Blogs from Kowloon, Hong Kong, Asia - page 2

First, I was wrong. This is not a western city. It merely looks like one from afar. Once you get close and personal, it is Asian to the core. To my eyes, this means exotic, unusual, enigmatic and fascinating. I have seen such sights! I could spend years here and never understand it all. Secondly, in the last week, Honkers has experienced record breaking temperatures (hottest in 100 years). I was not being histrionic - it’s a bloody sauna out there! Thirdly, the subway here is a cinch. Even I am able to get around. Purchase an Octopus card 50 HK dollars deposit - you can get that back and any unused credit when you’re done. Lastly, our Salisbury Road YMCA has proved to be a moderately priced gem of a place. It is located next ... read more

We woke feeling a little delicate after our night out in Lan Kwai Fong. We had an appointment booked for twelve, so there would be no lounging in before us. My friend was definitely suffering more than I was. When I suggested breakfast, she went green. It was boiling hot when we stepped outside, not good for our hungover, dehydrated bodies. We stopped at the convenience store, so I could get some good and coffee into my system and my friend could stock up on water. We took the subway to Central, where we met the photographer, we had arranged to meet. My friend had found this thing online, where quite a few Korean expats have set up side gigs as photographers and take you to all the famous and/or secret spots to get good shots. ... read more

First stop of the day was breakfast. There was a really cute cafe a few doors along from our guesthouse that did avocado toast and grilled cheese sandwiches, which I really wanted to check out. My friend readily agreed to this and we headed there, well the first time we walked straight past it, that wasn't a good sign, we retraced out steps and found the place was shut. Bugger, there goes that option. We took a walk along the streets near where we were staying and soon found a place open for breakfast. We headed into Kai Lee Noodles, the place was totally old school and I took this as a sign it was a good place. It wasn't very busy and we were shown to a table and given menus to peruse. We settled ... read more

So, by popular demand, I’m back on the blog, retelling some of our adventures. This trip is about returns, giving ourselves time to do things we haven’t done yet and reacquainting ourselves with some of our favourite things...Including champagne to celebrate the delay of our flight due to grim weather at Gatwick. We last visited Hong Kong 12 years ago, exhausted and hungry from travelling round China the only thought then was eating; whether that was Macky D’s or tea at the Peninsula. We wanted more time to experience and ‘do’ HK. I suppose the soundtrack to this part of our trip has to be Christmas music, which is played on the MTR (tube), shops, hotels, boats and oddly even in the cable car to the Buddhist monastery. The Xmas lights and decorations are everywhere and ... read more

For the second time in a month, we found ourselves in Shanghai's massive Pudong airport. Last time we were headed back to the U.S. and booked a nearby hotel to spend our long layover in. Stretching out for a few hours in a comfortable bed and having a relaxed meal is a rare luxury that we enjoyed when we had the chance. This time we were going in the opposite direction and had already spent a long day of travel from San Francisco. Our stopover this time was 3 hours. Long enough to be uncomfortable but not long enough to leave the airport. We still had a couple of hours more to fly and we really missed the opportunity to relax in the comfort of a hotel. The excitement of getting to our destination didn't deter ... read more