Japan

In one word, skiing in Hokkaido and traversing in Tokyo, is 'expensive'!

I can think of no reason to go to Japan for a holiday, that you cannot get somewhere else, except for the fact that you have someone you want to meet or some other reason to go.

As a tourist, a skier, a shopper, a gourmand, sightseer..... there is no reason to go to Japan as far as skiing in Hokkaido and tourist in Tokyo is concerned. Unless you are Japanese, have relatives or some other personal reason to go.

And it's that time of year......

Christmas 2009.

Hello Everyone.....

This is the time year for cheer and for Christmas cards ...... and this year I had told myself that I would not be sending one out, having somewhat lost that Christmas spirit ......... but then I came across a picture taken by a friend of mine and thought... 'i have been asked many times, what

Christmas was like in Canada?'.... i think for me, this picture reflects what i loved most about Christmas and this time of year in Canada. And so here is my holiday greetings... copyright of the picture is by edkwanpicsinc.

The other pic i took as a counterpoint for those who wonder what it's like in HK and what perhaps I may have forgotten what Christmas was about.... and which shows what it is like in HK. ..... and yes, Fendi is just one of the hundreds of name brand stores in this characteristic HK downtown office building....

Warmest & Best Wishes for a Happy Holiday Season.

The Comarade.

one line opinions.....

We're skiing in Hokkaido over Xmas... and shopping in Tokyo over New Year's ... such is the way of HK'ians... Every time there is a break, they fly away... maybe it's the distances... it's like going to BC to ski or the Caribbean to scuba........ for Canadians ...

I have been to Bali 3 times, Perth and Sydney, Oz to visit sister in Oct....., Phuket, Singapore, Beijing, etc, but usually for a long weekend or a week at a resort type thing; however, was in oz for 3 weeks ......

Phuket, Thailand's Bali; Bali, the Asian world's playground with dishonest indigenes; Singapore, the chilly crab is not hot/chilly, but sweet...lol...; and Beijing, the people are rude and crude...; Macau & Hong Kong have not changed much except for the infrastructure; how's that for a synopsis.....

Perth is like San Diego without the class and Calgary 20 years ago...... Sydney is like Toronto 20 years ago, they even call the Tranga Zoo the Taranta Zoo....lol.....

HK has no real christmas to speak off, all the expats and well to do locals fly away... today is the bigger day, being the winter solstice, where all chinese families have a dinner together....

if every picture tells a story, then this is a one liner on what it's like at christmas in HK.... so have a happy holiday season, one and all......

Fall in Hong Kong

In a word, Fall or Autumn in Hong Kong is smog.

After a miserably hot and humid summer, people here are just glad the weather has 'improved'. And the improvement is smog, cooler and less rain... but don't know if that's a blessing or a curse. Certainly cuts back on the hiking. And the pollution index is always high, or at best medium.......

Like Ottawa, summer is the best season.... here it is winter....; and spring is awful in Ottawa, soggy, wet and chilly, whereas fall is miserable here, smoggy, dull with bits of sunshine amidst rain ...; quite the opposites, weather wise of course.

And yes, that was smog in the hiking post just before this one.

Hiking in HK

Is it possible, you may ask, for a metropolis like Hong Kong to have hiking trails? Well, in the summer, it is probably too hot and humid to do any, but there are several trails in HK...... In fact, there is a book on the activity.....lol......

Now these are pretty rough trails, not mountain bike-able.., but during the spring, fall and 'winter' here, it is a good time to 'take a hike'......

I'll let the pictures I took on a recent hike, up from Happy Valley, to the Violet Hill Trail, which essentially runs around the south side of the island down to Repulse Bay... I had a bad cold today and was a little dizzy ... and believe me, this is not a trail to take if one is dizzy......lol... it is narrow and treacherous, but it was a perfect, almost smog free Sunday.. and what better way than .... to take a hike.....

Repulse Bay in view....

This is a wider part of the trail!

The Tin Hau (another one?) Temple on Repulse Bay...

This is where the dragon drives down the southern mountainside of the island...

And this is where the architects have accommodated the dragon's path out to sea.......

Macau Robuchon

Was at the Macau Robuchon for lunch the 4th of Nov. Now this is the only 3 Michelin star restaurant in Macau. Well, the waiter serving the cheese course did not know the difference between pasteurized vs raw milk cheese! That alone would drop it a star or two....

Did not drink wine, but the breads were quite unique.

Must say the food (entrees) was ho hum for a 3 star rated restaurant... but more later when i find time .....

Ceiling was a little low... nice decor, service leaves a little to be desired... food.... ho hum...... the mozzarella cheese balls pictured looked interesting though ....

In fact I am not so sure of most of the ratings in the 2009 Michelin Guide for Hong Kong & Macau......

If I recall correctly, 1 star is a restaurant which is the best of its kind, 2 star means it is worth breaking journey on a vacation for... and 3 star means you can plan an entire vacation around it..... I have been to some pretty impressive two stars in France... and this place does not even measure up to those..... and I would definitely not plan a vacation around it!

I would prefer those bib gourmand choices better and have been pleased with most of them, but the starred restaurants, even the 1 star would leave me wondering if it was the 'best of its kind' ..... like how many cantonese restaurants can be the best of its kind....? one is the best for goose?, one for suckling pig? ... ones for roast pork, one for cha sui ... yes, but you cannot make a chinese meal out of one dish! Come on... Michelin Guide... wake up....

an example is Tim's Kitchen... there were a few exceptional appetizers, but the regular fare was very ho hum......

more on this later when I polish up my piece on Michelin's Asia Guide.

some pix of beijing

here are some pix of beijing.... despite what i said about the people and culture there, these are quite nice......