China ::Guangdong::.

Sauce and Mustard left Hong Kong on the 17^th Dec 2011. They hopped on the train and headed towards Shenzhen (population of 14 million). Crossing the border was easy and painless, just have your passport ready and departure filled out. Make sure you have your arrival card from Hong Kong ready to prevent questioning. There is English signage throughout the border crossing which are easy to follow. 

Sauce and Mustard noticed an immediate difference in culture and behavior compared to Hong Kong, with crippled buskers and beggars on the streets, people walking monkeys in leads (while Sauce thinks they are pets, Mustard reckons they are on their way to be eaten) and people everywhere. There were cars trying to park wherever, scooters scooting between the crowds and everyone seems to be in a hurry but have no direction.

Sauce and Mustard pushed their way through hundreds of people and being crammed liked sardines in the metro subway with their packs on to arrive at the East Gate Pedestrian Street. The East Gate Pedestrian Street underground market was knock off central with copied DVD’s, CD’s, games, software, apple products and accessories, watches, glasses and other numerous assorted goods all for healthy low prices (RMB Y6 per DVD). 

After knocking over stands and stalls with their packs in the narrow market aisles, Sauce and Mustard went to enjoy a lamb feast at the Muslim Restaurant. The lamb was succulent and juicy, falling right off the bone and melting in the mouth.

With their tummy’s full, they went to a Chinese Spa where they stayed the night. They got a bed, two hours full body massages and a free ice cream for RMB Y158. After getting their bodies pampered and well rested, Sauce and Mustard took the next train to Guangzhou with Mustard’s family the next morning. (Shenzhen-Guangzhou RMB Y80)

Getting off the train, Sauce and Mustard were greeted by family and taken straight to Yum Cha and had Guangzhou’s noodle specialties. Guangzhou is a big city with 12 million people but nothing much to see. Sauce and Mustard spent a couple of hours walking around Big Buddha Temple, Yuexiu Park and looking at shops on Beijing Road.

 Grandma’s place is a quaint three bedroom apartment on floor four and a half. Meeting up with the rest of the family, Sauce and Mustard went to dinner at a local restaurant. Dinner turned out to be quite a celebratory feast with all types of Guangdong food including fresh water turtle that Sauce insisted on having. After a quick shower and goodbyes at Grandma’s, Sauce and Mustard were escorted to the Guangzhou train station by Mustard’s cousin for their journey North.

Mainland ::Off they go::.

Today the 17th Dec2011, Sauce and Mustard are departing for the Mainland. They are unsure if they will be able to update this blog with Google and Facebook being restricted in China. First stop, Shenzhen, then Guangzhou, Zhangjiajie, Luoyang, Beijing, Harbin, Taishan, Huangshan and Shanghai, 30 days all up.

Macau ::Ruins of Saint Paul::.

Sauce and Mustard's second day in Macau started off cold. With the hotel room's heater broken, they had a broken sleep and woke up frozen. Without further ado, Sauce and Mustard got out of the chilly bed to explore the city state of Macau. Right outside Sauce and Mustard's hotel was the famous Four Faced Buddha, so they made their prayers and carried on into the city.

Sauce and Mustard headed back to Rua do Cunha for some food. They visited Fong Da Coffee again for a morning coffee fix. Upon arriving at Rua do Cunha they went to O Santos Portuguese Restaurant and ordered a baked duck rice with cheese and a Portuguese sausage. (Sauce and Mustard Food Rating: 4/5)

Sauce and Mustard then went to the Galaxy Hotel to look around at the billions of dollars of glitz and glamour in their lobby and casino. They were going to make a bet at the casino but the minimum table bet was HK$300 and they couldn't afford it. Sauce and Mustard were just two little fishes in a big expensive pond.

Being too poor to place bets, Sauce and Mustard caught the free shuttle from the Hotel to the city center for some sightseeing and food tasting. The bus dropped them off at San Ma Lo 新馬路 and followed their instincts. Heading towards the Ruins of St Paul's through the Macau Outdoor Market at Rua de S. Paulo, Sauce and Mustard had freshly grounded sesame pudding 芝麻糊, white pepper puff stuff with pork while zig zagging from souvenir shops to souvenir shops taste testing Macau signature snacks, Chinese jerkys, almond biscuits, egg rolls etc, filling themselves up with sugar and protein.


At the end of the road was the Ruins of St Paul's where Sauce and Mustard got to ride a pedicab. They also got to meet with St Paul himself personally, before heading up Monte Fort to play with the cannons. The Fort gave a good birds eye view of Macau city and re-orientated Sauce and Mustard.

Sauce and Mustard then headed to Yee Shun Dairy Company for some milk pudding. After dessert, they walked around the casinos in the city in search of a free shuttle bus back to the Taipa Ferry Terminal to sail back to Hong Kong.

Macau ::Zaia Cirque du Soleil::.

Sauce and Mustard's journey to Macau started with a one hour ferry ride with Cotai Jet from Hong Kong - Macau Ferry Terminal, Sheun Wan at 1100hrs. Sauce and Mustard ended up snoozing the entire ride because they stayed up late playing monopoly deal with Mustard's family (2.30am). To travel between Hong Kong and Macau, you will need your passport and filled out an arrival and departure card. 

Upon arriving in Macau at the Taipa Ferry Terminal, Sauce and Mustard went searching for the free shuttle to their hotel. They had missed it. Instead they caught the shuttle bus to another casino hotel, The Venetian Macao, which also happened to be where Sauce and Mustard had to pick up their tickets for their show later in the afternoon. 

After picking up their tickets for the Zaia Cirque du Soleil, they walked through the Resort's massive casino floor and got lost in little Venice. In little Venice, Sauce and Mustard found they had Gondola rides with Italian opera singers rowing the boats. Sauce and Mustard had been such good little Venetians, they even got to get their photos taken with Santa Clause, Merry Christmas and a sleazy Portuguese gambler. 

Zaia Cirque du Soleil was an incredible awe striking show of death defying stunts, magnificent beauty, powerful energy, emotional scenes and dazzling performances. Sauce and Mustard would have had more pictures but flash photography was strictly forbidden. As the theater was rather empty, Sauce and Mustard upgraded their seats for free from Reserve C to Reserve B. However, when they tried to upgrade their seats for the second time from B to A, the ushers told them off, leaving them stuck with the second best seats in the house. >.<" Not too bad for all of HK$188 per ticket (from Beng Seng Travel).




After the 90mins show, Sauce and Mustard were hungry so they went looking for food. They came across Rua do Cunha, where Sauce and Mustard nibbled on heaps of Portuguese Chinese fusion food, such as pork and beef jerky, almond biscuits, egg rolls, pregnant chicken biscuits, pineapple shortcakes and ginger lollies all for free. After snacking on the tasty nibbles, Sauce and Mustard visited the famous Restaurante Dumbo for a warm freshly baked Portuguese tart straight from the oven. ummmm...Yum! On their way to their hotel, Mustard spotted an interesting coffee shop, Fong Da Coffee, that made specialty syphon and water drip coffees.

Sauce and Mustard spent the night at Hotel Taipa Square, a supposed 4 stars hotel. The bed was hard, the room was cold, the heater was broken and the bath leaked. There's also no complimentary coffee or mints. Overall Sauce and Mustard hotel rating: 0/10. But then again, we were meant to be back packing, not hotel hopping.

Hong Kong ::Lion Rock Country Park::.

Sauce and Mustard took Bus 81 from Lai Chi Kok to Kowloon Reservoirs to begin their journey. Kowloon Reservoirs is a good starting point for many other hiking trails in Kam Shan Country Park (aka Monkey Hill) and Lion Rock Country Park. The hike up to Lion Rock Summit through the Eagle's Nest Nature Trail took Sauce and Mustard through Tsim Shan, Beancon Hill and Amah Rock before ascending Lion Rock. The tracks were well maintained, cleaned and easy to follow with many rest areas, maps, nature information and scenic lookouts throughout. Rubbish bins are also provided along the trails but it is best to take your rubbish out with you, as monkeys tend to make a mess of them.

view from Lion Rock

Beacon Hill

Lion Rock

Rock Throwing Cliff

Upon reaching the top, Sauce and Mustard had a quick lunch of apple slices while drinking in the amazing 360 views of Hong Kong (much better than Victoria Peak and it's free). Lion Rock is a rock climber's mecca. There are numerous multi pitch climbs with up to 5 pitches. Sauce and Mustard had a rock throwing competition from the top to see how far out they could throw off the cliff. Mustard was afraid to use all her power, thinking she was going to throw herself off the edge while Sauce laughed.

The three summits at Lion Rock

Danger 'No Access' Sign

There was a large Danger 'No Access Sign shortly after the descent from the summit and Sauce had to plead to Mustard to break track. Sauce eventually managed to convince Mustard to follow him down the narrow ridge line. The new 'non existing' track down was precariously unnerving, even for seasoned hikers, such as Sauce and Mustard. The track was steep and slippery with scoria, having to use thin trees as hand holds down parts of the track (a big no-no). The views were well worth the extra effort and they did manage to find their way to the bottom just before the sun dropped away for the evening.

The gates to Wong Tai Sin Temple

After re-orientating themselves, Sauce and Mustard discovered they were only 500m away from Wong Tai Sin Temple 黃大仙. Unfortunately, they were 30mins late and the Temple was closed (Opening Hours: 7.30am-5.30pm), so they made their way home on the MTR to a home cooked meal.

Hong Kong ::Victoria Peak::.

Sauce and Mustard went to pick up Sauce's Chinese visa from The Commissioner's Office in Wan Chai. Unlike the first time, there was a massive queue outside (Wednesday 1400hrs). After picking up the Visa, Sauce and Mustard headed for the Victoria Peak. While walking to the tram, they got side tracked and did a slight detour to the beautiful Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens with picturesque ponds filled with turtles and carp, man made water features, lovely smelling gardens and wedding ceremonies.

Heading up the peak is easier if you have your octopus card handy, as you will get to bypass all the tourists at the ticket counter. After a short wait, the tram ride up is very steep and quite fast. The Peak itself was disappointing. The views were obscured by pollution and observation posts that you didn't have to pay for were few and far between. The Peak is mostly just a big shopping mall with a Madame Tussauds. If you have the time, you would be better off doing some of the local scenic hikes, as there are better and quieter spots in some of Hong Kong's country parks.

Sauce and Mustard took the Star Ferry home from the Central Pier to Tsim Sha Tsui. The lights of Hong Kong were magnificent to watch during the short 10 mins ride across the water on the old style ferry.

Hong Kong ::Big Budda::.

Today Sauce, Mustard and friends visited Ngong Ping 360 to see the Big Buddha, one of the largest tourist attractions in Hong Kong. It starts with a 5.7km Cable Car ride that takes 25mins. By spending an extra HK$20 you will get to upgrade to a Crystal Cabin and bypass the long queue for the standard cabin, saving yourself an hour wait (and that's on a week day). It's well worth spending the extra money to get the Crystal Cabin not just for the short queue but for the sights through the glass floor and the sense of vertigo it gives you. 

The sights of the Big Buddha coming in from the cable car is quite spectacular but it still did not prepare Sauce and Mustard for what they are about to see. The Big Buddha was hugely commercialised. Starbucks, Subway and other franchises were everywhere. As Sauce and Mustard walked towards the Big Buddha, they passed many traditional statues of Chinese warriors.

The throngs of people became thicker, as Sauce and Mustard approach the stairs to Big Buddha, tourists and worshipers alike. The stairway was only a short climb, easy for anyone but the old. For those who have stair phobias, there are buses and taxis available. You can go inside Big Buddha, to visit the gift shops or pay HK$23 for a ticket to visit the vegetarian restaurant in his belly (food not included). 

Sauce and Mustard then jumped on a bus to the quaint Tai O Fishing Village (Weekday HK$6.60 / Weekend HK$14.60), where you can hop on a boat to go white dolphin watching. Unfortunately, Sauce and Mustard did not get to do this, as per usual, they were too pushed for time. Instead, they walked around the village and awed at the architechtural style of the village houses which were built on stilts in the water. They ate BBQ dried seafood (Mantis Shrimps, Cuttlefish, Octopus and Roe fish), freshly made pork and beef jerky, tea dumplings and Chinese donuts. Sauce was very impressed with the donuts, as they have no holes in the middle meaning more food. Before leaving Tai O to catch the evening Cable Car back home, Sauce and Mustard, visited a local temple to pay their respects.

Once again, Sauce and Mustard met up with the family for another feast. This time, Thai! Sauce and Mustard got to taste Thai curry crab, raw garlic prawns, whole boiled fish, giant clams in ginger, pineapple fried rice, red curry lamb and seafood tom yum soup. It was topped off with Thai jelly desserts and washed down with a coconut.

Hong Kong ::Shing Mun Reservoir::.

As per usual in Hong Kong, the day started with food. This time, Yum Cha, a family get together where everyone goes to drink tea and eat dim sum. After which followed a semi guided tour to Shing Mun Reservioir 城門水塘 and a hike to the Needle Point Summit, one of the highest features in the New Territories, just over 500m high. 

The hike to the summit, took us through green landscapes that reminded Sauce and Mustard very much of New Zealand. As they walked, they came across large packs of local monkeys, that dominated the best feeding grounds, ie, rubbish bins. These smelly beasts don't have much fears of humans. As cute as they are, do not feed them, or you will loose your hands (big fines).  

The walk around the reservoir featured green parks and excellent recreational facilities. Since it was getting late, Sauce and Mustard decided to break track to reach the summit to watch the sunset. Their ascent took them from heavy undergrowth to stairs galore. More stairs than Sauce can count in Cantonese. (He can only count up to 26 before he ran out of breath)

At the summit, the views were breath taking. With 360 degree panorama views of the outlying islands and mountains of Hong Kong. Altogether it took 4.5hours from start to finish. The sunset from the top was flabbergasting. 

Hong Kong ::Lei Yue Mun::.

Sauce and Mustard's day started with a magnificent Seafood lunch at Lei Yue Mun 鯉魚門. After picking some giant clams, flower crabs and mantis shrimp at one of the many seafood dealers and had them delivered to one of the restaurants around the village, Sauce and Mustard gorged themselves.  "Ho Sik" (Yummy)

After lunch, Sauce and Mustard were pushed for time because Sauce thought it was a good idea to sleep in.  With only an hour between lunch and the ferry to Tung Lung Island 東龍島, they ran up the hill to the Cemetery to pay a quick visit the Mustard's grandparents and ran all the way back to the pier to catch the 1500hrs Ferry.

The ferry ride to Tung Lung Island 東龍島 was only HK$36 return. The water was claim, the sun was warm and the views of the city quite spectacular. 30mins later, Sauce and Mustard arrived on a beautiful weather beaten island. You will be hard pressed to think it was part of Hong Kong, only a hop, skip and a jump away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

There are walking tracks all over the island with camp sites and BBQ areas. Facilities are free to use and overnight campers are welcome. There are also cafes and dairys on the island. Seeing Sauce and Mustard only had 1.5hours before the last ferry of the day departs, they had to run all over the island while everyone else seemed to be on cruise mode as they were happy campers.




Even though, Sauce and Mustard were exhausted from running everywhere, they still enjoyed some beautiful views and a nice cold glass of Lemon IceTea.

The return home from the island lead to an invite to join Mustard's family at a Korean BBQ restaurant. Sauce and Mustard enjoyed even more seafood (unlimited), like whole baby cuttlefish, squid, capelin fish, salmon sashimi along with other tasty dishes.