The Octopus Card in Hong Kong - A Must Have When Visiting the City

The first thing we were highly recommended to do after arriving to Hong Kong was purchasing an Octopus Card for Hong Kong's fantastic public transit network - It is a must have for tourists visiting this city.

The Octopus Card was so convenient for us! As hotel guests at one of the hotels, we could take the hotel shuttle bus from 7a.m. - 7p.m. which took us to either the Tsuen Wan Station or the Tsuen Wan West Station. Once at the station, we could connect to wherever we wanted to go in Hong Kong. With the Octopus card loaded, the Hong Kong 1- stop public transportation card, we could use it on all of its transportation network such as the subway trains, buses, trams and ferry boats to and from the many islands in Hong Kong. With just 1 tap on the fare box and no fumbling in my purse for money and no money changes back and forth, we could get on HK's vast network of public transit system.

When our Octopus Card was running low, we simply loaded it up at any subway stations or at the closest convenient store. The minimum amount for reloading the Octopus Card is HK$50.00 per card. You can even use this card to buy things such as beverages, cakes and pastry at most of the convenient stores and in many retail stores in Hong Kong.

We have used the Octopus Card during our entire stay in Hong Kong. It was extremely convenient and it took us all over the city including its many islands! O yes, a bonus for seniors, if you are over 65, there is a Senior Octopus Card that would give you 50% off on the city's transit system. How about that! R.T. Hong Kong

Stanley, Hong Kong - a Hidden Gem in the Middle of Hong Kong City

Hong Kong is known for its dense population and high skyscrapers crowding the downtown core of the city. After visiting the Victoria Peak, we would like to explore the less crowded and quieter side of this city. Stanley - was the next place on our itinerary. It was easy for us going to places in Hong Kong with its subway system. Since we also wanted to see the city as much as possible, we went to Stanley via the public bus. I had never been to Stanley before, therefore it was a pleasant surprise to for me to discover a sandy beach right in the city of Hong Kong accessable by the subway!

Just a stone throw from the station, we came across a nice waterfront promenade with a few shops and restaurants serving up western style food.

We were even more surprsied when we saw a magnificent victoria building, the Murry House, standing right on the waterfront of Stanley.

We went inside and learned a bit of the history of this great building.

I heard of the famous Stanley Market and we visited it this time! The Stanley Market - a marketplace with numerous shops selling souvenirs, clothing, fashion accessories and local artwork.

We found a church doing an outreach ministry by offering passerby a place to rest their feet and to enjoy a free cup of tea/ coffee. Tired from our walking, we were so happy to sit for a while, enjoyed a cold cup of water, and tea and a few moments of peace and rest.

After we left the Stanley Market, we continued to explore the Stanley District. We followed a small path leading to a breathtaking scenery with huge brown boulders lining the shore while high white waves pounding and splashing against them according to nature's rthymn.

I was mesmerized by the sight n the sounds of the waves which had a magical soothing effect on me. I could have sat there on the rocks listening to the sounds of the waves all day!

Hong Kong is full of energy and is a vibrant city. There are people everywhere; neon lights and signs are shinning bright all the time. Discovering the quieter and tranquil side of the city was just a delightful experience! Stanley is totally beyond our expectations - with its sparse population, a tranquil setting and slower pace of life, it has captivated us completely!

R.T. Stanley - a joy to discover! Hong Kong 160625

Victoria Peak - A Hong Kong Attraction Where We Enjoyed a Free 3D Miniature Exhibition

Getting back to Hong Kong from Macau was easy as the ferries run frequently throughout the day. We took the ferry back to HK sitting comfortably in an air conditioned ferry.

we liked the ferry ride as it was nice and cool in the cabin and the scenery was nice! People from Asia take tours specifically to see the specatcular bridge connecting Hong Kong to Macau. We got to see it up close and for free! What a sight! And in about an hour we were back to Honk Kong!

We passed through Honh Kong a few times but never had the time to stay and do some sight seeing in this city. This time we have a few more days in Hong Kong and wanted to see a few places. The first place we went to was the Honh Kong Peak.

We have travelled extensively in North America. Whenevr we visit a famous place or an attraction, we usually are required to pay for an entrance fee, sometimes a hefty one as well. Imagine our surprise, when we went to the Victoria Peak of Hong Kong where we could go to an open observation deck and look down to see the city in front of our eyew for free! Victoria Peak, with an altitude of 552 meters, is the highest peak of the main mountain range on Kong Kong. It was believed that prior to the introduction of telegraph to Hong Kong, the workers at the lookout post on the Peak would use flag signals to alert navigators at the the port of any oceanliners entering the harbour; hence Victoria Peak is also known as 'Flag Raising Mountain".

There were off course lots of shops for visitors to buy souvenirs and restaurants for food and drinks. But there were also art and cultural exhibitions at the Victoria Peak opened to the public for free! This time we saw a very interesting exhibition called

Hong Kong - Through the Looking Glass Miniature Exhibition

. In this exhibition, various artists showcased the daily life of Hong Kongers and the places of the city. Through their expert miniature making skills, artists showed off proudly their love of the city, its people and their culture. In one display it depicted the beloved dragon dance with some residents looking out from their balconies cheering on the dragon dancers. On the top left was one showing a aquarium shop selling various kinds of pet fish while the one on the upper right side showed the scene of Hong Kong Harbour.

There were scenes of a restaurant showing peope of all ages dining in a busy restaurant while in another scene showing a family dining table full of special dishes for a special occasion, and a bakery store selling their freshly baked goods.

In another scene it showed a jewellery store, another one piece of miniature displaying a street scene. All these scenes were done in 3D models and figurines. They were life like and in good proportions of the real objects. There were over twenty such scenes at the exhibition. We loved them and stayed there for quite sometime looking at each one of them carefully, admiring the skills and the artistry of each scene. Victoria Peak is always a good place to visit. But cultural exhibition such as this one alone was worth our time visiting the Peak.

We finished our visit to Victoria Peak by enjoying a dinner at the Bubba Gump Restaurant a themed restaurant featuring the famous 1980 movie Forest Gump. Sitting by the window seat of the restaurant, we were able to have a good view of the city below us. Though it was a little foggy at a time after raining, we still could enjoy the nice view.

After dinner, we took a short stroll on the hill path but it was getting dark. We wish we could have been here earlier and had more time to enjoy the beautiful nature trail.

This visit to Victoria Peak was a memorable one! Highly recommend it!

R.T. Victoria Peak, HONG KONG

A Hotel Review for the Macau Masters Hotel Where We Stayed Recently - 2025

We stayed at the Masters Hotel for a couple of nights in Macau. Located on the inner habour of Macau, the Masters Hotel is not right in the downtown district. It is a little distance from the casinos and busy shopping area therefore it is not as busy. 

A walkable distance for us, about 15 - 20 minutes from all the busy activities, the hotel gave us the opportunities to explore the real Macau where normal Macanese live and work rather than just seeing the glitz touristy side of this nice small city.  As we explored the area, we saw some cool arts such as the roof top murals.

And we enjoyed many of the restaurants, outdoor patio places, visited some of historical buildings as well as the famous landmarks nearby, all within walking distance.

Our room was nice and clean, good size and comfortable. Covid has reduced the number of tourists visiting Macau therefore negatively affecting the local economy.  Though the hotel has a nice dining room but it is no longer serving breakfast or open to hotel guests. We were disappointed by this closure.  But the staff was friendly, welcoming and helpful. 

We never wish to break our bank staying in hotels during our travels; the Master Hotel fits the bill - affordable, clean, comfortable and in a safe area close enough to the sites and activities for us. We liked the nice seating area on the main floor lobby where we could comfortably wait for our taxi rides. I would recommend this hotel to other travelers!

R.T.  Macau

June, 2025

A Refuge from the Summer Heat in Macau - the Macau Market Building

We are not the sun lover type of tourists, especially during the summer hot season in Asia. We could only go sightseeing for so long under the scorching sun as we need to find a place to hide for a few hours in the afternoon.

In Macau, we found a good place where we could relax, do some reading and catch up with my travel blogs -  the Macau Market building where we spent an enjoyable afternoon away from the sun.

The Macau Market building  is located  right in the Senado Square of the city. It has four floors of space with each floor dedicated to selling fresh meat/  tofu products, fruits and vegetables to residents in this colorful neighbourhood.

We love seeking out and trying out local food. The Macau Market offers visitors a variety of local street food. The food vendors sell their items at very good prices and the market itself provides a good resting place with ample seating for customers to sit and enjoy their purchased  food. We enjoyed it so much that we went back there to eat the next day.

Exploring the Macau Market building and its various floors, we saw an exhibition on the history of Macau and learned about some of the city's  famous buildings.

On the 4^th floor of the Macau Market Building is where the Activity Site for both the youths and the senior citizens located. We visited the senior room which was divided into 2 areas:

1.         Reading area  - where visitors could enjoy free daily newspaper and the use of free WIFI and computers. I took advantage of this area and caught up with my blog writing!

2.         TV watching and foot massage area with machines provided - I  used one of the machines and enjoyed a 30 minutes free foot massage!

Instead of go go go all the time while on vacation, we were happy we found a place where we could just relax, read and enjoy some downtime. We liked the Activity Site at the Macau Market as it sheltered us from the searing sun for a few hours when we needed it!

R.T. Macau

Meeting a 91 Year Old Employee at the Original Famous Chinese Sauce Store in Macau

Since our hotel was not right in Macau's downtown casino district, but an easy walk for about 15-20 minutes to the attractions, it gave us the opportunity to explore the real Macau where normal Macanese live and work rather than just seeing the glitz tourist side of this nice small city. 

The dual  Portuguese and Macau heritage makes Macau an interesting city to visit. There are lots of interesting food to try.  We ate at local restaurants serving real Macau and fusion Macau and Portuguese food to residents of the neighborhood. They were delicious! Because Macau is a much smaller city, the people are more friendly. One thing we enjoyed on this visit was getting to know some of the restaurant staff and shopkeepers and chatted with them about life in Macau.

We were delighted to have a good conversation with a shopkeeper working for one the  most famous Chinese owned companies, Lee Kam Kee - the company that has been making Chinese sauces for over 140 years  since 1800’s. 

Lee Kam Kee  sauces are used and recognized by almost every Chinese who cooks. The company makes a great varieties of sauces and some of the most famous sauces are their soya sauces, oyster sauces and Chinese BBQ sauces.  You can buy the Lee Kam Kee sauces in any of the Asian grocery stores all over the world and even in many of the mainstream supermarkets.

It was a delightful encounter with this shopkeeper who has been working for the sole owner of this company for the past 70 years! He is now in his 90’s and still goes to work in the company’s first store in Macau. He proudly showed off the picture and certificate he received from his company recognizing his contributions there. He told us about the wonderful dinner which the company put on to honour their long time employees!

As a kid, I saw my grandmother and mother cooking with the Lee Kim Kee sauces. I have been using them since I started cooking. This is a company whose products we use almost daily. Therefore, I was happy to learn that the company didn't set a mandatory retirement age for its employees. This shopkeeper informed us that if  employees wanted to work and were able, the company would let them continue to work at the job they loved. That was exactly what happened to this  91 year old shopkeeper! What a dedicated  employee and what a company that appreciates its employees!

R.T. at the Original Lee Kam Kee Store 

Macau 

062025

Visiting Some Must See Places in Macau including the Ruins of St. Paul

Since we were in HK for a longer period of time, we took some time out from HK and visited Macau, its neighbouring city. Travelling between these cities is easy as there are a number of options. Both cities can be reachable by roads and by water. This time we took the ferry from the Central District of HK. 

There are numerous ferries going back and forth and we didn’t even purchase our ticket in advance online. We simply showed up at the ticket counter, got our tickets and off we went taking the ferry to Macau. The ferry was spacious, comfortable and it took about an hour to get to Macau. 

The next day we visited a few must see places in this city of about 687,000 people. The one place I really wanted to see was the Ruins of St. Paul. To avoid the crowds, we got up at 7 a.m. and were there before 8 a.m.

1. Ruins of St Paul –  Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005, it is a magnificent piece of architecture.  The great facade was the front wall of the grand Church of St. Paul built from 1602 -1640  by Jesuit missionaries. It was one of the largest Catholic churches in Asia! But a fire in 1835 destroyed the  entire church except for the towering stone wall that is still standing today.        

Today, the Ruins of St. Paul are one of Macau's best known landmarks and were named one of the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin in the World by the Portuguese government in 2010.

 

We climbed the 68 stone steps and reached this beautiful façade where many tourists were snapping pictures. We went behind and off course, there was nothing except for some building material for the necessary maintenance work to be done to the wall. Walking up the hill and exploring further, we came to a park called;

2. Parque Da Fortaleza Do Monte where we saw a beautiful garden with blooming colourful flowers and much greenery surrounding the statue of Matteo Ricci, an Italian Jesuit in a Chinese costume.

" Ricci was one of the first Jesuit missionaries to arrive in Macau in 1582 which served as a crucial base for his later work in mainland China. He learned Chinese and immersed himself in Chinese culture, becoming a pioneer in introducing Western knowledge including science and religion to China. The statue was unveiled in 2010, symbolizing his role in connecting East and West." source - Google

3. As we kept walking, we reached Mount Fortress and found the Macau Museum but unfortunately it was not open therefore we didn't have a chance to go inside. 

But we did see the cannons left from the period when the Portuguese government was defending itself from foreign invaders!  Mount Fortress was built in early 17 the century and was Macau's main military defensive bases. These days, it provides a good spot for visitors to have an excellent view of Macau.  We enjoyed looking around in the garden where a few benches were placed and we could sit and rest for a while.

After visiting  Mount Fortress and the park, we strolled down the Ruins of St Paul’s and reached one of the most historically important  landmarks in Macau;

Senado Square - It used to be the administrative hub of the Portuguese government until 1999 when Macau was returned back to China. 

In the Senado Square, we saw the footprints and heavy influences left behind by the Portuguese - a square surrounded by neoclassical European buildings and with ceramic mosaic tiled floors all throughout the square and in the adjacent streets, very Portuguese like indeed.

When we were standing in the middle of the square, we felt like we were somewhere in Europe, an interesting feeling indeed! This was why we saw a lot of mainland Chinese visiting the square. Trying to have a taste of the little Portugal here perhaps? 

The Senado Square and Macau were as beautiful during the day as it was at night. We were glad that this time we were at the city for a few days and were able to see and enjoy this wonderful city a lot more !

R.T. Macau

062025

Making New Friends and Meeting Loved Ones - The Joy of Travelling in Asia!

After a brief stop in Taipei, we landed in Hong Kong in the late afternoon. Since we wanted to be close to everything, the first hotel we stayed in Hong Kong was the Salvation Army Lodge, very close to downtown.

On the first evening of our arrival,  J. made an effort and came to see us at our hotel at around 7p.m.It was so good to see him again! He liked where we were staying; I must make a note of it so that we could book the same hotel again next time.

We went for a dim sum dinner at a restaurant close by and we caught up with each other. J. looked good and sounded happy. It was so good to see our loved one again. We appreciated him making this special trip from GZ  on a weeknight so that he could personally welcome us to HK!  Though our meeting was brief, it was precious. He left at around 9p.m. as he needed to go to work the next day. It warmed our heart to know that our loved one was so welcoming!

Spending about a  week or so in Hong Kong and trying to look after some business,  we made use of this opportunity to enjoy this city as well as meeting up with some new friends.  Lee, who gave us a lot of assistance prior to our arrival to HK, is in his 70's, looking fit and energetic, swims everyday and welcome us warmly. He and his wife came to our hotel and we went for a dim sum lunch at a nearby restaurant. Though this was our first time meeting each other in person, we had a lot to share and Lee was talkative and told us many stories. We learned about each other's families and grown children. It was marvelous meeting our new friends!

  

We accomplished the task we needed to do in Hong Kong today and we felt great! We pray that God will open the door for us and show us the path as to what and where we should be to serve Him in the remaining years of our lives. 

Before we left Hong Kong, we made sure that we met with S's relative. We made plans to meet with her in the afternoon. We wanted to take the public bus outside of our hotel. Two mini buses stopped for us yet each one had only one seat available onboard. Therefore, both of us couldn't get on and we had to wait in the rain. Fortunately, it was only drizzling. Finally the 124b bus arrived and we both could board it. When we got off the bus, surprise! S's cousin was there to greet us. It was drizzling and we felt so bad that she was waiting for us for some time. She took us for an afternoon tea,  a popular thing to do in HK.  Though my hubby has not seen her for over a decade, they had so much to talk about! This was the first time I met her. A friendly, talkative lady in her 70's, she was generously sharing with us all the latest news of her family as well as recalling the hard times and struggles she had gone through when her children were young. 

I presented to her our small gifts from Canada. In return, she gave us each a red envelope wishing us a smooth trip. After the afternoon tea, she took us to her apartment, a 3 bedroom apartment with a view of the ocean!! ( Not an easy property to acquire in Hong Kong. ) We also learned that because her husband has not been feeling well,  the family hired a Philippino maid to look after him. What a far cry from the Hong Kong people's poor way of life we used to know to the  middle class lifestyle enjoyed by most of the city's residents today!  What an incredible change that took place in this city of 7 million people!

 

After meeting S.' cousin, we went back to our hotel and I enjoyed a nice dip in the pool! Very relaxing and refreshing indeed!

Then I met a gentleman in the dining room. His name is John, a retiree residing in the hotel on a long term basis. We had an interesting discussion about current events and world politics. How interesting was that? 

The lesson I have learned from our travels - if we keep an open mind and are willing to listen and learn from others, there are many opportunities for us to meet and make new friends all over the world!

I thank God everyday for these wonderful opportunities!

 RT, Hong Kong

 061725 

Taipei Taoyuan International Airport's Themed Waiting Lounges Make Waiting for Flights Easier

We are on the move again! We left Canada right after our church's 50TH anniversary dinner the day before. We were so glad we didn’t miss it and really enjoyed the dinner as we were placed to sit beside two of God’s faithful servants serving in different ministries. It was good that we didn’t need to be at the airport until late in the evening which gave us plenty of time getting ourselves and the house ready for our departure. There are always so much to do before leaving our house and we did everything we needed to do. Parise God! We made a brief stop at the Taipei Airport. There was no need to retrieve our lugguage therefore we were just there waiting for our connecting flight.

I love architeture and interior design. Whenever I go, I always enjoy looking for interesting and beautiful designs. The Taipei Airport is unique in that it has designed its waiting lounges with different themes highlighting some popular culture as well as Taiwan's unique island heritage and culture. Some of my favourite themed waiting lounges are: 1. Hello Kitty - a popular lounge showcasing Hello Kitty and her friends.

2. Not sure of what this waiting lounge was called but one that looked like a library and bookish. I like it!

3. I liked this waiting lounge that looked like a forest, very relaxing and calming.

4. This one was the C4 Metaverse Waiting Lounge focusing on toys and gifts created by Taiwanese designers. Inside the display cases were collectibles from brands well known to Chinese kids and teens.

There were lots of places to relax in the Taipei Airport! We could even taste a nice cup of tea before catching our connecting flight to our destination in Asia.

RT, Taoyuan International Airport,Taiwan