Lamma ramma ding dong

Day 26: Wanted to do something today that was a new HK experience for me so decided to get the ferry to Lamma Island and eat me some seafood, I went with Andy my boss. Its a 30 minute ferry ride and the weather was a balmy 18 degrees and smoggy as usual, very much like getting the ferry over to Manly!

Apparently Lamma is the place to be for all seafood lovers who come to Honkers, we went to Sok Kwu Wan and ate at the Rainbow Seafood Restaurant. I had prawns in a butter sauce (pictured below at the back of the pic) and salt and pepper squilla (at the front), it tastes like a mix of lobster and prawn, so yummy. The first time I have ordered a dish that has come with a pair of scissors!

Andy ordered the pretty spectacular looking sweet and sour fish (below) and salt and pepper squid.

Sok Kwu Wan itself is a cross between a shanty town and Lanzarote, all in a Hong Kong style - bamboo and plastic sheeting holding it all together.

This a collection of floating pontoons that make up a fishing village.

Once you walk out of the restaurant area its quite pretty and basic and has the ubiquitous temple and rather surprisingly a pond full of (stacked!) terrapins just hanging out, its not very densely populated area, so I refreshing change from HK Island. Most of it has a shabby, rundown HK charm to it. Andy said it reminded him a lot of Vietnam.

Sleepy old lady (not dead, I promise) who lives next door to the temple.

This house was built in 1956.

Little shrine between to restaurants.

Day 25: I rode to Chai Wan, the end of the tram line on Hong Kong Island, and then spent the afternoon wandering around Hollywood Road and the nearby markets with my new digital SLR camera stalking the streets for interesting people pics, sights, sounds and smells. If you ever visit HK, a ride on the tram should be on your list, its HK$2 and you get a different perspective being that high up above the gazillion pedestrians and the traffic.

Chai Wan, not a lot there... so I got off this tram and straight onto another one heading back towards Central.

Tiny, tightly packed lighting shop on Wellington Street.

Jane and Chinese New Year: The lovely Jane Menon arrived for her first ever visit to HK from Beijing (eventually, as she actually went to the Harbour Plaza first and knocked on room 2623's door and there was no answer... I'm actually staying at the Harbour Grand, so a different hotel!)  on February 10th for 6 days of CNY, shopping, eating, drinking and touristing! Oh what fun we had! 

Here is a synopsis of what we did:

• Visited the Peak on only the second clear/sunny day in weeks

 

• Had a champagne harbour cruise on a junk around Victoria Harbour

 

• Rode the cable cars from Ngong Ping up to see the Big Buddha and the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island. It was 5/6 degrees brass monkey's cold! I had to buy a t-shirt at the gift shop and Jane bought a second scarf....

 

• Had a wander around the visual feast that is Hollywood Road antique and Curios shops

• Stanley Market - where Jane rivals only my father in her brutal bargain tactics! She was on fire!

• Goldfish markets in Mong Kok

• Saw the amazing Chinese New Year fireworks from the prime spot of my hotel room, conveniently placed on the 26th floor and facing the harbour

• Cocktails

• Ate lots

• More cocktails

Next: Went to see an Australian trained Hong Kong Chinese Naturopath yesterday... And I'm going to have Dim Sum at the cheapest one starred Michelin Restaurant Tim Ho Wan, pics to follow...