Hong Kong Part 3

From Wan Chai, we took bus 6X (HKD 8.40) straight to Stanley. My mum used to bring our guests and relatives here for shopping. I didn't think it was much fun 18 years back. But things have changed. The whole area has changed tremendously. It is such a beautiful place. We didn't do anything much but just enjoyed the wonderful scenery and weather....and Akmar did some shopping too (Bought a jumpsuit for Alyssa at HKD10, an oil painting for HKD90). The trip on the bus was wonderful as well. Along the way are some high end apartments and condominiums. In less than 30 minutes I saw more than 10 luxury cars (4 Bentlys, 2 Aston Martins, countless Ferrarris and Porches). I wonder how rich these people are. A parking lot in Hong Kong can cost as much as HKD 4 million!

Stanley Bay

Nice weather, nice view

The high end apartments from the bus

From the southern side of Hong Kong, we head straight to the Mainland. We arrived just in time for the Symphony of Lights at The Avenue of Stars. (Bus no. 6 to Admiralty Station, then MTR to Tsim Tsa Tsui). The Symphony of Lights is certified by Guinness World Records as the world's largest permanent light and sound show in the world. It starts daily at 8pm and the best vantage point is from The Avenue of Stars. It IS the biggest but entertaining it is NOT. We can barely see where the lights are coming from and it wasn't synchronous with the soundtrack. Basically, its what we Malays say "Indah khabar dari rupa". But the view of the Hong Kong Skyline is not to be missed.

The beautiful skyline

Jackie Chan's star

A Bruce Lee wannabe

Next, we went to Mong Kok. THE place for shopping and bargaining, the Ladies' Market. This place is massive, filled to the brim with people. The rule of thumb here is DON'T BE FOOLED BY THE PRICE. A typical bargain will be like this:

Me:         How much is this?
Ah Moi:  This is HKD300. But I give you best price...HKD150
Me:         Cheaper can?
Ah Moi:  I give you best price already!
Me:         Ok, I go
Ah Moi:  Mister, mister. How much you want? (shows you a calculator)
Me:        (I write HKD 75)
Ah Moi:  Too much. Cannot sell
Me:        (I walk off)
Ah Moi:  Ok, ok mister. I give you HKD 80, I give you free key chain.

I bought the bloody thing for HKD 80. The next day we went to The Peak and saw the same thing for HKD 50, fixed price! The moral of the story is, these people are scumbags. If you enjoy bargaining and have skills, this is a place for you.

Despite my grudge against the sellers, we returned to our room with close to HKD 1000 of stuff. Tipping the scales of our luggage by 5kg (departed with 20kg luggage, returned home with 20kg).

Hong Kong Part 2

The exploration begins. It was raining on the first night we were there. Drizzling to be precise, and rather cold. Our exploration of Hong Kong began with a hop onto the tram. It is the oldest form of public transport and is the best and cheapest way tot explore Hong Kong. Just hop on it and enjoy the urban jungle, The best seats for a view is at the top. It cost just HKD 2.30. You can travel from one end of HK to other with just the single fare.

On the tram

Our first stop was Central, in front of the HSBC Bank building. It was raining, we didn't really get to enjoy the surrounding area. Things were not as I remembered. We walked in the rain towards the Star Ferry Pier. But the site were there was once sea is now land. The area has been reclaimed! Luckily we saw a pedestrian bridge heading to the pier.

The Star Ferry Company Limited is more than 100 years old, the ferry is abit more modern though. A trip to Hong Kong will not be complete without getting on one of these. The fare from Central to Tsim Tsa Tsui is HKD 2.50. If you want to feel some sea water splashing onto your face, you can go on the lower deck, but we just went up on the upper deck. We were already wet anyway.

On the ferry

View from the ferry

By the time we reached Tsim Tsa Tsui (TST), it was 1030 p.m. Most shops were closed but the city was still alive with activity. There were people everywhere. We kept our visit short on thee first night. By 1130 p.m. we were back at our hostel. We needed as much rest as possible.

DAY 2: Jalan jalan & Shopping

Breakfast was literally in bed...there wasn't much room to move in the room! (Gardenia bread cicah with Yeo's canned Chicken Masalla). The weather was just nice with a bit of a drizzle. The first thing on our list was to return to 'Wharfu Chongsam Pak Kok" (Wharf Road, North Point). My home for 3 1/2 years. The place haven't changed much. The playground where I used to play at still look the same. It feels wonderful to be back here, especially with my wife at my side. I'm able to share all my memories with her.

View from below

Block 12A

After a quick tour around the apartment block we walked all the way to Causeway Bay. The cool weather made the walk a breeze (I wouldn't really walk in Malaysia's heat). We spent some time enjoying the greenery of Victoria Park en route to Causeway Bay. The park is very well preserved, something Malaysians should take note. Hong Kong people appreciate this greenery while Malaysians tend to litter all over the place.

One of the pathways

The Park Lane Hotel at the back...can't believe  I stayed there once

Causeway Bay is a business shopping district. You can see tons of people shopping like mad here. It is mainly a shopping haven for people with big bucks looking for high end items. But if you know where to look  (and walk) there are plenty of bargains. Just remember to walk and bargain...which I am not good at. In the end Akmar walks home with a few new clothes and I walk home empty handed (mainly because of 'NO SIZE').

Lunch was at the Wan Chai Islamic Center Canteen. It is located at the top floor of the Wan Chai Mosque building. It serves all sort of Chinese food, and most importantly Halal food. The price is affordable too. A plate of fried rice is around HKD 30 and can serve up to 2 people (even for my appetite, I can't finish the whole plate). The dim sum and pau taste great. It might not be the best in town, but it is good enough.

Sedap

Two thumbs up, two PJK (perut jauh ke depan)

Perut kenyang......kita jalan lagi!!!

Hong Kong Part 1

I Am Lost in Hong Kong T-shirt

Hong Kong. A wonderful city. Despite having a souvenir T shirt of 'I AM LOST IN HONG KONG', I was NEVER lost in Hong Kong. Not 17 years ago, and not on this visit.
17 years back. I was just a little boy. A chubby one too. Between Primary (standard) 3 to Primary 6, I went to school in Hong Kong. A few months in Delia School of Canada, then Quarry Bay School. I was there with my parents. My dad was working at the Immigration Department of The Malaysian Embassy. It was a wonderful 3 1/2 years.
This year I managed to return to Hong Kong. Akmar and I was there for 4 days and 3 nights.

The Preparation
 We bought the tickets way back in March, 6 months before the trip. There was an Air Asia promotion then. The total return trip costs RM 1102 inclusive of luggage and comfort pack. For this trip Alyssa will be left behind with Tok & Opah. She is too small to bring to Hong Kong and won't remember much if she did. Booking the flight was simple. The price wasn't too bad. Next was finding a place to stay.

RM 1102

Hong Kong is one of the most expensive places to live in. Property prices are astronomical. Hotel rates are generally RM 300 above per night. Since this is a budget trip, we opted to stay in a hostel. We booked a hostel via Hostelworld.com. There are a lot of hostels in Hong Kong, mainly in Kowloon area. Try searching online and hostels at the notorious Chungkin Mansion will probably pop out. The hostels there are generally cheaper. But having visited that area more than 10 years ago, that place is not for the faint hearted. I can't imagine myself returning to that area in the middle of the night. There are pimps and pushers every where. According to some websites, the place have been redeveloped and been given a facelift. But I wont take any chances.
Check Inn Hostel, located in Wan Chai, Hong Kong Island, had many favourable comments from visitors. From the pics, it looked decent. It wasn't the cheapest hostel but the location was ideal. I'll elaborate more on the hostel later on. We booked for a room for 2 people with an ensuite bathroom. For 3 nights stay, the total cost was HKD 1980, roughly RM 792.

Day 1: Departure and Arrival
 We took Star Shuttle bus to LCCT from Terminal Bas Medan Gopeng Ipoh at 5 am. It costs RM 42 each and took 3 hours. The bus was of the executive type (3 seats in a row) and was comfortable. We slept through the whole journey. No hassle at all.

 We arrive at LCCT at around 8 am. It was my first time at LCCT and was taken aback at how literally low cost it was. Even the staff at the check in counter was 'low cost' . (Make up and baju dah cantik, tapi tak senyum langsung...nak tanya pun takut!). Our flight was at 120 pm and we were supposed to board the flight at 1240 pm. The gate only opened at 1250 pm. Barely 5 minutes after it opened there was already an announcement that the gate will close in 2 minutes....I was surprised. There was a long line and yet I only have 2 minutes!!! Am I supposed to cut Q? No wonder there are some uncivilised MALAYSIANS pushing, shoving and cutting Qs!
 Maybe those RETARDS didn't pre book their seats. Fortunately we did! Looking for our seats wasn't a problem. The flight took off on time and arrived 10 minutes early. As expected the seats were rather cramped especially for someone as big sized as me (full of muscles!). But I'm not complaining. You get what you pay for.
 On board the flight a got myself a Nasi Lemak and Akmar tried the Nasi Ayam. The food actually tasted good. The price is abit steep though.

Boarding..Hong Kong here we come!

We arrived in Hong Kong at 5 pm. It was raining and the temperature was between 23 - 25 degrees celcius. The airport was astounding. Its a massive airport and very modern. Everything was in order. Going through customs and immigration was a breeze. What surprised me most was the availability of a common prayer room at Terminal 1 and 2. Its not specific to any religion but the prayer room was very comfortable. There's even a Kiblat direction.

Chek Lap Kok Airport

The prayer room

Chek Lap Kok Airport sits on an island, near Lantau Island. The last time I was here, the only way to get to Lantau Island was by ferry. But things have changed so much now. You can take the taxi, bus or MTR/Airport express there. The best thing to do is first get an Octopus card. It cost HKD 150 each. It comes preloaded with HKD 100 and the HKD 50 is a deposit (you'll get it back once you return it). It works like a Touch n Go.

To keep cost low, we took a bus from Terminal 2 to Tung Cung MTR station (Bus S1 to Tung Chung MTR). Then from Tung Chung we took at MTR straight to Wan Chai station (switch train at Hong Kong station). It cost HKD 23.50 in total and 1 hour plus to get to Wan Chai. To get there faster you can take the Airport Express for HKD 100 for 20 minutes journey. We were'nt in a hurry then since it was raining and we  had to scrap our plans to go to The Peak.

We checked in at Check Inn Hostel at around 8 pm. It is situated in a 'mansion' (more like a flat) in Wan Chai, along Hennessy Road. You have to look really carefully for the sign. You can easily miss it among the many other neon lights (the sign is not lit up and is black and white). Its an ideal place if you just want a place to sleep and spend most of the day exploring. A tram station is just at the doorstep. A McDonald's is just across the streeet. An MTR station is just a few hundred meters away. For Muslim travellers the Islamic Center is barely 500 meters away. 

The room itself is very small. There is a bed (between single and queen size, I'm not really sure) and a toilet that is very cramped. Despite the shortcomings. the room is very neat and tidy and very chic. The staff there are helpful. Plus, you free wifi and free bananas daily (nice touch).

The toilet...just enough room for business

Don't know what size it is

Makan Maggi je la...budget punye pasal!

After settling down....we jalan jalan!

Pangkor Ride

Had a blast last week (29th - 30th August) in Pangkor with Groupe De Cycle. We attempted to conquer Pangkor by cycling around the island, roughly 16 km of tarred road. However out 9 MTBikers (and 1 marshal on a motorbike) only 1 made it around the island.

My equipment:
1. Raleigh Enduro Pro with upgraded Wellgo clipless pedals (RM 95)
2. Shimano MTB shoes with cleats (RM 195 from Wancycles.com)
3. Deuter hydration bag (fake)
4. Cheap riding gloves (RM 50)

Day 1
Everyone gathered at Marina Island, near Teluk Batik at 11 am. Parking there cost a RM5 per day (very reasonable). The facilities there are very new but looks under utilized. Ferry tickets cost RM 10 for a return journey (additional RM1 for bikes). However to buy tickets from the counter, you will need to be a member for RM 10. A member can take up to 20 guests (but still have to pay RM 10 for the tickets)...weird rule. Another rip off was upon boarding each one of us has to pay RM 3 per bike to pay the crew members.
As soon as we arrive, it was cycling time! It was just a 6 km ride to our dorm at Pangkor Rimba Kem Resort near Teluk Nipah. But the terrain was bad. Plenty of steep hills. I had to push my MTB a few times up the hills. My cleats malfunctioned and the screws came off while on the way up. Had to ditch the cleats and changed to normal pedals. We arrived at the resort after slightly less than 1 hour.

Lunch was some fresh fried fish and 'ikan sardin'. And then some lazing around in the sea. We started to cycle again at around 5 pm. Teluk Nipah to Teluk Dalam was a breeze. The worst and steepest hill was after Teluk Dalam. Even with the lightest gear the bike was barely moving. Instead of moving forward, I was doing wheelies instead!

Night time was mainly spent on dinner. Spaghetti, ikan bakar and sotong bakar was on the menu. The night ended with some karaoke til late night.

Day 2
Breakfast was served at 11 am. A very delicious meal of Nasi Lemak. The ride back home (to the jetty) began at 3 pm. It was scorching hot. Along the way a pack of dogs managed to get our hearts racing....we cycled so fast, it took only 45 minutes instead of 1 hour. The hills heading back wasn't as steep though. We fared better this time. Didn't have to stop to push the bike.

Hours later, I was back home. Fortunately, I didn't suffer from any cramps this time.
Back home, this little baby girl greeted me...... :)

Magical firefly moments...

We had decided to celebrate our very belated 3rd year anniversary in Kuantan. This year's anniversary celebration included a baby so we had to plan everything way in advance. No more spontaneously checking into budget hotels or backpacking. Even a few quiet minutes of romantic candle-lit dinner by the beach seemed impossible wit darling Alyssa being our center of universe 90% of the time. So we decided to explore nature and see it at its best.

I have always been fascinated with fireflies, and ever since we got married, i have occasionally been giving hints to Papa how wonderful it would be to watch a bunch of them up close. But my dreams were shattered when i read the frustrated reviews of those who have travelled all the way to Kuala Selangor to experience the magical wonder of fireflies, only to find that civilization has taken its toll on the firefly habitat, rendering them near-extinct.

Luckily, Papa did some research, and before we knew it, we were cruising on a boat along the Cherating River together with a very knowlegable tour guide and about 15 other tourist hopefuls. Keeping our fingers crossed, we held our breath as we hit the darkness of the mangrove swamp which lined the river, and kept our eyes fixed to the trees as directed by our tour guide. Sure enough, seconds later, the blinking lights started making its debut appearance, followed by thousand others following suit. Subhanallah, the sight was so breathtaking that i literally forgot to breathe! And the best part was yet to come. Our tour guide did something way beyond our imagination. He signalled to the crowd of fireflies, and the creatures just literally flew in our direction and sorrounded our boats!! We were able to catch the tiny fireflies and watch it lit up in our palms...they look like tiny flying fairies, so magically breathtaking. It was the most magical thing I could imagine.

           That night, we all went back feeling mesmerized and in awe. Thank you Papa, for arranging this wonderful trip :).We're definitely coming here again in future!

We checked ourselves into Swiss-Garden Resort&Spa..it was a pleasant stay

 During briefing....

 On board the boat for our firefly adventure :)

 Alyssa in her cute little life jacket

 After the ride...

...& back in our cozy hotel room