Local Expert
Edward J. Hahn
I am a retired management consultant living in Hong Kong. I have been here over 16 years. Before that I lived in both Southern and Northern California as well as The Philippines and Saudi…
I am a retired management consultant living in Hong Kong. I have been here over 16 years. Before that I lived in both Southern and Northern California as well as The Philippines and Saudi Arabia. I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and moved to San Francisco, California in 1962.
Even though my profile, for some unknown reason, says I'm 65, I'm actually 71 as of July, 2008. My so-called "expertise is actually made up of overwhelming curiosity, discerning observation and friends whose opinions I trust.
I have been traveling and living overseas for over 30 years. The experiences I've had and the people I've met have given me a wider perspective and, I believe, made me a more interesting person than I would have been otherwise.
I must also confess that I'm a Bill Bryson wannabe. Looking at my writing efforts over the years, I don't think I'll make it. It sure is fun trying, though.
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Review Articles
When I was growing up in Wisconsin, I heard the story of a farmer who when asked directions suggested that, "You can't get there from here." Ap Chau is kind of like that.
Located next to Kao O, Ap Chau has just eight residents. No inhabited island has a smaller population. The only way you can get there is to charter or rent a boat or junk and visit Ap Chau in conjunction with a visit to Kao O Island. Information on visiting Kat O can be found at this link. I must admit I've never been there myself so all this information is second-hand.
One of the features of the island is the relatively new, empty houses, built by ex-islanders and their descendants who've made their fortune elsewhere and have re-built their ancestors' dwellings as a sign of respect.
In the sixties, Ap Chau was a Christian community of about 700 souls. Most of the congregation were fishermen and their families, some from Taiwan. The island's church is still intact, though not active. I'm told, it gives the island a certain serenity that other places don't have. I've heard that the island is a great place to medittae.
The people who live here, while they don't speak English particularly well, are very friendly and you may find yourself invited into someone's home for a cup of tea. It's also possible you won't run into anyone.
You can circumnavigate the island in about an hour. There's not much exciting to see but the sea vistas are pleasant.
A warning - bring your own drinks and food. There are no stores or restaurants on the island.
One of these days, I am going to make an effort to get to this idyllic spot, myself.
Kat O Chau or Crooked Island is located in the north-eastern part of the territory. It covers slightly less than 2.5 square kilometers and is renowned as one of the last quiet retreats in noisy Hong Kong.
There are reasons for this. For one thing it's very difficult to access unless you own or can borrow a boat. Two, there are only between 50 and 300 people living there, depending on whose estimate you believe. It can get somewhat crowded on weekends and holidays, though, with sightseers, divers and hikers.
Assuming you just want to sightsee, I suggest you immediately walk up the only hill to The Eagle's Head. From here you have a fine view of the surrounding sea, as well as the coastline and Tung O Wan beach, reputed to be the best scuba diving site in the Territory.
Later you can come down the hill and walk through the old fisherman's village, which unfortunately is now mostly deserted, since the fishing industry is in permanent decline here in Hong Kong.
In the village, the Tin Hau Temple has been recently renovated and is an excellent example of a local shrine to the Chinese Goddess of the Sea. For good luck, burn some incense and say a prayer for your safe return to the mainland. Be sure to check out the Lover's Tree next to the temple. It is very crooked and actually grows horizontally. Legend has it; Tin Hau herself forbade the tree to grow higher than the temple. In its current form, if you use your imagination, it gives the appearance of two lovers holding hands.
This small out of the way island does have an excellent restaurant. Never underestimate the ability of the Chinese to create opportunities to eat. A Hakka restaurant, Yik Man Seafood Restaurant, (2679-9337) has a reputation for making the best cuttlefish balls in the world or at least this part of the world. They are chunky and naturally beige in color. This is because the cuttlefish are freshly caught locally and also because they are steamed instead of deep-fried. You may need to call ahead to assure yourself of a table.
If you aren't ready for a sit down meal, a nearby store, Wing Kee, sells snacks and drinks. Their specialties are iced pineapple and plums, almost impossible to find anywhere else in the area. I've heard that the fridge is kept unlocked if the owners aren't there so you can help yourself to soda, water, or other drinks. Be sure to leave money for what you take so as to not ruin it for others.
Unfortunately this is not an easy place to get to. The only regularly scheduled ferry service is from Sha Tau Kok in the New Territories. The pier there is in a closed area that requires non-residents of the village to get a police permit if they want to board the ferry. It departs at 12:30 and 3:30 PM and only costs HK$10 (US$1.30).
Alternatively, you can rent a speed boat at the Sai Kung Pier. Ask at the Hong Kong Tourism Board sites at the airport, in Kowloon or Causeway Bay or call the Hotline (852- 2508-1234) for names of reputable people. I don't have that information myself. I've heard that a round trip costs about HK$500(US$65). The boats can accommodate at least four people.
You can also get a group together and rent a junk to visit Kat O and other nearby islands. See the posting on Water, Water Everywhere - Leisure for a list of junks available for charter.
Traway Tours runs a Northeast New Territories Island Hopping Guided Tour from September to February, only. I'm not at all clear why they only go during these 5 months. Maybe it's the mosquitoes that infest Kat O in the summer months. At HK$480(US$62.50), it's a little pricey but does include lunch and an English speaking tour guide as well as a chance to visit Tolo Channel, Double Haven Marine Park, a Hakka village and Tap Mun Island.
While it may seem like a lot of trouble to get to Kat O, those who have been there tell me it's worth the effort.
Far too often, restaurants near heavily frequented tourist sites become "tourist traps" where the food is, at best, pedestrian, over-priced and poorly served. Cafe Deco does NOT fit that description.
I've been there many times but twice in the last week or so which is what motivated me to write this review.
Situated at "The Peak", a famous tourist destination whose formal name is Victoria Peak, Cafe Deco is located in the Peak Galleria on the first and second floors towards the front of the building. It is not in the hideously ugly Peak Viewing structure.
The views from the restaurant are magnificent except when there are clouds or heavy smog. Check this link for a a virtual tour of the restaurant. I prefer to go about one-half hour or so before sundown and watch Hong Kong transition from a city of tall buildings to a city of lights. I recommend that you make reservations well in advance if you want a window table. That's another reason I like to go in the early evening: window tables are more available. If the hostess says they are full, do not be afraid to ask what time you could arrive and depart so that you would get a window table.
I also recommend taking the time to explore the open kitchens on both floors. There is an Indian cooking area, a Japanese sushi bar, an Italian area, an oyster bar and a special area for grilled dishes. Fascinating!
On weekends, there is often a swing style band playing live on the second floor. There are two bars plus an outside balcony with a great view for those who want to drink but not eat.
The menu, which I've linked here, is very eclectic, featuring Western food particularly Italian and grilled meat items and Asian dishes including Chinese, Indian, Japanese and Thai. If you can't find something you like in the three closely spaced pages of the huge menu, I suggest you have no business leaving home in the first place.
The wine list is extensive and reasonably priced. One of their unique features is an opportunity to sample about two or three ounces each of three whites and/or three reds. If you buy a bottle of any of them, the HK$74 (US$9.75) charge for the tasting is waived. I suspect they still make out on the price of the bottle but it's still an interesting way to select a wine.
If you just want to take a "dessert" break, they have an astoundingly complete dessert menu. I've never been able to find room for dessert after dinner but one of these days, I'm going to convince someone to share with me.
Without even trying to comment on every dish on the menu, I'll recommend a few of my personal favorites. My wife and I love the freshly baked naan, an Indian unleavened bread served with a yogurt based dip. That's what we usually order as an appetizer. Crazy, I know. They have appetizer samplers which are O.K. but not particularly special.
The salads are generally quite good and the soups are outstanding, particularly the Tortilla Soup and the Lobster Bisque.
I enjoy most of the Tandoori prepared dishes but have not tried the curries. Friends, who have, report the curries to be adequate but not outstanding.
I have tried many of the grilled meats and have never been disappointed. I am particularly fond of both the rack of lamb and the Victoria lamb chops. The steaks which come from the U.S., Australia and new Zealand are excellent. The grilled seafood items are all delicious as are specialties like grilled free-range chicken.
I am not a big fan of sushi and sashimi but my wife is and she says the offerings are excellent. I can see they are freshly prepared as ordered. Same goes for the oysters, which I do enjoy as an additional appetizer with my naan.
The only weaknesses on the menu, in my opinon, are the Italian offerings. I've never ordered a pasta myself but have been with people who have and they all gave negative opinions of the quality of both the sauces and the noodles. I have ordered pizzas and they were O.K. but not great. I think there are just too many really fine Italian restaurants in Hong Kong to take a chance on the Italian food here.
One last kudo has to do with the service. The servers seem to be organized in such a way that each table has 3 or 4 people waiting on it (a captain, a headwaiter, servers, water boy, etc.). The servers must work in teams assigned to a specific group of tables. As a result there is always someone available to meet your needs instead of having to wait for one particular individual to take care of you. This type of service is generally only found in very high end eateries. I was impressed the first time I experienced it here and I remain impressed with the service.
Over-all, as you might have guessed, my wife and I really like this place and almost always take visitors here because we know they will enjoy the experience and also because it gives us an excuse to return.
At one time Carnegie's House of Rock and Roll in Wan Chai was my favorite hang-out in Hong Kong. Since I've moved to Central District, which is within easy walking distance of approximately a thousand (just kidding) bars and restaurants, I don't get there as often as I used to when I lived in Happy Valley.
Recently an old friend, who once lived here, was in from the U.S. and we held a mini-reunion at the place. I realized I miss hanging out there. I don't remember exactly how my friends and I first started patronizing Carnegie's, but once we started going there, we became regulars for at least 8 or 9 years. I still get there once a month or so but that's a considerable decrease from the old days.
Our initial impetus was to be there during so-called "Crazy Hour", re-named "Insanity Hour", which runs from 6 to 7pm. We re-named it "Therapy Hour" and hardly ever missed a Friday night to say nothing of quiz night on Mondays and the occasional mid-week get-together.
During "Insanity Hour" all well drinks, beers, and the house wines are HK$20 (US$2.60). This compared to regular prices of HK$45 and up. I've never found a place in Hong Kong that has a better price. Not only that, the server comes around and warns you before "Insanity Hour" morphs into a more traditional Happy Hour so you can order as many additional items as you want and drink at "Insanity Hour" prices for at least another hour or more.
Not that Happy Hour Prices are that bad at HK$28 (US$3.60) for most drinks. Happy Hour runs from 5 to 9pm. They serve complimentary hot snacks from 7 to 9pm. I shouldn't admit this but I sometimes fill up on the snacks and skip dinner. They usually serve cut-up sausages, spring rolls, samosas, french fries, and chicken strips. No limit on how many you can appropriate.
As I mentioned above my friends and I re-named Friday night's "Crazy Hour," "Therapy Hour," as we used the time to gripe about our jobs and anything else that was bugging us. Commiseration was encouraged. Criticism was banned.
Another regular event we would attend was "Quiz Night" on Mondays. At one time it was extremely popular but interest has waned and it isn't anywhere near as exciting as it used to be but it's still fun if you can put together a reasonably large group.
They have a surprisingly extensive food menu with snacks, pub grub, sandwiches, pasta, Asian food, day-long breakfast, and even a few main dishes for the truly hungry. They feature lunch-time specials that are really special. The wine list is quite extensive and a lot more interesting than in any other pub I've been to in Hong Kong.
My favorite sandwich is the Steak Baguette. I'm also very partial to the Chicken Wings and the Chicken Strips. They also feature 100+ different types of shooters. Shooters are not my style but others seem to go for them, especially late at night.
Around 10pm the bar dancing begins. Anyone can get up on the bar and dance. There are brass rails to keep the more enthusiastic dancers from raining down on the bartenders. Bar Dancing seems to be a quite popular activity for bachelorette parties. Carnegie's has special promotions every night. The promotions change but every night, after 9pm, there are price breaks on something.
The music, sometimes played by a DJ, is 100% Rock and Roll, much of it Classic. The owners also have local bands in from time to time and are noted for their support of local musicians, both here and at the near-by Wanch Bar, which they also own.
In case you were wondering, I have absolutely no connection with Carnegie's except as a loyal customer though not as loyal as I once was.
Since they don't have a web-site, here's some basic information.
Address: G/F, 53-55 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong Island
Phone: +852 2866 6289
Open Hours: 11am-2am daily
Happy Hour: 5pm-9pm daily.
Insanity Hour: 6pm-7pm daily.
I bought a car a few years ago from a friend transferring to Singapore. I thought I got a good deal. I was wrong, big time. I owned it for two years at an annual maintenance cost of about HK$6,000 (US$780) and managed to drive it somewhere three times in the two years. Why did I use it so rarely? Because I didn't need to. With parking and traffic jams, it was often more expensive and slower than using public transportation. One of the wonderful features of Hong Kong is that you can get anywhere you want using trains, ferries, busses, mini-busses and taxis.
In my opinion, Hong Kong has the best public transportation system in the world. Depending on where you are going and how quickly you want to get there, you have an abundance of choices. Also, I have never found an urban transportation system that is a better value.
Earlier this year the MTR (subway) and the KCRC (railway) merged into one system called the MTR Corporation. The system is superbly run, reasonably priced and user friendly. Signs are in English and Kanji. Announcements are in Cantonese, Putonghua, and English. Cars are clean. Eating is not allowed. There are no toilets in the MTR stations but there are in the old KCRC stations.
You can ride the system to within a half hour walk of 90% of the places you are likely to want to visit. There is also a light rail system in Tuen Mun, New Territories. You can buy Octopus stored value cards, which save money and aggravation, at any of the stations. These cards can also be used for small purchases at 7-11, McDonald's and other retail and fast food outlets.
The bus system is incredible. There are three bus companies all of which have web-sites with routes and maps. City Bus and First Bus, both owned by NWS Holdings and Kowloon Motor Bus(KMB) will take you to within a ten-fifteen minute walk of almost anywhere you want to go. Most bus signs are in English and Kanji. The busses accept Octopus Cards.
There is an extensive mini-bus system. Green busses run on Government approved routes. The link will take you to the Transport Department website showing all the routes. Red busses run on routes that are less popular. They can go anywhere so there are no route maps. You flag down a mini-bus the same way you would flag down a taxi - wave your hand, palm down, at shoulder height. Both Green and Red busses have destination signs in English and Kanji and if you carry the name of your destination written in Chinese, the driver will indicate if his is the correct bus and will warn you when to get off.
In spite of some complaints, I have found the mini-busses to be completely safe. The government is now trying to implement a seat belt program on the mini-busses and enforce it with periodic inspections and fines. They tried the same thing with taxis about five years ago and it failed. One of the problems is the seat belts don't fit large Western bodies, like mine.
The driver will stop at the first available opportunity after you yell out "Stop here, please" or if you want to risk Cantonese, "Yau luk, mm goy" . Many take the Octopus card. Mini-busses may appeal more to the adventurous visitor but don't let that stop you because in most cases, a mini-bus will get you within 2-5 minutes of your ultimate destination.
You can always find a taxi in Hong Kong. The longest I've ever waited is 15 minutes and that was very late on a cold and rainy night. Most of the time I get a cab almost immediately. As I mentioned earlier, the proper way to flag down a taxi is to wave your hand, palm down, at shoulder height. The flag drop is HK$16 for two km and HK$1.40 for every fifth km after that, cheaper in the New Territories. I understand a rate raise is in the works.
Taxis are metered and I've never encountered dishonesty. Tip only the small coins you get in change. If you are a visitor it's best to carry your destination written in Chinese. Not all drivers speak English. Drivers tend to prefer to work either the Hong Kong or Kowloon side. There are specified spots for finding taxis that wish to get to the other side. Tunnel tolls are doubled except for these taxis.
I almost forgot the ferries, especially the world famous Star Ferry running between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. It has its own terminal. There are also ferries to all the major Islands from the Central Outlying Islands Ferry Piers. There are also smaller ferries called Kaitos leaving from multiple locations such as Aberdeen, Stanley, Sai Kung, etc. You can find all the information you need on the Transportation Department website.
From the airport, try the Airport Express, 23 minutes to Central. If you are on a tight budget try the Airport Busses which go to all major locations. Traveling first class? Take a hotel limo or hire a private one.
Lastly, be prepared to walk. Hong Kong is a great place to explore on foot
The Hong Kong Heritage Museum in Sha Tin had been open for over five years before I ever visited it. I had pictured some small second-rate place with amateurish exhibits. I could not have been more mistaken. If there is one museum in Hong Kong you should make a special effort to visit, it's this one. I love the History Museum and kids love the Science Museum, but for really getting a sense of what created and maintains Hong Kong's culture, this is the place to see.
It is a professional, impressive complete museum with 12 exhibit halls, six of which house permanent displays, one of which is an orientation theatre for new visitors. There is the New Territories Heritage Hall featuring the history of the New Territories, the Cantonese Opera Heritage Hall, a mind-blowing exhibit of artifacts and history including costumes and old movies, the T.T.Tsui Gallery of Chinese Art and Calligraphy, the Chao Shao-an Gallery of Contemporary Chinese Art and the Children's Discovery Gallery.
There are also six thematic galleries for temporary exhibitions. Other than galleries, the museum has a theatre for various performing arts and talks as well as a café, a traditional Chinese tea shop plus a museum store. The featured special exhibit at this time is "Jewelry for Life" running until February 16, 2009. It is number six in the museum's design series. As you might guess, the newest temporary exhibit is "the Ancient Olympic Games" running until November 24, 2008.
The setting is bucolic and easy to access by train. The exterior of building, rendered in a somewhat traditional Chinese style, is not that attractive, though many architects might disagree with me. The 28,500 square meter interior is impressive, though, with a huge open center five stories high, and the galleries and exhibition halls around the periphery.
When we visit, we obviously spend most of our time at the special exhibits but are always drawn to the Cantonese Opera Exhibit, which is a piece of Hong Kong I have totally missed and am fascinated by. The two Chinese Art galleries are interesting but not compelling, unless you are more knowledgeable than I am. The history of the New Territories duplicates some of the information in the History Museum, but for someone unfamiliar with the history of Hong Kong, I think it would be quite an eye-opener.
The museum is served by multiple bus lines and has two rail connections. My wife, Pam, and I like to access it from the Sha Tin station as the 15-20 minute walk takes us through a very nice park along the river. The park itself is full of interesting goings on, especially on weekends. If you go via the Che Kung Temple Station, the walk is a mere five minutes. Check this link for all the transportation alternatives.