BBQ @ shek O

we took time out one night to go for BBQ in shek O. from the office, it's around 30ish minutes travel as we have to go to shau kei wan first then board the bus from there. too bad for me; i had to go to chai wan mtr and realized that there's no bus to shek o in that area. it was a hot summer night so we prepared to be mausukan from the grilling food.

BBQ in honor of our guests.. mara and mheann (ooppss, not in this picture yet.)

meat, meat all meat bbq selection. ohh, didnt know there was cuttlefish ball (i got there late na kase)

migs just couldn't stand the heat... obviously! hehehehe

us, enjoying BBQ.. for a change.. (from the usual steamed, pan/fried, soupy chinese lunch)

playtime with migs... if his folks were not there, i would've made him sakal hehehe

migs likes to take pictures with his gurls... he even called us to pose around him. hahaha

maraaaa, we'll see you again. soon! and mheann, hang in there! hehehe

how to go to shek O beach:

1. take the mtr and alight at shau kei wan station.
2. proceed to exit A2, if i'm not mistaken.
3. take the mini bus to shek 0.

this will cost you 9hkd.

lost in tuen mun, hongkong

i thought that with the efficient transportation in hongkong, going from one place to another would be a breeze.  i just didnt realize that besides the MTR's familiar routes, there are others... like LRT.  as in pinas, it stands for light rail transit which travels short distances in New Territories.  i dont frequent this area but i wouldnt mind exploring this part of hk.  i was confident... as long as we are on the MTR line, everything should be fine.  

however, one rainy saturday, my fwend and i braved the 2hr travel by train from HK island to tuen mun, which is practically the "other" side of the line.  from our place in the east, we traversed the upper western part of hk.  

1pm-ish --> already on board the MTR from quarry bay, changed trains in admiralty and rode until tsuen wan station (last stop on the tsuen wan line)

2pm-ish --> arrived at tsuen wan, looked for bus 61M heading towards tuen mun.  we kept looking around the area looking for the bus stop thinking it was somewhere really nearby coz the  bus terminal is there... 59M, 60M, 62M... hmm.. where's 61M???  asked some locals lined up in the bus stop, but to no avail.  tried to ask the 'friendly' cleaner.. but he cant speak english.  sigh.  we opted to ride 60M thinking it might lead us to 61M (right!)  one stop after, we alighted.  we're on the main road now... and no bus stops in sight.  we asked some locals BUT we're uneasy about their directions.  we thought of taking a cab, waited... until we saw a bus -- 61M!  we walked and walked and found the stop.  finally.  it was a relief.  i was already a bit wet in the rain, even though i have an umbrella...turns out water seeps thru my umbrella's tela. LOLZ.  fine, it's just for sunny weather.

  

3pm -->  arrived at our destination.  at last.   sooo late for our 2:30pm schedule.  

i dont like to enumerate our route back.  it makes me tired even more. hahaha this was the adventure we're looking for.  at least, we learned new things, discovered new places.  this area is not the typical hk that we know -- crowded, busy, old.  it's peaceful, quiet, has well-kept buildings.  just too bad, we have low tech phones that inhibited us from using GPS.  hahaha  next time, will just try to be more "prepared" and perhaps, not on a very rainy afternoon. 

always keep a change

i listed down my paranoia -- things that would just get me panicky inside. and out eventually. i would just lose my guard and feel all the more helpless.

1. leaving the flat without my keys... AND phone


2. leaving the flat without my keys


3. boarding the bus without money


4. traveling without my passport/ticket


5. having my credit card declined or won't get any reply from VISA or the issuer (with no money on hand to spare)

items 2 and 3 already happened to me... item 3, not so long ago... and i felt so embarrassed!



i boarded the bus on the way to work, tapped my Octopus card to the reader. *one long beep* with red light. meaning, i have negative balance in my card. i searched for my wallet, tried to find some loose change (you have to give exact fare as the drivers don't give you change). bus fare is 5.7hkd. i found 4.7hkd total. i was hurriedly looking for 1 more dollar. just one more. please.

unluckily, i found none. i tried to talk to the driver if he can let that 1hkd go... but not surprisingly, he ignored me... or he didnt understand? i thought of asking 1hkd from the other passengers, but didn't push through with it. then the bus stopped and the doors opened. i didnt see any bus stop nearby. i warily talked to the driver, "you want me to go down from the bus now?". with eyes like that of a feeble child, i silently hoped he would say no. (but then again, maybe he didn't understand what i said.) rather than be forced out of the bus in broad daylight in front of many people, i volunteered to alight and find another means to go to work.

i was SO embarrassed! one of my paranoia came true again. hopefully, i'd be more in control, more organized next time.

hk bus companies propose fare hike

INFLATION is just everywhere. while MTR-KCR fares went down a little, bus operators are proposing an increase. current bus fares, i believe, are reasonable. using octopus can even save you a few bucks. students and senior citizens pay half-priced fares. with this pending increase, i need to allot another dollar for transpo, instead of putting it for my food allowance. times like these, gotta tighten our belts more.

"Citybus and New World First Bus have followed rival Kowloon Motor Bus in its bid to increase fares.
Like KMB they blame soaring oil and operating costs for the proposed increases.
On Friday Citybus managing director Samuel Cheng Wai-po said it was facing pressure from rising costs.
"We are considering submitting an application to increase bus fares," he said. "However, we are still studying the percentage of the increase."
In September, KMB proposed to increase fares by 9 percent.
A Transport and Housing Bureau spokesman said it had not yet received an application from Citybus or First Bus.
The Transport Department is still considering a HK$1 fare increase proposal by taxi operators as well as KMB's application.

Citybus and First Bus have just introduced their first Euro 4 vehicle, which is able to reduce emissions by 80 percent compared to earlier models. It can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The company has spent HK$100 million on 28 of the double-decked buses.
Ten will run on the new B3 and B3X routes to Shenzhen Bay Port. Another 18 buses will replace old buses, with some in service by next week.
The bus company plans to buy about 300 of the latest eco-friendly buses in the coming five years, Cheng said."