Precious Memories: May 2018

April 13, 2018 (Friday) -- A Short Trip to Hong Kong and Taiwan

Oh, it's Friday the 13th! It really doesn't matter to us as we are covered, by the Grace of God!

This morning, we have an important appointment with the president of China Theological Seminary, Dr. Stephen Lee. He is the guest speaker at our annual joint revival meetings for all the Chinese churches in the LA area this coming October. He has graciously invited us to have lunch with him at the seminary which is located in Kowloon Tong, the neighborhood where I grew up at.

Can't get tired of this view.

More fish porridge for breakfast before going on our day activity.

Kowloon Tong

Getting out of the MTR station in Kowloon Tong gave me an eerie feeling of time going back 40, 50 years ago. Our house was right where the station is standing now, and of course it's gone. The very quiet residential community has turned into a major transportation hub where the MTR and train meet. Many elegant villas and houses were turned into hotels and education facilities during the last 30 years. Once a sleepy private residential area where lovers liked to take their romantic walk in the evening is now a bustling place filled with people, buses, and cars.

Locating the seminary was easy since I still have memories of the streets in the neighborhood except now we had to stop for traffic every so often as we walked along. Cars waiting to pick up kids from school were lined along the streets making it even more a safety hazard. What a world of difference!

It was great to find Dr. Lee in good shape even though he went through critical health issues in the past few months. God's grace is sufficient! We had wonderful fellowship over lunch at the seminary cafeteria and enjoyed a very delicious meal together. No photos here because I did not think it was appropriate to take pictures under the circumstances.

With Dr. Stephen Lee, President of China Theological Seminary in Hong Kong.

Kam's Roast Goose, again!

After our visit to the seminary, we went back to the hotel for an afternoon nap. Jet lag is still with us and even though it was still Spring, the hot and humid weather here can drain you down. We had thought about having snake soup for dinner, but considering the hot weather, it was really not a good idea to have snake soup. Back to Kam's Roast Goose for a second round. To avoid the long line, we decided to get there early, like before 5:00pm. We were seated within 15 minutes at a tiny table for two.

Lunch set was not available at that hour, so we ordered 1/4 of a goose for the two of us. Lo Mein with shrimp roe, and a soup to share. The total was $204.00 HKD, a little over $25 USD, I think. Another delicious meal!

Daily house soup

1/4 of a roast goose

Lo Mein with shrimp roe (the brown powdery stuff). Add a little of that goose sauce for a great delicious dish.

Check please!

Inside the very busy restaurant. I was very impressed with the lady in the background. It was interesting watching her interacted with an upset customer sitting next to us and how she tried her very best to calm her down. For an establishment not worrying about lack of business, I thought her customer service was right on spot and, to tell the truth, quite rare in Hong Kong nowadays.

Tram (Slow poke, Ding-Ding)

We had nothing planned for the evening, so we decided to take a leisurely ride on the historical tram. We like to do this whenever we have time. Taking the slow moving tram from one end of the island to the other end can be an enjoyable experience, especially if you can find seats up front on the upper deck. It's a cheap way to see the real Hong Kong, only cost $2.30 HKD for each ride ($1.10 if you have the elder concession card).

We got on the tram from a stop in Wanchai going westbound to Kennedy Town. Then got off at the last stop and switched to an eastbound one and got off at a stop in Central. Pay when disembarking the tram using Octopus card or cash in exact change.

On the top deck of the tram. We were sitting at the very back of the tram this time.

Some random photos I took while on the ride.

Admiralty area

Bank of China in Central

I believe this is Prince Building.

The Western Market is now a tourist spot with shops and restaurants in this historical building.

After getting off at Central, we just strolled around the area and admired all the colorfully lit buildings in the heart of this busy city.

Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank?

IFC tower and Mandarin Oriental Hotel

The Hong Kong Observation Wheel and the Harbourfront Event Space

Just in time for the Light Show. We knew that it wouldn't be impressive without the background music but at least we can say we 'saw' it.

Taking the Star Ferry back to Tsim Sha Tsui. Another must-do in Hong Kong.

Here is the view of the terminal, bell tower, cultural center, Peninsula Hotel, and the tall K-11 building where Hyatt Regency is located on the upper floors.

Stopped at the Peninsula while walking back to the hotel.

Must stop here at Mammy Pancake for some delicious egg waffles. As I have mentioned before, people in Hong Kong grow up eating these as snacks. It's a popular street food but now they come in many new flavors that we have never had before. Mammy is a Michelin recommended street food in HK. There is a wait while they make your order fresh, but quite worth it if you are in the area.

Address: Carnarvon Mansion, 8-12E Carnarvon Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

April 12, 2018 (Thursday) -- A Short Trip to Hong Kong and Taiwan

Woke up to a cloudy morning but the sight outside our window still gave us the goosebumps that we get whenever we look at Victoria Harbor here in Hong Kong.

Our plan for the day is to go to Lantau Island on the Ngong Ping 360, which we have never done before. When I was a kid growing up in Hong Kong, Lantau Island seemed like a very faraway land that it would take forever to get there. Only ferries would provide the needed transportation then. Nowadays there are plenty of choices to get people to and from that big island where the HKIA is located, including trains, buses, and taxis. Today, we will take the train to the island, and then the cable car up to the Big Buddha. To avoid the heavy crowds on weekends, this would be the perfect day to go. Just hoping for good weather with no wind or rain.

The uniquely shaped iSquare building on the other side of Nathan Road.

The first buildings on the right is the Holiday Inn Golden Mile right outside our window.

Convention Center in Wanchai and the Intercontinental Hotel (brown building) on each side of the harbor.

Breakfast at our favorite spot--Wo Mei Porridge Shop in Jordan. Still the best to get fish porridge for us. Strangely though, the place was quite empty this morning. It used to be jammed with tourists and locals and sometimes there would be long wait to get a table. Not this morning, we walked right in and we were able to choose the table we wanted. I asked the woman there why it was so empty, she said it was still early. Hmmm,.. Anyway we still enjoyed the great porridge just the same as we had many times before.

Delicious fried fish balls! Must have!

Trip to the Big Buddha on Lantau Island

After breakfast, we took the Tsuen Wan subway (red) from Jordan to Lai King, then changed to the yellow line from Lai King to Tung Chung. All very easy and not crowded since this is a weekday morning.

Inside the train.

map

Arrived and out of the Tung Chung station. Walked past this big open square with a water fountain...

go straight toward this direction, past the bus station...

then walk up to the Ngong Ping cable car station where you would join the line for tickets and ride.

The line wasn't bad at all even though we were in the long line on the left because we did not pre-book our tickets. It moved quickly. The line on the right is for groups and will-call. I believe the stairs going up was for people who already have their pre-booked, pre-paid tickets. That one was the shortest of all.

Some Fun passes on sale, but we did not need those. In fact, we only purchased the one-way ticket because we were not planning on coming back to Tung Chung on the cable car.

Some of these cars have crystal bottom where you can pay more to get on if height is not a problem.

We shared a regular cabin with a family from Scotland and a solo tourist from somewhere.

Leaving the city of Tung Chung behind as our cable car slowly moving on.

making a 90-degree turn here

closest to the airport

Then a constant climb up to the mountain top.

Hong Kong International Airport in Chek Lap Kok.

There are actually hiking trails if you want to hike instead of taking the cable cars.

Our 'companion' helped us with this picture.

The Big Buddha in the distance.

I believe that's the man-made island connecting the bridge that is being built between Hong Kong, Macau, and Zhuhai.

After the long cable car ride, we arrived at the top of the hill. Not as scary as I thought it would be.

There is a gift shop inside the station if souvenir is needed.

Entering the 'ancient village' across from the station exit.

Lower shopping area lined with restaurants, snack bars, and shops.

There are coupons in the flyer that we got with the tickets and we used one of them for a quick snack here.

A pineapple icee and a red bean tofu fa.

Wall of butterflies.

It was a short walk to the temple but a hike up to the Buddha. We decided it was not for us...

...but many others did though.

Gate to the temple

gigantic decorative incense burner

Tai-O, the fishing village

After the Big Buddha, we took the bus (#21) from the bus station behind the shops in the shopping area to the fishing village of Tai-O. I believe we have distant relatives living there, but I don't know any of them now. They own a shop on the main street there but as hard as I tried, I couldn't remember which one it was.

Turn right here making our way to the village after getting off the bus.

Stalls and shops selling many different kind of dried seafood products.

Houses on stilts. Didn't look too great when the water is so dried up..

It was interesting walking around these houses but I felt like invading their privacy as we walked on the wooden walkway passing through the front or back of their living quarters.

We were told about this bar/restaurant but it was closed and locked up.

Before this bridge was built, people would have to take a short boat ride crossing the canal.

After spending about an hour in the village we decided it was time to go back in town. We thought of having lunch here but nothing really appealed to us.

Originally, we planned on taking the number 1 bus to Mui Wo, then take the ferry back to central, walk to the subway station and take the train back to the hotel. After thinking through it a little bit more, we decided to take the #11 bus back to Tung Chung and then the subway back to the hotel. Much easier and faster because we were kind of tired with jet lag sinking in.

Back to Tung Chung station.

When we got back to the hotel, we just went across the street to the (Silver Dragon) Ngan Lung Cafe for an afternoon 'tea'. We knew we would have a big dinner that evening with my cousin so just a little something to tie us over.

Fish ball noodle for MOR.

Hong Kong style hot milk tea, yummy!

Pork chop bun for me.

Delicious!

Passed by a bakery and got a piece of freshly baked cake to go...

very good, but

we only finished half of it.

Chao Yang Chinese Cuisine

My cousin had made reservation at the Chao Yang Restaurant on the 27th Floor of iSquare nearby. This restaurant is famous for their crispy Peking Duck and I have been told about this place before but have never had a chance to dine there. I am sure this is not a cheap place for dinner but seemed like a very popular restaurant none the less. What a great dinner we had!