Wilson's Trail section 1 + 2

Saturday saw an adventure outside of the city to explore some of Hong Kong's great hiking trails.  This is definitely one of the major plus points about Hong Kong, within 45mins you can enter a nature reserve and feel like the city is a million miles away. Ok, maybe not a million miles, but certainly far enough that you can observe it without feeling part of it for some time.

The plan was to hike Wilson's trail section one and two backwards from the Tai Kao MTR to end at Stanley beach for some R&R. Well the good news is we did make it to Stanley beach, but with a lot less time for R&R than originally expected. The hike was 12 km and took us 5 hours with a 30min pause in between to buy some water and snacks. Section 2 that we did first is marked Fairly Difficult and section 1 that we ended with (in the dark) is labeled Very Difficult. They got the ratings spot on.

Section 1, the last part, was tough. I'm no stranger to exercise, but I can say I'm glad I pushed myself on those squats during BodyPump recently. The number of stairs we climbed was more than I have ever encountered on my travels and my gym training paid off. Add to that rain and slippery mud slopes and trails that go up and down over many peaks covering over 1000 stairs.  So yes it was an adventure, many fun memories and the views and surroundings made it totally worth the sweat and effort. 

I found this write up that gives a good impression of what a hiker experiences along the way... the excitement, the relaxation, the exhaustion:

"The first peak was ok – especially as we could not see behind the first hill, so we did not know what was coming next ... many places along the way to the summit, the views of HK from atop the peak are simply breathtaking. It is like looking at a Hong Kong we’d never seen before. Lush greenery stretches out for miles together, only to be broken by splashes of pink, red and white. Blue waters beckon with lazy abandon near the reservoir.

We walked down the steps of the first hill – knowing that we had to climb them all up again, and many more! The climb started off and after a few minutes, it hit us. The gradient of the second set of steps was really really steep. For most of the climb on the second peak, we had to bend our upper body forward just to maintain balance. And each and every step was an effort. There was no breeze, no respite from the heat and from where we stood, all we could see was a very steep incline with seemingly no end and just flights and flights of steep steps to negotiate. Simply put, the second peak is grueling. "

Finally we arrived at Stanley with relief to have made it just as it turned dark.  The German calorie-packed dinner at the end was a great reward together with the good old feeling of 'WE DID IT'!  Hopefully I'll get to return to Stanley and explore it more in daylight, from the little walk around it appears to be a calm with a well constructed seafront boulevoud.

Some visual impressions of the day:

 The red trail on the island is the route we took.

Starting off with a foot massage done the local way - walking on pebbles.



Funny sign along the way.

Wartime outdoor stoves during the Japanese War 1942, never used though.

Tree taken over old building (toilet?):

Nature at its best.

Nature trail:

Still feeling fresh!

And the steep stairs start

We think we are doing pretty well, but had no idea what section 1 would be like at this point

And the stairs go on..

The views getting more impressive:

My local tour guide:

View of other side of island:

Did I mention  there were stairs? The ones below were still the warm up.

We did get a helpful warning at the start of Section 1:

At this point we thought we were almost there. Not a chance. We still had to conquer both those hills up ahead, the 'Twin Peaks' they call them.

I didn't get my camera out for the real tough sections, my energy was all focused on beating those steps. During the late afternoon the rain started and we found ourselves walking in a cloud. A very special moment to be surrounded by misty mountains and not much else.

Finally reaching Stanley Beach at dusk

Our reward!

The surprise of the meal were the delicious Potato Cakes... we had the Duck Breast, red Cabbage and Apple Sauce, can recommend!

Another wonderful day in Hong Kong :-)

Weekend Indulgence

Another good weekend in Hong Kong, and some more experiences gained and smiled at.

Since this entry is rather food heavy let me start off by saying first up Saturday morning I enjoyed a double boxing class. Nothing quite like having a fitness instructor pull up her shirt half way to reveal a perfect set of abs screaming, 'Hurt me HERE', to target your kicks and punches and evaporate any tension. No need to go into detail but I needed the 2 hours after my Friday.

 Saturday morning's coffee and newspaper proved to be amusing - it highlighted the Dutch are now experiencing 'survival of the fittest' as apparently they are suffering from bicycle overcrowding. While I don't deny The Netherlands is packed with cyclists and bicycles, considering Hong Kong's population and overcrowding problem it seemed the least likely country to crique this problem.

What made it funnier was the same weekend the local social paper called HK featured the need for Hong Kong to use more bicycles and attempt to be a cycling city. Never mind about the lack of space and road etiquette, I'm thinking of the shocking air quality and guessing the health benefits of cycling will quickly diminish once that is taken into account.

And finally, imagine trying to cycle through this sea of people?

Moving along... this weekend I found a new food to try: 

The humble Persimmon or Sharon fruit.

I can't believe I have waited this long to taste it - it was much better than I expected. I somehow was thinking tomato flavour but it is sweeter, more like an apricot. Firm on the inside with three pips, I can see how this could be good in stews and cooking too. Also perhaps as a dessert sauce for ice-cream or brownies.

While on the topic of food, my Dearest treated me to dinner on Saturday evening at Socialito, Wyndham Street, the hippest new Mexican place in town that everyone seems to be talking about. 

The outside lunch venue we had enjoyed before, it was relaxed, fun with some tasty food, so we entered the evening setting with high expectations. The inside dining area was more formal, had some well balanced deco of lights/wall fittings and friendly service. 

But the menu was trying too hard. The drinks and food all had this intense musky overtone to them, and the options were too expensive for my liking.  The food was good but very rich and the medium sized portions were the maximum that could be enjoyed. Below is the duck breast served on bread textured layer offset with black beans and corn. Oh and some pretty presentation for both meals and drinks.

Afterwards we hopped over to Le Boudoir, a sexy little hideout on Wyndham Street.  The heavenly cocktails matched the swanky lush deco that I wanted to reach out and touch. The music and atmosphere were perfect. You know, music you can hear and still hold a conversation and vibey and enticing enough that I felt like bringing out my feather boa and moving the booty.  And I did, my favourite 10mins of the week. Ooh la la. With cocktail in hand I observed that even the uptight types loosened within a few minutes. 

But the weekend wasn't over....after church on Sunday morning we took a stroll down Queensway Road and I couldn't help but notice the row of car show rooms lined up one after the other. And of course because this is Hong Kong, these are no ordinary car show rooms.

Rolls Royce

Mclaren

Mini

 Mercedes Benz

Sigh. But we did get another little taste of luxury later that day...

As if Le Boudoir on Saturday night wasn't enough indulgence I was introduced to SIFT, the makers of the most perfect cupcakes I have ever tasted. I devoured a Red Velvet with cream cheese topping, 5 mins of pure bliss. The texture was such that it didn't stick to the wrapper, had a little bounce, was melt in the mouth, didn't crumble and fall apart, had a glowing aftertaste. I will admit I was supposed to share the cupcake, but poor J got about a quarter. The price for this little piece of heaven matches the experience but was worth it, in fact I think it even makes up for the plane ticket to get here to experience this. If ever I am on a diet this is what I will break it for.

And finally because this is my blog and I can brag if I want to, I'll share that I have the most perfect boyfriend. Since I arrived back I have received a rose a day. This was Sunday's pick.

Healthy Hong Kong

I'm back! After almost three weeks away on a business trip, I'm back in Hong Kong to start my 7th week exploring this city.

The time away has been good on many levels - connecting with colleagues and working with people in person again has been motivating on a professional level, seeing a close friend again after being away from friends since I arrived in Hong Kong was so refreshing I almost cried, and staying in a hotel surrounded by trees and birds and not hearing a constant drone of city noise was soothing. But no situation is perfect and I was ready to return to normal life on Wednesday evening. Things I missed about Hong Kong was the flexibility of using the MTR to get to work and not relying on taxi's, having access to shops and restaurants 24/7, a kitchen again to prepare my own food, and not living out of a suitcase. So I guess the usual experience for a business trip :-)

I have noticed the weather has got a little cooler, and the days a little shorter. Also with it I see the HK government have put up health awareness posters perhaps as prevention for any upcoming flu season. Fortunately they were also translated in English so I could understand:

Maintain Cough Manners

Washing Hands well

And my favourite - Use Antibiotics Smartly.  

On the topic of health, I have noticed that people smoke more frequently in Hong Kong than in Malaysia. Anyone who has been out with me will know how sensitive I am to smoke and that I will move seats in a restaurant several times to avoid it, even having left half way through my meal in France once because the people next to us were constantly smoking. If there is any topic that will get me fired up, it is the discussion of banning smoking everywhere in public.  So let's see more of these posters to ' Enjoy a smoke free environment'  please because in my humble opinion people smoke too much in Hong Kong.

Lastly, just a quick thought: How long IS the Angry Birds craze going to last? Today I saw this new display for limited edition merchandise. Surely everyone has conquered it and is ready to move on? I'm amazed at how marketing can drag things out, almost as bad as the USA election media coverage.

Pause

I'll be on a business trip for 2,5 weeks so will take a pause from my reflections about Hong Kong for a while. Maybe I'll post some thoughts and whimsy from my earlier visit in 2012 but until I return nothing new to report.

PS if you enjoy reading this blog and have a minute, why not let me know your thoughts in the comments field below. What kind of things do you want to hear more of?

Also if you want to contribute to a review of the blog, here's your opportunity! =D

Finally, although I don't consider myself a 'proper expat', here is a little Expat Interview I gave for Internations, a good place to start networking. (You can click away the pop up box to read the page)

Starting my list... why Hong Kong is a good place to live

A couple of posts back I referenced an article that claimed Hong Kong is the most livable city. Whilst I might not agree 100% with that finding, I certainly am seeing more reasons from my experience that gives it GOLD stars:

1.  Health Care + Service.  

My experience with the medical service has shown it is very accessible and efficient. For example this week I wanted to visit a dermatologist and after doing some digging around on Expat forums and other online sources I found one that had a good reputation and was in Central. I emailed to enquire about availability and straight away secured an appointment for the day I requested, at a suitable time. Impressive. And the cost was reasonable for an hour appointment with a copy of all the results on a CD.  For reference, in The Netherlands I needed to do the same, and had to go through my GP to get an appointment and wait some weeks to see the specialist.

Also in general the service at restaurants and shops are excellent, but there are a few exceptions like at dinner last night we almost had to beg the waiter to take our order. I notice this is often related to the popular places that have the long queues outside. Be warned :-)

2. Personal Safety (but not necessarily good Health and Safety standards)

Someone asked me whether it was safe leaving the office at midnight, or travelling around at night on my own. Personally I feel very safe in Hong Kong.  I take usual precautions like in any country but overall I would consider Hong Kong a very safe place to live and don't feel nervous walking around on my own or going for a run at night through the park.

Although Hong Kong's affluence is not equally distributed and there are many poor people living in the city, I don't believe this increases crime in the same proportions as in other countries with the same wealth gap. Certainly not violent crime.  No doubt there is petty crime, and there are the usual signs in crowded places to watch out for pick pockets and don't leave your luggage unattended.  Many of the apartments I see have bars on the window, and when I ask the real estate agents they laugh and respond: 'it is just done but no one thinks about it any more'. I think the biggest thing someone would need to watch out for is scamming and buying a bogus apartment. 

The police force on the streets is noticeable, when I walk home from the MTR to my apartment on average I see at least one police person patrolling the area. So yes, two thumbs up to Hong Kong for public safety.   

Though of course the air pollution is a drastic thumbs down, yesterday the street lights were on because the air was so smoggy, and we have an air cleaner permanently running in the apartment.

3. Shopping

I don't think I have to explain this one too much, from my earlier posts it should be evident that you have access to a wide range of retail stores from the high end brands to the local markets.  All at your doorstep.

4. It's a ROMANTIC City

Yes it is. :-) Ok I may be a little bias given my reason for coming here, but hear me out.

There are so many opportunities to go to a restaurant or bar with spectacular views, and it is a known fact that girls get a little giddy at a height, so hey I think guys have an easier job taking girls on special dates in Hong Kong since there is almost no limit to venues at a height.

Also the social norm of moving between venues on one night makes it a fun date culture.

And of course the range of activities available in Hong Kong means the standard movie date idea can be mixed up with all sorts of creative activities. My next hot date lined up: a night out at the races :-)

Finally, you would be surprised in this busy city just how many quiet spots for a stroll there are available,  I have uncovered about five romantic walking routes already, but if I list them here perhaps they won't be so private anymore ;-)

5. Public Order

Even with the crowds it is nice to see people queuing politely for the train, and waiting in line for a restaurant in a very orderly way. But let's not carry this point too far, people do have this awkward hap hazard way of walking on the side walk that can honestly drive anyone nuts in a matter of weeks. J first mentioned it before I arrived in Hong Kong as a negative point, and I confess I thought to myself how bad can it really be. But alas I now have to force myself to remain calm at certain moments while walking along crowded streets, and I hear from other expats I'm not alone.

6. Food

Again probably don't need to state the obvious on this point, that there are a variety of restaurants in the city to cater for any cuisine craving at almost any hour. And a range of prices to go with it. You can eat really cheaply like the locals, or if you are in the mood to burn money on a meal there are plenty of opportunities to do that too. Usually these high end restaurants equate to really good food, but the ratio of money to quality is not always equal, so word of mouth or OpenRice app is the way to go.

7. People

The people I am meeting here are all very diverse and interesting. I like that. Hong Kong is one of those special places in the world, like London or The Hague, that has become a melting pot of cultures and backgrounds. But what I really like about Hong Kong is that the people here are very friendly and open to meeting new people; there are meetups for almost anything (yes really. How many places you have you seen a meetup for those who have little dogs or those who like a certain author?) and they are always willing to accept new members. The thought of the opportunity to meet so many new and interesting people gives me a big thrill.

8. Public Transport

I LOVE the efficient and clean public transport system called the 'MTR', with the added bonus that the transport card called the Octopus you can use almost anyway to pay for things, meaning less hassle of always having cash on you.  [Remind you of another British based card system? Apparently the Oyster card in London was based on the HK Octopus card] 

9. The Weather

Hurray for warm weather. Finally I can walk around outdoors in October in a skirt or flip-flops without a jacket! 

The downside: People apparently have a strong need to recover from this good weather and usually have the air-conditioning blasting so high indoors that I need to bring along my jacket for when I'm inside a building. The pricier the store the colder the temperature.

I found this weather forecast system in a building quite revealing.  There is no option for HOT or WARM, since this is the norm, but they do have RAIN or SHOWER or TYPHOON as options for levels of rain strength.  (it was on a mirror with the option lit up, pretty cool). 

Anyone else have suggestions for why Hong Kong is a good place to live?

What good food should be like

So this post will be about Hong Kong Central and a little shout out for two good food/drink finds in Hong Kong Central.

Saturday afternoon Sweet Chai Latte at FUEL, Landmark Mall Basement was a real treat, perfectly made in the right proportions. Only criticism was the cup was not big enough. The mandarin poppy seed cake was ok, a bit dry but quickly overshadowed by the Latte.

Saturday evening dinner was a pleasant surprise at California Vintage, an unique dining idea where you can order a range of Tapas style dishes and pair them with a wide selection of wines.  The experience is interactive, wine sample selections are done using a 'charge card' system from stainless steel fine polished wine dispensers.  And the food is fresh, generous and good. I was so inspired by the Watermelon Cucumber soup that I have new motivation to try more WATERMELON in food combinations.

Saturday was a special day spent with my love, but a topic for another day. Pictures and impressions from Central on a Saturday are below.  In general I can say I am starting to feel a less lost, and a lot more happy and comfortable here, really enjoying the city in many ways.

Tourist signposts:

 Old stairs off Lyndhurst Terrace:

Markets stocked with Halloween Decorations:

Dogs spotted in 7-11: :-)

These stairs in Duddell street are special since they host the last remaining gas lamps in Hong Kong.

Friday Night Meetup and Karaoke

Time for a roundup report of the weekend in Hong Kong. In summary: Excellent - Weather Good. Company Fun. Food Excellent. Activities Ace. Pollution Average.

But first a zoom in on Friday night, my first real taste of the Hong Kong evening social life. I went out on my own to a Hong Kong Expat meetup since J and I agreed we should have some time to make our own friends/ meet people independently, so off I headed to embrace the social fabric of Hong Kong while J met up with some of his friends. 

At this expat event I was impressed at the number of people gathered at a seemingly remote location in Wan Chai. Granted, a place with lovely views over the Habour and City, and outside on a deck. But over 300 people?  So goal achieved, great opportunity to meet a diverse spread of people also foreign to Hong Kong.

At one moment the group I was chatting with suggested Karaoke as a fun thing to do in Hong Kong, something I have never done before. Well right then and there, everyone agreed we should do Karaoke. No time for deliberation, contact numbers briefly exchanged in case we got lost and off the group headed via taxi to another venue that offered mostly English songs choices. 

Although I honestly cannot sing in tune, I can say the experience was great fun. The best part was singing the latest Gangnam song in Korean with a Korean.

Also what made it fun was the group was diverse, sample of countries represented:  South Africa, America, Zimbabwe, Britain, Poland, Russian, Hong Kong, Korea, China.

Will I see these people again? I think two of the girls I will make an effort to see again and the rest I guess I will see at the next Karaoke 

I discovered from my night out that people expect that you travel a lot or move quickly through the city, so are happy to make friends for the evening with no strings attached. Also people have the attitude of 'work hard play hard' so every day counts, and invariably the evening is made up of multiple 'stages' and activities. Most people counted at least one meetup before the Wan Chai venue and probably they headed for another after Karaoke  But I didn't stay long enough to find out - by 1am this Cinderella was ready to see her Prince, and sure enough he was in a taxi and headed over to pick me up within 5mins :-)

Another strange phenomenon about Hong Kong social meetups is the unashamed exchange of Business Cards. In the 4 weeks of being here, I have used more Business Cards that during the 6 years I lived in The Netherlands. And the exchange is not done in a casual or flippant manner. Oh no, locals will hand you their card with both hands and expect you to receive it the same way. Do NOT show them the dis-honour of defacing the card in front of them (I usually write down where I met the person and the date, and some interesting detail about the conversation). 

So last week I ordered some private cards online without my company details, I don't need everyone emailing me at work reminding me of the great weekend I had. :-)