In Beijing I of course did the one thing you have to and climbed the Great Wall of China. Well, part of it. The Mutianyu part, to be specific. (Click here to see a map and guide to the different sections). The section I visited was a restored section rather than a ‘wild’ original one … More Climbing the Great Wall of China
After the negativity of my two last posts, let’s start again on a good note. One of my two most favourite things I did in Beijing was a cooking class with a wonderful organisation called The Hutong, aptly situated in a hutong (traditional Chinese alley). The Hutong is a cultural-sharing organisation which was founded 9 … More Dumpling cooking class
After the ordeal of my first 24 hours in the city, I was ready to see actual Beijing. I’ll soon put up blog posts about individual activities I really enjoyed (and some top tips) but for now I’ll give an overall summary of Beijing. Come day 2 in Beijing, I was still unnerved that no … More A Beijing summary
I’m writing this post on the train to Shanghai (and hoping the man sat next to me isn’t reading over my shoulder…). I’ve just finished my week in Beijing and whilst I was there, I had friends and family asking me when I was going to update my blog. I had every intention of posting … More Arriving in Beijing: The nitty gritty of travelling
World, hello again. If anyone still reads this blog (hi Mum?), sorry for the 4 month disappearance. Life and a touch of laziness happened but fear not, the dark days are over and I’m back with the time and will to write, plus things to write about. Hurrah. As the title of this post suggests, I’ve … More I’ve left my job to travel and tell stories!
Despite having been to Hong Kong several times before, I’d never ventured the short ferry hop across to Macau. It’s always one of those ‘I’ll do it next time’ things. This Hong Kong visit was finally the time. I was ready to explore the tiny ex-Portuguese colony by myself but my Hong Kong cousin kindly … More Macau: Miniature Portugal in the heart of Asia
The 1st July 1997 marks a significant day in history. On this day, 18 years ago, Hong Kong was officially handed back to the People’s Republic of China after an emotional and poignant ceremony on 30th June. The handing over of Hong Kong marked the end of the British Empire as it was known. For … More Hong Kong’s future: 18 years after the handover and my experience of the protests
Hong Kong can feel a little over-whelming at times and you might find yourself wanting to seek out a bit of peace amongst the hussle. One thing I love about Hong Kong’s culture is the traditional Chinese beliefs and variety of religions that underlie everyday life. Throughout the city and further are a variety of different … More Hong Kong: Temples, Monasteries and the Giant Buddha
It’s now been two weeks since I reluctantly left Hong Kong and one impossible week of me being back in the UK, trying to slot back into everyday life here. Why do I have to get on a £16 train and not a HK$2 tram? Where are the BBQ pork buns? Why do I still keep … More Returning ‘home’ to Hong Kong after 6 years
Hi, I'm Emma 