Mosques in Hong Kong

Punyalah banyak kali saya ulang-alik ulang-alik ke Hong Kong, sempat pergi dua masjid ni je lah. Satu kat Wan Chai, satu kat Nathan Road, Kowloon. If I am not mistaken there are 5 mosques in Hong Kong in total, of which 4 are in Hong Kong Island and one in Kowloon. These mosques also operate as the Islamic centres.

Masjid kat bawah ni located in Nathan Road, Wan Chai. Senang nak nampak because memang main location kan. Strategic place.. for err... ladies! [I found this mosque the first time while walking towards completing my 'mission' somewhere nearby.. hik hik]

Yang ni pulak masjid kat Wan Chai, where the Islamic Canteen is located. Saya ada cerita sikit pasal Islamic Canteen kat dalam this entry.

Seafood Galore

Dok cerita pasal fishing village in the previous post tu, teringat pulak betapa heaven nya seafood kat Hong Kong ni. Bukanlah saya makan sangat seafood di Hong Kong, tapi kalau lalu-lalang tepi jalan tu memang nampak squid [dah macam sama besar dengan ayam], udang etc bergantung-gantungan kat restaurant. Geram je tengok.

Kalau kat Lei Yue Mun pulak, ada seafood bazaar. Restaurant ada, nak beli seafood fresh pun ada. Ada yang beli seafood fresh, terus je bawak pergi masuk mana-mana restaurant kat Lei Yue Mun tu suruh mereka masakkan. Tak pernah lagi saya beli apa-apa kat sini. Nak beli yg fresh, nak masak kat mana? Dok kat hotel bukan ada kitchen. Nak suruh restaurant masak, risau kalau mereka campur wine etc, sebab chinese seafood cooking ni banyak juga campur rice wine gitu kan.

So tak apalah.. cuci-cuci mata je lah tengok seafood. Kat sini mereka jual seafood hidup-hidup, yang fresh gitu. One day tu tengah gila saya dan Mr D decided nak ambik tram dari satu point ke satu point tanpa ada arah tuju sebab bosan petang tu sementara tunggu my function malamnya. Ambik tram to North Point, merayap kat pasar basah. Ya Allah geramnya... seafood hidup-hidup. Ni kalau saya dok Hong Kong ni mau saya makan seafood hari-hari [lepas tu siaplah cholesterol level yer]

Aberdeen The Fishing Village

When I heard that Aberdeen is a fishing village, I memang teringin nak pergi juga visit. Sebabnya, it doesn't sound right - Hong Kong and a fishing village? How does a fishing village looks like in a 'city country' like Hong Kong? I am always a fan of the fishing village the style we have in Malaysia, yg tenang je, aman je.. alah the style yang kita tengok kat kampung nelayan belah-belah pantai timur sana. So macam terfikir, kalau kat Hong Kong, how will it looks like? Mr D dah pernah pergi Aberdeen in the 90s, so he warned me that Aberdeen is not a fishing village the way I imagined it to be.

So tengok-tengok, cenggini ha fishing village dia. Village? I rasa macam dok tengah KL je ni kan, with the exception that it is near to laut lah hihihi. There are a lot of high rise building around, and the fishermen's sampan is as many as the sailboats.

So macam ni lah pemandangannya di Aberdeen, bot nelayan bercampur-baur dengan yachts and sailboats, and surrounded by the high rise building on the shore. I was told that in the past, it used to be only the fishermen's boat, where they run their activities, and also live there in the boat. Nowadays, though there are still people living in the boats, most of them already move to live in the residential towers around.

As I took a boat ride around the harbor, I saw some families living in the boat. Rasa macam nak imagine, how's life is like with the whole family in the boat, day in and day out? Space dalam boat tu as you can see takde lah besar kan, but they managed to function as a family unit in there, and I thought that's amazing. And that's life.

Nowadays ni Aberdeen dah jadi one of tourists attractions, so it is no longer purely a fishing village. Ada commercial boats yg they use to bring tourist around with some fee. Tak silap I dalam HKD100 gitu, dalam RM50 per ride. So tourists can see what's Aberdeen is like from that point of view. I thought that's an eye opener, especially looking at the people who live in the boat. I was told that in the past, it used to be the case where the children will not go to school and just live in the boat and inherit their parents' job as fishermen generation after generation. But now with the regulation Hong Kong government imposed on the fishermen with regards to minimum education level, it is no longer the case.

There are also floating seafood restaurants there, catering mainly for tourists. It serves fresh seafood and the cook pun cook the food using traditional fishermen method. Tapi biasalah kan, bila the seafood restaurants are catering mainly for tourists, jadinya pricing pun melambung-lambung lah. Overpriced kaedahnya.

And there's one cute thing I want to share, ni masa my boat ride tu. Masa boat ride tu the owner memang ada the dog kat dalam boat tu, so at the end of the boat ride, she asked the dog to drive the boat. It was so cute and the boat moves so slowly to the shore. Pandai dia cari attraction, using her dog kan.

Makan Makan in Hong Kong

Saja nak letak sini contoh-contoh halal food yang ada kat Hong Kong ni. OK sebenarnya kat Hong Kong, halal food banyak, Muslim kat sana pun ramai kan. Those yg first timer tu, boleh refer kat this website for the list of halal restaurants. There are other restaurants which are not listed there, though.

Kat Hong Kong ni nak carik halal food kena tau mana nak tuju, kena ada address readily in hand. Sebabnya banyak restaurant halal dok kat 2nd floor ke kat other floors ke of a building. So kalau main redah je dari jalan nak tengok kat mana ada restaurant ada tanda halal, tak dapek der dik.

Food pun ada few types lah juga. Mainly food dari belah-belah India, Pakistan dan Arab sumer tu lah yang banyak nya. Tapi ada lah Indonesian food dan chinese yang halal.

Saya kalau bab food dari belah-belah India sana nu, saya kureng sikit. Bukan tak makanlah, tapi prefer other things. So first choice kat sana selalunya chinese, so far saya tau ada satu je place jual dim sum halal kat sana, kat Islamic Canteen yang located at 5th floor of Ammar Mosque in Wan Chai. Tapi kalau ada sesapa tahu kat mana lagi boleh cari dim sum halal, boleh lah war-war kan yer. Next time ke Hong Kong boleh ke sana pulak.

OK lah dim sum dia, saya try banyak jenis dah, tapi ada yang a bit tawar gitu ada yang sedap. Kat sini bukan takat ada dim sum, mereka jual juga masakan panas, tapi lepas pukul 11 lah. Order senang je, tulis dengan pencil menu yang nak diminta, mereka sediakan pencil dan kertas kat situ.

Kalau ke Hong Kong, saya selalunya dok area Causeway Bay sebab regional office kami ada di sana. Jadi halal food yang saya tau kebanyakannya area-area situ lah. Rasa-rasa dah muak makan pakistani food, Warung Malang which serves Indonesian food ada. Mereka ni ada facebook, cuba click link yang saya bagi tu.

Kalau Indian, middle eastern or Pakistani food tu, memang banyaklah sangat di mana-mana. Kat area Kowloon tu lagi banyak kan. Kat Causeway Bay ni, ada satu restaurant namanya Aladin, ni saya frequently pergi lah juga sebab dekat dengan hotel. Kat sini owner dia Pakistani tak silap saya, food dia nice, Pakistani food, tapi ada a dash of chinese influence to it. Saya kata gitu sebab mereka ada jugak jual garlic stir fried broccoli. Very the chinese kan? Oh.. kat sini jugak saya makan mussel sikit punya besar.. puas..

Island Shangri - La , Hong Kong

Island Shangri - La, this is where I stayed during my April 2010 visit to Hong Kong. This is definitely one of the best hotels I've ever stayed in so far. I couldn't find anything to complaint, not that much. It was nearly perfect.

It is located within walking distance from Admiralty station, Pacific Place, and very near to Victoria Peak. Yeah - at the centre basically.

Pricing wise, yes, I think it is quite expensive - to my budget of course haha. You guys rich people might might think it is cheap lahhh. But I stayed here on business trip, so it was all covered for, so yeah.. it didn't dig any hole into my pocket pheeewwwww. This particular room I stayed in costs more than HKD3,000 per night, that is about RM1,500 per night. The level of excellence matches the amount you spend, though.

The experience was good, alhamdulillah. I was greeted by fresh flower scent once I entered the lobby, the receptionists were very friendly, and the service was very good. I came into the room with a personal message aired on the TV screen, very welcoming, very personal. I guess these little little things, though they are petty little things, make us very comfortable.

The bed was very comfortable, the room was spotless. The room was spacious, to Hong Kong-space-luxury standard, and I think it is more than enough. It is a comfortable room. I probably just didn't really like the color combination in the room, but other than that, it was excellent!

This was what they provided everyday - chinese tea and a basket of assorted fruits. I just love it. You know, when it is free, you find your fruit tasted even better.. wakakaka. Free? Yeah yeah.. they sure have included that in the room cost, but you know human being, when you don't see the cost being spelled out to you, your mind will tell you it is free! Hik.. hik..

You know when I came in, and I looked around the room, tested the drawers etc, I found this particular arrow in one of the main drawers - the KIBLAT! This is just normal in hotels in Malaysia, but in Hong Kong? It added to the plus points - it is easier for us Muslim, because we do not even have to search for the kiblat, don't even have to bring compass, don't even have to look at the direction of sunrise and sunset, it is basically given.

And you see, this is the toilet. Nice? Yeah.. can you see what's on the wall? It is a mini TV. So basically you can stay there for hours and hours watching TV while doing your personal business.

I guess one thing I really want to stress is the level of service, it was really excellent. The staffs are ever ready to help, very courteous, very polite, I don't see that level of service in many hotels I visited in Malaysia. I really wanted to sound patriotic about my country of course, but this particular one, the hotel service, it is just exceed expectation I couldn't find that level of service in Malaysia.

Food Before You Take Off..

Being Muslim, the first thing most of my family and friends asked about Hong Kong is 'Is it easy to get halal food?'. Well, I wouldn't say it is easy, as easy as Malaysia, but it is definitely not difficult either. Tell you what.. you can even find halal food at the airport!

The first time I went to Hong Kong, though I didn't have problem to find for halal food while I was on the island itself, I didn't think that there's halal food at the airport terminal itself. While waiting for the flight to go back to Malaysia, I decided to satisfy my hunger by way of eating a plain-boring-full-of-vegetable sandwich sold at one of the shop lots within the airport. The shop lots share common eating areas, so you basically are free to sit anywhere. It was then, while eating, that I noticed a small sign at the shop nearby - a HALAL sign.

Oh.. and this is what they serve...



My my my.. what the hell am I doing eating that plain vege stuff, when a halal fried chicken shop is there - right in front of my eyes? POPEYE's - is apparently certified halal by the Islamic Department of Lantau Island.

I didn't get to taste it the first time I was there, but that became my staple-airport-food in my next visits.. It is a fast food restaurant, basically operates like KFC, serving fried chicken with various sets. It probably doesn't match KFC's fried chicken standard, but it is more than decent to be consumed.

So guys, if you are famished while you are at Hong Kong International Airport, and you can't wait to board your flight for a flight food to fill your tummy, don't worry.. Popeye's is there. Just look for it!

The Excelsior - Hong Kong

I stayed at Excelsior during my Nov 2009 visit - it was a business trip, so the hotel is basically quite near to our regional office in Hong Kong Island.

I stayed here for 4 nights, and it was a pleasant stay, basically. Not excellent, but basically it was OK and I don't have much complaint. If you are into shopping, it might be a good location as it is just steps away from many shop lots including SOGO. Located at Causeway Bay, it is very near to Causeway Bay station as well.

The hotel rate, not cheap, but not that high either. When I stayed there, I was charged at about HKD1,000 per night, it might be on a high side if we compare it with average hotels in Malaysia, especially because it is just a standard room. But considering it is located at Causeway Bay, it is OK I think.

The room was quite basic, but the set up caters for working individuals. Free internet connection included. It was clean, and I like the color of the room. Simple, with not much things, very basic, but that's what making it looks spacious, though in actual fact the space is limited. I don't mind spending my time in the room. My room was overlooking the Victoria Harbor, so spending my morning looking at the harbor with a cup of tea was not bad after all.

The room came with a King size bed, the mattress was very comfortable. The room was not that spacious, but basically you will have ample space to move around. For a couple, there will be no space issue.

The breakfast spread was also good, it was elaborate enough, except of course I can't consume many of the things due to halal issue. I just had some bread with butter, fruits and that stuffs.

Will I recommend people to stay here, well.. if price is not the issue, then why not? Except that it is in the middle of the city, some people might not like it. But Hong Kong is all city anyway, isn't it?