farewell hong kong

I've had an absolutely amazing five weeks in Hong Kong, and will be so sorry to say goodbye to the wonderful students and fantastic teachers.

On our last day we had lunch at a fantastic Mongolian buffet restaurant called Nomads before bidding each other tearful farewells...

 

Next stop: Singapore!

high spirits

Last night we went for drinks at Ozone, an amazing bar on the 188th floor of the Ritz-Carlton in the ICC. The views of the skyscrapers lit up at night were incredible.

 

 

The interiors were almost as spectacular as the views, with colour-changing lights and huge sofas to sprawl out on...

As for the drinks...we sipped blackberry mojitos and apple strudel cocktails, which tasted like Christmas in a glass - the perfect end to an amazing 5 weeks!

froyo a go go

After a month of dinners that look like this...

...it's hardly surprising that I've developed quite a frozen yoghurt addiction! Today I went to visit my lovely friend Tobias on his first day of work at Crumbs for yet another froyo fix...yum yum yum :)

pucker up

Last night we went back to Sai Kung for a few drinks, although the main attraction was the tanks of colossal fish in the seafood restaurants in the harbour!

 

 

Meet my new boyfriend...

We also discovered yet another frozen yoghurt shop - based on our frequent froyo fixes Ellie and I could probably marry its owner!

ChiLing

We spent a sunny Sunday afternoon exploring the Chi Lin nunnery, which is built based on traditional Chinese techniques dating from the Tang Dynasty so there are no iron nails holding the wood in place.

Attached to the Nunnery is the gorgeous Nan Lian Garden,  an oasis amid soaring skyscrapers and busy traffic. It would have been a perfect picnic spot had the sun not been so intense, so we opted for yet another frozen yoghurt in the air-conditioned comfort of the nearby shopping mall instead!

SoHopping

This weekend we spent an afternoon exploring SoHo, Hong Kong's trendy shopping and eating district. We discovered a cute shop called 'Mushroom' that was having a reception to celebrate its opening, and were invited in by their lovely staff for for cocktails and canapes!

Next we passed a pretty tea shop called Princess, which sold cupcakes, tarts and macarons that looked super cute.

We went past lots of hip-looking art galleries and boutiques, but unfortunately we were in a rush to get to a performance of 'Dance me to the End of Love', which was an adaptation of Herrmann Hesse's 'Siddharta' with Leonard Cohen songs and modern dance in a black box theatre - a different, albeit fascinating experience!

time for tea (again)

This Saturday Sophie and I went to a fabulous afternoon tea buffet at the Mandarin Oriental. We went mad for their famous rose petal jam on warm scones, and incredible offerings from the buffet included (to name but a few!) pink guava mousse cake, apricot and almond cake, angel cake, chocolate fudge cake, carrot cake, cheesecake, cupcakes, berry tarts, macadamia nut pie, lemon meringue pie, caramel banana pie, brownies, truffles, lamingtons, washed down with fragrant strawberry green tea... Suffice to say we were in heaven!

 

 

A veritable feast

 

Absolute glee.

On our way out we passed a stunning Giorgio Armani dress - although perhaps not something best worn following a sumptuous afternoon tea buffet!

 

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!