Ewens-Downing Adventures in Asia

Tea for Two

5 09 2007

We got back from Stanley in time to have afternoon tea at the Peninsula. Being that the hotel came from British origins, naturally they would have a proper English tea each afternoon. We had seen people having tea in the lobby restaurant. I was looking forward to it. Years ago we had tea at the Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia. We wanted to continue the tradition at another famous world hotel.

After being seated we each ordered our selections of tea. I had an Earl Grey while Ron had the Darjeeling. It was fun to see the tea served with all the pomp and circumstance. They used little coseys on the pots to protect our fingers from the heat. In no time the three-tiered tray of snacks arrived. Per tradition we ate from the top-up. The first tier had butter scones. The second, finger sandwiches. And the third the sweets. It was nice to take some time out from the running around to just enjoy the ambiance of the Peninsula. While we ate and drank a live trio of piano, cello and drums played Beatles tunes from a balcony above. It was sublime.

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Categories : Food, Hong Kong, Hotels, Music, Restaurants

Bus Ride to Stanley

5 09 2007

Another big tourist draw is the Stanley Market. Stanley is a little coastal city on the south side of Hong Kong island. We had heard about a huge flea market kind of open market there. A bus that stopped near the hotel took us right to the market. We boarded the double-decker bus and sat up top with four Australian women who were also going to Stanley. Soon we were weaving our way through downtown and then the outskirts of town.

The bus led us over a mountain pass to a two lane road that followed the coast. We did not think such a big bus could make such a route. But it did. Being that we were on the top deck of the bus we often got a scare as a tree branch whacked into the window in front of us. We passed by numerous beach towns with hotels and guest houses.

Upon arriving at Stanley we started our walk through the Market. Immediately we felt like we had been duped. This wasn’t an interesting open market like we had encountered in the back streets of Macau. After browsing three or four shops that all had the same tourist-oriented wares it started feeling like Fisherman’s Wharf again. I was hoping to find some treasures to take home a souvenirs. But unfortunately there were none to be found. We made our way down the coastal street to a pier at one end of the town. I wouldn’t leave empty handed. All the world is my photography subject. The scenery was fantastic.

We happened upon a little dim sum restaurant that looked promising. Though it was in the basement of a building, the decor made up for it. The dining room was decorated in a mystic Chinese theme. The food was excellent. We had an interesting selection of dim sum followed by some tea to give us the energy to walk some more back to the bus stop. In no time we were back on the bus bound for downtown Hong Kong again.

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Categories : Hong Kong, Shopping, Touristy

The Red Pepper Restaurant

4 09 2007

The previous night Ron and I had dinner at the Peninsula. Our package included dinner for two at one of their many restaurants. We chose the Cantonese Chinese style restaurant, Spring Moon. The food was interesting but it wasn’t very spicy. In a word, it was a bit bland. We thought they might be dumbing-down the cuisine for the tourists. So on our second night we wanted some good spicy food. In our Hong Kong guide book Ron found a restaurant that fit the bill. The Red Pepper got rave reviews and was in an area we could get to easily. We hopped on the subway for spicy-town in the Causeway Bay area.

At first we weren’t sure we could find the restaurant. But then Ron spied their neon sign. Oh, yeah, this was it. We walked-in and instantly got ushered to a table. Our waiter was jovial and fun. He helped us pick a nice selection of dishes. The first course was the soup. It wasn’t described as such, but this was hot and sour; really hot! Most hot and sour is a brown color. This one was red with hot oil. After the first couple spoonfuls our sinuses snapped to attention. Our waiter brought over a box of tissue so we could dab ourselves. I declined having a second bowl of soup. But the wait staff seemed upset that we wouldn’t finish the soup. We told them to leave it for later.

The next few courses weren’t at all as spicy. But each held new textures and spice combinations for us to enjoy. In the middle of eating our food the waiter came and asked if we wanted more soup. We declined and said we were too full. He said OK, grumbled something and took away the rest of the soup. Perhaps we offended the cook by not finishing everything. Regardless the mission was a success. We got our spicy Chinese food. After leaving the restaurant we happened by Hong Kong’s own Times Square. They have a penchant for creating their own versions of famous world locations.

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Categories : Food, Hong Kong, Restaurants

Day Trip to Macau

4 09 2007

Macau is a small island off the coast of China and quite near to Hong Kong. Ron was interested in visiting this destination because it used to be a Portugese colony. The mixture of eastern and western cultures promised to be quite interesting. So we got on one of the high speed ferries that run between Hong Kong and Macau. These run every half hour and take an hour to reach Macau. We bought our eft the ferry terminal in Kowloon about 10:30 am and headed for our departure gate. As we wound our way through the terminal, there was a large LED sign with our gate number. It was flashing Chinese characters in red with the gate number. Not knowing what that meant, we ran for our boat, only to baord the ferry and sit for 10 more minutes before it left. The ferry was uneventful, travelling through open sea between Hong Kong and Macau. Upon approaching the island I saw of all things a man-made volcano. Ron told me that the island was popular for gambling casinos. It was like approaching Las Vegas by boat.

The ferry ride wasn’t unlike taking the ferry from Marin to San Francisco. Except that when you get to this destination you have to go through immigration processing. I was happily snapping photos in the terminal until Ron noticed the no photography signs, and suggested that I might not want to be doing that. I threw my camera into my bag lest someone from immigration get irritated with me. They got irritated anyway, when I got a phone call from someone in Hong Kong who I’ve chatted with from Electone Zone. The immigration officer wanted me squarely looking at him in order to verify the person whose photo was on the passport was indeed me.

Once we got out of the terminal we jumped right on a bus bound for downtown. Little did we know it was a local that wound its way through the casino area and then through the outskirts of the city. We passed all the same big name casinos that you’d see in Vegas: MGM, Wynn, the Venetian. You get the picture. Eventually we got to a town square that reminded me of Puerto Rico. We got out and began exploring. First stop was a Macanese/Portuguese restaurant that had very different food from what you’d expect in an area heavily populated by Chinese people. The food was very interesting: Cod, cabbage, and chicken stew primarily influenced by Portuguese cooking. It was good, but the portions were big and the food was kind of heavy. We skipped the desserts.

The downtown area was an interesting mixture of cultures. There were churches and name brand designer stores mixed in with tiny stands and shops. It was quite the downtown everything market. Once we got off the main street we found more of the Chinese culture. The alleys and back streets were lined with different food stands and vendors of all varieties. With the smells, sounds and crowds we got a taste for what life in China might be like. But the Portuguese influence was always there too. The star attraction in the old city is the ruins of Sao Paulo cathedral, a church that burned down in the 1800s and all that remains is the grand staircase leading up to the facade

After taking some more photos and going down some more back streets we headed back to the ferry building. We weren’t much interested in the Casinos, so decided to catch our ferry back to Kowloon.

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Categories : Hong Kong, Macau, Travel

Tea and The Peak

3 09 2007

We had found our way to downtown and were on the way to The Peak. But our stomachs told us it was time to take a break. We started looking for someplace to have lunch. We found the Luk Yu Tea House. It turns out this place has been around a long time. And according to our Hong Kong friend Ernie, the people working there are even more ancient! The wait staff can be a bit surly. But our waiter was quite nice. He even took our picture.

After loading up on dim sum we headed off to the tram for The Peak. Near downtown there is a little station for the tram. After paying the fare everyone loads onto some fire engine red cars for the ride up the mountain side. We can tell from the other people that we’re in the right place. It’s the tourist’s first stop in Hong Kong.

The ride up was at times a very steap incline. We were standing-up in the car so we had to hold-on, all while juggling cameras and photo opportunities. The view at right is from my standing vantage point. The cars were pretty packed with people, all anxious to get to the height of Hong Kong tourist sightseeing.

Once we got to the Peak building the real trek started. We were first herded through a series of gift stores and shops. “Where’s the Peak??” we wondered. Next we found a series of escalators that took us past floor upon floor of gift shops, restaurants and attractions. But once we got to the roof, the view was worth it.

We took our photos from many different vantage points. And one fellow British tourist took a money shot of us for the blog. So we had done the Peak! Now it was time to go back down the escalator labyrinth. Oh boy! A Bubba Gump Shrimp Company! (NOT!)

We got back down the mountain and I shot off some people photos during our walk back through the city to the subway and our hotel in Kowloon.