minalism travel

Cosmopolitan London – Photograph from  Shutterstock Another beautiful day on Hong Kong island. I woke up with a really discomforting feeling so I leapt out of bed and ran straight out. The last few days have been sunny and hot, which has been really nice to run about in. Opening my email, a friend had sent me a really interesting but sad article  "Hospital Pays Compensation Over 'Racism' Death" , and then this follow up article,  "It Seemed Impossible, But At Last Martin Jacques Got Justice For The Wife He Loved" .  WOW this case really hit me hard. " Hong Kong's dirty little secret".  I immediately wrote a quick email to  Martin Jacques  to thank him for his writings, and for his lengthy fight for justice for his wife. I mainly wanted to thank him for his acknowledgment of a reality in Hong Kong and South-East Asia that many are not even willing to entertain. He is an example of a truly open expatriate, living his life abroad, and mak

Soho Chillin'... Soho Area of Hong Kong – Photograph From Foodpanda Magazine It's been a good morning, I had a relaxed start, and headed out feeling good. After running a few errands around my neighbourhood lunch soon approached and I was starving, so I popped into Soho and ended up at a great little Mexican place called "El Taco Loco". Lunch agenda: Quesidilla Pollo Suprema with a Sol Cerveza to wash it down. Excellently priced and with friendly service, El Taco Loco is the perfect escape for homely Mexican interiors and tasty fast food. Sitting at the high bar by the window so that I could people watch while I hungrily scoffed my food I realised I had a spectator! A middle aged Chinese lady had stopped right opposite me, on the street outside the restaurant, and was taking a good, nosy look at my food. I figured she was just curious, so I tilted my food basket and showed her what was left of my meal. She smiled, nodded and continued her walk up the hilly r

Sahara Restaurant on Elgin Street I t's been a while since I've written anything at all... I have had plenty of inspiration but lacking motivation. As upsetting as it is when I get into these modes, I'm trying to think of it as a break I didn't know I needed. Something like that... It feels like a heavy day trailing off from a heavy few weeks. I'm starting to feel like I'm going down a dangerous path that I know all too well, and have spent way too much time in the past avoiding to just let it slip back into my life. It's money and time consuming. And it drains every bit of life out of me, and numbs my brain. It's the dark side of my moon, and I'm not looking forward to when it hits.   After a busy day I met up with my friend Christine for a quick drink in the evening. I always enjoy her great company, so hanging out with her was exactly what I needed. So we went to one of our favourite rooftop wine bars and ordered our first glass for

Practicing Tai Chi In A Public Park – Photograph from nydailynews.com It is a sunny and relatively warm Saturday morning for January. You would think that after spending at least two years waking up at the crack of dawn on Saturday mornings, to travel all the way from South London to East, while I was working for the Barnardos Aut' & About Scheme , that I would be accustomed to being out and about at this time. But no, it's still a struggle, so I get myself out of the apartment as fast as I can and on my way to meet today's adventure.  Agenda of the day: visiting elderly residents at their homes courtesy of the kind efforts of Janet Wai and SK Shum, who organise the Hong Kong Voluntary Group on Meetup , and the team of staff at the Wan Chai Methodist Centre for the Seniors. These visits have been successfully running since 2007 providing an invaluable and under-catered service to the 'real' residents of Hong Kong. My team were given three elderl

Lunchtime can never arrive fast enough when you're hungry! And after an early start to my day, I was certainly quite starving on my journey home. I ducked into a small Vietnamese restaurant just outside Sheung Wan MTR station, that had been recommended to me many times, and picked up some simple and delicious looking take-away, Lemongrass Beef with Vermicelli Noodles and Vegetables  (sadly I was too hungry to take a picture of my tasty lunch... that's how good it was! But to give you an idea, here is a photo from a great little article I found with an even tastier looking recipe, that looks almost identical to what I ate). Lemongrass Beef Noodle Salad – Photography from  http://kokocooks.com/ Take-away noodles in hand, I got home and literally dashed in and out, wanting to squeeze in a quick run up Ladder Street and down Bonham Road, before I tucked into my delicious food, and got comfortable for a night in at my apartment. So I quickly changed into my running short

Ladder Street from close to the top end of this staircase street – Photograph by minalism I'm hungover. And i'm tired. I've been stuck on the couch all day feeling sorry for myself. And before you say it, I already fully acknowledge responsibility for my actions last night. Was it worth it... hard to say. But hey, it felt like fun at the time, so that is a decent enough justification, right?  By about 8 pm I decided it was time to go for a walk, so I dragged my self outside to willingly throw myself up Ladder Street, in order to finally return an overdue DVD back to my local rentals. Ladder Street has its own history,  being one of Hong Kong's first "ladder streets" of its kind, built by the British in the 1840's, to improve future development of the colony city. At around 350 metres long it ascends the hill from Queen's Road Central, crossing Hollywood Road right by the famous Man Mo Temple, up to Caine Road, taking you into the Mid-Levels.