I shall be revealing where i'm going...hahahaha..(i said i would earlier in the week!) I 'm going to spend Christmas in Hong Kong and the NYE (new year's eve) in Taipei..(Taipei 101 to be more specific!! hahahaha) Cool heh?!! But the currency is killing me!!!!!! The Aussie dollar has lost much in its value n i'm losing out BIG-TIME...but what to do..i can't very well cancel my holiday now!!
Anyways, anyone has any recommendations on where to go,etc in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan?? It's my first time to Hong Kong n Macau (well, actually i've been to Hong Kong before but that was like before the age of 10 and i can't hardly remember anything from then!) so tips from anyone would be very helpful indeed! I've been doing my research already n have a rough idea of where to go to but still any suggestions from anyone would be helpful!
Also, if you live in Taiwan, i'd like to know u! If you have the spare time let's meet up! Cos i'll be going down to Neiwan, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohshiung, Taitung, and maybe Illan..i'd like to meet people there! Yep, it'll be my first Taiwan ROUND-ISLAND tour!!! I'll be taking the Taiwanese bullet train (which has the same tech as the Japanese shinkansen!) and then taking the old Taiwanese Railway up the East Coast back to Taipei...i can foresee being pretty free in Taipei so if u have read my blog b4 or just passing thru n interested in meeting up, let me know!!
I'd like to meet up with new friends in Taiwan given the time i have there!! It's been 4 yrs since i last visited Taiwan n all my cousins are really big now, all in uni,etc..hahah..i hope to be taken out by them! And then there's the high school n primary (not to forget uni) classmates i hope to meet again after so MANY years (longest being more than 10 yrs!!!!)..i just hope we end up meeting each other...(although i doubt i can meet everyone cos there's already been hiccups now..but i know i have tried my best in any event even if i don't meet them)
Anyways, suggestions n recommendations n people wanting to meet me in Taiwan? hahaha..
PS: Rem the last time in 06 when i was spending christmas in sydney n my mom in hong kong n my brother in london? well, this time, once again, with me being the more oriental one, i'll be spending it in hong kong whilst my brother (whose always been 'western') will be in Paris for Christmas! Its' so cool how I'm always the oriental one (my qipao addiction *hint.hint*) whilst my brother represents the 'western' aspect of our family..heck...even our holiday destinations are like that!! hehehe..
Updates 8/12: Anyone know or can help me find a good cheongsam tailor shop in Hong Kong or Taipei?? It'd be GREATLY APPRECIATED!!! PLEASE..i have a couple but i would like to know anyone whom has a recommendation personally cos the shops i have written down now were found on the internet..hahaha..also i got one 車仔麵 recommendation, i love it after having fallen in love with it in melbourne..anyone know of any good 車仔麵店@Hong Kong???
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Heh, marvel at how efficient HK's public transport system is, and how the Octopus Card (by an Australian company) makes it all so much more convenient. How they couldn't manage to impliment it here is still a mystery to me today.
The usual spots like the Peak (where you have a good view of the pollution most fo the time. If you're lucky you can see to the other side of the harbour). Taking a ferry to one of the other islands is also a great change of pace from the crowded city. Discovery Bay on Lantau island feels like another country. Taking a ferry trip across the harbour is well worth the fare too, the view is great.
Have no idea about tailors, just went to shops. It's apparently alot cheaper if you go just over the border, as long as you know a not so dodgy place. Shopping for everything in Shenzhen is much cheaper too. You shouldn't have any problems with clothes sizes, people over there are skinny. Even I was a bit restricted. Shopping is the local sport, there are shops everywhere, open nearly all hours, so if you like that then you will have a fantastic time.
The food is good too, though they probably use lots of ingredients from China.
Their "winter" is also a bit of a joke, most of the time it's tshirts and jeans, but watch the locals bring out the snow gear! At least it isn't 150% humidity like summer.
Have fun!
aimlesswanderer: thanks for the tips!! i heard winter in hk is mild already esp with global warming n all n the packed city with the tall buildings n people trapping heat within..i know it won't be too cold but i heard witner is the best time to visit hk precisely cos its waaay too hot anytime of the yr n christmas has the BIG bargain sales n not to mention the christmas lights!!
as for the trip shenzhen, i've heard they can make chinese clothing there quick n cheap but i doubt i'll have time to head across..haha..let's see what i can find in hk..
so when was the last time u headed to hong kong?
Yeah it is mild, watch the furry coats with hoods that are never used come out once the temperature drops below 15. It can get windy though, and some people find the aircon a bit cold.
Yep, there are sales, if you wanna shop. Ask a local for advice about shopping though, I don't have any idea. There are plenty of all types of stores.
From memory it can take as few as a couple of days to get tailored clothes ready, but there must be places in HK which would be more convenient. I thought about getting some tailored stuff from Shenzhen but didn't have the time, and just bought some off the rack in HK instead, way cheaper than here still.
I was last there in early Jan 07. Stayed with relos.
aimlesswanderer: yea..i'm obviously going to shop there, heck, its hong kong! and christmas season! the sales is the best during christmas in hong kong..beats even summer sales apparently...anyways, looking forward to eating all the amazing food there too (not to mention the christmas lights n victoria harbour night view)!:-)
Yeah, some nice hotels have cheap all you can eat buffets, much better value than here ($120, what a scam). Not that you seem to eat much. Lunch cheaper than dinner. All you can eat meat and dessert is good! There are also a fair few ice cream shops.
I am not a big shopper at all, just wanted some suits and shirts. The vast majority of stuff doesn't interest me at all. But if you wanna shop, it's a great place. Sadly the ER has fallen a fair bit, but not too badly. Given the crappy state of HK's economy there may be bigger sales too.
Oh yeah, apparently the view from the Peak is really good at night with all the lights, just pick a day where there is decent visibility, sometimes you can't see 100 metres!
It is rather strange compared to here, with entire streets being just, say, antiques shops or pet stores. Also the night markets if you like that kinda thing.
The only things I remember about Taipei (circa 1991) is that it was crowded, noisy and that Mum went to the night markets practicaly every night- kinda like HK to my young eyes. And we went to an amusement park somewhere, and also a place where there were bears and we threw dog food to them, and they caught it in their mouths. Hopefully you can't still do that!
Have fun, and eat lotsa good food.
aimlesswanderer: I eat ALOT actually..hahaha..its just that people think i don't judging by how thin i am..but , in fact, i eat more than some of the other people around..
thanks for your recommendations and advice!! i'm going to be looking forward to this trip since i haven't been anywhere foreign (excl.back to malaysia) since mid-2006 which is 2 1/2yrs ago!!
I also am going to be looking forward to delicious taiwanese street-side snacks which i've been craving for a loong time now!! hahah..and lookin forward to seeing my cousins n relos in taiwan since 2004! (4 years)
so what about urself, aimlesswanderer? going or doing anything for christmas/nye? how's the job-hunting going or have u been working? update me..it seems u know about my life but i haven't heard anything about urs since july-august..
That may be true, but you really don't look like it. If I ate as little as you, I would look like a skinny nerd, I haven't looked like that since this millenium and more! You are probably comparing yourself to the wrong people...... one of my cousins eats half of what I do.
I may have been overseas a bit more recently, but my knowledge is limited. You speak more of the local languages too, which always helps!
I'm not doing much, sadly. Am still recalcitrant in finding gainful employment - clearly not one of my better ideas as the global economy has steadily gone down hill! Hope your job is secure.
Not going anywhere, have mum's many relos over on xmas day, necessitating a major cleanup and reshuffle to fit everyone in. A pain, but it does force us to clean things up once in a while. Thinking of going in to a friend's place in the city on NYE, but I don't like crowds, and crowds there are a definitely going to be!
aimlesswanderer: i'm not a skinny nerd!!!~~~anyways, where've u been overseas recently? nice?
as for christmas n nye, have a very happy 2009 aimlesswander!!!~~~
PS: Good luck on the jobhunt! U have been bumming for the entire 2008??? hahaha....
I said I would look like a skinny nerd if I ate what you do, you just look skinny and kinda feminine.
Haven't been anywhere since HK&Japan, hve been more recently than you.
Thanks, you must be going really soon. Have a great time over there, enjoy it while you can.
Heh, I will need all the help I can get, given the crappy economy. HK's is even worse.
i assume you can read chinese, so for hk and macau, i highly recommend the website www.kktravel.com
this is one of the most detailed hk and macau travel sites i've seen.
我又當未班車了~聖誕快樂!!
aimlesswanderer: thanks~~have a happy 2009~~i am now in taipei...just came bck from taipei 101 for NYE..n spent a week in hk before that~~not enough time in hk tho..many plcs i didn't get to go..as for taipei...the weather is good cos its cold now~~
andres: thks~i enjoyed macau n hong kong alot~have a very happy 2009~~
joseph: happy 2009~~
Happy New Year to you too mate! Saw a bit of the fireworks on the 101 on the news, impressive when coupled with the massive building.
aimlesswanderer: thks!~~~~~
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