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

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


The Elephant Realm Landmark



The thing about having a local with us is that they know how to get about locally. Left with my MTR map, I would have chosen a completely different way of getting to our destination.

Our TA friend took us to the back side of the Hung Hom Train Station to the Bus terminal there. As today was Ching Ming day and a public holiday, bus number 107 was running. We were to hop on it and it would take us where we wanted to go. It was one of those double decker buses and we sat at the top where I got the front window seat.

Rather than cut across town, this bus headed straight through the Cross Harbour Tunnel.

I really had no idea where we were but I recognised some of those buildings ahead. I’m guessing we were in the Wan Chai district on Hong Kong Island.

This route took us through another tunnel…..

….the Aberdeen Tunnel!

Our destination tonight…that landmark of Hong Kong, the Elephant Realm…..Jumbo Kingdom. The bus had taken about 20 minutes to get here.

The Jumbo Kingdom Floating Restaurant is located in Aberdeen Harbour. It is one of those institutions in Hong Kong that feature in almost every postcard that depicts Hong Kong attractions.


Envy – more than anything else – has placed the Jumbo Floating Restaurant high on my bucket list. As a child of 8 or 9, a friend of mine from school sent me a post card from her school holiday from Hong Kong. It was of the Jumbo Floating Restaurant and ever since that time, this place has been on my bucket list to visit. Admittedly Hong Kong itself has never figured high up in my bucket list; but when opportunity came a-knocking, I moved HK on up the list. So, Jumbo was pretty high on my target hit list of sites to go-see in Hong Kong.

Lucky for me, it was also pretty high on the list for Mrs Angel.


Located in the middle of the Harbour, we needed to find a way to get out to the restaurant itself. There are two docks like this one where you can catch a free ferry shuttle out to the restaurant.

It was definitely my day for ferries!

The apartments in Aberdeen twinkled in the night; but they all seemed rather close to each other. Aberdeen itself is still famous for seafood and there are still fishing boats that catch seafood in this harbour.

You might have noticed that there were two ferry sheds side by side in that dock. The second shed will take you to the Tai Pak floating restaurant. It also belongs to the same consortium that owns Jumbo.

And right next door….with the welcome mat burning bright…

Jumbo Floating Restaurant (I had to swipe this picture from DH’s set. He had a much better angle than me in the boat!)

The dock that we departed from approaches the restaurant at an angle. There is another dock that approaches it front-on. We never did head that way; so this is as good as it gets!

My pictures, as the boat closed in to dock, turned out like this.

I was starting to get the impression that this place was going to be ornately opulent!

From the deck of the restaurant, I could see the second dock.

But we weren’t here to look at docks…we’re here to go-see inside.





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[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


Inside the bowels of the Elephant



There are 3 main levels in the complex. When you enter, you’ll find the middle dominated by a flight of stairs.

I’m not sure if I like the colour tone of this level. But it does need to have the appropriate signage.

I preferred the mosaic on the next level up.

It was really intricate and oriental in design.

And there WERE elephants in the room!

There seems to be two restaurants in here, entry off the stairs. I was standing with my back against the mosaic wall when I took this picture.

Aside from the restaurants, there is a Top Deck…bar area….

…and rooftop garden space.

I liked the feel of the space here. Seems like a nice place to hang out and have drinks.



The Party@8 now had a decision to make. Our TA friend had arranged to catch up with some of her friends locally. They were waiting to find out if we wanted to eat at Jumbo Kingdom or if we wanted to eat elsewhere.

Angel and his wife and I were keen to eat at the Jumbo Kingdom. Afterall, it was meant to be one of those tourist traps that was almost a rite of passage for any tourist in Hong Kong. So, we called it and were going to be staying here for dinner.

And then I walked into the restaurant at the top.

The empty tables spoke volumes and I had a word with our TA friend and the Angels. We reversed our earlier decision and decided to eat elsewhere. I know our TA friend was relieved. She had lived in Aberdeen, after all.
In any event, I had seen what I needed to see here.



We got back to the dock and on a shuttle boat.

As we pulled away, I realised that the Jumbo Kingdom is now ticked off my bucket list. For me, this sight-seeing trip had been well worth it. Jumbo Kingdom has to be seen and experienced first-hand rather than through a postcard. Even the locals will tell you that...and the locals will also tell you not to eat there. I couldn't say either way about the food; so I'll go with the local intel.

(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


Always Eat where the Locals Eat



I believe that we had taken the shuttle ferry to Jumbo Kingdom from the Aberdeen Promenade. In any event, the Aberdeen Promenade is where we returned to.


Aberdeen was just across the road (we used the pedestrian overpass). Our TA friend had called her friends, who had been waiting for us in Aberdeen and who also had made a booking for a table at a local restaurant. I was to find out that these friends of our TA would have cancelled the table and taken the ferry across to Jumbo Kingdom if we had chosen to stay.


Wherever and whenever I have travelled in the past, I have always maintained that we are best eating where the locals eat. This philosophy in life has served me relatively well in the past. Although with today’s lunch at Fairwood, I had been reminded that it was not 100% fool-proof. Whilst I was to test it out again tonight, I think I always knew that tonight’s dinner came with a ‘satisfaction guaranteed’ stamp – ALWAYS eat where the LOCALS eat!


Aberdeen shops and restaurants, as a tourist attraction, just do not figure on anyone’s list. The MTR currently does not head out in this direction and aside from the Jumbo Kingdom, it really is a district for the locals. You will pass Aberdeen on the way to Ocean Park; but the next areas along from Aberdeen, Repulse Bay and Stanley Market, are real drawcards for tourists. So, aside from looking at the apartment blocks from the bus, and Jumbo Kingdom aside, most people just drive on by.

This may change in the future as the MTR will be expanding its network out this way. There will definitely be a MTR station at Ocean Park and I believe (but am not 100% sure) that there will be one at Aberdeen as well.


So it was that our Party@8 ended up at a restaurant in Aberdeen.

Paramount Banquet Hall restaurant is located on the 1st floor of the Aberdeen Centre Hoi Lung Court in Nam Ning Street in Aberdeen. I gather that there are three other branches around Hong Kong. It is right around the corner from the Aberdeen bus transit but aside from the 107 at Hong Hum, which is a public holiday and weekend special, I don’t know how else to get there.

The restaurant serves food in the Guangdong or Yue cuisine style, which is to say that the flavours of food are to be delicate and tender. The main ingredient of the dish is meant to shine and all other flavours are toned down. We were not going to be experiencing spicy food here.

DH obviously thought he was doing the sweet thing by posing for this picture. But then again, I don’t think he expect me to share it on the Dis. However, it’s the only one I have that shows some of the restaurant.

Crystal chandeliers in the Hong Kong restaurants are the norm. The restaurants all double up as reception banquet places; so the light fittings are dressed appropriately for weddings.


Our party@8 increased to party@12 for this dinner. Our TA friend had 2 friends that she used to work with for dinner. One of them brought her adult daughter along and the last person in the party was the TA’s BiL, who also happened to be in Hong Kong for a visit. He lives in New Zealand. And because I need to provide a name for everyone, let’s just go with S, I1 and I2 (mother and daughter) and BiL.


But let’s get to dinner.

We ordered drinks all round.

And then we were left in the hands of S and I1 for the meal.

I must say that I was a little bit wary about Guangdong or Yue style banquet food. Aside from Dim Sum, it is renowned for “rare” ingredients such as snake, snails and all sorts of organ meats. And we weren't having Dim Sum tonight!

We started with a plate of traditional Chinese cold meats – jelly fish and pork.

We also got a platter of Siew Yoke, crispy skin roasted pork. The crackling was divine!

Lotus root with greens. Lotus root was a favourite of mine as a child. Still is.

Abalone with home made fish balls. The abalone was perfectly done and beautifully tender.

Fish – I never quite worked out which type it was – and green vegetables. There are cashew nuts in this dish. So those of you with a peanut allergy, I advise against licking the screen.

Pork in a sweet and sour like sauce (but it wasn’t). The pork had been fried with some sort of thin batter beforehand. The batter was a really thin skin, rather like tempura, and still had a slight crunch to it despite being coated with that lovely sauce.

These prawns had been steamed with the ‘nuts’ you can see. I think they may have been gingko!

This was the tofu dish, in an oyster based sauce. The tofu was wonderfully silky and soft inside; despite the fried puffiness on the outside.

The steamed fish. Perfectly done. The topping are pickled chinese vegetables. Rather unusual to my taste as I’m so used to having steamed fish with ginger and shallots and soya sauce.

Scallops with fried egg white. As you can see, the yolk was left whole and raw for us to mix in to the dish before serving.

The pork in this dish was really lean and tender. The sauce was more savoury i.e., salty than the sweet and sour we previously had.

This dish was technically not part of our banquet. DS needed something more ‘Western Chinese’ to eat.

Aside from DS’ fried rice, I don’t think we had rice with this meal. The locals we were eating with are used to eating just the dishes, no rice. So we didn’t order any. And given the number of dishes that came out, none of us needed rice.

We did finish up the meal with a complimentary plate of fruit……which included more dragon fruit.

As we headed home, I thought over the meal we had just had.

Our dinner didn’t include as many unknown meats in it as I had feared. I guess the locals that we were eating with also shared my food boundaries. We had a great time that night getting to know our TA friends and family – and they were all fantastic people to spend time with. It was during the course of this dinner that we made arrangements for Saturday. You’ll have to wait for Day 7 of this TR to find out what it was.

As expected, eating where the locals eat had been the winning strategy. For me, this meal was incredible value for money and rather tasty, despite not having any spice.

The cost? This was the most ridiculously cheap banquet we had on this trip. For the food that came out, we were up for HK$125 per person. That’s about $16 in our money.

I think I can live without the spice at that price!

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Highly informative-as always and you have solved a puzzle for me-on our Japan trip I had a crunchy veg a couple of times that I really enjoyed but had no idea what it was-thank you-lotus root!

 

[kmedina]

That restaurant is beautiful. I am glad you got to see it. It must have done the postcard some justice. The empty restaurant was not a good sign, so it was a good idea to eat where the locals eat. Glad you had a great dinner, and the restaurant you ate at looked pretty nice too. I love your discussion on what to call people. Choosing a name can be a lot of fun. My DH makes me call him Crap (Bag) whenever I refer to him on the DIS.

Pac Man? I'm not sure that I spotted that in my pictures??? :

It’s the 8th picture on post 851 under the Game & Fun sign. Pac Man is yellow, not red.

 

[dgbg100106]

The food looked divine!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Highly informative-as always and you have solved a puzzle for me-on our Japan trip I had a crunchy veg a couple of times that I really enjoyed but had no idea what it was-thank you-lotus root!

Glad to have solved the puzzle for you.

If you liked the lotus root, most chinese grocers sell them (pre-cut/sliced) in the frozen section.....

That restaurant is beautiful. I am glad you got to see it. It must have done the postcard some justice. The empty restaurant was not a good sign, so it was a good idea to eat where the locals eat. Glad you had a great dinner, and the restaurant you ate at looked pretty nice too. I love your discussion on what to call people. Choosing a name can be a lot of fun. My DH makes me call him Crap (Bag) whenever I refer to him on the DIS.



It’s the 8th picture on post 851 under the Game & Fun sign. Pac Man is yellow, not red.

I checked with the locals. The food there isn't all bad.....just expensive.

Crapbag? (I was going to ask why) never mind.

And thanks for pointing out the pacman. I had to go back to look before I realised that he almost nearly blended into that red sign.

The food looked divine!

 

[ehsmum]

Glad you enjoyed your dinner. Unfortunately my kids are picky eaters, so we didn't get to sample too much of the local cuisine. We did enjoy the dragon fruit though!

Yes, the MTR is extending to Aberdeen. After our Sampan ride, we were waiting for our bus back to Central when we spotted the MTR sign and decided to hop on a train instead. We couldn't figure out how to get into the station though and eventually realized that it was under construction and not open yet! :lol:

 

[kmedina]

Crapbag? (I was going to ask why) never mind.

And thanks for pointing out the pacman. I had to go back to look before I realised that he almost nearly blended into that red sign.

Long story short. He is private and does not want me to mention his name, which is unique. Google his name, and he is the only one. Do the same for me and you cannot even find me. The iconic show Friends is a favorite of ours. When Phoebe jokes about changing her name to Princess Consuela Banana Hammock, Mike insists that she will have to call him Crap Bag if she does. DH insisted that I call him Crap (Bag) if I felt the need to mention him on the DIS.

No problem. It stuck out to me, because my Dad can play the same man for hours.

 

[kmedina]

Happy Birthday!!!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Glad you enjoyed your dinner. Unfortunately my kids are picky eaters, so we didn't get to sample too much of the local cuisine. We did enjoy the dragon fruit though!

Yes, the MTR is extending to Aberdeen. After our Sampan ride, we were waiting for our bus back to Central when we spotted the MTR sign and decided to hop on a train instead. We couldn't figure out how to get into the station though and eventually realized that it was under construction and not open yet! :lol:

DS used to be picky but he was a bit more adventurous on this trip. Maybe he's growing older.

Thanks for the confirmation. I think we walked over where the MTR construction was in Aberdeen. It was late at night and our Party@12 all walked us to the bus stop and waved us off. So, I was too busy yakking to concentrate on my surrounds.

Long story short. He is private and does not want me to mention his name, which is unique. Google his name, and he is the only one. Do the same for me and you cannot even find me. The iconic show Friends is a favorite of ours. When Phoebe jokes about changing her name to Princess Consuela Banana Hammock, Mike insists that she will have to call him Crap Bag if she does. DH insisted that I call him Crap (Bag) if I felt the need to mention him on the DIS.

No problem. It stuck out to me, because my Dad can play the same man for hours.

Happy Birthday!!!

Thank you!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Ocean Park – Firstly, the practicalities of getting there



Day 5 of this vacation and it was time for us to check out the other theme park in Hong Kong – Ocean Park!



On the way back to the hotel from Aberdeen last night, we had determined that most of the Party@8 wanted to have a lazy day shopping the next day. So DH, DS and I made our plans to hit Ocean Park.

I had made some enquiries when we were back at the hotel as to the best way to get there. Our TA friend had suggested that we catch the same 107 bus from the back of the Hung Hom train station – but she had forgotten that this was a public holiday (and possibly weekend) special.

The concierge at the hotel suggested that we catch the MTR to Admiralty Station and the Ocean Park city bus 629 from there. On further enquiry, he advised that there is a specific Ocean Park bus EXIT at Admiralty. And this is exactly what we did. The Ocean Park Bus exit is well sign-posted at Admiralty station; so you won’t get too lost on your way out.

If you go on the Ocean Park website and check out their travel page, you will find quite a few public transport bus lines that travel out to Ocean Park. So depending on where you are staying, it may be that there is a quicker way for you to transfer to the front gates. I can only say that the bus from Admiralty was express. It did not stop off anywhere along the way so travel time did not involve any other stopping and waiting along a standard bus route. The cost was about HK$10 or $11 by Octopus Card, about $1.50 in our money.


For anyone staying at HKDL, you would catch the train to Sunny Bay, transfer to the line heading to Hong Kong (yellow) and transfer again at Lai King station to the line heading to Central (red). Just get off at Admiralty.


At the Ocean Park Bus exit, you’ll find yourself out in Drake Street, next to the Lippo Centre. A ticket booth selling entry tickets to Ocean Park is there. The current cost is HK$280 for an adult (about $37 in our money) and HK$140 for a child ($18 in our money). If you have an Octopus Card, you can just get on the bus and buy the ticket at the Ocean Park exit; it is the same price.
We were early; so we purchased our tickets here. We paid cash by preference.

We were SO early that we got here before the ticket booth opened and before the buses started to run. Services start at 9 am and Ocean Park opened at 10 am.

I can see you all shaking your head at me….yes I can. But I did plan to get to start early as we still had breakfast to take care of. We just didn’t find anywhere to eat until this point.


For anyone in this situation, think Up! The major Hong Kong buildings, particularly around Central, are connected by pedestrian walkways above the ground level.

These interconnecting walkways are used by locals not just to avoid cars and buses but also to escape into airconditioned comfort for as much of their walk as possible. Your Hong Kong tourist map may indicate the presence of such walkways….Follow the locals! Yes, you might get lost in the maze inside the building as you walk towards another walkway; but more often than not, because there is foot traffic, there will also be food cafes, restrooms and the like along these inside corridors of bewilderment.


The Ocean Park Bus exit is parked right in between the two buildings with an interconnecting overhead walkway. When I got up, we naturally headed to the left building. There was a Delifrance and a Pacific Coffee shop just there. We picked up croissants and coffee/hot chocolates for breakfast. I did take a walk to the right and I’m not sure if the building on that side of the walkway was the Lippo or not; but there was more of a food court on that side and the restrooms were there too.


Buses were running continuously at the time of morning we were there. It was really very orderly. People queued to get on the bus and as soon as there was no more sitting space, the bus moved on and another one pulled up immediately in its place. The bus took about 20 minutes to get to Ocean Park.




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[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


Ocean Park in Black and White



We got to Ocean Park about 20 minutes before opening time. The bus terminal is to the right of the main entrance.

The bus drove right past the dig and construction site for the new MTR station and when that is opened, it will be even more convenient to make the trip out to Ocean Park.

The queue was out to here. The turnstiles are just past those market umbrellas.

Ocean Park is the most frequented park in Hong Kong, even outranking Disneyland by way of visitors through the gate. It is a theme park that includes animal exhibits, shows and rides is an amazingly picturesque setting…well, amazing by Hong Kong standards. The park is set over two major sections – The Waterfront and the Summit. Take a look at the map….it is huge.

Much like Disneyland, it is split into various areas. On entry, you’ll walk into the Aqua City area; which is where the Grand Aquarium and the Aqua City Lagoon is. When I was planning for this day, I had planned to hit this area around twilight and night fall as the Aqua City Lagoon is home to a water and light show, similar to World of Colour at DCA.



My first stop was always going to be in search of the Giant Pandas. You can find them in the Amazing Asian Animals area of the park.

There are two areas to find pandas – one at the Hong Kong Jockey club Sichuan Treasures building, which was our first stop.

*Sigh* Some people just don’t respect photo taking and insist on walking past just at the wrong time!

And there they were….Black and White!

This area, in addition to the Giant Pandas, also houses the Golden Monkeys.

It was at this stage that I realised that I’d left my telezoom lens at the hotel safe which meant that I couldn’t get some of the shots I wanted. But DH did so I’ve had to swipe close-ups from DH’s collection.

We headed out of that pavilion and went in search of the other place where we could see more pandas.

Er……did I mention that this place is HUGE?

The Giant Panda Adventure enclosure is that building that looks like a glasshouse.

Toto - I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.

As far as enclosures go, it seems like a really nice place for pandas to live.

There weren’t that many people here, so we took our time enjoying this Giant Panda eating some bamboo.

Thanks for asking but no, we don’t want any of your bamboo.

I guess it got the message.

Looking at this picture, it is very easy to spot a black and white giant panda in a bamboo forest. The Giant Panda has been poached to the brink of extinction for its soft fur. I’m really glad that the Chinese government is making concerted efforts to protect this species. Someday, I hope to make it to Chengdu in the Sichuan Province in China to see the Research base for breeding and also to Wolong National Nature reserve to try to see them in a more natural setting.

This enclosure is also home to the Red Panda.

More of DH’s close-ups.

Those of you that followed the PTR will know that my prime reason for hitting this park was to see the Black and White in technicolour. At this point in the day, I'd achieved that aim and had been happy that we made the trip out here!




(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


In Search Of more Animals



There is also an enclosure in the Giant Panda Adventure for river otters.

This was the best I could do on the day. I did stay here for quite a while to try to get a decent shot.

But the otters weren’t playing ball on this day.

Time to move on. Just outside from the Giant Panda Adventure is this area.

How big are the fish? This big!

Keep paddling and spinning circles my son….

…because the goldfish are really this big.

Did you know that I love goldfish or fish of any description?

Before we left for this trip, I woke up one morning to discover that my 4 outdoor goldfish and decided to float upside down. I’d had them for about 4 years and had thought we were living in perfect ignorami. I fed them once a week and they just kept swimming around and around. I was surprised that I was rather upset and shed a few tears at the event. Maybe I should have checked the water quality; but really after 4 years, I would have thought that the ecosystem in that outdoor water area had found some balance.

I guess I must have still felt rather guilty because I couldn’t look this goldfish in the eye.

This one just swam on by.

And I thought this one was holding its breath like I was a bad smell.

Aside from the belly, this one sure reminded me of one of my ex-fish.

Anyone else think that these might be the black and white Giant Panda goldfish?

Some of these goldfish were just astonishing!

There is also an outdoor pond area…and even the Koi were mocking me!

Since my return I’ve been trying to turn that outdoor pond into a water plant habitat.

I’m not yet ready to invest time into getting more fish at the moment.



When we finished here, we checked the map and program. The Amazing Bird Theatre is located opposite the Goldfish area but the first show wasn’t until early afternoon. And whilst I wanted to do the Emerald Trail, we had thought we would come back down to this area a bit later in the day and check it out.

And for completeness sake. Down in this Waterfront area, there is another area called Whiskers Harbour. It seemed to be full of rides for the younger set, so we were giving that a miss.




We had a higher goal in mind!

 

[aussietravellers]

Always Eat where the Locals Eat
Such great advise! That has always been my motto when travelling!


There are cashew nuts in this dish. So those of you with a peanut allergy, I advise against licking the screen.

How on earth did you know that I lick the food porn on the screen and as someone with a severe peanut allergy, where a mere trace can kill me, I really appreciate you letting me and all others out there, know about the nuts in that dish before we licked!

Oh I really love the panda photos! I just love pandas, what a gorgeous place Ocean Park looks!

 

[ehsmum]

Wow, we spent 4-ish hours at Ocean Park and didn't see an animal! We went directly to The Summit and spent our time doing the thrill rides. I'm regretting that a little now that I'm seeing your photos!

 

[dgbg100106]

Love the update and the beautiful animals. I was lucky enough to see the giant Panda's here in DC at the national Zoo before they were returned to China. We even saw a birth, the news followed it from conception to delivery, and naming.

The red panda's remind me of a fox, the face is very similar.

 

[dgbg100106]

Happy Belated Birthday!

 

[zanzibar138]

Love your Ocean Park updates so far. How gorgeous are those pandas!

 

[ACDSNY]

Loved the animal pics and I enjoyed your hidden Mickey in goldfish.