Thomas Kramer Travel Blog 2013: Hong Kong

 

OMG I love HKK and its energy.  You can leave Hong Kong, but it will never leave you.

At 40,000 Feet on Emirates’ A380

2007 Airbus introduced this double-decker airplane. It is capable of transporting up to 853 people more than 9,000 miles at a time. Having First Class Private Suites you retreat into your own world.

Each suite comes fully equipped with a sliding door, a personal mini-bar, adjustable ambient lighting, and its own vanity table, mirror, wardrobe, and privacy divider for central suites.

And if you want to stretch out and sleep, our crew will convert your seat to a fully flat bed with a mattress, so you can arrive at your destination totally refreshed.

If you ever get the chance to fly with Emirates’ A380, go for it! Read more →

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Hong Kong is a place with multiple personalities

Hong Kong (meaning: fragrant harbour) is a place with multiple personalities, as a result of being both Cantonese Chinese and under a more recent contemporary ex-British influence. Today, the former British colony is a major tourism destination for China’s increasingly affluent mainland population. It is also an important hub in East Asia with global connections to many of the world’s cities. It is a unique destination that has absorbed people and cultural influences from places as diverse as Vietnam and Vancouver and proudly proclaims itself to be Asia’s World City.

Getting ready for the WEDDING SAISON! “ASCOT CHANG” the WORLD’S BEST TAILOR is making me a new wardrobe……

It all began in Shanghai in 1940, when a young Ascot Chang first mastered the art of bespoke tailoring as an apprentice under a custom shirt maker. As Shanghai was the pinnacle of continental style culture, Chang was influenced by some of the world’s best tailors, from Italy to Russia to Savile Row. Following his dream of creating his own company, he moved to Hong Kong at age 26 with the equivalent of $10 American dollars and a unique expertise.

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Today, Tony Chang, Ascot Chang’s son, and Johnny Chang, Ascot Chang’s brother, continue the family tradition, while building upon the namesake company’s success. Supplying the same excellence in service and quality espoused by its founder, Ascot Chang maintains the impeccable heritage of traditional Shanghai tailoring, while providing a contemporary look. Read more →

The climb to Victoria Peak

Victoria Peak is a mountain known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak, is located in the western half of hong Kong Island With an altitude of 552 m (1,811 ft).

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With some seven million visitors every year, the Peak is the biggest tourist attraction in Hong Kong. It offers spectacular views of the city and harbours. The number of visitors has resulting in the building of two major leisure and shopping centres, the Peak Tower and the Peak Galleria, situated adjacent to each other at Victoria Gap.

The Peak Tower incorporates the upper station of the Peak Tram funicular railway that brings passengers up from Central district, whilst the Peak Galleria incorporates the bus station used by the public bus and green minibus services to the Peak. The Peak is also accessible by taxi and private car via the circuitous Peak Road, or by walking up the steep Old Peak Road from the mid-levels starting near the Zoological Botanical Gardens.

Panaroma View of the Peak: http://www.360cities.net/virtual-tour/the-peak-island-view

Victoria Peak Garden is located on the site of Mountain Lodge, the Governor’s old summer residence, and is the closest publicly accessible point to the summit. It can be reached from Victoria Gap by walking up Mount Austin Road, a climb of about 150 metres. Another popular walk is the level loop is along Lugard Road, giving good views of Central district and Kowloon, and then returning via Harlech Road, encircling the summit at the level of the Peak Tower.

There are several restaurants on Victoria Peak. Most of them are located in the shopping complexes, the Peak Tower and the Peak Galleria. However one of the most famous, the Peak Lookout Restaurant, is housed in an older and more traditional building. Originally a rooming house for engineers working on the Peak Tramway, it was rebuilt in 1901 as a stop area for private or public sedan chairs, and opened as a restaurant in 1947.

The Pavilion and Findlay Road provide excellent viewpoints and photo opportunities. Also along Findlay Road are photographers and vendors offering paintings and souvenirs and quite often one of the few remaining rickshaw pullers touts for business although don’t expect anything more than a trip of a few metres and a photo.

Aberdeen is a town of approximately 60,000 people on the south side of Hong Kong Island. The town’s most famous feature is Aberdeen Harbour, which lies between Aberdeen and the island Ap Lei Chau. The original Chinese settlement on this harbour was named Hong Kong, and when British seafarers landed here in the 19th century they mistook the name of the village for the name of the entire island.

The settlement was subsequently renamed Aberdeen after George Hamilton Gordon, the 4th Earl of Aberdeen (Scotland) and the then-current British Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. Keen videogamers may recognise Aberdeen as the setting for the Sega Dreamcast game Shenmue II. Scenes from the Bruce Lee film Enter the Dragon were shot in Aberdeen Harbour.

 Here you will find extravagant homes with spectacular views over the largest sea in the world.

Visitors to Hong Kong should come south for the excellent beach resorts, theme park and some very good dinning opportunities. On a sunny day, the south-side is a welcome escape from city life and ought to be a compulsory part of your agenda when travelling in Hong Kong.