Wednesday Wanderings

 Hong Kong

Hong Kong is on my mind because we are planning on returning later this year and I am excited.

Honkers is one of my very favourite places and it was my first choice to revisit when Mr red roses and I discussed destinations.

The food

The shopping

The scenery

The buildings

The people 

The food.....

What's not to love about Hong Kong!

Next time I aim to pack minimal clothes (yeah right) so I can pack a empty suitcase inside a bigger suitcase.
The Countdown has begun!

 Annie xx                                                   

Wednesday Wanderings

All seasoned travellers expect the unexpected and so it goes with our wanderings this Wednesday.

I had planned a different destination, the draft was completed with only a few minor adjustments to the itinerary and we're ready for take-off. Alas the travel Gods had different ideas this morning and the photo I chose will not load. Never mind there are other beautiful destinations to visit and as travellers we can cope with any situation.

So today we shall head over to Macau (a former Portuguese colony) which is situated 60kms southwest of Hong Kong. The highlight of our afternoon exploring Macau was visiting the stone facade ruins of the 17th century St Paul's cathedral. 

The ruins are one of Macau's famous landmarks and is a popular destination for tourists. I can recommend a day trip by ferry from Hong Kong.

I was positively captivated by these ruins. Pretty spectacular don't you agree?

Macau 2006

Annie xx

Buttons Ribbons and Bling Hong Kong Style

The last morning of our stay in Hong Kong was spent totally engrossed in the delights of Sham Shui Po a retail area situated on the Kowloon Peninsula.

Electronic goods and tools are sold as well as fabrics, buttons and crafts.

Mr redroses sauntered off to the electrical end of town while my daughter and I hit the crafty end to source bits and bobs for her jewellery creations. I cannot begin to describe the wonder that engulfed our every turn. 

Let me tell you, in Australia we are starved of variety! Next visit we are spending a whole day in this Aladdin's cave. My home town seems to be devoid of descent buttons and I had been trying to source four large black textured buttons for a knitted coat. Well I finally got lucky in Sham Shui Po. 

The reels of ribbons were a sight to behold. Truly. 

Shop after shop selling beautiful buttons, ribbon, crafts and embellishments for jewellery and artworks.

    Bling as far as the eye can see

                      Bustling busy and happy shoppers

    Take a deep breath Annie. No you can't bring every reel home

    The phone camera quality is not great but you get the idea

    Imagine this business holding a 'guess how many buttons are in the store' competition!

 
Just thought I would throw this pic in for dramatic effect. Yes that's right it is a snake in a cage. On the footpath.

You can understand why my daughter and I enjoyed this area immensely. A small suitcase will accompany us next time so we can literally fill our boots!
Have you visited this dynamic area of Hong Kong? Better still...is there anyone out there who actually resides in Hong Kong and shops at Sham Shui Po?

Annie xx

The Lights of Hong Kong

The lights of Hong Kong are pretty amazing and so were the light fittings in the plush hotel we had the pleasure of residing at during our recent trip to HK.

The lighting bling in this hotel was serious stuff. Upon entering the foyer my first thought was 

Hello I'm Home!

Well not really but you get my meaning.

Most evenings a harpist would serenade the guests and a prettier sound is hard to imagine..

Here we are at Sevva. To coin Faux Fuchsia this is a fancy pants high end establishment and I have FF to thank for directing us to this beautiful location for drinks. The view is stunning and I literally had to be dragged away from the incredible atmosphere.
 I'm not exaggerating when I say this is now one of my fave spots for a wee tipple. Am definitely returning on our next visit because I forgot to check out the 'Ladies' and apparently they are very nice too!

                                                     My do's a bit windblown!

                                                  I ask you...is this view not sublime?

                                  Darling daughter and yours truly reclining in the hotel foyer


In fact the more we visit Hong Kong the more we become enchanted with this vibrant city and found ourselves day dreaming about our next adventure even before we stepped on the plane to return home.

I have more holiday photos I will share in the next few posts which I hope you continue to enjoy.

Annie xx

I'm Home

Hello Everyone

I'm back home after having a ball in Beijing and Hong Kong.

If you have not yet travelled to these cities then quickly put them on your bucket list because both are wonderful experiences. We've visited HK several times and while Mr red roses has hit the ground running once before on a quick visit to Beijing it was the first visit for me and our daughter.

Of course I took heaps of photos and shall probably bore you all senseless sharing some in the next few posts. 

Now just check out this skyline. The tallest building lit at the very top was behind our hotel in HK (on the island). Our abode is the wee building directly in front and it was about 40 floors high! 

Travelling to China one must participate in a spot of shopping therapy. Remarkably we didn't go overboard. Here's a few trinkets we hunted and gathered.
Several cashmere pashminas and silk scarves were added to my collection along with a few strands of bling from Beijing.

My favourite shoe shop at Stanley Market HK never disappoints when it comes to sourcing Birkenstock and this trip I also gathered a pair of sensible Merrill sandals.
Drastically reduced compared to Aust. prices tags let me tell you.

Duty free perfume was on the list. I took the leap and reignited an old love affair.
With Chanel No 5.
I've enjoyed wearing No 19 for about two decades so figured a change back to my first love was in order. Girls this fragrance is an all time classic and I love it to bits.
Yes I'm a creature of habit with fragrance but you can't beat the old timers in my opinion.

My son discovered a tailor in HK two years ago while he was kicking up his heels in the city.
Dear son had a bespoke suit and shirts made to measure so this trip Mr redroses and I trotted off to the same tailor. Mr red roses got all measured up and a spanking new suit and four shirts winged their way home in his suitcase. Only took two days to sew...unbelievable.
Not one to be left out I carted a favourite frock in my luggage which the very clever tailor copied exactly and voila!... my wardrobe now contains two new summer additions created with the softest cotton in my choice of patterns, lined and with pockets. Teamed with a belt and I'm good to go.
Bliss for a stifling summer.
                                             

Today I was joking with a friend how I craved plain comfort food after nearly two weeks of delectable spicy meals.
So here is tonight's dinner...BBQ chook, mash and lashings of gravy. Hit the spot!

A tad more boring don't you agree than skewered scorpion?

Hmm...do you think I ate these critters?

Travelling restricts the reading of fave blogs and I'm dreadfully behind with every ones shenanigans.
Have you all been having fun?

Annie xx