HK Independent Traveller Blog

Museums in Hong Kong have great collections and cost almost nothing (HK$10).  A visit should be included in your itinerary.  I visited Hong Kong Museum of Art .  There are thematic exhibitions apart from its permanent exhibitions.  At time, it is The Ultimate South China Travel Guide – Canton II (The Last Episode).  It outlines the travel needs of foreign visitors to the regions of Canton, Hong Kong and Macau after the outbreak of the Opium War, when China was in regular conflict with western powers. The beginning of steamships in 19th century reduced the travel time from Europe to China to around 2 months.  Trade and tourism flourished.  Ship journey departed from Southampton and Marseilles to Hong Kong twice a month.  Visitors then transferred to Canton by river steamers. Most visitors were merchants / traders coming to Canton with their family.  Due to the restrictions, they could only live in the factory area and the family in Macau.  Given the production lead time (except t

Lamma  南Y島 is the third largest island after Lantau and Hong Kong Island.    It is peaceful and tranquil, a big contrast to the hectic city life.  A walk through a hiking trail beween the two ports of Yung Shue Wan 榕樹灣 and Sok Kwu Wan 索古灣 will definitely refresh one's mind.  Tourists will find the other face of Hong Kong beyond shopping and dining. Yung Shue Wan is on the north of the island and where the most population resides.  Villas cluster in this area with lots of different restaurants in the surrounding, Chinese, Western, Turkish, Thai, Japanese, etc.  Sok Kwu Wan is relatively barren to Yung Shue Wan.  Upon arrival are numerous seafood restaurants and a few villages dotted around.  Ferry service is rare.  If you miss one, be prepared to wait for at least 1.5 hours. I started my trip at Sok Kwu Wan as it is easier to control the time of catching a ferry.  The journey takes 40 minutes.  On the left hand side of the boat, one can have a glance of buildings along the coast

On 1 September 2010 we visited Genoa , a major port located on the north west coast of Italy, the region of Liguria .  It's a town with a lot of attractions.  Unfortunately we were only one day there.  I'll tell things we've done and try to list out others worth a visit. The train from Milan took about two hours.  It climbs mountains and moved slowly during the last 20 minutes.  We started with Villa del Principe . It is a rich and sumptuous noble house owned by Andrea Doria .  He convinced the emperor Charles V to grant independence to Genoa.  His art collection includes tapestries, frescoes, stuccoes, portraits and furniture.   The garden has lots of plants with bright and appealing colours.  The entrance fee was €12 including a modern audio guide, a iPod which categorised information nicely. Stroll along Via Garibaldi and Via Balbi your eyes will be delighted with many lavishly decorated mansions and old palaces.   Worth of mention is the Renaissance and