Note: I just realized that China does not like blogging so my website is blocked. I am asking my son-in-law to help me update my blogs.
I arrived in Hong Kong (HK) on Tuesday evening (HK time) after a long 14-hour flight from San Francisco. Whenever I fly international, I avoid flying US airlines because compared to other international airlines, US airlines have very poor service and amenities. So I wasn't surprised when I boarded the United Airlines flight, first thing I noticed was the absence of a TV monitor on the back of the seat in front of me. That means on a long flight, you are at the mercy of whatever movies or videos they show on the drop-down monitor. Instead of watching a few recent movies, you almost have no entertainment at all. Fortunately, I brought a book and an iPod to keep me occupied.
As for the meals they served on board, a Swanson TV dinner would have been an upgrade. They also charged for alcoholic beverages, which are usually free on international flights.
After I landed at the new HK airport, it was about an hour bus ride to my friend John's flat (apartment) in Kowloon. His flat is nicely located near the Yau Mar Tei subway station, next to Nathan Road, which is like Broadway Avenue in New York City. It is also near two popular night-markets: Ladies Market and Temple Street Market. The Jade Market is only 2 blocks away.
As I've been to HK several times, I wasn't very much interested in the popular tourist attractions. Walking around the local neighborhood is more interesting to me because it reminds me of Singapore in my early years growing up there. There are a lot of similarities between the two places: both were British colonies with a high-percentage of Chinese population. I want to share some pictures below of the neighbored that you may find interesting.
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| Chinese Herbal Tea Stand |
Instead of taking aspirin, Tylenol, or pepto-bismol, etc, I grew up drinking these herbal tea. My mother would take me to one of these places and tell the person behind the counter what ailment I have and they'd recommend the right type of tea. They usually have a bitter taste but Chinese have been drinking these tea for centuries so I assume they work. In fact, there was a recent Time Magazine article about the Cleveland Clinic starting a Chinese herbal medicine practice.
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| Large Fungus |
These are large fungus were harvested at high elevations. They are used for medicinal purposes.
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| Senior citizens hanging out at a McDonald's |
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| Jade Market |
At the Jade Market, you not only find jade but all kinds of stones as well. This market has been around for years and is a popular stop for many tourists. Like any precious stones, you better know what you are buying.
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| Homeless sleeping in a pedestrian underpass |
I was surprised that the police have not chased them away.
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| Street Market specializing in electronics |
Street market are very popular with the locals. Each area tend to specialize in a certain type of goods, like electronics in the picture above. You can find almost anything related to electronics although sometimes they mix in some hardware like the stand below.
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| This stand specializes in hardware that secure things |
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| Add for an apt for rent |
HK has one of the most expensive real-estate in the world. Above is an ad for an apartment with about 300 square feet of usable space, renting for HK$17,000 a month or about US$2,733 a month! I know some of your master bedrooms are bigger than 300 square feet.
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| View from John's flat |
The picture above shows a contrast between the very rich and very poor. In some neighborhoods people are barely making a living, while about a couple of miles away are gleaming apartment buildings and first-rate shopping centers.
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| This is where housewives shop in the morning |
There are no big supermarkets like Safeway's or Whole Foods in this area. Housewives go to a "wet" market where they buy their produce and meat. On the street, in the picture above, you see a stall selling vegetables while next to it someone is selling women's undergarments.
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| Salted Fish at the market |
Salted fish is a common ingredient in Chinese cooking. It was a way to preserve fish before refrigeration was invented. It was very salty and pungent. It's an acquired taste but some people just love it. A favorite dish is salted fish and chicken fried rice.
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| Durians |
I was surprised to see durians being sold everywhere. People who are not familiar with this fruit said it smells like rotten eggs but those who've acquired a taste for it just love it. It is grown mainly in tropical south-east Asia, like Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. I am surprised that it is popular here because most Hong Kong folks didn't grow up eating durians.
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| Different Kinds of BBQ meat |
Cantonese-style BBQ is very popular and here in Hong Kong, they are being sold everywhere. They are commonly displayed in the storefront. Above you see BBQ geese, duck and roast pork. Not shown is BBQ pork or "char siu." The roast pork looked so good that John had to buy a slice and ate the pieces while we were walking. The crispy skin is the favorite part.
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| World-Famous Peninsula Hotel in HK |
A couple of miles south of the Yau Mar Tei neighborhood is the Tsim Sha Tsui area, home to several 5-star hotels, brand-name stores and the world-famous Peninsula Hotel. This is near the waterfront area in Kowloon, facing HK Island. Amazingly, next to the Peninsula Hotel is a YMCA Hotel, where you can get a double room for about US$150. One of the must-do experience in HK is riding the Star Ferry from Kowloon to HK Island or vice-versa. When you go from Kowloon to HK, you see the iconic HK skyline. This is like taking the Staten Island Ferry from Lower Manhattan to Staten Island and seeing the downtown Manhattan skyline.
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| Hong Kong Island Skyline |
