Roast Goose and Goosebumps

Posted on 17 Apr 2012 by Diane

Warning: This post is going to be photo-heavy.
I posted a couple HK related blogs earlier, do check ‘em out.
— How I “lightpacked” the Brompton for this trip.
— Day 1, Ride 1: To Disneyland! On Bikes!

The second part of our Hong Kong ride started right after I checked my stuff at the Panda Hotel. Val made the decision to start our ride midway from the intended starting point as it was later than he expected. We hailed a cab in front of Panda and proceeded to stuff the back with bikes.

I reckon we could’ve stuffed all five at the boot but the driver had a bunch of his own things there as well. My bike had to sit inside with us. Crowded but I wasn’t complaining. At least I wasn’t cold.

We pedaled our bikes on the cement tile tessalations along the pavement at Castle Peak Road. This is both good and bad. Good because, well, we’re not on the road with fast cars — we can ride more leisurely and take in the sights. Bad because the tiles meant a bumpy ride. Within 4km, I think my seatpost slid down 2 inches before someone (was it Charlie? Eugene?) tightened the nut.

Along the way, we’d stop and take photos of the (somewhat non-existent) view.

On gloomy days such as this, seeing my happy colored Brommie never fails to cheer me up.

As we got closer to Tsuen Wan, the view cleared a bit offering us these tidbits. That’s the Lantau Link bridge in the background.

Lantau Link bridge is on the right while the Ting Kau bridge is on the left. The slope leads down to a public beach area.

I can imagine how beautiful the views would be on a sunny day.

While the weather was lovely because it was NOT hot, there’s something to be said about cycling in cold (at least for me) temperatures. It didn’t drizzle in the afternoon but the cold was bitingly sharp and the wind generated by riding a bike didn’t help one bit. Neither did the headwind! Half the time, I couldn’t feel my brakes even though I knew I moved my fingers. Breathing hard would dry out your throat and the dry air chafed.

Val said after we had our late lunch/early dinner, we’d be going to a couple bike shops within the area and I resolved to pick up full finger gloves to use for the next day so I wouldn’t lose my digits to frostbite. I exaggerate, of course.

We reached Sham Tseng and headed on to Yue Kee Roast Goose Restaurant as Val heralded it one of the best in town. I’m not a foodie by any chance but I like to eat good food — who doesn’t? It was still early so the restaurant was empty. The persons in charge let us keep our folded bikes next to our table inside the restaurant.

Come to momma! (I am drooling as I’m typing this.)

Ok fine. One last photo before nomming!

Rejuvenated with food, we headed back down again to Castle Peak Road to get to the nearest MTR at Tsuen Wan West.

Under the Ting Kau bridge.

Near Hoi On Road, the pavement expanded into an esplanade where Hongkongese ran/jogged/dated and walked their tiny dogs.

Half the time, this was how Charlie looked like. It doesn’t matter that he’s in another country — people will still buy lechon (whole spit-roasted pig) from him. If you’re in Manila, you should too. Lechon is delicious!!! Contact Sabroso Lechon here. Advert, haha!

La-dee-dah-ing our way to the MTR. Bi-modal travel is efficient!

We went down at Lai Chi Kok MTR Station, Exit B1 and headed down the busy streets to Flying Ball. Flying Ball is known in South East Asia for selling Brompton bicycles at really affordable prices. Seems like only Brompton products were a good deal in the shop. Also, photography not allowed.

Since there’s no Brompton distributor in Manila, the guys hoarded up on parts and accessories. Spare tires, new suspension blocks, spare tubes, Brooks products, etc etc.

Here’s what I got: a Brooks B17 Special – S because I like the copper rails, purple and gray colored full finger gloves, and a Connex Link for 8 speed chains for easier maintenance.

Our last stop for the day was at Wing Fung Cycles, just a couple streets away from Flying Ball. They sell Moultons and Tyrell bikes. The shop was shiny and expensive, just like their pretty bikes.

A quick van ride took me back to Panda where I had a quick rest before heading back downtown for a supper meet-up with the guys.

And that’s the end of the riding for the first day! Here’s a map of our route below for this leg of the trip and do read up Kris’ recollection of that ride as well.

Once again, many thanks to Val for guiding us around town and taking nearly all of these photos.

To Disneyland! On bikes!

Posted on 13 Apr 2012 by Diane

Warning: This post is going to be photo-heavy.
Previous posts about how I “lightpacked” the Brompton for this trip.

Our HK trip started with me waiting for four guys. Charlie and Eugene were arriving on a flight from Manila a couple hours after me and Kris (who arrived the night before) and Val were coming in from downtown Hong Kong.

It was kind of funny seeing all of us rip up packaging and fix up our bikes at the airport. Thanks to Eugene for pumping air into my tires.

I guess we were quite a spectacle in the airport because a chap came over and talked bike touring with the guys. I think he was Japanese.

Then, we just had to take photos at the “Wright brothers airplane” display at the airport.

Here we are at Day 1, Ride 1. Five Bromptons.

The minute we got out of the airport, I realized I had packed incorrectly. The temperature before we left said 17-20 degrees Celcius, but when we were there it was always below 14 degrees and worse, it was DRIZZLING. The GoPro started overheating in its sealed case almost immediately, LOL.

The route was a mixture of jogging/recreation paths (sort of like Singapore’s PCN’s), bike paths, tunnels, and service roads. Since we were still in Lantau Island, there were few cars.

It was a shame because all the mist and drizzle meant that we couldn’t really see the spectacular Hong Kong landscape. So, you just learn to pretend to see stuff instead. HAHAHA!

The jogging path…

that led to a bike path…

There was a shortcut that led to another service road…

where we cycled next to the trains!

Hong Kong is not FLAT. For a small group of islands, they sure do have a lot of inclines. Here, we needed to go back the main road.

Another thing about Hong Kong is that they have bike tunnels! It’s like Singapore’s but with no signs saying “Dismount and Push” or “S$1000 Fine” for cycling across.

One short cut we had to take was blocked by a funeral party so we had to go down under a bridge. It was really low.

Val made us do dorky formations. Just trippin’.

There were a lot of ups and downs and tunnels.

And then, Sunny Bay! No view though, so it was a little disappointing.

Kris pretends he’s going faster than the trains.

We have fun going up inclines.

Yes! Finally reached!

We take a break at Disney’s Inspiration Lake.

Charlie has a tarsier on his bike. A small sibling of the one on my Tikit.

On my bike, a mermaid sticker.

The battery of the GoPro decided to conk out on us at this point too.

Finally pumped up, we head to the main entrance. M-I-C K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!

The House of Mouse!

We then took the train from Disneyland to Tsuen Wan because I needed to check-in at the Panda Hotel.

This is my one and only shot of us cycling in Hong Kong proper — within the city area, not in the outskirts.

Inside my room. Not bad! No closet though, which was kinda weird.

I left the S-bag with all my stuff behind and used the mini-O instead.

And then it was off to round two!

Here’s a map of the initial route from HKIA to Disney courtesy of Kris. You can read more of his account in his blog.

Many thanks to Val for guiding us around town and taking nearly all of these photos.

Lightpacking a Brompton

Posted on 15 Mar 2012 by Diane

Since we were going to cycle to Hong Kong Disneyland straight from the airport, it was best to find “disposable” packing options for the Brompton. I was going to stuff mine in an Ikea Dimpa bag, which is supposed to store stuff like car tires. Its dimensions are perfect for a Brompton.

Fold the Brommie to make sure it fits the bag. Some bikes with sprung saddles or extended seatposts might not fit the height of the bag without stretching it. Luckily the B17 makes the fold more compact than the Flyer did.

I put the Brompton bike cover on. It’s just an additional layer of protection, and since I planned to bring it to Hong Kong anyway, I might as well use it during travel. Then I bubble-wrapped everything. The bubble wrap is reused from a package I received earlier in the week. Where does one buy bubble wrap in Singapore anyway?

Since the Dimpa bag is soft, I cut up a cardboard box to make a cornered base for the bike and additional padding at the edges. I was worried that airport handlers would throw the bike and mess up the rack and the large skate wheels. Bending the skate wheel ultimately means bending the aluminum rack as well. They’re particularly vulnerable since they jut out.

I didn’t have any other checked luggage so the things I couldn’t carry on the plane or didn’t have enough space for were added to the Ikea bag as well — tools, liquids, bike lights, etc. The rest of my stuff for 4 days was packed in a Brompton S-bag. Kept the helmet hung on the bag — I heard that in the Philippines, check-in counters say that helmets should be checked luggage as well. THAT IS NOT TRUE. If they ask you to check your helmet in, ask them to show you the memo where it says you’re supposed to do so.

When I got to the airport, I had time to spare. I roamed around and saw the TrueStar with it’s SecureBag booth. Might as well get mine done. That lime green is so cheerful!

In the end, the stuff I had looked like this.

During check-in, I asked the JetStar lady what the procedure was “for checking a bike”. Usually people say that they’d like a Fragile Sticker but I read somewhere that you should ask for Sports Equipment treatment because they handle your luggage better. The only thing that she asked me was if I let the air out in the tires (No, I didn’t but of course I didn’t tell her that.) and she made me sign something. And that’s the last I saw of my bike. As far as I know, another guy hauled it somewhere else — presumably to the odd sized luggage area.

Then I just hung out at near the gate and charged gadgets.

I also saw the Chia’s! They were traveling to HK as well. Mrs. Chia mentioned that she also wanted to buy a Brompton from Flying Ball in PINK. I wonder if she ever got it. The Chia girls are adorable.

It was time to board the plane. It was super early morning so I was Zzzzing the entire flight.

And then, Hong Kong! My bike was one of the first out of the conveyor in Hong Kong. It was really visible being that shade of Nickolodean slime green.

Hey Brom! How are you? How was the flight? When I opened up the bag, I noticed that some of the lights got switched on during handling.

THE BIKE SURVIVED!

Now, it’s all just a matter of waiting for the rest of the guys to arrive…

Unfold and Cycle

Obsessing about anything with two wheels in general, and folding bikes in particular.

Tag Archives: hong kong

Roast Goose and Goosebumps

To Disneyland! On bikes!

Lightpacking a Brompton

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