Aqua Luna!

T o me, Hong Kong is a city of lights! And one of the best way to take in all the lights and sights of this magnificent city would be to go on a boat ride.

There are many options for a boat ride in Hong Kong but one of my favourites is the Aqua Luna. The Chinese red sail junk boats offer a relaxed 45 min ride across the Victoria Harbour. The boats leave from Central and Tsim Sha Tshui.

I have always taken the evening cruise from Central which is approximately  HKD 195 / person (includes one complimentary drink). It might seem a bit exorbitant to some but the crew on board do make you feel special and ensure that you have a great 45 minute cruise.

 They do have cruise to Discover Bay and Stanley in the afternoon. If you are planning to take the junk boat from Central - it leaves from Central ferry pier 9.

Big Buddha!

Ever since I moved to Hong Kong, one of places I really wished to visit was the Big Buddha! Finally after being here for almost 8 months, we made our first trip to the famous tourist attraction.

Tian Tan Buddha, popularly known as the Big Buddha, is right next to the Po Lin Monastery in Lantau Island. It was erected in 1993 and is a 34 meters high bronze statue. You have to climb around 260 steps to get the base of this majestic statue.

There are six smaller bronze statues at the base of the Buddha statue known as 'The Offerings of the Six Devas'. From the base of the Buddha statue you also get a panoramic view of Lantanu Island.

Opposite the statue is the Po Lin Monastery which houses the 'Grand Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas', which is an absolutely must see. 

Another must do at the Big Buddha is the Wisdom Path. It is a 15 - 20  minute walk from the entrance to the Buddha statue but it totally worth it.

Big Buddha is a very popular tourist destination, hence it is a good idea to get there early, especially if you are going on a weekend or public holiday. The Buddha and the monastery is open to public from 10 am to 6 pm. There are many ways to get there - you could take a bus from Tung Chung to the monastery or take the cable car. We took the cable car. :)

We opted for the crystal cabin cable car with the glass floor for our 25 minute ride to get to Ngong Ping. The bus ride from Tung Chung is about 45 minutes. While the cable car is more expensive, it is definitely worth doing it one way.

Spanish Cravings!

For the last two weekends we have been eating at a quaint Spanish restaurant called Ole. They have a delicious three course brunch for HKD 198 per person and it is a real value for money.

Ole

Salads

I had the 'Roasted Peppers and Gratin Goat Cheese Salad' which was simply divine. The 'Potato and Tuna Salad' is also nice. My husband tried the 'Swordfish Confit Salad', which he quite liked.

Grilled Swordfish

Roasted Suckling Pig

Traditional Fishermen's Seafood Stew

 For the mains, I had the 'Grilled Swordfish' with olive oil and parsley, during my first visit. The second time I had the 'Traditional fisherman´s seafood stew on casserole', which was cooked to perfection. If you are a seafood lover you must absolutely have the stew. We also had the 'Roasted suckling pig' ,which had a 30 minute preparation time, but was totally worth the wait.

Caramel Pudding

Tiramisu

 Everything on the Dessert section sounds absolutely delicious. ( I wish I could have them all!) The Tiramisu, the Caramel Pudding and Fried milk with toffee reduction is what we tried is what we tried and they were all delicious.

Korean BBQ!

If you are fond of BBQ food, you must try the 'New Korean BBQ' restaurant. There are a quite a few outlets of the restaurant in Hong Kong - Wan Chai, Tsin Sha Tsui and Kennedy Town.

We have only been to the one in Kennedy Town and have always had a wonderful experience. You can either go for their set lunch or their 90 minutes all-you-can-eat dinner buffet. Either way you will leave the restaurant feeling stuffed! (In a good way)

The yummy Korean accompaniments.

The lunch set would cost you around 50 HKD per person and the dinner buffet is 180 HKD per person. The restaurant is perpetually crowded, so be prepared to wait a bit for a table during peak hours. (It is absolutely worth the wait!)

The lunch set is really good value for money. For around 50 HKD you get a choice of meat / fish, yummy Korean accompaniments, rice, soup and dessert. 

Assorted meats on the BBQ during a dinner buffet.

The mouth watering Desserts (The jelly with condensed milk, and the sweet bun)

Everything that we have tried so far (which is almost all the BBQ items on their menu) has been really yummy. 

Cruising along Hong Kong

Hong Kong is surrounded by over 250 islands and one of the best way to explore these islands is to charter / rent a 'Junk'. The term 'junk' was initially applied to traditional Chinese fishing boats, but now refers to  any motorized pleasure boat.

It's a good idea to hire a junk on a Saturday, so you have Sunday to rest before you start your work week.

 Boats / the junk can either pick you up from the Central Pier 9 or the Kowloon Public Pier. 

We had the opportunity to be on a junk this weekend. We started from the Central pier and headed east towards Tai Long Wan, Sai Kung. It took us roughly 2.5 hours to get there. There are many other islands that you will cross on the way. You could stop to explore those too.

Tai Long Wan has four beaches along the bay - Sai Wan, Ham Tin Wan, Tai Wan and Tung Wan.

While it's lovely to swim on the beaches in Tai Long Wan, one has to careful as the water has jellyfish. It might be a wise idea to carry a jellyfish sting relief ointment / spray with you.

Things to carry with you on a junk: Swimwear, Sun Tan Lotion, Extra pair of clothes, camera, food and plenty of water.