Our Hong Kong

You start to feel like a local when you can take visiting friends around your city. That's exactly how we felt when Sharon was in town this month. From our favorite curry noodle place, to the little place that sells bao and jin doy, to our weekly staple, Nha Trang, we had the pleasure of showing off Hong Kong. In addition, we got to check out some of the tourist hightlights in Hong Kong.

A favorite from Darryl's childhood, a trip to see the Pandas in Ocean Park was a must-do for Sharon and Darryl. Check out this video from S.

Live action shot

Sitting down

A surprising fact about Hong Kong is the amount of parks and green space throughout the city, extending to the New Territories. Here's a few highlights from Hong Kong Park:

Lake filled with brightly coloured fish

Lily pads

Waterfall

Behind the falls

In case you were wondering

Afternoon Tea at The Peninsula Hotel is one of the most posh ways to entertain. Beautiful and scrumptious - a perfect way to spend the afternoon.

S and G with tea platters

Entirely gluten free

The Peak is one of the most popular destinations because it delights tourists with an impressive view of Hong Kong and Kowloon.

View of Hong Kong, the Harbour, Kowloon and the New Territories

View of The Peak and Harbour

Lions on the lookout

Tian Tan Buddha (Big Buddha) on Lantau Island is the world's biggest, outdoor bronze Buddha.

Tian Tan Buddha

D and S resting (not playing per the sign)

View from the top

Real adventure seekers hike the terrain

Tropical China

I bet you didn't expect to see those two words together. I thought the closest I'd get to tropical here is sweating through these summer months, until I went to Hainan. An island located in the southern part of China, and home to the Li ethnic group, Hainan is a slice of tropical heaven in China. The first thing I saw when I excited the plane was one of the two pineapples at the airport. Pineapples typically represent hospitality, according Darryl and Williams Sonoma. This also set the tone for "things that remind me of Hawaii".

 

ShiMei Bay was the first stop. A remote part of the island, ShiMei Bay is a quiet enclave with access to a private island. Many water sports and plenty of beach to keep you happy. I recommend visiting soon, next year there will be better infrastructure (high speed rail) and more hotels. This private beach will lose its exclusivity.

Having a little fun while touring the property

Sanya is the Wailea of Hainan. One resort after another dots this beautiful beach. Sanya is where I found some of the most beautiful plumeria flowers, which is called 鸡蛋花 (egg flower) in Chinese. Probably for the most common plumeria, yellow on the inside, white on the outside.

Highlights included trying Hainanese foods: a fruit similar to lychee but a bit sweeter called 黄皮 (wampi), and a Hainanese local green been called 四角豆 (winged bean).

More adventures in Hainan to come in August... stay tuned...

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One of our favorite things about Hong Kong is how well products, movies, etc. are promoted. The promotions can be over-the-top and sometimes the advertisements are incomprensible, but they draw a lot of attention. Here are some of our favorites:

Darryl and the aliens - Toy Story 3

World Cup 2010, Times Square

Noodles, Causeway Bay MTR station


If a stick figure lifts weights, and this guy plays soccer,
a diamond falls on your car. WTH?

Zodiac characters in Central

Burger decals on the MTR

Destination Chiemsee

Martha's Vineyard. Maui. O'ahu. Frauenchiemsee. Island weddings are our favorite. We were thrilled to plan our trip for Andy and Steffi's wedding, which took place on a beautiful German island in the middle of a lake. It felt a bit ironic planning a European vacation from Hong Kong, weren't we supposed to be visiting gorgeous destinations in Asia? We decided to plan a side trip to Istanbul - half situated in Europe and Asia, it somewhat filled the gap of Asia travel.

Our first night in Munich was a full on reunion. We met up with Jeff and Kerin who were spending their last night in Munich, and Andy and Steffi, at a nice vegetarian restaurant. At last a real salad! Something impossible to get in Hong Kong.

By the time we arrived in Munich, the Euro had plumetted (thanks Greece) and we were almost disappointed to head to Istanbul. Fortunately, our disappointment faded the second we landed in Istanbul. Our three and a half day trip was full of sightseeing, kebap eating and photo taking. (Click here to see all our photos.) We had some funny moments, such as figuring out exactly how much the train costs (1.5 Lira), where our hotel was, and the hawkers on the main street, "konichiwa". We made friends with a class of children at the Blue Mosque, who loved practicing their English with us, and teaching us Turkish.

A perfect birthday: After a tour of the Islamic arts museum, we stopped for coffee at a hopping road side cafe on an otherwise unassuming side street. Frequented by locals pouring out of a building across the street, we finally put it together that the building was the petty crimes jail / court! We spent another 30 minutes enjoying the warm weather on the hotel rooftop bar before heading to the airport. Before touching down in Munich, we saw the Chiemsee from our flight - a gorgeous reminder of our weekend to come. We met up with Marc, Chitra and Naveen at our hotel in Schwabing and headed to dinner at the Olympic Tower. Similar to the Seattle Space Needle, this rotating restaurant provides a view of Munich and gourmet cuisine. Great friends and good food, oh and 30 photos of the BMW factory (Darryl!), the perfect way to end the evening.

A weekend in Munich: Saturday morning we traveled with other wedding revellers to Chiemsee for the wedding ceremony. The 13th century Church provided a perfect atmosphere for a fairy tale wedding (Bavaria is the home to the original Disney castle). The afternoon could not have been more perfect, cocktails in the garden, a walk around the island, and incredible weather. The party continued at a reception in Munich well into the morning. Sunday we rejoined the party for a lovely outdoor brunch. Hosts Andy and Steffi entertained Nicolas, Darryl and I in the afternoon with a scenic walk along the waterfront to the Liberty Angel. That evening we had a delicious dinner at Hippocampus. Monday we toured around town, enjoyed treats from the Viktualienmarkt and picked up a few treats to bring back to Hong Kong.

Our flight home had me thinking, who's up for a trip to Turkey and Greece, or a tour around Germany? We're already thinking about when we can return.

May Photo Mash Up

A mish-mash of photos taken in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong the last few months...

A pedestrian overpass over a major intersection in Causeway Bay notes the Olympic Game cities as part of the celebration of the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

In case you're wondering, we found the way to Happy Wonderland. It's in Causeway Bay.

Darryl thought this name was hysterical, coming from California and all. He had to retake the photo a few times because he was laughing... which allowed the shop keeper to smile and pose for the photo!

San Francisco - Miami - Macau Adventures

The last few weeks have been a blur. I’ve collected quite few frequent flier miles from Hong Kong to San Francisco then Miami (and let’s not forget those layovers in Vancouver!).

While in San Francisco, I got to catch up with friends and family over delicious meals: brunch at Foreign Cinema (how I love thee, fruit salad and spiced ricotta cheese) and Nopalito (Sparkling Wine with Housemade juices ((Grapefruit!)) + Caldo Tlalpeño = a little slice of heaven… and you always have to ask about the popsicles). I also indulged in plenty of Blue Bottle coffee (not yet $12 a cup) and Mariposa Bakery gluten-free treats (cinnamon buns, yes!).

In Miami, I discovered a new nail polish line from London called Butter. They are the “new concept in natural nail care”, meaning they don’t use junk like formaldehyde, Toluene or DBP in their nail polish. They have such amazing colours - I’m currently wearing West End Wonderland on my toenails.

CC Image courtesy of The Style PA on Flickr

Back in Hong Kong, Darryl and I are settled into our serviced apartment. It’s a small studio but it meets our needs. We especially love the large fitness center and massage chairs – a great incentive to hit the gym!

Last week we spent the day in Macau so that Darryl could check out the hotel scene. We visited the City of Dreams, Venetian, Grand Lisboa (and original Lisboa), the Wynn and the new Encore. My take: The Venetian is really tacky – a fake Venice – but Darryl says its just like the one in Vegas. My favorite: the Encore, mainly because it doesn’t smell like smoke and because we found a really elegant spot to have afternoon tea.

Sidenote: When we entered the Lisboa, Darryl said, “I remember coming the last time, and there were a ton of working girls.” Hmm. Then we turn the corner and see where these girls are working. Yikes. Minutes later we are in the lobby of the Grand Lisboa which boasts a pretty impressive art and artifact collection, including statues, carved ivory, Chinese pottery and gigantic jewels. I asked Darryl, “Who’s this Stanley Ho guy?” Dr. Stanley Ho is noted as the donor to all of these collectibles. Darryl responds, “We’re related to him”. Questioning him, I reply, “I’m going to call your mommy!”. Maybe this weekend I’ll check out his story...

Tasty Treats

Compared to San Francisco, eating gluten free is a major challenge. However, I've been pleasantly surprised with the food discoveries I've made over the past 6 weeks.

Hong Kong grocery chains carry limited snack options, and stocking is not scheduled. That said, I these following options consistently available.

New to me, Innocent Smoothies for Kids happen to be a great option for gluten free adults. The little cartons have a full serving of fruit!

Don't underestimate the power of a rice cake covered in dark chocolate. These rice thins from Kallo are a nice treat, and pretty much the only gluten free item in the "biscuits" aisle.

My two other staples include Sakata crackers (try: Italian tomato basalmic) and Eat Natural bars (try: Dates, Walnuts and Pumpkin Seeds).



Before moving here, I did not find much information on living gluten free in Hong Kong. I hope these posts help others living here or passing through.