Going local in Fu Tung

We were getting a bit tired of Citygate – there is only so much outlet shopping we can do – so we decided to try Fu Tung Shopping Centre on the other side of Tung Chung MTR station.

It has such a different atmosphere from the slick Citygate. For one, most of the offerings were very local.

The wet market portion came as a surprise. It sold everything from cooked food to duvets and toiletries.

Even kimchi.

The shopping centre itself has a disproportionate number of restaurants, clothes shops and mobile phone stores. There's even an entire shop dedicated to frozen food, which you can reheat on the spot.

And a supermarket selling health food and other unusual products such as this leg of cured meat.

DB flea market in January

Whoo hooo! The DB flea market is back! Over 130 stalls, crazy buys... I am so excited I can hardly wait. Hope PALS is going to be there setting up their ever-popular stall of donated items.

Date: January 8 (usually from noon)
Where: The Piazza

You can get more info here.

Spooooky animals

Don't be fooled by the cutesy Chinese zodiac animals in the park next to the bridge. By day, they look like harmless cartoon characters but, come night time, and they take on a whole different dimension. Whoooooahahah!

Boxing Day buffaloes

We went for a walk to work off the crazy Christmas feasting and guess who came out to wish us a happy Boxing Day?

Christmas yums

Christmas meal at Deer Horn. Definitely not to be missed.

Christmas cupcakes from The Kitchen.

Gingerbread men and cupcakes served with Kit's home made peel.

Peace on earth...

Goodwill to all men. Even the animals are getting along... sort of.

Small-town Christmas

PALS car all decked out for Christmas.

A family gathering.

Santarinas from China Bear.

See? Keep your head covered and you won't feel the cold.

Poinsettias delivered by tricycle.

And a special festive sign for Bizzie Lizzie.

Cable-car trip

We've always wanted to take the cable car but were deterred by the long queues snaking round Tung Chung. Then one Mui Wo resident shared his secret with us: Take the cable car down. Doh!

So we hopped on the No 2 bus to get to Ngong Ping early – which was good because the crowds hadn't had time to make their way up the mountain yet in the cable cars.

After a quick look around, we took the glass-bottomed Crystal Cabin down. Sheer bliss... because we were taking the HK$130 instead of the HK$85 option plus it was still early in the day, there was no queue.

We walked right up to the front and within minutes, our car arrived. And when I say our, I mean that we had the entire cabin, which normally seats up to eight, to ourselves. Others would have had to pay HK$3,200 for the privilege of a private cabin.

So we could walk round the entire cabin to get the best shots, and even lie on the bottom to get vertiginous pictures and videos like these:

The half hour 5.7km journey was smooth and felt really safe,even when the car was being buffeted by winds. The only time I started panicking a bit was when we went over water.

It was such a great trip that we wondered why it took us so long to do it. But then, as Buffalo Wilbur wisely pointed out, we have to keep some things for next time...

Workshop Christmas party

Why do they hold these things on weekdays when I can't attend? :(

I so wanted to go for the charity concert at Cheung Sha too but it was on a Friday – when I was busy earning enough to keep Buffalo Wilbur in espressos.

Anyway, for those who can go, the Workshop X'mas Party is on Thursday, December 22, 2-5pm, with a gift exchange at 4.30pm. The Workshop is in Chung Hau village. Bet the party will be fun!

Shoe bargains!

Octavia has opened her pop-up store selling Italian shoe samples again. There aren't as many shoes as in her previous sale but there are more men's shoes.

Some pretty women's boots, perfect for winter.

I scored a pair of fake fur-lined Timberlands (slightly damaged) for HK$100. They'll keep my tootsies warm as the winter chill sets in.

The sale is on until January 16 but I'd advise you to go and grab her best stock now. The shop is the former antiques store next to Lee Hing Loong.

Chewing gum alert

Singapore may have been right to ban chewing gum. Someone very "kindly" stuck their leftovers on the seat in the ferry and now I have it on my fleece, my shirt and my hair.

Have spent the whole morning trying to get it out but, as you know, gum is really tenacious. That's my fleece after a morning's hard labour.

Hot water might just get it off the material but I think the hair might just have to go. Not a happy bunny, grrrrr!

Hiking, Korean style

We have been seeing more and more hikers on our favourite Mui Wo-Pui O trail now that the weather is perfect for hitting the trails.

Most of us are well-equipped with walking sticks, proper hiking boots and fleeces but the Korean hikers beat us all flat.

On our walk today, we spotted a group that also brought along a portable stove. They set up camp at the Shap Long sitting-out area and promptly began to get the stove going to make den jang jjigae.

Then, from the other backpacks, other goodies started emerging: apples, sandwiches, kimbap, dok and even a container full of homemade radish kimchi.

They saw us casting envious looks and generously offered to share their food with us. So, with the sun on our faces and the sea breeze helping us work up an appetite, we took part in one of the best picnics we've ever known.

To the lovely folks who made our routine hike so much more special: 감사합니다!

The shoe sale is back!

Buffalo Wilbur asked me out of the blue: "Wonder whether we'll be getting any Italian shoe sample sales this year?"

A day later, I get this email from Octavia:

Shoes sample selling is starting from 17 Dec 2011 - 16 Jan 2012 in Mui Wo, Lantau (same shop located opposite Park N shop),

Saturday/Sunday : 11:00am - 6:30pm

Mon- Fri - 1:30pm- 6:30pm

Lots of ladies, men and kids' shoes.....

See you next week.

Whooo hoo! You won't see me for dust next Saturday!

Ngong Ping, finally

It's embarrassing to confess this but, despite living in Mui Wo, we haven't gone to Ngong Ping... until now. Determined to get our arses in gear and finally see the Big Buddha, we got on the 11.30am bus and prepared for an adventure.

I had the impression that it would all be very Buddhist but it actually turned out to be quite fun. Ngong Ping Village is like a cross between a ski resort (but without the snow) and Disneyland (but without the exorbitant entry fees).

I think it's best seen during winter. That open square must be baking in summer.
An added reason to go: Free chocolate tasting until January 2! Marshmallows dipped in Leonidas chocolate. Yummy!

These are hand-crafted chocolate figurines. If I remember correctly, they cost HK$120 each.

Another must-do is trying out the vegetarian meal at the Po Lin Monastery. You have a choice of the HK$60 or the HK$100 per person menu. We checked and there didn't seem to be much difference in terms of the dishes serves. Apparently the ambience is nicer for the more expensive menu but we were pretty happy with the more local atmosphere.

The meal was wonderfully cooked, plus you had the added smugness of being able to tell yourself it was all vegetables and therefore healthier(ish).

We enjoyed ourselves so much we couldn't believe we took so long to get to Ngong Ping. Best part is, it's only a half-hour bus ride away, so we are definitely going to do it more often!

What's for Xmas dinner?

Christmas really does sneak up on you, doesn't it? Usually, we forget all about booking dinner anywhere and by the time we get round to it, all the restaurants are fully booked.

But this time, we're going to be organized and check out the menus way in advance. So if any of the local (Mui Wo, Pui O, Tong Fuk) restaurants want to send me their festive menus, the email is lantau.waterbuffalo(at)gmail.com.

I'll gladly put the menus up in this post so others can make their plans too.

**********

From Deer Horn

Christmas Lunch/Dinnner at Deer Horn On 24th & 25th Dec 2011

Soup
Minestrone Soup

Starters

Chicken Lollipop

Asparagus with Smoked Salmon

Main Course

Turkey with Cranberry Sauce

Roasted Pork Belly

Lamb Curry

Mash Potato

Brussels Sprouts

Mix Vegetable

Glass of Sparking Wine

Desserts

Panna Cotta

HK$ 250.00 Per Person

HK$ 180.00 Per Child

Specially Offer HK$120.00 Malbee Red \ Chardonnay White Wine

Advanced Booking required at 3484 3096, 51773324, 62555769 or email us deerhornlantau@gmail.com

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From China Beach Club

Christmas Day

Overlooking the Beach,
at the Chi

na Beach Club.

A Welcoming Glass of Mulled Wine

Santa Hats & Tangerines

-
Mixed Crudités with a Blue Cheese Dip,
Hummus & Kalamata Olives

-
Roast Turkey & Baked Ham
With all the Trimmings

-
Mince Pies & Fresh Cream

$275 + 10%
Advance Bookin

gs Only

We do have some tables still available, f

or 1pm and 3pm but people must be quick as we are nearly up to our limit for this year. Email thechinabeachclub@hotmail.com or call 93266402 for bookings.

**********

Pui O Delicious

Pui O Delicious isn't having any fancy menu – Lewis said the last time they tried, it didn't get a good response – but their Set Course B looks pretty festive. Or you can just go for their teppanyaki ala carte. Their phone umber is 2984-2298.

Silvermine Bay Carnival 2011

Last year, we didn't know what to expect so we went to the Silvermine Bay Carnival after lunch.

Big mistake as we didn't get a chance to fully appreciate the free local fare they were dishing out. This year, we went there for lunch... and I saw a lot of people had the same idea.

The noodles and roasted pork were yummy. And there was also the local favourite: Swiss chicken (actually sweet soya sauce chicken).

But just in case you think I am all stomach, here are some pictures from the fair. These pretty dancers perked up the crowd.

The most popular games stall was the fishing one. Maybe that shouldn't be much of a surprise seeing as Mui Wo used to be a fishing village?