Video of the Day: Snow!

 

 

I’m still getting over jet lag — waking up around 5am and then going back to sleep around 8am.

So I was quite shocked to wake up to snow this morning! Actually most of Vancouver was too.

This video was taken before we headed out onto the treacherous roads that hadn’t been salted ahead of time. Along Arbutus Street we saw five trolley buses down.

Snow is best for pics when the snowflakes start falling, because as soon as it starts melting, the idyllic scene isn’t as pretty.

In the afternoon wet snow/rain was falling so shovelling the snow was actually more slushy and wet, not to mention very heavy too!

Hope tomorrow won’t be too perilous on the roads!

Warm Lunar New Year

Does a Fire Rooster mean warmer temperatures in Hong Kong this year?

Lunar New Year is usually quite cold -- well cold for us who usually live in over 20 degree Celsius weather.

Temperatures usually dip around 10 degrees and last year it went as far as 3 degrees, with snow on Hong Kong's highest peak, Tai Mo Shan.

We drag out our heaters and bundle up in puffy jackets, boots, and scarves. Some even wear ear muffs, but they are mostly fashion statements...

But today -- the third day into the Year of the Rooster, it was really warm during the day -- it was so warm and humid I wore a T-shirt -- and I even got mosquito bites while in Pui O, an area south west of Mui Wo.

By evening there was some rain and temperatures fell again, but this year is certainly a strange one when it comes to the weather.

Does it have to do with it being the fire rooster this year?

Dining in the Park

Stunning view of downtown Vancouver with the snow!

Queen Elizabeth Park is a nice place to visit particularly in the summer, but the views from this park up on the hill are dramatic with the snow still covering the city. At lunch I took my mom to Seasons in the Park and had a delicious meal up there.

Dungeness crab cake with paprika and citrus aioli

Some of my friends asked if the restaurant is still a geriatric place to which I laughed. I did see many people take their parents there, but also a young couple on a date and some middle-aged couples treating themselves. Oh yes and a few tables with Chinese diners.

The menu hasn't changed much since I was last there, but the service is a bit different; some of the kitchen staff come out and personally serve customers. Perhaps it's an opportunity to interact with people, but it's not a practice I have seen in any other restaurant I can think of.

Nevertheless, my mom had a bowl of truffle mushroom soup (CAD$9) that smelled wonderfully rustic thanks to the added truffle oil and each spoonful was hearty. She also had the Dungeness crab cake (CAD$19), a very large one that was lightly pan-fried and very delicate, seasoned with paprika and citrus aioli.

Alderwood grilled Steelhead salmon with quinoa and veggies

I had a cup Manhattan clam chowder (CAD$5) choc full of baby clams, followed by the Alderwood grilled Steelhead salmon (CAD$28), a fillet that was perfectly cooked, very tender, and even better with the juice from the grilled lemon. The fish came accompanied with quinoa, French beans and carrots.

For dessert, we shared the sunburnt lemon pie (CAD$9.50), which is basically a slice of lemon tart that has burnt sugar on top, and decorated with mango and raspberry sauces. The crust was a bit thick, but the custard was divine.

Afterwards we took in the dramatic view of the city from the terrace, that was a bit warmer thanks to the roaring fireplaces they had outside.

Sunburnt lemon pie with mango and raspberry sauces

Seasons in the Park

Queen Elizabeth Park

West 33rd Avenue (at Cambie)

Vancouver
(604) 874 8008

vancouverdine.com/seasons

Picture of the Day: Snow!

The backyard was covered in snow this morning with more flakes falling down!

This morning we woke up to Vancouver covered in the white stuff falling for much of the day.

It's so peaceful when it snows -- no one wants to go outside and so it's quiet and somewhat relaxing to watch the flakes come down and slowly accumulate to about 7cm today.

Luckily it wasn't too difficult to get around, but we spent most of the day indoors to stay warm.

Some shrubs weighed down by the accumulation of snow

Tomorrow will have temperatures well above zero and rain for the next few days...

Dreams Do Come True

Cathay Pacific pilot Hank Cheng realized his dream of flying a homemade plane

Back in late August Cathay Pacific Airways pilot Hank Cheng took off on a flight around the world in a locally-made plane and returned to Hong Kong safely earlier this week.

He flew 49,650km in the plane named B-Koo Inspiration and along the way touched down in 45 airports in 20 countries.

At times Cheng was forced to alter his flight path as he faced difficult weather conditions, including chilly winds, snow and typhoons, according to a project spokeswoman.

The small aircraft took seven years to design and build

After he landed, Cheng said he hoped his achievement would "put Hong Kong on the map".

"There are Hong Kong climbers who have climbed Mount Everest. I wanted to put the Hong Kong flag on the map, so this is a source of pride."

He said the most exciting leg of his journey was from Hilo, Hawaii to San Jose, California, a 3,800km flight across the Pacific Ocean that took 14 hours and 37 minutes to complete.

Flying in the plane, Cheng said "I brought together all the hopes and dreams of [my] team. It started as a personal project, but it became a bigger group and I was just the guy flying the plane, taking their hopes around the world."

Cheng and his co-pilot Thomas Ng wave from Karachi

It took Cheng seven years to make his dream of developing and building an aircraft into reality. It was a collaboration between Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company and St Paul's Convent School.

B-Koo Inspiration now joins the list of 14 amateur-built planes to have flown around the world, according to international aviation society Earthrounders.

Congratulations to Cheng and everyone involved in the project!

He has demonstrated that through patience, perseverance and hard work, dreams can come true.

"Frost Tourists" in Hong Kong

Some "frost tourists" checking out frost on the bushes up at Tai Mo Shan

Temperatures in Hong Kong dropped even lower today to 3.1 degrees Celsius and even closing all my windows and bundling up and staying next to the heater was how I survived inside most of the day.

However there were some adventurous spirits who wanted to see if there really was snow on Tai Mo Shan, the city's highest peak. Some "frost tourists" went up there in the early hours, but got a bit more than what they bargained for.

While they definitely did see frost and icicles, the slippery conditions up there resulted in many "frost chasers" falling on the icy roads and injuring themselves. In total 111 people were injured and 45 hospitalized, some with hypothermia.

These people obviously have not experienced very cold weather and were not prepared for what North Americans fondly call "black ice".

Some 85 injured people were rescued on Tai Mo Shan

Because many were stranded on the roads up to Tai Mo Shan, this hampered rescue efforts, four ambulances and three fire trucks were blocked from reaching the top at 9.30am.

The Fire Services Department confirmed 85 injured people were rescued up on Tai Mo Shan, and 130 trapped on Kowloon Peak.

New Territories South divisional commander Wong Ka-wing urged people to stay away from the mountain.

"I would like to take this opportunity to tell the public: do not go up the hill anymore," he said. "The cold weather has caused roads to be covered in frost. Whether it is vehicles or people, anyone passing through is likely to face slippery and dangerous conditions."

There's a video on Apple Daily's website of a young woman arguing with a policeman about wanting to continue her trek even though police had cordoned off the area. While he was trying to tell her it was not safe and she had to turn back, she felt it was her right to keep going.

Really?

She sounds like those skiers who like to ski out of bounds just because they think they can...

Other videos showed people sliding in the car park up on the mountain, a new novelty for them.

From the sheer numbers of people injured up on Tai Mo Shan indicates how selfish and naive they are when it comes to dealing with cold weather. While temperatures drop, Hong Kong is still relatively humid, which means moisture will be on the roads, which will freeze overnight and create icy conditions. Obviously they had not thought of that possibility.

Even more crazy was that on Tai Mo Shan, the Vibram Hong Kong 100 trail run race was held today and wasn't called off until the race was already underway. It seems some runners were completely unprepared for the frigid conditions, while others were bogged down by "frost chasers" they encountered on their path.

Perhaps race organizers should have just cancelled or postponed the ultra-endurance race? While 3.1 degrees is not a record low temperature -- the lowest was 0 degrees in 1893 -- it's still damn cold and slippery to be out there running 100km...

The next few days will continue to be cold... brrrrrrrrrr

Snow? No...

A screen grab of the Fanling video. Look like snowflakes to you?

Today the hot topic was the weather! It dipped into the single digits today, around 8 degrees Celsius.

My flat faces north and is by the water so when I walked outside this morning it was very windy which made it feel very cold.

Everyone seemed to be out early today to stock up in case it gets too cold to go out tomorrow when it's expected to drop to 6 degrees! The wet market was bustling with people, and the nearby Park n Shop had massive lines waiting at the cashier.

It was only made worse by people buying so much stuff, partly because they were celebrating their Chinese New Year eve dinners early too.

Taking pictures of frost at Tai Mo Shan

Nevertheless, on Facebook a video apparently taken in Fanling on the rooftop and showing what looked at first glance like snowflakes, but the Hong Kong Observatory quashed the possibility, as it was too warm to snow, despite issuing a frost warning around 1pm today.

However, many people were very surprised to see the video and believed it to be true...

I've been bundled up too and sitting next to the heater to keep warm! If only Hong Kong's flats were better built with some kind of insulation then we'd be a tad warmer...

And everyone thinks because I am from Canada that I am used to this weather. I am not. I don't like the cold!

The Hong Kong Observatory says it'll warm up later this week, though it'll be rainy...

Picture of the Day: Snake Soup

A bowl of delicious snake soup can keep the winter chills at bay

The news of temperatures dropping to single digits this weekend has been a major conversation topic these days in Hong Kong.

People are wondering how they are going to survive this damp cold, particularly at home, where flats aren't properly insulated, and they have to resort to wearing winter jackets inside.

But another way to beat the cold is by having a bowl of snake soup -- this one is available at The Chinese Restaurant in the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong for HK$280 (US$36). To compare, a snake shop in Sham Shui Po called Se Wong Hip sells a bowl for under HK$100. Just don't expect a refined-looking soup.

The one at the Hyatt Regency comes choc full of ingredients, including several different snake meat, chicken, pork, mandarin peel, wood fungus, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and lots of finely sliced ginger.

Diners can garnish their soup with chrysanthemum petals, julienne of kaffir lime leaves and deep-fried wonton skins.

The soup is so hearty, I need to use chopsticks to pick up the ingredients in the soup, and piping hot, it was the perfect way to keep warm.

I may need a few more bowls of this on the weekend to keep the winter chills at bay...

Picture of the Day: Snow!

Many woke up to see a layer of snow on the ground this morning

Vancouver had its first snowfall of the season and year this morning when a few centimetres of the white stuff was strewn on the ground.

The branches of a mini Japanese Maple were covered white

I quickly bundled up to start shoveling the snow on the sidewalk, as I could hear a neighbour doing his civic duty, with the sound of his shovel scraping the ground.

When I got outside, the air was crisp and clean, blue skies and subtle crunch noises from my boots against the snow.

Shoveling the snow wasn't too bad, and was quickly cleared thanks to the relatively thin layer.

We went out to do some errands later in the morning, and it was half snowing, half wet snow. But by the time we got back home at lunchtime, most of the snow had melted, except for the patches were the sun didn't shine directly.

There is a 40 percent chance of snow flurries tomorrow -- if not it'll be rain.

There were many pretty scenes to take pictures of today

What a memorable trip to Vancouver this time! Snow today and a minor earthquake last week!

Relaxing Hydrotherapy

Looking down on the various baths in Scandinave Spa on a snowy day

I'm in Vancouver for the holidays and a very good friend of mine arranged for us to go to Whistler today to try Scandinave Spa there. On Yelp many rave about it and we were about to find out why.

We left Vancouver around 9am and managed to arrive at the spa at 10.20am. I hadn't gone up to Whistler since the mid 1990s so it was a surprise for me to see how developed the ski mecca has become, particularly after the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The Sea to Sky Highway has improved significantly, with stretches widened with two lanes, or straightened and not as winding and treacherous as before.

As we approached Whistler, light rain became snow and the area became a winter wonderland with evergreen trees covered in white.

Lots of fog spread around Whistler to create a moody feel

We turned off to Spruce Grove Way and continued up a winding path to the spa. When we arrived, there was a line up! A line up at a spa which seemed unusual.

Once it was our turn to check in for the outdoor bath access (CAD$58), we were given two large towels and key locks and told the changing rooms were downstairs. The biggest rule here is silence! Everyone is instructed to leave their mobile phones behind in the lockers and not to talk, though many spoke in hushed tones during our visit.

After changing into bathing suits, we wrapped up in towels and headed outside to the baths. I didn't bring any flip flops -- and was surprised the spa didn't provide any footwear, but just as well. Walking barefoot outside wasn't too cold -- or was it because we didn't have too far to go?

First stop was the steam eucalyptus steam room. It's circular and amphitheatre style with three layers of seating with the strong smell of eucalyptus to keep people awake.

Since we arrived soon after it opened, the steam room was jam packed with people, but they eventually left. After about 10 minutes we were sweating and needed to get out of the heat. We headed to the cold pool with the water set at 17 degrees. What a shock to the system! I didn't stay in there long!

A modern fireplace and nice tree ornament

Our next stop was the warm relaxation pool, where we felt like those Japanese snow monkeys that hang out in the hot spring baths, as snow was still falling on us, albeit lightly.

Probably my favourite place was the solarium, though there wasn't much sun here, but it was warm. We sat in recliners and listened to new age music; I couldn't help but close my eyes and nap for a bit, though on our second round, some men were actually snoring!

We did the process all over again and this time I plunged into the cold pool -- interestingly we were cold but not freezing, perhaps because our body temperatures were hot from being in the steam room and then back into the jacuzzi.

Needless to say we were thoroughly relaxed. Was it that we were in a beautiful setting? Everyone keeping quiet and focused on having a relaxing time? Or because we were soaking to the point of becoming like prunes?

After a few hours here, we showered and then put our clothes on again. My only gripe was the changing room didn't seem spa-like -- more like a gym, and even then the floor wasn't very clean, which makes a difference when you aren't wearing flip flops... If this was my gym in Hong Kong, the floor would be free of dust bunnies for sure!

We sat in the lobby for about 15 minutes, drinking some cold(!) water of lemon and cucumber, a few glasses to replenish our systems before heading out for a very late lunch at 3pm.

If just going to the outdoor baths was relaxing, imagine pairing it with a massage too!

Scandinave Spa

8010 Mons Road

Whistler
(604) 935 2424

scandinave.com/en/whistler