Let’s Visit Asia

If you’re a parent headed for Hong Kong with your kids, be sure to visit the following attractions for kids recommended by the Venere Travel Blog:
1. Ocean Park
2. Water World
3. Zoological and Botanical Gardens and Hong Kong Park
4. Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car — I also blogged about this here.
5. Disneyland Hong Kong — if you’re planning on visiting often, you might want to get a summer season pass or even an annual pass
Read about all these destinations by clicking the links, or for a glimpse of what to expect, head on over to the Venere Blog.
If you’ve …read more

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I love audio guides. Not only does it give more in-depth real-time information while taking a tour, it also allows you to go at your own pace, unlike when joining a group tour with a real flesh-and-blood tour guide.
Not the type to go for audio tours? Well, don’t say no til you’ve checked out the Louis Vuitton Soundwalk, an mp3 audio guide to Beijing, Hong Kong or Shanghai. And yes, like its bags, these are a touch more elite compared to other run of the mill audio guides.

For Beijing, your guide will be Gong Li (Memoirs of a Geisha’s Hatsumomo); …read more

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Those visiting Hong Kong this summer are up for a fun-filled and busy trip. The Hong Kong Tourism Board has put together a vibrant website showcasing the so-called Hong Kong’s Summer Temptations.
Go wild as malls and department stores all over town tempt you with special offers you can’t afford to miss. Enjoy cuisines from around the world at prices that fit every pocketbook. Use your Visa card and you could be big winner in the Visa ‘Million Dollar’ Lucky Draw! Play our Stamp Rally game and discover Hong Kong’s living culture.
On top of that, Hong Kong is hosting the Equestrian …read more

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The last week has seen a lot of new hotels opening in the Chinese region:
in Hongkong: Courtyard by Marriott Hong Kong, located along the Victoria Harbour in the Sai Ying Pun District on Hong Kong Island
also in Hong Kong: Novotel Nathan Road, located on the main thoroughfare of Kowloon, also known as the Golden Mile
in Shanghai: Swissôtel Grand, a luxury hotel located in the city’s Jing’An quarter

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Earlier this week, Oasis Hong Kong suddenly announced that they are out of business and left thousands of passengers high and dry. Oasis Hong Kong is the first long-haul budget airline, flying between London and Vancouver, and Hong Kong.
Since then, the airlines have been making arrangements with hotels and other airlines where passengers may make alternative travel bookings. If you are one of the passengers affected by this mayhem, make sure you fill out this passenger registration of claim form (pdf file).

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I’ve previously thought that cruises are only for honeymooners and er, seniors. I mean, who else would want to be cooped up in a ship for several days on end, in the middle of the ocean?!? But lately, I’ve been thinking, hm, a cruise holiday isn’t that bad, y’know. I can imagine how relaxing and peaceful it can be, and it’s not as if one really spends weeks without docking somewhere.
Thinking of going on a cruise holiday? Consider cruising along Hong Kong, voted by the British cruise magazine Dream World Cruise Destinations readers as one of the destinations in the …read more

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Here’s something for the parents out there: The Landmark Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong has prepared a pampering package for parents in time for the upcoming Mothers’ and Fathers’ Days.

Available on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day weekends the Parental Pampering package includes:
* One-night accommodation for two
* Welcome bottle of chilled champagne
* Welcome celebratory gift
* Breakfast buffet for two
* Pre-dinner drinks for two at MO Bar
* Five-course Mother’s/Father’s Day dinner for two at Amber restaurant (wine pairing included)
* A one-hour massage at The Oriental Spa
* Complimentary use of The Oriental Spa’s heat and water oasis including Roman laconium, Turkish hamam, …read more

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Just a quick notice to all those flying Cathay Pacific or Dragon Air into China:

Cathay Pacific and Dragonair will move to the new Terminal 3 at Beijing International Airport starting on Wednesday, 26 March 2008.
Cathay Pacific and Dragonair will move to the Terminal 2 at Shanghai Pudong International Airport starting on Tuesday, 29 April 2008.

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The lunar new year’s eve may have been over, but the celebrations continue in Hong Kong until Feb 21, 2008.

Today, Feb 8, there will be a firework display at 8 pm at the Victoria Harbour between Central and Tsim Sha Tsu.
You can also take a closer look at the floats featured in the Chinese New Year Parade until Monday, Feb 10 at the New World Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui.
And to cap the celebrations, don’t miss the Spring Lantern Carnivals on Feb 21-23, at the Ko Shan Road Park, Tsing Yi Park, and Po Tsui Park.
For more details on these and …read more

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We always associate fortune cookies with Chinese restaurants and assumed they originated in China, but did you know that they are actually virtually unknown in China?
There are several speculations regarding the origins of the fortune cookie, the most widely held belief is that this is an invention of the Chinese settlers in America. However, a researcher now claims that they are actually originally form JAPAN.
As she researched the cookie’s Japanese origins, among the most persuasive pieces of evidence Nakamachi found was an illustration from a 19th-century book of stories, “Moshiogusa Kinsei Kidan.”
A character in one of the tales is an …read more

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