A romantic getaway

I know: the title makes you want to puke. But Bali is a bit romantic. Maybe its the long and wide beaches or the splendid sunsets.

Brian had a conference in Nusa Dua, so we started off our week there. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt, which wasn't much different (from what I could tell) from The Laguna, a resort in the same area that we stayed at the last time. I have to admit, though, that mega resorts aren't really my thing. We spent two days on the compound ... er, resort ... swimming and dining among the handsome and lovely couples and young families, but enough already. I was in need of our own private Bali.

Privacy came in the form of our own Villa. Friends had told us that renting a villa was the way to go in Bali, and I was a silly on the koolaid from the first second I walked into our walled in paradise. We had our own full size swimming pool that ended basically where the living room of the house began. Ahhh ... why leave?

Well, for one, there was all that great shopping to be done just down the road from us. Brian and I haggled our way down the road for at least a few hours ... not even coming close to exhausting all the stores. Among our loot, we scored some great homewares, lamps and I got two dresses for less that $16.

Of course, whatever money we saved on our bargain shopping, we blew on some elaborate dinners. On one night, we went and checked out Hu'u, a trendy, spacious restaurant that had a large pool in the center. Word on the street is that some do opt for a swim after washing down some martinis in the wee hours. We didn't see anyone dive in ourselves, but the place was pretty happening as we got ready to leave. I'm sad to admit, though, that scenery was about all that Hu'u had going for it: pretty decks, pretty people and pretty food. But it didn't make the food any more appetizing.

Maybe I was disappointed because I was expecting some Balinesian fare. We did manage to get some the next night at a small waroeng.

The next night, we went large with sunset cocktails and dinner at Ku-De-Ta. Right on the beach, this is billed as THE place to be in Bali. So, I shouldn't have been sticker shock when I saw that my martini cost $18. Yup, that was about 9 times as much as my lunch! I might have felt better about it if they had served it up in an oversized glass, but this was a pretty standard martini. Down the hatch with it ...

Despite my initial shock, we did have an enjoyable evening. The food was good, no, really good. I started with a tuna tartare for an appetizer and then had a linguine that didn't skimp on seafood.

Afterwards, we could have gone out on the strip and checked out some other bars, but instead, we retreated to our villa for one last night swim.

Night at the Races

Happy Valley may be a euphemism for the cemetery in the area, but it is synonymous with the race course here.

I haven't been to many of the races to date, but Brian and I did go down and check them out on Wednesday. Oktoberfest was going on, and while there may not have been many Germans, there were certainly a lot of gui-los getting their drink on.

We partook in some of the drinking, but the main action was the horses. I put my money down on a horse called A World full of Love. Man, he must get picked on in the stable. I figured I had to choose a horse that sounded like a bad love ballad. Unfortunately, luck was not on my side. Brian, nor any of our other pals really hit it big that night.

Crabs

Brian's family always crabs on Labor Day. Since we weren't going to make it back to Philly for the feast, we had to find some crabs here in Hong Kong. We ended up at the Thai restaurant in Shek-O.

Since they don't seem to have Old Bay out here, we had to make due with what was on the menu. We ordered the garlic crab and chili crab. I think we both liked the chili crab the best. The garlic crab was way too potent.

Where do you go for crabs?

Beach Days

One thing I really like about Hong Kong is that summer doesn't end after Labor Day. In the Northeast, winter is about 6 months and summer is really only about two. But the tables are turned here. From what I've gathered, I got another couple of months of beach weather here.

For the past two weeks, we've been exploring some of the Hong Kong beaches.

Shek-O. I really love Shek-O town. The beach ... not so much. It's beach-blanket bingo, for one. And there's an entire flotilla of blow-up rafts in the water. It made me feel as if I was at a giant pool, not an ocean.

South Bay. Great vibe here. The beach is heavy on the expats drawn to the laid-back lunch bar. Some people even just camp at the tables. The one drawback is leaving. Taxis are few and there can be a long line for the buses, too.

Next weekend ... Big Wave Bay. What's your favorite beach?

Dim Sum Is Summering

In Rhode Island. Wish you were here.

I'm back in the fall.

Restaurant Week ... kind of

There are many great things about having people come and visit you when you're far from home, but one of the best is having a perfect reason to try out that restaurant you've been wanting to go to.

Brian's father came to town last week and we took the opportunity to try out several new (to us) places. Our culinary tour around Hong Kong reestablished my faith that there is good food to be had in the city. I've been pretty down on Hong Kong cuisine, but we found a few gems that you should try - even if you don't have company in town.

Yellow Door Kitchen
This Cantonese restaurant in Central is like going to a good friend's home. You show up and the meal is served. The menu is only there to let you know what you will be feasting on. And feasting it is. About seven courses are served in all. The favorites were the tea-infused pork ribs and the sweet and sour fish.

Hutong
Perched high above Kowloon, commanding an amazing view of Victoria Harbor, you almost don't care if the food at Hutong takes second bill. Luckily, it's mostly spot-on. Beijing standards like shrimp-filled dumplings and spicy lamb skewers pleased al around. Tofu and green-bean veggie dishes were other standouts. My only complaint was the duck, which was fried, not roasted. Regardless, this stays on my list as a must-see for out-of-town guests.

Duke's
Brian's dad spent a week in China before coming to visit us in Hong Kong. By the time he arrived, all he wanted was a burger. We were anxious to please, so we headed over to Duke's, which is essentially a pimped out burger joint complete with velvet sofas and chandeliers. The menu is made up of burgers only. There's no other entrees to be had here, just sides of fries. I chose the rabbit burger topped with crispy sweetbreads. Brian and his father had the standard beef version. I think we all pretty much agreed the rabbit was the reason to come back. While the joint is classy, ketchup is still the condiment of choice.

Rain Dance

I thought moving to a sub-tropical location meant that I would be able to go to the beach every weekend. Well, I was wrong.

It rains A LOT here. First, there was the winter monsoon season - cold, clammy and rainy. And now it is the summer monsoon season - hot, humid and rainy.

This summer has been wetter than in years past. So far, it's rained like three weeks straight - some days continuously. My umbrella is rusted ... no joke! I've never had an umbrella rust!

Could this be part of the problem?