Missing Hong Kong (27-30 Nov 2014) Day 3

Day 3 (29 Nov 2014)

We were very fickle-minded on this last day in HK.  From considering visiting Lamma Island to the Hong Kong Wetlands to Mid Levels.....

But first and foremost, I accompanied my friend to St Raphael's Catholic Cemetery in Lai Chi Kok 荔枝角 to pay her respect to her aunt.  We were surprised to find the large private cemetery located within the city!

As we had a very early morning flight to catch the next day, we decided not to be too ambitious and settled on having a good leisurely lunch at the 2-Michelin-Star Lei Garden利苑 in Wan Chai 湾仔after which we will take the travelator to the Mid Levels and roamed around the area.

The food was excellent， both in terms of taste and quality.  We had an interesting soup of the day, a green veggy, a combination plate and the signature claypot rice.  I would have preferred the special glutinous rice version but one of my friends prefers the plain rice version.  Will try the specialty on my next trip.

Pork Shank Soup with Walnut and Chinese Common Yam Rhizome 核桃淮山茨实煲猪展

Combination plate comprising roast pork and crackling fatty pork 

Fried Kai Lan with loads of fragrant garlic

Fabulous Claypot rice with duck liver sausage, pork sausage, fatty sausage and fresh scallops

I bought 2 packets of the special duck liver sausage to bring back to Singapore and regretted not buying more!

After the heavy lunch, we decided to take the MTR to Central and walked to take the Mid Levels Escalators.  The entire travelator, built in the 1990s, is 800 metres long and 135 metres high. Interesting shops lined both sides of the travelator and one can easily visit any of the shops via the stairways that flanked the travelator.

Near the end of the many changes of travelator is a supermarket and a small resting area with 2 benches.  We actually took a 5-10min nap here while sitting on the bench! We woke up to find that workers had blocked off the last travelator! After taking a short cut through the supermarket instead, we decided to walk to the tram station to take the tram to the peak.

It was a very pleasant walk around the Mid Levels but we noticed that there were many groups of policemen (4-6 or more) stationed at close intervals along the road that leads down to town.  Upon enquiring, we were told that they were protecting the residence of the Chief Executive in view of the pending pro-democracy student protest.

We decided not to take the tram and had a cuppa instead.  I was happy to enjoy the free wifi while my friends rested.  We were jolted into action by some sudden drilling work and decided to go for a movie at IFC.  I always enjoy watching a movie in HK, especially listening to the advertisement in Cantonese!  However, we missed the 5pm show time by 5 minutes and decided to skip movie as the next show time was at 7pm.  Instead we headed back to Tsimshatsui and decided to walk to Jordan (about 15 minutes) for the famous Yee Shun Steamed Milk 義顺牛奶公司，姜汁撞奶 。 It was scalding hot but very good.  Nowadays I actually prefer to make my own back home as a bowl at Yee Shun costs S$5.  At that price I could have enjoyed 4-5 bowls home-made version from the comfort of my home.

Our last task was to buy the various types of biscuits including almond biscuit 杏仁饼, Wife Cake 老婆饼, pineapple tarts 凤梨酥 and tea-flavoured cookies. We also bought some buns and cream puff for breakfast and returned to our hotel to pack.

Some of my hauls of dried seafood

Snacks from 么凤

The Lei Garden duck liver sausage and some of the biscuits I bought from Kay Wah 奇華

The next morning, we arrived very early at the airport at 5.30am.  Only 3 counters were opened and the queue was very long.  Just as well that the flight was delayed by 1.5hours as we could find time to share a bowl of the famous wanton noodles from 正斗粥麵 which opens only at 7am......

Goodbye for now Hong Kong, my 2nd favourite country to visit for hiking, dining and shopping, after Japan.

Directions to 2-Michelin-Star Lei Garden Restaurant in Wan Chai 利苑， 湾仔
326-338 Hennessy Road 轩尼诗道 , Hong Kong
Tel 852-2892-0333
Take Island Line港岛线 to Wan Chai station 湾仔
Take Exit A4 and on street level, turn right and walk straight along Hennessy Road for 7-8 minutes

Directions to Shanghai Yiu Feng上海么凤:
92 Percival Street 波斯富街, Causeway Bay 铜鑼湾
Tel 852-2504-2328
Take Island Line 港岛线 to Causeway Bay station 铜鑼湾
3 minutes walk from Exit A

Missing Hong Kong (27-30 Nov 2014)- Day2

Day 2 (28 Nov 2014)

We scrambled out of bed early to go for an early hike on Dragon’s Back trail so that we can reach Sai Kung in time for the limited sale of its famous custard bun 金牌流沙奶皇包.However, we were unprepared to find a long snaking queue at the bus depot for the public transport to the popular hiking trail.  There were easily 300 or more people in the queue on a Friday morning when in the past I used to encounter just a handful!!  I decided to take a cab instead as it’s only 10 minutes away by car.

4.8km Dragon's Back Urban Trail, HK

The full trail ends in Tai Long Wan (Big Wave Bay) but I didnt have time to do the entire trail this time round

Waiting for bus #9 at the bus depot outside Shau Kei Wan 筲箕湾  MTR Station

Ascending Dragon's Back 龙脊 fr bus stop  near To Tei Wan Village 土地湾村 AFTER Cape Collingson 歌连臣角

This relatively easy trail was voted the Best Urban Hiking Trail by Time (Asia Ed).  The rolling ridges at only 284m high offer panoramic view of Shek O, Tai Long Wan and Tai Tam Bay.  The weather was excellent, cool and the air was crisp but the view a little misty.

Short distance from the start of the trail with a view of Tai Tam Bay 大潭湾

At the summit of  Dragon's Back 龙脊

View of  Shek O 石澳

View from Dragon's Back with Shek O in the background

After the thoroughly enjoyable hike, we spent almost an hour taking the public bus, mtr and mini bus to Hong Kong’s back garden, Sai Kung, in search of my favourite custard bun, 金牌流沙奶皇包 at Chuen Kee Seafood Restaurant (全记海鲜馆) along the famous seafront Seafood Street. I was hoping to see that they have done away with their rule of limiting to only one order per customer and for dine-in only but was disappointed that they have not relented on this. Nevertheless, I was happy that we could eat to our heart’s content with a total of 3 steamers or 9 pieces of the oozing custard bun.  The dim sum here is also excellent and of generous serving portions.  

                                      

                                  

Market in Sai Kung

Floating market at Sai Kung Pier

We felt somewhat sleepy after a heavy meal and wandered around the backlanes checking out the many interesting shops. Time flew and it was already well past our intended departure time.  We hurried back to Central to catch the bus to The Peak but it was a mistake to travel in the city centre on a Friday evening during the rush hour.  It took us 1 hour and 10 minutes to arrive at the destination when it should have been just under 30 minutes.  I was lucky to have a seat but the double-decker bus was packed like sardines! By the time we alighted from the bus, I was reeling from motion sickness and it was really too late and dark to attempt my pre-planned hike from The Peak to the dam. 

After catching some fresh air, we decided to head back to tsimshatsui just for dessert before retiring to our hotel.  But we were distracted by the food hall in Pacific Place and ended up with loads of take-away sushi which was on sale after 8pm. 

Despite the long day and lots of walking, I am not at all tired or sleepy and still have time and energy to write this blog.  Can’t say the same for my 2 friends who have long gone to dream land.

Directions to Dragon's Back 龙脊:
Take Island Line 港岛线 to Shau Kei Wan station 筲箕湾
Take Exit A3 and change to Bus #9. U can use the Octopus card to pay for the bus fare HK3.90
Alight at either Cape Collinson 歌连臣角 or To Tei Wan 土地湾bus stop to start the hike
View from Cape Collinson is better as you need not keep turning back to look out for Stanley 赤柱/Tai Tam Bay 大潭湾

Directions to Sai Kung 西贡：
Take the Tseung Kwan O Line 将军澳线 to Hang Hau station 坑口
Exit faregate and turn Right. Outside the building, turn left towards the bus depot and take minibus #101M to the final bus stop in Sai Kung

Missing Hong Kong (27-30 Nov 2014)- Day1

Day 1 (27 Nov 2014)

Had not been to Hong Kong the whole of this year and was eagerly looking forward to the short getaway.

We reached HK in the wee hours and had lots of time on hand after depositing our luggage with the concierge.  We abided by our plan and did all our "heavy" shopping on the 1^st day, shuttling between kowloon and hongkong  several times since we bought the excellent 3-day value pack (HK$220 Airport Express Travel Pass) with unlimited MTR rides and a 1-way airport express trip (HK$300 with 2-way Airport Express). U can get a refund of HK$50 at the customer service counter after 3 continuous days of usage or you can top up and continue to use it like a normal Octopus card. If you wish to get the HK$50 refund you must do it within 3 months. If you visit Hong Kong often, you can keep the stored-value card for future use 

The very first thing we did was to sprint to Sham Shui Po 深水埗. Between the 3 of us, we had some 10 different dim sum dishes at the 1 Michelin-star Dim Sum restaurant Tim Hou Wan 添好运and the total bill was only S$26 or S$8.65each! 

After refueling, I had a very fruitful day stocking up on my dried seafood supplies from Hung Shing 红城 and savoury snacks from 么风 (Yiu Fong) in Causeway Bay 铜蘿湾and even had an unplanned but ultra happy purchase of a jacket,  and the supposedly best century eggs and salted egg yolks from a famous but nondescript shop 顺兴行 in Sheung Wan 上环

The hauls back to the hotel totalled >6kg!!! The only disappointment was with the famous mango dessert eatery Hoi Lau Shan (许留山). We checked out 4 different outlets in Causeway Bay and after more than an hour, and very late at almost 1pm then did we manage to step into one outlet.  So much have changed, especially the menu and the quality of the dessert.  The price has gone up by some 20% since my last visit >1 year ago but the quantity remains the same and the quality, below par.  I can now bid goodbye to one of my favourite dessert stalls in HK and have room for the other sumptuous desserts that are readily available throughout the country.

Ended the day very early after an early dinner (6pm) at a tzechar stall 强记鸡粥 in Tai Wai 大圍in the New Territories.  We had the very succulent and tasty grilled pigeon, silky smooth chicken porridge, fragrant fried noodles, fried rommaine lettuce with loads of garlic and braised razor clams.  By the time we were on our way back to the hotel, we were all walking like zombies having been deprived of sleep for 37 hours!  I was asleep by 9pm and had a good 10-hour sleep!

Directions to 1-Michelin-Star Dim Sum Restaurant Tim Hou Wan 添好运 at Sham Shui Po 深水埗：

9-11 Fuk Wing Street 福荣街

8am to 9.30pm daily

Tel: 852-2788-1226

Take Tsuen Wan Line 荃湾线 to Sham Shui Po station 深水埗

Take Exit B2, walk straight and at 1st crossroad junction, turn right into Fuk Wing Street 福荣街.  添好运is located towards the end of Fuk Wing Street

Directions to Shunxinghang 顺兴行 famous century and salted egg shop:

61 Wing Lok street 永乐街 

Open after 2pm

Tel: 852-2544-1911

Take Tsuen Wan Line 荃湾线or Island Line 港岛线 to Sheung Wan station 上环

Take Exit A2 and turn left. 1 minute walk from Exit A2

Directions to Shatin Keung Kee Chicken Porridge 沙田强记鸡粥：

Tai Wai, 12 Chik Chuen Street 大圍積存街12号地下

5pm to 3am daily

Tel: 852-2697-9818

Take East Rail Line 东铁线, Tai Wai station 大圍

Take Exit A, walk straight (about 3-4min) till almost end of road and turn Right into Chik Chuen St

Japan Calling (Day 8)

Day 8 (12 Nov 2014)

The view from our breakfast venue was breath-taking.  It  was slightly misty initially but it cleared by the time we finished our breakfast.  I hurried to the garden below the restaurant and was rewarded with an eyefeast that is beyond words.  This is the most "colourful" holiday I have ever had.  My plan to start the trip from further north of Japan in Gunma and move southwards to Hakone seems right in chasing the koyo which moves from North to South, the exact opposite of the Sakura trail.  That's why we could continue to see the blazing colours even in Hakone after we had left Gunma in the North

A notice in the lift ;)

After witnessing yet another bewitching myraid of autumn hues, we checked out and went to catch the free bus to our next ryokan, Tsuki no Koigokoro Ryokan 月の 恋心 in Ohidarai, further down closer to the town centre of Yumoto.  I had decided to book a ryokan nearer to town so as to save time and money travelling to Yumoto train station since our 3-day Hakone Free Pass would have expired by the time we start our trip back to Tokyo

On the previous 2 days, the aerial view from the ropeway was marred by mist and an overcast sky.  This morning, we had a fantastic view of the glorious vista below.  The colours below the cable car were really awesome.  Except that Mt Fuji was still shrouded behind the looming clouds in the distance.  Perhaps this is the only flaw on this near perfect trip.  We also didnt manage to take the iconic picture of Mt Fuji "next" to where we stayed in Hotel Green Plaza because of the dense mist. 

This small ryokan works in collaboration with another 5-6 other ryokans in the same vicinity to share their onsen facilities.  Guests at any of these ryokans can hop around using their onsen baths.  

The walk from the ryokan to the bus stop is just 1-2 minutes away and the timing was perfect as the bus seemed to arrive on cue the moment we reached the bus stop

It was a nice alternative to enjoying Hakone from the comfort of a bus, which is just as comfortable as the tourist coach that we are used to.  But for photo enthusiasts, the tram, cable car and ropeway definitely provide unequal opportunities for aerial photography of the picturesque landscape below.

We were heading to Togendai Station to catch the free cruise on Lake Ashi.  With the Hakone Free Pass (4,500 JPY) , customers get to enjoy unlimited rides on all modes of transport in Hakone for 3 consecutive days.  This includes the return train ride from Shinjuku to Odawara. 

Free cruise from Togendai Station

 However, I was soon distracted by the enchanting sight of white swaying Pampas Grass(Susuki Grassland) in Sengokuhara and decided to abort the plan to cruise Lake Ashi since I had done done that before.  No regrets for the impromptu stop as the white fluttering grass makes a perfect contrast against  the flaming colours of the forest.  The wind was unusually strong and I had to wear my Goretex jacket over my light down jacket to cut away the wind chill.  This area that runs parallel to the road is a special protection zone, and only around this time of the year can one see the sea of dancing white "lalang".  I had been to Sengokuhara 3 times before this and it's the first time that I saw this captivating sight.  I actually saw it from the bus yesterday while on the way back from my hike but the bus was too crowded and I was a little tired to explore the new discovery.  

After immersing in the field of glorious white and gold, I crossed the road to check out some glorious colours that I saw from afar.  The residents here are so blessed to live in such a charming place that looks more like a painting!

I had a good lunch at a quaint shop and decided to walk all the way back to the  glass museum (probably about 3km) but was again distracted and deviated to enjoy a stroll on the grounds of a magnificent hotel.  I dread to think of the time I would need to spend selecting my hundreds of picture perfect images of this memorable autumn trail journey....

  

Anyway, to maximise the Pass, I took the bus back to Yumoto to do my shopping and savour one last ultralicious soft ice cream drizzled with Japanese yuzu (pomelo) honey. 

Japanese yuzu (pomelo), from our balcony

It was a short ride back to the ryokan which is just 7 minutes away from Yumoto train station.  And I was lucky to find the private onsen empty after dinner......well, we dont usually go for a dip shortly after a full meal but I guess that's also the best time to avoid queuing for the private onsen.  U can lock the door from the inside and enjoy the hotspring bath for as long as you wish.....a great way to unwind and settle down for our last night in Hakone

Wrapping up the blog for this autumn trail pursuit.  Photos in the Japan Calling blogs were all taken with the Samsung Note 2.  Better quality pictures from my camera will be compiled into an e-album and shared on my Facebook website when ready... Do look out for it and hope U enjoy my travelogue.