HK Day 3 - An afternoon in rural Hong Kong, and the long way home :)

Day 3 (January 22, 2013)

Good Morning, Hong Kong!

My last day in Hong Kong started by me rising at around 6:30AM, and going out (in my jammies and slippers - yes, on that HK winter morning) to buy a microwaveable rice meal from 7-11. Really a lifesaver! Then, I went back to the hostel with my purchases, and prepared my breakfast. The hostel offered free coffee, chocolate, and tea, so I poured myself some of the coffee that was brewing on the coffee maker while the rice meal was being cooked.

My breakfast! ^_^

I love early mornings at the Yesinn Hostel. Guests here were rarely early morning risers, as I had found out the last time I stayed here, so I had the common room all to myself - well, save for the 2 receptionists who were sleeping on the couch and massage chair, and one other guy using one of the computers at the computer station. It was such a calm morning that it was hard to believe that it was already almost 8AM by then - until this crowd of Koreans came down and started making a lot of noise. I figured they were going on a tour since they were all together and stuff, and as there really was quite a number of them entering the common room, I decided to wash my utensils and head back to my room to start planning/packing.

Room 6B, Bunk number 5. I was happy with the outlet on my bunk - the last time I got the other type of outlet with the slanted holes.. Tsk..

It was on this fourth trip to Hong Kong (3rd for an exam) that I had the chance to visit an outlying island and its beautiful strip of beach.

From Google, obviously. Mui Wo or Silvermine Bay.

Mui Wo is a beautiful rural town on Lantau Island, the same island that boasts of the Ngong Ping cable cars, the Big Buddha, and the stilt houses in Tai O. While those three are well on the traveler's map, Mui Wo is hardly a name that would ring a bell. Or maybe that's just me. :) I would not have learned of this place if it wasn't for a new friend, Mary Lois, a fellow examinee for the Hong Kong Nursing Licensure exam. I even had to search for the place on Google, when she mentioned that that was where she was staying.

After having taken the practical part of the exam together on January 21st, I contacted her via Facebook to check if she wanted to go around Hong Kong together, as I was there alone yet again. She extended an invite to come visit Mui Wo, where she was staying, and would tour me around if I did, and being the ever-ready explorer, I immediately took her up on that offer and arranged to meet the following day.

So that was how I found myself on a ferry boat from Central.

FINALLY found someone else wearing slippers in winter here!

I took the fast ferry scheduled at 11:40AM. The ticket cost 28.40 HKD, and there was no pre-purchasing allowed. They only opened the ticket booth about 20 to 15 minutes before the departure time.

Heading to Pier 6 for Mui Wo

Pay in cash, or scan your Octopus on the bar scanner

The boarding area

While waiting for the boat to arrive, I bought some snacks from this stall near the entrance - and had a hard time doing so. How was I to figure out that "Chpaich" meant "SPICY"??! Good thing this younger guy was there to "interpret".

I don't know what I bought, but I think it may be intestines..?? And chrysanthemum tea from the vending machine. :P

I finished my food just as the boarding gates opened and people started boarding the boat. I took a window seat with the sunlight streaming through since I figured the boat would turn around anyway and the sun would go bother the other side of the boat when it did. A few minutes later and we were off!

My sunny seat :P

The view from my sunny window seat

I dozed off a few minutes into the trip, but not after taking a few pics of the buildings we passed by and some of the outlying islands once we cleared Hong Kong Island.

The buildings of Hong Kong Island

Some outlying islands..

Sadly, I wasn't able to take pictures of the Mui Wo harbor as I only jolted awake when the boat was mooring. :( Only took one picture of the port - still through the glass windows.

Mui Wo!

The trip took about 30 minutes. I got off the boat, and called Lois to let her know that I had arrived. While waiting for her, I took the opportunity to observe my surroundings and take pictures.

View from the terminal :)

The most bikes I've seen parked at one place! I thought I could just grab one and go hahaha :P Apparently, they belong to residents who use the ferry to go to the city to work.

Directions and a helpline. And the view that greets you as you go out of the ferry terminal.

Interesting reads. Check out the bulletin board for updates.

The bus terminal right across the ferry terminal.

Why would anyone do this?! :O

This looks so familiar.. Down to CEBUana Lhuillier haha :))

The town felt so serene. It was a welcome relief after the hustle and bustle in the city.  And it was sooo sunny that day that even though it was still really cold, I found no use for the heavy coat that I brought along.

Yep, took this off right after I started walking :P

Lois finally came and we started off. Not on a guided-tour level of exploration, though. Rather, it was a no-stress, laid back afternoon stroll through a beautiful and peaceful Hong Kong town. I couldn't sing my praises enough for it as I took picture after picture, trying to capture the feel of things through my point and shoot's lens. (TONS OF PICTURES AHEAD!)

I can see the beach!!

Kind of like the Boulevard in Dumaguete

These animals look cute now, but wait til it gets dark!

Beautiful walk way

The beach starts here :D

THE beach resort in Mui Wo - it's directly facing the beach

Saving this for later when the sun isn't as blindingly hot!

Maybe next time.. :) One more reason to go back!

Well, wouldn't you know it? We're headed thataway! :D

I saw more birds here than at the Olango Bird Sanctuary when we went there August of 2011 haha

One thing you'll notice are the houses: They're of almost the same architecture, it's like a formula haha. Lois said that the government mandates that the height of the house should not exceed a specified measurement.

Pak Tai Temple - the only temple I was able to visit. It was really small.

It felt really good to be there! :)

Before we explored the beach, we made our way through the town towards Lois' Tita's house, where I met her Tita's mom who served us biko and tea - a welcome refreshment while watching Eat Bulaga on TV lol. I also met her Tita who came down a few minutes later, all ready to go out to her workplace, but then decided to stay home as she was not feeling so good.

This neighbor's dog kept barking at us as we neared the house.

We took our leave at around 3PM. Going back a different route this time around, and took more pictures.

The Culture and Exhibition Center was, unfortunately, closed on my visit. Bummer.

Whoever owns the dog that pooped the poop on the lower right side picture apparently didn't get the memo :/

Different topographies in one town.. Interesting..

This time, we made our way to the beach.

Welcome to the Silver Mine Bay Beach!

It's a public beach - which means it's FREE! No entrance fees, cottage rentals, rates for electricity usage.. Even the barbecue grills are free! Amazing. And according to Lois's Tita's mom, even if you leave garbage around (shame on you if you do, though!), there are cleaners who will take care of it, which explains why the beach was so dang clean. Totally amazing! :)

Not white, not black, but a light brown-colored sand :)

Really wide shoreline

We're here! Ahaha!

More recreational facilities along the beach lol

Wide shoreline

The solo traveler haha

Lifeguard post?

Beach-side sights

Welcome to Mui Wo! ^_^

The rocky terrain further along the beach

Photo op :D

There was a sign saying "No pets on the beach". Sneaky dog! :))

So purtttyy

After the beach, we headed for the commercial part of the town, which was on the other side of the ferry terminal. Along the way, we passed by some interesting places.

So if I turn 6 tomorrow, a few months ahead of my playmates... Does it mean I won't be able to play with them anymore until they turn 6 and move on to the other playground to join me?! :O

SUCH A CLEAN RIVER!! :O I felt like swimming here! Haha

Reminded me of Krabi, Thailand..

Where the river meets the sea :)

The dogs here are BIG..

Passing the "Boulevard" again.. Almost near the pier..

Since we had to pass by the ferry terminal, I looked at some snacks as I was getting a bit hungry haha. The lady said these were mixed fish balls. Didn't understand what she meant, but I got one for sharing with Lois anyway. We sat on one of these metal chairs around a tree facing the sea.

Spicy fishballs, some veggie thing, and internal organ things..??

Do you see McDonald's? :)

Facing the sea. That's the city wayyyy over there, in the gap between 2 islands.

A pub by the sea. Nice.

After filling our bellies with fish balls (and some other stuff I didn't have a name to), we explored the commercial part of the town. There was a McDonalds, a 7/11, several international cuisine restaurants, a Christian church, some bike shops (they use bikes everywhere here), and other usual facilities and buildings usually found in a small town.

A Turkish restaurant, a vintage store, an Indian cafe, and a Pilipino store :)

First time seeing one! Hahaha!

But really, the McDonalds threw me off. Lol. :P

Then, it was back to the house where they invited me to eat some dinner before making my way back to the city.

The sun was starting to set..

Passing by here again..

One of my best friends used to be part of the Philippine Dragon Boat team. So I took this shot for her :)

On the long way back, we passed by the bridge-over-clean-river again and saw the sun set behind the tall mountains. AMAZING! It was one of the things I wanted to see while on the island so you can only imagine how happy I was to have truly seen it. It was just soooo damn beautiful! NOT something you can experience while in the city!

My favorite capture ^_^

Sunset SelCas :D

After the sunset photo ops, we continued walking back to the house.

Lazy dog! Haha! Reminded me of our dogs back home.. He eventually moved to the middle of the street to sleep when we passed by the same way to the ferry terminal. :P

It was getting really cold by then

No more sun

The road less taken? Hehe

Was hurrying to catch up to this bike to get a shot of the kiddie seat..

Got the perfect opportunity for a photo when they stopped to answer a phone call.. And the woman spoke in Tagalog.. Hahaha!

We had passed by this one house earlier but I didn't really take notice of it until Lois pointed it out as being the home of those who were accused of the dog killing.

Remember that sign? Apparently, the people living in this house were accused of the killing as all the bodies of those dead dogs were found in their backyard.

If they didn't do it, this treatment would have been so damn harsh. They even posted a sign that said "We did not done". I felt bad for them. But if they did do it, well, shame on them!

As we neared the village where the house was, we spotted this animal..

A cow. Oh. So it wasn't just dogs that roamed about freely on this island..

The village where Lois Tita's house was located. As you may have noticed, the houses here are taller. Apparently, there are only some designated areas where houses can go higher than 2 stories and this area was one of them.

That lone cow was calling out to this herd..

This boy wasn't scared at all.

When we arrived back at the house, they had prepared some dinner before sending me back to the ferry terminal. It was the yummiest meal I had in Hong Kong - tocino!!! AND RICE!! Waaah finally something familiar! ^_^

After we finished eating, I said my thanks and goodbyes (Filipino hospitality is still Filipino hospitality even in Hong Kong! Thank you!), and Lois and I walked our way back to the ferry terminal which was about 25 to 30 minutes away on foot.

This reminded me of the tuktuks in Cambodia :D

Dusk

Smile in the dark :)

It looks different at night

People returning home. There was even this foreign guy who was biking home in his suit. Too bad I wasn't able to get a picture of him on his bike.

Street lights were on

The Silvermine Beach Resort at night

Still a beautiful walkway

The lights were on, and what seemed so serene in the sunlight had transformed into a scene for a Korean drama. Hahaha! It was still so peaceful, though. I just could not get enough of how idyllic I found the town to be!

This looks romantic :)

The sun has set completely :)

Remember those animals? They glow in the dark hahaha!

Doesn't it look pretty? I reckon it's a good date spot as well haha :))

The lights are on on the beach over yonder

Almost at the pier..

I didn't make the 6:40 PM ferry, though. Haha! But it was getting dark so I told Lois that I would be ok on my own until 7:30PM (the next ferry schedule). We said goodbye, and I made my way to McDonalds. I was about to go in, but decided to go with 7/11 instead. After buying a can of beer, a small pack of chips, and a bottle of water, I headed back to one of the benches by the pier, facing the water.

More rice meal selections than the 7-11 near the hostel. *Gasp!* :O

Company on a cold (winter's haha) night :D

It was a cold night, and my thick jacket was finally useful. As I sat on the bench and faced the sea, with the bright lights of Hong Kong twinkling prettily from a distance through a gap between islands, I found myself thinking of how sad I must look - alone, with a can of beer and chips for company. I almost laughed at the thought, but I was having so much fun thinking of how my feet led me to yet another place unplanned. I always get that adrenaline rush when I am about to embark on yet another journey, especially to a place where I haven't yet visited. Sitting there, watching the waves crash on the pier, was oddly satisfying.

Chips, beer, water, and the sea :)

A few minutes later, I decided to call Rash to let her know of my whereabouts. I hadn't heard from her since the night before (as explained in my previous post), so I dialed her number and we chatted for a few minutes until the boat came into the harbor a few minutes after  7PM. I said goodbye, promising to call her again once I arrive at the airport, and headed to the ferry terminal to buy my ticket.

Yep, that's where I'm headed :)

Upcoming coffee stall

On the slow ferry back to Central

This ferry was the slow boat. Cheaper (at almost half the price, I believe it was around 14.20 HKD), but, obviously, took longer than the fast ferry. But it was OK, it wasn't like I really needed to be back in a hurry since I had a few hours before I was due to arrive at the airport. I slept through the trip back. :P

I arrived at the Central pier (groggy and not wanting to move) at around 8:20PM. So the trip only took 50 minutes - yay!

Walked the long walk to the MTR station, and passed this guy singing in a foreign language (which was NOT Chinese) and playing on his guitar for, I assume, money:

Singing for money. Ah the price of traveling.

I continued on, and promptly arrived at the Central MTR Station where I took the train back to Causeway Bay. I walked around first to find a shop that sells Instax Plain White film, but didn't find any (sorry, Pat!). So I went back to my hostel, grabbed my backpack from the Storage room, and headed to the bus stop on the main road a few blocks away.

It was here that I met and made another friend. She was sitting on her luggage by the bus stop, and I thought she looked familiar, so I asked her if she was headed to the airport as well and she said yes. She asked me if this was the right place to be at, and I told her that it should be (it was the same stop I waited at last year). So I asked her if she had also stayed at Yesinn and she said that she was. Oh, so she WAS that girl I saw at the reception area and then at the elevator when I went to the comfort room before taking my backpack from the Storage room. So we started talking and I learned that she was from Korea (figures, I'd been surrounded by Koreans this entire trip, with the rest of the beds at my hostel room being occupied by Koreans). The bus came a few minutes later, and we hopped on, and took up this group of 4 seats with 2 facing the front, and 2 facing the back of the bus. We talked about K-dramas, work, where we had been, what we were in Hong Kong for, Korea, the Philippines, etc. It was fun, and the best bus ride to the airport I've taken since I started going to Hong Kong as this time around, I had someone to talk to (and friends will tell you that I talk and talk through entire hours-long trips haha).

We said our goodbyes at the airport. Her flight was at around 2:30 AM, while mine would be at 1:35 AM, but I had a number of things to do first so we took pictures, exchanged emails, and parted ways.

My new friend, Hyun Hee. :)

First order of business - the rest room. Haha! I had to change and fix my stuff while I was at it so that was the first stop. Next, I sat at one of the many chairs/benches in the arrivals hall and called home. After which, I headed to Food2 for a late night meal of roasted goose.

I was actually ordering the roasted duck, but the girl mistook it for the goose. The difference in prices was 5 HKD, which was how I knew she got the order wrong lol. But it was ok, I didn't bother correcting her as I was curious what this goose tasted like.

It was good, actually, and they weren't kidding about the roasted part because the texture of the skin was akin to that of a lechon baboy's. Hehe. But it was a hassle to eat! The part they gave was, I believe, the chest area so it had these bones there that may have been the ribs though I can't be sure as I fail at bird anatomy! But it was good. :P

Roasted Goose - a Food2 specialty!

Then I went to 7-11 to buy some chocolate biscuits for my team mates back home as an afterthought hahahaha! I'm only partly kidding, though. :P I mean, hello? This certainly isn't my first time in Hong Kong, and I've brought back pasalubongs the last 2 times so this trip is by no means a novelty lol.

Didn't order drinks with the goose, so bought Cream Soda from 7-11 along with the choco sticks for the team back home

Checked in afterwards, and then went to one of the benches in the departure area this time to sprawl on (I literally lay down on 4 seats :P) to kill a few minutes before starting the long walk through immigrations to get to the boarding area. When I got there, I took up 2 seats with my bags, and went in and out of consciousness several times as sleep tried to claim my attention. Haha. :))

pics from my lying position on one of the benches at the departure floor :P

Boarded, got into my seat, and promptly slept even before the plane took off. I was really that tired, I guess haha. I woke up as the plane was making it's final descent, which meant we would be landing shortly. I found the disembarkation card on the unoccupied chair beside me (I had the window seat, and a foreigner had the aisle seat), and hurriedly filled up the necessary information just as the plane landed.

Welcome home, me! :)

Thank you, Mary Lois Cortes for taking me around that wonderful town on my last day in Hong Kong! :) I pray we both get good results a few months from now! ^_^ And thank you to your Tita and her family for allowing me into their home. It was a really fun afternoon!