HK Independent Traveller Blog

The first sight of Kaohsiung from the air, a small port with oil refinery and low rise buildings around.  Sunshine but hazy.  My taxi driver is an extrovert, a sweet impression of the city. I came here to deliver a training and train a trainer.  It's lucky to have a habour view room. A nice shot of the evening before heading to dinner at a local high end seafood restaurant.    You don't need to have an address to find this seafood restaurant, 紅毛港 .  It is better to go with a crowd to try different food.  Its mutton hotpot with homemade meatball blended with taro or Taiwanese basil is excellent!  Sashimi is also outstanding.  Sweetness of raw shrimps still lingers my memory. This time is a small group of colleagues.  We ordered two sets of the same menu.  It's good but the last memory is still dominant, making this time a bit inferior.  Nevertheless, a good time with Adeline and Carol. Marinated cabbage is ...

My business friend is very nice of bringing me to Goga, famous for its truffle oil cuisine as told.  The owner and chef is Brad Turley , cooking Cali-Asian food.  It is a cosy little place, opened for two seatings at night, 6.30 and 8.30 pm.  It's always full. Reservation is a must.  A waiter called us half hour prior to the show time, making sure we would turn up.  Each round can accommodate up to 20 people.  Service is super quick.  You get your dish soon after the order. Appetizers came West Coast Lobster Roll and Sizzling Kampachi Sashimi.  The sashimi was excellent.  Fresh firm half cooked fish swimming in white soy and white truffle.  The fragrant mixture lingered in the mouth, trying to swallow it till the last second to enjoy the precious moments.  The lobster roll was good but still better if the roll was kind of Vietnamese rice roll which is neutral and not taking away the flavour and rich lobster....

2 Jan 2012 New year started with the nature, a tour at Hong Kong Wetland Park  香港濕地公園, observing birds spending their winter in warm Hong Kong.  It was arranged by a group under Shatin Baptist Church .  Wetland is a the place where the sea meets the land.  Typical characteristic is mangrove proliferation.  It is also a place as birds' paradise, an ecosystem that can be watched and extended.  Extension links to mankind's treatment to the nature.  Hope it will stay. The trip started with happy birthday, to Nelson.  A nice yummy cake added us energy to be burnt during the trip.  Well, not all can be consumed, but accumulated as fat..... A guardian of the park gave us a briefing and advised the itinerary of the day.  Barren houses are seen on the way.  Soon came tranquil and natural scenery.  Flowing river, flying birds, sitting birds, big and small.  All can be named, by the guardian.  We coul...

24 July 2011 It's the next day that we arrived in Germany.  We first visited Grandma in the hospital.  She was happy to see me.  Her operation made her suffer much.  She was so tired to fall in sleep in about a half hour since we were there. My friend's parents live in N ű rnberg, part of Franconian.  We passed by Schwabach and a few villages then came to the Gasthof 'zum Heidenberg' , a little traditional Franconian restaurant.  It has been standing there since 1624. It is famous for its game and meat. It raises its own boar. Many families come here for casual lunch, reunion and celebration.   Even I am not a person for big meat, I will recommend it.  See my dish!  It's good and huge.  The meat was tender and full of flavour.  The chanterelle, sp ä tzle, vegetable together... A wonderful meal. The drive to the gasthof and further away is small streets on the country side.  Blue sky, white clouds and lit...

27 July 2011 Youth Hostel It was my second time visiting Rothenburg but this time on my birthday, with Family Heim.  It is a walled medieval old town, along the Romantic Road in Bavaria.  I remember that there was an Umzug the first time when I was there. People in medieval clothing were marching and performing. There was a great view out from the toilet window of the youth hostel, lush green, endless and romantic. We had a cosy breakfast at home in N ü rnberg.  Then we drove for an hour to start the lovely visit.  Sunshine blessed the day.  My birthday was filled with beautiful unspoiled medieval buildings, green surroundings, laughter and memory. Many buildings have signs indicating the business that the shop is in.  Cute!  We passed through a gate, beautiful houses and then arrived at the Marktplatz where the Rathaus and major buildings are standing.  To have a great panoramic view of the town, we ascended to the roof...