Random Thoughts on our HK Trip

WARNING: This entry will have no semblance of structure in any way and will just chronicle some/all of my observations and thoughts on our latest travel to Hongkong and Macau.

HONGKONG

• The best dimsum I've ever had bar none can be found on the 5th floor of Windsor House in Causeway Bay. Just take the elevator and the restaurant will be on your left. Please please please don't forget to order the STEAMED EGG CUSTARD BUN. I guarantee it will be worth the wait (orders can take a few minutes). Only a few waiters can understand English but you can just point at the pictures in the menu. BTW, the 4 dishes we ordered cost us about HK75 (about P450). So affordable for the quality. Definitely a must try when in HK.

The entrance to the place

Authentic siomai

Har-gaw (with shrimps)

Char Siu Bun (BBG Pork Bun)

Inside of the Char Siu Bun. This is very good.

This is the steamed egg custard bun I was telling you about. Wow. I will fly back to HK if only for these babies.

• When buying camera accessories in Hongkong, my personal tip is to ask around. Don't buy at the first shop you come across. When I was researching on where to buy things for my camera, one of the shops that always comes up in internet forums in Tin Cheung Camera Supply in Tsim Tsa Tsui. So that was where I went and bought a few stuff (extra battery, Nissin speedlight, remote trigger, and a 50mm). But since I'm a gadget freak, I always make it a point to stop by other shops selling the same stuff. And I was surprised (more like saddened) to find some selling the same stuff at a lower price! And no, they are not "fly-by-night" stores.

• Just because a camera shop is located in Causeway Bay doesn't mean they're tourist traps. For the 50mm lens, Tin Cheung in TST initially offered HK815. At a shop in Causeway Bay, they were selling it for HK780. Like I said, canvas.
  

• Always buy your electronics from reputable stores such as Broadway and Fortress. They are everywhere in Hongkong and have almost anything electronic you can think of in stock. We must have visited a dozen of their branches while walking around the city. I recommend Broadway more since they offer stuff at lower prices. To give you an example, SRP of the Sony Bloggie at Fortress was HK1,599 but they offered me a discount of HK100 to make it HK1,490. At Broadway, it was sold to me for only HK1,390. Always ask for a discount. Even those two stores I mentioned will almost always give you one.

• For a cute photo opportunity, try the Modern Toilet Restaurant in Mongkok. It's a quirky place with a theme that you wouldn't (in your wildest dreams) associate with food. We ordered the deep fried chicken and spaghetti with beef. I would recommend the latter though. For dessert, the chocolate ice cream (or how its served) will definitely crack you up.

Food is served in miniature toilet bowls

...while drinks come in urinals

Yummy!

The piece-des-resistance

• Don't forget to but toiletries and perfume in Hongkong. They're cheap and aplenty. Make it a point to always pass by Sasa, Bonjour, Mannings and Watsons. The Watsons in HK carry so much more products than what we have here in Manila. Some branches even have 4 floors of shopping goodies. If you're not particular with packaging, shops like Make-Up City and Sasa sell perfume testers that come in plain cardboard boxes. These are legitimate perfumes so don't worry. For nostalgia, I bought a 125ml Davidoff Cool Water for only HK198 (about P1.2K).
  

• Being a fan, I had to visit the Avenue of Stars to take a picture of the relatively new Bruce Lee statue they erected there.

• Don't forget to visit Ikea at Causeway Bay and grab the famous meatballs and my most favorite chocolate bar of all - Choklad Not.

• Try the goodies at the bakeries inside the MTR stations. They're good.

• When travelling, one of the most overlooked gadgets to bring is the calculator. This device is very very helpful especially for those who like to bargain. Now here's a very good travel tip. Remember those Casio calculator watches popular during the 80s? Apparently, they're still available in the various stalls of HK. Go buy one! I got mine for HK170 (about P1K). Believe me, they will save you a lot of trouble and headache doing mental mathematics.

• Oh, and one more travel gadget must-have is a two-way radio. I bought very small Motorola units from Fortress for about P1.5K each and they worked like a charm when Nina and I got separated at Mongkok. It's so practical!

• As of now, Hongkong remains to be my most favorite travel destination as this is the one city I feel I can comfortably settle in. I know Nina is quite tired of going back there but me - I look forward to just walking and discovering new things in this tiny island. This is our fourth HK trip together but I think I can safely assume this won't be the last. See you soon HK!

Random Thoughts on our Macau Trip

WARNING: This entry will have no semblance of structure in any way and will just chronicle some/all of my observations and thoughts on our latest travel to Hongkong and Macau.

MACAU

• Senado Square is a bustling place. Most of the shops close earlier than I would like them to, but for two straight days, wifey and I had a midnight snack at the Mcdonald's branch there. And yes, their burgers taste the same as ours.
  

Where we have our usual midnight snack

Senado Square during the day

• Macau is generally a safe place to walk around in. On our first day, I was hesitant to bring out my camera while walking down its many narrow streets. But by the second day, I felt confident enough to do so. Even if we got lost one time in Avenida de Ribeiro, I never felt we were in any danger at all. To be on the safe side though, always be vigilant wherever you are of course.
  

We walk through this alley everyday

• Portugese egg tarts are a must try when in Macau. We tried the egg tarts from about two different shops and found them to be very good. Objectively though, I think the egg tarts from Lord Stow's (even here in the Phils.) are still better than the ones we got to taste. Neverthless, you can NOT afford to miss this iconic dessert when in Macau. Two thumbs up!

• Macau Fisherman's Wharf is a boring place. We went there around 10 am and almost all the shops were still closed. I'm not sure if the place is still a "work in progress" but there were a lot of vacant stalls/shops the day we visited. Spend your time in Macau somewhere else.

This place rocks. NOT!

Where are the people?

• Take advantage of the free shuttle. Most of the major hotels in Macau offer free bus rides from the ferry terminals and airport to their hotels. So if you're staying near those major hotels, you can take advantage of this free and very convenient ride.
  

• Macau is a quiet place during the day. I think even the locals will admit to that. But at night, the casino lights overwhelm the senses. Hotels are also tourist destinations here. Make sure to visit the world class hotels here such as Wynn, Venetian, Sands and MGM Grand. They will allow you to take as many photos as you want except in the casino areas of course.

Grand Lisboa

• Churches are great places to visit in Macau! There are plenty of beautiful old churches to pray in and spend some quiet moments.

• The Venetian is a huge hotel with loads of shops in one of the floors. You can spend a whole day just walking around this area.

The skyline is fake by the way but it also darkens as night time nears. Cool.

Shops are all over the place

You can ride a gondola indoor and be serenaded by mostly Filipino(?) gondoliers.

This chandelier descended from the ceiling. Wow!

The Golden Tree of prosperity show at Wynn

• When we visited the Grand Lisboa, we decided to watch "Tokyo Nights", a "variety" show featuring Japanese AV stars (AV=porn) doing various dance numbers. This is obviously a male-oriented show but wifey was adventurous enough to watch with me. Since we bought our tickets early, we were given front row seats much to my delight and Nina's dismay. Haha. Although she looked away whenever the perfomers did their thing infront of the stage (which was often), she got through the one-hour show without any permanent trauma. ;-) For the information of the guys out there, yes, there's plenty of nudity in this show.

*image from macau.com

• We ate at Escada Restorante near Senado Square, supposedly a higher-end restuarant serving authentic Portugese/Macanese cuisine. We were pleasantly surprised to see mostly Filipino waiters and cooks in the place which led to me to question - "Is it still considered authentic Portugese food if it was prepared by Filipinos?" Hmmm. Anyway, I found the food to be just okay, nothing to write home about. Oh, and a bit on the expensive side for the taste.

This is what Nina ordered which we shared but still didn't get to finish.

I ordered the African Chicken. Both meals came with soup and bread and both were MOP65 (about P350).

• The Macau Tower is also worth visiting although I hate the fact that they charge you about MOP100 (about p550) just to get a view from the top.

Some areas in the observation lounger were fitted with glass floors so you can see what's below. Scary!

• They accept HK dollars in Macau on a 1:1 basis. But Patacas will not be accepted in HK so make sure you use your Patacas if you're in Macau (if you have a choice)
  

• Taxis are great! Even if you hail one from the airport or a hotel, they always switch on the meter. Again, this is a must if we are to attract tourists in our country. This is something we should learn from the Vietnamese and Macanese. Calling the LTFRB!

• The Macau airport is a bit sparse. There are very few duty free shops and most even close early. I couldn't even find magazines to buy. Don't spend too much waiting time at this airport.
  

• Try the beef/pork jerkies vendors are offering on the streets of Senado Square. By all means, purchase from the popular Pastelaria Koi Kei or Choi Heong Yuen Bakery. The sight of those golden brown delicacies glistening under the Macanese sun is a delight for photographers. Almond cookies are also popular (similar to our puto seko) and a favorite among tourists.

Pastelaria Koi Kei

• I think two full days is enough for a Macau trip. Longer than that and you'd be hard pressed to find a place that will amuse you. But overall, this is still a must-visit country that may just capture you. Who knows?