new territories adventure 3!

this time round i went to sai kung. it was very much an impromptu decision i made after class yesterday. i was standing in front of the MTR system map, with my 2 hk frens giving ideas as well, then i decided maybe i should pop by sai kung to see what's it's like. the only prior knowledge i had about the place was that it's where people go to have seafood and that i always heard the name in hk dramas. LOL =P

so anyway, i got there in one piece after a 15-minute-motion-sickness-inducing ride on the minibus i took from choi hung MTR, which is just 4 stops away from where i stay.

the sight that greeted me when i alighted from the bus was there were many people crowding at the waterfront, leaning over the barricades. i walked closer, they were buying fresh, SUPER FRESH seafood from the fishermen on sampans!! so interesting! i saw a basin of prawn-like creatures on one of the sampans, and goodness it was only 20HKD!! auntie instincts told me it was a good deal, even though i couldnt really figure out what exactly they were. haha =P

a fisherman "dealing with" a stingray. it's interesting how they do business here. after they kill and chop the fish and all, they will put it into a plastic bag and onto the fish net (see the net with the long metal rod at the top right corner of the picture?), then hoist it just high enough for you to remove the bag and pay for it by putting money into the net.

and this was the same uncle i later saw killing a stingray there and then for a customer! omg, the process was really gruesome and made me sooooo queasy and disgusted! you know, stingrays are symmetrical right? the uncle cut right through the middle of it, slowly (and painfully) splitting the stingray into half...the stingray was helplessly flapping its body and struggling...a lot of fresh red blood flowed out onto the sampan!!! even after it's split into half, for some odd reason, the stingray can still flap! i mean, i thought it should be dead by then?! anyway, i stood there to watch the whole process, while an eye-opener, it was actually quite cruel lah. yikes =X but oh, the super big stingray for 20HKD was really a value for money though!

the waterfront promenade. many locals were walking their dogs, i think i saw more than 10 different breeds. there was one that even looked like a mini-lion! haha. too bad i dint manage to take a photo of it. =X

i was sitting on the rocks taking in the sea breeze...there's a small little beach in the distance where all the white buildings are. i think sai kung has very mixed landuse as well. there are some old flat-like buildings that i saw nearer the town centre that reminded me of those i saw at cheung chau, but further away are those big houses that are either secluded, hidden among greenery, or fronting the seas. but it's very much self-contained, with the usual supermarts, market, eateries, household shops. throw in coffee houses, bars, specialty restaurants / retail shops and even pet grooming centres.

i dunno where those peaks are, but they should be sai kung country park east / west. will go up there when i have a chance. and i swear i saw someone parachuting! REALLY! just that i couldnt capture it on camera as "evidence". =X

and again, unable to capture on camera cos it was sooo far away, but someone was windsurfing too. haha =P

and as i've said earlier, sai kung is known for seafood....but i think i wont be going there cos they all look very very very atas and expensive!!! -gasp- you can actually choose live seafood from those tanks, or you can buy from those sampans and tell the restuarants how you want it done. interesting hor? =)

this is the tin hau temple at sai kung. tin hau is actually goddess of the sea. there are actually many of such temples in hong kong, i guess partly also cos most parts of hk are actually by the seas.

and then i had dessert at Honeymoon Dessert, better known as 满记甜品. i went to try because i rmb seeing a branch somewhere in town - i think it was mong kok? later i found out that the one at sai kung - they occupy 4 shop spaces side by side each other in one stretch - is the original and supposedly, the queues are very long at night! haha. i like the sesame paste - the taste wasnt overbearing - with beancurd - that was so silky smooth! then i tried the other one...it's tang yuan coated with something sweet (i dunno what! malt / honey???) and coconut and sesame....wahahaa. very satisfying for the stomach ah! haha =P

and so, that brings me to the end of my sai kung adventure. and what am i going to do now? heh going for afternoon tea at lan fong yuen! michelle, for you lor! haha =P