I have not been back to Hong Kong since December 2018. It marked my longest absence. Finally, there were no longer the many days of quarantine requirements and the city has opened up. Our travel decision was made instantaneously when Sam Hui, the Cantopop legend, announced to open a series of Concert in April.
Airfare was hard to get and there was no longer any shoulder season pricing. Hotels were not cheap either. The HK ID appointment slot needed a smart strategy to get. These were surmountable obstacles. After almost five years of absence from our beloved city of Hong Kong, we made our trip back.
The family is one of nature’s masterpieces!
True to the tradition of family gathering, we gathered around food and had a few beautiful dim sum lunches. The most beautiful dim sum dish has to be Victorian Era (香江花月) which blends the oriental and western culture in Hong Kong into the dim sum served with elegant aromas, gold flakes and creative flora additions.
If you visit Hong Kong, it is worth planning a few extra days to visit the “remote” islands, some unique villages and hike some famous and beautiful trails, such as Maclehose Trail, Wilson Trail, Hong Kong Trail.
We visited Lai Chi Woo with my bro and sis, did some hiking to the nostalgic “walled village”, and enjoyed a special Hakka meal at Green Villa at Sam A Tsuen. It takes an hour one way for a ferry ride from Chinese University station to Lai Chi Woo. There is only one ferry each day in each direction. If you miss the ferry ride, there are not many options other than a couple of hours of strenuous hiking. Hong Kong has so many places, like Lai Chi Woo, with a variety of hiking trail, unique landscapes.
Macau, once a Portuguese colony, is another special administrative region of China. It is connected to Hong Kong with the recently opened “Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge” as well as a different ferry. It has been years since the last visit, when the children were young. We took the Golden Bus and that bridge is a true feat of engineering with tunnels and artificial islands mid-way. Sadly, it is hard to imagine this project scale can be done in the United States just because it has taken us so long to construct a small length of a subway route. Macau is right next to Hong Kong on the map. The Easter holiday and the change of China Covid policy, seemingly have overloaded the small Macau. It took us over three hours – a bus ride to the Golden Bus, a long queue to get on to the Golden Bus, the Golden Bus ride on the impressive bridge, then the hotel shuttle to the Venetian Hotel. We still arrived well before the check-in time, and were able to check in.
The three days of Macau were a trip of continuous snacks and cuisines (吃吃喝喝,飲飲食食). The famous food street, Rua do Cunha, is within a comfortable stroll from Venetian Hotel. The street was just packed with people with long lines outside of many take-out food stalls. We split ourselves into different snack groups to line up for the Portuguese pork chop bun (Tai Lei), the world-famous Pastel de nata (Lord Stow Bakery), the omnipresent strong-favored cow internal organs. We passed through the food street many times over the few days, but the crowdedness is not the best companion for delicious cuisine. We also tried the shark fin soup at Fok Lung Street which has unique and historic shops. There are different desserts such as “steamed milk custard”, “steamed egg custard” and ice cream. As a pattern, many renowned restaurants turn out to be not as good, but there are other neat surprises. The winner of the desserts went to LemonCello Gelato, a Michelin recommended shop. The winner of the best coffee went to this food market coffee booth located on a multi-story grocery and food market off the Senado Square. The owner used Chinese ceramic pots to prepare coffee, not Chinese herbal medicine. Surprisingly, the process brings out the aroma and flavor and gets rid of the coffee bean bitterness. The most memorable and delicious congee has to go to the Lok Kei Noodles and Congees. If you were in Macau, their large pot of crab congees and the no-wheat beer is a must-try.
No matter how many times we have been there, the Ruins of St. Paul’s, the Senado Square and the magnificent hotels (MGM, Wynn and its fountain shows, Venetian, Paris, Londoner, and the Lisboeta) are worthy of visiting both during the day and in the evening. The Monorail is convenient to hop on when you are tired of all the walking. Surprisingly, the busy schedule left us with very little time for these world renowned casinos in this small city of Macau.
From Far and Wide, Friends Collide!
The connections with people always matter, as we age, it matters more. It is also a source of enrichment as each is on a different journey. Technology has enabled us to stay connected with our friends across the world, but it is not in the same league as face-to-face gatherings.
- I enjoyed the nice morning walk along the coastline corridor to Admirable for a Dim Sum lunch. The light shower created a nice memory of walking in the rain. There has been such an effort going on to beautify the city and to “invent” more recreational areas. These progresses have been largely unmentioned and in a way, left me with delightful discoveries.
- I had these fun chats during the dim sum lunch with ex-workers at the I-Square, hardly noticing the ever shrinking harbor.
- I cherished the dinners with best friend(s) enjoying food together in this “capital city of good food”, such as Rabbit Fish Congees (泥鯭粥), Peking duck (北京烤鸭).
- I have been thankful to have a friend to take us to my parents’ hometown Shunde (顺德). It has been eye opening to experience the convenience of the customs checkpoints, the impressive hi-speed train systems in China, the didi ride (Chinese and probably better version of Uber), the subways as well as the great food in Shunde. If someone told me about these progresses in China some decades ago, I would not have believed. Compared to the experiences of traveling to China just after my college years, it felt like it was a lifetime ago. There are still many many things that can be improved. I wish for more of one mind to make things better to improve the livelihood of billions of people.
Sam Hui Concerts (許冠傑 – 此時此處 演唱會)!
We had the time of our lives watching Sam Hui on the stage of the Hong Kong Coliseum. The concert stage was designed to model his home, and the concert felt like an invitation to his home to join a singing party of ten thousand folks. It was heartwarming, full of positive and happy spirit to share with Hong Kongers. We knew all the songs, their lyrics and sang along.
We also bought the 414 Global Livestream of Sam Hui Concert on the last day of this concert series. We ordered a Suckling Pig from the Tai Hing restaurants at a price of HKD 880, and brought it to my brother’s home to have a family party, while enjoying the show. The suckling pig was a hit. It was a happy gathering. Heaven cannot be much better.
Check out our YouTube channels to relive the wondrous moments of the Sam Hui Concerts in Hong Kong and also his concerts in California.
The two weeks have been jam packed with memorable trips and gatherings. Of course, we could and should have stayed for much longer.
oliviatamccue 
Leave a comment