Hong Kong Trip (Day 2) 14th April 2007, Saturday

Good morning everyone..... Today, we having a day tour in Hong Kong. There's a few places that we will visit. But, now we are going to have our Dim Sum breakfast. Dim Sum is very famous breakfast in Hong Kong. So, we must go and try it as well. Let's go......

First Destination: Dim Sum Breakfast

This morning breakfast are share among 10 of our tourmates. So, we can try a lot of different, famous and tasty dim sum.We have xiu mai, char siew pau, siew pau, fried dumpling, har gau (prawn dumplings) with huge and firm prawns inside, vegetable rolls, chicken legs, chi cheong fan and single layer of skin wrapping huge chunks of meat.

I can try some of the char siew pau. Hmmm......taste and smell so good.

Okay... I'm full now. Koko comes and plays with me. Hehe......this koko like "Thomas and Friends". Everything on Koko's body are Thomas and Friends. But I still love my little Barney.

After the breakfast, we go to Repulse Bay. In chinese it is called Qian Shui Wan and it's mean Shallow Water Bay. It is an area in the southern part of Hong Kong Island.

Second Destination: Victoria Peak

Today we only go half way to the Victoria Peak. There's a place for people to sit and enjoying the view but not much to see today because it's too hazy and a lot of tourists there.

Third Destination: Repulse Bay

The former Repulse Bay Hotel was refurnished to become a shopping mall in 1982, providing fast food, shops and restaurants. The hotel's colonial architecture was retained. Aside from the attraction of the beach, Repulse Bay is also a popular place for family or friends to gather because of its barbecue sites. An on-site supermarket allows visitors to not bring too many things when traveling to the Bay.

On the beach there are large statues of two goddesses, Kwun Yum and Tin Hau. Overlooking the Repulse Bay there is the famous "building with a hole". It is claimed that before is a normal building. But in feng shui point of view, it cause the economy crashed on 1997 because it blocked the dragon's chi from going through. That's how the hole was dismantle.

Everyone is queueing up to touch the Chai Shen Ye (God Of Wealth)

The Repulse Bay area is one of the most expensive housing areas in Hong Kong, due to the nice surroundings. The prices are matched only by the mid-levels at Victoria Peak. In 2006, some property prices reached HK$20,000 (US$2,500) per square feet. Stanley Ho owns both 1 Repulse Bay Road and 4 Repulse Bay Road.

The beach is so beautiful and clean......

On daddy's hand is Jackie Chan's house. They call it Long Tau (Head of the Dragon). Wow..... Uncle Jackie is so wonderful and his house is very bid, beautiful and special. Feels like he jump into the sea directly from his house.

Mommy is so happy. Daddy and mommy busy taking picture for each other and forgot about me already. Hehe....actually I'm sleeping and dreaming in my stroller.

Fourth Destination: Aberdeen Fishing Village

A trip to Hong Kong would not be complete without sharing the experiences of the 'boat people' at the Aberdeen Fishing Village. This is perhaps one of Hong Kong's oldest and most popular tourist attractions. My encounter with the Aberdeen Fishing Village change my perception of 'life on water'.

Aberdeen used to be a little fishing village on Hong Kong Island but there are now as many yachts and sailboats as there are fishing trawlers and sampans. Nonetheless, the magic of this ancient fishing port remains and it continues to be a scenic highlight for any Hong Kong Island tour.

These are the yatch own by Li Ka Shing, Stanley Ho and the others famous people in Hong Kong.

For a fee of HK$100, we can enjoy a 30-minute ride through the harbor, which will cover the incredible collection of marine life and the dynamic city-on-water. A short boat ride around the fishing village is an eye-opener. It made me wonder how people could live all their lives on a boat. But it is said that the fishermen will live their entire lives on the water, as they would be unfruitful or their boats would sink if they were to go ashore. Imagine the feeling of raising a family in this type of environment. And it never fails to amaze me how a reasonably large family could live comfortably and function normally on a tiny boat. I even saw several families with their pet dogs and birds staring at me.

Planks of wood adjoin several boats, thus setting the base for a 'community on water'. I witnessed neighbors chatting away and a group playing mahjong on their boats, oblivious to their surroundings. I guess they are used to being a part of the tourism agenda. I also saw salted fishes hung out to dry at the top of many of these boats. I presume that to be one of their staple foods although the strong odor can be rather disturbing.

Fifth Destination: Golden Bauhinia Square

The Expo Promenade (also known as Golden Bauhinia Square) outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on the Wan Chai waterfront marks the most significant occasion in Hong Kong's history - the return of the former British colony to the People's Republic of China (PRC), and the establishment of the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong.

The "Forever Blooming Bauhinia" Sculpture (Golden Bauhinia) is a gift from the people of the PRC to mark the widespread joy of the Chinese at the return of the territory to the Motherland after more than 100 years. Other gifts to commemorate the historic occasion were sent by each of China's provinces, autonomous regions and other territories.

Then, we go for our lunch and this will be our last destination. Before our lunch end, a guy come to pass us the group picture and a family photo that we took in Repulse Bay. We are forced to buy the picture because he printed it on a plate. If we don't buy, our plate must be throw away and it will feel so unlucky. That's why we buy and it cost HKD 200 for the group picture and the plate. Very very expensive.......!!!

Koko...... I'll miss you!! Hope to see you back in Singapore.

After the lunch, we are brought to a Chinese Herbal Shop and a Jewelery Factory. Everything are so expensive there compare to Taiwan. Their servive are also very lousy and tricky. Daddy hate the way they do business.

Finally, we are free to go on our own now. We go to the streets nearby for a walk as we are not familiar with this place. We just walk into any shops that look interesting and having sales.

This is a very special wedding car on the street......

The photos that we take along the road..... All the buildings in the Business District look very all and dirty. We don't really like it here and the people doing business also very rude as well as the taxi driver.

This is a dessert stall in Granville Road, which we discovered when shopping along that street. They are selling mainly mango desserts and drinks, though certain items include other fresh fruits. Snack food and warm desserts also exist on the menu, but they aren’t as refreshing on a warm, humid day.

This is the mango with coconut jelly. This is their latest dessert. The mango is nicely ripe. I guess there’s strict quality control even though it’s a tropical country. It's really refreshing and yummy.

We back to the hotel after the dessert as all of us are tired already. Plan to go back to have a good rest and prepare for our tomorrow, Disneyland.............!!!