China - Olympic 2008

We woke up to the beeping of the horn on the sleeper bus, after18 hours it smelt rancid and even though it was pitch dark at 4am and we had nowhere to go, I couldn’t wait to get off this nightmare of a bus. As soon as I got off I wished we could stay on. It was Baltic cold and I just wanted to be warm. We heaved our bags onto our shoulders when we were approached by an ugly Chinese man with protruding teeth, saying he’d bring us to Beijing for $10. “I thought we were in Beijing”, I said like a mad woman; after lying on the death bus for 18 hours, I was fit to box the head of whoever put us on this bus .

It turned out we were in Beijing, but a taxi ride from our hostel so we had to chose which taxi. They were all harassing us to climb in to their taxi, coming up, trying to grab our bags so we’d follow them to their mode of transport. I was scared. There were just loads of men and us three lassies, shivering and looking very na

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Lauderdale Lakes might be described as a suburb of Ft. Lauderdale; it is located just to the northwest. It is notable in a few respects: To start, the very first Office Depot in the nation is located in Lauderdale Lakes, and is often frequented by office manager pilgrims. Secondly, it is notable for its interesting demographic history. It started out as a retirement spot for elderly northeasterners, but recently many West-Indians, particularly Jamaicans, have moved in (Lauderdale Lakes now has one of the highest concentrations of West Indians in Florida). This gives Lauderdale Lakes an interesting demographic mix, and a very unique cultural ambiance.

It may surprise you, therefore, that my featured attraction for Lauderdale Lakes has nothing to do with either the Northeast or the West Indies. Instead, I recommend a simple Chinese restaurant. This restaurant, however, is one of my favorites in the Fort Lauderdale area, both for its amazing food and its fantastic prices.

The Silver Pond Chinese Restaurant is the kind of place you can go for any occasion - it’s informal enough for casual meals, but the food is so good, you’ll want to go for special occasions too. The food is predominantly Cantonese, and though I generally prefer Szechwan or Hunan when I eat Chinese food, the Silver Pond crafts their dishes so skillfully that regional stylistic considerations no longer matter. Cantonese food is ideally known for delicate sauces and far lighter seasonings than Szechwan or Hunan. My picks for meals are as follows: for a first course, try the winter melon soup - chunks of winter melon mingle with loads of shrimp, pork, mushrooms, and crab meat in a chicken consomm

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Hong Kong features a diverse mixture of characters as a result of long British occupation and a great Chinese influence. As a state of China, Hong Kong provides a good introduction to who ever wants to know more about China without entering the mainland plus a venue for more attractions with western culture and Asian spirit.

1. Hong Kong Museum of Art - Located at 10 Salisbury Rd Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, the Hong Kong Museum of Art is open to anyone who wants to take a glimpse of Hong Kong’s culture and history through its large collection of over 14,000 items ranging from calligraphy, paintings, Hong Kong treasure, art objects, antiques, and lithographs. The museum is open from 10:00am-6:00pm daily except Thursday (public holidays not included).

2. Hong Kong Disneyland - The newly open and the first ever Disneyland in Asia offers total fun and excitement for the whole family. The park is divided into four major attractions: Tomorrowland, Adventureland, Fantasyland, and Main Street, USA.

3. Victoria Peak - Soaring 1810 feet above sea level, the Victoria Peak is premier destination for tourists who want to take a birds eye view of downtown Hong Kong, Kowloon, and Victoria Harbour. Go another step higher and take a 10-minute hike to the actual Victoria Peak.

4. Lantau Island - Travel Hong Kong and take a cruise around the waters of Lantau Island and watch pink dolphins that only live in this waters.

5. Ocean Park - Travel Hong Kong and visit Ocean Park. This is one Hong Kong attractions where you and your kids will have a great fun. The park is one big oceanarium containing Lowlands Gardens where pandas live, goldfish pagoda and butterfly house are located, Marine Land where atoll reef and shark aquariums are found, and Headlands amusement park where you can go and take a ride with cable cars and roller coasters.

6. Water World - Travel Hong Kong with kids would never be so much fun without taking a plunge on Water World. Enjoy wave pools, play area, and water slides.

7. Middle Kingdom - A miniature China that houses Chinese shrines, street scenes, temples, and palaces only at Middle Kingdom.

8. The Central district - If you travel to Hong Kong because you love to shop, you better go to the central Hong Kong district where big shopping malls and several Western designer and signature boutiques are located.

9. Lamma Island - If you want to see a different Hong Kong, try Lamma Island. It hosts several outdoor activities such as swimming and hiking. And if you love to taste fresh Hong Kong seafood in great dining ambiance, Lamma Island is still the preferred place to go.

10. Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery (Sha Tin) - Located at New Territories, the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery features Buddha in different poses and colors.

11. Hong Kong Space Museum - See what’s in store for you in the future at Hong Kong Space Museum. The complex offers hundreds of displays ranging from telecommunications, robotics, energy, computers, and physics with hands on experience that will keep you interested.

12. Wet Market - In Hong Kong, everything is fresh. And when they say fresh, they mean it. If you happen to travel Hong Kong to visit a friend or someone you know, come along when they go to wet market where the freshest among freshest seafood are for sale.

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