KenKen Photoblog

Tourist Photos at Victoria Peak

Victoria Peak is probably one of the most popular tourist attractions in Hong Kong... and it's kind of easy to see why. The view is ridiculous. On one of my first trips to Hong Kong, I thought I would go up for a quick afternoon tour (ended up staying for 5+ hours just staring out into the vast cityscape). I had not gone back since... however, I was out with a friend and we decided to take a late night trip up the escalators in Soho (Hong Kong island is built on levels and there is actually an escalator system that will take you up... longest covered outdoor escalator system in the world). There were signs that kept directing us up to Victoria Peak... and we decided to keep on going until we reached the top. However, eventually the escalators stopped and we would have had to continue walking up a steep trail (didn't seem too fun since it was hot and we had a bit to drink). That's when I hailed a taxi! The main observation deck was closed when we finally arrived (it was quite late)... but we managed to sneak onto another observation deck that had also been closed. These are a few of the photos I took before the security guards asked us to kindly leave (think they came out pretty good since I didn't have a tripod). Enjoy!

An Eerie Hong Kong

After eating a big dinner, I decided to take a stroll through the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui. It was a rainy, misty, foggy evening... and the city had an "eerie" feeling to it. The bright lights mixed with the fog helped to illuminate the city streets. These are a few photos from that evening.

Food Culture in Hong Kong

Food is a very important part of the culture in Hong Kong (and China)... and it's one of the reasons why I enjoy visiting. You can get anything you want in Hong Kong (except good Mexican food... they still haven't figured that out yet). However, my favorite thing to eat is the local food (dumplings, hot pot, seafood, noodles, fish balls, etc)... and I also like visiting the street vendors. I've been lucky enough to become friends with some locals and I've been introduced to a lot of amazing food places (except the stinky tofu place... I didn't like that).

In the Asian culture, it's a big deal when people invite you to share a meal with them... and I definitely appreciate the warm hospitality.

One Second Moments

Life in big cities moves so fast that it can be difficult to take a moment to catch your breathe. Hong Kong is no different... sometimes moving so fast that it cannot be captured in a still image. In these photos, I focused on a stationary object and did a one second exposure.. and then watched as taxis, cars, buses, and people rushed by. The second photo (black and white version) had about 100 people on the elevated walkway... but the majority of their silhouettes disappeared as they were moving too fast to be captured in the photo.

Raining In the City

A "rainy day" in Hong Kong isn't necessarily a bad thing (helps that you can walk almost everywhere underground or on a covered walkway)... the rain cleans the air, cools things down, and makes for great "photo ops". I love the reflections of the neon lights... it illuminates the city even more. These are a few photos I took while walking walking around Tsim Sha Tsui (in Kowloon) post-rain storm.

When in Hong Kong...

I'm not really a fan of umbrellas... however, in Hong Kong, the umbrella is part of the culture... and during the summer months, it becomes a necessity. You just have to be careful and protect your eyes when walking through tight alleyways. In the top photo, I was taking shelter under a bamboo scaffolding during the midst of a brief downpour (I forgot my umbrella and didn't want to buy another one... umbrella prices skyrocket when it is raining). I was probably getting in everyone's way, but found a good vantage point to take some photos of the bottleneck that was created when people tried to squeeze into the small space.

"3 Days in Hong Kong" - Torrential Rain, Glorious Sunshine, and Giant Rubber Ducks

During my last trip to Asia, I was lucky enough to spend a few extra days in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is an awesome city. I've been coming here for about 10 years... and have had some great times and have met some awesome people. However, whenever I go back, I seem to fall into the same routine (hit the same shops, restaurants, and sites). This time I wanted to try something different and walk away with some new experiences... I purchased my first tailored suit, ate at new restaurants, stayed in a new hotel, explored different parts of the city, and experienced my first "sunny day" in the city!! (reference the 2nd photo) It was a great trip... more photos and stories to come later.

Take Me to Your Leader

Is that a stuffed animal or a real dog?... super cute and friendly dog that I got to hang out with while waiting for my squid to be grilled.

Kenting Night Market - "The Shops"

The night markets in Kenting had a wide variety of street vendors... everything from kids toys, to cheesy tourist crap, to high end leather belts, to flips flops. The Taiwanese Cowboy shown in the first picture had some pretty awesome belts (featuring Italian leather & genuine US leather). He was also quite the salesman... he put on a good show and spoke several languages for all the tourists coming by.

Kenting Market - "Massage Time"

Wherever I go in Asia, there seems to be an extraordinary amount of massage parlors (feet, back, neck, etc). Kenting was no exception. One of the creepier things I saw is featured in the top photo. There were several older guys (down a dark alley) sitting next to Hello Kitty chairs... and apparently waiting for customers to come by for a massage. I have no idea what the sign above them means... but I definitely did not want whatever it was that they were selling!

Kenting Night Markets - "The Food"

(other than people watching) My favorite thing about the night markets at Kenting was the food... lots of fresh oysters, squid, sashimi, meat, chicken, fish balls, crabs, curries, various types of fish... and DEEP FRIED OREOs! The deep fried Oreos were probably unhealthy food items I've ever eaten... but they were amazing (so I didn't care). I almost went back for seconds.
The prices were also ridiculously low... you could have a feast for the equivalent of less than $10USD.

Kenting Night Markets - "The Scene"

Just down the street from where I stayed in Nanwan is the town of Kenting. During the day, the main strip is relatively quiet. A few shops might be open selling sunscreen or beachtowels and there also are some lunch places mixed in. However, when I first cruised by during the day, it was basically empty (a lot of the places were closed). I didn't have any desire to go back. However, one of the people I met while surfing convinced me to take the bus down there one night and have another look. It was amazing how this area transforms after the sun goes down. All of the stores open up, neon lights illuminate the sky, restaurants/bars fill with patrons, food vendors line the street on both sides (selling grilled squid, fish balls, korean bbq, grilled chicken, fried oreos, sashimi)... it's a bit of a overload on your senses. If you're ever in the area, I recommend spending a night there (the grilled squid was amazing).

Surf Taiwan

There's no surf in Taiwan?

When I found out that I would have a few extra days at the end of a business trip to Asia, I started thinking about hopping on a short flight to Bali (before coming back to the US). However, there wasn't enough time to go back and forth... and I had never spent time in Taiwan. Therefore, I decided to stay on the island and go exploring. My first thought was to go to Taipei... but after looking at some maps, it seemed like Taiwan would have decent surf in the southeast and east. I asked some friends that lived in Taiwan about my options down south... and their response was similar: "There's no surf in Taiwan". A few people thought there might be waves near Kenting, but were not positive. That didn't discourage me though... if there were no waves, I would enjoy a little beach holiday or go hiking in the mountains down south. Taiwan has an amazing high speed rail network... so it is very easy (and cheap) to navigate the island.

Prior to my departure, I contacted a surf tour agency (The Perfect Wave) that I had used in the past to visit Fiji and the Maldives. They were based in Australia and had extensive knowledge of the SE Asia region. The Perfect Wave put me in touch with Surf Taiwan and I made arrangements for some accommodations down south in Nanwan.

The Surf Taiwan crew was great! They were super accommodating and made me feel like I was part of their family (the constant supply of Taiwan Beer was also nice). My host had the entire coastline dialed in and knew where to go for certain conditions. I was thinking I would be lucky if there were 2 foot waves... but there were waist to head high waves everyday and the water felt like a bath tub (managed to get a mini-barrel one day that no one saw). Another great thing about Taiwan is the lack of crowds... I think my friends meant to say "no one surfs in Taiwan" (instead of "there's no surf in Taiwan"). Anyways, not many people read my blog... so I'm sure that this posting will not lead to a giant influx of surfers to Taiwan.

Hoping that I can come back again soon!