Photo credit: Amazon

“Clavell’s biggest triumph yet . . . storytelling done with dash and panache . . . a rousing read.”

—Washington Post

“Fiction for addicts . . . extravagantly romantic . . . a book that you can get lost in for weeks . . . staggering complexity . . . not only is it as long as life, it’s also as rich with possibilities.”

—New York Times

“Tremendous entertainment . . . a seamless marvel of pure storytelling.”

—Cleveland Plain Dealer

“A mesmerizer . . . spellbinding.”

—Los Angeles Times

“Breathtaking . . . only terms like colossal, gigantic, titanic, incredible, unbelievable, gargantuan, are properly descriptive . . . . Clavell has made himself the king of super-adventure thrillers.”

—Chicago Tribune Book World

Author:  James Clavell

Year: 1981

Buy it here: Amazon, Book Depository

Summary:

The setting is Hong Kong, 1963. The action spans scarcely more than a week, but these are days of high adventure: from kidnapping and murder to financial double-dealing and natural catastrophes—fire, flood, landslide. Yet they are days filled as well with all the mystery and romance of Hong Kong—the heart of Asia— rich in every trade. . . money, flesh, opium, power.

Book description credit: Amazon

Photo credit: Amazon

Author:  Jason Y. Ng

Year: 2004

Buy it here: Amazon, Book Depository

Summary:

As an inquisitive seven-year-old, Martin Booth found himself with the whole of Hong Kong at his feet when his father was posted there in the early 1950s. Unrestricted by parental control, he had free access to hidden corners of the colony normally closed to a Gweilo, a “pale fellow” like him. Befriending rickshaw coolies and local stallholders, he learned Cantonese, sampled delicacies such as boiled water beetles and one-hundred-year-old eggs, and participated in colourful festivals. He even entered the forbidden Kowloon Walled City, wandered into the secret lair of the Triads and visited an opium den. Along the way he encountered a colourful array of people, from the plink plonk man with his dancing monkey to Nagasaki Jim, a drunken child molester, and the Queen of Kowloon, the crazed tramp who may have been a member of the Romanov family.

Shadowed by the unhappiness of his warring parents, a broad-minded mother who, like her son, was keen to embrace all things Chinese, and a bigoted father who was enraged by his family’s interest in “going native,” Martin Booth’s compelling memoir is a journey into Chinese culture and an extinct colonial way of life that glows with infectious curiosity and humour.

Book description credit: Amazon

Photo credit: Amazon

Author:  Jason Y. Ng

Year: 2015

Buy it here: Amazon, Book Depository

Summary:

Hong Kong is a city where limousines outnumber taxi cabs, party-goers count down to Christmas every December 24, and giant billboards of fortune tellers and cram school tutors compete with breathtaking skylines. This collection of essays zeroes in on the city's idiosyncrasies with deadpan precision. An outsider looking in and an insider looking out, Jason Y. Ng has created a travel journal for the passing visitor, and a user's manual for the wide-eyed expat.

Book description credit: Amazon

One of the MUST-EAT food, when you are in a Hello! Hong Kong tour is the Hong Kong-Style french toast called Sai Do Si. You can easily find this delicious food in any Cha Chaan Teng that offers a wide selection of Western-influenced Chinese comfort food. It has peanut butter inside and served with syrup or condensed milk making it very tasty best paired with hot local milk tea!

Very easy food to make at the comforts of your home and the Ingredients are all can be found in your kitchen. Below is the recipe on how to make the delicious Sai Do Si

Come taste this sweet and tasty Sai Do Si with Hello! Hong Kong Tours.

photo credits to hklazytravel

INGREDIENTS

• 2 slice milk bread

• 1 egg

• ½ tsp vanilla extract

• Peanut butter

• 1 slice of butter

• Maple syrup / sweetened condensed milk/honey

PROCEDURE

• Prepare a pre-sliced loaf of bread that you can buy at any grocery store of your choice.

• Evenly spread a generous amount of peanut butter on one side of bread, about 1.5 tbsp

• Put two slices of bread together and gently press the bread to seal the sides. Remove the bread crust from the 4 sides

• Make the egg batter by beating the egg with vanilla extract until well blended

• Drench the bread in the egg batter until all sides are well coated

• For the healthier version, pan fry the toast in a non-stick pan with 1.5 tbsp of oil until all sides are golden brown, about 1 minute per side over medium heat. Make sure you pan fry all 6 sides to get that uniform look. For the traditional version, deep fry the toast until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Plate the toast, place a thin slice of butter in the center of the toast and drizzle either maple syrup or condensed milk, or honey over the toast

Serve the toast with hot or cold Hong Kong-style milk tea and there you have your homemade Sai Do SI!!
Happy Snacking!

Recipe credit to yireservation.com

Photo credit: Amazon

‘A COLOURFUL CAST FROM THE SEWERS OF HONG KONG’

—Loaded

'This year's best book.'

—Time Out Hong Kong

Author:  Chris Thrall

Year: 2008

Buy it here: Amazon, Book Depository

Summary:

Chris Thrall left the Royal Marines to find his fortune in Hong Kong, but instead found himself homeless and addicted to crystal meth. Soon he began working for the 14K, Hong Kong's largest crime family, in the Wanchai red-light district. Dealing with the 'foreign triad' - a secretive expat clique connected to the Chinese mafia - he had to survive in the world's most unforgiving city, addicted to the world's most dangerous drug.

Book description credit: Amazon

Photo credit: Amazon

Author:  Brandon Royal

Year: 2008

Buy it here: Amazon, Book Depository

Summary:

There is nowhere else in the world quite like Chungking Mansions, a dilapidated seventeen-story commercial and residential structure in the heart of Hong Kong’s tourist district. A remarkably motley group of people call the building home; Pakistani phone stall operators, Chinese guesthouse workers, Nepalese heroin addicts, Indonesian sex workers, and traders and asylum seekers from all over Asia and Africa live and work there—even backpacking tourists rent rooms. In short, it is possibly the most globalized spot on the planet.

But as Ghetto at the Center of the World shows us, a trip to Chungking Mansions reveals a far less glamorous side of globalization. A world away from the gleaming headquarters of multinational corporations, Chungking Mansions is emblematic of the way globalization actually works for most of the world’s people. Gordon Mathews’s intimate portrayal of the building’s polyethnic residents lays bare their intricate connections to the international circulation of goods, money, and ideas. We come to understand the day-to-day realities of globalization through the stories of entrepreneurs from Africa carting cell phones in their luggage to sell back home and temporary workers from South Asia struggling to earn money to bring to their families. And we see that this so-called ghetto—which inspires fear in many of Hong Kong’s other residents, despite its low crime rate—is not a place of darkness and desperation but a beacon of hope.

Gordon Mathews’s compendium of riveting stories enthralls and instructs in equal measure, making Ghetto at the Center of the World not just a fascinating tour of a singular place but also a peek into the future of life on our shrinking planet.

Book description credit: Amazon

Photo credit: Amazon

Author:  Brandon Royal

Year: 2008

Buy it here: Amazon, Book Depository

Summary:

DANCING FOR YOUR LIFE chronicles the true story of a beautiful, young Filipina who, in order to help her family financially, leaves her home in the quiet Philippines countryside to work as a dancer in Hong Kong's red-light district of Wan Chai. This book will hold special appeal for readers interested in gaining a behind-the-scenes look at the workings of an Asian go-go bar and will serve as a companion guide for individuals interested in cultural studies, gender studies, or spirituality. It presents a rare first-person account that is thought provoking and controversial. Here is the “untold story” of faith, friendship, and sacrifice, but also of triumph and forgiveness.

Book description credit: Amazon

It is time, once again, for another Corona Diary from our Hello! Hong Kong Tours team. We aim to give you a sneak peek of our guides lives in the midst of the Pandemic. Don was one of our first Hello! Hong Kong tour guides. Originally from Melbourne Australia, he came to Hong Kong with his wife and they both instantly fell in love with the city.

Don, or The Don, as we call him will make you fall in love with Hong Kong too! He makes sure that all of his guests see the “real’ Hong Kong by showcasing the culture and local foods. We had a short interview with him and below he shares his COVID-19 diary.

Hello! Hong Kong tour guide Don (middle) enjoying a Cheung Chau Bun.

On a normal day, you are usually out on the streets showing our guests the beauty of Hong Kong. Given the travel restrictions imposed by several countries. How are you spending your time now?

I have volunteered for an NGO Board role in Hong Kong which has been really challenging and engaging and has kept me very busy. It's been great to spend time with my wife Mini as she normally travels a lot. We chat, watch shows together, cook (well I cook) and we signed up to Aaptiv an online exercise App and we have actually lost weight which was surprising!

We know that you also suffer from wanderlust. When this Pandemic is finally over, and you can go anywhere where will your wanderlust take you and why?

India is my favourite destination and I am really missing it at the moment. When you travel to India you have some sights in mind but it is always the interactions with the people that are the most valuable and memorable. It is the journey on the inside and what you learn about yourself that is so unexpected and I enjoy the most. Kerala state in India is leading the world in its humanitarian handling of Covid-19 -amazing people and a great place to be in a crisis!

After the world comes out of this dark time and that everyone can travel to Hong Kong again what is the first thing or place you are most excited about showing our guests and why?

I love to enjoy Hong Kong from the water. Even if it is a simple crossing on the Star Ferry, the Hello Hong Kong boat tour or a trip to an outlying island-like Cheung Chau it's a completely different aspect that has to be enjoyed! The picture is of me is enjoying a Cheung Chau Bun even though the festival was pretty quiet this year the buns are always popular.

What is the one thing that you this very unfortunate event has taught you and why?

I found more organizations are providing a lot of information and learning free now online and I am a big fan of free education so I hope that will continue.

Don’s message to everyone

To all our guests, keep positive and we look forward to welcoming you back to Hong Kong. This city is super resilient and we’ll be back providing wonderful experiences in no time!

#photooftheday #hk #instatravel #adventure #welltraveled #tourism #travelbug #lonelyplanet #travelstoke #hellohongkongtours #ilovehk #hellohk #hongkongtour #hktravel #hktourguide #coronadiary #covid19story #privateguide #HEllotours #hellohongkong #traveldestination # beautiduldestination #ilovehk #discoverhongkong

You Definitely Need To Try These 8 Hong Kong Desserts

Imagine your favourite dessert. What do you like about it? The taste? The texture? The richness? Most likely you would say - all of the above. (Even we would!) And that’s the beauty of desserts. They are so heavenly that you simply can’t stop in one bite. And there’s so much to try in Hong Kong! 

Your taste buds definitely need to experience these amazing Hong Kong Desserts 

Egg Waffles

Source

Egg waffle is a comfort snackable dessert for the locals. It occupies a special place in the heart and is one of the most popular desserts in Hong Kong. So much so that you will find it easily in most of the street shops. Essentially, you simply have to try this iconic dish!

Egg waffle is made by pouring the delicious batter into a waffle maker. It has some amazing texture; crisp shell and chewy middle. The best part? These egg waffles are available in different flavours such as chocolate and kaya. (Although, the classic is the most preferred)

If you want to try something new, then try these egg waffles with whipped cream and ice cream accompanied with a rich chocolate sauce. If you don’t mind being a little adventurous, then try them with chicken and fried eggs.  

Recommendation: Eat with Me, Shop D, G/F, Nga Chi Building, No. 12 Sze Pei Square, Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong

Mango Pomelo Sago

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How much do you like mango? Are you absolutely crazy about the fruit?! Then you definitely need to try this dessert. It’s a refreshing dessert that brings great relief from the summer heat. Mango pomelo sago is considered as the best dessert for children. This dish is basically a pudding of juicy mango slices or cubes with pomelo segments that are topped with milk. You could also add sago pearls in this pulpy base. If you are a crazy mango fan then a dollop of mango ice cream with this makes it a perfect dessert!

Recommendation: Hui Lau Shan is a popular dessert chain and has many locations in Hong Kong. You can go through their website and choose a place that’s nearest to you. This place is the most popular for having the best mango pomelo sagos

Red Bean Soup

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Another popular and traditional dessert of Hong Kong that should be on your list. Just like other Chinese dessert soups, this one isn’t too sweet. It is made from red adzuki beans with some orange zest or tangerine peel. Essentially, it is cooked in water and sugar until it becomes a mush. 

You can add lotus and pumpkin seeds to make it more nutritious. This dessert soup is a rich source of minerals and vitamins. (We never really needed a reason to have a dessert but this is an extra bonus)

Recommend: Honeymoon Dessert has many locations in Hong Kong. You can go through their website and choose a place that’s nearest to you.

MILK PUDDING

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The hot steaming milk pudding is also known as Shuang Pi Nai. It is made from milk, sugar and egg. (It’s amazing how these three ingredients can make something this delicious!). If you have a sweet tooth then you will find this dish to your liking. This silky milk pudding is quite famous in Cantonese cuisine. You can flavour it up by adding ginger syrup or with a side of red beans. This dessert is perfect for all seasons. 

Recommendation: Yee Shun Milk Company has many locations in Hong Kong. You can go through their website and choose a place that’s nearest to you. G/F 506 Lockhart Road Causeway Bay, Hong Kong is the most popular one!

CUP CAKES

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We know what you are thinking - “Cupcakes?!” Yes, they are famous. Yes, you might have tried at least one cupcake in your life. But we aren’t talking about normal cupcakes. (Although, you get the classic ones too in Hong Kong) If you are someone who likes to experiment with different tastes then you should try cupcakes at Baking Maniac. 

Baking Maniac cupcakes are extremely delicious and you won’t be able to stop at one. Some of the flavours are - Tie Dye, Green Tea, Masala Chai, Chili Bomb, Bubblegum, Pina Colada, Caramel Popcorn, and many more! Perfect for all seasons, you can have these Baking Maniac cupcakes at any time of the day.

Recommendation: Baking Maniac, 5C, 40 Wong Chuk Hang Rd, Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong

Black Sesame Soup

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A traditional Chinese dessert that’s so nutritious and healthy that you can have it as a snack. If you find yourself craving something sweet in the middle of the day then this is the perfect dessert for you. (Actually, you can have it at any time of the day) . Did you know this dessert is rich in Vitamin B, Calcium, Manganese, Iron, etc? It is believed that this dessert helps to darken and strengthen the hair. Not just that, it improves your digestion and kidney function too. (Amazing, isn’t it?)

This soup/paste can be made in two different ways and you can have a side of dim sums along with it!

Recommendation: This dish is so famous that you will find it at every restaurant.  Fook Yuen is quite popular for this dish. 

Rice Balls

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Rice balls are also known as Tang Yuan and glutinous dumplings. It is traditionally served during celebrations and major festivals to signify togetherness. They are made by mixing the glutinous rice flour with water and some sweet paste. They are then shaped into balls and cooked. The paste can be a mixture of crushed peanuts and ground sesame. This dessert is famous among children.

 Recommendation: Shop I-1, G/F, Lei Do Building, 7 Fuk Yuen Street North Point, Hong Kong

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Tofu is quite famous as a source of protein around the world but it’s actually quite versatile. You can use it for both - your mains and desserts. This Silken Tofu is generally served from steaming barrels. The dish is usually topped with a ginger syrup. 

Recommendation: Yan Wo Dou Bun Chong, 55 Jardine’s Bazaar, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Which one are you planning to try? Let us know in the comments!

#getinmybelly #goodeats #travel #traveloften #wanderlust #discoverhongkong #love #food #foodporn #instagood #instafood #eathongkong #foodie #foodadventure #hk #tourism #travelbug #hellohongkongtours #hkfoodie #noleftover #hkfood #localhk #foodie #foodgasm

Photo credit: Book Depository

Author:  Kevin Kwan

Year: 2013

Buy it here: Amazon, Book Depository

Summary:

When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home and quality time with the man she hopes to marry. But Nick has failed to give his girlfriend a few key details, that his family is extremely wealthyy and he is country's most eligible bachelor.

On Nick's arm, Rachel may as well have a target on her back the second she steps off the plane, and soon, her relaxed vacation turns into an obstacle course of old money, new money, nosy relatives, and scheming social climbers.

Book description credit: Amazon