Category: Travel

Lesson learned when taking budget flights in Asia. They are strict. Firstly I was forced to buy a ticket out of Taiwan before they would let me check in at the airport in Okinawa and secondly what constitutes carry-on baggage in Europe doesn’t mean carry-on here. If you thought Ryan Air staff were petty, Air Asia staff weighed every single item I had on me with a hand-held scale and as it was over 7kg I had to pay to put my ridiculously small bag into the hold. Airport hassles aside, arriving in Taiwan was smooth sailing. I bought an ‘Easy Pass’ travel card and took a fast train to the city from the airport. You get to choose a cute design for the card (I went for a sort of gothic Minnie Mouse) which makes it fun to use and it’s valid all over Taiwan on buses, trains (apart from the High Speed Rail) and in convenience shops, just top it up with cash.

The ‘’Old Door Hostel” was actually right opposite one of the many exits of the Taipei Main Station. This is a convenient base although my friend in Taipei warned me to expect a lot of homelessness, which was sad to see. The main station is a maze of floors and underground shopping malls and subways. It felt like I spent half of my time in Taipei somewhere in that station trying to get out. Not to worry, there are people on hand with English translators ready to spot anyone looking lost.

Taiwan is noticeably quieter at night than Hong Kong or Japan. Restaurants generally open for lunch from 12.00-14.00 and again from 17.00-19.00, so a bit of planning is needed so you don’t miss out. Some of my favourite cheap food has been in the food courts of the shopping malls, particularly vegetarian buffets which are always busy, the food is fresh and you can fill up for £3.

What I’m saving on food and accommodation on this trip I could easily spend on coffee. Taiwan has an excellent coffee scene with independent coffee shops and speciality cafes everywhere. I made the mistake of popping in one in the more touristy area of Dihua Street and tapping to pay for their “signature hand dripped coffee” without checking the price. I could not believe it when I realised later that I had paid over £6 for a single black coffee that I didn’t even like. Granted, it was served with a sample in a test tube and ice cubes to taste how the flavour changes when it gets cold. It didn’t taste any better.

The Old Door Hostel has its own bar and cafe downstairs which is a nice touch. I never got back on time for the free whisky shot, probably because I was still in the station. It’s about £15 a night for a bed in a pod style dorm but the Japanese powder rooms are long gone. It’s two showers per 12 or so beds here and a couple of shared wash basins.

I had 2 days in Tapei before starting my route Eastwards around the island, with a plan to return at the end. I quickly fell in love with the capital city, and Taiwan in general. There are flowers and plants everywhere. The roads are crazy busy with motorbikes and you have to wait for what seems like eternity to cross the road (nobody skips the lights). A lot of the restaurants are in the huge shopping malls so it might take a while to find them. I spent a few hours browsing the electronics shops – there is some serious gaming going on here. Prices go down the further away you get from the big stores.

I found my ideal food spot in another mall, called VegeCreek, which seems genius and I wish we had this concept in the UK. You take a basket and choose all the ingredients like you’re in a grocery shop, then they make a stirfry or soup for you with the price based on how many items you pick.

There is enough to do in Taipei alone for a couple of weeks with it’s cultural sites, city parks, temples, the river … each district has it’s own vibe and then there’s the day trips, hiking routes and hot springs. To make the most of my 48 hours, on my first day I walked to the Peace Park. Here there is a memorial to the 228 Massacre, a crackdown on Taiwanese civilians by the KMT-led Nationalist government, triggered by a dispute over cigarette contraband in Taipei. On February 27 1947 agents beat a female cigarette vendor and killed a bystander. Protests escalated the next day and Chinese troops began a crackdown specifically targeting students, lawyers, and doctors, aiming to suppress dissent. The following period known as “White Terror” started with the declaration of martial law in May 1949 which continued for 38 years, not lifted until 1987.

The estimated death toll for the 228 Massacre ranges from 18,000 to 28,000. I gained my information from the plaque in the park but here is a link to Wikipedia for more details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_28_incident

A shortish walk from the park (not counting the time waiting to cross the roads) is the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. This national monument from 1980 was built to honour the former President of the Republic of China.

The scale of the building isn’t immediately obvious as you enter through the ornate gate and walk up towards the monument itself – but it’s absolutely massive up close. Inside is a huge bronze statue of Chiang Kai-shek. It’s totally worth the climb for the view alone.

A great way to spend the afternoon is wandering around the Datong district and Yongle market. As my friend said, it’s so busy because it’s the equivalent of a Christmas market in Europe. Stalls were selling all kinds of snacks in preparation for the Chinese New Year which was in a couple of weeks time.

This area is famous for its tea industry which was booming in the 1860s. It became the centre of Taiwan’s tea trade and today the streets are full of traditional tea houses and little shops. I found the most wonderful little vegan restaurant but don’t remember the name. The lovely owner has travelled a lot and speaks perfect English, now spending her time lovingly preparing her menu at the counter where her regular customers sit in a row. One lady purchased 3 bag fulls of cookies. It feels like being in her home.

On my second day after a terrible nights sleep with snoring in the dorm – a definite downgrade from Japan – I met up with my friend Ann who I used to work with via video calls but had never met in person until now. It rained on our plans to climb the Xiangshan mountain so Ann, her sister in and I met for coffee followed by lunch at a “Michelin recommended” vegetarian restaurant. It was the most incredible experience and probably the best food I’ve experienced on my travels.

The restaurant served a vegan version of the traditional New Year’s hotpot, listed on the menu as the interestingly named dish “Buddha jumps over the wall”. The pot comes out steaming and packed full of so many different ingredients – including chestnuts, dates, several kinds of mushrooms, taro and “vegetarian sharks fin” (no idea what that actually was). It was amazing to try mushrooms I’ve never seen before and vegetables I’ve never heard of. Apparently Taiwan cultivates over 30 types of mushrooms. We ate so much we couldn’t manage any dinner but there’s always room for tofu pudding and shaved ice!

Ann took me to some cool places I might have otherwise missed, like the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, a former tobacco factory. It’s now a collection of arty shops, including a 24 hour bookshop where you can get coffee and read any time you fancy and the Taiwan Design Museum.

Taiwan has earthquakes on a regular basis, so much so that the locals take it in their stride. I asked Ann what to do – she said “nothing unless it’s a big one”. “What’s a big one?” I asked. “If things keep shaking for over 30 seconds, consider going outside. Actually, you can open the door as well, just so the door doesn’t get stuck.” She added that if I was really worried, I could take my pillow and hold it over my head though I’d get some funny looks if it wasn’t a “big one”. Hoping that’s not what my travel pillow gets used for.

The Taiwanese love their tea so much they even have tea cocktails, which I had to try, served in a classy old building (the sort you’d normally dress up a bit for, not go in your walking shoes and rain jacket but Taiwan is free of judgement). The first cocktail wasn’t on the menu but the barman assured me it was a “good first drink, nice and light” – he wasn’t wrong. The second one was a gamble – oolong tea, Campari, sherry, prickly ash pepper and prosecco. It took two of us to finish it. Ann’s gamble on a seaweed based cocktail did not pay off – it was so undrinkable she asked them to make her something else.

After two days of sightseeing and enough food to see me through for a week, it was time to start my route eastwards around the island…

In one week I experienced two very different faces to Okinawa. There is the wild beauty of the coast and the nearby islands, some uninhabited. The serenity of the gardens and palaces. But then there is the holiday park concrete jungle.

I didn’t want to leave Okinawa without seeing the north of the island. Without a car the only option is an organised bus tour, given the lack of much public transport outside of Naha. There are a few companies running trips but only one stops at both the Nakijin castle ruins and Cape Manzamo without including entrance to the aquarium. I didn’t want to visit anywhere that claims to house a whaleshark in a tank, having swum with these magnificent creatures in the wild.

All of the northern trips seem to be called the Blue route. You’re supposed to book before 15.30 the day before but I turned up at 8.00 and they were happy for me to join as there were only about 8 other guests, already on the bus. The tour is only in Japanese but they provide ample written material in English. Our very enthusiastic guide gave us stickers to wear and made sure I went to the toilet before we left (I didn’t even want to go but felt obligated and everyone smiled and nodded when I got back on the bus). At every stop she handed me written instructions on the meeting point.

The guide talked non stop in rapid Japanese for the full hour to Cape Manzamo. The name of this place means “all the people” and it got the name because all the people could sit together outside and enjoy the Cape’s beauty. Legend has it that in the 18th century when the King of the Ryukyu Kingdom visited he was told “it is wide enough to sit all thousands of people” and hence he gave it the name.

The other people on the tour were friendly and we again managed a conversation via Google translate. One woman in her 70s spoke some limited English which comically included saying to her husband “come on Grandad” when he lagged behind. As well as non stop commentary our guide broke into spontaneous song every now and then. I had no idea what she was saying of course but clapped politely when everyone else did. I asked a man from Singapore who spoke Japanese why she was singing and he said “I don’t know. I guess she’s keeping us entertained.”

Next stop was an early buffet lunch at a monster of a hotel, the Orion. My new friends the Japanese couple and Singaporean man had made a little group by now so we ate together. There was a full 3 hours at this stop as it was the Ocean Expo Park which is absolutely huge. Aside from the aquarium there is an ocean themed museum, botanical gardens and reconstruction of a traditional village.

With clear instruments to be at the hotel lobby by the pickup time, I went to have a look at the ‘Manatee Pool’ and turtles outside to see how bad it was. It was bad. The large manatees were in small tanks for their size and the turtles were swimming round the edges of what I’d describe as a paddling pool, over and over again. No rocks or any sign of a natural environment. It made me very sad to see the huge crowds jostling for photos of large marine life without questioning if they should be kept in there or not. I can only imagine the whale sharks.

The aquarium itself is a monstrosity of a concrete building with multiple escalators transporting the masses inside.

I actually quite enjoyed having a look at the traditional village and walking along by the coast although the highlight for me was probably finding a new snack – hot, very sweet, sweet potato in a tube out of a vending machine.

I had found Mr Singapore again by then and he insisted I eat my potato sitting down in the designated eating area. He said he was sure of the way back and we had plenty of time. As we set off for the hotel, however, he said “actually we have to run”. Given he was tall he ran twice the pace of me. They won’t leave without us both I said. This is Japan, he said, they will leave without us on the dot. It was when we got to the hotel it became apparent he only knew the way to the hotel, not the way through it and we could not in fact cut through.

This led to my frantically chasing him through the manicured gardens and around the swimming pool thinking we must be on their CCTV. When we eventually got into the building we couldn’t activate the lifts without a hotel key. Luckily he flagged down a staff member who escorted us to the lobby where our guide was anxiously waiting. She ran with us to the bus – technically we weren’t even late as it was the exact departure time. Everyone on the bus found it very funny when I explained the situation via Google translate.

The final stop on the tour is the Nakijin castle ruins. The ruins are very much ruins but it’s beautiful to see the old walls with the early Japanese cherry blossom. There is a museum with 3 floors of exhibitions but there wasn’t time to investigate – we were taking no chances with the departure time.

The drive back was full of more commentary and a mandatory toilet stop, plus snacks given to me by the Japanese woman and Grandad. When we arrived in the city the driver dropped me off close to the Monorail and everyone waved goodbye through the window which was lovely.

It was time to leave Okinawa, after some more sushi (they were very happy I went back!). Next destination, and the main reason for this trip – Taiwan.

To get away from the hustle of Kokusai-dori street I took the bus to the Shikina-en Royal Gardens. Here you’ll find quiet, tranquil gardens surrounding the old royal palace and lake. It’s all very orderly, no eating or drinking outside of the designated spaces and a signposted route to follow.

The gardens were created in 1799 under the Ryukyu Kingdom and used for the reception of an envoy from China. Totally destroyed in the Battle of Okinawa, restoration took 20 years starting in 1975. If you take your shoes off you can go inside – the rooms are open and bare but it’s interesting to see the use of each space. For example a “place to warm tea, liquor and foods”, and the room where tea was served to Chinese delegates in 1800.

Although the numerous warnings about the local poisonous snake made it slightly less relaxing as I only had the cartoon like drawing to go by with no idea how big or small or aggressive it was. Aside from seeing no snakes, I only saw a couple of other people and had the inside of the palace to myself. There is a sweet little bakery right outside, if you can find a place to eat.

Ready for a change of scenery I wanted to visit one of the smaller islands. I was advised by the tourist information that given the weather (boats can be cancelled and not everything is open) it was best to choose the closest one, Tokashiki. This gave me the option of a shorter more reliable car ferry across. It’s 100% worth the trip. In winter the options are more limited with both the faster more expensive speed boat and the ferry each running once per day (there and back). The risk is that if they are cancelled you’d have to stay the night, which wouldn’t be all that bad!

I got off the ferry after about a hour and a half and jumped straight on the local bus to Aharen beach on the other side of the island. It’s helpfully timed with the ferry schedule. Aharen is a bit of a one horse town with a main road running down to the beach – it literally opens up onto the shore. There are a handful of cafes and snack bars dotted around but most were closed.

I found myself on the most stunning natural beach with crystal clear water and could imagine how amazing it would be to swim here in summer. The contrast with the thick forest is even more beautiful. The advantage of going in winter is that I again counted just 5 or 6 other people. I spent a few hours just chilling on the beach, climbing up to a viewpoint and enjoying sweet potato fritters and Okinawan lemonade.

For my last few nights I paid £19 per night for a cabin room at the Grand Cabin Hotel. This is the best hotel I have ever stayed in. I could live there. You enter into a huge lobby and cafe area where the complimentary Okinawan breakfast and free lemonade or shot of local spirit are served. You can also pick up something from the Manga collection to read or buy souvenirs at the shop.

Going through to the women only floor, you get a decent sized bed in a lockable room with ample space for your luggage. But that’s not all – in your basket you’ll find two fresh towels, changed daily, and around the corner you go to the pillow bar and select from at least 10 different types of pillows and pickup a comfy pair of pyjamas and slippers.

And that’s still not all – enter the powder room of all powder rooms. Several individual stations with hair dryers and straighteners, all the toiletries you could ever need and a SHAMPOO BAR. At least 10 different luxury shampoos and conditioners to choose from. In the UK people would be stuffing their pockets and stealing everything that’s not nailed down.

It may have only cost £19 but the sheer joy of returning to this hotel in the evening, after picking up some freshly made cucumber sushi from across the road, was priceless.

There is a lot more to Japan than the mainland. Looking at the map, the Okinawan islands were only a short flight from both Hong Kong and Taiwan so it was too good a chance to miss. It’s winter in Jan/Feb so I went for the larger of the islands, basing myself in Naha which is described by some as the Japanese Hawaii. I can see why. Arriving at the airport there are strict rules on bringing in any type of food and sniffer dogs on patrol. My peanut butter snack bar was totally fine though. And the lady who searched my bag was the most polite customs officer I’ve come across, giggling and quickly closing the bag when she came across my underwear.

Straight onto the Yui Rail Monorail that connects the city of Naha and less than 15 mins to my accommodation! I loved the Monorail with the orderly queue to board, strictly no eating or drinking onboard and the smart driver in his pristine cap and white gloves. Again just tap your contactless and you’re automatically charged, no need for a ticket.

Welcome to the world of Japanese capsule hostels, the answer to no longer in their 20s solo female backpacker’s prayers! My accommodation for the first three nights was Hotel Minimumms. Entirely women only, you get a private pod style bed with your own air-con, light and shelf, two towels changed daily, plus slippers and cosy pyjamas to lounge around in. The price of around £20 per night includes a simple but decent enough (dietary preferences aside!) breakfast of tea/coffee, bread rolls, croissants and boiled eggs. Given it’s women only, you just roll out of your pod in your PJs, have breakfast, chill out for a bit then get ready in the powder room full of free toiletries. Strictly no talking and phones on silence rules mean you get a great nights sleep – I admit I broke these rules with my morning alarm.

Walking around at night the streets have a holiday buzz about them, with Japanese and other Asian families on vacation. I didn’t see a single other Westerner for at least a day. The only thing I had pre-booked before leaving the UK was a spot on a morning whale watching trip which are likely to sell out with it being peak season for spotting humpback whales as they return to mate. Otherwise I rely on tourist information and local advice on what to see which usually works out.

I lucked out on dinner as I found a tiny one-man-band vegan restaurant called Tamatebako tucked down one of the side streets. It was full but they squeezed me in at the bar and I enjoyed an ice cold Okinawan beer while the chef cooked the most delicious laksa and Okinawan tofu which is a speciality. This is not the place to eat in a hurry – it’s all freshly cooked.

On my first day I headed to the Shuri castle, which served as the royal residence of the Ryukyu Kingdom for over 450 years between 1429 and 1879. It’s in a beautiful area with cute little streets away from the hustle of the main strip. The castle itself is under reconstruction but it’s still well worth a visit. An interesting fact about Shuri is that it had a water clock (“Rokoku”) – the volume of dripping water was used to measure time.

The best spot for lunch was actually the onsite restaurant which serves very reasonable set lunches including vegan options. I tried another local specialty of “bitter melon” stir fry – the bitter part is accurate, the melon not so much.

Keen to learn some more about the history of these islands, I paid the Prefecture museum a visit. It takes you literally year by year through the fairly turbulent history from the independent Ryukyu Kingdom in the 15th-19th centuries who traded with China under the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Ryukyu Kingdom was a thriving nation which connected Southeast Asia, China, Korea and Japan. The islands had a very strategic location for trading and therefore developed a unique culture. The museum takes you through to Japanese rule in 1879 after the Satsuma Invasion of 1609, then US military occupation from 1945-1972 before going back to Japan. The British had their own impact with the British Opium War in the 1800s.

The museum also educates on the early history – these islands have the most well-preserved fossils in Japan, with each set of islands having their own fossil fauna. Something interesting is the islander’s belief that Gods come from across the sea and bring blessings. The people have a very close relationship with the sea, and in Okinawan spiritual culture, the sea has multiple layers that are the source of all life, a home for deities and final resting place for spirits.

There is a huge “American Village” on the island which is where lots of people base themselves, but I didn’t come to Okinawa to be surrounded by fake American scenes. The airbases are visible enough from the road heading north.

I had another great dinner experience, when I walked past a restaurant just outside my hotel with a big Vegan sign outside. It was again full, but after some smiling discussions between a family sitting at one of the tables and the owner, I was invited to join the family. With the help of Google translate we established that they were Mikki and her husband (who was fully blind which I would not have know until she told me) and Yuna, who had also met the couple in this restaurant some time before and became friends. It’s times like this where travelling alone is actually a better way to meet local people, which is one of the best things about travelling. I tried another Okinawan speciality of peanut tofu. I learned that deep fried is not the best way to have it as it turns to mush, but since I was with the family who were friends with the chef I had to eat it.

The next day I left early for my boat trip at 8.30. Pickup was at 7.40 at a nearby hotel. I was very nearly late then remembered that in Japan they leave on the dot. I finally found the other Westerners on the island (all three of us) and we spent the boat ride chatting about life.

The whale watching boats are big enough for a top and bottom deck, toilet and can hold about 30-40 people. Despite them wanting to keep the English speakers downstairs we managed to nab a spot up the top for a more exhilarating (windy) experience. After an hour I was starting to doubt we would see any whales then we were all instructed to sit down on the front of the boat. Suddenly out of nowhere a gigantic Humpback whale jumped out of the water and flipped right in front of us, possibly 10m away but none of us were very good at guessing distances and by then we had lost the English speaking guide. It was far too quick to catch on camera unless like a lot of the group you had your camera held above your head videoing the entire 3 hour trip. After that we saw a few more in the distance, but nothing could beat that experience.

I made a hasty exit after the trip ended as the fellow Brit and I had already covered all conversation topics and his jokes were becoming annoying so I went for a more chilled afternoon of wandering the pottery district. The main Kokusai-dori street (International street) in Naha was already getting tiring with its flashy neon, fast food and crowds. On Pottery street you can find beautiful tea rooms (I was asked to go to the display cabinet and select which cup I would like my coffee to be served in, which made the experience) and shops with truly the most exquisite Okinawan blue pottery you can imagine. It’s not even expensive. But travelling with pottery isn’t practical so I could only dream of taking a pair of huge statues of Shisa, the traditional Okinawan lion-dog guardian, home with me. I settled for a key ring.

There is enough to do on the main island for a few days in winter season. It’s warm for winter (around 20c) but a bit rainy and too cold to swim, plus the ferries to other islands are on a reduced winter schedule. It’s also much easier if you have your own transport. I decided to take a trip to a nearby smaller island anyway and join a tour bus to explore the north …

Two places that have long been on my travel wish list are Hong Kong and Taiwan. Perfect for a 4 week trip along with a last minute addition of the Okinawa islands off of Japan due to their surprisingly close proximity to Taiwan. I was pretty sceptical of the £350 return flight I booked from London to Hong Kong via booking.com with China Eastern Airlines five days before travelling. Were they really as bad as some reviews suggest? As it turned out, no! They were excellent and everything had gone through – aisle seat and special meal all sorted out (it even included a vegan chocolate bar) and comfortable enough for the 11.5 hour flight to Shanghai followed by a short connection in Hong Kong. When we were an approaching Shanghai there was a muffled announcement over the audio system about scanning a QR code to fill out a landing card that EVERYONE must do. Cue all the westerners onboard asking each other what was all that about and a mad scramble to connect to the onboard WiFi which buckled under the pressure. The air stewards walked around causing total panic presenting a QR code that nobody could use. Of course it turned out totally unnecessary for those transiting i.e. ALL of us. It did break the ice so I had people to hang out with during the layover, although they were also panicking over where their luggage was headed. I took a punt on the flight price but didn’t trust it enough to check my bag in.

It has been almost 20 years since I’ve been to China and I had forgotten just how big the airport is and how many rules there are. I sat charging my phone next to the escalators listening to a relentlessly repetitive voice over warning of the dangers of letting an elderly person set foot on it.

Finally arriving at Hong Kong International Airport I was amazed how easy everything was. As soon as I passed through customs I reached the information desk who directed me to the buses and idiot proof signposting. Less than an hour and a £3.90 fare later I found my hostel. Accommodation in Hong Kong is both tiny and expensive and booking in advance would be recommended rather than the day before arriving. I stayed at the strangely named Pillows Co-Living which is a collection of tiny ensuite rooms at the top of a tall building in the East Tsim Sha Tsui area. I can’t imagine anyone could actually live there. The location made up for paying 400 HK dollars (around £37) a night for a box. Any thought of catching up on sleep went out the window (although for that price you don’t get a window) due to the building work taking over the entire building. The lift under renovation was the most worrying part as I was up on the 8th floor.

I love Asian big cities at night as they come to life. It’s safe and you can get food and walk around until late with all the other people who are out and about. Hong Kong is actually made up of over 250 islands, with Victoria Harbour dividing Hong Kong Island from Kowloon (where most budget accommodation is). Every night at 20.00 there is a free light show over the harbour where all the buildings across the water are lit up in time to the sound of the philharmonic orchestra which is well worth a visit and makes for an lovely evening walk.

With just one day before flying to Okinawa, after breakfast at the trendy N1 cafe in the same building – everything being so high rise and crammed in, it’s common that the place you’re looking for is several floors up or down and not visible from the outside – I walked just ten minutes to the wharf and found an extremely helpful tourist information. They even have an app to show you the current view at the various viewpoints so you can wait for a clear day.

My tips for a fairly relaxed 24 hours in Hong Long are as follows:

• Take the Star Ferry across the harbour: it runs every 10 mins or so and takes the same amount of time, costing about 35p.
• Ride the Mid Town Elevator all the way to the top. The longest reversible outdoor elevator in the world takes commuters up or down depending on time of day and gives a wonderful glimpse into each neighbourhood it passes through.
• Stop by the Man Mo Temple crammed in between buildings. It’s free to enter.
• Spend a couple of hours exploring Tai Kwun, the site of the old prison and join the free Architecture tour every hour.
• Have tea and snack at a tea room. Madame Fu-Grand inside Tai Kwun is on the pricier side but worth it for the atmosphere.
• Grab dinners in a shopping centre food hall for a cheap and quick meal with plenty of choice.
• Join the crowd to watch the light show for 15 mins or so on the harbour at 20.00.
• Indulge in the dessert culture, take a number and queue for a seat at one of the very popular tofu based dessert cafes open late.

My favourite parts … I really enjoyed the Mid Town escalator because it gave me a view of each neighbourhood and a glimpse into Hong Kong life, seeing people sitting at cafes or going to work or about their day. Take it all the way up to the residential area with mansion blocks and a lot more greenery. Just remember you’ll have to walk down.

The British effect is clear to see – M&S food departments and happy hour pubs are dotted around. I found Hong Kong to have a really interesting, cool sort of vibe with its mix of Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese and British history amongst others and will have to visit some museums on my return trip.

Tai Kwun prison was a surprising highlight for me. This is the former Central Police Station Compound and includes three main sites: the old Central Police Station, the former Central Magistracy and the Victoria Prison. The government partnered with the Hong Kong Jockey Club to turn it into a heritage site including art gallerys and cafes in 2018. The British influence is especially clear here as it’s in between Chancery Lane and Old Bailey Street.

I happened to arrive just as the free architectural tour was starting and the over enthusiastic guides did a good job of haranguing myself and two other women into joining. The women tried saying they might have to leave but it didn’t work. What followed was an hour’s architecture lesson, covering in EXCRUCIATING detail the five types of material used to construct the buildings (there are some key differences which we were quizzed on) – namely brick, granite, wood, iron and aluminium (I think).

The guide was excited he had someone from Britain in the group but disappointed I didn’t know the origin of the original highest quality bricks. It’s Leicester. To be fair it was actually really interesting and a good way to see some areas that are usually closed off. Plus if I ever need to tell if some bricks are hand or machine made or if a railing is wrought or cast iron, I’ll be all set.

I spent a few hours there in total as it’s worth looking inside the old cells as well. The guide asked me what I thought about the “overcrowded cells” and I stopped myself from pointing out it was the same size as my hotel room. I also failed the test of guessing the toilet system, i.e which bucket in the cell was for number one or number two, which he said would have got me killed.

Food wise, vegetarian food is everywhere but not always in English. Finding a tiny restaurant hidden away inside a office block, where locals are eating is great until you really don’t like what you’ve ordered (not knowing what it was) and have to try and sneak out without appearing rude and wasteful.

That concludes one full day in the city. I plan to return to Hong Kong in a few weeks to see a few more places, go up to The Peak and visit Macau. Next stop Okinawa…