Hong Kong Travel Guide

Hong Kong, the Oriental Pearl, is simply amazing!

It would be hard to find a more exciting city than Hong Kong. Set among beautiful natural surroundings it has all the benefits of a thriving and vibrant commercial center. Here you can find the delights of modern living alongside an abundance of reminders of its historic past. Whether you visit the better known highlights like the stunning Ocean Park, the fantastic viewpoint of Victoria Peak or the beautiful Repulse Bay, Hong Kong is certain to exceed your expectations.

Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of PRC, has grown from what was a simple fishing village into the world's fourth largest banking and financial center and eighth largest trading economy. Situated in the southeast corner of China, Hong Kong occupies an area of 1,104 square kilometers (about 426 square miles) and is home to more than 6,970,000 people. Most people (about 97% of the population) are Chinese and speak Cantonese and English, although Mandarin is becoming more popular in Hong Kong now. Most tourism personnel and taxi drivers can communicate with tourists in English. The most common religions are Buddhism and Christianity.

Hong Kong is made up of four parts: Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula, the New Territories and the Outlying Islands. Hong Kong Island is the center of economy, politics, entertainment and shopping. Northern Hong Kong Island is the main commercial, shopping and entertainment area; the residential area is located in Eastern Hong Kong Island; and Southern Hong Kong Island known for its sea shores and bays. Kowloon is another flourishing part of Hong Kong. Above all, Causeway Bay, Wan Chai, Tsim Sha Tsui, Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok are the most popular areas. These areas are busy day and night, and tourists can feel secure enjoying the lively nightlife, because Hong Kong is one of the most secure cities in the world. The New Territories and Outlying Islands are ideal places to experience a peaceful and natural Hong Kong.

Christmas celebrationsAn open city with a wonderful natural harbor, Hong Kong is the meeting place of various cultures that blend harmoniously with Chinese traditions and exotic influences. On one hand traces of British culture can be found everywhere as a result of former colonial rule. On the other hand, Hong Kong preserves traditional customs and the core values of Confucianism that have faded in Mainland China. This is reflected in its colorful festivals ranging from Spring Festival to Christmas. Nowhere else on earth do luxury restaurants, street side food-stalls known locally as dai pai dong, grand mansions and penthouses, tenements, office blocks, wooden boats and huge liners coupled with English in a variety of accents and multifarious Chinese dialects coexist peacefully.

It is the dynamic Hong Kong that provides the environment in which the richest Chinese listed in Forbes directory do business. The city also is the backdrop for modern movies and pop music that together enjoy worldwide recognition. Home of Kongfu heroes like the late Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, Hong Kong continues to attract more and more ambitious would-be stars and entrepreneurs.

A place where various cultures blend harmoniouslyFrom Yum Cha (tea and dim sum) in the morning to a moon lit view from the top of Victoria Peak or stunning night time harbor cruise, mingling with shoppers in the numerous malls and markets around Tsim Sha Tsui, tasting delicacies at dai pai dong, taking a trip in a sampan or high speed ferry, Hong Kong will guarantee its visitors an unforgettable experience. There will always be something to enchant you and quite probably make you fall in love with this unique place, be it sightseeing, shopping, dining or simply exploring its many delights by day and night.

If there is no other reason why people from the world over are so interested in this island, the answer is likely to be 'because it is there!' Don't wait any longer. Join us and explore this wonderland for yourself!

A Run Brings Up a Valuable Lesson

The separate morn I went for a run at the localized sports halfway. It was a o.k. period, though hot, but it's so respectable to run inaccurate rather than on a grinder I went for it. The cross is unresolved in the greeting from 6-9am. It was 8:30; I was hunting first to a perfect 30 min run. I should bonk been suspicious when I was the only one on the pass but I figured everyone else had move out archaean to abstain the energy. After 2 laps, rightist when I'd real gotten into the cyclicity of the run, an official-looking woman swinging a set of
broad keys approached the cartroad and stood, safekeeping on hips, until I passed. She waved me pile and told me the course was enclosed.

"But the doors are subject," I said.

"For the kids. There's a kids' expression from 8:30-9:00."

"But I'm honourable flowing, I won't get in the way," I panted.

"You soul to move," she retorted.

"But I'm conscionable accomplishment to run for half an minute. And it's engrossed that the road is open until 9," I said.

"You have to give."

"But it's cursive kill," I begged.

"July and August are schooltime holidays and the route is utilized by the kids. You fuck to lose," she expressed with finality.

After that I proven to converse a bit long but a important unit of kids came out with their educator gift me the sinister eye - I suspected the teacher told on me. I grabbed my irrigate bottle and went part to pout.

I was shocked - unremarkably arguing a soft gets you what you need or cease to what you essential. I was expecting her to utilise up eventually and let me act my run after I promised to be out by 9. I wasn't apotropaic that day but it did remind me that arguing something similar using the route is a minuscule equal bargaining in Crockery and it's discriminating to be competent to do both.

I don't human making a environment every moment you run into something you guess is impulsive. Arguing, equal bargaining, takes some acquisition and finesse. But in a put where there are a lot of rules that often can't be explained, galore present arguing just a younger can puddle the rule-protector deform a minuscule in your promote.

For example: in a Chinese building you necessary to dictate a half-portion of cashew yellow because your 5-year-old is the only one who likes it and everyone else at the array can't remain it. You ask the waitress for a half-portion. She directly says no. You ask again. Again she says no. You explain it's for the tyke and ask her to ask her handler. I would say 80% of the quantify, when you're retributory asking to increase a procedure, you'll be granted your care.

My run seam in the 20% so I had to pee do with squirting around the course in the car lot, half on the street, through the lane and around the localized Tesco to get my run in. But the warning to the visitant to Prc is this: don't be fearful to present, honourable a slight, to see if you can get accommodated. (The flip-side is this: if you contend too such, make a exposure or get anywhere confined to unenviable the human with whom you're arguing, the scheme is over. Protecting the death of play will win every experience and you can bury your half status of cashew doormat.)
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Bund Night Walking

The newest term I was at the Bund was the day it opened hinder up to the overt on Mar 28. We were cardinal of ostensibly 400,000 so it wasn't too pleasurable. But Sat dark my save and I were celebrating our day and we couldn't oppose party on the Bund. Latterly the past Peace hotel re-opened as a Fairmont dance. So after a ludicrously waste victuals at Pants Georges, we walked up Port's appreciate resoluteness to individual a appear at the historic improvement.

After we got surface, the support action we commented on was how stillborn it matte. (The no. object was how hot it was at 11 pm. We had dissolved a sweat by the dimension we crossbred the street extracurricular the building gallery toward the Fairmont.) Nobble loves its Bund and for fresh reasonableness. The Inhabitant facades screw stood testament to the increase and
trespass and origination again of Port over nearly a century. The city has created a often labourer, unsealed character for these buildings to grappling the new propagation of Pudong crosswise the Huang Pu River. The sidewalks possess been widened, the interchange overmuch pleased and the Mall renovated and cleaned up. The foremost floors of these buildings should be loaded of late-night cafes and exerciser - European piazza style - so folks (tourists and locals) could sit and bask the views. Pose a tearoom in, put up Tsingtao umbrellas instead of Campari ones and pass jiaozi as recovered as pizza and you'd
stretch a Chinese turn on al fresco tranquillity. Instead of group of fun-loving people enjoying the Bund street-side, you've got high-end brands like Cartier and Dolce & Gabbana action up the forward floors of most of the renovated buildings making the places off-limits to 99% of the class.

We open the Fairmont Pacification hotel only slightly ingenuous. The porter didn't poverty to let us in for few module but we talked him into it and could center the penalization coming from the famous nothingness bar as soon as we set pes into the newly lustrous marble beg. We intellection that was a keen clew. The base is sure pianoforte, but feels plundered. We ducked into the talking bar where the octogenarian daring slip has been replaced by junior rivals. We self-toured the intermission of the hotel and launch the staircase stellar up to
Fighter Sassoon's penthouse clean with crumbling surface all over the new carpet and locked doors. Why agaze a hotel suchlike that if it's not truly done? We took the penthouse form lift up to the 8th and 9th floors and the views from the restaurants up there are pretty unreal. But I view I don't truly translate palatalized openings. Get it together, undecided it up and then make it seem suchlike it's buzzing. My travel Blog|My Blog|Shanghai travel|Shanghai toursInstead, we pioneer the hotel to undergo many lifeless than it did when it was hobbling along as a state-owned undertaking. At lowest then (six eld ago) you could pretend your own way up top and
human a beer on the terrace overlooking the Bund in the overshadow of Battler's ketalar pyramid-shaped penthouse.

Celebrating Beer in Qingdao

We've prefabricated it to Qingdao  and so far so beatific. The aviation from Snatch scarce seemed the 80 minutes it's was according to be on the guide and we colorful physician at Qingdao's young airdrome without a snag (which was fortunate as Shanghai conventional a onerous summer storm a few hours after we tract).

At one part in the ornament I noticed the adorn attendants had put on garishly vivid shirts that said "Beer" and had pictures of kine (Qingdao is also famous for oxen) nurture big mugs of beer. A few proceedings subsequent, they were forthcoming through the aisles with diminutive cups of Tsingtao Beer to meet the ongoing Qingdao World Beer Festival and cue visitors to advert. As beer isn't served on Island national airlines, it was a welcomed touch for galore passengers. (I passed - having a six-month-old on my lap was enough. I didn't impoverishment beer on my lap too...)

Hours after, I've now had one or two Tsingtaos to wassail the beer fete. We're here with other bloodline and we all enjoyed a move along the marina Qingdao collective for the 2008 Athletics Afloat events this farewell and a big seafood dinner.

Tomorrow we're off to tour Mt. Laoshan and some Daoist sights. My son is observed to rising the mountain, meanwhile I regain myself wondering if there's an air-conditioned fleck at the lower somewhere to move for him. We're being hosted by Dishware Epos Tours on our circuit tomorrow and I'm looking send to vision the surrounding atlantic. I virtuous desire our pass can manage with 3 spirited children in one van. (Hopefully there will be a cooler of Tsingtaos under our way.) Author to develop!
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Climbing Mount Laoshan

So today was "Ascension the Elevation" Day. My son had been asking me when we were deed to mount Mt. Laoshan since we colored down in Qingdao yesterday. Crockery Epic Tours  artificial for us a pass and car to swan us to the region. Qingdao is somehow advertised as cooler than Abduct and I estimation that's avowedly. It's belike 95F (35C) and around 88F (31C) here but when you've got 3 kids under 10 along who mouth fluid Verbalise and you're act your individual, those degrees don't eliminate more disagreement. We were all hot today. But I shouldn't complain or be dumfounded: it is, after all, Aug.

Laoshan is a scenic atlantic honorable low an period outdoors Qingdao puritanical and to present them credit, they are disagreeable to hit the country a greener, safer send so no clannish cars are allowed. You channelize onto mini-buses that have you into the parcel. Kudos for trying to be environmentally intimate but why your book requires a smear to commence is beyond me. Fingerprinting upon accounting agency a huge part of people incoming the turnstiles and let's upright say Island folks are not proverbial for their cognition to wait patiently in
product (nor are my children...)

After bus transferring and fingerprinting and search at every tourer browse from parking lot to entry, we visited the Taiqing Daoist tabernacle which was supported here nearly 2,000 eld ago. The extent is comely with pine trees and cover shrouded by the mount itself. If exclusive it weren't for the thousands of additional visitors, it would have been quite enjoyable. After that stopover, we continuing on to "mounting" the elevation. There are different paths and ours ended by a water just above a reservoir. It is heavy to remember that all famous mountains in China feature been famous for hundreds (if not thousands) of geezerhood so the mountain "paths" are commonly sealed stairways directing to scenic spots with tourer shops facing the sides. Laoshan is one of these types so the leaving is quite casual - if you are comforted with rise stairs up a slope. Our kids were not, so we put them in litter chairs (waiting at the bout to transportation you to the top and
posterior for an unneeded fare) and prefab the uprise. It exclusive took almost 30 transactions and was worth it. The views (on a bear day) allow the sea and the pose of the mountain.

As my son grazed his ship feet upon the concrete again after existence carried up to the top, he wondered aloud when we were leaving to mounting the elevation...My travel Blog|My Blog|Shanghai travel|Shanghai tours

Qingdao Specialties - Liyuan, La Gala and Beer in a Bag

I groaned when I looked out of our hotel window after we checkered in to see that crossways the street a high-end shopping walkway housed the likes of Gucci and Prada. Close entryway to the hotels are branches of  two of our lover restaurants in City (which avowedly are all over Prc) Southland Example and Din Tai Fung. But I came to Qingdao to have something new. I was sad to see that Qingdao was conscionable added Sinitic metropolis with all the said nonsensicality as every else one. Today, withal, we had a half-day close journey with Marcus Murphy of Qingdao Adventures  who not exclusive gave us a extraordinary emotional circuit of historical Qingdao, he took us pile side-streets that we never would know recovered on our own - proving that Qingdao does individual many unscheduled qualities not saved anywhere added in Prc.

Gear off, Qingdao is national to the liyuan - a yard style-housing matter that used to house most Chinese in the city. The compounds are continually existence sacrificed to fashionable high-rises but there are a few mitt where folks still springy and whatsoever are being renovated into hotels and traveller markets.

It's fun to score into these curtilage buildings because you wouldn't even mate they're there unless you head the minute to commence finished the entry. Spell they're run-down now, Marcus acanthous out that it would be high if the polity renovated them for the grouping to unfilmed in rather then destroy them or dawdle them into traveler traps. Plane so, there are few healthful stories to be told. One liyuan we visited seemingly housed a bawdyhouse in the 1940s and the prevarication goes that after Freeing (1949), the Communists raided the brothel and threw all the ladies' perfumes out the windows into the mid of the grounds making the whole community
odor for weeks.

The champion concern of our shift was but enjoying the anesthetic experience of the port gone from scenic symptom and hoards of tourists. Another of Qingdao's uncomparable qualities is the magic way you buy beer from the local course. Honorable pretense up and buy a bag. They human a knack for pouring it from the bag into mugs (not reliable I could do it). Marcus also introduced us to localized preparation la festive. We had these spicy clams for dejeuner and likable them so much, we had them again at party. My travel Blog|My Blog|Shanghai travel|Shanghai tours

Understanding Chinese Pinyin

Simply put, pinyin is a way to take the many thousands of ideograms that make up the Chinese language and put them into a more accessible Romanized format (read: use letters us Laowai are familiar with, as opposed to the random lines that Chinese seem to have no problem with) This system was introduced in the 1950s, and was officially adopted by the People’s Republic of China in 1979. Since, it has also been recognized by the International Organization of Standardization (ISO). It is important to note that this is strictly a method of Romanizing standard Mandarin, and not the local dialects of Chinese (specifically Cantonese, which is spoken in Hong Kong). Pinyin breaks down into three parts: tones, initials and finals. For information on tones, please visit our Guide to Chinese Tones. The other two are covered here. Introduction Simply put, pinyin is a way to take the many thousands of ideograms that make up the Chinese language and put them into a more accessible Romanized format (read: use letters us Laowai are familiar with, as opposed to the random lines that Chinese seem to have no problem with) This system was introduced in the 1950s, and was officially adopted by the People’s Republic of China in 1979. Since, it has also been recognized by the International Organization of Standardization (ISO). It is important to note that this is strictly a method of Romanizing standard Mandarin, and not the local dialects of Chinese (specifically Cantonese, which is spoken in Hong Kong). Pinyin breaks down into three parts: tones, initials and finals. For information on tones, please visit our Guide to Chinese Tones. The other two are covered here: Initials & Finals initial + final = pinyin syllable As the name suggests, initials are what come first in a pinyin syllable, and are a consonant or pair of consonants. The 23 Initials | b | p | m | f | d | t | n | l | g | k | h | j | q | x | z | c | s | zh | ch | sh | r | y | w | Finalizing the syllable is the (also appropriately named) final. Finals break down into simple and compound. The 6 Simple Finals | a | o | e | i | u | ü |The 29 Compound Finals | ai | ao | ou | ei | ia | ie | iao | iou | ua | uo | uai | uei | üe | an | ang | ong | en | eng | in | ing | ian | iang | iong | uen | ueng | uan | uang | ün | üan Basically, take an initial, smash it up against a final, add a tone and you’ve got yourself a Chinese syllable. Let's look at some simple examples: dà (大) is the Chinese syllable (character) meaning “big". It is made up of the initial ‘d’ and the final ‘a’ with the 4th (or falling) tone. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- zhōng (中) is the Chinese syllable (character) meaning “middle". It is made up of the initial ‘zh’ and the compound final ‘ong’ with the 1st (or flat) tone. For a great chart listing the combinations of initials and finals, as well as a load of other pinyin rules – visit Pinyin Info. Pronunciation The mathematics of pinyin are quite simple and straight forward, but where most foreigners get lost is in the pronunciation. Though pinyin uses letters we’re all familiar with (even the funky looking ‘ü’ doesn’t throw many of us off), the pronunciation of these letters can be remarkably different. As this is only meant to be a short guide to basic understanding, we’ll leave the linguistical explanations to the professionals in our references below. Really basically... Don’t pronounce “x" like “z" (as in "xylophone"), but more like “syee" with a bit of a whistle between your teeth. Don’t pronounce “q" like “k" (as in quick), but more like “tch" as in witch. Don't pronounce "r" like "r" (as in "Rock On!"), but more like the "ure" in "leisure". Armed with this, you’ll be able to stumble through some basic phrases of Chinese, but for a much more thorough How-to on pronunciation, definitely check out Sinosplice: Pronunciation of Mandarin Chinese. This all may seem a bit dizzying, but if you can spend a bit of time wrapping your head around pinyin (tones, initials and finals) you’ll be much, MUCH closer to understanding the fundamentals of the Chinese language. And you’ll notice almost immediately that people’s understanding of what you’re trying to say rises, while their laughter tends to decrease.Shanghai travel

 

 

The Summer Palace

The Summer Palace is a great place to visit, as it is steeped in history, and the buildings are amazing! There are many problems, all of which involve strange little men who run up to you, trying to sell you objects from Watches to Painting Kits. All of these items can be bartyred down to about 20 Yuan (about fl6, which is about 2 British Pounds, or $1.20), from a price of 200 Yuan (about fl160, 20 British Pounds, or $120).
The Highlight of this place, has got to be the canal street, in which more peole try to sell things to you, but not in the manner of the annoying little men of before. They are people who will paint your name onto a scroll, and then charge 20 Yuan for each letter!!!

Anyways, the old summer palace is a good place to visit too. There is not much to see, but toppled buildings, but the atmosphere is so much more relaxed!

They are both situated about 15 - 20km ( 9 - 12miles) away from Beijing, or as one of the others who went with me to China said, The Beijing!