Sweet Tooth

I forget the Chinese name, but it's just soft toasted bread, butter, and condensed milk.  Perfect for afternoon tea--a tradition picked up from Hong Kong's colonial days.  Beware, the milk tea can keep you up for days.  Simple and delicious.

@ Tsui Wah in Central w/ my aunt

A favorite since childhood: dan tat or egg tart.  I don't eat it a whole lot back home, but here, I've been in search of the best one.  Needs: flaky crusts over cookie crusts and the custard should be just right in sweetness.  Po tat, the Portuguese version famous in Macau, is good too of course.

This one is from a bakery near my aunt's in Ma On Shan in the New Territories.  So far, it's been the best.

I've never heard of Hui Lau Shan until I came here.  Apparently it's in California, but it might just be more popular in NorCal.  It's everywhere in HK, sort of a fast food dessert place with numerous mango desserts that I know my friend Sara would love.

Pictured are different forms of mango with sago and coconut milk.  The watermelon one was refreshing.  Plus, I <3 watermelon!

Honeymoon Dessert is another popular dessert station, but better.  My cousin took me to the original/first shop in Sai Kung in the New Territories where we tried durian pancake, mango sago with grass jelly and pomelo, coconut milk with sago and green tea, and I tried a spoonful of her friend's walnut with tofu.  I've never tried durian before and it wasn't bad!  It was definitely different for a fruit.  I'll have to eat it again.

My cousin claims she's had more desserts this past month than she ever does because of me. : )

Wan Chai

Walk around Wan Chai at night and you'll find Hong Kong's red light district.  Strip clubs, neon lights, (unattractive and oddly non-Chinese) prostitutes, and old white men with cash in their hands and a hooker on an arm heading straight up to a motel for some lovin'.  So why go there?  Every Wednesday is ladies night at several bars that sit (almost) in a row--Carnegie's, Typhoon, Swindler's, and Mes Amis.  The crowd consists mostly of non-locals, businessmen, and of course, exchange students.

Ladies Night is something we need in Cali!  Free cover and free drinks for ladies all night.  Drinks are pretty much any hard alcohol mixed with any soda or juice.  The essence of it is to get girls super drunk so that all the guys who head out on ladies' nights buy expensive drinks and hope to eventually land a chick (at least this is what I think).  I haven't actually seen much of it going on, but I'm sure it does.  The first time we went out there, we had drinks at Mes Amis and they were half alcohol, half juice, and all disgusting...way too much alchie in there all at once, but it definitely made ladies night clear.  As we had more drinks, I noticed more guys standing around the bar waiting. 

Other than that, it's a good place to go to on Wednesday nights (though not as good as going to Lan Kwai Fong on Thursdays, in my opinion).  Although each bar is pretty small, we still find a way to get drunk and dance!  I've been there almost every week, but I'm staying in for the first time tonight (bit of a cough/sore throat)

9/2 First night in Wan Chai at Mes Amis-Susan, Melody, and me busting out the Asian poses

9/9 with Noelle and Mario who dance to everything including electro! <3

Listen to these and you're there:

I hear this song way too much:


Of course:


Love:




ahh they don't fit in my blog

My Fair Lady

 

  

Last night we went to watch the first race of the season at Happy Valley Racecourse near Causeway Bay.  Horse race betting is huge here as there are HK Jockey Clubs everywhere.  But we got there late, so no more free beer, we saw 1 race and I didn't bet on anything...I'm lame.  I still had fun though!

Next time.

  

Straw + Beer
 

Melody (one of my roommates), Hattie (from Wales), Susan (fellow anteater!) and Me!

Dog Eat Dog

 

We stumbled upon Bao Dim Sin Seng bakery in Mong Kok on Friday (9/11).  I had to get one since they're so damn cute!

I love hot dog buns!

<3

When (most of) the City Sleeps...

Monday September 7th

At nighttime, a bunch of us received a text from Phuong, an exchange student from Australia.
"Anyone interested in leaving at 4am from the halls for dim sum then to the peak for a 6am sunrise? Let me know! Ask others too"

I was tired when I read it, but I knew I had to go.  Before that day, it felt like something was missing...perhaps the sense of adventure?  I'm not sure, but after going, I was happy that I did.

By the time we arrived at the dim sum place, it was already 3/4 full of old men.  Apparently, the place opens at 3am!  At this hole-in-the-wall, you go up to a table and grab your own dim sum to take back to your table instead of ordering or picking dishes out from rolling carts (anyone know if rolling carts even exist at yum cha places here?).  Of course, all of it was goood.

Me, Sungmin (from Korea), Phuong, & Ellen (my roomie's friend in HK for vacation) finishing dim sum on Hau Wo Street

random snap of the inside: bus drivers in light blue shirts (I wish I got a better picture of them)

 

The guy in green ended up being our taxi driver.  He played tour guide and dad, telling us which buildings were around us and warning us to stay safe.  I highly recommend going to The Peak before sunrise.  Although we couldn't really see the sunrise due to all the clouds, the air was cool and breezy (in great contrast to the usual hot and very humid weather) and the city was calm.  I love city life, but it's a nice little escape.  Plus, you can actually see the HK skyline (though still a bit hazy), which is often covered in smog.  

 

I'm On A Boat!

My face is a bit pink, my body's sore and I'm a bit sniffly, but I had an amazing time playing on the sandy beach of a random island, riding a "banana boat," and chilling on a yacht.

Today my cousin, Mary, took me with her on a boat trip coordinated by one of her friends. It's popular in HK to go on boat trips in order to escape the hectic city life and relax for a whole day. In the morning, we departed from Sai Kung, which is located on the east coast of the New Territories. I got a glimpse of it and it's a town I definitely need to go back to and explore.

We went out until we reached a small island (the name of which I forgot already) where I played games (which is why I'm sore) with my cousin's friend's friends (to be specific) like one called "Counting Numbers" in cantonese, a squirrel/tree game, volleyball, and a version of dodgeball on the beach. Then we waded in the water to cool off. It was the perfect temperature unlike the freezing water back home--though the only downside is that their water is saltier (rather unpleasant up your nose).

After a few hours under the sun, we went back onto the boat and ate tasty tasty chicken, crab, fish balls, etc. prepared by the cook. The boat moved on out onto an open area where they took people out on a small speedboat to go wakeboarding--something I totally wanted to do, but the boat was too full so while we waiting around, we just swam near the boat.  I did however get to ride a banana boat!  My groups were pretty good, so we stayed on for a good amount of time until we fell off when the captain sped up the boat too much or went on crazy sharp turns.

After all that, we dried off and laid out on the yacht...I'm on a boat style until we reached Sai Kung by 5pm. 'Tis the life.

My cousin and my closed eyes on the beach of the island :)

playing a version of dodgeball

remnants of the feast

banana boat!

32 people!

Back in Sai Kung, we walked around and went to Honeymoon Dessert or "moon gei" in canto (though moon gei doesn't mean honeymoon?). It's a popular chain in HK and we went to the first/original place where I tried a bunch of desserts including durian! Well, durian in dessert and it wasn't bad! I've never eaten durian, so it was interesting/tasted like something/ok/good/need to try it again and again. By the time we finished, it started pouring. A typhoon just arrived and luckily, not when we were on the boat.

My cousin and I waited until it subsided and then headed to the bus stop to go back to Mong Kok in HK Island. While we stood there, thunder roared, lightning struck, the wind blew, tension in the air...the elements of a disaster movie. A mini bus came around, but it was full when there were only 2 people ahead of us--soo close! We waited..and waited..and then it poured. It was really like taking a shower in the rain. Everyone in line scrambled to get something to cover up--mainly towels, which helped, but of course it was soaking wet. By the time we all got on the bus, we were dripping wet and the A/C was on hence my sniffles here and there now. We warmed up with fish ball noodle soup in Mong Kok and went back home to take some nice hot showers.

Walking around Sai Kung...they're known for seafood (but I think this was just for show)

Honeymoon Dessert
There are 2 spots next to each other. One for durian and the other without.
durian "pancake"-one of many desserts we ate

(Day 19 of life in Hong Kong and I am finally blogging. A goal of mine was to update frequently, but I still need to get into the habit. Not really a space to be writerly, but to remind myself of what I'm doing here when I look back on this experience)