morning glory

A delightful surprise awaited me in the toilet of our dorms this morning...

 

Why hello there...

sai kungtails

After three weeks of teaching in a school where meat, caffeine and alcohol are banned, we were treated to an evening of cocktails, delicious seafood and desserts in the trendy Sai Kung area. The looks on our faces suggest just how happy we were to finally eat some yummy food!

 

chowing and chewing on cheung chau island

Last week we took a ferry to Cheung Chau island, a tiny place where local residents spend their weekends on the beach and eating seafood in restaurants overlooking the sea.

 

Farewell Hong Kong...

 

 

...hello Cheung Chau!

There are no cars on the island; it's so small that you can walk or cycle (or be cycled) everywhere. Whilst there we explored a few temples, discovered a pirate cove, walked along the beach, had afternoon tea at Hometown Teahouse (owned by a lovely Japanese lady who couldn't have made us feel more welcome), ate huge skewers of frozen fruit and cinnamon sugar-coated fried apple crisps, and enjoyed incredible seafood whilst watching the sunset.

 

 

Choose your fish...and then eat it at the restaurant next door!

on top of the world

The skyscrapers in Hong Kong are incredible - and it's fascinating how they are nested in amongst jungle trees and coastlines. Hong Kong park - in the middle of Central area - even has an aviary, with the Bank of China tower and other landmarks as an impressive backdrop.

 

 

Taking the tram up to the Peak is perhaps not an experience for the faint-hearted, with backward lurches and vertical climbs - but it's worth it for the spectacular views, particularly as the sun sets.

Spotted these gorgeous doggies on the street the other day - and I thought I found it hot here!

pork bunanza

This week we had some time off teaching, so we've had the chance to do some exploring of the city and try some amazing food - namely all-you-can-eat sushi, pineapple and coconut bread, frozen yoghurt, chestnut tarts, bubble tea, freshly squeezed fruit juices...the list goes on. The main highlight was a dim sum lunch at the world's cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant, where the pork buns are absolutely sublime. We queued from 9.30am for a lunch spot, but apparently they do takeaway as well - a potentially dangerous discovery!

 

The queue

 

 

Pork buns!

 

 

Other amazing food discoveries included XTC gelato, which reputedly serves the best ice cream in Asia. Their clover honey yoghurt, pistachio and rose petal flavours are wonderfully yummy and refreshing.

Ellie and I also had a fabulous evening at the Temple Street Night Market, culminating in a spectacular 11.30pm curry at the infamous Chungking mansions, which tasted much better than it looked...

 

Temple Street Night Market

 

 

Chungking Mansions - not somewhere to be explored alone...

The pick and mix shops also have endless varieties of tempting sweeties to choose from...

 

The most difficult thing is choosing where to begin!

holy macau

A couple of days ago we caught a stomach-churning ferry to Macau, which is a bizarre but fascinating hybrid of Portuguese history and shiny, modern and rather brash casino architecture...

The old...

...and the new

We wandered the cobbled old streets and took full advantage of the copious free samples of sweet pork jerky, egg custard tarts and almond cookies being offered by shops before walking through the casinos and taking in their extravagant interiors.

Tree show at the Wynn

The Venetian's Grand Canal

In the evening we managed to get some last-minute tickets to Cirque du Soleil's absolutely incredible show at the Venetian, Zaia. The show was sensational, incorporating Chinese tradition such as lion dancing with modern quirks such as floating human ice cubes and a walking polar bear, and transporting the audience across the planet with fantastic scenery, costumes and music as well.

 

Amazing.