Tai Long Wan, Sai Kung

Tai Long Wan

I was told about Tai Long Wan in the same way one is told about a mythical fairytale. Since I arrived in Hong Kong 18 months ago I had overheard and caught snippets of friends, peers and colleagues talk of this magical beach accessible only by hike where friends can camp on the beach next to a fire getting blazed and singing Kum By Ya, I couldn’t wait to try it out.

The perfect excuse arose in the happy coincidence of a romantic anniversary trip with my boyf. I tried to ask various friends about what we should expect from this camping trip however mysteriously everyone seemed ellusive. I was a little worried that Tai Long Wan induced some kind of hex over its visitors as no one could seem to remember what MTR stop to go to,  how to get from the stop to the trail, whether your boyf would get raggey on taxi negotiations (he defo will fyi), what we would need or indeed any info at all! When I tried to research the internet was also incredibly misleading and provided lots of different beach names and no fixed way to get there.


However do not fear,having ventured to this amazing beach I am going to unearth all the rumor and set it down in stone so that if you want to go you will at least know how and what to expect, let’s just hope that by doing this some evil hex will not curse down upon me. Such is the risk I will take for you guys!

How to get there

This is not the way we did it as t’inernet led me the wrong way but it is the way I would recommend as it is simple, quick and easy. If you are coming from Hong Kong island get the MTR to Hang Hau then get in a taxi to the Sai Kung Country ParkPark (西貢東郊野公園), and then from the entrance to the park, ask for the Sai Wan Pavilion (西灣亭) . Don’t (if you a feeling lazy) let the taxi driver stop at the little mound with the map of the park that you first come to instead ask him to drive down the road to the left until you get to a little bandstand/Pavilion. There will probably be other hikers here, if it’s a hot day they will be particularly smelly and probably irritable so don’t be too cheery. The map of the country park (if you can read these things, I cant – what is wrong with directions I say!!) is below;

From here you walk for about an hour or so along a cemented path (its clear which one....its 'to the left to the left') which goes up and down a few steep hills but on the whole isn’t too bad, it is in the sun quite a lot however so if it is a sunny day take a hat and maybe try and set off early. Either way even if you are drenched in sweat by the end you will arrive to a lovely sight and a chance to strip off in the clear waters that lay before you.

The Place

We didn’t have a huge amount of time so we just stayed on Tai Long Sai Wan beach. This beach was beautiful however complete with white sand, clear waters and a peace and stillness rarely found (to my experience) in Hong Kong. The water was just the right temperature and stays at waist height for quite a way so you can happily wade through observing the fish and even starfish beneath you. Most campers are polite and very chilled and you can guarantee there will be dulcet sounds of bongo’s or a guitar being played right into the evening. We parked ourselves up, cracked open a bottle of prosseco, breathed a sigh of relief and took it all in just as the sun went down.

If you can be bothered then do set your alarm to wake up for the sunrise. I swam out and floated in the water while watching the sun emerge from the horizon and it was breathtakingly beautiful. The perfect stillness and serenity of the Sai Wan beach did indeed have that little bit of magic I was promised. Stunning.

Accommodation

We rented a tent from a woman with a very troublesome toddler as we entered the beach for about 400HK although 200 of this is a deposit. In all honesty the tent was a bit crap as it was very small and didn’t let in a lot of ventilation and if you could take your own I would recommend it. Also no instructions are provided with the tent so if you are a camping novice watch a youtube vid or two for educational purposes before you leave. If you are renting a tent there is also nothing provided apart from the actual tent so pillows and a yoga mat/inflatable mattress. My boy has also asked me to highlight the importance of also bringing earmuffs/earplugs as there are some very loud sand crabs scurrying about. If one of these happens to bury under your ear when you are trying to get your ZZ's then it may drive you slighty bonkers!

The Food

As you enter Sai Wan beach there are a couple of beach restaurants to choose from that serve good local Cantonese food if you haven’t brought your own  its basic fried rice or fried noodles but after a long hike some chou fan and tsing tao goes down a treat. We really liked the staff who own the restaurant on the right hand side as you enter the beach as they were really friendly and even gave us some free watermelon at the end of the evening. The restaurant was a great place to chill out which a great view, we took some cards too and I learnt how to play Chor Dai Dee (a Chinese card game that once learnt is highly addictive – beware!)

In the morning we were quite keen to set off early but not without a breakfast to set us on our way. I expected that the restaurant would have only congee or noodles on offer but lo and behold they provided a full English breakfast complete with sausages and back bacon that any gastro pub in Britain would be proud off – who would have thought it! Delicious!

Tips

·    Don’t even bother going on any day in HK that is hot, June – September is a big big no no. Your tent will be hotter than the sun, you will be covered in a thin film of sweat and sand (chaffing central) and you will not be able to get away from the mosquito’s that will crawl all over your tent waiting like blood thirsty zombies to sink their teeth into your flesh at the very first moment that they can. In essence – COMPLETE HELL!!!

·    If you are like me very very tasty to those horrible horrible parasites then take a bucket load of deet, not just normal repellent. TAKE DEET OR YOU WILL NOT SURVIVE – put out what you think then double it. Trust me you will need it.

·    Bit of an obvious one but if you want to have a fire, collect firewood whilst it is still light and take some firelighters with you, we didn’t do this and needless to say our fire was mainly just burning leaves. Not cool.

·    Take a torch, lord knows its annoying having to hold onto a button on your mobile for light while you are trying to pee.

In truth we were incredibly ill prepared for this trip however despite not having any sleep and emerging covered in bites I had a really great time and maybe the hardships we encountered added to the fun and the laughter - I was in stitches when my boy decided that he was too unbearably hot and sick of the noisy crab to stick in the tent so decided to roam around the beach starkers at 3.30 in the morning in a heat induced delirium like a nutty Robinson Crusoe. And why not, on this magical beach you can do anything you want.

Vxx

Sloshed in Sonoma County, California

Cheers to you all!

Following the conference in San Francisco, some colleagues and I rented a car and spent a couple of days in the gloriousness that is Sonoma County famous for its tasting of the vino. On our way to Sonoma we had a couple of quick stop offs and lots of singing to the Eagles, first stop was at the very famous golden gate bridge which provided us with a postcard picture of the fog rolling from the hills, over the bridge and the expansive San Francisco bay.

Our second stop en route was a wander through Muir Woods which showcases magnificent Redwood trees, one of the tallest species in the world averaging a height of 379ft! This picture gives an idea of the scale nicely as these are the very bottom of these beasts!

The Redwoods are not only very tall but very old; the tallest have been around for over 1,000 years. Muir Woods was stunning; a very real Fern Gully, I was expecting Crysta the little pixie to emerge from each turn of this beautiful peaceful forest as we meandered along.

THE PLACE

Sonoma is located on the northern coast of California and plays home to over 250 wineries. The scenery is absolutely beautiful and as we cruised through the area I could have looked out of the car window at the fields and vineyards getting bathed in sunshine all day long. So much green…..of the medicinal kind too!

THE CRIB

We rented a beautiful all American house situated right next to the Russian River that flows through the Sonoma valley and quenches the thirst of all those grapes. The house was beautifully decorated and came complete with a fully equipped kitchen, deck overlooking the river, hot tub, kayaks and a huge bbq http://www.russianriverrentals.com/beachhouse.html Pimpin!

THE FOOD

I have 2 words - Bison burgers.

Probably the most delicious burgers in the world. I bought the Bison minced meat, mixed with some egg yolk, red onion and special ‘sonoma bbq sauce’ from a very nice American chap at the deli then barbequed so that they were still pink in the middle. Yup that’s right – wipe your drool.

THE BOOZE

After a lovely morning Kayak along the river we organized ourselves and set about going to visit the vineyards. We visited 5 wineries in one afternoon so unfortunately my memory is only accurate enough to report on the first couple!

Francis Ford Coppla’s vineyard was close by so we headed off for our first taste of Sonoma wine.  The vineyard was the most commercial equipped with pool and hotel onsite however it was really fun to view lots of the film memorabilia and the wine wasnt half bad if a tad expensive. I came away with a delicious Cabernet Sauvingnon that was my favorite from the tasting menu and also has an awesome picture by the production designer of The Godfather (Dean Tavoularis) on the front.

Next was Foppiano Vineyards, a quaint family run vineyard, it is one of Sonoma’s oldest as it was founded in 1896 and interestingly survived prohibition by selling home wine making kits. This was my favorites tasting menu of the day as each wine was delicious. They were also the only vineyard that included a rose on the tasting menu  – the '2010 Estate Rose'. As Rose is my favourite type of wine and it happened to be so tasty I ended up buying a bottle or maybe two…..if you have time the owners will also teach you a little about the wine by taking you for a tour around their beautiful vineyard, and when it looks like this there really is no excuse not to!

TIPS

1.  Get started with your wine tasting early as many of the vineyards close between 4-5pm

2. If you are like me plagued with hayfever then take some anthi-histamines with you – the pollen is all over the shop – sneezing into your wine glass is bad etiquette you know

3. Take a jumper to Muir Woods, under all those trees it can get a little chilly.

As we had only 2 days in Sonoma I feel as though this tasting trip was literally just that – a taster! Cruising round Sonoma in the sun slightly tipsy was absolute bliss, I think I’ll need another trip to satisfy my thirst.

V xx

p.s. had to share this picture of us tasting at the final vineyard.....merry merry happiness all round!

San Francisco blues and schmooze

Well hello there!

I know it has been a while since my last post however I have been gearing up for the showbiz event of the year. Oh yes,  the hotly anticipated International Trademark Conference no less which this year was held in San Francisco – city of blues, fog, cable cars, Mrs Doubtfire, a big red bridge and A LOT of crazy people still tripping from the copious amount of illegal substances consumed during the 70’s.

THE PLACE

San Francisco hits you straight in the face with a clash of culture from the biggest China town in North America to the smart and sophisticated business district to the slightly sketchy fairly impoverished downtown area. One thing that particularly struck me was the vast array of architecture that seemed to compliment this mixture of influences perfectly.

HIGHLIGHTS

The Westin St Francis is a must to visit; it has been situated right next to Union square since 1904 and is very elegant and beautiful from the inside out.  Make sure you take a ride up exterior glass elevator on the rear tower that delivers a spectacular panoramic view of the city as you rise up the side of the building……not so good if you suffer from vertigo however.

I also went to a party held in the California Academy of Sciences, which was an eventful party not least because I saw two lusty penguins mating furiously……they were at it for over half an hour and had about 100 people watching them – saucy! In all seriousness though the Academy is well worth a visit as it boasts an aquarium, a planetarium, a natural history museum and a four-storey rainforest all under one roof! The party was a hoot, I sipped my vodka tonic dancing to Lady Gaga and leant about how snakes track their prey while being entertained by half naked fawns on stilts, what more could you want.

Obviously there is also the classic Tram ride, Alcatraz (whilst pretending you’re Sean Connery in the Rock) and the Golden Gate Bridge which are worth seeing. Other things that I wanted to do but didn’t have time were visit the Beat Poet Museum and mosey round China town; apparently they have dumplings that rival Hong Kong!

THE ACCOMODATION

We stayed in this rather nice boutique hotel called Union Square hotel which is pretty perfectly located right in the heart of the city. The rooms were well designed, staff were super friendly and they even served complimentary wine in the lobby from 5-7pm – nice! My only complaint would be the amount of noise during the night however I think this is pretty common across the city, like Michael Jackson’s Thriller it seems the real crazies, hookers and pimps wait till dusk to come alive!

THE FOOD

The best thing about attending Law Firm receptions is the canapés ……..mmmm drool. I don’t know what it is about a canapé that is so utterly resistible however I seem to not be able to turn down one that I haven’t tried before even if I have already consumed my own body weight in these delicious compact servings of heaven. Smoked salmon  blini’s, rock oysters, mini burgers, strips of chicken with figs and mushrooms and mouth watering crab cakes complimented by a glass of champagne certainly amused my bouche no end.

Two restaurants that I would highly recommend while you are in the city are Louis Diner (Powell Street) and Waterbar (on the waterfront). Louis Diner is the epitome of your typical All American diner complete with life size horse and cow hanging from the ceiling and half a Cadillac attached to the wall that could have been part of the set of Back to the future. Portions are big and there is nothing healthy on the menu but it is predictably delicious. To my mind no one does breakfast better than the Yanks and they certainly didn’t disappoint here, feast on amazing pancakes, streaky bacon, homemade hash browns and eggs ‘sunny side’ up!

Waterbar is a slightly classier joint located on the Embacadero and has a great view of both the Bay and SFO Skyline as well as huge floor to ceiling circular aquariums filled with yummy fish. The food was fantastic if a little pricey. Be sure to check out the Oyster Menu which is what I opted for as an Entrée…..we childishly had a chuckle at the oyster named fanny bay but it turned out to be rather delicious. For my main course I had Salmon with black eyed peas, spring onions, broccoli rabe and a cornmeal fried oyster – delicious. I didn’t have room for dessert however one of my colleagues went for the ice cream cookie sandwich, only in America could this be considered appropriate in a fancy restaurant. And why not, I suffered from food envy for the rest of the meal.

THE NIGHTLIFE

As I mentioned SFO comes alive at night and there are plenty of cool bars and clubs to sample. Particular highlights were a sultry bar blues venue called the BOOM BOOM ROOM in the Fillmore district made famous most notably by John Lee Hooker who to this day still posthumously has a table reserved for him next to the stage. This smoky bar is small and intimate and attracts some of SF’s best musical talent playing a mixture of rock, soul, blues and jazz as well as a plethora of different kinds of people. They also have a beer called Dead Man Rogue on tap. Awesome.

I also took a quick trip to a very cool bar called the Bourbon and Branch on Jones Street which channels the current Boardwalk Empire phenomenon as a 1920’s themed bar. The venue is even a former speakeasy and hosts an extremely wide variety of whisky and bourbon, a password is needed for entry which can be found on their website. The book lined library bar certainly adds to the feel of the place however don’t come here if in a large group or looking to get a quick drink. This is a place that demands you take your time.

Embarrassingly I also ended up in a cheesy RnB/Dance club called the infusion lounge on Ellis Street complete with slutty go go dancers and sweaty dance floor. There’s not much room to strut your stuff but the DJ was great playing  a mixture of old and new – he even pumped out the soundtrack to ‘Fresh Prince’ to which everyone joined in…’yo, homes smell you later’ Jazzy fresh!

TIPS

1.       Despite being in the state of California SFO is remarkably chilly. Take a jumper, coat and scarf. Even if it looks sunny, the sun will only be playing tricks on you.

2.       If you are a lady always carry some flats in your bag when trying to get around the city as there are very few cabs to be had, especially in the rain.

3.       Be prepared for lots of tramps and crazy people talking to themselves, they seem to be on every street corner. Most are fairly harmless but we did get the odd aggressive one so watch out.  

4.       A great film set in San Francisco is called ‘What’s Up Doc’ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069495/ probably one of the funniest films ever made with an awesome car chase at the end that showcases the cities hills and character perfectly.

Curiously I liked San Francisco but I didn’t fall in love with it as I had expected. The city seems to contradict itself over and over again that once I thought I had got the feel of it I found something new, or was confronted with something I didn’t expect. Its energy and vivacity is juxtaposed with an eerie sadness that did leave me a little cold, Muddy Waters and Johnny Winter sum it up well http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFqB4ly4-64.  It’s a city I think that demands time to be loved and understood properly, something I am certainly ready to give again. And so I bid you farewell as the American’s say ‘Have a nice day’ or in San Francisco, (this is a direct quote from one of the tramps) ‘Watch out for the communist squirrels, they’re gonna take over the world’. Quite.

V xx

Shenzhen Spa's and Shopping

Ni hao all!

I very recently had a friend to stay with me in Hong Kong and in addition to doing all things Hong Kong touristas we also decided to head over the border into China for a bit of pampering and retail therapy (ahem! not sure about the therapy part) in neighboring city Shenzhen. 

THE PLACE

For those of you that know little of Shenzhen let me (and the gremlins of Wikipedia) take this moment to enlighten you! Shenzer as I like to call it is situated immediately north of Hong Kong and has gone from being a small fishing village called Baoan County in the 1970’s to being one of the fastest growing cities in the world. On entering Shenzer you get this sense of how quickly the city has grown and it is immediately clear that you are in a place where things happen fast. Be prepared for lots of people, intense pollution and being hassled frequently ‘missy missy what you buy handbag watches? ‘missy missy you like shopping’ uhhhh duh does Dolly Parton sleep on her back? There is a real sense of chaos on arrival however and although you’ll most likely be fine you would do well to keep your wits about you at all times.

HOW TO GET THERE

If travelling from Hong Kong we found, after a little bit of researching that the best way to get to Shenzer is via the wonderful Hong Kong MTR. You can take the light blue line (no idea what it is called) from Hung Hom through to Lo Wu and takes about 45 mins. If you haven’t already got your visa you will then have to walk up some stairs, fill out a form, pay about 400RMB, collect your visa and be on your merry way. Job’s a good ‘un.

THE SPA

Queens Spa is the wall mart of spa's - a 5 floor pampering extravaganza that offers everything from massages to karaoke rooms to electrolysis on your hairy bits. Ouch! The entrance fee is RMB 108 although if you spend more that RMB 168 then this fee gets waivered – boom ting! Most of the staff doesn’t speak Ingrish however there is always an English speaking duty manager on hand if you just ask who are friendly and helpful. On arrival you are handed a rather fetching pair of pink pajama’s and a wrist tag that lets you add your bill to your ‘number’. In Queens Spa everything is a number – I was a number, my masseuse was a number, the treatment I had, my food, literlly everything and this combined with the pajama suit gave me an impression of what it must be like to go into prison!

However, prison it was not….we started off with a lovely ramen supper followed by a good aromatherapy massage. We then moved to the lazyboy chairs in the ‘rest room’ of which there are probably about 400 or so each equipped with their very own massage function and TV. Whilst watching TV I then got my feet scrapped by a man who used a knife (yes a knife!!) to scrape all the dead skin off my feet (ewwwww) and then finish off with a foot massage. Lovely jubbly. Here is a picture of those lazyboys....

The spa also boasts free unlimited fruits, juices and ice cream and even free sleeping quarter which we took rather than pay for a separate hotel. Dorm rooms are separate for men and women and consist of little pods with a pillow and duvet included. As you are sharing a dorm room with others at the spa it’s not super quiet however by the time we arrived we were all massaged out and slept soundly. It’s not luxury but if you are keen to save a few bob then worth doing.

The following morning we had a few more treatments, a cheeky swim, steam and sauna before reluctantly handing back our stripy pajama’s paying our bill and heading back to reality…….

THE SHOPPING

The main attraction for Shenzer is fakes, particularly handbags. Now if you are mere pauper like me in the splendorous luxuriousness of Hong Kong then getting your mitts on a fulberry (fake mulberry) is a bit of a must! If you are a visitor, definitely worth a trip as no one at home will know the difference and therefore think it is real and earn you real fashionista brownie points and jealous shocked looks of wonderment from your friends. Boom.

Head to the Lowu commercial centre pictured above and have a good search around before you wait for your bartering battle to commence…..we took the following tactical approach. As there were 4 of us we scoped out a few shops before deciding which one looked to have the best quality fake goods…and yes I am aware of the irony of this statement. We then went about requesting which handbags we wanted to look at, which takes a while but is a good thing because the shopkeepers get very excited that they are about to make a killing (we were however very careful NOT to mention which ones we were DEFINITELY going to buy)

To add to this role play of bargaining and selling there is also the added complication of undercover police walking about so often the shop owners will take the bags they are about to sell and go and hide them, useful when one is trying to decide between a brown or grey miu miu grrrr…anyway I had my heart set on trying to find a Celine, I needed to pick up a fulberry and a chanel and my visiting friend got very carried away and was considering 6 handbags! Boys, I know you will never understand this logic.

Then came the bargaining. Our shop keeper was quite whiny and was working the ‘my boss wont let me’ ‘I won’t make profit’ lines but we were no fools and like firm business women with black 80’s shoulder padded suits and bold red lipstick we stood our ground. The deal clincher which happened (admittedly by accident but worked a charm) was that another friend of ours had gone to buy a different bag in another shop she then returned to the shop we were still bargaining in and loudly said how much she had paid for her bag, we all got excited and began to follow her out when lo and behold…..our shopkeeper buckled to the prices we had requested. Hooray! I felt like I was in an episode of the apprentice…..Sir Alan, you would have been proud. And to boot I skipped to Hong Kong immigration with my Celine and my friend with her 6 bags.

TIPS

1.       Get your RMB to pay for your visa at the Central HSBC Building in Hong Kong where they have an ATM that will give you Chinese moulah this makes your visa process (if you don’t already have one) swift and easy

2.       Try and go on a weekday, I went on a Sunday once and it was quite simply a hell on earth….…

3.       If you wish to travel anywhere in a taxi and don’t speak Mandarin then try and get the directions/location written down in Chinese – will reduce the amount of gesticulating the movements of a massage which could look dodgy and get you into a bit of trouble. Never a good move.

Only having 24 hours in Shenzer was a real shame as I know I only scratched the surface of what this city has to offer, there are also other attractions including a theme park and sea world and I'm told there is even grass somewhere. It is however to my mind a place that you do need to mentally and physically prepare yourself for and not the idyllic luxury girlie day out that one would hope for or expect in HK, London or NY. Shenzer really is a place that you don’t want to be very long but the price what you come back with makes it worthwhile, Mulberry’s, soft feet, a new appreciation for personal space etc….therefore my best advice - Get in, get your shit done, get out!

V xx

Windsurfing in Cheung Chau

Afternoon old chaps!

So I have decided as part of my blogging ‘travel atmosphere’ effort thingy I am also going to include nice little trips in Hong Kong in case you a) live here and need and idea for an easy getaway from the city b) just visiting and want to do something other than go up to the peak and do jelly shots in Al’s diner.

Feeling the post sevens debauchery still  taking its toll on my body I and a couple of friends decided it was high time to try out a new skill and get out of central Hong Kong so we chose to attempt windsurfing in Cheung Chau.

THE PLACE

Cheung Chau “Long Island” is a small island 10km south west of Hong Kong. It takes 25 minutes to get there on the Ferry from central pier however once there you feel as though you are in another country in the far east. There are no cars allowed on the island so as you would expect everyone happily cycles around smug at the lack of their carbon footprint and elated with endorphins. You arrive into a pretty harbor area and from there it’s very easy to follow the path round to the Windsurfing Centre.

THE PEOPLE

Everyone we met on the island was really friendly and helpful. The two people we got to know particularly well during the day were our instructors, a Father/Daughter combo that encouraged and guided us through the day. The father asked us to call him Uncle Lai and was an excellent windsurfer and oozed cool. Once out on the water he demonstrated how to sail out and turn back in a snake like fashion (this is called sausage surfing, naughty!) and managed to do this with such ease and grace with sunglasses intact and not even a splash. His daughter was called Stephanie and was fantastic at keeping us all going throughout the day and giving helpful tips along the way.

THE SKILL

I feel a little embarrassed to call this section ‘the skill’ as I am not sure that what I developed could yet be described as this however for those of you with or without windsurfing experience I have no problem recommending the Cheung Chau Windsurfing Club as a great place to set sail, if you pardon the pun.

The instructors (mentioned above) spent the first part of the morning running us through the theory of how to windsurf. This included many diagrams and a small toy of a very chirpy looking man on his board that had wheels stuck to the bottom, already I was confused! There was a lot of discussion regarding the direction of the wind which had me flummoxed however I nodded as Uncle Lai explained, I figured I would just get the feel of it once on the water….hmmm more on that later.

We were then taught the very basics on a simulator outside the classroom. Uncle Lai explained how to pull the mast up and then get into the correct sailing position using the 1,2,3,4 steps that take you to holding the boom and gaily sailing along.

Stephanie then took us onto the beach and asked us to take the boards out without the sails attached and try to balance on them. Predictably we all climbed on top cocky at this request and then immediately slipped off amidst giggles and yelps…..this carried on for about 20 minutes.

We then put the sails on our boards and were towed out to sea (probably the most fun part of the day) and then tried to put all the theory into practice. This did not work out well for me and went something like this;

Climb on the board

Fall off

Climb on the board wave at one of the others, lose focus

Fall off

Climb on the board, get steady, reach for the mast, pull up the mast, panic at where to point the sail….

Fall off

It went on like this for just over an hour. I know it sounds ridiculous but I just couldn’t understand where the wind was coming from and how that related to my sail, I knew I should have paid more attention in geography when I spent most lessons learning how to flick a pencil round my thumb, what use is that to me now! Thankfully I was the only retard in the group and we didn’t embarrass ourselves totally as the others meanwhile were able to pull themselves up and glide along for at least 10 seconds before falling off. Needless to say I was a little despondent and in a bit of a sulk as we were towed back in for lunch.

Post-lunch I had given myself a pep talk and resolved to make sure I would at least sail once. This positive mental attitude did just the trick as on my first attempt I managed to get up, get my angle right and sail (albeit very slowly) into the sun and out to sea, hoorah! This made things a lot easier, everything clicked into place and from then on all 3 of us spent the rest of the day sailing from one side of the beach to the other and having Uncle Lai tow us back to the other side so that we could begin again, none of us quite mastered the idea of learning how to turn. Anyway minor oversight, we carried on in this way for the next 3 hours in the brilliant sunshine – pure bliss.   

By the time we were towed back into the beach we were all exhausted but still eager for more and already talking about making this a more regular trip, turning being our first prioirty to master. We sat and had a drink with Uncle Lai and Stephanie who gave us more tips and told us we were very ‘determined’ – a nice way of saying a bit crap but lots of heart which I’m happy with. We laughed and told stories about various falls with both of the instructors before Uncle Lai gave us all a free cap (whoop!) and a cheeky smile and we went on our way.

THE ACCOMODATION

A few of the girls decided to make a jolly little holiday of the trip and stay over in Cheung Chau at a place bizarrely called ‘The Miami Resort’ however Miami styleee it was not. ‘Cheap and cheerful but very basic and with very hard pillows’ was the report back so if in doubt take your own. Although to be honest after an energetic day of windsurfing you’re probably likely to be able to sleep anywhere.

THE FOOD

As I didn’t stay for the night I had only lunch and supper in Cheung Chau however both were fantastic. Our lunch break was at the Windsurfing club and I had a delicious plate of fresh grilled sardines and salad which was a perfect meal to fill me up enough for another 3 hours of the sea. Simple but delicious. Supper was taken at one of the many seafood restaurants that dot along the harbor near the ferry. We got a cute little table right next to the sea and went about working out what to eat as we were super hungry after all our surfing work. All the restaurants along this stretch pretty much serve the same thing but the food again was fantastic. The calamari, spring rolls and steamed scallops with garlic and ginger were a particular favourite, we ended up ordering 2 of each! Plus the bill only came to about 350 honkey (35 quid for you brits) for 5 people – an absolute bargain!

TIPS

1.       Get a good night’s sleep before you go, this is not a day to tackle after a boozy one in Dusk till Dawn.

2.       Wear a suitable bikini, rearranging one’s self atop the board can make one more likely to fall back in. Which is not very ladylike and a real faff, innit.

3.       Take waterproof sun cream especially if of the English Rose variety – you will burn and look like a beetroot, not in keeping with windsurf windswept beach chic look we were all hoping to achieve. Oh no sir.

All in our entire trip to Cheung Chau turned out to be an unexpectedly wonderful day, one of the best I have had in Hong Kong and a really nice break from the electronically controlled life most of us lead. Damn you crackberry! Eventually the day came to a close with us sipping our Tsing Tao, watching a beautiful sunset, my muscles beginning to ache, my skin sun and salt soaked, tired, bruised but with a huge grin on my face.

V xx

Whale Island, Vietnam

Hello internet.

My name is Vicki, I’m 25, I live in Hong Kong and I am a travel addict.

For the last year I have been travelling somewhere new almost each month and have found some great places like Koh Ngai, Niseko and unfortunately some absolute dives….Crowne Plaza Jakarta sort yourself out! To be avoided at all costs! In the myriad of internet sites, lonely planet, trip advisors and travel agents I am going to attempt to give you, my blog reader (thanks Mum) an idea of the atmosphere of the places I visit so you can see if you fancy it yourself. I will also be highlighting great places to eat, tips, things to avoid, my soundtrack, my reading list and places to stay.

So without any further ado my first ‘experience encapusulator’ will be……(drum roll please)……VIETNAM.

With my best friend coming to visit Honkers we decided on a little trip over to the Nam for 3 days with the main aim being a lot of the old R&R and not much else. Despite the flights being more expensive than I had hoped, I thought Asia was cheap tut tut, I found a tiny island 2 hours north of Nha Trang called simply Whale Island, here it is on the map;

THE PLACE

There is only one resort on the island imaginatively titled ‘Whale Island Resort’ but it’s got everything you would expect – friendly staff, a bar, a restaurant, bungalows on the beachfront each with its own friendly gecko presiding over the bathroom. We called ours Gordon.

The island itself was absolutely beautiful and if you are into diving is supposed to be one of the best spots in Vietnam. Diving is taught by a very tall man that looks like one of the trees that talk in Lord of the Rings. White sand beaches, tranquil clear sea, palm trees complimented my horizontal position on my sun lounger perfectly and the right amount of breeze meant we were never too hot. The hours slipped by in a haze of reading Solar by In McEwan, listening to Clarence Carter with a lunchtime shandy thrown in for good measure.

THE ROOM

Basic but clean. A bargain for the 50 USD Price Tag for 2 people.

THE FOOD

Supper was a ‘eat what you get’ affair which I always like although not an ideal for veggies/vegans or fruitarians (insane people those people that only eat food that has fallen from trees). The food was good, but not great. Their main mistake was to put the menu for supper on the board outside the restaurant which left us in high anticipation for dinner as on paper the menu sounds good; Vegetable Soup with Croutons, Squid and Prawn Salad, Chicken Curry and Fried Banana – all good ideas but in reality really just a bit average and anti-climactic. It was a shame that they didn’t stick to the deliciousness of traditional Vietnamese.

THE PEOPLE

There are a lot of Frenchies that were staying on the island but they were all very friendly and did not just slurp red wine, crush garlic and duel with French bread batons like they do in Paris. We met 2 fantastic older frenchie couples holidaying together that had been friends for years and despite being in their mid 60’s acted like a bunch of teenagers. The two ladies were chic and French-like with their trendy glasses and perfectly tailored holiday outfits and the two men were like lusty pubescent boys chasing their girls into the sea and frolicking about splashing and doing handstands. They were hilarious as they danced along the beach, got drunk in the bar and had a definite joie de vivre that was lovely to see and actually a bit of an inspiration.

TIPS

Do not, I repeat do not go for one of the massages offered by the resort unless you have a sadist fetish and enjoy the feeling of being beaten up. My masseur used a strange technique of pressing my pressure points so hard I yelped in pain, followed by aggressive rubbing followed by pretending to do Tai Kwon Do on my skin even on my face and strangely particularly on my eyelids! I spent an hour lying there wondering when it was going to get better, it didn’t and then silently praying to all the gods I know the names of to make it stop.

Do make sure you settle yourself down to watch the sunset from the bar accompanied by a delicious cocktail, beautiful sun streaked sky over the mainland which is in sight of the island.

Definitely do eat the Pho on the second floor of Nha Trang airport with some spring rolls, even at 10 am in the morning. Quite simply the best raw beef pho I have ever had in my life, how can just a broth be that good?

Overall this trip ticked the revitalization box and delivered me back into Hong Kong well rested, with a slight tan/burnt bottom and a clear head – perfect after the debauchery of the Hong Kong Sevens. It was also really good value for money once we were there so if you can bag cheap flights a total winner all round. Kerching! I was a little sad not to eat more Vietnamese food and get a sense of the energy of one of the cities due to time constraints boringness however Saigon, which we only passed through in transfer looked awesome from my window seat in the air.

I’ll just have to go back again….which is absolutely fine by me.

V xx