Supertall Buildings in Pudong 浦东

The Bund in Shanghai is a very interesting mix of old and new. A one walks along the promenade, on one side you can see the colonial era buildings. While on the other side of the river, sits the massive Pudong new area where a lot of skyscrapers have emerged. I have only see this scene in photos and being a skyscraper buff, this is like a dream come true. As one walks here one can’t help to but bring up comparisons to the Hong Kong skyline as both are very impressive cityscapes.

Impressive Pudong 浦东 Skyline

Both Hong Kong and Shanghai are separated by large bodies of water, in the case of Shanghai, it is the Huangpu River. In terms of beauty of the cityscape I probably would still give it to Hong Kong. Shanghai has some rather outlandish buildings that seem out of place. However, more and more more aethetically pleasing buildings have been built in the recent years. To really appreciate the Pudong Skyline, I would have to come back at night since this is where all the lights are turned on.

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Dusk at Central

Hmm… this seems to be one of the posts that got left out in the Hong Kong series. Anyway, here it goes. I originally planned to go to Eastern China for a backpacking trip, however, due to unforseen circumstances, I was forced to abandon it in favor of Manila. While I was there， I colleague of mine told me that I was lucky that I didn’t push through with the China trip since there was a major sandstorm, the worst in four years, precisely at the time I was supposed to go there. What I didn’t know is how bad it was, until I got to Hong Kong.

Sunset at Victoria Harbour

When I got there, my friend told me that the effects of the sandstorm way up north were felt here in Hong Kong. The day before I arrived， the air quality was so bad that it reached record levels. Keep in mind that Hong Kong is just next door to the factories of Guangdong where most of Hong Kong’s pollution comes from. By the time I got there the air has cleared up and it wasn’t as bad anymore. Of course there were still residual effects from the sandstorm and this made for spectacular sunsets. However, this also made for rather strange effects where the Causeway Bay side of Hong Kong Island is clear while the Admiralty and Central side where not. This persisted throughout the day and frustrated me no end.

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Victoria Harbour 维多利亚港

Impressive Ceiling at Hong Kong International Airport

It was my last day at Hong Kong, and I was scheduled to get on a flight back to Singapore that evening. It was after the race and my friends were still lazily walking along the streets of Causeway Bay. Although it was still early in the afternoon, I was getting anxious thinking that I would miss my flight. I already missed a flight from Singapore to Manila, and I’m making sure that it doesn’t happen again. It is an expensive mistake to make.

Hong Kong International Airport Terminal Two Check In Area

I made last minute shopping at Sogo for some snacks some friends in Singapore wanted. From Sogo we took a mini bus back to his place where I got my stuff. Fortunately, there was an airport bus which passes near his place, so I shouldn’t take too much time to get to the airport. I normally don’t take the airport bus because I think there are cheaper ways to get to the city but in this case, it is a matter of convenience, since there is no city bus that brings us to the airport from where we were.

Inside the Shopping Area of Terminal Two

I arrived at the airport in no time and I was deposited at the departure hall. I remember it took me a while to get from the check in counters to the departure area. This time it was a little different since I will be leaving from Terminal II. I didn’t even know there was a Terminal II. I was under the impression that Hong Kong’s airport was already massive enough that they don’t need a new terminal, well apparently they do. It took me some time to get to that terminal though since it involves getting on automatic people movers.

One of the Dining Areas in Hong Kong International Airport

The new terminal building wasn’t really that impressive. In fact I liked the original one better. The aisles weren’t as much as Terminal I but it was still decent enough. The trouble is, I had a little difficulty finding Tiger Airways’ check in counter. Normally the counters have the airlines’ logo prominently displayed. However Tiger Airways had not such display. I only noticed them because of the banner they display near the counter.

Waiting for the Automatic People Mover

Going through immigration was uneventful and I quickly went to the automatic people mover and got on. It seems that this was the only way for passengers to get to the departure area. To my surprise, it brought us back to Terminal I. I figured that while they have enough gates to handle the airplane traffic, the airport actually needed more check in counters to handle the increasing number of passengers. Go figure. In the end I had a sad dinner of sandwich at the airport. I was hoping for a last taste of roast goose but I didn’t find any. I will miss Hong Kong, and for sure I will be back again.

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Nachos at Innside Out

It was a Sunday and my friend surprisingly was in the mood to go out. After attending Holy Mass at a nearby church, we met up with some friends. Apparently we were going to go watch the Formula 1 race at some sports bar. The sports bar was in Causeway Bay and they called to make sure there are enough seats. It took us a long time before the bus to Causeway Bay came and the queue was surprisingly long. The girls thought about calling a cab but there was no response from the guys. This waiting caused the number of people to swell. Fortunately, two of them came one after the other.

Fans Watching the Formula One Race at Innside Out

We got off at Hennessy Road at Sogo and hurriedly went to the sports bar. The sports bar was somewhat near the Time Squares area so it was still a distance away. As the time for the race to begin drew near, my friends hurried, actually ran, to the sports bar even more. I was never excited to watch Formula 1 racing anyway. Although I am more familiar with the sport now that 2 years ago. In fact, I even remember names now when I didn’t know a single driver from Formula 1 racing.

Tasty Quesadillas at Innside Out

The sports bar in question was Innside Out. They had a large outdoor screen for customers but this was showing some rugby tournament of which I know even less about. The other room had a large LCD screen for Formula 1 and we arrived just in time. There were just enough seats for us and we settled down very quickly. My friends ordered some food for us to watch the race with and I haven’t had this kind of food in years. These are typical sprots bar food, nachos, fries, buffalo wings, pizza and quesadillas. The food was actually satisfying although table layout wasn’t really conducive for eating and watching at the same time.

Juicy Buffalo Wings at Innside Out

In the end, we finished the race, Lewis Hamilton crashed at the last lap of the race and everyone went home happy.

Innside Out
Sunning Plaza,
10 Hysan Avenue,
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

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Tandoori Kebab at Taj Mahal Restaurant

We continued our walk to the promenade area at Tsim Sha Tsui. I was hoping I would be able to catch a glimpse of the nightly light show at Victoria Harbour. We got ourselves a decent spot and hung around for a couple of hours. Victoria Harbour is truly and awesome spectacle and it never ceases to amaze me. Half and hour before the light show was supposed to start, I vaguely overheard an announcement that the light show will not be held that evening! I tried to find out why when I realized that it was in support for Earth Hour.

Some Tasty Tomato Soup

Of all the days, it had to be this one! Anyway, flexible as we are, we quickly changed plans and decided to pay a visit to the Chungking Mansions. I have only been there only once and I never really liked the atmosphere there. It felt seedy and it was as if people were all looking at me. That was almost nine years ago. Now with more people in tow, I got the nerve to dare them to go to Chungking Mansions. I was hoping we could have some sort of exotic food like from Africa or something.

When we got to Chungking Mansions, my friends bravely charged into the ground floor when they were met and smothered by an army of touts for restaurants above. For some reason, the touts were ignoring me and we only focusing on them. The sudden barrage of touts rattled my friends and they signalled for a retreat. We managed to get a couple of name cards of the establishments so we can choose which restaurant to eat at. Apparently, most of these places were Indian restaurants. I was kind of disappointed since I could easily get Indian food in Singapore. Anyway, my friends don’t get to eat Indian food that often and I would at least want to try the food here.

Our Appetizers at Taj Mahal Restaurant

So which restaurant won? I guess the one that has the best name recall was Taj Mahal Restaurant. Finding the restaurant was not easy as we had to navigate the complicated building of the Chungking Mansions. I found out that this is the place for cheap rooms. And the accomodations don’t seem to be as dingy as the building itself. It was rather confusing since we got lost trying to find out where the Taj Mahal Restaurant was. Apparently the Chungking Mansions has certain wings and you need to make sure you get up the correct wing or you’ll have to move from one wing to another.

I Think This was Fish Curry

We actually had to walk through a budget hostel (forgot which one) in Chungking Mansions just to get to the Taj Mahal Restaurant. The restaurant itself was quite small, but it was full, giving it as very cozy, but authentic ambience. Fortunately, there were still enough seats for us. The owner recommended a package where were can try a lot of stuff, not knowning any better we agreed. It turned out to be a good decision. The kebab was nice and tasty. They have fried stuff like onion and eggplant which turned out to be great. The curry fish and chicken was nice, though, not as spicy as I wanted to be, but as my friend confirmed, it was already killing him. I was thoroughly satisfied with my meal and it was probably one of the better Indian meals that I had. I don’t get to eat big Indian meals like this in Singapore since my friends there don’t really fancy curry. Which is too bad since they are missing out on a world of taste.

As for Earth Hour? Well, by the time we got back to Victoria Harbour, the buildings were already starting to light up one by one. I would have wanted a photos of the Harbor pitch black but I didn’t have a tripod with me. It was going to be my last night in Hong Kong and we wanted to make the most of it.

Taj Mahal Restaurant
B4, 3/F, Block B, Chungking Mansions
36-44 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon, Hong Kong

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Former Kowloon British School

Just next to the aint Andrew’s Church is the Kowloon British School or rather the Antiquities and Monuments Office. Obviously, this place was a school in during the colonial times and it seemed to occupy a great location along Nathan Road. It served the children of expartriates in Hong Kong at that time and just like the nearby Saint Andrew’s Church, it has a traditional Victorian architecture.

Structures at the Former Kowloon British School

It now serves as the Antiquities and Monuments Office, as it was a weekend, it was closed. Despite being in a great location along Nathan Road, this place seems rather inconspicuous, thus there were not a lot of visitors that day. It was fun exploring the building and it somehow brings you back in time. Unfortunately for me, I can’t get a good shot of this place since it was too close, I don’t own an ultra-wide angle lens and I only can step so far back. At least I post some photos of it so that it would become a little more well known.

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Saint Andrew's Church in Kowloon

After that long meal at Chuen Cheong Kui Restaurant, we walked our way from Mongkok to Tsim Sha Tsui. We didn’t really plan on going anywhere as we were just people watching and just wasting time. It was my friend’s first time to walk that stretch and I thought it was quite refreshing despite all the people along Nathan Road. We then got to a portion of Nathan Road which I have ignored all this time. Apparently there is a row of colonial era buildings along Nathan Road and I didn’t know about it.

View of the Saint Andrew's Church

Saint Andrew’s Church is one of those colonial era buildings and it still stands to this day. St. Andrew’s Church is an Anglican church built in 1906 and it has served a place of worship ever since. The church is built on a small elevated piece of land but there isn’t much of a view to speak of. At the time of my visit there was wedding going on and there are a lot of people posing for photographs. Based on old photos, it seemed that the red brick building once had a steeple, it is long gone now, although much of the church is quite well maintained. Interestingly, the church main doors were off to the sides of the building.

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Quan Zhang Ju Restaurant's Signature Dish

The previous day, I called up some friends in Shenzhen, China to meet up for lunch. It has been a while since I last saw them, I thought it would be great to catch up. Besides, I was still craving for some authentic Chinese food in China itself, so I thought it would be great to cross the border for lunch. As usual we left late in the morning as we headed off to the KCR to get to Shenzhen. Our goal is the get to the Mongkok KCR station which will bring us to Shenzhen. I have taken the KCR several times and pretty much know my way around. It takes us half an hour to get from Mongkok to the Lo Wu Station which is right at the border itself.

Herbal Soup in Quan Zhang Ju Restaurant

Getting out of Hong Kong was easy enough. I proceeded to the visa on arrival section where you can get a 5 day Shenzhen only visa. I have done this several times so I was confident with what I was doing. The room was on the second floor just after crossing the bridge which connects the Hong Kong side to the China side. It is not very obvious, it is a small flight of stairs to the left, just after a security guard’s desk. The office wasn’t very crowded which was a pleasant surprise. There were a handful of foreigners applying for the visa. It was orderly enough and soon my number was called.

One of the Best Fried Rice I've Had in a Long Time

To my huge disappointment, the officer told me my passport no longer allowed to get visa on arrival in Shenzhen. There were no explanations given to me. I even showed them how I went there several times but to no avail. You know how you cannot argue with types of people. I was told to get a visa at their office in Wan Chai. No way am I doing that. It looks like my friends in Shenzhen would have to eat amongst themselves now. I called them up and told them the bad news.

Stir Fried Beef

Anyway, it just so happened that another friend of ours who we were supposed to meet up with also lives in Shenzhen is raring to go to Hong Kong with us and since he was already waiting at the other side we told him to meet us back in Hong Kong side. It took us a while to get back to Hong Kong, apparently it wasn’t just a matter to turning back and re-entering Hong Kong. An immigration officer asked for our passports and after about 15 minutes, she told us to walk back to Hong Kong side through the same way we came in, apparently they have already made a few calls since there were people waiting for us at the other side and ushered us into a room where our passports where processed. In a few minutes, the office pronounced us “back in Hong Kong”, and we quickly met up with our friend who as already waiting. Apparently, we went all the way to Lo Wu just to fetch our friend.

Now, it was already way past lunch and we were starving. My friend knew about this place but he didn’t know the name. He called it “Queen Chicken”. It was actually Chuen Cheong Kui Restaurant or Quan Zhang Ju or 泉章局. It is a Chinese restaurant specializing in Hakka Cuisine. I was never keen on Hakka food since I thought it was rather ordinary. I’d rather have a nice spicy Sichuan dish anytime. But I was already hungry and I didn’t mind this place since it seemed to be well known. It was a full fledged restaurant and it looks a bit fancy for me. However the prices were quite reasonable.

Braised Pork with Salted Vegetables

Their specialty is their Salt Baked Chicken, which looked suspiciously like Hainanese Chicken Rice I have in Singapore. True to its name, the chicken was rubbed with salt all over before being baked. Naturally it was salty but a bit oily and I liked it a lot. This reminded me of some cafeteria food I had in Hong Kong before but this was much better. The other dishes included Braised Pork with Salted Vegetables, fried rice and some Chinese herbal soup. They were okay but nothing really to write home about. At the time of our visit, it was already way past lunch time and much of the restaurant was already shut down for the afternoon. The staff was already relaxing on one side of the restaurant waiting for them to reopen in the evening. It was also a bit rude to have them present us the bill even before we asked for it. It was as if they were kicking us out. Well, they didn’t really kick us out in fact, in fact, we hung around the restaurant for quite a while, while catching up on our gossip.

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View from Tai Tau Chau

It was a wonderful day of exploring here at Shek O. I decided that this trip of mine to Hong Kong would be different and this is just one of the ways I made the trip different. Even my friend who doesn’t really like to go out was glad we pushed through this this trek. After all, it wasn’t easy to find someone who was willing to on treks like this. We finally started to make our way back to the town of Shek O. The sun was going down behind the mountains fast so we needed to make haste while there is still light outside.

Bridge Back to Shek O

From Tai Tau Chau, we can see one group of wedding photographers still trying to catch the last rays of sunlight and they already have the bride sitting perilously on the jagged rocks of Shek O. It was an amusing scene since the bride was getting drenched because of the waves smashing onto the rocks. I just hope that she doesn’t get dragged into the sea by a rogue wave. When we got to Shek O town, were also noticed the other photoshoots were already wrapped up. There doesn’t seem to be much night life here, at least nowhere near the scale of Lan Kwai Fong. It really seems to be a great place to live in. If only I had the money to stay here.

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Reaching the Pavillion at Tai Tau Chau

For the second time in a day, I was climbing again, though it is not a mountain this time, but rather a hill on a tiny island called Tai Tau Chau in Shek O. The path on the island itself is paved and it has guard rails to protect visitors from falling. Here, falling is not good since there are no trees to break your fall and you will go straight to the jagged rocks below. It is really thoughtful of the government to build these, it makes the hike so much safer.

Another Island Sliced Up By Nature

At the end or rather the middle of the hike (the hike is actually a loop around the island), you reach the highest point of the island. At this point there is a nice little pavillion where visitors can sit and relax in the sea breeze. From this point, you can see the rest of Shek O and realize how tiny this place actually is. The small houses are built all over the rocks at Shek O, making use of every available space. I guess they are no longer allowed to expand their borders so everyone is just crammed together, however it is nowhere as dense as the residential districts of Hong Kong.

Rugged Coastline of Tai Tau Chau

Around the top, there are barbeque pits which seems to be an enjoyable activity here. However, it was already late in the day and I don’t see anyone using the pits. There were, however, people just hanging around the pit area enjoying the breeze.

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End of the Day at Shek O

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