Kowloon Travel Guide

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The City via 'Vine': Six Seconds in Hong Kong

February 18, 2013 at 6:05 PM | by | Comments (0)

Video-sharing app Vine has existed on the social media scene now for several weeks and, though we've already made our feelings on the Twitter-owned newbie well known, we're still giving it a chance. After all, though the "Instagram of video" lacks so much now, there's real potential for the future if Vine gets cracking on some fresh coding.

Anywho, over two trips in the last two weeks we've attempted to find some usefulness in Vine, and—get this—we succeeded. Vine is best deployed for sharing the tiniest moments in travel, those which would be easily lost in the static menagerie of Instagram. Below are six examples, all shot while we tooled around Hong Kong during Chinese New Year last week.

Note: Control each Vine by clicking on it to pause. Also, click the sound square at the top right of each Vine to enable the audio.

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Scenes from Celebrating Chinese New Year in Hong Kong

February 11, 2013 at 5:39 PM | by | Comments (0)

恭禧發財 or Kung Hei Fat Choi! That's us wishing you a prosperous new year in Cantonese, seeing as how we've hightailed it out of the United States just in time to miss the big blizzard and instead fall into another kind of blizzard—of red hóngbāo envelopes, the kind filled with money given at the start of the Chinese New Year.

Celebrating Chinese New Year is not so simple as getting drunk and standing in one spot to watch some spectacle, a la Times Square; instead, Hong Kong throws a massive bash that lasts for several days of public holiday and focuses on food, family, fun and travel.

By tradition, there's a whole series of "auspicious" things to be accomplished in order to guarantee a lucky, successful year ahead. Some examples are wearing the colors red and gold, dressing up in traditional Chinese attire, tossing and eating a Yusheng Salad, and decorating with tangerines and plum blossom flowers.

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Cathay Pacific's New Star Trek-Like Uniforms Start Flying Today

July 1, 2011 at 10:30 AM | by | Comments (4)

We know, we know. We're geeks about many things airline-related, but we really truly have a soft spot for Flight Attendant fashion. The latest new styles to hit both sorts of runways are those from Hong Kong's airline Cathay Pacific, which we were fortunate enough to inspect firsthand at Cathay's awesome world headquarters back in December.

At the time, Cathay's fresh-faced crews were just seeing the new designs for the first times themselves, and being fitted for their own duds. Well, todays is the day; today the new Cathay crew uniforms take to the skies.

To an infrequent Cathay flyer, the changes may not be so noticeable, trust us that these are so much more chic, in addition to slightly resembling something someone could wear in an episode of Star Trek.

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On the Helipad and Inside the China Clipper Lounge at The Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong

February 22, 2011 at 9:31 AM | by | Comments (0)

A couple months ago we took you inside a place very few get the privilege to see: The Peninsula Tokyo's Helicopter Lounge. Although the hotel doesn't have the go-ahead quite yet to begin helicopter transfers, that didn't stop them from looking ahead and building the space, complete with vintage airplane parts and Japanese aviation memorabilia.

Today however we have something perhaps even better—a tour of the Peninsula Hong Kong's functioning dual helipads and helicopter departure lounge, which sees actual passengers paying actual hundreds of dollars for either sightseeing tours or super-quick flights straight from their hotel to Hong Kong International Airport. In fact, while we were checking out the place, two ladies were awaiting the arrival of their heli pilot before taking off on a snappy spin around Victoria Harbour.

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If Yan Can Cook And Visit Hong Kong, So Can You

September 9, 2009 at 4:23 PM | by | Comments (0)

If you could practically taste the soy sauce while watching cheerful celeb chef Martin Yan whip up stir-fry on his cooking show Yan Can Cook, head to Hong Kong on a five-day epicurean trip from Oct. 27 to 31 to learn from the master of regional Chinese cuisine himself.

For $2,860 (for double occupancy; the price is based on departure from L.A. or San Fran), the AsiaLuxe Holidays package includes airfare for either Cathay Pacific or Singapore Airlines and a stay at the Kowloon Shangri-La.

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Wrapping Landmarks: Louis Vuitton Takes Over Hong Kong's Museum of Art

Where: Tsim Tsa Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
May 15, 2009 at 10:56 AM | by | Comment (1)

Has the famous landmark-wrapping artist Christo gotten his hands on Hong Kong's Museum of Art? Close, but no cigar; instead the reason for covering the museum in pulp fiction novel covers is in celebration of French fashion label Louis Vuitton and their long line of artist collaborators.

On view from May 22 to August 9, the exhibition of artwork both made by and inspiring the brand will draw the fashion crowds to the museum at the very tip of Kowloon, in the Tsim Tsa Tsui area. WWD has more:

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Soaking In the Illicit History of the Kowloon Walled City

February 18, 2009 at 2:22 PM | by | Comment (1)

Every so often throughout history, a community will develop into something which becomes so illicit and notorious that it will figure in popular culture even past its demise. These places, like Carandiru Penitentiary in Brazil or old Mafia neighborhoods in Sicily, are often profiled on the History Channel around Halloween, but we had the chance to visit the remnants of one such dark place on our recent trip to Hong Kong.

The former Kowloon Walled City, a lawless district outside of central Hong Kong, spent the years from 1899 to 1987 steeped in inhumane living conditions paired with opium dens, cocaine parlours, brothels, unlicensed dentists and Triad gang rule. Pictures of the overcrowded "City of Darkness," like the one above, are enough to give one goosebumps.

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Kung Fu Travel: Intercepting Fist Saves Bruce Lee's Home

July 7, 2008 at 2:00 PM | by | Comment (1)

Here's a kick-ass museum plan: A real estate tycoon is bowing to pressure from Bruce Lee fans and seeks to turn the martial arts star's last home into a memorial instead of selling it.

If Yu Panglin's rezoning proposal is approved, the two-story townhouse in Kowloon could become a 30,000-square-foot museum, including training centers and, of course, a movie theater to show Lee's greatest hits like "Fist of Fury" and "Enter the Dragon." Yu reportedly fielded offers of as much as $13 million for the house, but says he will help raise the capital to build and run the museum before donating it to the city.

Don't want to wait? The American-based Bruce Lee Foundation, which has been raising money for a permanent Lee museum, is sponsoring a Bruce Lee Festival in Seattle July 18-20 with the Seattle Art Museum, including a memorial service at his nearby tomb.

Related Stories:
· Tycoon to Turn Bruce Lee's Last Home into a Museum [AP, via Yahoo]
· Bruce Lee 35th Anniversary Celebration [Official Site]
· Hong Kong Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: hanneorla]

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