Travel

Day trip to 진해 Jinhae (Cherry Blossom Festival) @Changwon, South Korea

Posted on 1 April 2017 by lendeliz

2017-04-01 06.18.03We woke up at 4+ in the morning for the main highlight of our trip, cherry blossom viewing at 진해 Jinhae 镇海!

This year, the 진해군항제 Jinhae Gunhangje Festival 镇海军港祭 (aka Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival) would be held from 1st to 10th April 2017. When we started planning for this trip, the cherry blossom forecast dates were not quite out yet, so we had buffered close to a week in 부산 Busan 釜山, and listed a few things to do in Busan, while keeping things flexible so that we could do a day trip to Jinhae, and hopefully catch the cherry blossoms in their full glory.

We had originally planned to go on a weekday so that it would not be not so crowded, but it appeared that the flowers were approaching full bloom earlier, and the weather forecast for today was rainy all day, which meant that that was a chance that the fragile flowers might be blown away! Today was a Saturday, and also the first day of Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival, so we figured that it was better to be earlier than late.

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Categories: Busan, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , | 4 Comments

송정3대국밥 Songjung Third-generation Pork Soup 松亭3代豬肉湯飯 @Busan, South Korea

Posted on 31 March 2017 by lendeliz

2017-03-31 18.17.00Located in the Dwaeji Gukbap Alley 豬肉湯飯街 at 서면 Seomyeon 西面, this was a popular restaurant famous for its pork soup with rice, which is a must-eat when one is in Busan. The staff were very friendly to the many tourists, and through the English mixed with Mandarin explanations, we were able to place our orders.

We got the 순대국밥 (Sundae-gukbap) Korean Blood Sausage Soup with Rice 血腸湯飯 (₩6,500 nett),  내장국밥 (Naejang-gukbap) Pork Tripe and Intestine with Rice 內臟湯飯 (₩6,500), and instead of the 돼지국밥 (Dwaeji-gukbap) Pork Soup with Rice 豬肉湯泡飯 version (₩6,500 nett) where the sliced pork, rice and soup were all mixed together, we opted for the other version 수육백반 (Suyuk Baekba) Set Menu with Pork Slices 白切肉白飯 (₩8,500). In this version, sliced pork was served separate, along with an array of mee sua (rice vermicelli), kimchi, and other condiments, such as marinated chives, green chilli, garlic, onion, shrimp paste, soybean paste, soy sauce, etc.

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Categories: Busan, Dinner, Travel | Tags: , , | 3 Comments

Overnight stay at 실로암불가마사우나 Siloam Fire Pot Sauna @Seoul, South Korea

Posted on 31 March 2017 by lendeliz

2017-03-30 13.17.22Our first trip in 2017 and we are going Korea!!

We have watched enough Korean dramas to know that visiting a 찜질방 (Jjimjilbang) 汗蒸幕, (aka Korean public bathhouse), should be part of our itinerary, and since we were scheduled to touch down at Incheon Airport around 22:15 local time (GMT+7), we figured that an overnight stay in a Jjimjilbang would be an unique experience, and a cheaper alternative to a hotel stay, especially since we wanted to leave for Busan the very next morning.

Initially, we wanted to take the overnight bus from the airport to Busan directly, but the online booking of the very popular tickets was too difficult, especially when we had to figure things out in Korean.

The next thing we did was to source for a suitable Jjimjilbang, and the 2 most readily available in English were Dragon Hill Spa, and Siloam Fire Pot Sauna. Eventually, we decided on Siloam (also spelt as Silloam), because it seemed less touristy and crowded.

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Categories: Seoul, South Korea, Travel | 1 Comment

Hong Kong 2016 Itinerary

Posted on 14 December 2016 by lendeliz

2016-12-13 15.18.26We had initially planned to visit Hong Kong in May for the Cheung Chau Bao Festival, but unfortunately, we had to cancel the trip at the last minute. 😦

Nonetheless, we found time (and excuse) to visit Hong Kong in December 😀

In order to eat more, we had to burn more calories, so this was a trip which we walked a lot in between destinations (Hong Kong Island is filled with steps and slopes, our poor knees!).

We also took tram and ferry rides quite often during this trip, which can be a cheaper alternative than the MTR sometimes.

Our 6 days itinerary were as followed:

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Categories: Hong Kong, Travel | Tags: | Leave a comment

​Day trip to 大澳 Tai O, Hong Kong

Posted on 13 December 2016 by lendeliz

2016-12-13 13.30.00We had wanted to visit Tai O 大澳 for the longest time, but somehow we never made it in our past trips. This time, we made a special effort to visit!

After dropping our bags at the Regal Airport Hotel, we took its complimentary bus shuttle to 東薈城 Tung Chung Citygate, made our way past the queue for 昂坪纜車 Ngong Ping Cable Car (which will be closed for approximately 5 months from Jan 2017), before finding the other bus terminal for 新大嶼山巴士 New Lantao Bus (Tung Chung -> Tai-O, Tai-O -> Tung Chung).

The bus frequency was roughly every 15 minutes, and the queue for Bus No. 11 was rather long at noon time. Note that depending on the type of bus, not all had standing space. Hubby was the last who got up the bus but there were no longer any seats available, and he had to explain to the next bus driver that he had already tapped his Octopus card in the previous bus. Thankfully, he did not have to pay twice. We dozed off almost immediately and 55 minutes later, we reached the Tai O terminus!

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Categories: Hong Kong, Travel | Tags: , , | 1 Comment

​Barista Jam @Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Posted on 13 December 2016 by weiming

2016-12-13 09.07.41After an awesome congee breakfast, we were walking along Jervois Street back to our hotel to check-out, and sighted Barista Jam!

So obviously we must try the coffee here. But besides coffee, Barista Jam’s menu also includes breakfast, pastries, pastas, salads, and sandwiches, and serves them in a cozy, chic place with friendly baristas.

I tried a Skinny Latte (HK$36) and it was pretty good! A pity our stomach capacity was limited or we would try out some of the pastries! 🙂

Contact:

  • Location: Shop D, G/F, 126-128 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan 上環蘇杭街126-128號地下D舖 (Google Maps)
  • Nearest MTR: Island Line Sheung Wan Station 港島綫上環站 (Take Exit A2 and walk 5 mins)
  • Website: www.facebook.com/baristajamhk
  • Hrs: 8am – 6pm (Tue-Fri), 10am – 6pm (Mon, Sat), 11am – 6pm (Sun)
Categories: Coffee/Tea Break, Hong Kong, Travel | Tags: , , | 1 Comment

​生記粥品專家 Sang Kee Congee Shop @Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Posted on 13 December 2016 by lendeliz

2016-12-13 09.56.25I was craving for congee and so on our last morning at Hong Kong Island, we made a trip to 生記粥品專家 Sang Kee Congee Shop. They also have a noodles shop along the main road, and the congee place is actually located in the little alley nearby.

It was a tiny place, but apparently very popular with foreigners, for they do provide English menu when required. We opted for 魚腩豬心粥 Fish Belly and Pig Heart Congee (HKD$52) and 牛肉粉腸粥 Beef and Pig Intestines Congee (HKD$48). However, because it was outside lunch hours, we got a discount 😀 (There is also discount for takeaways.)

The congee here was so delicious, and we wondered how it managed to retain its heat till the last drop. The ingredients were very fresh and they were quite generous with the ingredients. Nothing beats a lovely bowl of piping hot congee for breakfast on a cold morning 🙂

Contact:
Categories: Breakfast, Hong Kong, Travel | Tags: , , , , | 2 Comments

​盛記大排檔 Sing Kee @Central, Hong Kong

Posted on 12 December 2016 by lendeliz

2016-12-13 07.25.49We came by the area to purchase my favourite 大排档 Dai Pai Dong 2-in-1 milk tea, so it seemed rather fitting that we should have dinner at the nearby dai pai dong 盛記 Sing Kee. There were many customers having seafood here, but we did not dare to try. Instead, we had:

  • 時菜豬什 Assorted Pig Offal & Seasonal Vegetables (HK$48): The choi sum was not bad, and the pig offals were quite tender.
  • 嘟嘟雞煲 Sizzling Chicken in Pot (HK$59): Oooh, this was quite addictive and the chicken pieces were quite tender.
  • 干炒牛河 Stir-fry Beef Hor Fun (HK$50): Unfortunately, this was missing a little wok hei, and a tad too salty and oily. The beef slices were quite tender though.
Contact:

  • Location: 中環士丹利街82號舖 82 Stanley Street, Central (Google Maps)
  • Nearest MTR: Island Line Hong Kong Station 港島綫香港站 (Take Exit C and walk 6 mins)
  • Hrs: 11am – 3pm, 5:30pm – 11pm (Mon-Sat, alt Sun)
Categories: Dinner, Hong Kong, Travel | Tags: , , , , , | 1 Comment

​義順牛奶公司 Yee Shun Milk Company @Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Posted on 12 December 2016 by lendeliz

2016-12-12 15.10.16After our hearty lunch, we strolled to 銅鑼灣 Causeway Bay, and found ​義順牛奶公司 Yee Shun Milk Company… Perfect timing for a break 🙂

It was mandatory to order an item each, so we ended up with:

  • 馳名雙皮燉奶 Double-layer Steamed Milk (HKD$32): It was such a hot day today, so we opted for the cold version. Smooth, rich and not overly sweet, it was a lovely dessert on a hot day!
  • 雞蛋三文治 Egg Sandwich (HKD$20): This was pretty normal, with the egg not too dry, and strangely, there was a slight hint of peanut butter sauce…

 

Contact:
Categories: Coffee/Tea Break, Hong Kong, Travel | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

​民聲冰室 Min Sheng Eatery @Tin Hau, Hong Kong

Posted on 12 December 2016 by lendeliz

2016-12-12 13.16.26民聲冰室 Min Sheng Eatery is a 14-seater shop that is very popular, despite the very short menu (8 items for lunch when we were there).

We ordered the 咸旦蒸肉餅 Steamed Minced Pork (HK$42) and 叉燒炒蛋 Char Siew Omelette (HK$42). Both items came with a super generous mountain of white rice, which was absolutely necessary, because the food was quite salty.

The tender minced pork mountain had a good mix of meat and fats, and the whole salted egg yolk went very well with it. We were quite impressed that it was steamed so well. The omelette was runny and delicious too.

Note: There is a minimum expenditure per pax of HK$40 for lunch, and HK$80 for dinner.

Contact:
Categories: Hong Kong, Lunch, Travel | Tags: , , , | 2 Comments

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