Holy Kowloon!

Sorry for the delay in my posts. It turns out blogging is harder than it looks. Plus we have been out way too late on the past couple of nights. It has been raining, but it has not dampered our spirits!

 

Ok, so we arrived in Kowloon after a short train ride on the MTR (it really IS as efficient as they say! Sorry TransLink!). It was late evening so I didn't really see what the neighborhood was like until the next morning. Let me put it this way... if Hong Kong Central is the golden child of the Orient, then Kowloon is its creepy unkempt uncle who always smells like alcohol and mothballs. Helen says it's where locals are really locals. Boy, are we local. Our hotel is decent with contemporary decor and all the creature comforts. But to give you a quick idea of the neighborhood we are in, this is our "City View":

 

This is not to say Kowloon doesn't have its charm. Like Creepy Uncle, every once in a while, there's a good story to be heard, and general fun to be had. The streets are crowded with pedestrians and vehicles. And there are shops and markets to keep any traveller engaged. On a side note, if you think Richmond has bad drivers, the drivers here will make your head spin. Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way. I almost got run over twice, and it's only day 2. Helen will tell you she saved my life, but she won't tell you that it was she who directed me off the curb to begin with.

Over the last couple days we spent time meeting up with Helen's friends and seeking quintessential Hong Kong food/meals, and shopping local big-box stores like Muji and UniQlo. We had lunch with our friend Tiffany and her little girl Avery over on Discovery Bay (DB) - a small island community full of expats. If you watch House Hunters International, you will know what I'm talking about.

 

The island is home to about 15,000 people but it has a very western feel as many of the residents are from Commonwealth countries or the UK. As Tiffany explains, "You may think 'DB' stands for Discovery Bay, but it actually stands for 'Dogs and Babies. You need to have one or the other to live here." Apparently there are many other islands with character all their own that surround the Hong Kong mainland, telling me that there is much much more to explore than 4 days will allow. We definitely need to come back.

That night, we met up with our friends Lily Lee (take THAT alliteration!) and her sister Candy. Lily was nice enough to drive us through what seemed like most of Hong Kong. As we zipped past countless condo developments, the densely packed towers formed a forest of lit columns and windows in parallax view. The concentration of these buildings make downtown Vancouver seem like Langley farmland. Finally, we reach Sai Goong district, ready to tuck into some fresh seafood. And when I say fresh, I mean row upon row of tanks of live fish and shellfish so active, you might mistake this place for an aquarium.

 

The idea here is that you are able to pick what you want from these tanks, how many of them you want, and exactly how you want it cooked. Minutes later, the seafood passes through the kitchen and magically ends up on your table. You would not ask for seafood more fresh than that unless you caught it yourself, and cooked it on the boat... but who has the time?!

We went with razor clams, mantis prawns (literally translated as "peeing shrimp"), crab, scallops, and clams. We have had razor clams in Spain. We loved them there. So fresh, sweet and briny... they measured to be about 5 to 6 inches, which made for a substantial meal. Here, these razor clams measured just shy of a grade-school ruler! They were stirfried in a light and spicy blackbean and green pepper sauce. It was amazing! The scallops and clams were served with vermicelli which added complimentary texture and springiness to each bite. Yum! Great eats and great friends to share it with. This has definitely been a highlight meal I hope to experience again.