Paul's Oriental Travelogue

Muay Thai

No visit to Thailand is complete without taking in a bout of Muay Thai boxing. So although Mary was too busy at work, Dave and I indeed hiked over from the Sala Daeng SkyTrain station, to Lumphini Stadium on Friday...
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The Grand and Prominent Realm

If Hong Kong is New York then Bangkok is Los Angeles. Although that probably does disservice to all four cities, it has been on my mind since the cab ride from the airport, down a straight highway through endless mid-level...
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Hoofing it in Siam

Bangkok is very hot, and hazy. Luckily the hotel is pretty nice, unluckily it's quite a walk from the Sky Train station. I'm posting this from allegedly the only Apple store in the city. Nice little place, though, and funny...
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Lantau Island

Tuesday was supposed to be Macau. We knew the ferry ride was over an hour out, but we did not learn until arriving at the Macau Ferry Pier (which is more like an airport than a ferry) that the ticket...
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Goin' Up

New pictures. Somehow following a theme, there's first the loooong series of elevators from the central district to the ritzy mid-levels. Then the Victoria Peak Tram, which wouldn't stop for us halfway up since it was so crowded. Foggy views...
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Kowloon-Canton Railway

This afternoon we took the KCR out west to Dave's school in Tin Shui Wei. Suburbs in Hong Kong seem to mean vast forests of apartment high rises, surrounding a train station and a small mall, intermixed with schools. There...
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Crosstown Traffic

The Hong Kong transit system is a bit of a marvel. I enjoy the creaky, ancient trams that look as long as they are tall, very narrow, and ready to tip over. They're usually crowded and the ceiling is too...
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Blending In

It's now clear why everyone's bundled up like in the Arctic. Even in the 50s and 60s, it's often windy and ... none of the buildings are heated! Makes sense, but it means unlike in a more temperate place, when...
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