Hong kong

By Vawn Himmelsbach Mon., June 11, 2018 One of the best ways to experience a culture is through its food. And in Hong Kong, there’s plenty to experience, with more than 14,000 options — from Michelin-starred restaurants to street food stalls, dim sum teahouses and Hong Kong-style diners. Whether you’re a first-timer or a regular visitor, the food scene is constantly evolving, so there’s always something new to discover. Here’s how to eat your way through Hong Kong in a single day. Start the day with a dim sum brunch: a quintessential Hong Kong experience. Called yum cha, or teahouse, you’ll find as many as 150 items on the menu, such as shrimp dumplings, BBQ pork buns and beef noodle rolls. Here you’ll find traditional eateries, where waiters wheel by with carts of dim sum in bamboo baskets, alongside more modern affairs. One of my favourite spots is Tim Ho Wan, an affordable Michelin-starred dim sum restaurant, with … [Read more...] about How to eat your way through Hong Kong in 24 hours

By Vawn Himmelsbach Mon., June 11, 2018 Hong Kong is the ultimate urban destination, with its neon lights, towering skyscrapers and bustling markets. So I was surprised when I heard about Hong Kong’s network of hiking trails, where you can find solace in unpopulated, pristine nature. But as I hiked through the lush greenery of Plover Cove Country Park in the northeastern New Territories, I heard nothing but the sound of wind. I was with Swiss-expat Gabi Baumgartner, who runs Walk Hong Kong. The program offers walking tours and more strenuous hikes in Hong Kong’s great outdoors. We were only a train ride from the hustle of Hong Kong Island and yet it felt a world away. Plover Cove Country Park is a conservation area with a vast network of trails (rarely used during the week). There are no roads here, except to get into the park. We took the MTR, Hong Kong’s efficient mass transit system, then hopped in a taxi for 20 minutes. Starting in the village of … [Read more...] about Finding adventure in Hong Kong’s great outdoors

By Vawn Himmelsbach Mon., June 11, 2018 It’s been called one of the quirkiest local festivals in the world — and it only happens here, on Cheung Chau, one of Hong Kong’s 260 outlying islands. Thousands of Hong-Kongers and tourists alike descend upon this small island for a week of festivities, which culminates in the popular “bun scrambling” contest. I made my way from Hong Kong Island to Cheung Chau by ferry, just in time for the piu sik (floating colours) parade, a ceremonial parade to thank the deities for protection against a deadly plague that besieged the island in the late 19th century. The sun was in full force as food vendors set up stalls and families found a spot in the shade for the two-hour spectacle, which weaves its way through the town’s narrow streets. I could hear the parade before I could see it; it was accompanied by gongs, lion dancers and martial artists. As the parade rounded the corner and passed under a … [Read more...] about Why Hong Kong is Asia’s event capital