Hong Kong 2006: Lan Tau Island

Today we planned a big trip to Lantau Island, Hong Kong's largest island and home to the largest outdoor bronze buddha statue in the world. Hong Kong Disneyland is also located in the northeasten part of the island. A friend of ours told us that the MTR train was all decked out in Disneyland decor and since I am a Disneyland fanatic, we decided to take a detour to go check it out.



Disneyland is not just a themepark. It's an experience. If you've ever experienced watching a movie at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, you know what I'm talking about. Everything Disneyland does is treated like a ride at the themepark. Boarding the MTR train to Disneyland was no exception. As soon as you board the train you really feel like you are being transported to another world; you become a kid again. I heart Disneyland.


1. Mickey Mouse handles - Genius!
2. Plush velvety covered seats and bronze statues of beloved disney characters adorn each car.

After the short detour, we went back on track to the Tung Chung stop to catch the Ngong Ping 360 Skyrail to Lantau. The ride from Tung Chung to Lantau takes about 25 minutes and covers 5.7 kilometers. The views from the cable car are incredible. It's not the best ride for people who are fearful of heights since the cars are mostly entirely made up of glass.


1. Boarding the cable car.
2. The view from the car as we are leaving the terminal.
3. View of the Hong Kong Airport - the best part of the ride. You can see the planes land and take off from the sky. A pretty spectacular sight.
4. Hong Kong apartments.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a server with a tray of free sodas and wine. We just so happened to come on the day of the opening ceremonies. What luck! Not only did they have free drinks but they had free h'orderves also. We missed out on these the snacks since we opted to hang out on the upper level where the taiko drummers were.



We didn't stick around for long to see the entertainment. We wanted to eat! The Po Lin Monastery offers a famous vegetarian lunch which was highly recommended by a friend and was mentioned in various tourist brochures as well. The lunch costed us about $20 USD per person. We were very excited about the vegetarian meal. Unfortunately, as the food was carelessly plopped down onto our table, we knew that we were surely in for a disappointment.


1. Restaurant Interiors
2. Our pre-fixed vegetarian lunch - Roasted Mushroom Broth, Vegetable Eggrolls, Vegetable Stir-fry Plate, Tofu Plate, Mushroom with Greens.

Honestly, I don't understand the rave reviews. Maybe Rona and I are spoiled? We've been fortunate enough to experience some amazing vegetarian meals. I mean, I grew up eating vegetarian meals at my best friend's house and her mom (a vegetarian) is one of the best cooks I know. I blame her for my obsession with food.

Every dish tasted the same. This was because they were all cooked the same way. Ingredients were tossed together in a wok and covered in the same cornstarch-thickened sauce with no seasoning. We knew that the food was supposed to be modest but it was not worth the $20 we paid. The meal should've been free. Even so, I don't think I would ever go back or recommend it to anyone. Save your $20 and buy yourself some incense.


Giant sized incense sticks (about 3 feet in length). I've never seen incense burn like this before.

To see the bronze buddha up close, you have to climp up 200+ steps. The Buddha statue sits peacefully on a lotus throne on top of a three-platform altar. It is surrounded by eight smaller bronze statues representing gods or immortals. At the top, it's amazingly quiet and peaceful despite all the surrounding tourists.



Our next destination on Lantau was Tai O, a fishing village located in the northwest.



Many tourists visit the village to see the stilted houses and fishing village scenery.


1. Fishing boats at sunset.
2. House on stilts.
3. Pretty view.

The streets of Tai O are loaded with vendors trying to sell you their dried fish and handmade seashell souvenirs. This is the place to barter. I purchased most of my souvenirs here. Be careful of buying products made from seashells if you plan on bringing them back to the US. Seashells are considered to be contraband.


1. Vendors.
2. The process of drying fish.
3. Dried fish to be sold.

Down the road, we noticed a street vendor grilling up some delicious treats. We bought a bag of grilled dry squid and shrimp to share between the two of us. It was smokey and so good.


My favorite part of the trip was seeing the stilted houses. They were tiny, probably no more than 600 square feet each. I was surprised to see such a streamline and modern design for such an old village. I would love to live in one of these. They're brilliant!



Before we headed back to catch the last ferry back to the city, we stopped into a little store that served the hot tofu dessert that I love so much.



The ride back to the city was a long one. We were exhausted. Still, this did not stop us from squeezing in one last meal before our day ended.



Rice is a fast food chain that serves riceballs stuffed with your own choice of ingredients. You also get to choose what kind of rice you want to use. Everything is organic and super healthy for you. I wish they had this in the states. One day.

Next up: Lamma Island

Hong Kong 2006: Yung Kee

This was the day that we decided to splurge on food so we had set aside a budget of $30 USD per person for dinner. We met up with two other friends in front of Yung Kee Restaurant, one of Hong Kong's most famous restaurants. Their clientele is odd a mix of tourists, family, and corporate professionals. Yung Kee is famous for their Chinese Roast Goose. I love Chinese BBQ and I've never had roast goose before, so I was super excited about tonight's meal.



Rona and I arrived at the restaurant a little early so we spent the time admiring all of the beautiful roasted meats hanging on display behind the front window. Yung Kee prides itself on their roast meats, so instead of putting their kitchen in the back where no one can see, they designed their restaurant so that the kitchen is in the front to tantalize all the passerbys.


Fast hands preparing roast goose for plating

Once inside we had to wait an additional 30 minutes to be seated, even though we had made reservations days before. That was kind of frustrating, considering the fact that we could smell all the tasty dishes passing by us.

finally, we were seated. Immediately, we were offered a plate of Preserved Duck Eggs with Pickled Ginger, one of my most favorite dishes. The only other person at the table who was brave enough to try the dish was Rona. She only had a bite, so I had the whole dish to myself. YUM!


1. Preserved Duck Eggs with Pickled Ginger - Definitely an acquired taste. The brown jellied part of the egg has no taste but the flavor is all in the yolk. The yolk is the color of a dark emerald green. The center of the yolk is a little runny. It looks like it's rotten but it's actually been preserved for several months in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, lime, and rice straw. The taste is a little difficult to describe. It's kind of like a very mild soft cheese with a slight metallic aftertaste that sneaks up your sinuses like wasabi does. I love it!
2. Roasted Goose - Man, this was cooked so wonderfully. The meat inside is juicy and the skin is thin and crispy. Goose tastes similar to duck, except not as gamy or fatty in flavor. Goose meat is extremely mild in flavor. Although, this dish was very good, I still prefer duck over goose. I missed the intense flavor of duck.
3. Seasonal Vegetable with Mushrooms - This season's vegetable was Baby Bok Choy with Enoki Mushrooms.
4. Sauteed Fillet of Garoupa and Vegetable.

Overall I thought the meal was good but not particularly mind-blowing. They have a separate menu that offers some of their award winning dishes but this option had to be ordered at least two days in advanced. Besides, it was way out of our price range. I will definitely try this menu the next time I visit Hong Kong when I have a little more cash.

After dinner, Rona and I had a craving for some sweets and headed over to XTC Gelato. Gelato is apparently the new dessert craze in Asia. XTC Gelato serves the best.


1. XTC Gelato Shop.
2. I had Hazelnut and Chocolate Gelato.
3. Rona had Guava and Passionfruit Gelato

A perfect way to end the evening.

Next up: Lan Tau Island.