Sunday 31 May 2015
Sapa
Apart from waking up every hour, sleeping on the bus wasn't too bad. That was until it stopped. Just before 3am I thought maybe the driver wanted a little rest so the engine was turned off and therefore so was the aircon. Nearly 3 hours the bus sat there, gathering up masses of condensation and loosing valuable oxygen. People got fed up in the end and got off so we followed. Luckily, a man was there with our names on a list and sent us in a taxi to a hotel where we would be able to shower and have breakfast. I had bread and fried eggs which wasn't the best but I knew I'd need food. We also got a shower in one of the hotel rooms. Imagine some kind of horror film that is based in a hotel; that's what the rooms were like. I had the quickest shower of my life.
At just before 9am a local girl came and introduced herself to us. She was called May and was to be our guide. Her English was excellent and we later learnt that she'd learnt it from tourists. At 19 she had never left the valley she lived in, which some people thought was sad and she was missing opportunities, but she told us how happy everyone who lives in the valley is. If you're perfectly content where you are, why change it?
We set off walking from the hotel, immediately taking in the breathtaking views, following little tracks up and down the edges of the valley. It was quite hot but nothing compared to Hanoi so it was perfectly bearable. Some local ladies tagged along on the walk with us as well. First I was a little afraid of speaking to them, thinking only that they wanted to sell us something, but they kept asking where each person was from and they were ever so friendly. Some of them also made little horses or love hearts out of bamboo leaves and gave them out. I decided that I'd look super cool with my heart (which also had a pretty flower on it) in my hair. I think I've started a new trend. The ladies also had lovely names like Susu and Lily. I was gutted when it got to lunch time and they whipped out things to sell to us from their basket rucksacks. There are also little girls that try to sell bracelets that they've made themselves. They look so sad but I reckon that's their technique: look unhappy and more people will buy from you. I would buy one but if you buy from one girl you have to buy from all of them.
After a morning of trekking (if you don't like walking this tour is not for you) we stopped by a river for lunch. A restaurant which was in a very large old farm building. We avoided the meat as it was chicken but ate rice and potatoes and carrots. There wasn't much food though. I felt I needed more as I'd been walking all morning. And I hadn't had the best night sleep.
We set off hiking again after lunch, passing villagers working in their rice fields, many bare foot and shin deep in muddy water. At about 3pm we arrived at our homestay. It was a largish wooden hut which was home to a couple and their 4 small children as well as the grandparents. It's custom for the youngest boy in the family to care for the parents when they are old. It was a very basic house but lovely. The kitchen had a fire pit in the centre for the cooking. There was a lovely shower and toilet for us to use and the whole of the top floor was covered in large mattresses with nets to cover us.
Our group was quite large and consisted of 2 Brazilians, 2 Chilians, 3 Israelis, 2 Austrians and 1 German. Although it was a large group it was nice to have people from all over the world to talk to and learn from.
The lady of the house made us a dinner consisting of rice, pork and carrots and onions, spring rolls and tofu for the vegetarians. We all sat together at a large table, chatting about different places and things we'd seen.
I was in bed my 9pm as I was ridiculously tired but it had been a good day. The Sapa region is beautiful and unspoilt (apart from litter on many of the paths) and the people that live there seem happy and they love life.
Saturday 30 May 2015
The Knight Bus
This morning we walked barely 5 minutes from our hostel to a huge indoor market which sold anything you could think of. The rows of stalls were jam packed together making it hard to squeeze past people. Women that were selling clothes could be found napping on piles of packaged items in little corners, others were sat in front of fans, trying not to sweat.
From there we walked over to the royal palace (very gold and grand but pretty small) and to the Ho Chi Minh memorial thing. Unfortunately, due to our clothing we weren't allowed in but we were happy enough to see the outside of it.
For lunch we went to a poshish restaurant as it had aircon. Who can refuse aircon? I went for stir fried duck with steamed rice. It was lovely but there was a little too much fennel for my liking. The restaurant is non profitable though as they train up young people who are having a hard life and need help.
It was still the hottest time of the day at that point so we went to the art gallery. I'm not big into art (I actually find it rather dull) but there were some cool pieces; we were deciding which ones we'd have in our own houses.
On our walk back to the old quarter (where the hostel was) we stopped off at a few Made in Vietnam stores. These sell H&M and Zara clothes (as well as others) at massively reduced prices, probably because they are all made in Vietnam. I still didn't want to pay that amount though so we went back to the night market after tea for half an hour to attempt haggling again. I got a little bit of money off a dress so I didn't fail but it was still £2 something (I only wanted to pay a pound).
We had booked a tour to Sapa with our hostel and the night bus left at 9pm so we prepared ourselves for what we knew wouldn't be the most comfortable journey. It wasn't too bad. The seats were all reclined back, almost like a bed, so we could sleep quite easily and there was aircon. Let's see what Sapa has in store for us.
Friday 29 May 2015
Cheap and cheerful
Unfortunately, there is no wifi in this hostel (apparently the whole area is down but that's a lie) so blog posting will be a tad late. However, we made it to Vietnam! Our flight from Hong Kong wasn't till the afternoon but we went to the airport early and I roamed around the shops for a while, spraying myself with perfume to mask my sweaty aroma.
When in Hanoi, we weren't sure how to get from the airport to the hostel but had read that the airport shuttle bus would be fine. The problem was, we didn't know where that bus left from. Instead we apprehensively got on a dodgy minibus, luckily with other English and Americans who seemed a little more clued up. They told the driver we would pay him when we got to our hotels (I never even thought of saying that) and so we shouldn't be dropped off anywhere random. We made it to the hostel in one piece.
The hostel is nice, lovely people, free beer between 7 and 8pm and free breakfast (all for £3.37; Vietnam is so cheap). After we'd thrown our stuff in the room and drank two free beers we ventured out to find food, settling for a hot baguette with pork. It was rather yummy and we ate it on little plastic stools that you'd find a 3 year old on. The streets are full with these little plastic stools and tables, many women just sat on one whilst stirring a pot of something that they're trying to sell. The roads are packed with people and scooters and cars and bikes. There doesn't seem to be many traffic lights or road markings so it's impossible to cross a road safely. I keep having to hold onto Matt's arm as he crosses so I don't feel like I'm going to die. Scooters vacate the majority of the roads, always beeping for people to move out of the way. It's rather cool and different to anywhere I've ever been but I feel like I've got to always have my wits about me. One also has to be aware of pickpockets as there are tonnes of them. Bumbags are quite trendy.
We also grabbed a couple of beers at an outdoor bar in the street after our food, paying only 5,000 dong per beer (about 16p). Now that is cheap.
Lakes, museums and markets
The day started off with our free breakfast of toast with either egg or jam. Not bad. We then walked to Hoan Kiem, the lake in the old quarter. It was quite tranquil compared to the rest of the city but still a little dirty. The willow trees surrounding the lake, hanging over the edge, made it more beautiful. Who doesn't love a willow tree?
So the heat in Hong Kong was bad but different to Hanoi. The humidity here is much less but its reaching nearly 40 degrees. Museums then seemed like a genius idea. We were nearest to the history museum so spent almost an hour looking for the oldest object we could (3500-4000 before present, not to be mistaken with bc).
The next museum we chose was the women's museum, apparently the best one. It taught us about the roles woman have taken throughout the last century, especially during the war, and particular women who have earnt awards for bravery or success.
Hoa Lo prison wasn't far from the women's museum and is open to visitors. It no longer has any prisoners but has been transformed into a museum, showing the struggles of the Vietnamese prisoners when the French were taking over. It also portrays how the Vietnamese imprisoned American pilots when the Americans were trying to bomb Vietnam, but they looked after the pilots, giving them letters and such from home, allowing them to play games and celebrate festivals such as Christmas. I need to read up more about the Vietnam war though, I feel a little clueless.
On our way back towards the hostel (we needed another shower) we passed a cathedral, not unlike the Norte Dame. Pretty cool. It was shut off to visitors though so we could only observe the exterior.
After our shower and free beer we headed for food with my new friend I'd made called Hannah. She was rather chatty but was well travelled and so was interesting to talk to. We chose a street food place where I ate Bún Bò Nam Bô (there were more accents than that). It was noodles with greens, stir fried beef and peanuts. Rather yummy, but I'm a little afraid whenever I eat something that I'm going to get food poisoning. Just got to hope that my stomach is strong enough.
After tea we walked barely 5 minutes to the night market, the clue is in the name. It was huge! Bigger than ladies market in Hong Kong. My mission was to find some cheap dresses as most of my clothes are unwearable without washing due to sweat (I've been doing a lot of hand washing, 6 pairs of pants isn't enough). Also, dresses would be so much cooler, especially if there was a slight breeze. I managed to find a few but the stall people wouldn't let me haggle and I didn't want to pay full price for anything, I wouldn't have earnt it (full price was like £3).
Wednesday 27 May 2015
Sweaty peaks
The lovely humid weather hit us early today, getting us beautifully sweaty before we'd even boarded the ferry to Discovery Bay. It meant that the boat ride wasn't the most comfortable, fanning ourselves with leaflets we found in the seat pockets. When we arrived at the bay it was still stupidly hot but we chose to walk along the beach, not paddling though; the beach was quite nice but deserted, probably due to the rain, but it made it feel a little eery.
I'd read a little about Discovery Bay, mainly things saying how it was upmarket, however, I wasn't expecting the resort type apartments which, in my opinion, looked a little dated. People drove round on golf buggies and I'm pretty sure there were more Americans and British than any Asian nationality. It made me not like the place.
We stupidly chose to walk from one side of the bay to the other in the heat so by the time we had basked in the air con supplied by a supermarket, our clothes were rather damp and disgusting. We managed to get some bread and cheese which we ate in a square surrounded by modern looking shops. By the time we'd eaten the heat had made us feel lethargic so we got a free shuttle bus back to the ferry.
Back on Hong Kong Island we finally decided to go to Victoria Peak, something we'd been putting off due to the shitty weather. The tram took us up the mountain (more like a steep hill) to what seemed like a little shopping centre. It was far too touristy for my liking but we got out of the building and to a view point, not the highest point as the mist was still quite heavy. From the view point we could see quite a lot; down onto central and across to Kowloon. When the mist occasionally cleared we could even see the hills beyond which I believe are into the New Territories. Still, I couldn't help but think the view would have been way better with a lush blue sky above it.
We stayed at the peak until it started to get dark. There were walks to do which would have been lovely but the mist on the peak would have spoilt them. Instead we looked again at the view, watching the lights come on in the city below.
Tuesday 26 May 2015
Science and good food
Due to my illness and the storm situation going on outside, we chose to spend the morning drinking lemsip and booking a hostel for Hanoi (our next destination).
With that sorted we took a ride on a tram to Central. The trams look like double decker buses but tall and thin, not unlike the knight bus in Harry Potter (obviously only two levels though). It was a little slower than we originally thought but was super cheap, less than 20p for a ride. From central we took a ferry to Kowloon which is the main land (only takes like 10 minutes but again super cheap, we were having a cheap day) so that we could visit the history and science museums. Unfortunately, the history museum was shut so we settled for science and ended up spending 3 hours in there, pressing lots of buttons and attempting many quizzes. Rather enjoyable but not the most educational.
We then headed back to the pier, stopping for a while to look at Hong Kong Island skyline again before getting a ferry back for some tea. We'd read up about this restuarant that was one of the best in Hong Kong (called Tim Ho Wan if anyone fancies googling it). It had expanded and so now has a few places across the city. We chose one in central and were expecting a massive queue as we'd walked past a few days before and seen one. Luckily, the queue was very short and we were seated quickly. My taste hasn't completely returned but I could get a lot of the flavour, the best being a baked bun with barbecue pork. The bun was a little sweet and instead of a soft dough it was quite crispy. The barbecue pork was just plain lovely. Definitely worth a visit.
After tea we got the metro to Tin Hau, one stop away from our hostel, so we could get some ice cream from a place we'd heard about. They use liquid nitrogen so they don't use any additives in their ice cream. The place had 3 kitchen aids lined up which they used to make the ice cream (Zoe Anderson, you would have loved it), pouring the liquid nitrogen in followed by the ice cream mix. Very cool. I chose a salted ice cream with caramel which was quite nice but not as good as it sounds. I regret not going for the white chocolate and Greek yoghurt with strawberry sauce (definitely would have been my mothers choice).
Monday 25 May 2015
Buns, colds and lack of taste
After our late return last night (half 3 ish) we didn't manage to get out anywhere until midday. It would seem that 22 year olds need quite a bit of sleep. Feeling a little worse for wear, we went to meet Alice at the central piers. I should probably point out here that I have actually been ill with a cold which is a little ironic considering how hot it is in Hong Kong. I've decided the city isn't the most hygenic and so bugs spread easily.
As it was a bank holiday (Buddha's birthday) loads of people were also heading to our chosen destination: Cheung Chau, a small island which was hosting an annual bun festival. After about an hour on a ferry we arrived to massive crowds, slowly moving up and down the pier, checking out market stalls as they passed. We joined the army of people and headed to where the festival was taking place. There wasn't much to see as only people involved in the festival were allowed to enter the caged off area which was dedicated to the buns. There were big cone shaped figures, covered in these buns though. I'm not sure whether they were edible ones but if you picture the soft bread like ones, usually with a filling that you get at good Chinese restaurants, they're the same thing.
Processions were also moving up and down some streets, bands creating the music for people in dragon costumes to dance to. But the amount of people (and the intense heat as the sun had appeared) put us off seeing any more. We quickly viewed a sweet little temple just beside the festival before heading to a beach to cool down.
We hit the beach quite quickly (the island is only small) and began paddling along it. Unfortunately, a large proportion of the sand was covered in litter, making it unattractive, but further up it had obviously been cleared so that people could lay down their towels or sunbeds.
The paddling made me a little less sweaty before we headed up off the beach to see the mini Great Wall. By the time we got there I was dripping so badly with sweat that I didn't really care what the wall looked like. It didn't help that I was still feeling quite ill either. We quickly headed back down to the beach, and after purchasing some cold water I went straight in the sea, not caring that I would be rather damp for the rest of the day. It was lovely. I instantly felt cooler. Matt also swam so we kept creating nice wet patches wherever we sat for the rest of the day. At least it was sea water and not sweat this time.
After a delightful swim, we headed back into the main town and grabbed some food. I chose noodles with barbecued chicken from a stall. I've become a massive fan of anything barbecued. We all also bought a bun, it was the bun festival after all! I went for a custard filled one, thinking the custard would be a little runny. It wasn't runny. It was like a paste which tasted nice but nothing on my homemade custard.
By that time it had cooled down and the sky was turning a little darker. I thought it was going to storm but I think it was just getting late. We waited in line for a ferry back which didn't take too long considering the length of the queue. Back on Hong Kong Island we said our farewells to Alice (hopefully she doesn't despise us too much as we weren't the liveliest due to lack of sleep and heat) and headed back to the direction of our hostel. It was lovely to see Alice again though.
I'd read on some review site about a restuarant just round the corner from our hostel so we headed there, thinking longingly of our beds. The people working at the place greeted us and told us to take our time (everyone in Hong Kong eats far too fast, they're in and out of a restaurant far too quickly); they were probably the nicest people I've seen in Hong Kong. We chose a particular menu where you were given a noodle soup each then 9 varieties of dim sum as well as a drink. Probably the most depressing part of the trip so far as my taste had suddenly disappeared. This illness is mean. For me, losing my taste is like when a singer loses their voice. I still tried all the food, occasionally getting the tiniest flavour for a mere second. Matt had to describe what they tasted like, his favourite being one that was a little similar to scampi but was crispier and had some kind of sweet sauce in the middle of it. Stupid cold.
Sunday 24 May 2015
Lamma Island
Ferries from the central pier on Hong Kong Island go to many of the outlying islands. Today we chose to get a ferry to Lamma Island. It took about half an hour and when we arrived it wasn't raining! Yay! We walked through the port town (can't remember it's name) and checked out all the little stalls they had going on with mainly seafood. The town (more like a village size) was very old style Chinese with no modern buildings in sight. Quite lovely to walk through. Once we walked out of the village we followed a path to a beach. It was quite a nice beach but it started raining so looked a little depressing.
After a steady climb up away from the beach, we reached a view point. It had stopped raining (ish) but was so humid that even my face was dripping with sweat. I looked well lush. The view wasn't the best as it was misty but there was a woman selling frozen pineapple pieces. We were so hot that it sounded amazing. We mainly used it to cool down our faces but ate some too. It's not as nice as it sounds. The flavour was lost along with the juiciness.
We continued to walk across the island, eventually finding another beach, this one a little smaller and less crowded. I really just wanted to swim in the sea to cool myself down but I didn't have a swimming costume and I knew I would regret it later if I went in in my clothes. I settled for paddling. It did cool me down a little and was quite refreshing.
About another 15 minutes along a path brought us into a fishing village. We walked through, ignoring the pestering restaurant owners attempting to entice us in with their displays of seafood in tubs (it was all still alive). Luckily, there was a ferry port in this village too so we didn't have to retrace our steps.
Back on Hong Kong Island we stopped off at an ice cream place we'd heard was good. They used something to make the ice cream steam (like the cold steam) which made it look very cool. We chose a honeycomb flavour which was very tasty. The presentation was better than the taste though.
For tea we went to a dumpling place in Soho. The specials seemed like the appropriate choice so we were given soft pork dumplings and boiled pork, carrot and corn dumplings. They were nice but nothing amazing. I feel like I'm becoming more and more critical about food (if that's even possible).
Obviously, we had to watch the football so we hung around Lan Kwai Fong, the trendy bar area. After consuming quite a bit of wine (just a New Zealand white, nothing Chinese) we walked through the streets. Many people just drink on the streets so create their own little parties which was rather cool. Unfortunately, we forgot that the metro closes at night so had to walk back to the hostel. It took over an hour. It always seems a little quicker when you're tipsy though.
Saturday 23 May 2015
It's raining? I hadn't noticed...
Aberdeen was the destination for today. No, not Scotland (although, the rain made it feel like Scotland), but south of the island. We walked along Aberdeen promenade, many boat tour people pestering us as we passed, before heading into Aberdeen town. There wasn't much to see. A few shops, a dodgy looking market, but the square was quite nice. Sweet Chinese archways stood around it with a little water fountain in the centre.
Later we headed back to the promenade to catch a free ferry to Jumbo Kingdom, the worlds largest floating restuarant. The ferry took us in between an enormous amount of fishing boats before dropping us off at the restaurant. Unfortunately, the prices for food were a tad ridiculous, think Chelsea price tags, but we were allowed to wonder round. The chandeliers were pretty magnificent and some of the wall art was typical old Chinese (even though the restuarant was only built in the 70s) but the restaurant rooms looked a little dated and in need of some modernisation.
At the back of the restaurant was a seafood exhibition; basically their seafood was waiting in glass containers of water to be cooked and eaten. Some of the fish were massive and of course there were a fair few lobsters.
The afternoon was spent in Wan Chai, near central. We went to see a little temple which looked exactly like all other Chinese ones (without being rude they're a little tacky when comparing to the Japanese) and we passed the blue house. I still don't know what the blue house is/was used for so I'll have to google it at some point.
It had been raining all day on and off but then it started to really rain. And it didn't stop raining. I was drenched even with my waterproof on (so not waterproof). The rest of the day was spent walking through a mall, deliberating whether to go to the cinema (far too expensive) before getting some pork dumplings in noodle soup (quite tasty and nicely seasoned with ginger and onion).
The rain isn't the end of the world but it does stop us from doing things. Looking at the weather forecast it doesn't look like it's going to change for the rest of the week either. Yay! (Note the sarcasm)
Friday 22 May 2015
A day of markets
Today was a day of surprises. First, Matt chose the destination and didn't tell me where we were going. We ended up at a flower market which was quite nice but I've been to better in London. However, if you wanted flowers or plants, you'd go there.
At the end of the flower market was a bird garden (obviously the main reason Matt chose this area) which was more like a bird market. There were hundreds of little birds in cages, some cages being rather pretty, others just crammed full with lots of birds. It seemed a little wrong in a way. The birds were unable to fly about; surely they'd be happier if they were set free. I did see some rather beautiful ones though. Some were a lovely pale blue with grey flecks; very striking.
A few blocks away was another market: a goldfish market. And it's exactly what you think. Lots of shops full of fish. Some in lovely big tanks, others the classic fun fair plastic bags. But the variety was fantastic! The biggest ones were only a little bigger than my hand but the smallest were so tiny, their tails were as thin as paper. Again, it's probably wrong to have them caged up like that, everyone that has seen finding Nemo would agree (we found Nemo and Dory), but they seem to make money out of it.
Another surprise was the restuarant we went to for lunch. We've got a list of places to go in different areas but Matt looked this one up and didn't tell me what was in store. It turned out to be the supposed birth place of milk tea. Milk tea is the drink to drink in Hong Kong. It's like a milky tea with some kind of subtle sweetener and can be drank hot or cold. I prefer cold. The restaurant didn't disappoint. My iced milk tea was delicious. I also chose steak in black pepper sauce with rice which doesn't sound very Chinese but that's what I fancied having. And it was rather yummy.
My tour guide took me to the heritage museum in the afternoon. It was fascinating. I love museums that house really old objects and I wasn't disappointed when I found two cups dating back to 2500-2000BC. There was also a hall that showed old outfits and objects used in Chinese operas, all within a bamboo frame of an old opera house that once stood in Hong Kong.
This evening we met Alice for tea. Those who don't know Alice, she's a friend from school that is teaching in Hong Kong at the moment. She's the loveliest person and it was great to catch up. After tea (we ordered three different things but I ended up eating most of some seafood fried rice in a pineapple, yes, in a pineapple) we wondered through the night market which is in Mongkok, near where Alice lives. It was very similar to ladies market (and only a couple of streets away) but there was something cooler about it being at night. Maybe it was just because it was dark. Mongkok itself is so heavily populated, it took us ages to move barely 100 metres. But it's quite authentic, more Chinese than the westernised central.
Thursday 21 May 2015
Let's go to the beach
This morning we caught a bus to Stanley market which I believe is on the south side of Hong Kong Island. Stanley bay was quite modern but a little too touristy. The market was sweet, selling clothes and souvenirs and was only just off the bay meaning it was a perfect place for tourists. The bay would maybe have been nice if it hadn't been raining (again) but there was a lot of litter. Just looking into the sea you could see all sorts of rubbish being swept up with the tide. There was a pier on the opposite side of the bay to the market which was quite nice, with views out to other islands (a little hard to see due to the amount of mist).
A little park lead up out of the town to a mini temple on the edge of a cliff. It was quaint and picturesque but the offerings of pork outside it was a little odd. We walked through the rest of the park, stopping at a Buddhist monastery for a quick look (quite a modern building so not very exciting) before heading back into town for lunch.
We hit a supermarket for food, my best purchases being peanut butter m&ms and some anti-itch cream for my bug bites. Can't decide which I enjoyed more.
From Stanley bay we got another bus to Repulse bay, a little further up the island. We headed straight for the beach and went paddling for about an hour, bearing in mind it was still raining. The beach was nice, very touristy again with large apartment buildings but there was decent sand and the water was quite warm. A path at the east side of the bay took us along the coast to another bay, passing a section of fishing boats but the view was ruined by an awful looking theme park placed on top of a hill.
Another bus journey back to Central and we were wondering round looking for somewhere for tea. We'd researched a few places so we could be assured good food and so settled for Mak's noodles. The waiter pretty much picked for us so brought out two noodle bowls, one with beef brisket and one with shrimp wontons. I also asked for some veg which was kale with oyster sauce but to me the kale was more like tender stem broccoli. I've missed green veg though so it was delicious. The beef was also yummy, very tender, and the shrimp wontons were the best. Very flavoursome. I often find shrimp doesn't have a lot of flavour but these were meaty and delightful.
I've got a new obsession with something called Koala's March which is these little Koala shaped biscuits with chocolate inside (strawberry ones are available too). For some reason I find them rather tasty. I bought a family pack before heading back to the hostel so might have looked a little odd walking along carrying a big box of them (I wasn't given a plastic bag).
Wednesday 20 May 2015
We mist Buddha
After a tasty peanut butter sandwich we set out for Lantau Island, the largest of the islands surrounding Hong Kong. Of course it rained again today. Spike Milligan was wrong when he said rain is thin. It's not. We spent most of the day drenched or looking super cool with our waterproofs on over our rucksacks.
We arrived at Tung Chung on Lantau and got a cable car up to Ngong Ping. You could hardly see in front of you so the cable car was the worst idea and a waste of money. At Ngong Ping we walked through the village to a monastery which was holding a service when we arrived. Buddhists and other special visitors were chanting and kneeling, praying for something. It was quite lovely, hearing the chants, especially in the rain. From what I could see of the monastery the building looked impressive but obviously the full extent of the architecture was covered in mist.
Next on the list of things to see was Big Buddha. Guessing we were going in the right direction, we climbed a load of steps, disappearing into the clouds. Big Buddha was in fact at the top but her head was barely visible. It's a shame that my pictures were rubbish but one can always google it to see what it looks like (a really big Buddha statue).
There was also a wisdom path which I didn't think would be worth visiting as we wouldn't be able to see a thing. Quite the contrary. It probably wasn't as amazing as it could be with perfect weather but the mist added an eeriness to the figure of eight created by wooden columns, each column having some Chinese words enscrined.
Another slow, dull cable car ride later and we were back in Tung Chung but then we chose to get a bus to a little fishing village we knew was meant to be rather interesting. The bus took about 45 minutes and wound up and down huge hills (the down was a little too fast for a bus), along the coast showing us beautiful beaches (even with all the rain). Tai O (the name of the village) was like nowhere I've ever been before. I'm guessing it's what proper old Chinese fishing villages looked like, many houses perched on wooden stilts and others made completely of sheets of metal but all tiny in size. The metal ones even had their measurements written on the outside. It was a little unsanitary, a couple of frogs were jumping round the public toilet I attempted to use, but quite spectacular. We followed a trail leading up, just out of the village, to a white Chinese dolphin viewing spot. Unfortunately, we didn't see any dolphins, however, the view of the village and the hills beyond was something special.
It was starting to get dark as we headed back to the bus stop, lights in the little houses were on and the streets were quite empty, everyone having shut up shop and gone home. Tai O is definitely one of the most different and interesting places I have been so far.
Tuesday 19 May 2015
Rain, rain, go away
Today was a less exciting day so this post will only be brief. This morning was spent in Hong Kong park which is quite lovely, set on different levels each with something new to see. There was a nice waterfall which one could walk behind, a conservatory (I didn't enter as I was already sweating profusely) and an aviary. Bird boy (Matt's new name as he loves birds) was in his element at the aviary (after he got over the idea of the possibility of snakes roaming around in the bushes). There were some lovely birds to be fair.
Next to Hong Kong park is the botanical gardens and zoological. There were chimpanzees and more birds and a very large tortoise. Quite fun. From there we wondered back over to central to find a supermarket (mainly for the aircon). After some bread and ham in the rain we walked along through part of soho but the rain wasn't the best. It cooled everything down but I was too preoccupied with keeping dry so I didn't take in what was around me.
The late afternoon was spent walking along the harbour. I will admit that I did purchase something from macdonalds but before you scoff hear me out. It was a green tea ice cream with chocolate sauce and peanuts. You can't get them in the UK. Plus it was like 60p and it was yummy. I hope to make my own green tea ice cream when I'm reunited with my ice cream maker.
Monday 18 May 2015
If nothing's ever changed, there'd be no butterflies
First blog in 2 days as I spent yesterday travelling to Hong Kong and just walking round the island a little, trying to find somewhere to watch a football match so I didn't think there would be much to write. However, I will now say that it's bloody hot. Not sunny, just humid and sweaty. Imagine the tube in London in summer, but hotter. Occasionally it feels like it's an effort to breath.
Once there we chose to find some food and settled for a restaurant in some kind of little shopping mall. Only then did we discover it's supposed Michelin star. It's called Din Tai Fung but has quite a few branches therefore I'm doubting the star. We chose braised beef and noodle soup and some rice and pork wontons. The wontons were quite nice, especially when dipped in a mix of vinegar, soy sauce and ginger. The soup itself tasted quite good with a hint of aniseed but it was obviously oily. The beef was covered in fat which is meant to help flavour everything and keep the meat moist but it wasn't nice in the soup and the beef didn't taste amazing. The flavour was quite strong but it was a bit too beefy (if that makes any sense). It's safe to say I was quite disappointed with the place.
After lunch we strolled through Kowloon park, passing the avenue of comic stars (hadn't a clue who any of them were). Further up there was a market that is named Ladies Market. Haven't a clue why (Google will probably tell me) but it was full of clothes and accessories. Haggling is common and proves difficult when you realise you're far to British.
Avoiding lots of harassing people we walked back towards the pier but went into the space museum on the way. We hadn't a clue what we were going to see but we went into a theatre room with a domed ceiling and were given 3D glasses and some headphones. The film lasted 35 minutes and was on the history of flying, be that animals and the creation of different flying man made machines. The coolest part was that the domed ceiling was the screen. The effects were amazing. We then walked round the museum, pressing lots of buttons and looking at cool figures of rockets or the solar system.
By the time we left the museum it was dark and we wanted to see Hong Kong Island skyline so we headed for the pier and the symphony of lights (not knowing for sure what the symphony of lights was). It was 10 to 8 by the time we'd taken a couple of pictures of the fantasticly lit up Hong Kong Island (personally I think the skyline is better than Manhattan) and an announcement sounded to say the symphony of lights would start at 8. Perfect timing! It was a tad disappointing though. Thinking about it, buildings lighting up along the harbour in time to music is quite genius but we were expecting something along the lines of crazy Christmas lights displays pn houses, just scaled up massively. It was still worth seeing though.
Saturday 16 May 2015
Welcome the Buddha that's within you
So today we went to North Korea. Well, technically we went on a JSA (joint security area) tour. A coach took us to the DMZ (demilitarisation zone) which is on the border between North and South Korea. After several ID checks by the South Korean army we were taken to the centre of the DMZ which is the JSA. We were able to look across at a North Korean building from the building we were stood beside, but as there were no North Korean tourists about today, there was only one North Korean guard stood far back. We weren't in any danger. We were then taken into a room that sits on the border and so one side of the room was North Korea and one side was South. It's a bit strange that they mark the border with either little white wooden posts 200 metres apart or a cement barrier that is only 15 centimetres high. But outside of the DMZ South Korea have barbed wire fences along even rivers to stop anyone from the north swimming in.
It was also far too touristy. We were told not to take photos for the majority of the trip but then they allowed us to have a photo session at the border. It was only two minutes but people were getting selfies and smiling with North Korea in the background. It just didn't seem right. However, the tour did teach me a lot more about the Korean War and what went on.
On the way back to Seoul the tour stopped off at a sweet little restaurant for lunch. Food was on the table already as we sat down. There was a big pot on a gas burner to share between two people which was full of beef in some sort of Korean stew with onions and gelatine noodles. Each person also had their own rice and pickles. Rather tasty.
Back in Seoul we had heard that the lotus latern festival parade was on so we headed to the correct area of the city and found some chairs to sit on, ready for the parade to begin. It went on for about an hour and a half! Thousands of people passed us by wearing different costumes, carrying many shaped lanterns or pushing an amazingly colourful float. The festival is to celebrate Buddha's birthday but it seems like it's also a nice way for the city to come together and for everyone to enjoy themselves.
Friday 15 May 2015
LG Twins
This morning we started off at the Olympic park. The entrance to the park was marked with the Seoul Olympic Games peace gate which was quite spectacular. However, for some unknown reason, the park was overrun with school kids. I thought I might be attacked or bullied but we still walked round the majority of it, checking out lots of different sculptures and a fortress as we passed (the fortress wasn't as impressive as it sounds; it was a grassy hill).
The morning had escaped us quickly so we went for lunch at a Lotte Mall (ridiculously big malls that are all over the city). I chose rice with squid which was in a spicy tomato sauce (not unbearable this time) and topped with cucumber. Quite tasty, but as always, the squid was over cooked. The Koreans also like to add a little bowl of what tastes like a nice stock, occasionally with noodles and spring onions added, to the table for each person. I'm not sure what it's for but my guess is a palette cleanser. It's not a bad addition but a little unnecessary. However, like the Japanese, they give you cups and a jug of water as soon as you arrive, along with little pickles. This I love.
After lunch we checked out the sports complex which housed some of the Olympic stadiums. It wasn't the most exciting place, but we did find the baseball stadium and discovered there was to be a game that evening. Therefore, we went and sat by the river and played cards in a lovely garden for an hour (my cool Harry Potter cards). You may think we should have been spending all our time exploring Seoul; walking gets very tiring and sometimes sitting and relaxing is rather pleasant.
At just gone five we trekked back to Jamsil Baseball stadium to buy tickets. For 12,000 won we got pretty good seats within the home fans (just over seven quid). To start, the seats weren't full and people were more interested in eating their fast food than cheering, but an hour or two in, people were on their feet, shouting for their team. And the chants. I have no idea what they were saying but I joined in happily (probably made up my own words). The atmosphere became pretty awesome. With a beer in my hand and some honey and chilli Doritos (great invention) to eat I was a happy bunny. Even though the LG Twins lost.
Thursday 14 May 2015
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