Hong Kong

Usual Hong Kong Stuff


This is the daily Light Show at Victoria Harbour. The view is taken from the Kowloon Peninsula looking at Hong Kong Island. Honestly, I wasn't very impressed. But Hong Kong's night scene sure is beautiful!


















Another classic picture taken from The Peak
Now this is taken from Hong Kong Island looking at Kowloon.

Ocean Park!
I have not been to Ocean Park for a long long time ... was there when I was ... err 17 years old ( or thereabout )

Going to a theme park always bring out the kid in me : - )

Didn't get to see hammerhead when diving. So this is sort of a consolation ...

Was lucky. It seems like I was there during the feeding time for the Panda.

Panda at Ocean Park



This is actually a panda too. It is a red panda. Looks like a big squirrel to me . But let's not going to into taxonomy here.




Lantau Island， 大屿山
Took the cable car Ngong Ping 360. The scene is magnificent...

... especially when the big buddha statue was in sight.

The long flight of steps ...



Other scenes in Hong Kong

The hotel I stayed is near Causeway Bay. This photo is taken from the Times Square, Hong Kong. ( of course not the one in NY)

Christmas time is near.  Along Nathan Road.

Night Market
Honestly, I can't remember where I took this, probably it is somewhere near Temple Street.

Food!

I know this  seems trivial, but ... the roasted stuff 烧腊, even at those road side stores,  is among the best I have eaten. The Hong Konger ( and Macanese I must add) seems to have perfected the art of roasting.

And of course the tim sum ... slurp slurp.

Taipei 101

Visited Taipei 101 when I pop by Taipei City. This is really an impressive piece of architecture. I believe it is shaped to look like bamboo - hmm ... very chinese.

What is more impressive is that it takes less than a minute for the escalator to bring us from the 5th storey to the 89th storey!

Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall

Sun Yat Sen memorial Hall seen from the top of Taipei 101.


I really have to give it to them. This is inspired by Taiwanese, designed by Taiwanese, constructed by Taiwanese ...

For more information, here is the link to construction of Taipei 101 by Discover Channel:

(do continue to look at other parts of the videos)

By contrasts, the engineering feat in Singapore, the Marina Bay Sands ...

http://ykwee.blogspot.com/2010/11/marina-bay-sands-infinity-pool.html

are designed by foreigners, built by foreigners, used by foreigners... where are the Singaporeans?!?!

Unless you pay $100 to go into the casino and check-in to the hotel room, just to get try the infinity pool.

Anyway, enough of lamenting, back to blogging...
also pop by a the Scout HQ in Taipei. Well, that's what you expect if you go tour with other scouts. hee hee.



Stayed at Ximending, area. A very happening place!. So vibrant, so much to see, not much photos are taken.


A must-eat food at Ximending is the Ah Zong MianXian. Superb! I never expect such a simple dish can be made so delicious.

阳明山 and 北投

The photos from Yang Ming San in summer do not give it justice. Honestly, it is not best time to visit Yang Ming San in summer. It is hot and humid and looks very much like any tropical reserve. A picture search on the internet shows much 'flowery' pictures of Yang Ming San during other seasons.

The Flower Clock at Yang Ming San


After that we took a cab to a hotspring / thermal region at a foot of 阳明山 - 北投.

Food Galore

Shilin Night Market

A walk in a night market is the must for any Taiwan trip. Well ... a picture may speak a thousand word, but it can never describe the sense of taste, smell, and feeling of bloatedness after eating so many snacks as we walk down the streets; and the stickiness of your shirt filled with perspiration in a hot summer's night.

The fried crispy chicken is so many many times better than KFC

Jiufen

A really nice town on a hill. Beautiful place.

Nonetheless, the weather is warm and humid. So gobble down some really cool stuff, literally.

Ice cream popia! and ...

Ice kacang. I think this is called fen yuan in taiwan.

It is really nice eating fen yuan at the shops at the edge of the hill enjoying the scenery after a long tiring walk.

And some good old Chinese traditional tea!

(though I must admit the weather is a bit too hot for outdoor tea appreciation)

Dan Shui

is a fishing town, and Dan Shui old street is famous for .... what else ... more food!!!


I know Taiwan is very advanced in agricultural technology, but the water melon and carrots and ... are humongous ! Oh yeah, some how the manage to cultivate white bitter gourd and white sugar cane.

Maldives Part 2

The things to see diving at Maldives, besides the usual rich marine life, are the manta rays and whale shark. We are really lucky to see both of them. I was the only one who didn't bring any underwater camera. The photos here are taken by the other divers on the boat. Here they are:

Manta Ray. They are not shy at all. They are swimming around as if cat-walking on the runway waiting for their photos to be taken.

The picture below shows a number of remora with the manta. Are they picking parasites off the manta, giving it a grooming session?



Whale shark





Mobular Ray. They look like manta, except much smaller, usually swim in schools. And their front 'two thingy' are pointed rather than bent like the manta.




School of Mobular Ray




Marble ray. 4 of them, 2 partially hidden in the sand.



A fat marble ray?


White tip shark




A fat shark. Actually, this is slight different from the black tip. It is the grey reef shark. Slightly bigger and fatter. Not as big as the great white or pointer which are not found here at Maldives.

Maldives - Part 1

Coming back from a diving trip in Maldives is like waking up from a dream.

This is my first Liveaboard (LOB) dive trip. It has been a wonderfully fantastic experience! 1 week of LOB at MV (Motor Vessel) Eagle Ray.

MV Eagle Ray

A summary of my dives at Maldives. The dive sites and the route taken in our 1 week LOB dive tour. The other whiteboards are for pre-dive briefing. Our Dive Masters are a bunch of really friend and humorous people.



Inside MV Eagle Ray


Island visit after diving





A rainbow. Nice.

Sunset


A wonderful surprise dinner on an uninhabited island. Candle light buffet dinner. Feel the sand on my feet. And a rare sight for the urban singaporean: looking the stars at the sky - my friends told me a cluster of them is Orion. The crew in MV Eagle ray has been superb.

Sun, Sea, Sand.




Calm, cool waters. In the middle of the Ari Atoll


Fish Market at Male, the capital of Maldives