushrooms etc.) and Chinese herbs.

The Jade Market, at the corner of Battery St. and Kansu St.

Numerous jade sellers at the market.

The night market on Temple Street was getting ready to rock!

Double-decker buses on Nathan Road.

St. Andrew’s Church, an international evangelical church, strategically situated in the heart of Kowloon on Nathan Road.

The Park Lane Shopper’s Boulevard. A shopping paradise!

I took the subway to Mong Kok to meet my friend for supper.

The busy crowd at Tsim Sha Tsui subway station.

We had soup noodles (with fish) at a restaurant, in a crowded shopping complex.

Night life in Mong Kok.

Busy crowd after 10 p.m.

*Sniff, sniff* Am I in my dream? A strong curry smell woke me up in the morning. Apparently, there’s an Indian restaurant (that’s what Chung King Mansion is well known for) and several other Indian food stalls in this building. Despite my worries that the smell will get into my clothes, the curry reminded me a lot about home…

I finally stepped out from the building around 10:30 a.m., which was unusual, as I’ve the tendency to start my day early whenever I travel. Oh well, what do you expect? I needed my 7-hour sleep after two sleepless nights.

I could still hardly believe that I was finally in Hong Kong! A place which I’ve heard so much about. I was pumped to begin my first full-day adventure in this beautiful island! There are tons of business centres and shopping malls in the Tsim Sha Tsui area. I walked into the Weng On Departmental Store and visited the Japanese Food Fair. I took this opportunity to grab some souvenirs (food items of course), including little sis’ favourite–dorayaki.

Does this pedestrian bridge look familiar to you? It appears on Hong Kong movies/drama series all the time.

The sky was cloudy and hazy. I could barely see the skyscrapers across the harbour. Let’s blame it on the air pollution due to rapid development. It was quite pathetic. I revisited the Waterfront. It was a different view during the day. I enjoyed the night view better, with the presence of gorgeous night lights, rather than hazy atmosphere in the broad daylight.

I had to be extra cautious when walking on the street alone with my purse, kept reminding myself that I was in Asia. “Trust no one except yourself,” as you were taught since little.

The rain came pouring down and I had to take a shelter at the New World Centre. I didn’t expect rain and had no umbrella with me. Rain can be rather horrible in Asia. Raining like cats and dogs seems to be the norm.

Surprise, surprise! Have a look at what I found:

Ganong candies (manufactured in NB, Canada) in Hong Kong!!

While waiting for the rain to subside, I had lunch at the food court.

Chicken chop with rice, and hot lemon tea (~ HKD 34).

The living cost in Hong Kong is rather high. It’s resonable to spend with CAD, not with RM (Ringgit Malaysia). You’ll find that you’re paying a whole whack more on almost everything; double of the price, if not more!

For dessert, I visited the McDonald’s for pie:

Red bean (a.k.a. azuki bean) pie from the McDonald’s (~ HKD 6).

Walking around the busy city in nice weather was rather enjoyable. I felt great to be in a BIG city again!

Hong Kong Museum of Art.

Hong Kong Space Museum.

Kowloon Public Pier, with the Beijing Olympic 2008 mascots display.

Clock Tower, one of the major landmarks in Kowloon.

Bus Terminus in Kowloon.

A big cruise ship at the Star Ferry Pier.

Commercial stores along Canton Road, one of the busiest roads Kowloon.

King George Memorial Park, on Canton Road.

Are there any cookies which you grew up with? I’ve cravings of these kiddie treats once in a while.

Teddy Graham, the bear-shaped graham cracker snacks. They come in various flavours; chocolate, chocolate chip, honey, and oatmeal. Those cute little gold fishes are Goldfish snacks that are either plain or with cheddar.

I’m surprised to find Marie (or known as Maria) biscuits at the Walmart here! Similar to the rich tea biscuits, they are also a type of sweet biscuit. These biscuits are made of wheat flour, vegetable oil, sugar, and vanilla flavouring. These were imported from the Philippines.

Marie biscuits taste the best with a cup of hot chocolate. Yumm…

The colourful belly button cookies! These are tiny cookies, topped with hard, coloured candies.

Oreo Sippers, a new product of Christie. Enjoy your milk with these sippers and chew on the sippers when you’re done. They tasted great! Something different for the regular plain milk :)