Hong Kong - Travel With A Butterfly

This is going to be a very short blog post. But I just wanted to write this quickly because a couple of weeks ago, I went to the Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir tour in Hong Kong, and the tour exceeded my expectations!

Despite the images of the service reservoir and how it looks like as if you’ve traveled back to Europe, what was the most fascinating of this place wasn’t the remnants of the reservoir, but actually the presentation on the history of Hong Kong’s water situation and why the reservoir was built, as well as a guided tour talking about why the service reservoir was designed the way it was.

You’ll get to learn about the history of why the service reservoir was built, how some districts that we can stand on Hong Kong were actually the sea, problems when distributing water before, water shortage problems in Hong Kong, how Hong Kong people behaved back in the days to manage the water supply, and so many more interesting tidbits of information. Continue reading Tour Around the Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir

Travel

Travelling is Both Tiring and Resetting

ByRyan Lee

It’s been about three years I haven’t travelled before embarking on the Yellowstone trip.

Ever since Covid happened, I’ve been stuck in Hong Kong for quite some time, and quite frankly, I’ve been feeling jaded, monotonous, and slightly depressing. I’ve travelled on average about twice a year, and to succumb to find different things to do each weekend in Hong Kong was firstly humbling to see how much Hong Kong has to offer, but at the same time it was all the same – new restaurants or cafes popping up each week, same areas, try going to different sightseeing places. Zzz.

Continue reading Travelling is Both Tiring and Resetting

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Vaccination Lucky Draw Programs

ByRyan Lee

As the city continues to combat and mitigate the spread of Covid 19, different companies and enterprises have started offering rewards and lucky draws for those who have been vaccinated. This page is dedicated to showcase all the different schemes that are going on.

This page and website are not an endorsement nor a discouragement for vaccination; the choice for vaccination is embedded in multiple different factors for each individual, and as such each person should understand the benefits and risks prior to receiving vaccination.

Anyway, moving on to the good stuff:

Continue reading Hong Kong Vaccination Lucky Draw Programs

Interviews

Bespoke Fashion Design and Tailoring with June Woonamy

ByRyan Lee

Tucked in the corner of Lok Ku Road and Upper Lascar Row, a street with antiques, vintage items, flowers, and a growing number of coffee cafés, June Woonamy’s whimsical shop has a mysterious charm that invites those who pass by to stumble upon its diverse collection of unique artisanal outfits. I spoke with Brandice, founder and artistic direction of June Woonamy, and Luke on their background stories, their business, and their outlook and advice for fashion designers in Hong Kong. Continue reading Bespoke Fashion Design and Tailoring with June Woonamy

Hong Kong

Tai Nan Street 大南街 – the Taiwan of Hong Kong? Boutique shops, cafes, indie music, and more

ByRyan Lee

I had zero intention of writing this blog post. Even when I first stumbled across the street, the thought hadn’t crossed my mind.

After having lunch at the prominent and long established名寶石餐廳 Tiffany Restaurant, I had some spare time and wanted to head over to White Noise Records, since I was already at Prince Edward’s. Google Maps suggested it was an 11 minute walk from where I was.

White Noise Records was one of the few record stores in Hong Kong that sold indie music, from vinyls to CDs to merchandises, featuring Japanese, American, Hong Kong local artists etc. It used to be upstairs in an unassuming building, but apparently that’s all changed as it has relocated to Tai Nan Street.

Upon arriving to the area, a lot of boutique cafés, stores, leather shops, terrarium shops greeted me. They stood out because of how its exterior look was far different from its adjacent shops, the newer ones being far more elegant and clean. What used to be the “ugly duckling” was turning into a beautiful swan. Continue reading Tai Nan Street 大南街 – the Taiwan of Hong Kong? Boutique shops, cafes, indie music, and more

Hong Kong

Honbo Wombo

ByRyan Lee

Conquering the burger scene in Hong Kong in just a little over a year, Honbo is the place to go now to fulfil your burger cravings. Even the name (which means burger in Cantonese) has a winning “ring” to it. I had the extreme pleasure to speak with Michael Chan, the owner of Honbo, to discuss how and why Honbo has succeeded, where the future is headed for the burger joint, as well as the celebrities that have been to his restaurant.

Continue reading Honbo Wombo

Japan

Okinawa aka All You Can Eat Agu Pork

ByRyan Lee

Just like you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, you shouldn’t judge a travel destination by its pictures. I’ve been to places where the photos are prettier than the location, but Okinawa is the opposite – just when you think the island is just about the beaches and the sea (like Kenting), Okinawa provides a lot more than water activities and tanning.

Even though American military (navy) is based on this island, don’t think that you can speak English anywhere. In fact, treat it as if you were at anywhere else in Japan – they couldn’t speak English most of the time! Body and hand signals are vital if you don’t know how to speak Japanese! Continue reading Okinawa aka All You Can Eat Agu Pork

Travel

A Short Trip to Kaohsiung and Taichung

ByRyan Lee

This trip going to Kaohsiung and Taichung was back in 2013, before I started travel blogging, so I didn’t write many details about the trips. However, I will share with you my pictures in those places.

What I do remember is that both places were actually quite rural, well not completely rural but definitely didn’t feel urbanized / city like. Everything there was so cheap! In order to survive in Taiwan though, you would definitely need to know some mandarin. But definitely it was a really cheap trip – flight, accommodation, food, transportation, nothing there was expensive. Maybe I’ll save more money spending my weekends in Kaohsiung instead haha. Continue reading A Short Trip to Kaohsiung and Taichung

Singapore

Celebrating Singapore’s 50th Anniversary

ByRyan Lee

This was my third time in Singapore. The first time when I was really young, so I have no recollection of it or whatever. The second time was 8 years ago for my high school graduation, but that time I got really sick. This time, I was able to enjoy Singapore while being fully healthy. There were a lot of things that caught my eye that I didn’t notice the first time around in Singapore.

First of course was upon riding the taxi to my first accommodation, the road along was as if giving me a glimpse of Singapore’s Botanic Gardens (beautiful trees, flowers etc.), and then it morphed into what you would picture Singapore to be – a city with modern architecture. Continue reading Celebrating Singapore’s 50th Anniversary

Cambodia

Surviving the Cambodian Heat – Phnom Penh

ByRyan Lee

It’s amazing how two countries separated by a 2 hour flight can contrast so differently, and yet this is what I experienced during my trip to Cambodia.

Unlike the skyscrapers and luxurious cars in Hong Kong, Cambodia was about the dust and the beating sun. We were at both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, with the former being extremely dusty. The weather was extremely hot, but without the humidity, I personally found it more accommodating than the insufferable humidity that is in Hong Kong.

One thing I particularly noticed was the number of different international influences the country has. The streets have prominent French figures named after them. There are numerous US company brands everywhere, not to mention the numerous Chinese companies that also exist in this developing country. When you witness this many different country influences, you know the country’s been through some turmoil. Continue reading Surviving the Cambodian Heat – Phnom Penh