Travel Memories

As we spend yet another week indoors, I wonder if things will ever get back to "normal", or what the new normal will look like. I've spent the past 10+ years wandering around the globe, thinking about my next destination, but I'm not sure if travel for pleasure will exist in the next year or two. Obviously this is of low priority at the moment because, you know, pandemic.

I've been thinking about my previous adventures and for whatever reason, some moments stand out more than others. Some random memories to share:

On a restaurant rooftop in Istanbul with the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia on the horizon while the call to prayer echoed around the city.

The delight of riding a scooter on Cat Ba Island and the beauty of Ha Long Bay in Vietnam.

Christmas Eve in Kuala Lumpur: people on the streets spraying cans of fake snow at each other in 30 degrees C weather.

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Hong Kong 2019

When I wrote that it's been a weird couple of weeks, I had no idea of the insanity that was to come. My past month included:

• A family trip to Hong Kong for my grandma's funeral.
• Getting super sick in Hong Kong.
• Being admitted into a hospital in Hong Kong.
• My one week bereavement leave turned into an additional week of sick leave.

To say it's been exhausting is an understatement.

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I did get to try the wonton egg noodle soup at Mak Man Kee and the wonton is definitely better than Mak's Noodle.

I also finally got the appeal of the pineapple bun - you gotta stick a pat of butter into a warm bun to make it delicious.

Hong Kong 2017

I had two goals for Hong Kong: to eat as much as I can, and to do some hiking.

When people think of Hong Kong, they think of a large, cosmopolitan city filled with skyscrapers. While this is all true, Hong Kong also has a lot of green space with great hiking trails and amazing views. I managed to squeeze in two hikes despite it being ridiculously hot and humid: Dragon's Back and Lion Rock.

I also spent a day in Sai Kung visiting my grandfather's grave and could not believe the view. I can't imagine a more beautiful or peaceful resting place.

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Here are some other memorable things that I ate:

Roast Goose Lai Fun Noodle Soup from Yat Lok

I've eaten a lot of roast duck in my life but not goose so I don't have a lot to compare it to; however, the skin and meat on the goose at Yat Lok was tasty. Get the goose over rice if you don't want the skin to become soggy, though noodle soup is my jam, as you can tell from this list...

Wonton Egg Noodle Soup from Mak's Noodle

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Top Five Desserts in Hong Kong

I just got back from Asia, the majority of it spent in Hong Kong visiting family, and honestly, there was not enough time to eat everything that I wanted to. Food was everywhere in Hong Kong and everything looked scrumptious. I could not stop stuffing my face.

As someone with a sweet tooth, dessert was consumed daily. Here are my top five favourite sweets I ate in Hong Kong:

Steamed Egg Cake (Ma Lai Gao) from Tim Ho Wan

Possibly the best steamed egg cake I've ever had. The brown sugar gave the cake a depth of caramelized flavour, and the cake came out piping hot but perfectly moist and spongey. If only all dim sum places served steamed egg cake like this...!

Double Skin Milk (Shuang Pi Nai) from Yee Shun Milk Company

I've been ambivalent about steamed milk pudding my whole life but this completely changed my mind. The pudding had a clean, smooth milk flavour, so light that it melted on your tongue. Get the original "steamed milk with two films" and you won't regret it.

Hong Kong-Style French Toast (Sai Do Si) from a cha chaan teng in Sha Tin

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