HONG KONG-SHENZHEN-MACAU 2007

Day 2

Met Clem at ard 10am at Jordan MTR...and set out straight to hunt for some decent and authentic HK fare for breakfast...headed downtown and walked along the famous Nathan Road to the Tsim Sha Tsui area...the most upscale shopping district in the kowloon area...also an area where the rich-poor contrast of modern HK is best illuminated...shabby, rundown and ill-maintained buildings which at times seems as though it will collapse any moment lined along the back alleys leading to Nathan Road...whilst modern n trendy shopping malls dotted the famous main street...perhaps mr Quek is rite...there is absolutely no logic why a city touted as one of the international major financial center with a per capita higher than our little red dot is in such a poor state of maintaining their post-war buildings...our chinatown & little india is clearly better conserved in all aspects...maybe the hongkies r juz too practical bunch of pple...conserving their buildings wud means $$ and time spent...which wud in turn translates to revenue loss...and as long as their buildings still stand...why the heck wud they wanna do something abt it??

settled our breakfast at this ubiquitous foodcourt franchise known as "da jia le" at a mall close to the ferry pier...proceeded on to the Avenue of stars...HK's version of Hollywood Walk of fame...it seems exactly the same from the last time i visited 3 years back...not much new attractions in this touristy spot...xcept for a new statue of Bruce Lee...a lengendary chinese movie icon...walked and took some picts along the boulevard...admiring the victoria harbour with the well-known n paranomic HK city skyline (if oni it was not such a misty day) which certainly puts our very own shenton way into shade...i mean their city skyline is really an almost 3-D 360 degree view from the avenue of stars compared to our 1-D CBD...this is then call a city skyline la...haha

Took a shot outside the famous hotel icon on our way to Avenue of stars...

a must have "pic" whenever one visits HK...HK's famous cityscape

finally reunite wif Clem on the 2nd day

MPNC ORD Trip 2007

honouring HK movie's finest

i wan to thank my fans for all these years of support

Standing tall amongst the cacophony of stars

good old jackie

chao wei...hao jiu bu jian

"adaaaaaaaaaaaa........"

"hiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak"

"Leon...Leon...Leon...Leon...Leon......"

Aft done exploring ard Avenue of stars...the Clock Tower...turning circles ard HK space museum n cultural center...and enough of revering the historic Victoria Harbour and across it HK's Central district on this rather warm ...we decided it's time to head across the sea channel into HK Island in a relatively traditonal n no-fuss manner...by the famous Star Ferry from Central Pier to Central District across town...this mode of transport is relatively unused by hongkies nowadays...with tourists making the bulk of passengers onboard...it's rather cheap though compared to the MTR, cab, n public buses...n it's definitely a nice...relaxed n tranquil way of crossing over to HK Island if one is not rushing for time...

Spent the rest of the aftnoon exploring the Central District...aftall HK is one of the major financial center of the world...so it's certainly timely n worthwhile to pay a visit to all the major international banks n their headquarters while u r in HK...something i didn't made time for the last time i visited in 2004...explored the different buildings n hotels in the area during the peak lunch hour...stanchart...HSBC...Bank of China...Four Seasons Hotel...mandarin Hotel...IFC mall...cheung kong center (owned by the one and only ka-shing)...paid a visit to the famed HK Stock Exchange where they have this exhitbition hall for the public...where we also learn the fact that our dear n much tauted s'pore exchange is so much down the line (in fact oni one notch higher than shenzhen) in terms of market cap in the world...haiz...CMI...

Basically juz spent our entire aftnoon hopping frm one bank to another...one building to the next...to simply absorb in the essence and element of one of the world's major finanial machines buzzing in full throttle on this lazy winter aftnoon...breathing in the same $$ air where the richest bankers work...n of coz admiring some of the wonderfully sculpted skyscrappers of modern HK...

Mr Quek n Clem onboard star ferry heading towards Central (Zhong Huan)

wah piangz...how many times muz i tell them not to anyhow park my car?!!?!

traces of ka-shing everywhere in HK

Beijing Olympics fever gripping HK

Listening to the guide talking abt securities n derivatives at the Stock Xchange

Clem n me fooling ard in the exhibiton hall

Good day in the office "How many lots u wanna buy ah?"

me and Mr Quek at the viewing gallery

almost every stock was in red...bad day for the stock markets

the exhibits at the stock exchange

feeling very "Da Shi Dai"

the aftermath of the 1987 market collapse

"Ho seh!! Huat ah!!"

"eh.......why the screen never move one??"

Aft we were done exploring ard the exhibtion hall...we decided to move on to our nxt destination...not going to his place when one visits HK is like not going to eiffel tower when u r in paris...not going up empire state when u r in NYC...or not going to the Pyramids when u r in Egypt...this place i m talking abt is none other than HK's very own Victoria Peak...where the truly super rich and famous reside...it is said that real estate prices at the Peak are one of the highest in the whole world...not surprising given the spectacular views of central HK...the harbour...and the famous night skyline that gave rise to the name "The Pearl of the Orient"...Indeed...the night skyline and the view of HK from up the Peak truly rises up to her name...simply gorgeous...beyond words...and guess wad to top it all off...mr Quek generously decided to give us an early christmas dinner up the Peak!! hahaha...dining up the Peak is seriously one of the best fine dining experience i ever had...the food is simply fantastic...the grilled venison i ordered coupled with the mocktail "Oscar Star"...and overlooking our table is the beautiful and famed skyline of HK...the ambience...the lovely and wintry weather...wif my bunch of old army khakis (a bit brokeback though...haha)...lovely to sum it up all...it would certainly be hard for the rest of the trip to match up to the dinner at the Peak...fine dining experience at its very best...

aft a superb meal at cafe deco with such gorgeous night scenes...we were hungry for more...thus we ventured ard the Peak Tower and moved up to the viewing terrace to get better vantage points of the famed skyline...soaked in the atmosphere for a while b4 we decided to take the minibus back to Central...and made our way frm there back to Kowloon...had some dessert at this famous dessert franchise "Hui Lau Shan" near Langham Place in Mongkok where we visited the day b4...walked ard the shopping mall for another time b4 we decided to call it a day and went back to the hotel to rest...a tiring 2nd day on foot no doubt...but the dinner at the Peak certainly proved to be yet another highlight of the trip thus far...

On our way up the peak...with Central District behind me

me n Mr Quek at the Peak Tram Station...our generous host of our christmas dinner

the tram juz pulling in at the base station before we boarded

surrounded by bemused passengers on my way up the Peak

feeling damn beh song becoz the stupid tram door juz shut on my fingers *ouch*

Kelly welcoming me to the Peak

View of HK city from up the Peak...the sky abit foggy though

"it certainly feels good to be up here"

"the air is so much fresher up here too"

Commemorative Group shot at the Peak

HK at dusk

As the sun sets in HK...

At the restaurant juz b4 we order our meals

Sipping "Oscar Star" - the name of the mocktail i ordered b4 mine dinner arrives

"Yummmmmmy!!! Grilled venison with mashed potato & tomato salad"

make a wish...make a wish...

After such fine dining experience...what can be betta?? Thks mr quek for such a lavish x'mas dinner!!

Pearl of the Orient at her charming best

Totally enchanted by the bright city lights

Final shot of the day at the Peak Sky Terrace

......Listening to Sarah McLahlan's Wintersong on this lovely Christmas eve...juz an inpromptu, sudden and unexplainable desire to revive my blog from almost a year languishing in the wilderness (thankful my blogger account is still active!! =p)...dunno why also...juz wanna blog abt my 8D7N trip to HK-Shenzhen-Macau...yet another memorable, enjoyable, rewarding and fruitful trip wif my beloved buddies frm MPNC...a super delayed ORD trip 3 years in the making (not counting our fateful ubin cycling trip of coz! haha)...but seriously juz an attempt to preserve some wonderful memories frm the trip...and perhaps the best way is to blog abt it...and of coz bro clem if u r reading this...this will be a fantastic way to publicize our self-produced...self-directed and self-acted HK travel series (too bad we have to end it prematurely at 17 episodes...haha)...who knows discovery travel channel might juz come calling aft i upload the episodes...haha...and of coz many thanks to the man of the series......*drum rolls*.......the one and only Mr Quek!!! heh...wifout his "active" participation...the series would not have been such a remarkable success...lol...so here it goes...Hong Kong-Shenzhen-Macau MPNC ORD Trip 2007......

HONG KONG-SHENZHEN-MACAU 2007

DAY 1

Finally aft 3 years in the making...almost 3 months of prior discussion...we are all set for departure to HK for our official ORD trip...i muz admit i did have some initial apprehensions abt the trip...since 1stly...i had been to HK wif donnie more than 3 yrs back (ironic that was straight aft i ord frm the army)...2ndly...i was quite worried that it might clash wif mine FYP schedule...taking up time away frm the lab...and true enough...was scheduled to meet Prof today juz as i m departing...cannot be suay enough lo...but manage to juz email him say go for holiday wif "family"...more convincing to say wif family i guess n not army buddies...heh...but decided to juz go ahead aft receiving the phone call from Mr Quek n Clem almost 3 mths back...juz heck it wif FYP la...seriously need a break from this torturing and punishing final yr in sch...throw in Shenzhen and Macau...and suddenly the trip became worth considering...haha...anyway...the whole point is goin wif Mr Quek n Clem...aftall we hav been talking abt this since our days sitting in the sofa in MPNC...hahaha

Mr Quek n his Dad were kind enuff to give me a lift to the airport...though our flight was scheduled to depart at 11.25am...we reached terminal 1 at ard 8am...with a few hrs to spare...decided to explore ard Terminal 3 and have a 1st hand check out to see wad all the fuss was all abt...lo n behold...i guess T3 is really worth all the hype aftall...i muz say it's really quite impressive wif the interior design...clever use of sunroofs to let in natural light...the extensive use of plastic plants n trees to further emphasize and reinstate our claim as a Garden City to visitors...very huge n large in all aspects...thats wad airport terminals shud be all abt actually...to give travellers a very open air and very spacious n welcoming feeling...can imagine how it will look like when it becomes fully operational in less than a mth's time...

Test shot on the new ixus75 bought frm Sitex last wk...Me n Mr Quek on the sky train to T3

a sneek preview of T3

the check-in counters

looks exactly like how it is in the newspapers renderings...lotsa of aluminium sunroof, greenery n large columns

proceeded nxt to the only functioning shop in the whole of T3 - yakun kopitiam for some light breakfast...followed by another of our trademark conversations wif mr quek...i alwaz luv havin conservations wif mr quek...coz he alwaz seem to haf so much knowledge abt almost any topic ranging frm Architecture to Zoology (minus entertainment, sports n gals =p)...i alwaz learn something new frm all these intellectual conversations wif mr quek...and at times i feel it's really brain stimulating (n draining) juz to haf discussions n conservations wif him...haha...since becoming a Christian more den a year back...our conversations have moved on more to the Bible n Gospels...and true enuff...grace was our morning topic of the day (anticipating more to come over the following days =p)...and somehow mr quek recommended this book by Rich Brott "All the Financial Scriptures" and the title itself caught my attention...aftall no doubt money really speaks into one's heart...hopefully can read up more on the book over the nxt wk...brought some copies of newsweek too to supplement my bedtime reading habit...

aft 2 hrs closer to check-in time...decided to take a slow walk to the check-in counter at T1...and guess wad...the biggest surprise in store for us of the day!!!

got upgraded to biz class tics when we actually book economy tics for free...hahaha

no doubt by the grace and favour of God...got upgraded to biz class tickets!!! hahaha...we even ask the lady to double confirm coz we really book econ tics but no mistake abt it...biz class she confirmed...waha...it feels good to see ur backpack pasted wif a priority baggage sticker...lol...no concidence abt this since we had a lengthy discusssion on grace juz b4 check-in...Heaven's Providence as mr quek likes to put it...cannot get off to a better start for our trip really...1st time in my life flying biz class...n get to go to some skyview lounge before boarding somemore...haha...Thank God for such a wonderful start to our trip!!

like a typical s'porean...quickly embark on our hunt for the all elusive biz class lounge...this time muz walk in wif some "seh"...muz act like not the 1st time travelling in biz class...heh...finally found it wif the help of the ubiquitous directory signs...oh man it feels good walking in to the lounge...n shud i know earlier i wun haf eaten breakfast at all la...free flow of sandwiches...xiao long baos...dumplings...croissants and pastries...fruits...wadever drinks u wan n even wine...wah kaoz!! so shiok ah the lounge...can really eat all u can...n juz eat ur 3 meals der b4 board in u already get back half ur biz class tics liao la...but wait a min...muz behave like a seasoned biz class traveller...muz have some poise and most importantly "seh"...heh

an unlikely combination...wine wif egg n ham sandwiches

free flow shanghainese dumplings which they called it

indulging heartily to all the perks of the biz class lounge

view of the runway from the lounge

Mr Quek updating himself with the lastest dose of financial news

feeling bored...decided to cam-whore a bit wif my new cam

aft lingering ard in the lounge for a gd hr or so...it's finally time to board the plane!! wheewheee...finally understand wad it means by to travel in style...or some wud call it high-end travelling...the cabin crew adressing u mr low...much more comfy seats and so much more leg room (totally erase any memory of tt 30-hr flight to US in tt small pathetic compartment)...a 6-course menu for lunch...unlimited n free flow of wine frm a selected wine list...no rowdy and crying kids or ah sohs shrieking...wheeee wheee...simply splendid...once u travel in biz class u never wud wanna go back to econ siah...the 3 1/2 hr flight juz flew by...watched stardust and parts of an arthouse film (cant remem the title) starring adrian brody n owen wilson...and thats abt it...arrived at the HK airport almost close to 6pm...same like the last time i came...had to wait for this coach to pick up the s'pore bunch and send them to the various hotels...

our hotel is at kowloon near jordan mtr...aft travelling wif so much style...finally brought back to earth checking into a 3-star hotel...haha...dun even know we reached the hotel coz parts of it are under scaffolding...apparently they revamping the hotel...even changed the name from mayfair garden to a more classy Hotel Largos...ha...but overall still not too bad la...the beds are soft...got warm shower...tv is working but no cable...but still satisfactory on the whole...

a toast of guava juice to my 1st n hopefully not last biz class travel

the menu and wine list

this's the appetizer and i actually tot it's the main course

the not-so appetizing main course tortinelli

some cheesecake wif coffee for dessert

arriving at HK airport all perked up aft the 1st class treatment

passing by Tsing Ma bridge on the way to our hotel...the world's 6th largest suspension bridge according to wikipedia

our hotel room...with most of my belongings scattered all over

finally checked into our hotel ard evening time...since we wud oni be meeting clem tmr as he was taking the later flight n staying wif his relatives...me and mr quek decided to spend the evening checking out the Mongkok area...sussing out places like Temple Street...Ladies market and so on...rested n washed up for a while b4 we set off on foot in search of Temple Street...

much of kowloon remained the same frm my last visit 3 yrs back...i simply luv this part of HK...the whole make-up that is very much HK in its fine classic essence...the heavy traffic...the neon lights hanging precariously in some cases frm old shophouses (mr quek wud argue that they r shabby n not juz old)...the bustling crowds jostling shoulders to shoulders n at times threatening to spill over the pavement...i juz dunno why...the whole energy n ambience n the people juz forms a very attractive picture in my mind (muz be the effect of those HK dramas n movies =p)...juz very charming in my opinion...this part of HK...but mr quek certainly dun agree so...n was saying it's certainly one of the most chaotic cities he ever visited...haha..or maybe coming and growing up from a not so heartland district back home also helps to explain why i alwaz never fail to fall in love wif kowloon...aft all i grew up running ard in the alleys of little india shophouses certainly similar to these alleys in kowloon...heh...but seriously i really luv juz walking along nathan road in kowloon...that all too familiar feeling no doubt gives me that xtra spring in my step...similar to how i feel when i was in NY...n of coz the cool winter weather and lotsa of bevies of hk babes certainly help matters too...lol...

explored ard temple street north n south...sai yeung street south...ladies market...had a hearty meal at one of the da pai dang in mongkok...ordering food in pan tong shui cantonese certainly does not help...one severe pitfall that wud put me off in working in HK in the future...my CMI canto...haha...even though been brushing up like crazy for the past few wks feeding on HK dramas...but still conversing smoothly is a prob...lucky this time rd there's clem...a pure bred hk zai...heh...

aft dinner ventured into one rather chio n relatively new shopping center rite on top of mongkok mtr...never see it b4 the last time i came...wah the architecture is reallyunique n special and it really got me n mr quek...the christmas decor also damn nice...one plus point abt visiting HK during december...all the christmas decor here gets u in the festive mood...will certainly put our orchard into hiding...really cannot match up deh...one shopping center enuff to qek the whole of orchard...

saw this at portland street...a notoriously gangster street...no wonder even missionaries here need to learn some martial arts

nice christmas decor in langham place at mongkok

cant resist not taking a shot wif such beautiful christmas decor

mr quek say i look like a small kid in this pic

one of the longest escalators i have seen in a shopping mall...spanning 4 levels

another nicely lit up stage at the top floor of the shopping center

my captures frm temple st...a pair of "limited edition" oakley...some solar powered key chains

aft langham place...decided to call it a day aft a short but eventful day...no doubt travelling in biz class remains the highlight...n it's oni the 1st day...haha...meeting clem tmr morning to venture ino tsim sha tsui area and Central district at hk island...that's all for Day 1 of the HK adventure...ci@o!!