Hong Kong Polytechnic University invited Gene, Yeva and I to give a seminar on the human microbiome, and also had requested me to give a short workshop on microbiome analysis. We were supposed to be in the university between Dec 03 - Dec 05, but Gene proposed that we arrived in HK a couple of days earlier so that we can take the opportunity to tour around the city. It has been years since I visited HK, and of course Yeva and I were very excited about the opportunity of this fully-funded trip!
We arrived in HK on Dec 1st morning, and after checking into the hotel, we started wandering around the streets, heading towards the harbor. HK is still as how I remember it - very busy, full of people walking at top speed from one place to another! The weather was really nice (as compared to the cold winter in Chicago! :P), and we enjoyed the outdoor for a while before we headed to a tea shop. Gene had wanted to try making Chinese kung-fu tea, and sampled some of the great Oo-long tea from the region. It was a great experience watching the lady preparing a nice pot of fragrant tea, explaining to us on the origins and characteristics of the different type of tea leaves. We spend almost 3 hours in the shop/restaurant, and finally had to leave because we were hungry! Upon the recommendation from the shop lady, we had a late lunch/ dinner at the local beef noodle shop. The HK beef noodle is different from the Taiwanese savory beef noodle. It is a bit more plain, and focus on the beef instead, and you would add your own sauces and condiments to suit your taste. After that, we headed back to the hotel to rest because Gene was starting to get tired from the travel and walking.
The university had put us in Hotel ICON (https://www.hotel-icon.com/). The hotel was superb! It was their "student" hotel of the university, but do not be fooled because everything here is 5-star. The moment you step into the hotel - the view, the food, the bathroom was all very well-thought and classy, and there is even a free local cell phone for you to use when you are staying with them!
Of course when you are in HK, you have to go to Mong Kok (旺角) for your shopping experience! Gene and Yeva wanted to buy things for their family and friends. There are lots of things in Mong Kok - mostly are cheap items along the streets, but you can also get expensive goods in the shopping malls. As Gene and Yeva were getting presents for a lot of people, we naturally avoided the shops and headed straight for the streets. And when you shop in the streets, you NEED to bargain! Always slashed about 50% off the initial asking price, and DO NOT give in.. there are always another place selling the same thing a couple of stalls down the street :)
Sunday - shopping, eating, and back to hotel to rest.
I gave my seminar and workshop on Monday (Dec 3rd), and followed by some meetings and discussions with various faculty members. Yeva and Gene gave their seminar on Tuesday to a more general audience on what could they expect from the human microbiome trend. Of course, in between all the meetings and seminars, there was lunch and dinner to meet other members of the university, and interact with them more informally. And as with all asian culture, there are always more food than we can finish - I am very sure that I put on more weight in HK than the whole year in Chicago!
We left HK on Dec 5th - Gene back to Chicago, Yeva to China (her home) and I naturally went back to Singapore to visit my parents. Every time I went back to Singapore, my mom always insist that I have to go with her to the temple to pray for prosperity and safety. And these trips always ended up eating in some hawker centers - it is hard to imagine what activities that you would be doing in Singapore that doesn't end up eating!
We had a fish head steamboat dinner one of the evenings before Meow Lan, Gek Lan headed out to Japan for their "winter vacation" with the kids. The dinner as always was delicious, with more food than we can finish, and ended up feeling that I had put on 20 lbs!
I also met with Alfred, Cheryl and their daughters (Kimberly and Olivia) for frog-leg congee at Geylang. Hannah and I were Olivia's god-parents, and I am very happy to see that she had grown into a clever, inquisitive young girl! One thing I really admire about Alfred and Cheryl's parenting skills is the enforcement of their daughters to not play with their cell-phones when we are at the dining table, and have to talk to other people at the table (me!) :)
Food I had in Singapore:
Satay beehoon
Rojak
Frog-leg congee
Teochew fishball noodle
Dou hua and sugarcane juice
Kuay Chap
Roti Prata
Mee Rubus
Hainanese Chicken rice
Fish head steamboat dinner
And of course, lots of kopi :)
