Our afternoon at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum within the Victoria Peak Tram Complex deserves this separate blog. Meeting over 100 stars, in wax than live, is just over the top. Just a short ferry ride from Kowloon side, a short ride on Bus No. 15, and we were finally at the Peak Tram Terminus. A long line snaked through the street around the Terminus. We skipped the line and instead bought the combination ticket for the tram ride to the top, Sky Terraces and Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. While waiting, we browsed through the gallery of old newspaper articles, photos and artifacts to introduce us to the 120 year old Tram. As volunteered by Patricia, the first 2 seats in the tram are reserved for the Governor of Hongkong till the last 2 minutes before the ... read more

Dining in Hongkong never fails. And speaking of culinary adventures, 2 Hongkong favorites easily come to mind. I had my fingers and toes crossed that a reservation can be made in either one of the 2 for our New Year's Eve dinner. It was just our luck that a table for 9 pax is available at the Jade Garden Restaurant on the 4th floor of the Star House in Salisbury Road, where diners can enjoy good food as well as a good view of the Victorian Harbour. Our table may not offer the best views, but we had a delightful dinner that night. How can one go wrong with Peking Duck? We enjoyed the delicious duck meat and skin served with cucumbers and hoisin sauce, wrapped in thin egg wrappers. It was the finest way to ... read more

Rahnee's in town from Sydney.....working on some project, but with time enough to join a 5 night cruise with me around Vietnam, Sanya (in china) and Hongkong. We took an early flight to Singapore where we were met by our travel agent who then took us to the pier to board our boat. MV Virgo is a huge cruise liner, the biggest in the fleet run by the same group who owns the Genting Resorts. I have long been curious about this cruise liner which offers 2 night to week long cruises around Asia. There was one I particularly liked which sails to Phuket, Langkawi Island, etc. But instead, we are joining this cruise which sails out of Singapore and calls on Ho Chi Minh, Sanya and Hongkong. The package we got allows for another night's ... read more

An hour or so away by plane, all of 8 to 9 hours travel by road. Take your pick. We chose to fly, then rent a car from our base which is Fort Ilocandia Hotel and Resort. The hotel is a good base for many day trips to various parts of the Ilocos Region. Top of the list is a visit to Vigan, the only surviving colonial town in the country. Declared a UNESCO Heritage Site, it is a must see for all visitors who want to catch a glimpse of how it was in the 18th and early 19th century. Time stood still in this part of Northern Philippines. It helped too that Vigan , unlike Cebu and Manila, was spared of the bombing last World War II. Do not forget that Manila is the ... read more

This beats many a collector's dream. I am not sure whether to thank the collector, to envy him, or what. We accepted a friend's invitation to spend the weekend in Pilar, Bataan and prepared ourselves for a somewhat dull weekend visiting the local market, Mt. Samat War Memorial Shrine in Pilar, Bataan, and enjoying fresh fruits in season. "Ciudad de Acuzar" was not part of our itinerary. Neither have we even heard of this heritage town where the owner's collections included many historical turn of the century houses, town hall, school and chapel! Just 3 hours north from Manila The drive northwest of Manila via an expressway and paved roads took more than 3 hours. Pilar is a sleepy town in Bataan. Right beside a ricefield with a view of Mt. Samat, our host's house promised ... read more