Many firsts on a repeat visit

When you sit on a plane, you sometimes have a lot of time to reflect. It struck me that the last trip to Hong Kong had been one of "many firsts".  Some of those can be found in a write up that will soon be published in Asian Journeys. I came up with quite a list:

It was the first time I actually sat on an Egg Chair. This one was in my room in the Mira Hotel Hong Kong (www.themirahotel.com), the first Design Hotel I stayed in. My room theme was red as indicated by the sculpture in the lift lobby of my floor. Other rooms have different coloured Egg Chairs.

Later in the evening I had a chat with the bbartender of Room1 in the Mira Hotel. The request for a Gin tonic resulted in 2 firsts: The first time I had a "The London No 1" gin and a "Fevertree Tonic". Check out the colour of the Gin. Special!

Their inhouse restaurant Whisk then whipped up some wicked food: Chili butter. Ok, I knew Garlic butter, but Chili? Great stuff. Need to see if one can buy it someplace. It came with bread and a tomato soup, meant to be served cold and the first time I actually enjoyed cold soup.
Thanks to the Tokoro in Langham Place (hongkong.langhamplacehotels.com) I had my first Japanese Whiskey.

Sometimes you miscalculate, ending up having to buy an extra shirt. This was the first time I had to buy 2!

It is also the first time I am changing the font of my blog posts..

Whisky Diary

Last week in Hong Kong was fun. Stayed in an amazing hotel and "had" to review a whiskey bar.
This weekend was and still is very liquid. Friday night I was over at the Vice President of MCBC for dinner. A lot of good food and drinks were had. At the end of the evening (well, morning really), I got home and the bed would not not be standing still when I tried to jump into it.

Last night we then went to celebrate Nadia's birtday, followed by a visit to the Backyeard. We sat out front.. :-). There I was re-enacting the rum diaries. Considering that I have a Sake night on Tuesday, I think the aim for the next 2 days is to stay away from any intoxicating drinks and give the body a chance to recover.

A lot of travel

These guys are already waiting for my return... Monday I am heading to Hong Kong. Asian Trucker mission and a hotel review to be done for Asian Trucker. This kind of stuff ensures that I get to see different hotels every time I go.

Once back, we then help organising the 4th Las Vacas Steak Challenge. Then off to Kota Kinabalu and Jakarta. In between there may be a trip to Europe coming up.

Meanwhile, I am trying to find some time to get a vacation going with the Missus. Beach? City? City? Beach?? Well. Let's see. The first part of the year has been good, a lot of work so we deserve it.
Reminds me, I need a new swimming trunk. And have my diving mask fitted with perscription glasses so I can finally get some diving done. Last time I tried, it took me 2 hours to unsuccessfully insert my contact lenses. Looked like a bloody rabbit after that, with all the red eyes.

Tonight: Japanese buffet overdose. Salmon anyone...

Magnificent Malaysian Mangroves

Literally across the highway from Taiping is a huge area of mangroves. Apparently award winning and one of the largest intact areas on the planet.

We went to have a look and were even able to convince someone to get the boat going for a short tour. The captain told us that there are thousands of fireflies to see at night (Got to come back then, huh?) and there are also alligators (Sorry, no swimming then).

Not sure if it is a good or bad thing that this place is so totally unknown. The seafood restaurants overlooking the river made for an beautiful stop to fill up the energy reserves and offered a good view of the hustle and bustle. Then again, maybe a good thing that there aren't hordes of people rushing through.

Man, Groove in the mangrove...

Long weekend - Taiping

Having spend Chinese New Year on planes, I am taking the long weekend as an opportunity to relax a bit. We are up in Taiping, climbing mountains, jogging and relaxing in general.

If I had the right cable, I would also download some images from my phone to post here... ;-)

Urbanisation is so 1980s

When I was in school, 20 years ago, we would read and learn about Urbanisation. The concept being that (big) cities would be more attractive as there is more work, higher salaries and wages, generally more opportunities. People living on farmlands would migrate to the nearby / far cities to try their luck, hoping for a better, brighter future. While this worked for some, it did not for all. Unpleasant side effects are huge cities with traffic congestion, slums as not everyone would find work etc.

I think today this effect has escalated to something that I would call "Countrification". It is not the bigger, more wealthy city that attracts people, but a richer country. Whole populations are on the move to countries that offer a new perspective. Take the "Amah" or domestic helper. Half of the female population of Manila must be working in Malaysia, Singapore or Hong Kong as hired help around the house. Most waiters in restaurants here are from Burma. And I know a whole bundle of Malaysians that move to Singapore as they have better chances there.

One interesting and negative side effect: I cannot understand the waiters anymore. They know how to get to work, but no English... Ordering food becomes a lottery, but we are all happier with more money we make and a busy travel industry, shipping folks around the planet for new employments.

Do you miss the food from home?

Interestingly, I get asked a lot of times if I am missing the food from home or if I can get the same food as "back home". Yes, you can. Thanks to globalisation. Found this really great Confiture. Grabbed the strawberry and was overwhelmed by the taste.

Exactly what a Confiture should be: Not too sweet, yes with fruits, but not the entire fruit, making it hard to eat it. No sugary taste or traces of any preservatives etc. Just great strawberry taste. Haven't seen this in Germany though, which proves that "out here" you will sometimes some real gems.

Some information from their website (http://www.albertmenes.fr/confitures.html):

Albert Ménès jams are slow-cooked with high fruit content but not any strawberry makes the Albert Ménès mark.  Le premier critère de qualité est la variété du fruit : notre confiture de fraise utilise des fraises senga sengana, petites et au goût très concentré, les roses du confit sont des Centifolia en provenance de la région de Grasse.The first criterion in choosing fine, natural ingredients is about the fruit variety. Albert Ménès Strawberry Jam is made only with strawberries of the Senga Sengana species, chosen for their small size, flavour, strong taste and outstanding crunchiness. The strawberries are sorted and selected before being preserved whole in pure cane sugar to give a jam easily spreadable with the enjoyment of full strawberries.

Bon appetit!