Offbeat Eats From Around The World

Nothing can highlight a cultural divide more than food. One person’s delicacy can be another’s horror.

Chapulines, fried grasshoppers, have been on the menu for thousands of years in Mexico. 

These dried seahorses were on display in the fish market in Tai O Village in Hong Kong. Would you sprinkle them on a salad like sundried tomatoes? Or are they a standalone food?

No doubt great artistry and care went into making these donkey sausages, which were on sale in Marche Forville a market in Cannes, France. I wonder what wine you would pair with them and if they a bit stubborn to chew?

What are the strangest foods you have been brave enough to try when traveling?

Traffic From Around The World

A holiday weekend, Independence Day, is approaching which means the exodus from the city will result in epic traffic. From a distance it can look beautiful in the right light.

The FDR will take you to several bridges that lead out of Manhattan.

This stretch of Nathan Road in Hong Kong is one of the most populated in the world and becomes a neon forest at night.

Mexico City is for car lovers. Its main arteries become parking lots during rush hour each day.

Bangkok also has the dubious distinction of having some of the worst traffic in the world, which is best viewed from above.
Do you time your day around traffic?

Venice’s From Around The World

There are certain cities in the world that set the benchmark for others to claim as their namesake. Venice is one of them.

Tai O is known as the Venice of Hong Kong. Stilt houses line the waterways of the small fishing village located on Lantau Island.

Artists are among those who inhabit the houseboats floating on Regents Canal in Little Venice, London. I had the good fortune to live here for a year, although not in a houseboat, when I worked in London.

It may come as no surprise that Los Angeles’ version of Venice is man made. A tobacco magnate founded it at the turn of the last century. Homes were built along canals modeled after the original city.

Hong Kong’s Tallest Building

The latest edition to Hong Kong's skyline is also the special administrative region’s tallest. Located in West Kowloon the International Commerce Centre (ICC) in Union Square was completed in 2010.

At 108 stories it is also amongst the tallest buildings in the world. The hotel's lobby is the highest on earth at 1,394 feet - even higher than the Park Hyatt in the Shanghai World Financial Center. Meanwhile, the Jin Mao Tower, WFC’s neighbor in Shanghai, boasts the world’s highest post office.

ICC has an observation deck on the 100th floor that is open to the public.

What is the tallest building from which you have taken in surrounding views?

Bilingual Signs From Around The World

It can be humbling to be rendered illiterate when traveling in a country with an alphabet alien to your own. Street signs are meaningless and attempting to withdraw cash from an ATM with directions in Chinese characters is all but impossible for those of us accustomed to Germanic and Romance languages. I’m certainly grateful for street signs that have English translations when wandering some of the world’s cities.

In Hong Kong you’ll see many signs reminding pedestrians to look left instead of right when crossing the road. The direction of traffic in Hong Kong is a legacy of the former British Colony, where driving is on the left instead of the right. I wonder what “Mind The Gap” looks like written in Cantonese.

In Tokyo’s vast metro system girly pink signs on the platform point out which cars are reserved for women only during rush hour. They were introduced in 2005 to prevent chikan from doing what they shouldn’t do.

This sign is not in China. In fact it's located in Manhattan’s Chinatown, which borders Little Italy and its famed Mulberry Street.

When has a bilingual sign helped you from getting lost or lack of one resulted in an unplanned adventure?

Asia Bound

I’m heading to Bangkok by way of Hong Kong tomorrow. I’ll be spending a day or two in Hong Kong on either side of a short trip- three full days- to Bangkok.

I used to travel to Hong Kong on business every year and haven’t been in almost four years. I’ve missed it. This will be my first trip to Bangkok.

As always I’ll have posts lined up while I’m away and plenty when I return.

Pictured above: Apartment block, Yaumatei, Hong Kong.

Skylines From Around The World

There are many ways to photograph a city skyline. I like pursuing high vantage points as they give you a sense of scale and layout.

Beautiful mountains frame Seoul’s sprawling skyline.

In Taipei, Taipei 101 towers above all else.

The concrete, glass and steel canyons of Tokyo’s Shinjuku has one of the most iconic modern skylines in the world.

Hong Kong’s skyline sparkles at night.

Shanghai has two skylines. The Bund and the more recent Pudong pictured here.

It’s no coincidence that the cities featured above are in Asia. That part of the world has some of the most dynamic and constantly updated skylines on earth. But I couldn’t leave you without a shot of my own city. Look closely and you’ll see the shadow of the Empire State Building.

Previous Posts in this Series:

Taxis
Mosques
Alleys

Taxis From Around The World

Taxis in some of the world’s cities can be as iconic as famous landmarks.

London’s cab drivers are perhaps the best in the world. They undertake a rigorous test and must know the massive city’s roads and ancient alleys well. But this comes at a price. A ride in a London taxis is among the most expensive in the world.

More eco friendly vehicles are slowly replacing Mexico City’s green Volkswagen Beatle taxis.

New York City’s yellow cabs are always in abundance except when it rains, during rush hour and on New Year’s Eve.

I love the red color of Hong Kong’s taxis and how the driver presses a lever to automatically open the doors before you step in.

Where have you taken a ride in a taxi that could be considered iconic?

Windows from Around the World

There is nothing like a window with a good view.

The shuttered windows of Jaipur, India’s City Palace keep out the heat and provide privacy from which to peer.

The colorful colonial architecture of Granada, Nicaragua has no shortage of beautiful windows.

It would be easy to lose count of how many windows there are in this enormous housing block in Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Some windows are pure art like this one in Mexico’s San Miguel de Allende.

Wishing you all a healthy, happy 2010. And may your window of opportunity for travel be wide open in 2010.

Previous Posts in this Series:

Graveyards
Beaches
Underground Metros

Boats From Around The World

Boats are not only a convenient way to get around when traveling but can also provide a great way to take in the surrounding scenery.

Sometimes the vessels are floating art like these Moroccan blue fishing boats in Essaouira’s Harbor.

In Dubai abras or water taxis are used by commuters to cross Dubai Creek and are an inexpensive and scenic way for travelers to get around as well.

Nothing punctuates Hong Kong’s skyline like a Chinese junk floating in Victoria Harbour.

In New York City the free of charge Staten Island Ferry provides some of the best views of lower Manhattan.

Where do you prefer to take a boat ride?

Published Photographs: Hong Kong Skyline Edition

Hong Kong’s skyline is one of the most recognizable in the world. It also changes quickly due to new buildings popping up every year which means photos get outdated quickly.

All the more reason to keep going back. These have appeared in a variety of magazines and promotional brochures.

Tai O Village Hong Kong

For most Hong Kong doesn’t typically conjure up images of ancient fishing villages. Tai O is a world apart from Hong Kong Island’s Central financial district and the tai-pans who make it tick.

A fishing village on Lantau Island Tai O is connected to a smaller island by a steel pedestrian bridge. Also known as the Venice of Hong Kong it was settled hundreds of years ago by the Tanka (boat) people from mainland China.

Its inhabitants live in stilt houses built over a waterway, a big attraction for the waves of foreign and local tourists who visit it on weekends. They come to wander its alleys and sample the seafood restaurants. In 2000 a fire burned sections of the wooden stilt homes. Many have been rebuilt with aluminium. Tai O village also has a seafood market and three temples.

How To Get There
Tai O is located on the western tip of Lantau Island. It’s a nice way to take a break from the crowds and the journey is enjoyable. To get there you can catch a ferry from the outlying ferry pier in Central to Mui Wo on Lantau. The fast ferry takes about 30 minutes and the slow ferry about 50. Try and take the slow ferry at least one way so you can sit outside on the open deck which provides spectacular views of the busy South China sea and Hong Kong harbor. From Mui Wo catch a bus, a scenic ride that takes about 40 minutes. Buses are outside the ferry terminal and clearly marked.

Street Scenes: Nathan Road Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s Nathan Road is a neon and concrete canyon. Located in Kowloon, a peninsula at the tip of mainland China which points to the South China Sea, it includes one of the world’s most densely populated neighborhoods.

I spent at least an hour in one place waiting for the lights to change to capture the endless traffic whizzing by. I often return to this spot to photograph Nathan Road. My cue that traffic was about to halt was the ticking sound for the visually impaired coming from pedestrian crosswalk lights signaling that it was safe to cross. This sound always reminds me of Hong Kong.

Street Scenes: Intersection Hong Kong

The intersections of Hong Kong’s Central District are well presented.

The taxi and man pushing his bike almost look as though they are pieces in a life-sized board game.

Man’s Best Friend Hong Kong Style

Hong Kong’s most pampered pets are not typically the four-legged variety. In fact man’s best friend comes in a small package, convenient in a city where space can be scarce.

Located in Mongkok on the Kowloon Peninsula is the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden. Most active in the morning men take their feathered friends in bamboo cages for walks here. They stop to chat with one another hanging the cages in trees or on a fence and compare the warbles of their songbirds.

The garden is flanked by Hong Kong’s premiere bird market. It makes for an interesting place to stroll and take in a little Chinese culture where songbirds are prized among pet owners. Dozens of stalls line two long narrow alleyways filled with a variety of songbirds and a smaller selection of boisterous parrots. Birds are often chosen for how they sound, not how they look.

The market also sells food and accessories. Live crickets are sold in clear plastic bags. Pampered birds are fed the creatures with chopsticks. Rows of bamboo and teak cages are displayed along with blue and white pottery food and water dishes.

To get to the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden and bird market take the MTR to the Prince Edward Station. On the way you’ll pass though a large outdoor flower market. Here is a map. The market is open daily from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Street Scenes: Hennessy Road Hong Kong

I don’t think there is a street in Kong Kong I have walked down where I haven’t been compelled to photograph something. On the day this was taken, Hennessy Road in Wanchai was no exception.

I pulled out a wide angle lens to capture as much as I could of the gargantuan tenement buildings and people walking below them. The number of people housed in the buildings along Hennessy Road probably amount to a small city in some parts of the world.

Shoes From Around The World

Observing what people wear on their feet can tell you a lot about a culture. A combination of custom and necessity footwear can also reveal a person’s status, profession and sense of style.

Wooden shoes are the footwear of choice when wearing a kimono in Japan. Even trendy Tokyo stays true to its roots where you find pairs of these for sale everywhere.

Morocco’s leather slippers are handmade, comfortable and work as well with a kaftan as they do with a pair of jeans. These were spotted in Marrakesh’s souk, where you will be spoiled for choice.

The ultimate example of the pain endured by women for the sake of shoes are small silk slippers worn for centuries by China’s elite bound footed women. They are now sold as souvenirs, in this instance at Hong Kong’s Cat Street Market.

Nothing says American Southwest like a pair of cowboy boots. These were on display in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Previous Posts In This Series:
Grafitti
Laundry
Mailboxes
Mosques

Hong Kong’s Commuter Escalator Is Also A Cultural Tour

How would you like to commute to work on an outdoor escalator carved into a mountain? Thousands do every day in Hong Kong.

The Midlevels escalator is actually a series of covered escalators and moving sidewalks about a half-mile long. It is the longest outdoor escalator in the world.

The escalator starts at Midlevels, an upscale residential area popular with expats, and ends in Central, which is home to the city’s financial district. The ride from top to bottom is about 20 minutes long.

During rush hour it runs down hill full of business people heading to work. At about 10:30 a.m. it reverses and transports people up the mountain for the rest of the day. It shuts down around midnight.

For residents there are small shops along the way to stop off and pick up a few things at the end of a long work day before heading home. Restaurants, watering holes, coffee shops and a health club to fit in a workout also line the way.

For visitors to Hong Kong riding the Midlevels escalator is like taking a cultural tour. You’ll see the iconic hanging laundry in tenement windows so close at some points you can almost reach out and touch it.

Wet markets bustle with activity below in Sheung Wan, a traditional part of the city. A separate post on this neighborhood will follow.

Starting at the top of the escalator you’ll pass by Mosque Street, named for the Jamia Mosque. The gate to the walled mosque is typically open making it possible to peek inside.

Further down is Hollywood Road, which is full of curios and antique shops as well as chic home décor stores. If you get off at Hollywood Road to browse and shop walk east (away from the escalator) for about five minutes to admire the Man Mo Temple.

Ride the escalator further down and you’ll hit Soho, short for South of Hollywood Road. This area on Shelley, Staunton and Elgin Streets is popular for its restaurants, night life and art galleries and is a good place to make a pit stop to refuel. Or continue into Central to carry on exploring the city’s sights.

City Icons—Hong Kong China

Hong Kong’s icon is without a doubt its skyline. Modern, excessive and constantly updated it never ceases to dazzle.

Since its inception the cityscape has continued to reach further into Victoria Harbor through land reclamation. It seems that almost every year a new landmark skyscraper is added.

There is no shortage of choices to take it all in. For an overhead view go to Victoria Peak just before dusk to see the sprawling metropolis by day. On a clear day you can see for miles into the New Territories. Stay to watch the buildings light up at night.

Across the harbor is Tsimshatsui with its long waterfront promenade. Here you can see the neon of the skyscrapers reflect on the waters of the busy harbor by night. The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center pictured above changes colors every few minutes.

The quick ride across the harbor from Central on the Star Ferry also provides breathtaking views.