HONG KONG - SHENZHEN - MACAU 2007

Day 6


After a whirlwind and super impromptu trip to shenzhen yesterday...wrapping up the HK leg of the tour...it's time to bid farewell to the big neon lights of Kowloon and move on to the next stop of the itinerary...certainly one which i'am looking forward with much anticipation...ladies and gentlemen...say HELLO to Las Vegas of the East - MACAU!!! Here i come...haha

We checked out ard 10plus in our hotel at kowloon aft settling a quick breakfast at an eatery across the street...all's fine at this hotel where we hav been putting up for the past 5 nites...fairly decent despite the facade undergoing renovation and shrouded with scaffolding and such...other than that...it's been a quite pleasant stay...certainly one i would shortlist if i would to come back to HK again...

Mr Quek and I took the MTR to Sheung Wan to meet clem...where the Ferry Terminal to Macau is located...aft buying our tickets and a short Bible Study Session at the foodcourt...we were soon onboard the ferry to Vegas...errmm Macau (cant wait to make a killing at the tables =p)

Damn!! MGM Grand opening on the day i leaving...sheeeezz

We r on our way to win a casino!!

the ferry ride is abt one hour plus...slighty longer den the one we took to Lantau...according to wikipedia...macau is in fact the densest city in the world...and i could perfectly understand why the moment i landed at the ferry terminal...throngs and i seriously mean throngs of visitors frm the mainland were all over the place with their diff tour groups all lining up to take the shuttle buses to their hotels...thanks to China's booming economy no doubt that have in turn enriched countless numbers of their citizens...and of course chinese's notorious penchance for gambling has fuelled this tiny former portugese enclave to a sprawling city with extravagant and lavish casinos, resorts and hotels...

we finally found the shuttle bus that would take us to our hotel...Hotel Lisboa...the one which was owned by stanley ho who monopolised the whole macau gaming industry until recently...to our surprise there's actually a Grand Lisboa...haha ours is the cheapskate version i guess...checked into our so called 5star hotel...and man guess wad!?!! we got upgraded again!!! haha...this time frm deluxe to superior...gosh getting upgraded now andden...frm flight to hotel rooms...this trip is certainly turning out to be a trip of many manifested blessings...halleujah!!

check out our superior guest room...the drinks r free flow...and unlimited free movie channels

the bedroom is here...the bathroom is over there...the fridge is over there

sieving thru the room service menu

one of the nicest hotel toilet i hav stayed

i'm going to enjoy the steambath tonite man

woah...simply juz feel like staying put in the room and not going anywhere...haha...we took a short break and discussed our plans for the day...decided that we would find a place to settle our lunch first andden head to the most famous landmark of macau...the ruins of st paul or dai san ba according to the locals...this landmark is certainly the icon of macau...come to macau confirm muz go there...other than the casinos of coz...

we left our room slightly unwillingly...and started on our hunt for food hoping to find some decent portugese fare...heh...unfortunately our hunger pangs could not hold and we checked into a chinese eatery near the town square for lunch...aft lunch we explored ard the town square on this lively sunday...the facade of the catalan designed buildings...renaissance inspired fountains and ceramic paved streets really creates akind of european feel...not until when u realise there r so many asian faces ard...but den again there are certainly more foreign faces here in macau den HK...most of them perhaps of portugese descent and migrant workers frm philippines working in the hotels and casinos...and it's really jammed packed with tourists even out in the streets...thought most of these pple shud be spending days and nights in the casinos...haha...

being Sunday ...the Lord's day...we went into Macau's main cathedral and looked out for the mass timings...decided to come back later in the evening for mass when it wud be the english session...sometime since i attended mass since my cat high days...wud be really an experience attending mass all the way here in Macau...

a strong festive mood in the air

another remnant from the colonial era

Macau's main cathedral where we would attend mass later

occupying our seats in Qing history

i feel like in a prison in this house

moving up to the 2nd floor

Say Hello to Macau

we finally reached our destination aft much detours...checking out mansions...buying the famous peanut candies...speaking of which i almost could not made it out of the shop as it was so damn chaotic and crowded inside i thought i might juz be caught in a stampede when i juz wanna buy some peanut candies home...and trying out the famous portugese egg tart...oh gosh...i muz strongly recommend this to everyone reading here...die die muz try the portugese egg tart...the best egg tart i ever ate in my life...wah piangz the egg is so rich and the crust so damn tener and crusty...heavenly...i really swear i almost wanted to buy over the whole shop of egg tarts and bring back home....ahhhhh...wah if i can hav a portugese egg tart for breakfast everyday i would die a happy man...haha

Ruins of St Paul here we arrived...another key landmark of our trip...i muz say it surely ooze the charm and appeal though it's juz a facade standing on its own...to tink the portugese can actually transplant their sense of architecture and construction all the way here in Asia is amazing...certainly deserve its place among the world's most famous heritage sites...

finally arrived at this world famous landmark

the picture sums it up...we r in macau!!

walking up the steps to the ruins

standing tall aft all these centuries

looking dignified in this sacred place

look at the throngs of tourists here

check out the Grand Lisboa behind me

the back of the ruins

the best which Macau offers

headed back to our hotel for a nap aft our visit to st pauls...the exhaustion of moving frm place to place...travelling here and there is starting to take a toil on our bodies...heh so in an unanimous decision...went back to our room to recharge our batteries before indulging in some night activities...hee...woke up when it was time for mass again when the sun has already set...made our way to the cathedral and settled down juz before the service began...i guess mass r juz universal everywhere...singing of hymns follow by recitation and the word frm the bishop and holy communion...to our surprise there was a large congregation here for the english mass...most of them filippinos i guess...tink we were the only chinese ard...aft mass went in search for dinner...this time we finally chanced upon a portugese restaurant near the town square...the food was not exactly fantastic to be honest and we were slightly disappointed by the standard...maybe the food standard in HK over the past few days has made us amateur gourmets but we came to a conclusion that food in HK was way much better...

aft dinner went to our hotel casino to check it out...haha...the activity of the trip...heh...i mean u r in vegas of the East if u dun gamble den wad u do...lol...clem and i jointly "invested" in the sic bowl game and gamely won...not bad for a start...decided to hold our "power" till tmr...and went back for live EPL action...it's Super Sunday anyway...my beloved pools vs the irritating red devils...and lifelong fan clem's gunners against chelski...that's it for our day in Macau!

our 5star casino hotel

What a big dome!!

simply luv Christmas right here in Macau

the lights certainly look much nicer at nite

i din know portugese luv their curry too

this dish looks good but taste so-so only...

fried seabass...my fav out of the 3!!

HONG KONG - SHENZHEN - MACAU 2007

DAY 5


It's the official last day in Hong Kong!! At least for me...haha...since mr quek wud hang ard sipping latte at Central for another 2 more days aft our macau leg...while clem still hav at least another month to go...having to play tour guide to his family...his gf and another grp of friens till early jan...well well...woke up this morning deciding to treasure mine last official day in town...certainly wud be a long time for me to come back to this lovely city aft making 2 trips here in a matter of 3 yrs...wah it wud be a dream come true to one day work here la...certainly not for the nxt 2 years at least...sighz...


we decided to juz spend this beautiful saturday juz wandering and exploring the big malls on the outskirts of town...according to clem a few big shopping malls have been constructed over the past couple of years in places like kowloon city and kowloon bay away from the bustling tsim sha tsui and mongkok districts...a good idea and initiative to ease congestion in the downtown area...so might be worth our time to pay a visit to these new and up & coming malls...so First Stop on our itinerary: Megabox!

Met clem at kowloon bay MTR and we dropped by at Telford Plaza for Macs Big Breakfast...as i was fishing out my wallet to pay at the counter...realised that i am oni left with my last piece of HKD500...no doubt further strengthened my resolve to make a giant killing at the casinos in Macau tmr!! haha...took a free shuttle bus to MegaBox frm telford plaza...which is abt 15minutes away...

turns out that MegaBox is juz a giant copy of cineleisure back home...lol...explored the place for a few levels...other than a ice-skating rink nothing spectacular really...the shops are also almost anywhere u can find in MK and TST...and the shopping crowd is measly thin for a wkend in HK...perhaps hongkies only shops on wkdays and spend their wkends cozing up at home...we got a little lethargic no less...and simply do not want to spend the next half of the day wandering ard in another copycat gigantic 'ghost town' mall...and with that a crazy yet feasible idea juz dropped on us spontaneously...why not head to Shenzhen?!!?!!

haha...i mean we did hav shenzhen in mind when we planned for this trip...but decided all together to cancel it...since it will be a real bother to go thru the immigrations...travel all the way up north wif not a single Reminbi in our wallets...figure out that we might not even hav enough time to explore all the places in HK so decided to shelve the shenzhen plan for good...haha...little did we know we actually got bored wif HK...and all of a sudden...we found ourselves making our way to shenzhen wifout a tinge of immigration...money and safety concerns...haha...juz so typical when the 3 of us gets together...juz going ahead with nothing but our destination in mind...life is short yah...juz do wadever comes to ur mind la...lol...

found out that we had to the MTR all the way to Lok Wu...den transfer to a train passing by the vast sparsely builtup mass of New Territories...crossed a small river...before arriving on the Mainland...my goodness sounds like some route taken by some illegal immigrant from the mainland...juz that we r heading in the opp direction...wah feelin quite excited abt landing my feet on the mainland for the first time...when i can officially say i step foot onto my motherland where my ancestors hail from...maybe i shud even be more drama and start to kiss the floor immediately aft corssing the immigrations in shenzhen...hahaha...

mr quek and me in the 1st class cabin train carriage on our way to shenzhen...a super impromptu last min trip...haha

to our surprise...it turns out to be quite a breeze passing the immigrations in shenzhen...we juz hav to fill in a white card similar to the malaysia one...and show our passport can liao...the queues for foreign visitors are also unexpectedly short for a wkend...most were hogging the HK citizens and mainlanders queue though...stop over for lunch at one of the restaurants near the immigration building...u could almost immediately recognise u r in mainland china the moment u step into the restaurant...the people's faces are sharply diff from hongkies...their dressing less trendy...and all over the folks were conversing in mandarin and not canto which i somehow gotten used over the week...and of coz the whole restaurant was filled up with cigarette smoke...and the mainlanders certainly muz eat their meals wif a puff in hand...to our reliefs...we were able to pay for our meals in HKD...at some pre-discounted rate though...to think now reminbi is even stronger than HKD...gone were those days where hongkies literally live the lives of emperors in shenzhen...heh

welcome to shenzhen!!

as a safety precaution...we decided not to take any photos beyond the immigration checkpoint...in order not to act too touristy...placed our wallets in our front pockets...and keep a lookout for stalkers...i mean hav heard bountiful stories of pple getting mugged in shenzhen even in broad daylight...somemore one look can tell we r not locals based on our dressing and looks...betta play safe den be sorry seriously...so apologies for not showing any more photos of this rapidly developing industrial city of shenzhen...

more on our shenzhen adventure now...at first i really dun believe stories of how pple can actually rob in broad daylight...not till i see the menacing scenes on the streets of shenzhen...streetwalkers pranced the alleys...beggars scouring dangerously as u walked by...children defecating in public walkways...police lazing in street corners chit chatting chirply on their hp instead of patrolling the streets...street hawkers that u can only find in sungei buloh popping out at every street end...and strangers seemingly stalking u...yes apparently there was this guy who seem to be following us for quite a moment...i mean three pairs of eyes cant be wrong right...aft walking past a few streets...i was already regretting our decision to come here with so many curious stares in our directions...with our strange accent and our dressing...we were certainly out of place to the max la...i wud certainly feel so much at home in JB lo without question...i even thought the police might juz be in cahoots wif the robbers and instead of saving u frm the bandits might juz shoot u wif their revolvers instead...even downtown las vegas feel more safe la...tsk tsk...

we ventured into a few shopping malls on the main street...and were surprised to find out most were empty so we carried out walking further up north and somehow or another landed ourselves in a large scale outdoor shopping bazaar in a place call Dongmen...the crowds were certainly all here...the place reminds me of ximending in taipei...haha...somehow we actually manage to find ourselves in this shopping hotspot with no directions and maps...went into a building with shops selling all kinds of imitation electronic gadgets...psp...sd cards...bluetooth sets...ipod nanos...handphones...and every shop is eerily similar selling almost the same kind of things...i suppose that's how it is so competitve that the moment u walk away from the shop front...the salesgal will call u back asking u to requote ur price...had a helluva day bargaining upside down with these ladies...and all of 3 us came out with something at the end of the day...can u believe there is a 120gb thumbdrive that sells for only S$20?!! and a ipod mini 8gb that sells for S$25??? of coz all r imitations...but the skill of the imitation is really impressive...one can hardly tell the real and fake apart without closer examination...no wonder they say china is the factory of the world...yah rite factory of pirated goods in the world...haha

by the time we got out of the gadget mall it was already late aftnoon...explored the nearby outlets for a while...managed to get a pair of 'longines' couple watch for dad and mum...before we decided to head back to HK...and before it gets dark of coz...i certainly do not want to be trapped here siah...with that fear-provoking thought in mind...we paced back quickly from the way we came from and we realized we actually ventured quite deep in...haha...took us like almost half an hour to walk back to immigrations...the journey back was not as smooth as we came...got pulled over by the immigration officer at shenzhen for not looking like my photo in the passport...needed to convince them that i put on weight and that photo was shot almost 8 yrs back la! den gotta rejoin the queue at hk side coz forgot to fill in the white card...wasted almost 45minutes juz to queue up...and we were all dead tired and hungry...

decided to drop at kowloon city on the way back for dinner...searched in vain for food at the shopping mall festival walk there b4 heading out of the mall hoping can find some da pai dang...bash thru the city university campus and finally managed to find one decent eatery...by this time the weather was dropping fast...and we were looking fwd to some piping hot dish for dinner...it doesn't help that mr quek felt unwell midway in our search...muz be caused by the bad air and unhealthy environment in shenzhen...

passed by the uni on our way to dinner

my captures from shenzhen

aft reinvogorated by a decent dinner we decided to call it a day frm the restaurant...me and mr quek took a cab back to our hotel as it was a betta idea den walking back to the MTR and take a train or standing in the chilling winds waiting for a bus...somemore it was a wise decision to go back pack our stuffs to check out tmr and rest early for the ferry ride to macau tmr...

an unexpected trip up north to shenzhen...which is certainly an eye opener of the trip...no doubt the street images of shenzhen will stay wif me for a long time...perhaps hopefully one day this poor cousin of HK will no longer be seen in the shadows but as a true global city of its own...till den lots need to be done to improve the cleanliness, environment, streets and of coz the lives of the people...

HONG KONG-SHENZHEN-MACAU 2007

DAY 4

And YESSSS!!!!! Aft 3 days of frantic morning searching...finally found a decent yum cha place on this lovely breezy and cooling friday...juz right on the corner of Nathan Road a few streets away from our hotel and yet we could have missed it...how nice...finally satisfy my long-awaited...highly anticipated wish to yum cha at a decent yum cha place in HK...haha...me and mr Quek ordered the usual fare...hak gow...siew mai...cha siew rice...and fried wanton...yummmmmy!!!

inside the yum cha restaurant that we painstakingly took 3 days to find

an authentic dim sum fare

aft our dim sum feast...crossed over to HK island to meet clem again...at Hong Kong station where we would take a bus that would take us to Stanley market...all the way at the other end of the island...another tourist hotspot famous for its main flea market...alfresco restaurants...beachfront homes and of coz reputedly a favourite residential enclave for movie stars...who knows we might juz catch andy lau jogging...or stephen chow sunbathing...haha...

the bus journey took almost 45min before we finally arrived at stanley market...and guess wad my 1st purchase there turns out to be a bottle of face moisturizer at watsons...cannot help it face starting to peel with such dry wintry weather in HK...experience in US tells me i betta get some help before my skin starts to crack even further...heh...walked through the maze of shops and winding shop alleys...most of which was juz selling cheap t-shirts...belts...jeans...shoes and lotsa of souvenirs...nothing spectacular to be honest...mr quek ended up buying some artwork from one of the art galleries...wind around the main market for an hour or so...and admiring the beach and nice houses ard the area along the promenade...and slurping an icecream cone in this relaxed ambience can be quite a refreshing experience...haha...and guess wad we really bumped into a movie star!! heh...while walking towards Murray House and right smack walking in our direction was anita yuen!!! she was sporting a black tracksuit in the company of her domestic helper i guess walking at a rather fast pace past us...and i was like shouting out her name "YUAN YONG YI"!!! and she did'nt even bother to glance over...wah kaoz...quite da lo...at least say hi la...heh...but still muz say she still look gorgeous even without makeup and giving birth...a star will alwayz be a star...

somehow ventured into the maritime museum wif free admission...paced ard looking at the exhibits...aftall HK do boast some sort of maritime history and like s'pore was one of the major trading ports during the colonial times...aft our museum tour...settled for a seafood fried rice lunch at a nearby plaza before moving on to our next destination of the day - Repulse Bay...

beachfront homes dotting the coastline at stanley market

smiley faces at stanley market

today is going to be a relaxing day

with clem up on murray house

wrapping up our visit at Stanley Market

took the same bus in the direction back...and dropped at repulse bay which was 10min away...reputedly one of the most beautiful beaches in Hong Kong...and of coz the bukit timah area of HK...where the super rich and famous stay...perhaps even more glimpses of stars...haha...

yah muz agree that it's simply one of the most beautiful beach i have seen...and nice iconic residential buildings along this crescent shaped beach...the view is indeed admiring...the rollicking waves and sea has a somewhat therapeutic effect on one's mind and body...really imagine waking up to the sound of waves...strolling along the beach aft a hard day's work or juz simply relax admiring the stars with a glass of red wine at ur balcony with sea breeze brewing at ur face...whoooo...the land of the rich and famous...juz a glimpse and preview abt wad their lives is all about...the moment u step to this district u already know it's so diff frm the cramped kowloon where the not-so well to do reside...i simply lost count of the number of luxury cars and convertibles zooming on the gentle hill slopes...and the buildings are so asthetically pleasing and architecturally beautiful...without any doubt repulse bay is the orange county of HK...

arriving in style at Repulse Bay

really a dream to own a unit here man

an iconic building at repulse bay

it was oni mid aftnoon when we were done visiting repulse bay..so we decided to drop by clem's uncle place where he has been staying put over the past few days...took the minibus and changed to a public bus before we arrived at the place almost 45min later...this residential district with a total of 20 blocks of 40 storeys each...lying off on a mini penisula near Aberdeen (or Hong Kong Tsai) with its own heartland mall in the middle...juz like any self-sufficient town back home...a high middle income residential area boasting of paranomic sea views since it is juz directly off the coast...can see container ships zooming by and according to clem...the ship horns and waves are like so loud in the morning tt he alwayz got waken up...haha...but seriously who will mind living here with such a fantastic view to greet u...but apparently the units are not that big aftall...i mean HK's houses are notoriously small and i really got a first hand experience of it today...if the well-to-do are living in such small units...u can really imagine how "big" the average or low-income folks are living in...my goodness...but i will still trade off with such a fantastic seaview anytime...

stayed at clem's uncle place for a while b4 we paid his grandparents a short visit a few blocks away...apparently most of his relatives are all coming over this end-of-year frm canada for a reunion...totally understand why hongkies migrate in such large numbers in the 90s...who wud wan to cramp in dense filthy kowloon when u can hav a house with ur own garden and courtyard in vancouver...

took a cab down to a nearby gigantic mall known as cyberport near evening time...a flagship project by the HK government to create some sort of silicon valley to house IT companies and professionals thus the name cyber port...tot there wud be some retail outlets to shop but to our disappointment the whole place was like a ghost town with hardly a single soul on this friday evening...cant believe how all these shops could actually survive with hardly anyone...in the end decided to settle for a movie "I am Legend" by Will Smith...juz wanna relax aft a somwhat pumped up and overdrive 3 days...and watching a show was perhaps the best idea...talking abt the movie...really impressed by will smith's acting...this kind is really a star of his own...to portray all the emotional scenes with no one left in the city and still having tt resolve to save the city is really something...if it's me i wud hav juz killed myself la...but sadly the ending was quite a disappointment...too rush and slipshod in my opinion...but overall still worth watching...will smith rawks!

imagine opening ur windows and seeing this view everyday

mr quek looking bored...haha

me n clem at his uncle's place

watched "I am Legend" at cyberport...why the view so nice everywhere in HK one

entertaining ourselves in this ghost town...lol

aft the movie me and mr quek went back to kowloon while clem had to go for a family dinner...took a bus all the way back to mongkok...finally saw the lup cheong shop tt mum asked me to buy...visted the night market at temple street again...bought a few more solar key chains as souvenirs...and finally settled on a seafood dinner at one of the open air shops at the junction of temple street...wah the seafood is totally solid!! one of the best meals i hav eaten at HK so far apart frm our romantic candlelit Victoria peak dinner...haha...wah the mussels...crayfish...the steamed fish,...and the broccoli...wah piangz....my saliva dropping out as i typing this lah...haha...yah of coz speaking abt broccoli...mr quek gave me an unforgettable lesson all thanks to a piece of broccoli...a lesson i probably not forget for the rest of my life...this lesson on pride...and God's gifts...everyone has spiritual gifts and talents from God in him/her...we were created such a way that we will utilise these gifts and talents for the greater good and glory of His Kingdom...to be honest i hav never venture deep into this question until today aft this conversation with mr quek...i felt totally enlightened to be honest aft the seafood dinner and was left pondering for the rest of the night on the way back to the hotel...and i am fortunate enuff to hav mr quek ard to show me this way...most imptly...i will pray for wisdom from God to cultivate my gifts for the glory of His Kingdom...thks mr quek if u reading this!! and it all started with a broccoli...haha

a somewhat relaxing day as compared to the past few days...but nevertheless a day of true reflection of His grace and mercy...of His gifts bestowed on me...a day of enlightenment no doubt...and perhaps like wad mr quek say...i might juz look back to this seafood dinner at temple street as a turning point in my life...Praise the name of Jesus...Hallelujah!

HONG KONG-SHENZHEN-MACAU 2007


DAY 3

Set out to hunt for some authentic dim sum fare to kick start our day...but disappointingly the search came to no avail...it's really not as easy as expected to search for yum cha as i tot in HK...i tot they r like everywhere...muz be a false impression i got from those TVB dramas...in fact i did'nt even try dim sum the last time i came wif donnie...made things worse wif our limited canto...hard to ask for directions also...decided not to keep clem waiting...so juz settle our breakfast at one of the da pai dang again...but this time i'm determined to try dim sum b4 i leave HK...at least there r a few more days to satisfy my "hak gow" "siew mai" "cha siew bao" cravings...heh...

met clem near the Legislature building at Central again...fast becoming our regular meeting point...decided to explore the outlying islands today!! haha...i mean most pple come HK oni stay and gallivant ard kowloon and causeway bay for shopping n food...in fact HK has a decent collection of nature and grasslands that are often ignored in travel booklets...since this time rd we have so much time to occupy in HK...we decided it might be juz worth a day to simply relax admist the rollicking hills....breathe in a fresh bale of fresh untampered air away from the hustle and bustle of the city area...and juz frolicking and making merry fishing...hiking and cycling...and simply juz throw ourselves into wad HK nature has in store for us...that's it!! here we come Lantau Island!!! heard so much abt it...and finally time to visit the island that is perhaps deemed the rustic n undeveloped area of HK...ala ubin back home...

headed straight to the HK island ferry terminal catering to outlying islands...and soon we were onboard a fastcraft heading to Lantau...only abt 45min by ferry from HK Island...upon reaching Lantau we boarded a bus that would take us straight to one of the iconic landmarks of HK...Polin Monastery Temple which houses the world's largest outdoor bronze buddha...a temple which is favourite for locals and tourists alike...where photographs of the statue can be seen in almost every HK tourism promotion brochure...it was a pity we could not really make out the statue from where we stood...as the sun was beating down rather fiercely and the fog that had gathered somehow cast a dark shadow on the buddha's face...

On our way to Lantau Island!!

Onboad the ferry...all pumped up for a day of outdoor adventure

Landing in Lantau Island in 10,9,8,7....3,2,1....seconds

Let's toast to our safe arrival in Lantau!

mystical aura surrounding the world's largest outdoor bronze buddha

smiling gleefully in front of this landmark icon

yet another commemorative group shot to mark our visit

seemingly endless flight of steps to to attain enlightenment

aft wandering around the square for a little while taking pics as such...we went off in search of the essence of wisdom led by our most wise leader mr quek...haha...we decided to juz venture along the wisdom path and check out wad's all about...maybe one will juz somehow attain wisdom when trekking this wisdom trail...sadly nothing spectacular abt the concrete pavement...juz those similar trails u can find in marina bay park...juz that the weather is certainly more conducive den our tiny island back home to trek under the mid-day sun...one will hardly break a sweat as one indulges in the fresh air...the greenery...and the silence only broken by the ocassional chirping of birds and singing of crickets...very lovely for someone juz wanting to be left alone...all maybe juz a fed-up salaried employee to relieve some stress and breathe in this atmosphere of peace and calmness...aft all buddhism is a religion that focuses very much on self-mediation and self-enlightenment...

the end of the trek was marked by a simple pavillion and a few giant wooden pillars with carvings bearing the Heart's scripture that erect to almost 10m tall...we decided that the short trek was never sufficient to satisfy our inner craving for something more to really kickstart our adrenaline and get it pumping...haha...aft all almost something extraordinary happens when the three of us gets together (even appearing on national tv once...thks to mandai's white tigers)...hahaha...as such decided to move on and trek up to the mountain top juz to satisfy our egos and to burn off some fats and carbo accumulated from the past 2 days of feasting...heh...

wah piangz...almost regretting it 5 minutes into our trek up the mountain overlooking the monastery...the trek was like so damn steep and uneven...and one misstep u can really say ur last words...certainly not for the fainthearted...every step seems a torture the further we climbed up...and it certainly doesn't help with almost one month of physical inactivity preparing for my exams...heh...was panting like crazy and sweating all over even though the temperature was like a cool 15 degrees or so...the air seems to get thinner the higher we went...but all the physical discomfort was offset by the spectacular view that unfold as we climbed higher...and as the buddha seems smaller and smaller...we trek like almost half-an hour up slope before halting for a much needed break...lol..decided aft the break perhaps it was not that wise aft all to really venture up to the peak...with knees getting softer with every step we took...we still have to care abt going down the slope later...with safety and strictly safety (certainly not tt we r physicall not fit =p) in mind...decided to call off the adventure midway and start heading back down...hahaha...the downward trek need more concentration k...it's even harder to go down den climb up lah...thks in large part to such uneven and jagged rocky steps...heh...nevertheless feel totally shagged out aft the 1 1/2 hr adventure...at least we burn off some calories...heehee...maybe will try ascending to the top the nxt time we r more prepared...heh

at the start of the wisdom path

caution!! we r on high lands!!

wooden pillars bearing heart scripture carvings

at the start of a gruelling climb...testing our bravery, determination and fitness to the max

i'm going to knock off the bastard behind me!!!

the pillars look rather spectacular from here

gazing afar into words of wisdom

wah damn shag ah...holiday still make me sweat like siao

solid proof of how high we climbed

aft making an equally tedious descent down the steep mountain rocky slope...we rested for a while at the pavillion near the Heart scriptures to catch our breath...relax and to slowly warm down...totally unexpected and unplanned activity...haha tot was suppose to be relaxing day of suntanning...prawn fishing and boat rowing...ended up braving our lives up some mountain until almost peng shan in Lantau...lol...almost mid aftnoon when we finally made our way down...decided to juz take a minibus back to the nearest mtr station and get some food to eat...so headed back to the monastery and waited for the bus there...took us another hour of travelling before we finally arrived at this gigantic shopping mall call City Gate at Tung Chung...rather near the airport i suppose since the airport also located in Lantau...lotsa of factory outlets here in City Gate...espirit...nike...adidas...giordano...columbia...g2000...we hanged ard the mall for a while n did some shopping since we were there might as well yah...spotted and bought this nike sling bag for ying which cost like oni S$20 which will almost cost 50plus back home...searched ard n bought a pink cap for hong too...mr quek bought some stuff frm columbia also...aft some shopping therapy...decided to head off to our next activity of the day...Causeway Bay!!! haha...another of my fav spot in HK...of coz the chance to see lotsa babes prancing ard in winter wear is an added incentive too...hiak hiak...

finally reached causeway bay n the sky is already turning dark at 6...it seems the day is shorter in winter here in HK...their 6pm is like our 8pm back home...headed to eat some beef brisket noodles at this famous da pai dang n apparently one of clem's fav...aft dinner started to galivant ard the malls...Times Square...Lane Crawford...and of coz the famous 24hr forever busy Sogo Junction...if u tink the junction betwn bugis village and parco is crowded...this junction is 10x worse la...wah lau the crowd never seems to simmer down no matter which part of the day...HK is juz too damn packed n dense man...n this will be the perfect place to showcase it...

walked ard the outlying outlets...bought a shirt frm g2000 since i suppose it wud be cheaper here...n den we went off for some snake soup...yup u r hearing me...authentic snake soup courtesy of mr clem at this famous snake soup shop in causeway bay...wah really damn shiok esp in this wintry weather...wooohhh...feelin damn heated up aft juz a few mouths...mr quek said his qi rose up...haha...apparently some pple take alreadi will nose bleed...lol...but quike shiok...i like the strong taste...a bit like shark fins soup...and the snake taste like chicken slices...juz tt it's more tender...

wander from street to street ard causeway bay...n pass by some massage shops...promised the lads that it wud be mine turn to give a treat so we somehow wandered into this massage shop (clean n traditional one la of coz =p) aft seeing the billboard along the main street...wah piangz this is the first time in my life i ever went for full body massage siah...wad an experience really...quite painful when the auntie was pressing down the veins in my neck...i was almost abt to ask her to stop man...but the head massage was damn shiok la...wah now i understand why pple actually pay so much for massage...becoz it feels damn good siah aft it!! haha...dare not say the same for mr quek who apparently got some big macho wushu uncle...told us the uncle almost broke his body into a few pieces n detach his spine frm his body...n the 45min massage feels like 45 hours...hahaha...it's either the uncle too strong for him or that he really got more aches den me n clem...apparently we enjoyed much more den him...lol...but a really good experience...aft a hard day of climbing mountain in Lantau...and of coz aft a sem of hard work...massaging all the stresses n aches accumulated frm back breaking lab work n neck aching mugging sessions...phewww...confirm wanna go for one more massage b4 going home man!!

decided to call it a day aft the massage...another event packed day in HK...a physical one of coz...tired but no doubt yet another fruitful day of our ord trip...

HK's version of S.H.E...spotted in causeway bay

captures of the day!