The Old Streets of Sai Kung

In the old streets of Sai Kung I discovered a little shop called "Wo Cheong Hou" located on the G/F No. 14 Main Street Sai Kung, New Territories. Inside, perched on a stool, sat a little old man called Mr Mak who is one of the last remaining iron mongers in Sai Kung if not Hong Kong. Displayed proudly all over one wall were photo's of Margaret Thatcher, her entourage and Mr Mak when she had last visited his shop. Out front were Mr Mak's hand made buckets, watering cans, metal boxes and the like and towards the back an assortment of mail boxes.

On Hong Kong island I normally find that the locals are quite reluctant for me to take their photo but when I asked Mr Mak he immediately straightened his back, adjusted is glasses and obligingly struck a pose. Mr Mak absolutely made my day! And, I have to say that I felt very honoured to be able to take his photo as I was not only capturing a remarkable man but also a part of Hong Kong's history. Mr Mak is 93 years old, still works very hard and credits his good health to his diet and exercise. He explained that there aren't too many products on the market like his anymore because the youth of today aren't interested in learning a trade that's not profitable enough. So after spending a lovely half hour with Mr Mak and one of his neighbours I proudly walked away with a smile on my face and my shiny new mailbox tucked under my arm.

Next stop down the street and around the corner was a little tea shop called "Tea & Zen". Here I spent a good couple of hours talking to Raymond and his wife Debbie (the owners), Clarence and Maria. I learnt what I was doing wrong when I was making my pu-erh (bolay) tea and I also received a Cantonese language lesson. We then talked a little about global politics, cultural differences and photography all the while sipping our pu-erh. Then, much to our delight and unbeknown to us, Maria had visited one of the street stalls and had come back with brown paper bags full of Chinese egg puffs, which were absolutely delicious. It was a wonderful afternoon and I walked away with some pu-erh tea to replenish the stock in my cupboard. Must remember to put 5 gm pu-erh in a small teapot (10 gm for a larger one) and to flush the tea leaves twice before steeping in boiling water. After the tea has steeped for about 30 seconds you can then pour the tea into a glass jug and leave the tea leaves dry in the pot until you are ready to make more tea. You can do this up to about ten times at one sitting before disposing of the tea leaves.
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Lamma Island Hong Kong

Today, we visited Lamma Island which is the 3rd largest island in the territory after Lantau and Hong Kong Island.  From Hong Kong Island, we caught the ferry from Central Pier No. 4 to Yung Shue Wan, had a seafood lunch then walked along the 'Family Trail' towards Hung Shing Ye Beach.  After, stopping at the beach to admire the view, we continued to Sok Kwu Wan Pier where we caught the ferry back to Hong Kong island.   Had a great time but not so sure that the trail is suitable for families as it is quite steep in parts!

Shenzhen Shopping Trip

On Friday 24 October 2008, I went to Shenzhen with some great friends and had a fantastic time.

If you are new to Hong Kong and aren’t familiar with Shenzhen then I recommend that you purchase a book called “Shop in Shenzhen - an insider’s guide” by Ellen McNally. It tells you everything you need to know as Lowu has so much to offer and everybody has different tastes.

If you go in the morning like we did, the MTR and KCR is very busy and it can be a struggle to get a seat. The best option in this case (if you live on the island) is to catch a bus to Hung Hom where you are pretty much guaranteed a seat. From Causeway Bay you can get tunnel bus (number 112) to Hung Hom Station (the 2nd stop of the KCR) or you can catch bus number 111, 104 or 115 from Des Vouex Road, Central (opposite HSBC). The Central buses also go through Queensway, Admiralty (opposite Pacific Place). Just make sure you press the bell as soon as the bus gets in the tunnel.

What can you get at Shenzhen? Well, you can get tailor made clothes, designer clothes, accessories, sunglasses, prescription glasses, manicures, pedicures, massages, curtains, bed-linen, paintings and Chinese folk craft to mention but a few. It is best to schedule your day before you go and get your tailoring and bed-linen organised first. Then you can look at bags and the like have lunch then maybe have a massage or a pedicure in the afternoon so that you can feel refreshed before heading back to Hong Kong.

Make sure you buy some Ba Bao Tea from the numerous tea shops scattered around Lowu as it is divine. Delicate flower petals with rock sugar - yum! Also visit Choi Dip Hin Restaurant on the 2nd Floor (below Taste) for great dim sum and the Ba Bao Tea. Dim sum at Choi Dip Hin Restaurant includes but is not limited to: Cha Siu Bao Beef Balls with bean curd skin (contains water chestnuts and coriander - yum!) Vegetarian vermicelli rolls Steamed egg buns (a fluffy bun with custard inside) Shrimp dumplings Vegetarian dumplings Fish cakes (lots of yummy spring onion in this one)

Mahjong Advanced Level

OMG… on 23 October 2008 it was my first lesson of Mahjong at the advanced level and it is sooooooo much more complicated! During the beginners course we were playing what was called chicken hands. Here we were able to get a set of 3 suits of any kind and/or consecutive runs e.g. 1, 2, 3 or 3, 4, 5 of any suit and a pair of eyes. At the advanced level, however, there are no more chicken hands but we are playing chicken style… confused? Yep, so was I.

Need a lot more practice which is hard since no expats really play this style nearby so will have to wait until next week by which time I will have probably forgotten what I learnt tonight. As I’m a bit of a spring chicken though I think I like chicken hands better.