The Top Ten Things to See and Do in Hong Kong
1) Go shopping in Causeway Bay:
Causeway Bay is the perfect place to go if you want to get a taste of the most diverse shopping experiences that Hong Kong has to offer. Street vendors sell local soups and fish dumplings, and you will find everything from tiny stalls to world famous department stores (all packed into a relatively small space that would take multiple days to explore). For tourists with a limited budget, the Apple Mall is a particularly smart destination, as it sells luxury items for much lower prices than those you would expect to find elsewhere in the world.
2) Relax in the Nan Lian Garden:
The Nan Lian Garden has a reputation for being the most naturally beautiful place in all of Hong Kong. It offers free entry to visitors and it can easily keep you occupied for a full afternoon. The garden was designed to be a refuge from the hectic nature of the city outside, so it is an excellent place to visit if you are feeling overwhelmed and in need of a few hours of peace. The tea house and the soothing water features provide you with ideal locations for reading a book or taking some time to think.
3) Watch the sun go down from Victoria Peak:
If you have ever received a postcard from Hong Kong, you will already be familiar with the stunning view that can be seen from Victoria Peak. If you take a train to the vantage point, you will be able to see (and photograph) a breathtaking view of the entire city. It is not hard to understand why the Hong Kong skyline is widely regarded as one of the most impressive in the world.
4) Witness the Symphony of Lights:
You can see this dazzling light show every night from 8pm. The Symphony of Lights involves a beautiful combination of neon beams, fireworks and music, and it can be seen entirely free of charge. If you want to see the Symphony of Lights from the best available location, make sure you pick a spot in the Avenue of Stars.
5) Visit Yau Mai Tei:
The Yau Mai Tei shopping area is where you will find the famous Temple Street Night Market. The market is bathed in neon light, and you will find fortune-tellers, hundreds of items of handmade jewelry, busking musicians and all the local food you could possibly want. The Night Market also provides you with the ideal opportunity to haggle, as stall owners are typically responsive to reasonable attempts to bargain for lower priced items.
6) Explore Tsim Sha Tsui:
Tsim Sha Tsui is a bustling bazaar where you can find almost anything you could want being sold for a reasonable price. It is particularly worth visiting Tsim Sha Tsui if you are interested in custom tailoring, as it takes just a couple of days to obtain a smart suit for much less than you would normally spend.
7) Investigate Sheung Wan:
The Sheung Wan neighborhood offers you a chance to see some of the older parts of Hong Kong, and it boasts quirky craft shops as well as well-stocked cookery stores that allow you to sample the finest local ingredients.
8) Charter a boat:
Hong Kong has more than 250 islands, and you can charter a boat for up to eight hours for less than $500. If you are traveling in a party of more than five (or can locate some friendly fellow tourists), this means that you can enjoy a full day at sea for less than a hundred dollars per person. Boat trips around the islands provide amazing opportunities for photography thanks to the ragged coastlines and desolate landscapes.
9) Visit the Maritime Museum:
The Maritime Museum pays tribute to the fact that Hong Kong owes its very existence to its harbor. The museum is inside a striking colonial edifice that has been reconstructed, and it is a must-see for history buffs.
10) Take a ride on the Ngong Ping Cable Car:
From the vantage point of a cable car, you can see beautiful panoramic view of the South China Sea. When you reach the other side, you will also be able to photograph the world’s largest Buddha on the island of Lantau.
Visiting Querétaro, Mexico I.
You will find all of this in Querétaro, one of Mexico's safest cities - and one of its fastest growing. What makes Querétaro special? It doesn't take the traveler long to discover Querétaro's most notable offerings: the aqueduct, the plazas, and the local delicacy, enchiladas queretanas.
Located in the center of the country approximately 200 kilometers from Mexico City, Querétaro is an attractive and easily accessible destination for travelers. Also known by the name Santiago de Querétaro, it is the capital of and largest city in Querétaro state. (A Spanish pronunciation tip: the emphasis is on the second syllable of the word Querétaro, where there is an accent over the letter e.)
Querétaro's aqueduct is a striking visual symbol that once served a practical purpose: bringing water to the city from nearby natural water sources. It is now an admired attraction that can be viewed and photographed from various vantage points. The aqueduct consists of dozens of 20-meter high brick arches; residents usually refer to it as "Los Arcos" (the arches). It was completed in 1738, built with generous funding from el Marquis del Villar de Aguila, who is featured in a statue in the center of Querétaro's main plaza.
The plazas are the heart of Querétaro's Centro Historico. They are also great places to find food, arts, and entertainment. Plaza de Armas, the main square of the city, is located between Corregidora and Luis Pasteur boulevards in the Centro. This plaza is in front of the Government Palace, an old building where the famous Corregidora herself, Doña Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez, passed a message through a keyhole to secret conspirators to help kick off the rebellion against Spain in 1810 that led to Mexican independence.
Heading west from Plaza de Armas, stroll to Jardín Zenea (Zenea Garden), which features a small pedestal concert stage along with more statues, more greenery, and more festivity. Just south of Jardín Zenea is the Plaza Constitución, and Jardín Guerrero is found a couple of blocks west. There is also a smaller but always buzzing plaza at the corner of Ezequiel Montes and Arteaga streets, across from the Templo de Santa Rosa de Viterbo. There, the fountain features a light show accompanied by dramatic classical music.
Getting hungry? Enchiladas querétanas are a local food specialty. These aren't just any cheese or chicken enchiladas. The small, stuffed tortillas are drizzled with the regionally popular crema and topped with cheese, carrots, and potatoes. Many restaurants around town sell enchiladas querétanas, usually ranging in price from 30 to 70 pesos for the entrée. Look for one of the many Centro restaurants with a sandwich board advertising enchiladas, or if there is a festival happening in one of the plazas, you are likely to find a food vendor selling them.
Querétaro International Airport has daily flights from the U.S., connecting through Dallas or Houston. Passengers who fly into Mexico City's Benito Juarez Airport can take a bus directly from the Mexico City terminal to Querétaro's central bus station; from there, it is a short cab or city bus ride to the Centro.
Enjoy Querétaro!
Discovering Amsterdam by Bike and Boat I.
Amsterdam is often described as the Venice of the North, and with 160 canals to navigate and up to 1,000 bridges to cycle over, the metaphor is appropriate.
The sights and sounds of the city’s narrow alleys, busy waterways and colorful markets are best experienced slowly, and there is no better way to achieve this than by hiring a bicycle, or taking to the water.
As a means of getting around Amsterdam, the bicycle reigns supreme. Special traffic lights and 249 miles of bike lanes have been incorporated into the city’s traffic plan to accommodate the cyclists, who make up 40% of Amsterdam’s road users. This can create problems for the first time visitor, who may be so absorbed in taking in the tourist sights that he is oblivious to approaching bicycles. Pedestrians should be aware of this and take extra care when crossing the street, or stepping off the pavement. Cyclists have to exercise caution as well. Trams are a popular source of public transport, and for a bicycle, tram tracks can be at best bothersome, at worst perilous. In wet weather, the picturesque cobbled streets can also be a hazard.
Despite these considerations, bicycle hire can provide the perfect answer to sightseeing in this compact city.
There are dozens of cycle-hire companies in Amsterdam and many of them have websites, where tourists can pre-book their bikes. This is advisable, as cycling is a very popular method of getting around the tourist hot spots. Most of these hire companies supply helmets on request, although the wearing of safety headgear is not compulsory in Holland. Additional items such as waterproof capes can often be purchased from the larger hire companies. Waterproof capes are a useful stand-by as, particularly in the spring, the weather in Holland can be showery.
Some of the larger hotels offer their own cycle hire; details of these can be found on their websites. Again, pre-booking is advisable.Hiring rates are modest: from $11 for two or three hours, to $70 for a week. These rates, of course, vary from company to company, so a browse on the internet sites may save you money.
With so many Amsterdammers devoted to their cycles, joining these friendly, warm-hearted people on cycle ways can be a fun experience. English is widely spoken, and most of the citizens are very willing to assist visitors who may have lost their bearings.
The other great way to view this historical city is from the deck of one of the many tourist boats navigating the busy waterways that dissect the heart of Amsterdam. These spacious boats provide a very different view of the old town, something that can be missed by the cyclist or pedestrian. Elegant merchant’s houses, with their shapely gables, for which the city is famous, line the banks of the canals … relics of the days when Amsterdam was a major global trading post. Restored warehouses jostle cheek by jowl with graceful bell towers whose tuneful carillons ring out across the city, and colourful houseboats line the canal banks, lines of laundry strung across their decks, ubiquitous bicycles secured to cabin roofs.
The daytime ‘100 highlights’ trips last about an hour, and cost from €11 ($14)) but there is a varied menu of cruises to suit most tastes and budgets. Top of the range are the candlelight supper cruises, which usually offer a three-course meal, and a gentle journey down the waterways, taking in the magical atmosphere of Amsterdam by night. This is a delightful way to spend an evening, and there are several to choose from via the internet, or they can be booked through that most valuable aid to tourism, your hotel concierge. Prices for a candlelight cruise start at €27.50 ($ 35) a five-course deluxe evening will cost around € 70 ($90).
However, there are more informal and less expensive ways to spend an evening on the canals. Many cruise boats offer lighter refreshments, drinks and music … jazz being a popular choice. If your taste is inclined to fast food, some boats offer the opportunity to order a pizza on embarkation, which will be delivered, freshly cooked, during the cruise.
Starting in the spring of 2009, there will be a tourist service from Schipol Airport for those passengers who have a long stopover. To while away the time, what could be better than a three-hour escape from the boredom of duty free shops and snack bars? A whistle-stop tour of the city, including a canal cruise, is an innovative proposition. A company called The Floating Dutchman will transport passengers from Schipol in an amphibious bus to Oosterdok, in the centre of Amsterdam. There it will take to the water and become a ‘cruise boat’. The canal cruise will take about three quarters of an hour, and include a short audio guide of Amsterdam in a wide range of languages. Afterwards, still on the amphibious bus, passengers will be taken back to the airport in time to catch their onward flight. For an outlay of about €40 ($50), this would seem a much more attractive way to pass a five-hour delay than sitting around a crowded airport. Tickets from the company’s office in Schipol Plaza.
Whatever mode of transport visitors choose, the welcoming city of Amsterdam will never fail to enchant.