Tag: Art

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Hong Kong

Our train to Hong Kong was set for later in the day, giving us the option to wake up early for a tai chi class. I think it was the first optional extra we actually turned down on the entire trip. We were utterly exhausted and far too excited for a lie-in, so that is exactly what we did. We slept until 9:00 AM, wandered down the street for a warm bowl of breakfast noodles, and met the group for checkout at 10:30 AM. Having a lovely slow morning.

Before we boarded the bus to the station, our guide Michael surprised Maureen, one of our fellow travelers, with a fresh mango cake for her birthday. After a enthusiastic round of Happy Birthday and a slice of cake, we were off.

The journey started with a small panic en route when Maureen’s husband, Richard, realized he couldn’t find his passport. This was hilarious in hindsight because we couldn’t go five minutes without Michael shouting, “Okay everybody, check passports!” It had become the unofficial group catchphrase. Fortunately, Richard found it wedged right beside his bus seat where it had slipped out of his pocket.

The rest of the train journey to Hong Kong was entirely uneventful, save for a quick stop to buy mystery foreign candy at the station gift shop. It was crucial to keep up our family holiday tradition of eating random international sweets at Christmas.

Once in Hong Kong, we checked into our hotel and got ready for our final group dinner. Michael promised he was taking us somewhere nice, so I put on a little extra effort. I wore a fancy dress I’d bought on West Street the day before, thinking it was perfectly fitting for a grand final evening. That illusion vanished the second we pulled up to the restaurant, which was essentially the local equivalent of a greasy spoon. When we gently questioned Michael about his definition of “nice,” he just grinned and declared, “It is nice! Best food in town!”

Honestly, who were we to argue? The food was spectacular. It tasted much closer to the Chinese takeaway we get back in the UK, which makes sense given how many UK takeout spots are run by families from Hong Kong. At the end of the meal, we presented Michael with the group tip and a collection of thank-you notes. He gave a sweet speech thanking us for exploring China with an open mind. He finished with a Chinese proverb: to become wise, you can either read 10,000 books or travel 10,000 miles, and he hoped the miles we logged together gave us plenty of wisdom. It was a lovely moment. After saying our goodbyes to Michael, the rest of us gathered in the hotel lobby, drinking and swapping trip stories until late into the night.


The next morning, we were looking forward to another lazy wake-up call now that Michael wasn’t around to manage our schedule. But he had one last early morning trick up his sleeve. At 7:45 AM, he called our room to mention he was currently on the airport bus, that traffic was nightmare, and that we should definitely take a taxi when our flight day arrived. It was helpful advice, sure, but it definitely could have been a text!

Since we were already wide awake, we decided to make the most of it. We met up with Daniel from our tour group to hunt down some traditional Hong Kong dim sum. We headed to a giant, canteen-style place Michael had recommended. We happily selected a feast of dishes, only for our server to sternly inform us that we had ordered way too much food. Before we even had a chance to decide what to cut, she made the executive decision for us, crossed several items off our order sheet, and briskly walked away.

She was completely right, of course. We still ended up with a mountain of food. Everything was delicious, especially the spring rolls, the beef wrapped in rice noodles, the pork buns, and the wonton soup. In fact, out of the entire spread, there was only one dish we weren’t wild about: a sticky rice parcel wrapped around beef. It was okay, just not as incredible as everything else.

After breakfast, Daniel needed to move over to his next hotel, so we parted ways with plans to meet up again that evening. Adam and I headed toward the center of Hong Kong Island to visit Victoria Peak, the famous mountain offering panoramic views of the city skyline. We rode the metro over and then hopped on the historic Peak Tram. The ascent reaches a 27-degree incline, but it feels infinitely steeper when you are on it. At points, it felt like we were traveling almost vertically.

The top of the peak was a bit of a surreal surprise. Instead of just a scenic lookout, we found a full-scale shopping mall that felt like a European theme park. There were Italian restaurants, British-style sweet shops selling pick-and-mix candy, and photography studios where you could pose in ballgowns or suits against backdrops of Regency drawing rooms and European castles. There was even a Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. taking inspiration from Forrest Gump. It was bizarre, but entertaining nonetheless.

We made our way up to the top observation deck for photos and ended up running into half of our tour group at various points throughout the afternoon. Standing out in the 30°C heat and thick humidity quickly got the better of us. Still too full from dim sum to think about lunch, we decided to retreat back to the hotel to spend the afternoon lounging by the pool.

That plan hit a slight snag when we actually got to the pool deck. As it turned out, the setup wasn’t quite as relaxing as advertised. The water was absolute ice, which would have been fine in full sun, but the pool sat directly north of our skyscraper hotel and was completely shaded by surrounding towers with only a thin sliver of sun. Perched several floors up, it caught a freezing wind tunnel along with a constant soundtrack of heavy construction noise from the street below. After a brief, shivering swim and an even colder towel-off in the wind, we gave up and went back to our room for a hot shower. Not a problem I expected to have in 30-degree weather!

Refreshed and warmed up, we set off to explore the Kowloon side of Hong Kong. We took the scenic route on the Star Ferry instead of taking the underground train. Dusk settled while we were queuing, which meant we got a stunning front-row view of the harbor buildings lighting up against the night sky.

Once across the water, we walked toward the Avenue of Stars to meet Dan. Tracking each other down was a proper mission because the waterfront was absolutely packed with people in fancy dress on their way to Halloween parties across the city. Dan had grabbed some classic egg tarts on his way over and saved a couple for us. I was a bit hesitant at first because a previous egg tart I’d tried tasted more like scrambled egg in a pastry shell than the sweet, pastel de nata style dessert I was hoping for. Luckily, this one was heavenly.

After devouring the tarts, we strolled along the promenade checking out the handprints and statues on the Hong Kong version of the Walk of Fame. Truthfully, we didn’t recognize many of the names outside of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, and we couldn’t even manage to find Jackie’s handprints in the crowd.

Just before 8:00 PM, we staked out a prime spot along the water for the famous nightly light show, A Symphony of Lights. By 8:10 PM, we were standing there staring into the sky, wondering when it was actually going to start. We could see a faint laser beam or two shooting off a rooftop, but couldn’t tell what they were supposed to be pointing at. We kept moving along the promenade to see if we had a bad angle, but everyone around us looked just as baffled.

Eventually, the faint light flickered out. We assumed the main show must have been canceled for Halloween, or that we had somehow missed the real action. It wasn’t until a quick Google search later that night that we discovered those two sad laser beams *were* the entire show. Apparently, the event is legendary among tourists for being completely underwhelming and causing everyone to think they missed it. So in a way, we got the truly authentic experience!

Leaving the laser disappointment behind, we waded through the crowds toward the Temple Street Night Market. We were holding out hope for some street food classics such as meat on a stick, but the market turned out to be mostly stalls selling souvenirs, artwork, and knockoff designer handbags. It was still gorgeous and fun to browse, and we ended up buying a lovely hand-painted picture of the harbor skyline at night, capturing the very scene we had just been staring at during the light show.

Still lacking meat on a stick, we picked an open-air restaurant along the edge of the market and sat down for a proper feast: Hong Kong fried rice, salt and pepper squid, sweet and sour mini pork ribs, and greens. It was lovely. Halfway through the meal, the police suddenly rolled up. Everyone seated outside was promptly ordered out of their chairs so the staff could scoot all the tables off the sidewalk and cram us back inside the restaurant’s official boundary line. We sat squeezed together enjoying our dinner until the patrol moved on. After finishing up, we said our final goodbyes to Dan and waddled back to the hotel.

We enjoyed another lovely lie-in on our final day before checking out at 11:00 AM. After leaving our luggage at reception, we headed out to spend our last hours exploring. First up was the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens, a free entry park tucked right into the city. It was stunning, filled with flamingos, meerkats, tortoises, and a brilliant variety of birds and monkeys. We spent two hours wandering through the lush greenery until the midday heat kicked in. We ducked into a restaurant a few floors up to enjoy a late lunch with a great view of the city skyline.

Once we were full and the sun lost a bit of its intensity, we ventured back out. We checked out the Central Mid-Levels Escalator, which is the world’s longest outdoor covered escalator system. True to its name, it is just a massively long series of escalators carrying people up a steep hillside neighborhood.

Having checked off most of the main sights, we spent our remaining time just wandering wherever looked interesting. We stumbled across Tai Kwun, a super trendy courtyard full of coffee shops housed inside a restored historic prison yard. In a nearby market, we bought a panda and dragon Christmas bauble to add to our Christmas tree. We checked out some brilliant street art and popped into a quiet neighborhood temple.

Eventually, it was time to retrieve our bags from the hotel and head to the airport for our midnight flight. That brings us right up to now, sitting at the gate waiting to board the plane, feeling a bit bittersweet that this adventure has come to an end. It has been an unbelievable trip, made a million times better because I got to share it all with Adam. I already can’t wait for our next journey together, and I’ll be sure to tell you all about it when the time comes.

Lots of love,

Alice x

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Matsumoto, Japan

It took three trains to get to our next stop, Matsumoto—including a trip back to Tokyo before we could catch the express heading out again. Not the most efficient route, but we got there in the end… just with a minor ticketing mishap along the way. We thought just tapping into the platform with our travel cards was enough to cover the journey, but a ticket inspector gently informed us otherwise. Thankfully, he took pity on our confused faces and let us buy tickets on the train. He even helped us find two seats together—what a star! We still had to tap out at the other end, where we were charged £15—the same as we’d just paid him—so who knows if we got it right in the end. All that mattered was we’d made it safely and with all our luggage.

By the time we arrived and checked in, it was already 3 p.m., and in the flurry of platform changes and rushing for trains, we’d somehow gone the whole day without eating. We were ravenous. The only place open was a Nepalese “Pan-Asian” restaurant, so that’s how we ended up ordering Indian curry from a Nepalese man, in Japanese. A truly global dining experience! Thankfully, despite the cultural curveball, the food was delicious and much-needed.

Once we’d refuelled, we walked over to the main draw of the town: Matsumoto Castle. And unlike some of the more modest castles we’ve seen, this one really looked the part. Towering, dramatic, and jet-black against the blue sky, it’s nicknamed the “Crow Castle” for good reason. Surrounded by a wide moat and set against a backdrop of distant mountains, it looked like something straight out of a samurai film. We had a lovely slow wander around the outer gardens in the afternoon sun before heading inside.

Built in the late 1500s during the Sengoku “warring states” period, where there were almost constant civil wars, Matsumoto Castle is one of Japan’s few original castles—meaning it’s not a modern reconstruction like so many others. Its main keep has stood for over 400 years, surviving battles, earthquakes, and even a few attempted demolitions (locals thankfully protested those!). It was designed as a stronghold and symbol of feudal power, with all the defensive features you’d expect: arrow slits, murder holes, steep stairs to slow down attackers, and cleverly placed openings for dropping stones or boiling water.Inside, we climbed floor after floor on steep wooden staircases—practically ladders in places—and discovered how each level served a different purpose. There were familiar sights like the narrow windows for archers and gunmen, but also some new-to-us spaces like a floor for storing rice (to sustain defenders during a siege), and a watchtower nicknamed the “crow’s nest” where war councils were held. It was equal parts fortress and time capsule, and we really enjoyed taking our time exploring it all.

After the castle, we wandered down the riverside near our hostel, past rows of little touristy shops filled with the most tempting ceramics—tiny soy sauce bowls, elegant chopstick rests, all so beautifully made and delicate. The kind of things that would probably live in a cupboard untouched back home, but still felt impossible to walk past without sighing over. Sadly, our bags are already pushing their limits, so we resisted… for now.

Instead, we treated ourselves to some cold drinks and a slice of carrot cake, which we shared while sitting by the river in the sun, writing postcards and soaking up the peaceful atmosphere. A lovely, calm afternoon after the train chaos—and a perfect reminder of why slower towns like Matsumoto are such gems.

Our second day in Matsumoto didn’t quite go to plan. We’d hoped to visit a nearby wasabi farm in the morning and then head to the old post town of Narai-juku in the afternoon. Turns out both of those are much better accessed by car. The wasabi farm was only a 30-minute drive away, but over two hours by public transport and more than £120 by taxi—so we decided to skip it and go straight to Narai-juku instead.

Narai-juku is one of the best-preserved Edo-period post towns, once a key stop for travellers journeying along the Nakasendo Trail between Kyoto and Tokyo. We were excited to visit, but when we checked train times we saw the next one wasn’t until midday. No problem—we took it as a sign to slow down a little, had a relaxed morning, enjoyed some delicious bagels for breakfast, and pottered around the shops, local shrine and riverside in the warm sunshine.

At around 11:30 we headed to the station, bought £15 return tickets to Narai-juku, and settled in to wait. But while looking at the tickets, we noticed the return was dated for the following day. A quick check revealed there were no trains back from Narai that afternoon, and once again a taxi would have cost over £120 for the return—despite it being less than an hour’s drive away. So, in the end, we didn’t get on the train. A shame, but at least we realised before we ended up stranded!

With zero out of two of our original plans working out, we scrambled for alternatives. A quick Google search turned up something unexpected: Matsumoto is actually the hometown of Yayoi Kusama, the world-renowned avant-garde artist known for her bold dots and surreal installations. So off we went to the local art gallery, which had several of her pieces on display—including one of her famous pumpkins—as well as work by other artists, including a brilliant exhibition featuring local artists all over 80. Very cool and wonderfully weird.

After the gallery, we headed to an “observation deck”—a slightly misleading name, as it turned out to be the rooftop of an office building. But the views were worth the climb: sweeping cityscapes with the mountains rising behind them, all bathed in sunshine. From there, we walked to the bus station to sort out our travel for the next day—lucky we did, as nearly every ticket was sold out. We just managed to snag two spots on the 7:30am bus. An early start for sure!

We made our way back to the old shopping street where I tried some of the region’s famous Takoyaki—octopus balls lightly fried to give a crisp shell and gooey centre, filled with octopus, pickled ginger, and green onions. Surprisingly tasty. Grace wasn’t quite as tempted and instead went for a raspberry and coriander ice cream, which she said was strangely savoury but still good. We browsed a few more little shops and then sat in the sun with cool drinks doing some trip planning. Not a high-energy day, but very pleasant in the sunshine.

For dinner, we found ourselves drawn back to the Nepalese restaurant from the day before—it’s Grace’s favourite, and I owed her after dragging her to sushi several times. The delicious smell wafts all the way down the street and our willpower only goes so far. This time we tried momo dumplings in a curried soup—a Nepalese dish that was new to both of us. Not Japanese, but at least we were still being adventurous!

We ended up chatting with two lovely retired English women at the table next to us. They were travelling together and we had a good laugh about how the smell of the curry seemed to attract every Brit in town. We stayed talking until the restaurant closed and gently nudged us out. A really nice final evening in Matsumoto before our early start tomorrow.

Next stop: Takayama. Will tell you all about it when we get there!

Love, Alice x

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Hakone, Japan

Our next stop was about two hours northwest of Tokyo by train, to the hilly little town of Hakone—famous for its hot springs, mountain air, and if the weather’s kind, glorious views of Mount Fuji. We arrived around midday, grabbed a quick bite, and headed off to explore nearby Odawara Castle. “Castle” might be generous—it looked more like an elegant, oversized house—but it came with moats and a video explaining all the clever medieval tricks they used to keep invading armies out. Apparently, those pretty gardens were actually tactical traps, and the chunky doors weren’t just for dramatic entrances…

There were some were some volunteers in front of the castle fighting with swords but I’m not sure how authentic their attire was. Luckily there was also a fun exhibition on samurai armour inside, showing how it really looked and how it evolved over the centuries—some of it genuinely quite intimidating! I also got to stick my head into a cut-out to see what I’d look like as a samurai. I must say, the results were… Slightly less intimidating than the real thing. All in all, not a bad way to spend a drizzly afternoon.

Dinner was simple but satisfying: some crispy gyozas, juicy wontons, and edamame beans. A very respectable trio to round out the day.

The next morning, we had a whole day in Hakone and were determined to squeeze every drop out of it. We kicked things off early by hopping on the switchback train up Mount Hakone. It’s an adorable little train that zigzags up the mountain, switching direction each time it gets too steep. Very scenic, very charming.

At the top, we wandered into the Hakone Open-Air Museum, and luckily the sun was out for us today. The whole place is a sculpture park filled with strange and wonderful artworks, including a stained glass viewing tower, a colourful underground maze (which I wisely let Grace attempt solo—I get lost on straight roads), and many beautiful and strange sculptures. There was also a Picasso exhibition to wander around. It was a brilliant morning topped off with an ice cream in the sunshine with our feet dipped in a warm river—because we are on holiday, after all.

Then it was on to the Hakone Ropeway—a cable car that whisked us higher up the mountain to Owakudani, a dramatic volcanic valley that smells aggressively like rotten eggs with steaming vents and bubbling pools, and best of all, it redeeming feature, a spectacular view of Mount Fuji. And yes, we took about 500 photos of it from every angle. None of them do it justice though!

Once we managed to tear ourselves away from Fuji-viewing, we rode the ropeway down the other side of the mountain to Lake Ashi. Along the way we passed a huge traffic jam snaking up to Owakudani and smugly congratulated ourselves for taking the cable car.

We stopped for a late lunch at a restaurant by the lake that smelled incredible—and it didn’t disappoint. Their specialty was some kind of mystery pork schnitzel in a delicious red sauce. Possibly Japanese, possibly German—we may never know. Either way, it was enormous and extremely tasty. Our next stop was meant to be the famous Hakone-jinja Shrine, which is over a thousand years old and traditionally brings good luck to travellers. In hindsight, maybe we should’ve started our day there… because our luck was about to run out. We got on a bus that looked right, was at the right place at the right time—but was actually going in completely the wrong direction. Back up the mountain. Into the very same traffic jam we’d felt so smug about earlier. Cue two hours on a bus crawling along a mountain road with no chance of escape. We never made it to the shrine, so that’s officially been added to the “Japan round two” list.

We did manage to redeem the day slightly with a visit to an onsen on the way home—our first one in Japan, and boy was it an experience. This one busier than in Taiwan, here we could follow the locals lead on when to get naked. Always a fine line between confidence and catastrophe when you’re not sure which locker is for shoes before walking through communal areas and which are for clothes right before the onsen.

We followed the local women’s lead, stripped down, and sat on little plastic stools scrubbing ourselves clean. Then, tiny towels on heads (for reasons still unknown to us), we wandered out into the garden and picked our hot (or freezing) pool of choice. Once you get over the initial “ah yes, I’m naked with strangers” moment, it’s actually lovely. And kind of freeing sitting around relaxing with women of all ages. Plus, we both agreed it’s probably good for younger girls to see what real bodies look like—far more uplifting than the plastic surgery billboards we saw plastered all over Korea.

Afterwards, there was the mildly surreal experience of sitting fully dressed on a train next to people we’d just been naked with, but you get used to it. We skipped dinner—we were still full of mystery schnitzel—and grabbed some of Japan’s seasonal strawberries instead, which are honestly so sweet and delicious.

Then it was time to head back to the hostel and start packing for another travel day. Next stop: Matsumoto.

More adventures (and probably more gyozas) coming soon!

Love, Alice x