Tag: Hong Kong

  • Hot Crossed Buns


    Inexcusable behaviour by ‘fake’ flat eric and the Easter chicken

    Here I am, sitting in Hong Kong airport eating a hot crossed buns
    (two, if I am being truthful) for the first time in four years. Part
    of the collateral damage of living abroad is losing connections with
    the festivals and annual habits from home that help form your own
    personal calendar.

    I am no religious person, but Easter is one of those times of the year
    that helps punctuate the start of the good weaker, and living in a
    culture where that does not exist can be quite hard -especially as the
    disappointment usually sinks in on November 6th that you just missed
    Guy Fawkes night. Again.

    And Easter? Well I don’t even like chocolate that much, but what I do
    love is a toasted hot crossed bun laced with melted butter and served
    steamy hot. I didn’t get the toasted bit, but I did make up for it
    with the butter. Happy Easter everyone!


    Destination: Shanghai (Secret) … photo by the Helds

  • Travel

    Well, here I am in Hong Kong airport, on my way to Shanghai. I am coming over at the last minute to kick off one of my projects. In typical DEM style, schedules were changing by the minute right up until I left work yesterday, as we juggled schedules from people flying in from all over Asia. Quite a feat.

    And here I am, waiting for four hours in arrivals, waiting for the Visa to be processed. I can’t really go anywhere as they have my passport, and all the fun stuff is really in departures. One bright light is the fact that Cathay Pacific have (cynically) offered me free membership to their ‘Marco Polo’ business club, and with the Silver card have access to all the lounges and cool stuff I have for so long been denied access to. Finally! Of course, it coincides with my almost having enough air miles for a return trip to London, so it is a sweetener to make me stay loyal, obviously, before I splurge it all on going home. But, the quicker check-in, extra 10kg and sense of elitist satisfaction I have more than makes it worth it!

    Next stop Shanghai … there for two days on business, then a weekend of fun with Anke & Lars … and who knows, I might be in Korea and Beijing next weekend. It’s all to play for!

  • Out of Breath

    Well, here I am in Hong Kong, waiting for my connection onwards to London. The last few weeks have been a little too much, and I am really looking forward to unwinding a little.

    I am intrigued to see England in the summer time – it’s the first time in a few years, which is quite sad to say, isn’t it?

    I am looking out of the window right now looking at the pretty amazing view of the Hong Kong mountains, and I am pretty sure I have never seen them as clear as this – rather wonderful. I really think that there are worse places than HK airport to be stuck for an hour or so.

  • Medicine No Fakes


    Medicine No Fakes – a funny sign in Macao

  • The Macao Run

    I had been to Hong Kong several times before but never Macao, so I was really excited about hopping on the ferry with Jade and checking it out. A quick 50 minute hop over on a choice of catamaran or jet foil, the first thing that greets you is the enormous Sands gambling resort, which I am almost positive could be seen from space – even without the night time neon.

    One half of Macao is this rather pathetic replica of Las Vegas, but it was the other half I came for. Staying in the East Asia hotel – a place that had clearly seen better days – we were in a good position to step out and see the old town. My Mother – perceptive as ever – had compared the place with Bury St. Edmunds – a small market town near to Cambridge.

    I can see what she means (although anyone from outside East Anglia may have trouble making the connection!) – the town square is just slightly too tarted up, with the McDonald’s concealed behind a colonial building facade and local boy racers dragging by in their rice rockets. Outside the centre, it takes on a much more southern European feel – indeed, I felt some similarity with Mexico and Guatemala, which is hardly a surprise.

    Overall, a very nice and laid back place and a very pleasant place to spend a day walking around.


    Macao – an amazing collision of colonial Portuguese and local Cantonese cultures


    King of the Castle


    The view from the town centre towards the horrific – HORRIFIC – new casino


    Rather more classic Vegas style neon. The Chinese visitors seem to stick to this part of town, whereas the westerners can be seen taking in the colonial sights.


    Bulbs powered by burning money inside


    Dozens of pawn shops outside selling expensive watches to pay for the good times


    Bamboo scaffolding on a Portuguese church makes for an arresting sight


    Stopping for a rest


    Jade and I chill in one of the small squares


    The Arabian Barracks – did the Portuguese host Arab soldiers?


    The Matsu temple – god of the sea – was packed with Chinese worshipers

  • Hong Kong with Jade

    Jade and I managed to jet off for a quick weekend in Hong Kong and Macao, before all the crazy stuff begins to happen in the next couple of months with her job – she’ll be spending rather a lot of time in Beijing from now on. Unfortunately, she managed to visit for the first time just a few days before while on business, but for once I have to thank her workaholic boss for showing her only the airport, client’s office and hotel.

    I am a relative expert with this place, so we managed to tick off a few favourites, as well as my first trip into the New Territories – far, far more pleasant than I ever would have expected. Indeed, it reminded me of Yangming mountain in its scale and beauty, and I came away rather impressed and relaxed having spent a day on the amazing public transport and taking in some cafes and nature. Somehow managed to forget to take any photos though!

    I was pretty amazed and delighted to bump into Lorenzo after a cool night listening to African funk at Yumla. He forgot to tell me his new phone number, so he took a wild guess as to where we might be and we met him in the street, which was a pretty cool feeling.


    On the cable car up to The Peak


    Jade surveys the city


    Do not climb


    BEN & JERRY’S IN HONG KONG. CHUNKY MONKEY!

  • I’m Used to Hong Kong

    It seems strange to say, but I am not used to being used to Hong Kong. It’s supposed to be this amazing world city and here I am again meeting some friends and enjoying a beer.

    I have to say though, taking the train from the airport is a total step up from Taipei. It has some catching up to do.

    One night in Hong Kong! I fear for my health!


    A little local printing shop on Staunton Street – HK Island


    Two of my favourite Buildings – China Bank and HSBC


    … and the evil Tower of Mordor / World Finance Centre. The lighting is just cool.


    Soho backstreet on HK Island


    I still get so many cheap kicks from the escalator ferrying people up the hill. It’s the longest in the world.


    One of my favourite locations in Kowloon – the young designer clothes market. A treasure trove.

  • Change of Plans

    My plan to fly to Hong Kong tomorrow, wait for my China Visa, and then spend 5 days in Shanghai has been cancelled.

    Why? Because tomorrow is a national holiday in China so I need to fly immediately! I had ten minutes to pack pants and toothbrush, and I will spend tonight in Hong Kong. Sadly, I miss Lorenzo (who is passing through this airport from HK… but the other way) and Michael & Tanja. I will be missing their farewell dinner and BBQ this weekend, which is sad, but it gives me a marvellous excuse to visit them in Singapore!

    So – on to Hong Kong!

  • HK -> Sydney

    Here I am in Hong Kong once again after a bit of a scary trip to the airport, with a taxi driver that had clearly never driven on the motorway before.

    A bit more relaxed now…. and ready for the leg to Australia!

  • 45 Hours in Hong Kong

    Friday Night
    I had been looking forward to meeting Ele in Hong Kong for the last month, ever since she gave me dates for her visit to Beijing and Xiamen. The planning, unusually, was perfect and I landed 5 minutes behind her, probably trailing her plane in on the final appraoch. It was, however, a touch late but we managed to make up for lost time with little difficulty.

    The hotel was amazing. Reasonable price, great location in the Mid Levels, and a jaw-dropping view of Central and accross to Stanley Bay and Kowloon. The 23rd floor bay view premium was worth every penny. Michael joined us on the 14th floor, lining up for a great weekend of meeting friends and family in the South China Sea.

    I felt pretty proud heading out there, with so many different groups of people that I knew. Plus, the fact that I had already visited Hong Kong twice meant that I had no need to do the tourist attractions. The eleation of landing there last year was replaced somewhat with the feeling of visiting a London, or perhaps Frankfurt. No surprises, but a pleasure to be here. What a different perspective a year provides!


    The stunning view from our hotel of Central, Hong Kong

    We met Lorenzo in his new apartment, ironically staying in Sun Yat Sens old hideout on Staunton Street, right in Soho but away from the bustle of Lan Kwai Fong. A nice little pad with balcony / boudoir. We sank a couple of glasses of wine and went off to meet Nick and Rich from the ‘Keep’ boutique store in Taipei, plus Anita and Pamela that I had the pleasure to meet a few weeks ago. Somehow, I seemed to have networked myself into the Hong Kong social scene remotely, since we hardly paid for a drink all night, and we got into three clubs for free. The homework paid off! The highlight was surely Dragon-i – packed with models and apparently celebrities and the jewel in the crown of the HK scenes to see and be seen.


    Party people at Dragon-i

    Saturday
    A rather blurry start to the day, but Ele and I went off to meet Anita + Michael and we pootled off to the equivalent of Wufenpu clothes market in Taipei, except for young clothing designers. Four floors of edge, attitude, and glamour. I picked up a pile of pieces plus shoes and felt pretty pleased with myself.

    In the evening we went off to rather a splendid Shanghai restaurant in the ‘Money’ building called Nan Guo (more or less). Anita had selected the dishes remotely for us so navigating the menu was not too intimidating. The cool thing was allowing the waiters to prepare the food in front of you – stuffing parcels, cutting bits of meat, mixing things – adding to the feeling of a ritual. Similar to the experience I have had with Japanese food. All part of the theatre.

    Of course, we had to go out after. Several bars turned into several clubs – the best of which was Lamaya (or something) which had a German deejay on hand dishing up tight house and techno to a dancing crowd of foreigners and locals. The scene is certainly different here. They seem far more ready to dance to music they have not heard before, unlike Taipei where pop / RnB floor fillers are the safe norm. Equally, fashion here is more developed and western. Less need to flash well-known brand names and more desire to have things that only people in the know will get.


    Michael in Morocco, it seems

    Sunday
    Waking up to the sound of apes howling is a little disarming.

    Cracking open my eyes, I realised that of course our hotel was located 23 floors above the monkey sanctuary of the zoo. The one Ele and I saw last year! It certainly confused me for a good few seconds before the pain of the alcohol hit me as a mosquito would a motorbike helmet – if I am the mosquito. We trundled downstairs to eat breakfast and wait for Lorenzo and the beach!


    One more view of our view – the bulk of my photos had the lens pointed between our curtains! If you close your eyes, you can hear monkeys…

    Repulse Bay – surely the coolest name… there must be good songs written about it – is on the south coast of Hong Kong Island. Rather developed, I realised after an hour there that this was exactly the afternoon I needed – not only for Hong Kong, but for the previous months in Taiwan where I have not left the city except on two wheels. I realised that I have not really been out of Taipei since I was in Thailand – such was the pace of change of my social life.

    I managed to drift off while lying on a floating deck moored 50m out, Lorenzo impressed his German architect girls by writing swear words in the sand, Ele looked pensively off into the distance, and we all watched the sun set while sipping Smirnoff Ice – surely what the stuff was designed for.


    Ele stares into the middle distance, feet in the South China Sea


    Lorenzo on fine form


    Run for the beach!

    Arriving back in Taipei was a wrench, especially to say goodbye to Lorenzo and Anita. I have a feeling I could be back at some point. You never know. I certainly like the place (could you tell?). After some Beijing food, Ele and I rolled to the airport and bid farewell – really, very tough for me. Not seeing her in 10 months and having her snatched away again was a bit rough. Such is the decision of living abroad. And as you can see, the lows come with very good highs. It’s rarely easy, but nearly alwaysrewarding, ultimately.