Hong Kong no Phooey TR (Apr 2012)! The Yee's have it....TR finish #1101, 07/09

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


Rice and Noodles and the general miscellaneous form



We ordered the Japanese fried rice and it was tasty enough but I think we only got the initial order of 2 bowls.

Japanese Congee – just so wrong on so many levels for my taste buds. One serve of this was enough for the table.

Sukiyaki – delicious! I think we ended up getting 3 of these serves.

Stir Fry vegetables – DH ended up finishing this plate. One was enough.

Fish broth – wonderfully flavoursome. We had multiples of this.

Salmon broth – delightful with a fishy taste and smell. For the Aussies lurking who might have been watching the latest series of Australian Masterchef, you might remember that George Calombaris doubted whether a salmon broth would work or not. Salmon broth does figure in Japanese cuisine a bit.

From the Grill order form – we had multiples of everything!

Plate of mixed everything! The beef was overdone on the first plate. It was not too bad on subsequent plates.

Grilled Chicken. Crispy on the outside and tender inside.

Grilled Fish Cake. One of my favourites for the night.

Grilled eggplant, which was surprisingly good. We ordered two or three of this serve.

Yakizakana – We had three types. Grilled Ocean Trout or it could have been Salmon,

Mackerel,

And I’m not sure which fish this was!

The Dessert order form only contained ice cream.

Chocolate – do yourself a favour. Stay away.

Green tea

Red Bean

We couldn’t decide if the green tea or the red bean was nicer. They were both delicious.



With adults priced at HK$208 (about $28 in our money), this was not a cheap dinner for us. DS was classified as an adult – aside from the age limit, there is a minimum height guide inside the restaurant and he did not meet either criteria. Drinks were extra. I think we paid HK$220 per person all up, including drinks, for this meal.

There were a lot of good dishes in tonight's dinner. The fish was fresh and most dishes were done well. It isn't a stellar meal but it was good honest food and after all the Chinese banquets we had eaten, it was a refreshing change to have Japanese.

We didn’t waste a single thing and every crumb was eaten. Needless to say, we rolled ourselves out of the restaurant, thankful that there was a bit of walk to go back to Central station.



(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


More Yee’s Have It – Central Star Ferry and 1881 Heritage at Night



We were heading back to our hotel after the Japanese dinner. DH and I spent a bit of time walking with Nephew to thank him for the SIM cards and also to sort out payment. I had named that post “the kindness of strangers” and was to find out how true that was turning out to be! Nephew refused to accept money for the SIM cards. After debating the point a little bit, DH and I looked at each other and thanked him for the generous gesture. Afterall, Nephew does head to NZ a bit to visit his parents (we met his father, BiL, on the first dinner we had in Aberdeen) and he does swing by Australia on the way back to visit our TA friend. We figured we would wait for his next visit and reciprocate with a meal or something.


We chatted some more as we walked back. I had franandaj on my mind tonight and asked Nephew about disability or handicap access in Hong Kong. Turns out that the Hong Kong government had been taking steps towards improving “equal opportunity” since the late 1990’s and a lot of the buildings, public transport and tourist attractions were stepping up their efforts to welcome guests with disabilities. Nephew said that the issue for disability access was now more around the small streets and alleys in Hong Kong; which is pretty much hard to address given the steps and limited space for retrofitting ramps and the like. I also gathered from Nephew that the Hong Kong tourist bureau was trying hard to make sure that Hong Kong was working towards being a tourist destination for people with disabilities. Nephew finished the conversation by confirming that whilst major steps had been made, the improvements were inconsistent and there was still a lot of work to be done to bring Hong Kong up to the standards that would be acceptable for the disability group.


Sometime during this walk, we headed up on to one of the overhead walkways that the Central district is known for.

During our time out and about, I had noticed that there were scores of women sitting in packs around the place. My parents and our TA friend had told me that these were Filipino maids that gathered on their non-working day to socialise and catch up with their friends. We had particularly seen them around Central and the ifc mall; and despite being late, there were still a few of them out. I swiped this shot from DH’s collection.

I found them noisy and completely oblivious to anyone else around them. Nephew told me that there were over 100,000 Filipino maids working in Hong Kong. Most got one day a week off, normally Sunday, and the Central area was one of the few areas that tolerated their presence. Just imagine that space in the picture completely full of women on both sides, sitting on cardboard, chatting at the top of their voices….and that would describe the scenes we saw on Ching Ming day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.


We kept walking past some rather familiar scenes and I took the opportunity for a little night shooting. Yes, some might think that I was a little fruity!

But then I might consider that I have lofty goals for improving my photo-taking skills.

Afterall, looks – and night lights – are everything!

Before too long, we got to the Central Star Ferry terminal.

Yup. Our second – or yee – time on the Star Ferry; this time at night.

The buildings on the Central and Wan Chai side of Hong Kong Island, as the ferry drew away.

Our view from the ferry, looking towards Tsim Sha Tsui with the Clock Tower and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.

The ferry crossing never seems to take long but with waiting for the next ferry and the boarding and unboarding, it seems to take us about 25 minutes to get from the outside of one ferry building to the outside of the other.

I hadn’t yet shot this clock tower so I made the most of this opportunity.

The others in my party were keen to head back to the hotel so we kept walking along and passed the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.

We were heading towards the back of the Peninsula Hotel and needed to use the MTR underground walkway for part of this walk. DH liked this musician…I thought it just showed that Hong Kong city was just like any other city in the world.

This walk takes us past 1881 Heritage and it looked beautiful at night.

That display with angels filled up the entry courtyard area.

I was pretty glad to have taken these shots tonight. We were to pass by here in a couple of days and it had been removed and taken away.

I just think that the façade of 1881 Heritage is just so beautiful, particularly at night.

But I still can’t afford to shop here!

I’d pretty much pushed my luck and time had run out. We were close to our hotel shuttle pick up point as well as close to the time of the next service. I joined the others and within a very short period, we were back at the hotel and saying our goodnights.

By this stage, I was feeling the effects of the cold. And my cough had gotten worse; not better. Despite this, it had been interesting to finally get to some of the markets that Hong Kong is famous for. And I’d had a very enjoyable dinner and night.



But then....Tomorrow is another day!

 

[kmedina]

I am glad you enjoyed your dinner. One cool thing about eating with large parties is how much food you get. It looks like you ordered everything on the menu. Other than the sushi (I will not even eat cooked fish), everything looked good. TA's nephew seems like a nice man. Hopefully, he drops by and allows you to treat him to dinner. I've heard people mention how loud Filipinos are, but a large group of my family puts my husband's to shame with noise. They cannot touch us! Now put our families together, and I will have some stories to tell. Let's see how lunch goes next Thursday.

 

[queenie82]

Finally caught up...
Macau still doesn't inspire. It all just seems so....fake?
The "ruin" always make me chuckle because it literally is a facade. It's all rather bizarre. I've never seen a "ruin" quite like that...and while I haven't see it in person my mother has. And she thought the whole place was strange too...
The parts that are still in good condition are nowhere near as ornate as one would find in Europe...and I think ultimately for me...it's not Portuguese architecture that I appreciate most. It's the Italian and French and English.

But I'm ever so grateful for your photography of the places you visited despite being unwell.

As for the comment about going to HKDL rather than DLP first??? I guess it would make France look even better when you did get there. If you want to experience European Architecture....go to Europe....


Back in Hong Kong LOVING the photos and Danke for the Orchid photo
Given my arrival in Hong Kong prompted getting my forehead 'scanned' by what looked like a supermarket scanner for temperature I wouldn't have dared go near birds...but it was cool to look at

My favourite photo is this one. AWESOME shot....

 

[ehsmum]

I was going to say - we walked past 1881 Heritage several times and I never saw those angels, so glad you clarified that they disappeared before we arrived!

Did you see any weddings at 1881? We saw several wedding parties posing for photos there and it was really lovely .

 

[dgbg100106]

The red bean ice cream, I have always wanted to try but I have never done it? So what does it really taste like?

The photos are gorgeous!!!

 

[kmedina]

Other than vanilla bean, red bean ice cream is my favorite!!!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Let's see how lunch goes next Thursday.

Hope your lunch goes well. Not long to go!

I've never seen a "ruin" quite like that...and while I haven't see it in person

If you've never seen it in person, it completely explains why you've never seen a ruin quite like it.

It wasn't too different from some of the English Heritage Abbey facades I saw in England.

I was going to say - we walked past 1881 Heritage several times and I never saw those angels, so glad you clarified that they disappeared before we arrived!

Did you see any weddings at 1881? We saw several wedding parties posing for photos there and it was really lovely .

Sadly, I don't remember seeing any weddings. We were there over Easter. I'm not sure that there were many weddings in progress.

The red bean ice cream, I have always wanted to try but I have never done it? So what does it really taste like?

The photos are gorgeous!!!

Red bean ice cream is really lovely. I love the colour more than anything else and most of the red bean ice cream I've had is sweeter than strawberry. I think strawberry can add that bit of tartness to the icecream.

I'll be interested to find out what you think when you do try it.

Other than vanilla bean, red bean ice cream is my favorite!!!

Red bean is one of my favourites. My all time favourite still has to be mango ice cream.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Sometimes it is Easy being Green – Jade Market



Day 9 of this vacation and I was ignoring the cough and cold. Thankfully, shops only open around 10 am in Hong Kong so I did stay in bed for as late as possible.

The Angels were heading off for the Mainland today and we had said our goodbyes last night. I have still to catch up with them in Melbourne but hope to do so sooner rather than later. They had been great travel companions.


My mother and our TA friend had decided that they wanted to do a little shopping in Yau Ma Tei. Nephew had wanted to catch up with us again and was happy to meet us somewhere for lunch, he didn’t mind where. I was really glad that our TA friend had something in mind for today.


Our destination? Catch the Tsuen Wan line (red line) and get off at Yau Ma Tei station. Take exit C and walk down Nathan Road to Kansu Street. Take a right at Kansu Street and keep walking to the Jade Market. It will be at the corner of Kansu and Battery streets.

The Yau Ma Tei Jade Hawker Bazaar is an indoor market on two adjacent sites, Zones A and B, on either side of Battery Street. Combined, there are over 400 stalls in Zone A and B.

Jade is one of the most popular gemstones in Asia steeped with deep traditions and religious associations. Jade is considered the “imperial gem of both Heaven and Earth” and has always been empowered with magical properties, at least in the minds of the Chinese.

• Chinese art, culture and history have links to jade stretching 9,000 years back into the ancient Chinese empire.
• Taoist alchemist believed it to be the Philosopher's Stone, and drank elixirs of powdered jade.
• Jade was also considered a guardian against illness and evil spirits, which is why even babies in China are given a tiny jade bangle to wear to ward off bad luck.
• In the Han dynasty, emperors were buried in jade gowns and jade cicadas were placed on dead kings' tongues to prevent decomposition and safeguard chi or energy.

Culturally, jade stands for beauty, grace and purity. It is often referred to as a live stone due to its propensity to change colour. The most popular Jade colour is green and is usually mined in China, Myanmar, Russia and South America.

Many Chinese believe that if the stone likes the wearer, it will grow a deeper, darker shade of green. Many pieces of jade jewellery do change colour over time, and believers who wear it for protection and good luck attribute this to the absorption of bad qi that would otherwise have affected the wearer. Jade is also supposed to improve blood circulation and calm the mind.


There was a huge range of jade products at the market. I saw loads of jade jewellery….

…of all shades of green.

The figurines tempted me and I did buy a small souvenir trinket for my printer’s tray at home.

There were beads, rings, bangles, necklaces…all shades of green and then some!

…at prices that put the Stanley Market to shame!

I did see my Chinese horoscope animals here as well. Starting price was HK$12. I KNEW I should have stuck with $10 at the Stanley Market.



As with most markets, the shop keepers will try and ‘pushy’ sell their products, particularly when they realised that I was interested to buy a small trinket. Just be aware that there is a range of jade quality here…..from the lowest to the best. I don’t know my jadeite from my nephrite at all and a couple of the shop keepers did try to sell me jade based on these two sorts; and the classification/type. I figured I wasn’t in the market for a top notch jade piece so I was happy with only the tourist trinkets.

Aside from the jade, there are other types of items to be found at the jade market.

I found a number of stalls selling carvings made from an interesting looking nut!

I wish I had bought a piece home now. One of these would have been a great souvenir on my printer’s tray!

My mother and our TA friend had a specific stall in mind. They had been here previously. I don’t know how….but the shop keeper remembered them and the 3 of them seemed to be more like long lost friends than anything else.

Stall number 387 at the Jade Market sells pearls!

And other semi-precious stones.

Now that I come to think of it, I need to check with my mother on what she purchased here that day. She and our TA friend spent the better part of 30 minutes here and I think they bought stuff.

Do you see the suede leather ropes hanging in the front with the beads of pearls? I ended up getting about 6 or 7 of those strands…one in every colour of suede. They cost me about HK$60 each, about $8 or $9 in our money. You can wear them as long necklaces, short chokers and even as bangles. At the time, I thought they were really versatile and would make great presents for my nieces.




Since I’ve come home, I’ve had second thoughts. I’m keeping them.




NOTE: The Kowloon Tin Hau temple is right nearby. We didn’t go as we’d pretty much gotten our fill of Tin Hau temples by this stage.





(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


Sometimes it’s NOT Easy being Green – Yau Ma Tei Wet Market



When we finished our shopping at the Jade Market, we headed on back down Kansu Street towards Nathan Road. There was a rather interesting building that I’d been keen to head into earlier but decided to go to the Jade Market first instead.

In the Asia of my childhood, I remember going to wet markets with my mother almost every other day. In those days, prior to preservatives, it was best to buy your meats, fish and vegetables fresh so that they wouldn’t spoil or go off in the humidity and heat. The wet markets of my childhood were busy, noisy and smelly places.

DH and I walked in (DS stayed outside with my dad) and the smell immediately transported me back to my childhood. But I was shocked at how quiet and dead this wet market was.

The wet market is where locals buy most of their food, especially produce and meat. Where were the locals? Few and far between!

I took a couple of shots of the produce.

And found the source of the part of the smell.

The seafood stalls had live tanks.

They also sold fish the way I expect to see fish sold in Melbourne wet markets....on ice.

Judging from the eyes, the fish sold here was very fresh.

The meat and poultry section was upstairs, but I declined to head up the stairs. The smell was already overpowering from downstairs and I didn’t need any further reminders of my youth.


I found that some of the stalls had live frogs. This was the only picture I took …..

Poor Bufo! It really isn’t easy being green. I only took one picture because as we were standing there, we heard T’Chop! T’Chop!

This woman had bought 3 frogs and the butcher literally chopped off their heads in front of us. I have seen such things in my childhood; but DH had not. He was rather shocked by it all and just wanted out of the market….quick. Hence why the one and only photograph.



Outside, around the side of the main building, we did see a bit more market activity.

We also found shops that sold dried stuff that the Chinese love to use in their cooking.

A number of dried food items are fish or seafood based. The smell can be very strong if you're walking close to these shops. But it is interesting to look at.

Our TA friend told me that wet markets were dying in Hong Kong. Most of the younger generation prefer to shop in supermarkets rather than head to a wet market. Such a shame – as they are an amazing experience to walk through and I will be sorry to see them die out. They add to the character of a place.



It really isn’t easy being a wet/green market in today's world!




(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


A Dim Sum lunch in Kowloon



We kept walking down Kansu Street. Anyone recognise where we are?

What about now?

We were at the top end of Temple Street. It sure looks different during the day time before the night market starts up.



Our TA friend had arranged to meet with Nephew at a place along Nathan Road.

Federal Palace Restaurant is located at 363-373 Nathan Road, Yau Ma Tei. It is about half of a block down Nathan Road from Kansu Street so it didn't take us long to walk there. We headed up to the 3rd floor or so. I gather that Nephew recommended it.


The tables were suitably dressed.

There were crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, so from the perspective of first impressions, it was already higher than the vegetarian restaurant in Jordan we had eaten at the other night.

Whilst we were waiting for Nephew, I checked out the menu.

I was a little surprised to note that the rice and noodle prices were almost as much as Disney pricing. But then, I put it down to the fact that we were in the heart of touristville too. However, I was too sick to notice that the pricing of the roast meats on another page of the menu were actually reasonable.

Nephew arrived not long after and we placed our order for food. We were having dim sum lunch today I’m pretty sure that I didn’t capture every single dish that came out. We got a couple of dim sum dishes that were a little more unusual.


This dish is Pig trotters and ginger stewed in sweet black vinegar. It is an old traditional Cantonese recipe originally formulated for mothers after birth, to keep new mums warm during the first month after birth. I gathered from Nephew that he had ordered this specially because of my cough instead of the standard Pork Ribs in Black Bean that normally is expected at a Dim Sum.

The ginger did soothe my throat and help my cough.

We also got some Cheong Fun or rice noodle rolls.

But the filling was a crispy fried turnip/vegetable thing; instead of the prawn or BBQ pork that normally fills the noodle rolls.

Har Gow or prawn dumplings.

Lo Bak Ko or turnip cake.

Wu Kok or taro puffs.

Calamari.

Nephew remembered that DH was vegetarian and he ordered this braised vegetable dish for him.

And this was something that DH had asked about when he was looking at the menu!

E Fu noodles or Yi Mein is a variety of flat Cantonese egg noodles made from wheat flour. They are used as “long life noodles” during birthday celebrations. It was at this stage that I realised that the prices on the menu were for this sort of size! Whilst the same price as Disney, the portion size was much more.

We also got a selection of steamed buns.

Char Siew Bao or Roast Pork Buns.

Lai Wong Bao or Custard Buns.

These were interesting in that the custard was runnier that I’ve ever seen anywhere.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen this in Melbourne. The outer wrapper is the same as the ‘bread’ used for the steamed buns. The filling inside is glutinous rice.

I was more used to see glutinous rice cooked like this! Lo Mai Gai wrapped and steamed in lotus leaf.

Lunch was a success! The dishes were delicious and very tasty; plus there were a couple of dim sum varieties that were unusual.

I think we paid about HK$100 or HK$120 per person for this meal, about $15 in our money. I thought it was good value for money and would definitely come back to eat here if I were in Hong Kong again. For being in the heart of touristville, it was decent enough food.

 

[dgbg100106]

PIO - the markets looked wonderful, that is were I would spend a great deal of time, I love wandering thru them.

I would hate to see the wet market go, places like that are so much better than supermarkets.

Everything looked so fresh and crisp. I try to shop local and stay out of the supermarkets around here.

NOW LUNCH was beautiful.

I hope everything tasted as wonderful as it looked!

 

[kmedina]

Crap and I had no idea jade changed colors. When I first started dating Crap, he had a green car that he named Jade. He has not named a car since to my knowledge, but he loved that car. Interesting things you learn here on the DIS. Rather than sticking to the $10, it is a shame that you did not go to the jade market before Stanley. Tourists probably overpay for things all the time. While I do not wear jewelry, I find some of the pieces you pictured quite beautiful. Those pearls are gorgeous. I am curious as to what your Mom and TA friend bought. The nuts are so detailed, but I could not imagine purchasing a carved nut.

Thank goodness for preservatives. I would not want to drag the boys to the store every other day, although I think it is awesome to have fresh, preservative free food. The idea of a wet/green market is a good one though, so I am sorry they are dying out. Lunch looks amazing. I know you said everything was good, but how were those noodles in particular? Xander and I adore a good noodle, so I was salivating at the site.

 

[ACDSNY]

Woo hoo I finally caught up before the Twilight zone. By the time I finished reading the updates the Twilight zone would hit and I couldn't post anything.

I'm amazed how much we're learning on this thread. Maybe I should run out and get some jade if it will calm my mind.

 

[franandaj]

The food looks wonderful, not being a big shopper, I'm not sure how I would have done, but I bet Fran would have been all over it and we would have come back with bags and bags full of stuff! At least we do at Disney so I'm sure she would have found some deals here!

 

[PrincessInOz]

PIO - the markets looked wonderful, that is were I would spend a great deal of time, I love wandering thru them.

I would hate to see the wet market go, places like that are so much better than supermarkets.

Everything looked so fresh and crisp. I try to shop local and stay out of the supermarkets around here.

NOW LUNCH was beautiful.

I hope everything tasted as wonderful as it looked!

Everything tasted great. I would have no hesitation in recommending the Federal Palace for lunch.


The thing about the wet markets is the smell. It doesn't smell as nice or as sanitised as a supermarket. I'm glad I had the opportunity to go see it; but I suspect that it might not survive another 5 or 10 years.

Crap and I had no idea jade changed colors. When I first started dating Crap, he had a green car that he named Jade. He has not named a car since to my knowledge, but he loved that car. Interesting things you learn here on the DIS. Rather than sticking to the $10, it is a shame that you did not go to the jade market before Stanley. Tourists probably overpay for things all the time. While I do not wear jewelry, I find some of the pieces you pictured quite beautiful. Those pearls are gorgeous. I am curious as to what your Mom and TA friend bought. The nuts are so detailed, but I could not imagine purchasing a carved nut.

Thank goodness for preservatives. I would not want to drag the boys to the store every other day, although I think it is awesome to have fresh, preservative free food. The idea of a wet/green market is a good one though, so I am sorry they are dying out. Lunch looks amazing. I know you said everything was good, but how were those noodles in particular? Xander and I adore a good noodle, so I was salivating at the site.

The noodles were very good. As soon as it came out to the table, we all sucked it in.

I haven't seen my mother or the TA friend. But I think they might have got some 'extras' for earrings. The shop here sells pearl earrings that allow for interchangable "dangles". I know my mother brought a pair back from HK on a previous trip. I'm pretty sure they went back to the shop to buy more 'dangles' to interchange on the original pair.

She's bought me necklaces from Hong Kong on previous trips....that is....she's bought pearl necklaces that have somehow made their way to my home.... I'm pretty sure that MY necklaces were purchased from this shop. I recognise the style in one of the pictures.

Woo hoo I finally caught up before the Twilight zone. By the time I finished reading the updates the Twilight zone would hit and I couldn't post anything.

I'm amazed how much we're learning on this thread. Maybe I should run out and get some jade if it will calm my mind.

Sad, isn't it? I've been toning down on the snark and dialling up the information as I'm conscious that I might need to contribute some Dis-Community Service on HK.

The food looks wonderful, not being a big shopper, I'm not sure how I would have done, but I bet Fran would have been all over it and we would have come back with bags and bags full of stuff! At least we do at Disney so I'm sure she would have found some deals here!

I'm pretty sure that Fran would have come back with bags of stuff; and some of it might have been for you.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Another Market for the Birds – Ladies Market



Our TA friend had been contacted by the Saint during lunch and she was coming out to join us for the afternoon. And we found out during lunch that DS had talked my dad into taking him back to the hotel early. DH and I were to be childless again this afternoon. In retrospect, it was probably best that my dad didn’t come with us. We were to do a bit of aimless wandering this afternoon and his foot had been giving him problems. So, after lunch, we found a cab for them both and said our farewells. They had a nice afternoon by themselves and I suspect icecream may have been involved.


The rest of us? We were going to head to Mongkok after lunch.
Mongkok means prosperous and crowded corner in Cantonese, and Mongkok is just that. It is rated by the Guiness Book of Records as the highest population density in the world. Once the headquarters for the notorious Hong Kong Triads, Mongkok is now reputed to be one of Hong Kong’s liveliest districts, jammed full of shops, street side stalls as well as Hong Kong’s famous Mongkok Ladies Market.


The Ladies Market was the first market to be accredited as “Hawker Accreditation Area” by the Hong Kong Government in 1975. The market runs along Tung Choi Street, from Argyle Street to Dundas Street.
If you’re coming from HKDL, change trains at Lai King station and catch the Central line (red line) to Prince Edward station and take exit B2. The alternative is to stay on for another station and get off at Mong Kok, exits B2, D2 or D3. Prince Edward MTR Station and Mong Kok MTR stations are at the northern and southern ends respectively of the market.


We walked up Nathan Road and took a right at Dundas Street and another left into Tung Choi Street. We could see the action straight away.

The Ladies Market is open from noon until 11:30pm. The street probably started out as a street where the local women went shopping for bargain clothing, small household items, and stuff that typically women would shop for. We definitely saw lots of stuff!

Don’t be fooled by the names – we certainly saw very similar stuff here at the Ladies Market that we found at the Temple Street “Men’s Market”.

It would remiss of me not to point out that we did see genuine imitation stuff; handbags, watches, electronics were on offer at the market. Just remember that you’ll not be able to claim a refund should anything be faulty.

And because it is kinda sorta illegal, we did NOT buy any imitation stuff. No, not us….and certainly NOT any of those trendy head phones that were at least 60% cheaper than the genuine originals in Australia.

I swiped these two from DH’s set. I guess you can see what caught his fancy!

I found this market exhausting. The crowds had me a little on edge and I kept my camera in the bag for most of the time we were here. Despite this (and I know it was only because I was really feeling bad at this stage), I had a great time browsing through the market and the stuff here. The pricing here was much better than at Stanley Market and there was still a bit of fun to be had in bargaining down for an item.



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[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


More Shopping in Mongkok and DH gets his Camera back



I don’t have any pictures for this post as we were hitting major crowds and I was playing it safe.


Nephew took us down Fa Yuen Street because DH had expressed an interest to look for some sporty goods. We had visited the stretch of Fa Yuen from Prince Edward Road West down towards Bute Street the day before and had seen the local market there.

Today, we were walking down the stretch of Fa Yuen between Dundas and Argyle. This section of Fa Yuen is referred to as Sportswear Street or Sneaker Street. There are quite a few sports/footwear shops located here; you will be walking in and out of proper shops and not the market stands.

We looked….but didn’t find anything to particularly excite us. I thought that the pricing was not significantly different to those I saw at Sogo and, whilst I can’t say for sure, I think there might have been a couple of shops at the Tung Chung Outlet Mall that might have offered shoes for cheaper.

However, the range of goods here is phenomenal.



It was at this point of the day, that the shopping took a more interesting turn for me. Remember that I had mentioned that DH had wanted to claim back his camera? Well…. he knew that in order to claim back his camera, a bribe was needed. DH had offered to buy me a new camera for my birthday. Nice as the offer was, I hadn’t been sure about spending money on a new body. Not only that, we didn’t know where to go buy a camera in Hong Kong; so we had talked about waiting until DH made his next trip out to the US later in the year.

Well….I asked Nephew where he would recommend we go buy a new camera. He knew exactly where to go and after telling the others that we would catch up with them later, he took us down Sai Yeung Choi Street. Sai Yeung Choi Street has a high concentration of electronic shops and is a veritable inspector of all things gadget. We were to discover from Nephew that no local shops at the ground floor level. All the better shops are found on higher floors. We found ourselves on level 8 or 10 of some building that I won’t know how to find again….and we were surrounded by cameras of every description from every major player in the market. Nephew enquired about the price of what we wanted and then headed back out again.


He took us round the corner into Shantung Street and SIMCity.

SimCity is 4 or 5 floors worth of shops; all selling different kind of computer products, accessories, software, magazines, digital products and an endless variety of products to make geeks like DH and myself go ga-ga. There would have been 30 or 40 shops on every floor, all of them eager for business.

Nephew wheeled us in and out of shops like a pro. He knew which shops to go to and also how to push them for their best price. And eventually, we found ourselves back in a shop on the 2nd Floor of SIMCity. Nephew had long worked out that the shop in the first place he took us to was exorbitant.

Within an unseemingly short time, we ….er….I walked out of there with my birthday present in hand. I had gotten a brand new Canon 7D camera for my birthday.


And that is how DH got his camera back!





For those of you camera geeks out there wondering – we paid less for the 7D body than we originally paid for the 550D with the kit lens 2 years ago. The 7D cost would be about on par with the camera price (including tax) in the US, at least 40% cheaper than what it would cost in Australia. I have a Canon Hong Kong warranty on the camera; but if I had purchased the camera in the US, I would have had Canon America warranty on it. Canon Australia will not recognise warranty from any other region than Australia.




(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued in Previous Post)


The Yee’s Have it - Eating where (and what) the locals Eat



During the walk down Tung Choi Street, we came across a number of street food stalls; notably at the intersections where the stalls could be perceived to be part of the shop in the corner.

The Saint had joined us somewhere in the midst of the shopping at the Ladies Market and she and Nephew decided that we needed to sample some of the street food.

I would have loved to have tried some of the fish balls and shui mai; but we were all so full from lunch that we wouldn’t have been able to fit it in.

However, as everyone knows, ‘sweets’ are partitioned off into a different section of our stomachs. Remember those waffle balls I pointed out yesterday when we were down Fa Yuen Street? Take a look at that picture above again. There are some machines at the end of the picture…..

Puffy Waffles!

The best way to describe this is….YUUUUUMMMMMMM! When they come out of the machine, they are still all soft and tender and warm. As they cool, and they do cool rapidly, the balls become crispy and crunchy.



YUUUUUMMMMMMM!




They taste like waffles, only the balls are pretty puffy and hollow inside. When they become crispy, the whole thing just melts away in your mouth.




YUUUUUMMMMMMM!






The Saint had been worried about my cough and had brought some of that Nim Jiom Pei Pa Koa for me. The PPK was packaged in plastic tubes, much like we would find sugar packaged in cafes. These tubes were to be a lifesaver for me. I had gotten myself a bottle of the cough medicine from the chemist and had worried about how I was going to survive on the plane ride home. These tubes were perfect! They were of a size where customs would not confiscate when I declared them during the screening process and there were sufficient tubes there to help me manage the cough during the flight home. I think you can see why I called her the Saint!


She also insisted on taking us into a local shop which was on one of the cross-streets from the Ladies Market.

The shop sold herbal jelly, known as Guiling Koa. Guiling Koa is traditionally made from the shell of turtles, hence why it is also known as Tortoise Jelly or Turtle Jelly. The shop emblem resembles a turtle shell.

The Saint bundled us all into the shop.

The jelly can be served cold; but we all got it warmed up.

The jelly has been treated as medication in the ancient time in China. It's also said to help nourish our yin and clear body heat, while cleansing the body blood of toxins, help improves or cures skin disorder, improving the metabolism rate, relieving cough. I do remember being told to eat some of this as a child whenever I had a cough by my maternal grandmother.

The jelly has a slightly bitter taste to it, much as all chinese herbal medicine does. It also has a refreshing, cooling and soothing effect on the throat. Served warm, it was wonderful to me. The shop did have sugar syrup or honey on the table to go with the bowls. I chose to consume it without the additional sweetener.



It was at this point that Nephew, DH and I left to go shopping for my camera. I’m not sure what the locals and my mother did during this time but when we were ready to join them again, we found them in a local ‘street café’.



I wish I could say where the café was; but I can’t. It was on another cross-street to the Ladies Market, in the direction of Mongkok East train station. This café was in the style of the char chaan teng that Tsui Wah had been.

The locals had ordered yingyong, coffee with tea. I’ve never been one to mix caffeine sources; so I passed on this.

There were a number of bowls of soup noodles on the table. Some with beef….

…and others….offal!

I also found plates of corned beef sandwiches on the table…with or without egg.

It was at this stage that I knew I needed to call it a day. I had no appetite and my head was feeling like it was about to burst open.


I said my goodbyes to the group and headed towards the Mongkok East station and caught the train back to Hong Hum and our hotel. I would collect DS from my dad and crash in bed back in our room.



DH stayed with the locals. He would spend more time shopping and they headed back to Yue Hwa in Jordan and then out to a shopping mall. DH couldn’t tell me exactly which mall but he did come back with some clothes shopping done.



Despite feeling poorly, I had been pretty happy with the outcome of the day. Afterall, I got myself a brand new camera on this day. Although….I do think that it is amusing that I ended up with a gadget and DH ended up with the clothes!

 

[kmedina]

I think it is cute that you got a gadget while DH ended up with clothes too. My sister bought the 7D a week after I bought the 50D, and I've had 7D envy ever since. Granted, I only use the camera on manual mode, but the 7D also has a video camera. Hope you are enjoying that baby. Why are cameras so expensive in Austraila? I am glad you were able to get one for the US price there and save some dough. You poor thing with the sickness. I would have left DS with my Dad for as long as possible while DH shopped if I felt that badly. It was nice of the Saint to worry about you and try to assist you in getting help. I know you were sick for 5 weeks when you got back, so I am sorry it did not work. Here's hoping you at least got some nice rest back at the hotel.