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8 Must-try Food and Drinks in Hong Kong

Kim — Wed, 02 Sep 2020 14:00:00 +0000

A trip to Hong Kong is not complete without eating dim sum and other Hong Kong specialties. Find out about the must-try foods and drinks in Hong Kong.

1) Tofu pudding

Next to the market in Sham Shui Po you can find a small restaurant called Kung Wo Dou Bun Chong. Here you can eat the best tofu pudding in Hong Kong! Ideal as breakfast or lunch because it will keep you satiated for hours. This place is always busy, but the turn-around time is quick as well.

Location Kung Wo Dou Bun Chong: 118號號地下, Pei Ho St, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong

If you happen to visit Tai O on Lantau Island: there is a lovely little shop called Bing Bing selling tofu pudding and other delicious desserts like tea cakes.

Location Bing Bing: 18號 Tai O Market St, Tai O, Hong Kong

2) Spicy Crab

A visit to Hong Kong is not complete without eating at the Temple Street Night Market. From seven PM onwards, the Temple Street turns into a vibrant evening market with pop-up shops in the middle of the street and restaurants at the sides. Dining outside at its best.

One of the must-try foods is spicy crab at one of the other restaurants in this area. I can recommend Tong Tai Sea Food Restaurant. Their lemon chicken is very good as well.

Location Tong Tai Sea Food Restaurant: 186 Temple St, Jordan, Hong Kong

3) BBQ pork / Honey roasted pork

Don’t worry if you don’t like crab (or fish in general). The same restaurant also offers delicious chicken and pork dishes. Another must-try food at the Temple Street Night Market is honey-roasted pork (BBQ pork). The pork you eat here will taste very good, but keep in mind that it has street food preparation and price. If you visit a fancier restaurant it will taste even better.

4) Dim sum

There are many great Dim Sum restaurants in Hong Kong. My favorite restaurant was actually the Tsim Sha Tsui branch of the Taiwanese restaurant Din Tai Fung. Try their Steamed Black Truffle Pork dumplings; their xiao long bao specialty. I wasn’t very fond of the Drunken chicken in Shaoxing rice wine though, but sometimes you just have to try things, right?

Location Din Tai Fung: 132 Nathan Road Shop 407, Mira Place One, FoodLoft, L4, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

I basically loved all the dim sum I ate. Sometimes at a fancier restaurant and at other times on the street. The best dim sum I ever tasted was steamed rice with chicken (including bones and organs) on my first trip to Hong Kong in 2014. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the location of the restaurant so I couldn’t return to it on my second trip in 2019. Maybe I’ll remember someday.

If you like tea, then you can try the all-vegetarian dim sum options at Lock Cha Admiralty. These go really well with a well-brewed Pu-erh or Oolong tea.

Read more: Best tea houses in Hong Kong

5) Coconut milk smoothie

What’s better than a refreshing coconut drink when it is 30+ degrees Celsius? They’ll make it right in front of you. If your home, like mine, is far away from any coconut tree, then this is a treat. You can find this coconut smoothie drink at the Temple Street.

Location: where Temple Street and Ning Po Street cross, diagonally opposite Tong Tai Sea Food Restaurant.

6) Hong Kong egg puffs

A Hong Kong streetfood original: egg puffs (or egg waffle). So if you see a Mammy Pancake while strolling the Temple Street… Of course, I had to try the matcha egg puffs flavor. With a coconut smoothie in one hand and my egg puffs in the other, I had the perfect dessert.

Location: G/F, 219 Temple St, Jordan, Hong Kong

7) Cheung Chau bao

Your day trip to the island Cheung Chau is not complete without trying a sweet bao filled with for example red bean paste. The bright and colorful stamp on its own should be enough to draw you in. Other nice foods to try on Cheung Chau island are frozen watermelon ice cream, mango rice cake, and very good seafood dishes.

8) Bubble tea heaven

Bubble teas are increasingly popular all over the world, including Hong Kong. In many streets, you can find a bubble tea to try like Tiger Sugar. I didn’t actually like this mix (too sweet), but I hadn’t seen it before so naturally I had to try it.

For variety, you can also buy tea and smoothies with creamy cheese topping or fruit tea with huge chunks of fruit. When will they all come to my country?

Location Tiger Sugar: 70號號地下E舖, Parkes St, Jordan, Hong Kong

These are the foods and drinks I liked best in Hong Kong. I also tried an interesting convenience store bun filled with egg and ham… it didn’t taste bad but not great either.

What is your favorite Hong Kong specialty?

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One day in Shenzhen as a day trip from Hong Kong

Kim — Wed, 29 Jul 2020 14:00:00 +0000

Shenzhen is a vibrant and modern Chinese city situated at the border with Hong Kong. This city is ideal for a day trip from Hong Kong. Visit the artistic OCT Loft, the techy Huaqiang North, and the vibrant Dongmen Pedestrian Street.

Of course, you won’t be able to explore the whole city in a single day, but it is perfectly possible to see the highlights in one day.

How to get to Shenzhen from Hong Kong

You can easily travel to Shenzhen by train, metro or ferry. Which one is best for you depends on whether you arranged a visa in advance or need to apply for a one day Shenzhen visa on the spot. Traveling to Shenzhen by air is also a possibility but I’m gonna leave it out as it is not very practical (too time consuming).

By train

The high-speed train connection between Hong Kong and Shenzhen is the fastest option. It takes you from West Kowloon Train Station to Shenzhen Futian Station in 15 minutes or to Shenzhen North in 20 minutes. The only drawback is that you need to bring your Chinese visa with you: you can’t arrange a day visa on the spot.

But if you are in possession of a visa, then I recommend taking the train! There are over 80 departures a day between 6 AM and 11 PM. A one-way ticket costs around 10 EUR/USD.

By metro

If you need to arrange a visa on arrival, you can take the metro to Lo Wu metro station. At this station, you can get your visa and continue your trip using the Shenzhen Metro. Lok Ma Chau is also an option, but a less practical one because the visa office is not in the same building as the Hong Kong and Shenzhen metro. Depending on where you’re staying in Hong Kong, the metro ride to the border takes between an hour and an hour and a half and will cost you 5-10 EUR/USD.

By ferry

You can also take the ferry from Hong Kong Macau Port to Shenzhen’s Shekou port and buy a visa on arrival. The ferry ride takes about one hour but is twice as expensive as the metro and the train: around 20 EUR/USD.

Getting a Visa on Arrival

Before considering a visit to Shenzhen, you need to look up the visa requirements for your country, as China’s border is closed to some nationalities. The visa office also looks at countries you traveled to recently. For example, if there is a stamp from Iran in your passport, you’ll likely be turned away at the border (this happened to other travelers right in front of me).

I can only elaborate on the proceedings at Lo Wu station, as that is the route I took in March 2019.

From the metro station, you follow the crowd to immigration. Except this is where you need to head to another level before joining the immigration queue. As you need to pay for the visa in Chinese yuan, you need to get your hands on Chinese money first. Fortunately, there is a money exchange office right there so you can exchange your HKD for Chinese yuan. Tip: get some more so you get some spending money at the same time. If you exchange too much, you can easily exchange your excess money again after returning to Hong Kong.

You need to fill in all kinds of forms, have your picture taken at a picture booth, and then draw a number to wait for your turn. The whole process (including waiting times) took me around an hour.

Transport in Shenzhen

From immigration, there are clear directions to the Shenzhen Metro. Before you arrive at the tracks you can buy a metro ticket from a vending machine or an employee at a manned desk. I recommend buying a day ticket at the desk, it’s easy and cheap!

The metro stations are listed in both Chinese and English, completely tourist proof. I thought Google Maps wouldn’t work in Shenzhen and spent time preparing a Chinese public transport app. But Google Maps still worked, probably because Shenzhen is so close to the border. This made navigating public transport very easy.

If you’re afraid Google might not work for you, you could use a VPN like NordVPN. This is the one I use at home and when traveling.

WIFI

When renting pocket wifi for Hong Kong, you can pick one that works in Hong Kong, Macao, and Shenzhen. Ideal if you want to visit these three cities on one trip!

Things to do in Shenzhen

1) OCT Loft Shenzhen

Take the metro (green line) to Overseas Chinese Town station. From here it is only a five minutes’ walk to the OCT Loft.

Location (of a restaurant at the OCT Loft): GXPM+GG Nanshan, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China

If you have more time in Shenzhen, you can also visit Splendid China, a theme park about the Chinese cultural heritage.

The art and cozy cafes

This whole place is an expression of art. From the boutiques, cozy cafes, and the restaurants to the buildings they’re housed in. You’re greeted by red metal figures seated on or in front of the buildings. Steampunk style. They’re really interesting to look at because of the expressions on the faces and the objects they are presented with.

OCAT Shenzhen

Hopefully, there is an interesting exhibition when you visit. In March 2019, there was an exhibition called System: Sui Jianguo. The sculptures in the exhibition, both small pieces (test objects) and larger pieces all showed the influence of hands and fingerprints. An artistic view on creation and recognition, space and time, through form, alternative methods, and media types.

Lunch

For lunch, I can recommend My Noodle. Even though the employees don’t speak English, there is an English menu available. Their noodle soup is very good and there are many side dishes to try.

2) COCO Park

Take the metro (green line) to the Shopping Park stop.

Location: G3M3+7Q Futian, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China

YO!tea or HEYTEA are two tea shops that sell fresh fruit tea and tea topped with creamy cheese. You’ll find HEYTEA in many of the bigger malls. YO!tea is a bit harder to find, but there is one at COCO Park, a nice modern mall with a good seating area and an outdoor play area for kids.

3) Huaqiang North (Huaqiangbei)

Take the metro (green line) to Huaqiang Road station and enter the Huaqianbei Commercial Street from the south.

Location: G3RP+9M Futian, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China

Huaqianbei Commercial street

This street is advertised (by tourists) as ‘the’ tech street in Shenzhen. Here you’ll find a mix of modern shops (Samsung, Apple, and the like) selling high tech products and shabby malls selling all the things you’ll never need (plus some fun tech goodies). If you like fixing the products you already own: here you can also find all the small parts that you would otherwise buy via eBay or AliExpress.

The boulevard itself is broad with some greenery and relaxing to walk on with plenty to see.

4) Dongmen Pedestrian Shopping area

Take the metro (light blue line) from Huaxin station to Laojie station

Location: Pedestrian St, Dongmen, Shenzhen, Luohu District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China

Dongmen Pedestrian Shopping Street is probably the most touristy area in Shenzhen. It’s at a walking distance from Luohu and Lo Wu station; the metro that can take you back to Hong Kong.

This area is especially interesting when it gets dark: it is colorful, alive, and there are lots of people hanging out and having fun. At the food stalls, you can try all sorts of food and drinks, but it is also perfectly fine to have a less adventurous meal at a restaurant in one of the malls.

These are the highlights you can’t miss on your day trip to Shenzhen! One day I’ll visit Shenzhen again to explore the other neighborhoods because I really liked this city.

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Buying Pu-erh and Oolong tea in Hong Kong

Kim — Wed, 22 Jul 2020 14:00:00 +0000

The five best tea houses in Hong Kong for buying Pu-erh and Oolong tea (and others). With an English explanation and the possibility to try before you buy.

If you like Chinese teas, then you will love visiting tea houses and tea shops in Hong Kong. Some resemble traditional tea houses and others are more modern and serve dim sum on the side. But Hong Kong is not only for teas like Pu-erh and Oolong: you can also find white teas, black teas, and flower teas in addition to the more recently hyped bubble teas, cream cheese tea and fruit teas. Shops selling bubble tea are literally everywhere.

The more traditional tea houses on the contrary are hard to find. This especially goes for shops where the hosts can explain the differences between the teas you can try in English. Read on to find out about my favorite (traditional) tea houses in Hong Kong.

1) Lock Cha Admiralty @ Hong Kong Island

This tea house is in the middle of a park on Hong Kong Island. The surrounding area and the interior contribute to this Lock Cha’s number one spot on my list. Lock Cha serves a great variety of teas, with my personal favorites being Rose Pu-erh and Selected Phoenix Oolong. You can order a variety of all-vegetarian dim sum and relax while refilling your teapot multiple times.

If you find a tea you like, you can buy it as a souvenir. Ask the host if you can try small cups of some of the teas that you’re interested in buying. As my haul is slowly disappearing, I keep wishing I had bought more…

Location: LockCha 樂茶軒, The K.s.lo Gallery, 香港公園地下層, Admiralty, Hong Kong

2) Li-nong tea @ Lantau Island

After taking the cable car up to Ngong Ping, your eye falls on Li-nong tea house. Here you can brew your own traditional tea. The hosts will gladly show you how to raise the teapot high when pouring to give the others in your company something to look at. There is a wide variety of teas to choose from, though not as many as at Lock Cha. The same goes for the snacks selection, but who cares, you’re there for the tea.

In the shop, they sell beautiful teapots and traditional tea sets. There are more types of tea on sale in the shop than you can order in the cafe part of the shop, but the hosts are perfectly willing to brew a small tasting cup of any tea you’re interested in buying. I bought a very good Yunnan Chitsu Pingcha Pu-erh cake with a deep and rich taste.

Location: 立農茗茶, 7W42+HR, Ngong Ping, Hongkong

3) Lock Cha Central @ Hong Kong Island

Lock Cha Central is located next to the very popular tourist spot at the Parade Ground and opposite the Tai Kwun Centre for Heritage and Arts. From the terrace and the indoor seating area of this Lock Cha tea house, you can see the interesting historical buildings around the parade ground. While the location is interesting, it is not very serene because of the many tourists in this area. Even though you can refill your teapot many times, you will do it at a faster pace than at the other tea houses. The hosts also looked rushed (in the offseason with only half of the tables occupied).

This venue doesn’t serve dim sum with the tea but does have beers on the menu. Lock Cha Central feels more like a cafe with a nice view than a tranquil tea house.

Location: LockCha 樂茶軒, G06-07, Block 01, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Rd, Central, Hong Kong

4) Ying Kee Tea House @ Tsim Sha Tsui

A small tea shop with one table where you can try out what’s for sale. Even though it is a shop it has its charms. A lot of thought went into the interior of Ying Kee Tea House. The hosts can tell you all about the teas they sell in rather good English. My favorites are Supreme Yunnan Pu-erh and Special Old Pu-erh Cake.

Location: Ying Kee Tea House – Tsimshatsui Shop, 75WC+P9 Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

5) Tin Tree Tea House @ Cheung Chau Island

This small tea house is situated at the popular Cheung Chau Island boulevard. They sell a variety of teas and you can even try some at the shop. Because many tourists are passing by this place, it might not be possible to try one of the teas whenever you like. What speaks in favor of this shop is that they sell tea in very small packages, so you can buy many different ones to try at home.

Location: 田株茶莊, 626H+66 Cheung Chau, Hong Kong

Bubble tea, cream cheese tea and fruit tea

Who doesn’t love bubble tea? (Alright, I know someone who doesn’t) These teas look so interesting and because there are so many mixes to try out you never know what your cup of tea is gonna taste like. Bubble tea equals adventure, an exploration of taste.

I have mixed feelings about the tea with cream cheese on top. When you choose hot tea, the cheese topping does have a refreshing effect. But I’m not a fan of the taste.

Another favorite of mine is fruit tea and especially the one I bought at a mall in Shenzhen. To normally brewed tea like Pu-erh or Oolong, large chunks of fruit are added that you can eat after you finish your tea. These are not the small chunks the cafes in my country put into a drink to give it a fruity taste, but rather a full-size dessert. You even get a fork to eat it properly. Very refreshing!

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One day in Cheung Chau – a Hong Kong Island day trip

Kim — Wed, 15 Jul 2020 14:00:00 +0000

A paradise for fish lovers: relax on the beach and escape the crowds of Hong Kong on a day trip to the island Cheung Chau. Just one ferry ride away.

Cheung Chau is an island southwest of Hong Kong Island. Here you can enjoy sandy beaches, a variety of fish and even visit temples. If you are looking for a relaxing day, then this is the ideal day trip for visitors to Hong Kong.

Cheung Chau is a fishing community pur sang, with a rich seafood market. Nowadays it is more of a tourist destination, but not to worry: that only goes for the area around the pier. When you venture further, to the beaches and the areas behind the shops, you will soon find the streets to be less crowded. The historical monuments on the island are a blend of Eastern and Western cultures.

How to get to Cheung Chau

You can easily reach Cheung Chau by ferry from Central Pier No. 5 on Hong Kong Island. The pier is within walking distance of the Central Subway Station. The fare can be as low as 13.6 HKD (which converts to 1.56 EUR or 1.75 USD) for the ordinary ferry (55-60 min) or 26.8 HKD for the fast ferry (35-40 min). You can pay for the ferry with your Octopus Transport Card.

There are two to three ferry departures an hour during the day (and even some at night), so you can just get there whenever and take the first one that leaves. The return ferry runs as often, so you can stay on the island for as long as you want.

Location Central Pier No. 5: 75Q5+3P Hong Kong

How to spend one day in Cheung Chau

Walk on the boulevard

Let’s call this the tourist street that lies in front of the ferry terminal. It is crowded but you still want to be here because of the beautiful harbor view. Ideally, you go to dinner just before it gets dark so you can see the sunset from one of the restaurants on this street.

Snacks

The must-try foods on Cheung Chau are:

Steamed buns with red bean (or other) filling stamped with the icon you see on the picture. One shop that sellls them is Kwok Kam Kee Cake Shop.
Rice cake filled with mango. You can buy this on the boulevard.
Watermelon ice cream: simply a frozen part of a watermelon.

Eating out

The fish dishes are delicious! Try some mantis shrimps, snails, mussels, and more. They have it all and the best part of it is that it’s all fresh. From your table, you have a great view of the harbor and other people walking by. There are also many meat or vegetarian dishes available.

Tung Wan Beach

Walk away from the boulevard and cross the island to reach Tung Wan Beach in the east. It’s only a five to ten minutes walk, but you will notice the streets getting quieter every minute. Here you can take a stroll on the beach. If you visit in March (or any other low season month) then you are not allowed to swim here as there is no supervision, but many people still do.

Location: 626H+FQ Cheung Chau, Hong Kong

Rock Carvings

Follow the beach to the south to see the geometrical patterns on the rocks.

Location: 625M+53 Cheung Chau, Hong Kong

Kwun Yam Wan Beach

South of the rock carvings lies Kwun Yam Wan Beach. When I visited they were working on the road forcing visitors to walk on the sandy beach. A treat to some (me) but not as fun if you are less mobile.

Location: 624M+QR Cheung Chau, Hong Kong

Cheung Chau Mini Great Wall

Head up the stairs for a mini great wall with a view of the sea and the beach. The vegetation will capture your attention without a doubt. There’s lots to see on your way up to the viewpoint.

Location: 624P+XR Cheung Chau, Hong Kong

Chi Ma Hang Viewpoint

After a short walk, you reach the viewpoint. The road is easy (just a few inclines) and fully paved. Sit down on the benches below the pavilion to gaze over the ocean. Hopefully, you brought a bottle of water, because you’ll probably need it by now.

Location: 625Q+54 Cheung Chau, Hong Kong

Human Head Rock

A tall standing stone that can resemble a human head with some fantasy.

Location: 624Q+FV Cheung Chau, Hongkong

Residency area

Cross the island in the general direction of the Cheung Chau Market and the Ferry Pier. On your walk, you will see how the residents live. What’s especially interesting about this is the difference between the mansions and the smaller houses. In the middle of the island, you’ll also find a school and a full-size football field and track on the lowest point of the valley. Almost hidden.

Some streets are broad, accessible to cars, while others only have pavements for (motor)bikes and pedestrians. You will see groups (like ten women or ten men) working together on fixing one house. It’s an impressive community effort.

Afternoon reading

In the area behind the boulevard, you can find these quiet parts with benches in the leisure area in between the houses. Ideal for relaxing with a book until it is time to have dinner and watch the sunset.

Location: 626G+PX Cheung Chau, Hongkong

More things to see on Cheung Chau

Now you have seen the most interesting things on Cheung Chau. You could also head to the southwestern part of the island or see more of the coast in the southeast. As the main reason for my visit to Cheung Chau was to relax on the last day of my trip, I only saw the highlights and spent most of my time in the restaurants, cafes, and in the residential leisure areas.

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Day trip from Hong Kong to Macao

Kim — Wed, 08 Jul 2020 14:00:00 +0000

Visit Macao as a day trip from Hong Kong and see both the huge modern casinos and the historical center with Portuguese influence.

Macao is a city of contrasts: historical buildings versus big modern casinos. It is also a contrast of poor versus rich as you can clearly see from the state of some buildings. In the northern part of Macao you find the historical center, the buildings the Portuguese left behind. Around the shopping center and tourist hot spots, you see huge skyscrapers next to small houses and flats with tiny apartments. Scooters rule the streets. Chinese signs are on the shops that sell food and drinks.

In the southern part, you find the big casinos, basically one big town where you could live forever. If you like gambling that is. If not, then you can see all there is to see in one day. No need to stay overnight.

About Macao

Macao (also spelled Macau) is officially called the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, meaning it has its own government and economic systems separate from Mainland China. So Macao is not a country but a non-sovereign city with a high degree of autonomy

How to visit Macao as a day trip from Hong Kong

Macao has a big airport that services many people a day. Coming from Hong Kong it is easier to take the ferry or the bus. The distance between Hong Kong and Macao is 66 kilometers. By ferry, it only takes about an hour to travel from Hong Kong to Macao. Since late 2018 it is also possible to take the bus across the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which takes about two hours.

By ferry

There are several routes to choose from: you can take the ferry from China Ferry Terminal, Kowloon, Hong Kong Island, Tuen Mun, or the Hong Kong Airport Terminal. Some will drop you off at the Macao Outer Harbor (ideal for exploring the historical north first) or the Macao Taipa Ferry Terminal (the casinos in the south).

For a China Ferry Terminal departure, head to the second floor of the China Hong Kong City Mall. From here you can take the ferry to Macao. You can buy your ticket in person at the Turbojet or Cotai Water Jet ticket counters (to play it safe, get your tickets a day before your intended departure), or buy your tickets in advance online via Klook.

Beware that if you use the Klook promotion, you can’t change your departure times on the day itself. It might be more practical to buy your tickets at the counter so you keep the flexibility of an earlier return.

By bus

Head to the HZMB Hong Kong Port. After you pass Immigration and Customs (bring your passport!) you can buy your ticket for the shuttle bus to Macao. A ticket costs 65-70 HK Dollars. After the bus ride, you have to go through Immigration and Customs again at the Macao side. There are over 300 departures each day, so there is no need to worry about timing your trip right.

Alternatively, you can buy a ticket for a shared bus with a pick-up in Kowloon or somewhere else in Hong Kong.

Join a tour

While it is very easy to travel to Macao on your own, some of you might prefer to go on an organized tour. The pro side of joining a tour is that the tour guide will show you all the must-see sights and you don’t have to navigate the city yourself. The downside, of course, is that you can’t spend as much time as you like at the places you like best.

How much time should you spend in Macao?

One day is enough to see the most interesting sights in Macao. The only reason to spend more days in Macao is if you like gambling and want to spend more time in the casinos. If not, then you can easily see both the historical buildings in the north and the casinos in the south if you go on a one day trip from Hong Kong.

When reserving your ferry ticket, you buy your return ticket at the same time. To play it safe you can choose the latest return time so that you won’t have to hurry back to the ferry port. If you want to return earlier, you can just switch your ticket for an earlier one at the port assuming that the ferry isn’t fully booked.

What I did? I arrived in Macao around 10 AM and even though I had a return ticket for 9 PM, I took the 5 PM return ferry because I had seen all there was to see.

What should you bring to Macao?

Your passport: you’re leaving and re-entering Hong Kong, so you have to go through Customs twice. It’s very fast, but do make sure you arrive at the port on time.

Wifi: when renting pocket wifi for Hong Kong, you can pick one that works in Hong Kong, Macao, and Shenzhen. Ideal if you want to visit these three cities on one trip!

Everything else you can buy when you need it. You can even pay with Hong Kong dollars in Macao.

How to see Macao in one day?

The north

If you arrive at Macao’s Outer Harbor you will explore the historic northern part of Macao first. From the harbor, you can catch one of the free shuttle buses to the casinos.

The Grand Lisboa

I recommend getting on the bus to Grand Lisboa, one of the biggest casinos in the northern part of Macao. It’s a grand golden building that you simply must-see on a trip to Macao.

Location: Av. de Lisboa, Macao

Senado Square

From here you walk northwest to Senado Square: one of the most iconic sights in Macao that you will often see in ads. Here you will see the square with small tiles, a fountain, and colorful buildings with shops.

Location: Senado Square, Macao

St. Dominic’s Church

Nearby is St. Dominic’s Church, a church in Baroque style painted in a bright yellow color that you will often see in Macao.

Location: Largo de São Domingos, Macao

Egg tarts and Fruit tea

By now all the bakeries selling egg tarts will become hard to ignore. You must try one, right? They go very well with a fruit tea or fruit juice drink that the non-bakery shops sell. Just now you’ve tried two of the must-try Macao specialties.

Ruins of St. Paul’s Cathedral

Only the facade of the building is still standing, but that doesn’t matter. You can easily imagine the grandeur of the former Cathedral. Take some selfies on the stairs and walk up to see the building from the back.

Location: 5GXR+38 Macao

Fortaleza do Monte

From this 17th century fort, you have an even better view of the Ruins of St. Paul’s and, more importantly, of the rest of Macao as well. Modern buildings are right next to smaller apartment buildings. A canon is pointing at the Grand Lisboa. Follow the fort walls for a 360 degrees view of the city and enjoy the well-maintained greenery on the walk up and down.

Location: 5GWR+RV Macao

Leave the fort on the southeast side in the direction of Cathedral Square to see many more beautiful historical buildings on your walk to Macao Tower. From Cathedral Square, you cross Senado Square and walk in the general direction of Mandarin’s House.

Cathedral Square

Well-maintained yellow building next to the Church of the Nativity of Our Lady.

Location: 1 Largo da Se, Macao

St. Joseph's Seminary and Church

Right next to Dom Pedro V Theatre, you can find the seminary and church of St. Joseph.

Location: R. do Seminario, Macao

Dom Pedro V Theatre

The first western theatre in Macao.

Location: Largo de Santo Agostinho, Macao

Mandarin’s House

Old family residence of the Qing theoretician and reformist Zheng Guanying.

Location: 10 Travessa de Antonio da Silva, Macao

Macao Tower

From the foot of Macao Tower, you have a great view of the skyline of Macao. If you feel active, you can take a skywalk up high!

Location: 5GHQ+X4 Macao

When you’ve seen all there is on the northern side of Macao, take the bus from Macao Tower to the Galaxy casino on the southern side. You can pay for the bus ride by dropping the appropriate amount of coins in a box when you get on.

The south

The world of the rich? That’s what it looks like anyway. Inside the buildings, you find huge casinos, the fanciest hotels, and restaurants. You could live there basically.

Galaxy

A huge ‘golden’ building with casinos, high-end hotels and many restaurants in the southern part of Macao. You can wander inside for ages… there are even roadsigns inside to help you navigate.

Location: s/n, Estrada da Baia de Nossa Senhora da Esperanca, Macao

The Venetian

The Venetian is most famous for its indoor copy of the city of Venice. You can even take a Gondola ride on the water. Elsewhere in the building, you can see a ceiling resembling the Sistine Chapel.

Try your luck in the big casino inside, or just walk around amazed at the size of it all.

Location: s/n Estrada da Baia de Nossa Senhora da Esperanca, Macao

Back to the ferry terminal

From the Venetian, you can catch a shuttle bus back to the Macao Outer Harbor and from there the ferry back to Hong Kong.

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Best Hong Kong books to read before your visit to Hong Kong

Kim — Wed, 01 Jul 2020 14:00:00 +0000

What are the most popular Hong Kong books? Check out these books about Hong Kong to start immersing yourself in the culture before your visit to Hong Kong.

When I’m planning a trip I like to read books originating from that country to start getting immersed and learn more about the culture. If you feel the same then look at the list below for inspiration.

For this list I’ll limit myself to books with English translations and I will only rate what I have read myself (I hardly ever give five stars by the way). So this list will be updated regularly when I come across interesting reads. Below I’ll also give an overview of other books by Hong Kong authors that I still want to read.

If you have read any good books about Hong Kong or by an author from Hong Kong, please recommend them to me in the comment section below.

Best Hong Kong books

1) Chan Ho-Kei - The Borrowed

 4/5

An interesting detective story with free history lessons from a Hong Kong author.

The Borrowed tells the story of Kwan Chun-dok, a detective who’s worked in Hong Kong fifty years. Across six decades of Hong Kong’s volatile history, the narrative follows Kwan through the Leftist Riot of 1967, when a bombing plot threatens many lives; the conflict between the HK Police and ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) in 1977; the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989; the Handover in 1997; and the present day of 2013, when Kwan is called on to solve his final case, the murder of a local billionaire, in a modern Hong Kong that increasingly resembles a police state.

Along the way we meet Communist rioters, ultra-violent gangsters, pop singers enmeshed in the high-stakes machinery of star-making, and a people always caught in the shifting balance of political power, whether in London or Beijing.

Buy from Amazon.

2) W. Somerset Maugham - The Painted Veil

 4/5

A beautiful story that feels dated at first but really starts to shine when Kitty and her husband travel to the heart of the cholera epidemic. Their feelings are described well and feel very real.

Set in England and Hong Kong in the 1920s, The Painted Veil is the story of the beautiful, but love-starved Kitty Fane.

When her husband discovers her adulterous affair, he forces her to accompany him to the heart of a cholera epidemic. Stripped of the British society of her youth and the small but effective society she fought so hard to attain in Hong Kong, she is compelled by her awakening conscience to reassess her life and learn how to love.

Buy from Amazon.

3) Eileen Chang - Love in a Fallen City

 4/5

Bittersweet love stories of the high society Chinese living in Hong Kong and Shanghai. A short story collection by a Chinese author who went to university in Hong Kong and also lived there for a short while in the 1950s.

Set in Hong Kong and Shanghai in the 30s and 40s.

Eileen Chang is one of the great writers of twentieth-century China, where she enjoys a passionate following both on the mainland and in Taiwan. At the heart of Chang’s achievement is her short fiction—tales of love, longing, and the shifting and endlessly treacherous shoals of family life. Written when Chang was still in her twenties, these extraordinary stories combine an unsettled, probing, utterly contemporary sensibility, keenly alert to sexual politics and psychological ambiguity, with an intense lyricism that echoes the classics of Chinese literature. Love in a Fallen City, the first collection in English of this dazzling body of work, introduces American readers to the stark and glamorous vision of a modern master.

Buy from Amazon.

4) Chan Ho-Kei - Second Sister

 3/5

Explore modern Hong Kong (culture) with Nga-Yee and her personal investigator / hacker.

A schoolgirl—Siu-Man—has committed suicide, leaping from her twenty-second floor window to the pavement below. Siu-Man is an orphan and the librarian older sister who’s been raising her refuses to believe there was no foul play—nothing seemed amiss. She contacts a man known only as N.—a hacker, and an expert in cybersecurity and manipulating human behavior. But can Nga-Yee interest him sufficiently to take her case, and can she afford it if he says yes?

What follows is a cat and mouse game through the city of Hong Kong and its digital underground, especially an online gossip platform, where someone has been slandering Siu-Man. The novel is also populated by a man harassing girls on mass transit; high school kids, with their competing agendas and social dramas; a Hong Kong digital company courting an American venture capitalist; and the Triads, market women and noodle shop proprietors who frequent N.’s neighborhood of Sai Wan. In the end it all comes together to tell us who caused Siu-Man’s death and why, and to ask, in a world where online and offline dialogue has increasingly forgotten about the real people on the other end, what the proper punishment is.

Buy from Amazon.

5) James Clavell - Tai-Pan

 3/5

The story is epic (4 stars!), the writing style not so much. The ‘dialect’ writing makes it hard to enjoy.

Set in the turbulent days of the founding of Hong Kong in the 1840s, Tai-Pan is the story of Dirk Struan, the ruler – the Tai-Pan – of the most powerful trading company in the Far East. He is also a pirate, an opium smuggler, and a master manipulator of men. This is the story of his fight to establish himself and his dynasty as the undisputed masters of the Orient.

Buy from Amazon. One of the sequels, Noble House, is set in Hong Kong as well.

6) Gail Tsukiyama - The Language of Threads

 3/5

Impressive to read how Pei makes a living for herself, despite all the setbacks she suffers.

Readers of Women of the Silk never forgot the moving, powerful story of Pei, brought to work in the silk house as a girl, grown into a quiet but determined young woman whose life is subject to cruel twists of fate, including the loss of her closest friend, Lin. Now we finally learn what happened to Pei, as she leaves the silk house for Hong Kong in the 1930s, arriving with a young orphan, Ji Shen, in her care. Her first job, in the home of a wealthy family, ends in disgrace, but soon Pei and Ji Shen find a new life in the home of Mrs. Finch, a British ex-patriate who welcomes them as the daughters she never had.

Their idyllic life is interrupted, however, by war, and the Japanese occupation. Pei is once again forced to make her own way, struggling to survive and to keep her extended family alive as well. In this story of hardship and survival, Tsukiyama paints a portrait of women fighting the forces of war and time to make a life for themselves.

Buy from Amazon.

7) Ian Hamilton - The Water Rat of Wanchai

 3/5

Go on a road trip with Ava Lee. Only part of the story takes place in Hong Kong.

In Ian Hamilton’s The Water Rat of Wanchai, we meet forensic accountant and martial arts expert Ava Lee in her early days working for the mysterious businessman Uncle as they track down large sums of money that have disappeared. One of Uncle’s longtime friends has requested help for his nephew, who needs to recover five million dollars from a business deal that went sideways. Ava steps in and immediately is off on a global hunt for the missing money that has her dodging shady characters.

On a journey that takes her from Seattle to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Guyana, and the British Virgin Islands, Ava encounters everything from the Thai katoey culture to corrupt government officials. In Guyana she meets her match: Captain Robbins, a godfather-like figure who controls the police, politicians, and criminals alike. In exchange for his help, Robbins decides he wants a piece of Ava’s five million dollars and will do whatever it takes to get his fair share.

Buy from Amazon.

8) Julian Lees - The Fan Tan Players

 3/5

It is a light story by an author born in Hong Kong. The most interesting thing about this book is that it mostly takes place in Macao.

The Fan Tan Players opens in 1928 in Macao on a cyclone-drenched Quasimodo Sunday. Nadia Shashkova, now in her late twenties, but originally a child refugee from pre-revolutionary Russia, is contemplating her diminishing marital prospects. None of the Portuguese suitors who pay their respects appeal to her in the slightest. Independent, astute, an outsider, Nadia is haunted by secrets from her childhood, memories of violence and rupture, and one terrible secret above all others will not let her go. Enter Iain Sutherland, an enigmatic Scot who is, officially, a British Consular representative, and who is very interested in Nadia for a number of reasons. As Nadia and Iain learn about each others’ histories, neither of them can anticipate what the future holds for each of them a journey into Russia to find something that has been lost, internment in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp, a courageous rescue.

The Fan Tan Players is an opulent family saga, set in Macao, Russia, the Scottish Highlands and Hong Kong in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. Exotic and beautifully written, it is a story of love, history, adversity and adventure.

Buy from Amazon.

Not recommended

Janice Y.K. Lee - The Piano Teacher

 2/5

Gives insight into what happened to foreigners in Hong Kong before, during, and after the second world war. The story is very boring though.

Exotic Hong Kong takes center stage in this sumptuous novel, set in the 1940s and ’50s. It’s a city teeming with people, sights, sounds, and smells, and it’s home to a group of foreign nationals who enjoy the good life among the local moneyed set, in a tight-knit social enclave distanced from the culture at large. Comfortable, clever, and even a bit dazzling, they revel in their fancy dinners and fun parties. But their sheltered lives take an abrupt turn after the Japanese occupation, and though their reactions are varied — denial, resistance, submission — the toll it takes on all is soon laid bare.

Enter Claire Pendleton from London. Months after her husband is transferred to Hong Kong in 1951, she accepts a position as a piano teacher to the daughter of a wealthy couple, the Chens. Claire begins to see the appeal of the sweltering city and is soon taken in by the Chen’s driver, the curiously underutilized Will Truesdale. A handsome charmer with a mysterious limp, Will appears to be the perfect companion for Claire, who’s often left to her own devices. But a further examination leaves her with more questions than answers.

Buy from Amazon.

Paul Theroux - Kowloon Tong

 2/5

Not an interesting story, why ever did he write it?

Ninety-nine years of colonial rule are ending as the British prepare to hand over Hong Kong to China. For Betty Mullard and her son, Bunt, it doesn’t concern them – until the mysterious Mr. Hung from the mainland offers them a large sum for their family business. They refuse, yet fail to realize Mr. Hung is unlike the Chinese they’ve known: he will accept no refusals. When a young female employee whom Bunt has been dating vanishes, he is forced to make important decisions for the first time in his life – but his good intentions are pitted against the will of Mr. Hung and the threat of the ultimate betrayal.

Buy from Amazon.

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