Hong Kong

Well I think I have finally recovered from the whirl wind trip to Hong Kong that D and I did last week. We are still talking about what a great trip it was. When we moved to Korea we never thought that Hong Kong would be somewhere we would go while we were here but after lots of recommendations we decided to book, and it turned into one of our greatest holidays. So here is a quick breakdown of our trip there.

We flew out of Busan to Shanghai on Tuesday at around 12pm. After a quick layover in Shanghai we flew to Hong Kong. We arrived in Hong Kong at about 7pm, grabbed our luggage and took the bus into the city. During the hour long buss ride both of us were glued to the window looking at all of the neon lights and the swarms of people. From that moment we knew this was going to be a great trip.
We checked into our hotel, freshened up and headed out for a late dinner. We found a busy little restaurant which displayed goose and chickens in the window, so of course we went there. We ordered a goose and pork platter with garlic brocoli and fried rice. It was so delicious, especially the cracklin' on the pork! We walked around for a bit more and decided to head to bed to get some rest.

The next morning we headed out for a walk to get some breakfast. We of course ended up at Starbucks, my favorite! Once we were caffeinated and had reviewed the maps we headed out for some more exploring. D and I walked around amazed by the busy crowded streets. We kept weaving in and out of streets because they all looked so interesting. We walked down to the harbour to get our first look at the harbour. Then we had to go to D's tailor appointment. We decided that we would get D's wedding suit made while we were in Hong Kong because we had heard that the tailors do a great job! We found Jim's Tailors on the internet and it had a great reputation so we booked an appointment there. We went to the address but of course they had moved so after some searching around we found them out on Hong Kong Island.

After the appointment we headed to the Happy Valley Race track to watch the horse races. They only have horse races on Wednesday so we were lucky that we were there on a Wednesday. For dinner we found a local pub close by where we had fish and chips with a cold Carlsberg. D was in heaven since this was the first taste of normalcy in a very long time! After dinner we headed back to the race track and went straight into the beer garden which is on the same level as the track.
We spent the next few hours watching, betting, drinking beer, and meeting different tourists and locals. It was so much fun! We were betting the equivalent of about $1 on each race and I even won a little bit of money. This was for sure one of the highlights of the trip!

The next morning was a little slow to get started because we were both tired from the night before. Once we got moving we headed over to the Star Ferry to take us over to Hong Kong island. It is a quick ferry ride and was recommended that we pay the extra 10 cents to sit on the top floor so we don't smell like diesel fumes all day, great tip! This ferry has been in operation since 1888 and is ranked as one of the top things to do in Hong Kong.

Once landing on the other side of the harbour we walked over to the International Finance Centre. These are 2 huge office buildings with a mall on the main floors, it really reminded me of TD Square in Calgary. There was an english book store in the mall and I spent a lot of time drooling over the english magazines and books. After we left there we went to the Central Midlevel Escalator, which is an escalator that runs through SoHo (well their version of it). We rode the escalator as far as we could, got off, and walked back down through the streets. We found a market that specialized in costumes and Dennis bought a new lens for his camera. Next we went to the Peak Tram to go up to Victoria Peak. The tram is a cable car and has been in operation since 1888.

The weather wasn't great that day as it was quite foggy but the view was still pretty good. There were plenty of shops and restaurants up at the top, we went to a cafe which served 1960s american food. These cafes were really popular in the '60s because it was popular back then to eat american food but most Hong Kong people couldn't afford most western food so these cafes popped up all over with cheap options for pork chops, spaghetti, and breakfast foods to name a few.


That night we went down to the Avenue of stars on the harbour so we could see the light show. The avenue of stars is similar to the star walk in LA but this of course has famous Chinese actors. Of course we saw the stars of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. The light show on the harbour happens every night and is the longest running light show in the world. It was a little lack luster so we left half way through to go to the Temple street market and to get something to eat. We ended up eating at one of the hundreds of food vendors on the street. The food of course was great and eating on the street is a lot of fun! It is really busy and you feel like a local.

We walked around the Temple street market which is basically a flea market on the street. They sell a lot of souvenir things and knock off items.


The next morning we went to the flower, bird and goldfish markets. They are exactly as they sound, markets full of flowers, birds, and goldfish.
Flower Market: Vendors selling all types of flowers, smelled amazing!

Bird Market: People bring their birds for sale and they have the most amazing bamboo cages, I bought 2 little ones

Goldfish Market: millions of fish in little plastic bags lining the streets

After a quick lunch of dumplings and chicken feet we headed to the Ngong Ping cable car to see the huge Tian Tan Buddha. We opted for the glass bottom gondola, which was a wise choice because the view was amazing!


At the top there are of course lots of shops full of trinkets and the Tian Tan Buddha, which is one of 5 giant Buddhas in China. It was beautiful to see!
That night D had booked us a romantic dinner at Aqua Roma, a restaurant on the 29th floor! He made sure that we had a window seat so that we could look out onto the harbour and so we could watch the light show while we ate a delicious dinner! The dinner was great and we had fun catching up with each other.
Saturday morning we decided that it was time to go for Dim Sum for breakfast, we went to Hong Kong Island to go to the Luk Yu tea house. This is one of the most famous tea houses in Hong Kong, it is frequently used in movies and literature. The food was amazing and the atmosphere was really neat, we were the only foreigners there.


Now full on dumplings, won ton soup, and chicken feet (our new favorite!) we caught the bus out to Stanley market. The bus ride showed us a different side to Hong Kong. The scenery was very lush and green. We drove past Repulse bay as well as about $5million dollars worth of cars, it is a very high end part of Hong Kong. Stanley market was another flea market type place, selling souvenirs, art, clothes, and other nick nacks.

That night it was my turn to take D to the restaurant I picked for our trip, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon. I knew this meal would be good but my expectations were exceeded! The restaurant has few tables as the best seats in the house are around the kitchen. The seats look directly into the kitchen so you can watch the chefs. It was so much fun and the food was beyond amazing!

The next day we attempted to fly home but of course the engine on our plane wouldn't start so we couldn't leave till 2am the following day. We got to spend Sunday lounging in the airport hotel, catching up on sleep, and eating a buffets. It was an amazing trip, one that we will look back on for a very long time.

We have no travels coming up till about April but we do have some visitors to look forward to over the next 2 months. I am sure we will find something interesting to write about.

Keep in touch,
J
For more pictures check out our album

http://picasaweb.google.com/dennis.blackwell/120HongKongTrip2011#

http://picasaweb.google.com/dennis.blackwell/HongKong#

How to make Kimchi

I hope everyone is enjoying 2011 so far. D and I have been busy already with a weekend in Seoul. There we went for a nice dinner, did some shopping, went to Dr. Fish (D was very brave), and just wandered around. Last weekend I went and volunteered at a dog shelter in Busan. It was a lot of fun to go and play with some very needy dogs. The majority of dogs have been rescued from markets prior to being sold for meat. The people who run the shelter are amazing and put everything they have into giving these dogs a good life. We are considering fostering a dog for the remainder of the time we are here but we (I) are concerned that we may have a hard time giving it up! We do plan to go back to volunteer in the future.

So last week I decided to try to make Kimchi. This is a staple in our diet here as it is served at every restaurant in some form. I had heard there is something like 60 different types of Kimchi, and it is based on where the kimchi is made. Kimchi is served with other banchan (side dishes) at restaurants and personal homes. So since this is a staple I thought I should at least try to make it and expand my Korean experience.

Now don't worry this recipe is very easy, because if I can do it so can you! Here is the ingredient list:
2 napa cabbages
1 medium daikon radish
1/4 cup coarse sea salt
1 cup water
4 green onion, cut into 2 inch lengths
7 cloves garlic, minced (no garlic press, actually cut it!)
2 tbsp ginger minced or grated
2 tbsp Korean chile powder
2 tbsp Asian fish sauce (or use tiny salted shrimp if you can find it)
(I halved this recipe because the full recipe will make 4L of Kimchi)
Dissolve the salt in one cup of water and then cut the cabbage and radish into two inch lengths. Add the cabbage and radish to the salted water and toss. The cabbage and radish has to sit in this bath for 6 hours or over night.

The next day drain the salt water and place to the side. Add the green onion, garlic, ginger, chile powder, and fish sauce

Mix all of this together and place in a glass jar with a tight lid, I used 2 1L jars. Add the mixture and then pour the salt water over top leaving 1 inch on top. Seal the jars and place in a cool dark place (not the fridge) so that the kimchi can ferment.

After 2 to 3 days you can open the jars and try your kimchi! Once the jar is open place in the fridge. You can search other recipes that use Kimchi in order to use all of this. Last night D and I made Kimchi fried rice, delicious!

Well D and I are off to Hong Kong today. We are very excited about this trip. This will be the first break D has had since September. We will write when we get back.

Stay safe,
J

Christmas in Korea

Happy New Year!!!!

I thought I would write a quick post about our Christmas here in Korea for those of you who are interested, if not stop reading now.

We had our tree set up for close to a month and it was really nice to have the colourful lights in the living room. D did a great job of setting it up and decorating it. There were so many lights on the tree that you could clearly see the lights from our window while on the street. Arnold really liked the tree as well and thankfully didn't unwrap any presents under the tree or pee on it like he has done on previous Christmas'. He like the tree so much that he would spend many a night staring at it.
You can see in this picture how spoiled we were this year with gifts.

On Christmas Eve night D was lucky enough be let off a whole hour early. We spent that time going to the grocery store in search of more liquor, treats, and of course a new puzzle! We had decided that since this was our first Christmas together alone we would start our own traditions. For Christmas eve dinner we had squash gnocchi, made by yours truly and wine. All of this time on my hands has made me quite a good chef I must say. Then after dinner we had some of the liqueur that I made and has been sitting in the cupboard for 44 days and it was actually pretty tasty, very strong but good.


After dinner we settled down to do some puzzling and watch "Love Actually". This is a tradition I usually do with Alana or Allison but since they were not here I had to introduce D to it. He actually loved (har har) even though it is a very sappy romantic movie.

During the movie and puzzling we took turns rolling out the sugar cookie dough and cutting out shapes.

It was a great night and I honestly had trouble sleeping because of the excitement I felt for Christmas day. I still feel like a little kid on Christmas eve, one feeling I hope I never loose.

Christmas morning did not disappoint as we woke to full stockings and we went over to our friends Chloe and Grahams for breakfast. These two have been great friends to us and we were excited to spend the morning with them and their son Harry. We had a wonderful breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast, tomatoes, mushrooms, and of course coffee and Baileys. Arnold had a great time eating the food that Harry would throw to him off the high chair, which is why when we go for walks Arnold always pulls me to Harry's house. Harry gave Arnold a bag full of tennis balls, he was very happy to have those. Here is a pic of the best buds


After breakfast we headed back to our apartment to open our gifts. Our tree was jam packed with presents that people sent to us, and had left us. Christmas shopping here is a bit challenging as both D and I found as most things do not come in our size and it is hard to find things you are looking for as we don't speak the language or they just don't have it. So we had a great time opening presents together and drinking coffee and baileys. Arnold even had a couple presents to open, it is very hard to wrap balls just for future reference. Here is a picture of the living room after all the carnage (note that D downloaded fireplace TV so that we could have a nice fire)

The rest of the day was spent watching some our favorite movies.

That night we joined many of the other foreigners at the Ocean View hotel for a Christmas dinner. The hotel put on a traditional Christmas dinner spread as well as some Korean favorites. It was tasty but sure made me miss a home cooked Christmas dinner! We had a lot of fun with everyone and after we headed home to finish our movie marathon.

So a couple of weeks after Christmas now and Ulsan is covered in snow. Some of the foreigners have been out making snow men as some as their children have never been around snow. It is not a novelty to me and I wouldn't be sad to see it all go away!

2010 was an amazing year and I know 2011 will be just as good and maybe better. I will be able to return home to Canada to my friends and family and of course D and I will be married. Thank you to all of you who have been there for us over the years, we love and miss you every day! Stay safe and keep in touch.

J