Blogs from Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, Asia - page 12

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Asia » Hong Kong » Hong Kong Island » The Peak December 2nd 2013

I was fortunate to have friends with me for most of my stay in Hong Kong. It was much better to share my time for sightseeing and entertainment in the big city. Three perfect blue sky days will always be a great memory of my last weekend in Hong Kong :) We went to the Peak on a beautiful clear day, Hong Kong Park, caught the Big Bus to Stanley and Aberdeen and also the ferry to Lamma Island. We also had drinks at night on the 103rd floor of the ICC building at the piano bar of the Ritz Carlton and also the I bar @ I Tower. Another highlight of my visit to Hong Kong was catching the double decker tram to the Happy Valley Races on a Wednesday night. Even if you have ... read more
Lovely Ladies
Happy Valley Racecourse
Aussie at the races

Asia » Hong Kong » Hong Kong Island » The Peak November 26th 2013

I heard the song "You leave me breathless" by Shayne Ward today and it made me think about my time in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a great city with amazing views, shopping, food and entertainment but travel is also about the people you meet and the friends you make along the way. This is my retirement holiday and so far it could not get any better. Someone told me I would run out of things to do if I stay in Hong Kong for two weeks. I was never bored and there is much more to Hong Kong than the amazing skyline and views. Travel to the other parts of Hong Kong away from Central and take a ferry to the islands and you would find a few days in Hong Kong is not enough ... read more
Lantau Island
Big Buddha
Lantau Island

Asia » Hong Kong » Hong Kong Island November 10th 2013

I’ve literally been dreaming about this day for weeks and at last we are on our way to the buzzing centre of Hong Kong. We’ve heard and read so much about it, so we’re looking forward to finally joining the elite group of people who have actually visited it. It’s a crazy dash when we finish work to get some food and beer ready for the bus journey ahead. Travelling doesn’t really bother us much as we enjoy the anticipation of going somewhere new, and of course having a few bevvies along the way! The bus journey to the immigration check point doesn’t seem to take as long as we had anticipated, and before we know it, we’re making our way towards the border and can see HK beyond… That is until the security guard suddenly ... read more
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HK at night
Me in HK

Asia » Hong Kong » Hong Kong Island November 3rd 2013

Today is another travel day. Unfortunately, I wake up struck pretty hard by the cold that has been circulating. I am disappointed, because I thought I had already faced it down and staved it off. Violet is still coughing quite badly as well. Looks like we will finish this trip as a couple of sickies. Early start. By 8:15 am, we have had breakfast, checked out of the hotel and are on the bus. We are headed for the Shanghai international airport, not the domestic airport we arrived at. As I'm sure you know, while Hong Kong is now officially part of the country of China after being a British possession for 150 years, it is different and special in many ways. Flying to it is like flying to another country. You pass Chinese customs on ... read more

Asia » Hong Kong » Hong Kong Island October 28th 2013

Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated areas in the world and currently a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, has a convoluted and romantic history. After growing from a small fishing village to a military outpost and trading port, Hong Kong became a colony of the British Empire after the First Opium War until it was occupied by Japan during the Pacific War, after which the British resumed control and then, in 1997, China resumed sovereignty. These days the city-state is well-known as a cultural and economic powerhouse, and during my busy week there I was overwhelmed by choices of sights, restaurants and shopping. Hong Kong was also the perfect city to end our trip to China: accessible, easy to navigate, full of things to see and ways to spend any ... read more
Rooftop patio of Hop Inn on Carnarvan
Artwork in our room
Room/Bathroom at Hop Inn on Carnarvan

Asia » Hong Kong » Hong Kong Island September 29th 2013

The boat trip to the Whitsundays was the perfect way to end my trip!! Was relaxing compared to the madness of Fraser Island. Had to get an overnight bus to Airlie Beach. Wasn't too bad and managed to sleep most of the way. Got Airlie at 7am. Had nothing to do, so just wandered about like a homeless person until Travel Bugs opened so I could ditch my bag there and use their free Internet. After a bit Nat and Kim arrived too so wandered with them for a bit. Went to make an emergency doctors appointment as the foot had swelled up and was looking gammy yet again. Appointment was for the day I got back from the boat trip. Had to say goodbye to Nat and Kim :'( Will hopefully see them when they ... read more

Asia » Hong Kong » Hong Kong Island » Wan Chai September 18th 2013

Today I handed in my tax forms (I love HK tax forms, it was very easy and I didn't have to pay anything). when I came out of the Revenue Building, I came across a protest outside the Immigration Building. Protests are a regular occurrence in HK, there are: Pro-China, Anti-China, Pro-Britain, Anti-falun Gong, Pro-Democracy, Anti-protests... in fact, you name it; Kongers will protest. But these weren't Kongers. This was a group of domestic helpers; the Tetes, or 'Aunties'. Their chant, "We are workers! We're not slaves!" may seem a little extreme, but is, in my opinion, more than justified. Two months ago, a football match between Hong Kong and Philippines was marred by HK fans chanting "You're all just slaves!" at their rivals. And this kind of behaviour is not restricted to football hooliganism. It's ... read more
tete protest 2

Asia » Hong Kong » Hong Kong Island » Stanley September 10th 2013

In mid-October, Irish asked if I wanted to go with her and her colleague to a Mosque for a gathering of some kind; Ms Chan had been pretty vague on the details, but had insisted that Irish go with her, and Irish didn't want to go by herself, so I agreed that it would, at the very least, be interesting. It turned out that the place was a Sikh Temple, and it wasn't a 'thing', it was an ordinary service. The most embarrassing part was Ms Chan and her friends taking photos, posing and arranging themselves, getting in the way of everybody trying to worship and get on with her business. Ms Chan was also unable to put on a headscarf properly and ended up wearing it like a terrible bandanna that somehow managed to miss ... read more

Asia » Hong Kong » Hong Kong Island September 8th 2013

Hi guys! Hope you're all fine This is my third travel blog of my world trip, focussing on Hong Kong. Although it actually includes other areas too! Leaving Tokyo, I flew to Hong Kong with a transfer in Taiwan, unfortunately only spending an hour there - but enough time to buy a souvenir, and see some views out of the plane. I then flew into Hong Kong circling over Hong Kong Island, and again seeing great views over the central areas. On my first full day the weather in Hong Kong was torrential...getting absolutely drenched after a few minutes, despite all my waterproofs on, but this didn't matter so much as I walked a short distance to the ferry terminal, where I would take a ferry over to the Portuguese version of Hong Kong - Macau. ... read more
Ruins of St. Pauls
Po Lin
View over Shenzhen

Asia » Hong Kong » Hong Kong Island » Wan Chai September 6th 2013

My day in Hong Kong consisted of walking mostly. I started the day with no real aim but to wander the streets and do what I wanted to! Spolied I know. Breakfast started at a 7-eleven and a starbucks, purely because I spoke no cantonese and no one seemed to speak any mandarin. English however was widely accepted. I found myself at Shun Tak shopping mall on Victoria Harbour. Some really nice views of the Harbour there. I found myself getting on the MTR (subway) to Wan Chai where I found the Hong Kong Convention and exhibition center. Outside the convention center next to the water was a beautiful golden statue of a flower known as the Golden Bauhinia. This is the flower on the Hong Kong flag and holds a lot of meaning to Hong ... read more
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