Visit the beautiful seaside towns in Hong Kong

If you need a break from the bustle of the inner city, consider a day trip to one of these charming seaside towns. Offering the best of Hong Kong’s sandy beaches, junk trips, and seafood restaurants, as well as opportunities for hiking, surfing and snorkeling, you will be planning your escape to the coast right away.

Stanley

Stanley is one of Hong Kong’s oldest villages and a popular tourist destination. There are numerous waterfront cafés, bars and restaurants where visitors can dine in the sunshine and fresh air. Murray House, which was built in 1846 as officers’ quarters in the early years of British rule, is a major colonial landmark. Behind Murray House, you can find Ma Hang Park, a 50,000 square meter park with a butterfly garden, bird-watching platforms and an educational trail. Lastly, Stanley Market is a great place to pick up souvenirs and knick-knacks.

Mui Wo

A sleepy town on the eastern side of Lantau Island, Mui Wo’s claim to fame is the picture-perfect Silver Mine Bay Beach, one of the most pristine beaches in Hong Kong. For hiking enthusiasts, the pier serves as the starting point for Section 1 of the Lantau Trail. Rent a bike to explore some of the old villages nearby and walk past the beach and clamber up Butterfly Hill to visit the Silver Mine Waterfalls, which are especially beautiful just after a heavy rain.

Sai Kung

The picturesque town of Sai Kung is known as an expat enclave, a weekend destination and a foodie’s paradise. There are numerous trendy restaurants and bars, including two Michelin-starred Cantonese seafood restaurants. The waterfront promenade, which is lined with fishing boats and sailboats, is stunningly pretty any time of year. For the adventurous, major attractions include scuba diving, kayaking and boat tours of the surrounding offshore islands. Weekend partygoers are known to rent out private junks and luxury yachts for the day.

Shek O

Photo Catherine Photography

Located on the southeastern tip of Hong Kong Island, the town of Shek O is serenely charming thanks to its brightly colored houses, friendly community and gorgeous coastal scenery. Shek O Beach, regarded as one of Hong Kong’s cleanest beaches, is the perfect spot for a seaside walk or dip in the Pacific Ocean. A little to the north, surfers flock to Big Wave Bay Beach. Shek O is also close to the famous Dragon’s Back hiking trail, which connects Wan Cham Shan to Shek O Peak.

Aberdeen

Historically a fishing port and home to the Tanka people, a boat-dwelling minority recognisable by their broad-brimmed hats, Aberdeen also happens to be one of the first places in Hong Kong where British troops set foot in 1841 after the territory was ceded to the British Crown. Today, around 5,000 people still live in boats in the harbour, mingling incongruously with fishing boats and luxury yachts. Sampan rides (a flat bottomed boat) operated by elderly Tanka offer visitors the chance to sight-see from the harbour. However, Aberdeen’s most famous attraction is its palatial ‘floating’ restaurants, which can be reached via ferry.

Tai O

Perched on the Western coast of Lantau, Tai O is known for its traditional stilt houses, forming an enchanting village erected on wooden stilts above the water. Once common across fishing villages in Hong Kong, Tai O is one of the few places where they still remain. A cheap boat ride will take you to the stilt houses and then out into the ocean, where there’s a chance to catch sight of one of Hong Kong’s pink dolphins, which have been sadly dwindling in number due to pollution and habitat loss. Tai O is also well known for its seafood market and street food, offering delicacies such as salted fish, shrimp paste, deep fried seafood snacks, buns and egg waffles.

See more: Unique foods to try in Hong Kong

Source Culture Trip

6 tranquil coffee shops in Ha Noi

Have you ever get fed up with your studying or working corner? Have you ever wanted to bring your laptop or books out but not finding anywhere, except the library? Below are the tranquil cafes in Ha Noi that help you have the inspiration to work or study.

Nola

Although Nola is right in the centre of the Old Quarter, it is surprisingly quiet. The labyrinth of houses and buildings surrounding it create rather successful sound-proofing, and the café even has a selection of art which can be enjoyed silently.

The seating is extremely comfortable and it is easy to spend an entire evening here either by yourself with book or with some friends for some quiet conversation. Drinks are good, too. Nola is definitely perfect place for travelers to experience and relax.

Address: 89 Ma May street, Hang Buom, Hoan Kiem District

Fuku

Photo HaNoi HideAway

Like Nola, Fuku is slap-bang in the middle of the Old Quarter. Squeeze down the alleyway and you will find yourself in a café that feels a little bit like being in an underground bunker.

Address: No1, Lane 107 Hang Bong, Hoan Kiem District

RAND Moroc & Coffee

A super-quiet address always! The shop is located on the second floor of an old block on Tran Thanh Tong Street, a street which itself is very peaceful.

Decorated in a nostalgic style, RAND owns a deep and warm color scheme with old wooden furniture but “quality”. Unlike many other cafes, RAND does not usually play music, even the pianissimi. There will only have birdsong in the branches, the sound of the making-coffee machine vibrating slightly, the breathing, the sound when you open your books. Maybe that makes a RAND so strange.

Address: 2nd floor, 2B Tran Thanh Tong Street, Hoan Kiem District

Tranquil

Right from entering the cafe on the small Nguyen Quang Bich street, you have instantly been mixing in the quiet, relaxing with jazz deposition. Not only create a sense of warmth, gentle, Tranquil longer “Footbinding” living by the book extremely interesting, diverse in genre and is lined on the higher prices to the ceiling.

Coming here, you like being back in time, looking for old memories with pretty quiet space. In addition to Tranquil to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere with good books, you can also choose this place to meet with friends, review together a couple of stories of his childhood was also extremely interesting, just to think about it is in your heart flutter see.

Address: 5 Nguyen Quang Bich, Cua Dong, Hoang Kiem District

Xoan

Photo SM

Xoan is hidden behind a stack of buildings in Thanh Xuan, Ha Noi. Walk down the alley and you will find a peaceful and cubby-hole cafe. Make sure you have a good look around before finally settling on somewhere to sit as there are plenty of options.

Address: No 5, Lane 411 Truong Chinh street, Nga Tu So, Thanh Xuan

Manzi

Manzi is a brilliantly peaceful haven tucked down a quiet street off Quan Thanh. Furnished with several good tables and chairs, this bright and spacious cafe cum gallery also offers a deal for freelancers where you pay one price for unlimited coffee and tea throughout the day.

Manzi is Hanoi’s independent art space, café and bar. Housed in an elegant turn of the 20th century French villa with a shady yard in a quiet lane near the Water Tower, it is your perfect living room to spend your day reading or working on your laptop among paintings and art installations of well-known and emerging Vietnamese visual artists. Come in the evening for a drink, and you may well catch an exhibition opening, a book introduction, a film screening or a music performance.

Address: 14 Phan Huy Ich, Nguyen Trung truc, Ba Dinh District

See more: Where to try the best Pho in Ha Noi, Vietnam

Source Internet

What street foods to eat in Myeongdong, Seoul

Don't go home from your Seoul trip if you haven't tried Korean street foods in Myeongdong.
Here’s a list of the street foods we have snacked on in the busy district of South Korea’s number one tourist destination, Myeongdong.

Foot-long ice cream cones

Twirling an ice cream is a skill that entails a lot of time to practice. But it’s an easy thing to do for those street vendors selling these foot-long ice cream cones. You can choose from a variety of flavours – mango, strawberry, banana, chocolate, blueberry, etc. You can make it a combo of two flavours too! I would highly suggest you head over to 32 Parfait that’s located in Myeongdong.

Jipangyi (Korean cane ice cream)

If the usual ice cream cone doesn’t give you any unique experience, then you can buy this ice cream served in a cane-shaped cone. It’s worth the try for its cone is made out of corn. It has already been internationalised and franchised in different countries across the globe such as Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Macau, China, United Arab Emirates, Mexico, and New York, USA.

Bungeoppang (Fish bread)

Basically, this one is made from ingredients of waffle batter. And yes you’re right, it is not a fish-filled bread. It is just a fish-shaped waffle. The stuffing that makes this street food special is the red bean paste, a Korean-favourite dessert filling. Perhaps the best Koreanised sweet street food! Definitely a cheap steal!

Gyerranppang

Another worth-a-try Korean street food, this oval-shaped waffle topped with whole egg can be found in hawker stalls in every corner of Myeongdong district (and most Seoul City areas). It’s best when the yolk is uncooked!

Dalgona

It’s a light cookie snack which is surprisingly made up of only two ingredients: baking soda and white granulated sugar. A piece can be shared by two persons since it’s too sweet (although that’s optional). It’s definitely one of the cheapest sweet Korean street foods!

Eomuk kkochi (fish cakes)

Eomuk kkochi is probably the most affordable yet delicious Korean street food you can find that comes with a complimentary fish broth soup. It is absolutely worth a try! It is seen in most hawker stalls and subway stations. It has its Japanese street food counterpart oden.

Soondae or sundae

No, we’re done talking about ice cream, this isn’t about it anymore. This Korean street food is actually common worldwide, which every country has its own variation. Koreans made a twist in which other than the thickened pig blood, it also contains japchae (glass noodles), glutinous rice and barley. Give it a shot and compare it to your hometown’s version!

Tteokbokki

This cylinder-shaped sticky glutinous rice drench in spicy Korean sauce must be on your list of must-try Korean street foods. Although it is also served in most Korean restaurants, some hawker stalls serve better versions of it.

See more: 5 street foods to try in Busan, South Korea

Source: Internet