Tag: #China

Guest Post || 7 Things to do in Hong Kong – By Arliss

Hong Kong is one of the most vibrant places in the world, having more than 7 million people. According to Wikipedia, it is also one of the world’s most important financial centers. If you are travelling to Hong Kong and are still unsure as to what you should do, that is probably because you couldn’t eliminate your choices (it is one of the most amazing places and the safest to visit). To ease your decisions, here are the seven things you should do in Hong Kong.

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1. Experience Victoria Peak

Victoria Peak is probably the first thing you should visit. The Peak grants a grand view of Victoria Harbor, Central, and other surrounding islands, and is one of the most notable places for tourists.

Also, if luck is on your side, you will even witness Kowloon’s eight mountains. Take the Peak Tram, and enjoy the ride to the top. Once you get there, you will experience one of the most amazing views!

2. Try Local Cuisine

Cuisine is an integral part of every culture. If you do not have any particular restaurant in mind, just enter the one that seems appealing to yours. It is likely the restaurant serves somewhat unusual food (like chicken feet dim sum) but trying it will change your perception of the food.

If possible, try the Sweet and Sour Pork, the most notable food of the region. If you don’t want to go to restaurants, there are plenty of street options if you’re adventurous, the most notable being the fish balls, a snack made of fish meat (served cooked or uncooked).

3. Experience The Everyday Street Life

If you are an easygoing person, just pick a sidewalk and start walking. The point of travelling is that you experience new things, relax and enjoy yourself, and walking the streets of this fantastic city. You will hear people conversing and merchants and traders yelling at each other.temple-street-hong-kong-03

Moreover, you will smell and taste the food that is made right before your eyes, buy souvenirs in antique stores. However, this is probably not for everyone; if you are only interested in taking pictures of famous sites and sharing them on social media, then walking the streets is not something you should do, especially overnight. However, if you want to experience the life in this city, even for a few hours, then you have to try this, especially at night.

4. Enjoy the Star Ferry Ride

Starry Ferry functions for over a hundred years, transporting millions of people across Victoria Harbour. The ride will also allow you to have a better look at the Victoria Harbor and will distant you from the city itself, providing you with a new perspective of the city.

The price is reasonable for both day and night rides, and if you can, you should try both trips. It will also allow you to witness the city from a distance, with the focus on its skyscrapers (the city has the most skyscrapers in the world).

5. See the Tian Tan Buddha

Made entirely of bronze, the Tian Tan Buddha is the world’s most gigantic statue of Buddha in the world. The way you get there is by taking the Ngong Ping 360 Skyrail, a cable car that will provide you a fantastic view as you are travelling towards the destination. You have two options: you can take a regular ride or a ride in a glass bottom cabin.Tian_Tan_Buddha_August_2013

Latter is more expensive than the first, but it does provide you with a unique view of the environment. Be aware of the fact that you will be floating in the air in a glass cabin, which can be pretty scary for many people.

6. Attend the Happy Valley Racecourse

Happy Valley Racecourse is the primary destination for everyone who loves to gamble, especially on a Wednesday night. Moreover, even if you do not care that much about gambling, horse races, or gambling on horse races, visit this place if you have the time for it. Find a seat in the stands (you can sit in a garden), order some food and beer and soak up as much as you can: the sounds, the smells, the overall atmosphere.

Note that this is one of the most popular places to go to amongst local population as well as tourists, so make sure that you book your ticket on time, especially if you are planning to visit the place on Wednesday. Why Wednesday? Happy Valley Racecourse hosts a total of eight races on that day; it can turn into a pretty crowded place!

7. Visit the Wong Tai Sin Temple

The Wong Tai Sin Temple is the city’s famous and busiest shrine. According to the kau cim practitioners, you make a wish, and your wish will be granted (“What you request is what you get.”) It is a top-rated tourist attraction. You will walk through the religious history, see The Nine Dragon Wall and lamp holding statues.

If feeling ambitious or adventurous, you should also try the fortune-telling stalls (you can also find your fortune on the streets of the city). The shrine was built to honor the shepherd boy that supposedly had healing powers. Whether you are religious or not, it is a place to visit if you are interested in the Taoist culture, its architecture, and art.

arliss-veldhuizen-1About the author : Arliss is the Managing Editor here at trekbible as well a social media editor at IncomeStore. She is also a writer and aspiring novelist. Arliss has family all over the world including the Ivory Coast, Denmark, Germany, and the Dominican Republic, a fact that greatly contributes to her passion for travel and culture.”

 

Disclaimer:  *Contents in this story is Authors personal views and presentation.

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Guest Post || Going up the peak, Hong Kong – by Becca

Our second day in Hong Kong couldn’t have been better. It started off with shock, when we realized we’d somehow managed to sleep in until 1pm, but I haven’t been able to sleep in weeks due to excitement so the rest was well needed. All day today we’ve been full of energy and have recovered from our jet lag so it’s done us a favor.

It was 28-30 degrees and unlike yesterday the sun was out, the skies were blue and the mist and fog was non- existent. The ideal weather for going up Victoria peak.


We decided to go for lunch at an Italian place called Spasso near our hotel; yesterday we met a lovely Philippino woman who worked there and we said we would go back another day. She was delighted that we kept our promise and seated us outside by the main road with gorgeous, clear view of Hong Kong across the water.

With full stomachs and well-needed increased blood sugar levels, we made our way down to the pier to get on the ferry to Hong Kong island. On our stroll I noticed how nicely the Asian women dressed; some looked cute in knee-high floral dresses with frilly sleeves, others in dungarees or three quarter length baggy trousers.
A ticket for the ferry to central pier cost only 3.40HKD, the equivalent to 30p! The waves were gentle and the water was a deep turquoise colour. Whilst gazing out the window I realised I’d never felt so content. I had no working phone, no make up, no worries and no rush to be anywhere. There’s no better feeling than realising this feeling will go on for weeks to come.

We caught a taxi from central pier to the peak tram station. Walking would only take you about half an hour, but in the heat when you don’t know where you’re going, paying 28HKD (£2.70) won’t break the bank.


Whatever you do, DO NOT be put off by the queue for the tram. It goes really quickly and you’re in such a happy daydream that waiting doesn’t bother you. We sat on the wooden seats of the bumpy tram and got some fantastic views on the city in daylight.


Once at the top, the view got even better, Hong Kong resembled a little lego town, the clouds surrounding the skyscrapers at eye level. We decided to save our ticket for the peak until dark, so we explored the shopping centre inside and took a walk down a dainty pathway, wrapped up in exotic foliage.


We then chose to wait in a romantic little restaurant for a pint of Budweiser until the sun had gone to sleep. The garden was dressed in fairy lights and tropical foliage gave it a chilled out feel. Once again the staff were more than friendly and even gave us mosquito spray to prevent us from getting bitten.

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Finally the time had come for us to take ourselves 428 metres above sea level to admire the city lit up from above. To say it was the most beautiful site I had ever seen would be an understatement. The fog had been kind to us again and disappeared, the warm weather reminded me of toasty evenings in Bulgaria after sunset. Looking at all the windows and lights put into perspective just how populated Hong Kong actually is. It got me thinking about all the people behind the windows and their individual lives.  Some would be sleeping, some eating, some working, some young, some old. It made the world feel much bigger rather than small for once. We got some great photos, but they will never do the real thing any justice.


Before getting the ferry back to our hotel, we stopped off at Mak’s noodles in one of the shopping centres up the peak. The staff brought us free, unlimited top ups of green tea and we enjoyed authentic Chinese food. They had loads of vegetarian/ pescatarian options which made me happy! I had shrimp wonton noodle soup and chestnut mushrooms.

About the author :

Rebecca Gouldbourne fondly know as Becca is an fantastic human and fellow travel blogger. She is on a world tour and always encourages yatripandit.com.

She de12140710_10153362259534081_109508521977048061_nscribes herself as,” my name is Becca (usually referred to as ‘the small one’ or ‘the one with the laugh’). I’m 22, but still a child at heart. I come from the South Coast of England and have an obsession with dogs, food, sun and people. After studying journalism with creative writing and graduating from Kingston university, I have now decided to break free from my repetitive routine to go and explore the real world.” You can keep a track of Becca’s travel tales by clicking the link https://small-feet-big-steps.com/

 

Disclaimer:  *Contents in this story is Authors personal views and presentation.

If you also want to get featured as a guest author on yatripandit.com, share your story with us on info@yatripandit.com

Please click on the ads which appear on the website and help us earn some money to travel. This blog is still very young and growing. If you like the story, do not shy away from reciprocating your love in form of likes comments and sharing on social media

Cheers !!

A Vegetarian’s Guide to Visit China

I am a vegetarian who does not mind eating eggs. While in China I found it was extremely difficult to find good vegetarian food. Non-Veg food is an integral part of Chinese Cuisine Vegetarians in China are an endangered species which is on the verge of extinction. If I order a tofu curry in India, it will surely be a vegetarian dish. In China it is just as likely to contain shrimps or meat. I thought it will be good to share my experience with fellow Vegetarian travelers.

How to say?

When in China, you can say: “Wo chi sù” which means “I eat vegetarian”, or still better to have it written on a paper in Chinese script. This generally means Buddhist vegetarian, which means you also won’t get any garlic or onions. These dishes often contain imitation meats made from soya, or gluten, and are often described as the real thing.

Or if you are tech savvy and believe in travelling with a Cell Phone always it’s always good to have a handy app installed. One of the apps which I used is Vegetarian in China. It lists down various vegetarian restaurants in China.

** Waiters are called fu yay and Water is Shwey

Temple Restaurants

One of the safest options is to eat at the Buddhist Temples, many of them run a small restaurant serving simple vegetarian cuisine. The quality can vary amongst various temples but it’s a great option if you are in China and are not sure what food you can count on not to contain meat.img_20160712_205832216

Buy your own fruits

During my visit I felt the quality of fruits is pretty good in China and you can buy variety of fruits from a departmental store and relish them whenever you want. The fruits taste a bit different from those we get in India but I quite liked it.

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Chinese fruits – Image credit Google images

Carry Indian Food (Ghar ka Khana)

Although I believe in eating the local food during my travels, but I have seen many Indians who carry Maggie noodle packets, pickle, paranthas, theplas, khakharas and what not. You also might carry such stuff and feel like home when away from home.

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Khakhara – Image Credit Google images

Your dear Chinese friend

I personally used this trick. I always tried to have a Chinese speaking person (friend) along while going to dine. He explained the vegetarian requirements to the Waiters in Mandarin and I ended up eating some lip smacking custom made Vegetarian Chinese Delicacies.

I hope you enjoyed reading the story. Please share it with your vegetarian friends. Cheers !!

Love – Like – Share

Abhimanyu@yatripandit

PS: Please click on the ads which appear on the website and help us earn some money to travel.     This blog is still very young and growing. If you like the story, do not shy away from reciprocating your love in form of likes comments and sharing on social media. 

 

Falling in Love with Chinese Tea – Nanjing, China

Imagine the feeling when a road side Romeo gets to date the prettiest girl in town, I felt the same when my CEO asked me to accompany him to China for a week’s tour. Ahan !! Yatripundit ki pehli videsh yatra aur who bhi company ke kharche par (yatripundit’s 1st foreign trip and that too on company’s expenses), I could not have asked for it. Although, the country was China and the city was Nanjing, which isn’t a famous city as Beijing or Shanghai. Nevertheless, I was thrilled to the core.chinese-tea-image-courtesy-google-images

Passport – Check

Visa – Check

Flight Tickets – Check

Hotel Bookings – Check

Shopping – Check

Preparation to execute the tasks – Check

Checked in the hotel Crystal blue bay on a Sunday evening after changing flights at Delhi and Hong Kong (so ideally my 1st foreign landing was in Hong Kong). I always felt New Delhi airport was massive and beautiful but only till I Saw HK airport. It was Monstrous. This magnificent modern world wonder faces sea on one side and mountains on the other. It had trains running from 1 terminal to another, massive shopping areas, giant busses which had driver cabins on both ends, more than 150 airline offices. Since, our preceding flight got a bit delayed, we had to rush across the terminals and check-in gates but a huge thanks to the Airport staff for their support and helping us in boarding the Dragon Air flight to Nanjing, China.

Okay!! Coming back to Hotel Crystal blue bay, Nanjing. It’s a beautiful property in the city. Marvel flooring and off white color walls and pillars with Golden and Chandeliers was a perfect match. It also houses a games room, swimming pool, 2 restaurants (a Chinese and a continental). Rooms were spacious and had all comforts. There is a huge park besides and open area besides the hotel and evenings are pleasant. You will spot people practicing dance in small groups, skate boarding, chatting or just lazing around. There was a shopping mall on the other side of the hotel.

The only discomfort for a Non- Mandarin (Language in China) speaking person is even the front desk official were not able to converse in English.

Nanjing is a beautiful city with wide roads, brilliant infrastructure, designated market places, shopping malls, community centers, restaurants (Chinese, Mongolian, Thai, continental and 1 or 2 Indian as well) parks and brilliant public transport.  Public transport includes battery operated buses, rickshaw and metro rails.

The main city area is crowded and I discovered this while I visited Fuzimiao – A temple located in southern Nanjing City on banks of the Qinhuai River. Within the area are cultural attractions, arts, shopping, and entertainment. There is a market area surrounding the temple and you are expected to demonstrate the best of your bargaining skills with the shopkeepers. Usually shop keepers can speak English as this is a tourist area. I bought some souvenirs from this place including Chinese green tea, small umbrella, sunglasses and shawls. It’s always better be accompanied by a Chinese speaking mate, helps in finalizing the best stuffs in best rates. It’s been 3 months since I am back in India and I still treat myself with aromatic Chinese green tea often.

The Chinese tea is the easiest to cook. Just put some tea leaves in boiling water and leave to brew for a couple of minutes with lid closed. Your Chinese green tea is ready to be cherished.

I also recommend you to go for boating in Quihuai River.

Overall it was a great experience to visit Nanjing and I wish to explore more during my next visit to this beautiful Chinese city.

In my next post I will share Dos and Donts when in China which will be followed by A Vegetarian’s guide for visiting China.

-Lots of Love

Abhimanyu@Yatripandit

PS: Please click on the ads which appear on the website and help us earn some money to travel.     This blog is still very young and growing. If you like the story, do not shy away from reciprocating your love in form of likes comments and sharing on social media.