June 27 Going home soon
Today is our last full day. It's been a lot of fun thanks to my brother who made all the arrangements and introduced me to some nice accomodations, great restaurants and interesting places in Thailand. A relative took care of my mom today so I had some time to wander around HK. Did some last minute shopping, mostly in Causeway Bay. Did a lot of walking.
Times Square had a Monsters University display.
These are just a few photos from Causeway Bay.
Big rolls of wire!
Bought a lot of my favorite candy.
Here are some standard photos of the beautiful Hong Kong skyline.
June 26 Back to Hong Kong.
We got up at 4:30am to catch a 7am flight to Bangkok where we had a 3 hour layover beffore leaving for HK. I would reommend Golden Cupids if you ever plan to head to Chiang Mai. It's extremely relaxing and the staff are terrific.
We made it to HK around 3pm, caught a bus and were in our hotel around 5pm. They upgraded our rooms to ones with a harbor view for free. View is quite nice.
Mom enjoys sitting by the window and watching the view and seeing the world go by below.
We had dinner in Tsuen Wan. Lewis and Philip drove everyone which was kind of them.
June 25 hot springs
This is our last full day in Chiang Mai and we just decided to take it easy by just going to the hot springs. We actually didn't do much there but boil some eggs in the hot springs.
Mom is enjoying her green tea ice cream.
After we got back to the hotel, Teri, Patrick, and Kacy had a Thai massage. Mom and I just relaxed on our balcony.
It's been grat here and I definitely plan to come back. There's a definite family feel to their high level of service. The place is beautiful as well. I'll miss this place for sure. Here we say goodbye to Jan who has been wonderful. Tomorrow morning at 7am we head back to Hong Kong.
June 24 Pepe's garden, golden temple, Old City, and McDonald's
Pepe the owner of Golden Cupids is an amazing person. She, along with her children and some hired help run the hotel. We got a tour of her garden which supplies the restaurant with fresh fruits and veggies. Picking our organic green beans for dinner.
Tasting different kinds of basil.
Mango.
Banana flower. We ate this. It's really sour, but beautiful looking.
Feeding her fish.
We traveled to the Golden Temple, Wat Phra Thad Doi Suthep, at the top of a mountain.
The beautifulchiangmai web site says this about the temple:
"The most famous temple of Chiang Mai is located on the Doi Suthep mountain. It can be reached by car via a winding road through the forest offering splendid views over the city. A long naga stairway takes you to the temple complex with its shiny golden chedi which can be seen day and night from everywhere in Chiang Mai. A visit toChiang Mai is not complete without seeing this temple."
It was a long drive. The walk up is a bit long but mom took the cable car.
Now you know why it's called golden temple.
The weather has been cooperating. It's hot but not very hot.
At the bottom of the temple are a lot of shops. Kacy and Pat buy some chocolate waffles.
After that we went to the ancient ruins of Chiang Mai. We rode a horse carriage. Here's mom peeking out from the back seat.
Some of the ruins.
After this we went shopping at a mall called Airport Plaza and ate at McDonald's. Food tastes pretty much like in the US.
Ronald McDonald in a Thai pose.
Teri discusses tomorrow night's dinner with Tum and her daughter, Bamboo. Tum is the daughter of Pepe, the owner.
June 23 Elephant Park, oxcart ride and river rafting.
Teri stayed at the hotel with mom so we did some more strenuous activity today. At the elephant park we rode elephants, took oxcart rides and did some river rafting. It's extremely touristy, but I guess you have to do it If you're in Thailand.
The elephants perform before the visitors.
We rode these oxen.
Then we actually rode the elephants. Kacy and Pat enjoying their ride.
Here we are seated on a bamboo raft.
I got a chance to control the raft! Not too hard.
3 people on a motorcycle in some Thai fields.
Dinner.
June 22 Chiang Mai
We caught a 10:40am flight to Chiang Mai which is a little over an hour from Bangkok by plane. We said goodbye to the Ratt family before leaving.
The mom says goodbye.
Rd
We were served a ver large breakfast. Here's the fruit. We also had noodles, eggs, congee, bacon, toast and much more.
Chiang Mai
We arrived safely and were picked up by a driver. The hotel, Golden Cupids is located about 30 minutes away from the airport. It's a very nice place with gardens, restaurant, and swimming pool.
The rooms are huge!
There are a lot of flowers.
A fish pond.
More flowers...
Durian?
The outdoor restaurant serves great food. Mom waits for the food to arrive...
John and Patrick enjoying pad Thai and Thai fried rice. We thought the pad Thai was better than Bangkok.
After lunch we visited a silk factory.
Here are some photos of the Golde Cupids hotel:
These small altars can be found everywhere in Thailand.
Swimming pool.
Ordering food at the hotel restaurant.
The fish was delicious.
Dessert.
June 21st Railway Market, Floating Market, Grand Palace
The weather cooperated today. It was overcast which made it cooler, but it didn't rain. The first place we stopped at was an outdoor market that strangely enough sits on an active railroad track. When the train approaches the vendors rush to close their stalls and move their merchandise out of the way. They do this 8 times a day.
Everyone is moving because the train is coming!
The train comes by...
Moving back onto the tracks after the train has passed.
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market
We then traveled to the famed floating markets on the outskirts of Bangkok -- about an hour away by car. To get to the floating markets you have to ride on a boat. It's described by Evans in his book Bangkok and Beyond as follows:
"Damnoen Saduak Floating Market: This is one of those little adventures you've got to make time for when
you visit Bangkok. Yes, it is very touristy, but you'll see a slice of Thai life that has dominated this kingdom
for centuries - living on the canals. Children born here are normally dunked into the murky water soon after
birth to immunize them from the tropical diseases. And when you look around you'll see how well they
survive. The big plus is the color of the whole thing. The fruits and vegetables that are grown in orchards and
gardens around the water are piled high on rowing boats and traded between the river dwellers. There is a
wide variety of produce - including cabbages, grapes, papayas, oranges and onions."
Here's mom and John waiting for the rest of us to return.
Vendors sell their wares along or in the water. It's a huge market.
We then went to the Grand Palace home of many of Thailand's kings. It's a beautiful complex. The Tourism Authority of Thailand says:
"Every visitor to Bangkok should see the magnificent buildings within the Grand Palace compound to get a feeling of the grandeur architectural style.Since the founding of Bangkok as the Nations capital by King Rama I, The Grand Palace has been the major architectural symbol of The Thai Royal Family."
We also went to the nearby Reclining Buddha.
June 20th Bangkok Thailand
After a short 2.5 hour plane ride we arrived in Thailand. The airport is new and looks like all the modern airports. Our tour guide, from the Ratt bed and breakfast, picked us up and drove us to the hotel. It's about 40 minutes away by car. Located in a residential neighborhood, it is a different experience from staying in one of the major hotels. It's a family run business. Weather is hot, humid and there are sometimes HEAVY thunderstorms.
Nuut, our driver, is in his 20's, quite friendly and the son of the owners who are Thai Chinese. He took us to a restaurant called Harmonique. It's very cute and the food is delicious.
Chicken wrapped in leaves--not sure what kind.
Shrimp papaya salad.
Beef in red curry--sauce is great over rice.
In the evening we at another Thai restaurant called Ban Chiang. Also very good. Nuut is seated next to John.
Owner must love art as it decorates the restaurant walls.
Lamb.
Pad Thai
Pork ribs with lots of fried garlic.
Chicken in yellow curry.
After dinner we went on a tour. The photos were taken from a moving van so most are blurry. Traffic in Bangkok is insane. It's 10 times more congested and chaotic than anything I've seen. Cars, scooters, taxis and eve pedestrians are weaving in and out of traffic. Somehow it works and rarely do you hear cars honking!
We did stop at a more tourist oriented market.
It even has a giant Ferris wheel.
Here a girl is having her feet cleaned by thousands of tiny fish!
June 19th Macau
We went to Macau today. The weather was finally clear but hot. It didn't rain all day, we walked over to harbor city and caught a Turbojet ferry to Macau for about 600 HKD--a bit expensive because we purchased superclass tickets. The ride was about 1 hour. The superclass section had very few people as you can see below.
Macau has a LOT of casinos, but we just visited the historical part of the city.
Even this part of town is kind of a mini shopping center with many chain stores like Nike, McDonald's, Giordano, etc., but the side streets and the old churches offer a glimpse of the past and can be quite charming.
Teri decides to purchase some snacks at this shop.
This is an old church that burned down except for the front facade.
We then walked up to a fort that overlooks the city.
Even the fort shows signs of the catholic influence.
The view from the fort offers a good view of Macau.
Surprisingly, there are some interesting flowers to be found in the fort's premises.
There's also a museum in the fort. This is a section of a traditional Chinese bridal chair.
Kacy was stopped by 4 tourists from mainland China (I assume) who wanted their picture taken with her. Perhaps they don't see many people who look like her where they come from!
After the fort we went back down to the city for lunch.
We ate at this Portuguese restaurant called Restaurante Platao.
Oxtail stew. Quite good.
Curry beef--my favorite.
Seafood casserole.
Chicken.
Having ice cream at a Dairy Queen before heading back to Hong Kong.
We made it back to HK safe and sound. A short but enjoyable trip.
June 18th, 10,000 Buddhas, shopping at festival walk and a seafood dinner.
Hong Kong's architecture offers an infinite number of photo opportunities. One day I would like to spend some time capturing the interesting intersections of different structures.
After several train transfers we made it to the 10,000 Buddhas. The last time we went they were remodeling parts of it so we wanted to return to see what has been done. According to hongkongextras.com:
"The Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery (Man Fat Tsz), located Po Fook Hill at Pai Tau Village, Sha Tin in the New Territories is one of Hong Kong’s most famous Buddhist temples and popular tourist attractions. The temple was founded in 1949 by the Reverend Yuet Kai and completed in 1957."
Walking up to the temple.
The temple complex.
We actually saw several monkeys at the top of the mountain.
The new Kuan Yin statue which was under construction the last time we came.
You can see the city from the top of the mountain.
Some delicate and beautiful flowers.
We decide to have lunch at the vegetarian restaurant at the temple.
Fried rice.
Noodles with mushrooms, baby corn, bok choy and fungus.
Everyone enjoyed the food.
Tofu and mushrooms.
Vegetarian fish and egg rolls.
A Mini temple along the side of the road.
After the Buddhas we switched gears and went shopping at a huge shopping complex called Festival Walk.
It even has an indoor skating rink!
In the evening we went to Causeway Bay to a restaurant called Under the Bridge Spicy Crab. We had some shrimp, clams, veggies, and, of course, spicy crab:
Scallops.
Rather large shrimp.
The famous spicy crab.
June 17th Cheng Chau island and Spring Deer restaurant
Today mom was taken care of by relatives so we decided to go to Cheng Chau island which is about 30 minutes away by taking the fast ferry. We first took the Star Ferry to Central Hong Kong then took another ferry to Cheng Chau. This is view of central Hong Kong as we arrive on the ferry.
Seated on the "fast" ferry to Cheng Chau island which takes about 30 minutes.
According to the Chinatravelguide.com:
"10 kilometers (approx. 6.2 miles) southwest of Hong Kong Island lays the Cheung Chau Island. Although it is only a small area, it has a comparatively large population of more than 20,000 people. The residents live mainly in the middle part of the island where the land is low. Because this little island is shaped like a dumbbell - large at its two ends and narrower in the middle - it is also named 'Dumbbell Island'.
Cheung Chau Island has been a fishing village since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). All day long the ports are busy with the comings and goings of the fishing boats. In the evening, the port is awash with the soft light of the setting sun. Wherever you look, day or night, you are seeing a beautiful picture. The island is peaceful and moves calmly through each day, providing tourists a pleasant place to escape from the hustle and bustle of city-life."
There is a small downtown area which has a lot of shops, restaurants and souvenir stores.
We decided to eat at this restaurant.
It was early--about 10am so we had dim sum.
We then took a hike around the island. The sky was clear, weather was hot.
We saw quite a few beaches while hiking.
A temple we saw during the hike.
Quite a beautiful island.
Sitting at one of the rest stops.
There was a small waterfall with moss covered rocks. Thought it was very attractive.
This is a bed and breakfast where we had some beer. I think I wouldn't mind staying 1 or 2 nights the next time I come to Hong Kong. It's about 80usd per night for 2 persons.
We hd some German beer.
I enjoyed the island. It's an easy way to get out of the hectic Hong Kong lifestyle. Only 30 minutes away.
We returned by ferry to central HK. This is a huge apple store located in the IFC shopping center.
We stopped off in Mongkok for a quick meal.
We all had curry beef brisket and noodles for about $5.
In the evening we had dinner at the famous Spring Deer restaurant. We had Peking duck, bok choy, shredded beef with sesame pockets, pot stickers, shrimp in a chili sauce, and noodles.
Fodor's http://www.fodors.com/world/asia/china/hong-kong/review-420248.html describes the restaurant as follows:
"The pastel blue and green interior and the waiters in bland uniforms make this Peking duck specialist look like something from 1950s Beijing. The crowd, too, is hilariously old-school, which only adds to the experience. You'll see locals with noodle dishes, stir-fried wok meat dishes, and so forth, but the Peking duck is the showstopper—it might be the best in town. Even the peanuts for snacking, which are boiled to a delectable softness, go above and beyond the call of duty. This place is extremely popular, so it's best to book your table at least a week in advance."
They cut the duck in front of you.
Mom enjoyed the food.
It was a very pleasant day filled with beautiful scenery and great food.
June16, aunt's birthday party
The reason we made the trip was for my unt's 100th birthday party. Lewis and Stephanie picked us up from the hotel at 4pm.
Before the dinner Teri went shopping for some spices at this Indonesian store (the one with yellow sign).
The dinner took place at a restaurant in Tsuen Wan that we always go to for these special occasions. There were 3 tables with about 35 people in attendance. Here they are giving toasts to auntie.
John shows pictures of his grand kids. Proud grandpa!
The next generation.
Aunt cutting her birthday cake.
The menu for the party.
Group photos:
The dinner was a great celebration for auntie's 100th birthday. There were many generations of families in attendance, and it was nice to see everyone again. Our aunt is still full of energy and doing quite well. She is still the same as she has always been. I haven't gotten over my jet lag and nearly nodded off several times during the dinner.
June 16, dim sum
John and Teri went to Teri's old neighborhood called Yuen Long while I took mom to the famous Peninsula hotel and then to dim sum at a nearby restaurant called Star House. Thanks very much to Lewis, Gason, Stephanie and thir dad for taking us there. Their specialty is Beijing dishes especially duck, but we had some rather good dumplings and various other dishes..
After dim sum I had a brief moment to wander around while mom rested at the hotel.
.JUNE 15, Arrived in Hong Kong around 6am
Here's mom waiting for our shuttle bus that will take us to hotel, YMCA Salisbury in Kowloon.
Since we arrived so early--6am--our rooms aren't ready at the YMCA so we head to Starbucks which was rather difficult to find as the two that we used to go to had moved. Mom's a bit tired looking. The weather is bad. It's raining steadily and a bit hot.
Trying to get an wifi connection at Starbucks.
After Starbucks we head over to a Dim Sum restaurant in the neighborhood which I believe is called Serenade.
Ordering food at a local Dim Sum place. We are going again tonight for dinner.
This area is right next to our Hotel.
It's so humid that my camera lens is fogging up!
The tv has KBS!
The view from room.
Took a walk on the promenade. The lights cast a yellowish haze.
A sail on a replica of a Chinese ship.
Near our hotel.
Tomorrow we have the big family dinner to celebrate my aunt's 100th birthday. It should be quite fun.
June 14th
I can' believe we are actually going to Hong Kong! After the extraordinary month for my Mom, she seems to be well enough to make the trip. We arrived at the airport around 8:30pm for a 1am flight, leaving June 14th! John, Patrick, Kacy and I had a beer at one of the airport bars while waiting for departure.
Made it aboard our Cathay Pacific flight!
The 14 hour flight was uneventful. Flight crew were pleasant, food was decent enough, but time still passed slowly. Mom and I did manage to sleep on and off.
View from Twin Peaks
