日本が大好き ... I love Japan! Fun in Tokyo!

When: October 2015
Kids: Big Sister 11y5m, twins 8y10m
Flights: Hong Kong - Tokyo (Haneda) - Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific
Booked through: booked all tickets on miles (30,000 each) and booked accommodation through Airbnb as I found it hard to find reasonable sized (and priced) room(s) that would suit our family. We stayed at Yoyogi TownHouse, in Yoyogi and walking distance from Shinjuku and Meiji Shrine (Meiji Jingu).

O my! Where to start? After 13 years I was finally back in Japan. I studied Japanese, lived in the Nagoya area for a year in 1996/1997 (and travelled all over) and have been back twice (in 2000 and 2002). But it had been a while. We couldn't get tickets to Osaka so Kyoto and Nara were not an option unless we travelled by train. Eventually we decided to stick to Tokyo and spend 5 full days in the Tokyo area. There is soooo much to see, even 5 days wasn't enough! I'll try to go through it day by day.

Sunday 18 October
Arrived on time at Haneda and purchased the Welcome! Tokyo Subway Ticket for 3 days (not valid on JR lines). Good value and much easier than buying separate tickets and/or recharging cards, especially with a family of 5. Since we purchased these tickets we decided that Monday and Tuesday were going to be the days we would do the "far-away" sights based on our Airbnb location in Yoyogi (west side of Tokyo) to get most use out of them. We arrived in Yoyogi via the Keikyu and Oeda line with just 1 transfer, no big deal. Ash the owner of the place arrived about 5-10 minutes later and brought us to our new home for the next 6 nights, just 8 minutes away by foot in the middle of a lovely typical Japanese neighbourhood. Paying less than HK$9000 for 6 nights (got 15% AMEX discount as well) is a price that cannot be beaten for Tokyo. Plus plenty (by Japanese standards) of space, opportunity to do some basic laundry, fill the fridge and relax when necessary. This was our first Airbnb experience but definitely worth considering especially for Tokyo. Much better value.  

We walked to Shinjuku to have a look at the great Takashimaya department store (the food basement is amazing, I remembered that) and got a quick onigiri snack for the kids, looked around and headed back to Yoyogi for an easy ramen dinner in a place Ash had recommended to us. Great and cheap ramen with a beer, what more can you wish for. The kids loved it, sitting at the counter and ordering your ramen via a machine!

Monday 19 October
- Headed to Asakusa to see the Senso-ji temple and Kappabashi-dori street (kitchen street, like Hong Kong's Shanghai Street where they also sell all the fake Japanese food that is used for displays which is very pricey but fun to have a look). 
- Back in the train to Ueno where we visited a small temple in the Ueno-park, Benten-do. The kids had half an hour on a Swan Boat on the lake for Yen 700 and we had a 30 minute break. Walked around in the park and headed back into Ueno to look for lunch. We found a lovely yaki-soba shop (English menu, 3 sizes and great prices) around the corner from the Matsuzakaya department store. 
- We then went to Akihabara, also knowns as electric town, which I used to love in 1996/1997 when the mobile phone was the new thing on the planet. These days it was a little bit of a disappointment, mostly Japanese cartoon characters and (adult) video places, so not what it used to be. Could have skipped it this time unless you're into Japanese mangas ...
- We headed back to Yoyogi for a break and later to Shinjuku for dinner. Was planning on having dinner at Omoide Yokochi but most places didn't allow kids (it's very "bar-like" with lots of smoke and small shops ... and mostly local "salarymen"). So we walked around for a bit more and although there are so many restaurants it's still hard to pick sometimes especially as lots of restaurants are on higher floors so you have no idea what it looks like inside. In the end we came past a basement izakaya where we had a mix of things, some raw fish, onigiri, yakitori, salads, etc. I can't remember what it was called or where it exactly was ...

Tuesday 20 October
- Started off at the Tsukiji fish market, the whole sale market open is from 9 to 11 (best to come between 9 and 10 am). Quite touristy and busy, but definitely worth a visit. The most beautiful tuna you've every seen, kids thought it was great to see all the fish. Wear old shoes or sneakers as the floors are very wet and not very even! Best to take the Tsukijishijo stop on the Oeda line, much closer and literally around the corner from where you want to be.
- From Tsukiji we headed to Ginza for some shopping and a look around. Again, very much worth it checking out the basements of the department stores, like Mitsukoshi. Lots of sampling, great food, you wish you were living in Japan and you could buy it all. Great for a range of snacks (onigiri = rice balls) too, including great Western pastries.
- We had a tempura lunch on the top floors of the Mitsukoshi department store before heading to the Imperial Palace where I had booked a tour to go inside. I had been inside and seen the emperor for a special celebration in 1996 so I though it would be nice to do a tour. Personally, I would not recommend the tour, you don't get to see that much, it takes an hour and starts with a 30 minute introduction but worst of all, you're together with about 150 other people, most of them were twice our age and the peace was excruciating slow! The explanations in English on the headset were quite good, but it was not what I expected. Lesson learned. The kids did relatively well (they thought it was a little boring but they listened to the head sets and explained it all to us), the weather was fantastic so that definitely helped.
- Afterwards, we had some drinks and cake at the nearby Palace Hotel as we felt they deserved a break. That's when they discovered the best Toto toilet ever, which resulted in several trips and lots of giggles!
- On our way home we stopped by Akasaka to see the Hie Shrine. Nothing spectacular, but nice and quiet while the sun was setting, and generally a very nice area. Escalators are bringing you up to the temple (which our feet liked at the end of the day) and the orange tori gates in the back are definitely worth seeing. The area is quite calm (lots of companies) so it was worth a quick stop while changing train lines.
- For dinner we headed to Harajuku as the kids were now literally demanding a "sushi-train". I remembered a sushi train restaurant from 1996 in Omotesando and sure enough (and thank god) ... it was still there, Heiroku Sushi. Slightly touristy, not the most exquisite sushi (would my kids notice?) but fresh, tasty and very affordable. Lots of non-raw fish choices like cucumber, egg, tuna salad, etc. Kids loved it and about 35 plates later we left more than satisfied.

Wednesday 21 October
- As our Welcome passes were no longer valid, we started our day with the many sights closer to home. We walked to Meiji Shrine in less than 15 minutes which remains a must see. The park is lovely, the air smells clean and the Shinto shrine is worth a visit. We were lucky (again for me) to witness a Shinto wedding. We visited the Imperial Garden next to the temple (Yen 500 for adults and Yen 100 for kids) and a very nice Japanese gentleman and photographer had the birds eat peanuts from the kids' hands. Beautiful serene garden with great fall colours, small but worthwhile.
- We walked through Harajuku / Omotesando to Shibuya to see the world's most famous and busiest crossing with its famous dog statue Hachiko. We visited Loft, still there all those years later, which remains a fantastic store especially for stationary and lots of things you need and don't need.
- Time for another lunch so we headed to the new Hikarie department store, easy to spot from the crossing for a okonomiyaki and noodle lunch on the 6th or 7th floor. Again, lots of choice so easy to look around and find something you like.
- After lunch, we headed from Shibuya to Shinjuku as we wanted to enjoy the free view from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Both 45th floors in the North and South tower provide an amazing and free view over Tokyo. Even though it was fairly clear it wasn't clear enough to see Mount Fuji which we had spotted from the airplane when landing on Sunday. Not matter where you look you see nothing but buildings ... Amazing really. There are some souvenir stores and a small cafe as well.
- We walked back to Yoyogi while stocking up some drinks and snacks at Lawson so the kids could have some relaxing TV time at our house. They mostly watched Youtubes via Apple TV on Tokyo ... where to go, what to eat, Japanese inventions and other great stuff on our host country, some of it pretty hilarious and they watched it over and over again! This was one of their favourites for some reason.
- For dinner we walked back to Takashimaya in Shinjuku after a quick stop at the fantastic Kinokuniya bookstore next door with a great English selection for adults and kids (much bigger than I remembered all those years ago). We headed to the top floors of Takashimaya again and opted for a tonkatsu dinner. As a dessert we crossed the many train tracks of Shinjuku station to get a very American Krispy Kreme donut ... yummy!

Thursday 22 October
Today it was time to head out of the city and we decided on Kamakura down south. I had visited in the past and although I had my heart set on Nikko in the north, it's basically twice as far and I wasn't really up that. Tickets were Yen 920 for adults and about half price for kids from Shinjuku on the Shinjuku Shinoden Line towards Zushi. Train ride takes about an hour and requires no transfer.
- From Kamakura we headed straight to Hase on the Enoshima line to visit Hase-Dera (beautiful views and lots of things to explore) and Daibutsu (big Buddha). Lots of tourists and even more primary school aged children who were easy to spot with their yellow hats.
- After catching the train back to Kamakura we walked through the busy shopping street to find something for lunch. Plenty of restaurants and nice shops but just very crowded. It got slightly better towards the end and in a side alley we found the super cute Miyoshi Udon restaurant. Little English but again an English menu was available and staff was helpful and friendly. Highly recommend.
- We continued towards the north to walk straight into the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu temple, free and therefore busy. Lots of school kids now approaching us to practise their English! We decided to continue walking towards Kita-Kamakura (kita is north) while passing several temples on the way. We picked one more in order not to overdo it and chose Engaku-ji, literally across from the station. Unlike the other temples in the south and centre, the ones around Kita-Kamakura were much quieter. It was also getting closer to 3 pm so that may have helped (as most temples close around 4 pm). Entree fee was 300 yen and 100 yen for kids, but it has a lot to offer as the premises are quite stretched out. It was very quiet, beautiful green (turning yellow and red now) surroundings and we all enjoyed a quiet look around. There are many more great temples in the north but honestly with 3 kids, I think we did quite well and they actually enjoyed it so I think this was pretty well balanced and a great impression of what Kamakura had to offer.
- Back to Yoyogi and decided tonight was the night for an easy Western dinner in a very nearby little burger joint called Burgers Cafe. Best of all, for twin B, next to Yoyogi's busy railway tracks (on the east side) so you can watch the commuters go by basically non-stop. Decent size burgers, very tasty, good value and nice way to finish off a great day.

Friday 23 October
Last full day ... the girls wanted to go shopping; twin B wanted to do a full circle on the JR Yamanote-line (takes 1 hour) so the boys went one way, the girls headed to Shinjuku where we got some great deals and some new clothing for the kids, mostly.
- We met up with the boys in Shinjuku and decided to once again try the top floor of another, slightly older, department store Lumine 1. We found a place that offered a wide range of different Japanese food and everybody was happy.
- As a dessert we bought a waffle from the Waffle Man on the ground floor before going to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. One of the few sights of this trip that I had not been to before. The park charges a small entry fee but it's well worth it. They provide an English map as well if you ask (chizu is the word for map). Great gardens, lots of space and grassy areas (where lots of moms with their little ones met up with friends), lovely fall colours, had a drink from one of the many vending machines and sat down on the grass enjoying the beautiful weather we had all week! It was a fantastic way to finish off our last day. Loved the park and highly recommend.
- In the evening we boarded the train to Harajuku (just one stop but too lazy to walk after all those kilometers) to go a very simply, yet tasty (and cheap) gyoza (potsticker) restaurant, Harajuku Gyoza (there seem to be different names for this place). They serve very little, only gyoza (fried or steamed) and a few basic sides ... and of course beer! The gyoza are cheap, 290 yen for 6, and very tasty. We promised the kids Harajuku crepes after dinner, so a quick internet search resulted in Cafe Crepe. I had never seen so many choices in your life, and honestly most of the choices are not really choices. Crepes with salads, crepes with chunks of cream cheese? What happened to a normal crepe with Nutella? Well, not at this place. So I skipped while the rest of the family enjoyed a crepe filled with creme, fruit and ice cream (those were the more sensible choices but the amount of creme was still slightly overwhelming). I guess it was mostly about the experience and the best possible way to end our holiday in "slightly crazy" Japan!

Saturday 24 October
We headed back to Haneda early in the morning to catch our flight. We took the Oedo line back to Daimon and transferred to the Asakusa Line back to Haneda. Took us about an hour in total from Yoyogi. Did some minimal shopping, just a few snacks. Unfortunately, not many great breakfast options at Haneda (it's kind of missing a few decent coffee shops with snacks or a Mr Donut, at least at the international terminal). Arrived safely on time back in Hong Kong.  さようなら!

We loved it, had a great time, the kids loved exploring, eating the various snacks, the great food Japan has to offer, they enjoyed riding the trains, seeing new things ... as I told them before ... Japan is nothing like China or South East Asia, it's truly a whole different world making it more and more worthwhile to visit. And they did agree with me. There is nothing like it ... especially the music on the trains and the toilets make Japan unique!

Tips for Tokyo:
- when travelling with kids, bring kids' chopsticks and/or Western utensils, lots of restaurants do not have Western utensils and especially with young kids this could be an issue if you plan to eat Japanese.
- if you're looking for snacks: convenience stores like Lawson, Family Mart are everywhere so no need to carry around lots of snacks. Basements of department stores are definitely the place for (more upmarket) great food (and snacks), worth checking out even if you're not buying anything!
- if you're looking for restaurants: the top floors of department stores always have a wide range of restaurants. Lots of other restaurants are situated on higher floors or in basements so look up and down as well. Food is all around you!
- lunches are much better deals than dinner so try the more expensive restaurants for lunch and go simple for dinner if you want to keep an eye on your cash.
- toilets are everywhere (including train stations) and often very clean (cleaner than most other places in the world). They often come with lots of buttons for music, sprays for the back and front for women, water sounds, and much more so make sure you go with your child if they haven't experienced that many buttons before. Or they may be Japanese squad toilets, which are not bad at all. There is often a place to "stall" your baby (like a harnass or seat against the wall). My kids loved Japanese toilets, some kids may be scared of them.
- English is still very limited. I was actually quite shocked that not a lot had changed in almost 20 years. As soon as I spoke a few words of Japanese, any possible English went overboard and I had to manage in 日本語. Lots of restaurants will have a simplified English menu though my reading has gone slightly downhill I stuck to the English menu to make sure we got what we wanted. If all fails, the plastic displays and some pointing should get you sorted.
- Japan is no longer as expensive it once was, quite the opposite. I was there in 1996/1997 and besides being a student, things were really pricey no matter what. I found that prices haven't changed much at all (temples are still 300/400 yen, etc.) ... though you get way more for your yen now. I found Uniqlo, Gap and Zara cheaper than Hong Kong and tourists get nice discounts (tax free, as an 8% sales tax was implemented) as well. Some higher end stuff had more of a mark up so not necessarily cheaper. But for sure, Japan is by no means as expensive it once was. A yakisoba lunch, a sushi train dinner, a tonkatsu dinner ... no more than HK$400-600 for a family of 5 and often including a few beers. Better quality and cheaper than Hong Kong in my opinion.
- As for Japanese food, check out this site to get a general idea of the dishes available (as I named quite a few above)!

What's not to love about a Japanese Toto?

It's summer again, time to go to Europe: Lufthansa Economy Class

When: summer 2015
Kids: Big Sister 11y3m, twins 8y8m
Flights: Hong Kong - Frankfurt - Brussels - Frankfurt - Hong Kong
Booked through: online, paid HK$35k for 5 (2 adults and 3 children), departure in July, return in August (total stay 1 month), great deal!

There we go ... back to Hong Kong (at Frankfurt airport)

After having decided that a long and short-medium (3-4 hours) haul or two medium haul flights are not ideal, this year I opted for the long haul and a super short haul, meaning we'd have to transfer in Europe. Most obvious options were BA, Lufthansa, Air France or Swiss. Going to the UK and "back" to Belgium seems silly, and after some searching ... Lufthansa came out as the cheapest by far (after Jet Airways and the cheapest, Aeroflot). Unfortunately we had to transfer in Frankfurt and not Munich which was way more expensive. However, Frankfurt airport was easy peasy. Don't be discouraged, it's fine, really! A little more complicated arriving in Europe (security and immigration and a fairly long walk) but incredibly simple changing from an EU-flight to the long-haul (from A to Z pier which are basically on top of each other). No security check at Frankfurt when departing from Brussels so apart from the bus transfer, we were literally having dinner at Deutsch German restaurant 20 minutes after landing. Highly recommend the restaurant and with a great view ... AND ... kid friendly.

Back to the flight. We booked the cheapest fare so we could not book seats unless we paid extra. Therefore I had my husband (he had a separate booking with a different return date) call Lufthansa explaining that the bookings had to be linked, that I was travelling with 3 kids by myself on the way back ... and that he was Star Alliance Gold (minor important detail, should help). So as soon as online check-in was available 24 hour in advance, I was ready, more than ready, hoping I wouldn't get the non-reclining seats in the back of the plane on row 70 or so. But no, Lufthansa had actually put us all together, in the front of the economy class in a row of 3 and 2 in another row of 3 ... just what I would have booked if I would have had the chance. Perfect!

The sun is setting in Frankfurt, almost time to go ...

Traveled to the airport with the Airport Express (bye suitcase), family priority boarding, brand-new Boeing 747-800 with a new business class (for those interested, they're still re-fitting as I type, but this route is apparently completed which makes sense given the competition in Asia). Crew was friendly, not warm but very organised, plenty of drinks during the flight, even at night. Seats are OK, it's economy, you know what it's going to be like for 12 hours. Seats recline and slide at the same time. Inflight entertainment is sufficient, not fantastic like the Asians or Middle Eastern carriers but more than sufficient and easy to navigate with touch screens. Catering ex-Hong Kong not great (ex-Frankfurt was way better). On time arrival in Frankfurt, smooth transfer to another on-time 50 minute flight to Brussels, luggage came quickly as flight was far from full and priority labels. Staff on the Frankfurt - Brussels flight was fantastic, lots of presents for the kids!

Our return flight, me and 3 kids, I was well prepared again, ready to go 24 hours before departure behind the laptop for online check-in. And again, Lufthansa had already allocated 4 seats together, bulk head, just behind the business class ... Plenty leg room, smaller part of the cabin, less traffic, everybody happy. Food was way better (skipped the dinner as we left 10.00 pm from Frankfurt and we had eaten already at the airport). Pre-boarding for families at Frankfurt, unlike Brussels where it was a first come first serve chaos, not even priority boarding for frequent flyers and/or those travelling in business class. Crew on both return flights, friendly, organised, honestly what you would expect from Lufthansa. Flights were uneventful, on time and smooth. 

German dinner at Deutsch (Z-pier) in Frankfurt before our long haul flight back to Hong Kong

It's still economy, it's still a fairly long flight, but with a new plane, a nice crew, on-time departure and arrivals, relatively good seats, and a very good fare, you cannot really complain. Overall travel time given the necessary transfer (no direct flights to Brussels from Hong Kong) was much better than last year (Malaysian via KL) or the year before (Emirates via Dubai, both flights from Amsterdam). I'd do it again. 

One of my favourite cities ... Phnom Pehn ... back for a great cause!

When: May 2015
Kids: Big Sister 11y (no twins, just mommy and Big Sister)
Flights: Hong Kong - Phnom Pehn - Hong Kong on Dragonair
Booked through: tickets on points and hotel booked directly after a Tripadvisor search. Decided on trying a different hotel for our 2nd trip to PP.

Big Sister was turning 11 ... and what do you buy an 11 year old? They have so much already. So instead of presents, it was going to be a mommy and Big Sister trip during a long weekend. Big Sister had to decide on where to go, as long as it wasn't too far. Several ideas were considered but in the end we decided on Phnom Pehn. Not just because we love PP (we do!) but also because we decided to visit our sponsorship child from Cambodian Children's Fund. We started sponsoring a boy (he's now 10 and we'll call him Y for now) 2 years ago when we came back from our second trip to Cambodia (visiting PP, Kampot and Kep). Cambodian Children's Fund is a fantastic charity and well rated to make sure the money we donate is actually spend on the what we want it spend on, in our case Y. I highly recommend sponsoring a child (it has been a great experience for our children as well) or donate to one of the other great initiatives because the options are endless.

The most important part of our visit was meeting Y and his friend (they always allow the child take a friend) and his translator (who also translates for approximately 60 other sponsored children) on Sunday morning. On Monday we visited several CCF locations before flying back home. Also, we had some great "big girls" time together with some great food, lots of swims and relaxation.

Friday
We arrived Saturday afternoon and had arranged a taxi via the hotel (The Plantation Hotel) for US$14. Traffic took forever, it was much busier than what we had previous experienced but I guess a Friday afternoon rush hour is never great! I've reviewed the hotel (and all the restaurants mentioned below) on Tripadvisor. The location is great, lovely pool area, spacious room, nothing super fancy but tastefully decorated, good value overall. Big Sister decided to take a dip in the pool before dinner which we had in the hotel since it was slightly late already and just easier at that point (plus it had air conditioning)!

Saturday
After a nice breakfast, we got a tuk tuk and headed to the Russian Market before it was getting too hot (the market is covered and it does get super hot). It's an OK market, but honestly it's a lot of crap you can buy anywhere in China and even the local stuff is pretty much more of the "same same". Nothing you cannot live without when you've lived in Asia for 7 years already and you don't have tons of space in your apartment anyway. We didn't buy anything, simply walked around (it was pretty hot already), they have a food market as well, it wasn't too busy yet because we were there early so that was definitely an advantage. On the way back the tuk tuk driver dropped us at 178 street where we visited Daughters of Cambodia's Sugar & Spice restaurant for a cool drink (and a great cause). We browsed in the store and had a foot (Big Sister) and neck / shoulder (me) massage. Not the best, but it was relaxing and the girls deserve the opportunity to change their lives around. Did some more shopping before heading to Romdeng restaurant where we had lunch in the garden overlooking the pool (we went to Friends restaurant before and returned for lunch on the Monday, both are worth a visit, and again, you're again making a difference in people's lives by going to these restaurants plus the food is great and fantastic value).

After lunch, we relaxed at the pool for a bit before heading over for a small European style cake shop at Chocolate by The Shop on 240 street and some additional shopping. While 178 street is more art (and not the finest in any shape, way or form), 240 has some more boutique style shops that are worth a visit. Big Sister was desperate to get back in the pool before heading to Eclipse Sky Bar on top of the Phnom Pehn tower which is a whopping 23 floors high (which is really high in PP). Had a drink on the roof top while watching the sun set before our tuk tuk driver dropped us of at Malis restaurant for a great Cambodian dinner.

Sunday
Today was the day to meet Y. We met in the lobby in the hotel and of course the boys were early because they were excited. We had emailed before on what Y wanted to do and it came down to go-kart or bumper cars and eating chicken. Y brought a friend (which is the CCF policy to help the children feel more comfortable) and his translator L who translates for Y and about 60 other children who have sponsors all over the world. He was very shy and quiet and very small for his age, he turned 10 in June but he was absolutely adorable and it was great meeting him in "real life" after all the emails and pictures. On Friday CCF had informed us about some sad news as Y was recently abandoned by his parents. His father left for Thailand to look for a job and his mom ran off with another man. The children (Y and his 12 year old sister) now live with their grandmother although CCF offered to take them in but they preferred to stay together and continue living in their community.

Meeting Y, his friend and translator L

We set off to Kids City Asia where the boys drove the go-karts (Big Sister barely fit) and then they had a good chunk of play time in the indoor playground. Lots of firsts and new impressions, but they seemed to have fun! We then headed to the Central Market which Big Sister and I planned to visit anyway for some shopping for Y and his family. The thing he wanted most was soap so his sister and he could wash themselves. We got a huge bottle of body wash before finding some new shorts and slippers for both boys. I chatted to L about what to get for his sister and grandma, and even though I was happy to spend some more money, they try not to overdo it. She suggested to get some fruits as it's quite a common gift in Cambodia, so we got big oranges and apples which would normally they wouldn't be able to afford at all. Last stop was an early lunch which had to include chicken so the tuk tuk driver dropped us at Lucky Burger, basically a mix of McDonalds and KFC. The boys chose a big chicken meal which Y loved but his friend never had chicken before in his life and wasn't so sure, although he did try. The whole thing must have been quite overwhelming in general so we basically let them do whatever they felt comfortable with. L divided the left over chicken into 2 doggy bags for them to share with their family. Back at the hotel, we gave them the additional gifts we got from Hong Kong (a t-shirt, tooth brushes, a little game and some bar soap for his sister). Instead of birthday gifts Sofie had asked her friends for some school supplies so we asked Y to share those with his friends and sister.

We found out lots of things about Y and his family through his translator. He has a bicycle, attends public school in the morning (7 to 11 am) and classes at CCF (including English) in the afternoon. His sister also attends public school but is not sponsored by CCF like we sponsor Y. He wakes up early at 5 am and he now lives in a small hut close the "infamous" garbage dump in Steung Meanchey (just google and you'll understand the dire need to help these families to change their future). Overall, it gave us a much better understanding on how we can continue to help him, the things he need and most of all to put a real face next to a name.

We got this email after I emailed him we had returned safely in Hong Kong:

Dearest F and S,

I am so glad that you arrive at Hong Kong safe and sound.

My grandmother and sister would like to say thank you so much for the gift. My grandmother likes fruit that we bought and my sister is so excited to have shampoo for her body. I like the game that you brought to  me. My grandmother and my sister said I will look so lovely and cute if I wear the new shoes and shorts. Thanks for everything, F and S!!!

Please send all my love to your twin as well. I am sure they will have a great time at school. I will keep you an update about my study and exam.

You know, I am going to have a day off on 1 of June since it is international and national children day but I do not have any plan to go somewhere. Do S and twin have class on that day?

I send all my love to you and your family. Good luck and good health!!!

With Love,

Y

We spend the afternoon at the pool before returning to FCC for a happy hour and great view of the river. Slightly touristy, but a relaxing place and worth at least a drink! For dinner I chose Domrei Kitchen which was simple, but lovely and super good value.

Monday
Monday started with lots of excitement again as we were picked up a little past 9 am to visit several CCF locations. We climbed in the pick up truck and headed to CCF1, their first location now home to over 80 secondary and university students. A safe place to live, learn and study.

Cambodian Children's Fund Community Centre

Next stop was the Community Centre which gave us a real feel of the scope of things that are needed. One room was a place for the sponsored kids to meet their translator and check whether they had received any emails. The older kids practised their English on us asking us some basic questions while giggling up a storm, but they tried very hard. The Centre provides food for certain kids, a large medical centre where people from the community can come for medical care and medication, a maternity centre for mommy and baby, housing for certain people and ... many class rooms. The kids are seriously adorable, we couldn't stop watching the 3 year old room correctly pointing to all the different body parts while the teacher said them out loud in English. Next up was the nursery and within seconds we had 3 or 4 children literally running at us and attached to our legs. They laughed, jumped and were so excited to have visitors during their play time. An overload of cuteness! In the back were many more (outdoor / half open) class rooms with children attending English classes. Lots of colourful posters, reminders on rules and behaviour and art work just like we find our schools, just not as fancy.

We headed to our last stop which was actually the school that Big Sister had collected money for during the last dress casual at her school. It's a satellite school in a very poor area. We basically had to pass huts and garbage dumps to get there on dirt roads ... an extremely sad sight, but at the same time the school offers education for those children in the community, a life changing opportunity. Parents could drop off their children in the nursery while they were at work and the children would get fed, so no worries about whether or not they would have a meal for the day. The school provides drinking water, something they cannot afford or have easy access to, and a place to wash and shower. Older children were learning English. They also had a CCF Kindergarten class on site, so different initiatives all come together at one place inside this community. The head of the school showed us around and answered questions. Across the dirt path was a small CCF housing project, just small houses, 4 walls (with a window) and a roof on stilts, but a huge improvement over a simple hut or not even that, some planks with a piece of plastic tied over it. Lots of thoughts go through mind standing there, but it goes beyond saying that the money spend here is well spend. The school will buy additional school supplies from the money our school has donated, school supplies that will offer more children a chance to further enhance their education.

Visiting the satellite school 

We spend the afternoon having lunch at Friends, and bought some little gifts in the store next door for the twins and some of Big Sister's friends. Enjoyed our last few hours at the pool while a huge thunderstorm passed by. Traffic on the way back to the airport was horrendous, and it didn't help that I (the most well organised person in the world) for some reason had a departure time of 7.55 pm in my head which was actually 7 pm. Luckily I didn't realize (I would have been stressed out of my mind in the slowest moving traffic ever, it took us 1 hour 15 minutes to get to the airport) until we literally pulled up at departures at 6 pm and 5 minutes later we were at the gate with  20 minutes to spare. Advantage of a small airport, I guess.

Overall, a great long weekend away with just some one on one time with just one child especially since Big Sister is off to secondary school in August and soon I'll be that annoying old mother who only tells her what she cannot do. As for Phnom Pehn, I love that city. It's not super exciting, it's not very touristy (which I love) nor big but it offers great value accommodation, fantastic food, the sweetest people and some interesting but equally sad historical value that should never be forgotten. And even better, because we got to see up close what a great charity Cambodian Children's Fund is and the difference they make in so many people's lives ... including ours!

Beautiful Taiwan ...

When: April 2015
Kids: Big Sister 10y10m, Twins 8y4m
Flights: Hong Kong - Taipei - Hong Kong on Dragonair & Cathay Pacific
Booked through: Zuji, looked high and low for good fares with late afternoon departure from Hong Kong and an afternoon departure from Taipei so we could travel back from Hualien in one day. Dragonair came slightly above HK$10k which was cheaper than its own website. Booked the 2 hotels direct and the train tickets were arranged by my husband's business relation in Taipei.

Trying to come up with something different and avoiding the typical destinations is getting more and more difficult once you lived in Asia for almost 7 years. Don't get me wrong, there are so many more things to see, but keeping budget and travel time in mind (needs to be relaxing as well not hopping from one place to another), it's sometimes hard to come up with new ideas. We had been to Taipei late 2008 but the twins had no recollection and even for Big Sister it had been a while. To mix things up we decided to do a private day tour outside Taipei and add Hualien to the mix which is located on Taiwan's east coast.

Flying to Taipei is easy, with just over an hour it's one of our closest destinations abroad (except from mainland China). At the airport we purchased a NT$500 data card for 7 days unlimited data (which is great for finding restaurants while on the go, checking maps, opening times, etc. and not having to use roaming). jumped in a taxi (bring the address in Chinese) and 40 minutes later we arrived at Hotel Amba in busy, hip Ximending (they compare Ximending to Shibuya in Tokyo and I can see why) where we booked a loft room (my Tripadvisor review says XL but this is actually incorrect I realise now). By the time we checked in, it was close to 9.30 pm, so we unpacked and basically called it a day.

Day trip to Yehliu Geopark, Keelung, Gold Ecological Park & Jiufen Old Street

The next morning I had arranged a driver to do a day tour to Yehliu Geopark, Keelung (lunch), Golden Waterfall, Gold Ecological Park and Jiufen Old Street. We left at 9 am and returned at around 6 pm mostly due to busy (holiday) traffic. Jeff Lin (tab18690@gmail.com) was recommended to me by another highly recommended driver Peter Wang who was busy. Jeff was excellent, lovely man, great English, super helpful, made lots of family photos and even compiled an entire video of our day! The day trip was definitely doable with the kids, not too much although we were all exhausted after our first (very hot) day so decided to have an easy dinner at the hotel.

The next 2 days we explored the city, we returned to Taipei 101, walked around Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (and witnessed the change of the guards), had lunch at Din Tai Fung, headed back to the hotel and visited the Longshan Temple which had lots of activity going on due to Ching Ming Festival. We ended the day with a lovely yakiniku (grilled meat Japanese style) dinner just around the corner of the hotel, called NicoNico. Kids loved grilling their meat and especially the free ice-cream!

Exploring Taipei once again!

Day 3 started with a return to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall where we once again decided to look at the change of the honorable guards, which Twin B thought was absolutely boring (we actually thought this one was better, plus we had "first row" seats so to speak). Afterwards we walked to Yong Kang Street where you can find lots of different restaurants and the first Din Tai Fung in the world. We opted for Western food and had a great window seat at Eating Time so could do some people watching at the same time. In the late afternoon we decided to climb Elephant Mountain so we headed to the end of the red MRT line and followed the signs. It's not a real hike, it's literally climbing hundreds of steps (the twins counted 902 steps on the way down) and given the temperature it was a sweaty and hot hike up with a fairly hazy but worthwhile view at the top. After some cooling down time we decided on a hotpot dinner at Tian Wai Tian Spicy Hotpot. Again, within minutes from the hotel, with an all you can eat hot pot buffet including lots of fresh fish, nice meats, vegetables, HD ice cream (kids happy) and beer (parents happy). Quite local and to be honest, lots of things I had no desire to try, but a great experience nonetheless.

The next morning it was time to head for eastern Taiwan by express train (just over 2 hours, buy tickets in advance), got there just after lunch, were picked up by the hotel and taken to our room where we'd stay for the next 2 nights ... overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Hualien isn't like your Western coastal village, it honestly doesn't have a lot of charm in a European way but it has many things going for it. We spend the afternoon cycling along the Pacific Ocean on the Qixingtan Trail in front of the hotel before heading to town for a basic and cheap wonton soup dinner topping it off with mango shaved ice. Kids loved it!

Hualien in Eastern Taiwan

We were picked up at 9 am the next morning for our private tour to Taroko Gorge. First stop was stunning Qingshui Cliffs before heading into the Gorge. Dropped off at the Sakadang Trail we spent the first hour hiking up and down this lovely trail with some great views and easy to do for kids as well. Second stop was the Swallow Grotto, we put our helmets on and enjoyed the dark road curving through the mountain with its steep cliffs right next to it. Last stop was the Eternal Spring Shrine which was possibly the most boring part but it was great driving through the gorge and even though Mr. Ho (arranged by Hotel Bayview for NT$2500 for half day) didn't speak lots of English, we easily managed with some English, Mandarin and sign language! He dropped us off in town at 公正包子 (Gong Zheng Bao Zi) for some unbelievably cheap and delicious dumplings and Xiao Long Baos though we made a rooky mistake by not ordering enough and by the time we figured that out the line was huge!

Qingshui Cliffs and Taroko National Park, worth a visit!

Back at the hotel the kids had to cycle more so we got back on the bikes, pedaled some more and finished playing at the beach with rocks before heading back to the hotel. After lots of Taiwanese food, we felt entitled for some truly American food at Salt Lick which turned out to be a great choice and the kids enjoyed the sausages, ribs and the apple pie with ice cream as dessert.

Our last day was mostly a day of travel, back in the train, a taxi to the airport (but not without getting some Mr Donut at the station), a quick lunch and an easy, though slightly delayed flight back to Hong Kong where the airport was full of people returning after a long weekend. A lovely 5 days in Taiwan, a little bit different, and there were moments I regretted not sitting on a lounge chair at the beach, regardless of the fantastic weather we had during our entire stay, but on the other hand it's great having so many things to do, surrounded by great nature, clean air, lovely people and good food!

As always hotels, restaurants and some sights have been reviewed in Tripadvisor so check out my contributions if you want to find out more about the particular place!

From Hong Kong to where ... where to go & what to do?

People often ask for ideas of where to go in the region. Usually the most popular destinations and hotels are mentioned, but over time, I looked into a lot of ideas to get away from the crowds and the usual hot spots. It's something I prefer, but different people, different opinions. I want to feel I am actually in a different country, not just in a 4 or 5-star hotel that could be anywhere in the world.

Beautiful Virgin Island near Bantayan, Philippines - October 2013

The usual suspects

Click on the country names for some general weather information.

So what are the most common (beach) destinations from Hong Kong, apart from the capitals:
>> Thailand: Phuket (direct with Air Asia, Hong Kong Express, Thai, Dragonair), Koh Samui (only Bangkok Airways), Hua Hin (car transfer from Bangkok) or a popular non-beach option is Chiang Mai (Air Asia, Hong Kong Express or Dragonair).
>> Malaysia Peninsula: Penang (direct with Dragonair or Hong Kong Express), Langkawi (no direct flights, I was here in 1990 when there was one 5* hotel, the Pelangi Beach Resort ... things have changed dramatically).
>> East-Malaysia / Borneo: Kota Kinabalu (direct with Dragonair and Air Asia).
>> Philippines: Cebu (direct flights with Cathay Pacific and Cebu Pacific) and Boracay (no direct flights), but I'd highly recommend Bohol as well.
>> Vietnam: Danang / Hoi An (direct flights with Dragonair).
>> Indonesia: Bali (direct flights with Hong Kong Airlines and Cathay Pacific).
>> Cambodia: Siem Reap (direct flights with Dragonair), no beach either.

>> China: Sanya (direct flights and very close). Weather, fairly similar to Hong Kong.

Other travel options that do get mentioned are Okinawa in Japan, another beach destination. Myanmar & Burma are getting more and more popular (and I need to start looking into this one, feel terribly behind on this destination), Maledives, further and often significantly more expensive, Lombok in Indonesia not to far from Bali, or Nha Trang in the more southern part of Vietnam.

For non-beach options, besides many interesting capital cities like Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Hanoi, Phnom Pehn, Manila, Taipei, Beijing and of course, Seoul (loved it!) and Tokyo, there are equally large cities and interesting cities with lots of to offer like Shanghai, Xian, Hoh Chi Minh City, Kyoto & Osaka, or smaller towns like Guilin, Lijiang, etc. The list is endless!

The Philippines offer many more options, Laos is completely underrated in my opinion, rarely gets mentioned due to no direct flights or the lack of beach. It is fairly local, generally poor health care but so worth it. A beautiful country! Cambodia is more than just Siem Reap, just like Vietnam is more than just Danang and Hoi An. By all means check out the table of contents to see my posts on previous trips, some more off the beaten track than others.

The Killing Fields, Phnom Pehn, Cambodia - April 2013

Challenges

Of course, there are many many more options ... more islands in Thailand. And China and Indonesia are huge countries with many many more options, Japan has so much to offer including lots of mountain towns, and lots to explore in South Korea, or even Taiwan ... well, basically all countries have lots more to offer than the direct flight destinations and obvious Shangri Las and Hyatts, no matter how comfortable. Finding and recommending the most expensive 5* resorts that can easily charge US$300-500+ or even double are not too difficult to find. Asia has a wide range of luxury accomodation and even though still pricey, it's relatively good value when comparing to Europe and even the US. But when travelling with a family of 5 we often end up booking 2 rooms as the maximum is usually 4 persons per room, or even 3. For me the challenge is not booking a holiday itself. With unlimited budget things are pretty easy and options seem endless. When you want affordable options that don't break the bank but still want a comfortable and in my case, not super touristy and fairly local, experience that's when I need to start doing my homework.

My favorite countries in South-East Asia are the Philippines, Cambodia and Laos ... I do like Vietnam too ... And I love South Korea and Japan, so different! My least favorite ... Thailand (apart from Bangkok), nothing to do with the food, the people, the great options ... it's simply too touristy for me. Shoot me, but that's how I feel.

Sunset in Northern Bali, Munduk, Bali, Indonesia - October 2012

Some ideas going round in my head

>> Coron, Philippines, connecting flight from Manila to Busuanga with either Cebu Pacific or Philippine Airlines and stay at the highly rated and affordable Sophia's Garden Resort or more expensive Club Paradise Resort. Unfortunately Two Season Coron Island Resort is slightly too expensive ...
>> Siargao, Philippines, connecting flights, not so easy and you may need an overnight in Manila or Cebu. Potential hotels: Kawayan Siargao Resort or Siargao Paraiso Resort. Another out of this world though super expensive option is ... Dedon Island ... I can book an entire holiday for the price of a one night stay ... sigh!
>> Siquijor, Phillipnes, connecting flights, doable in a day from Hong Kong via Manila to Damaguete, but you may not make it to the island the same day. In Damaguete Sea Explorers in Dauin seems like a good option and take the boat to Siquijor to stay at Coco Grove Beach Resort although reviews seem to be slipping, may need to revise or find an alternative place to stay, but there are a variety of decent options.
>> Puerto Galera, Philippines, which can be reached by car and boat from Manila, so not too complicated. You could even stop over in Taal to see the volcano on your way south. Sunset to Aninuan Beach Resort looks like a really nice option and the fact that you don't need connecting flights is a big bonus and makes things much more affordable.
>> Palawan, Philippines, connecting flights either to Puerta Princessa or a much more expensive small plane to El Nido (north side of Palawan) depending on what you want to explore. There are some nice resorts and places to visit in the middle of Palawan, but El Nido looks stunning as well. Travelling over land will take a good chunk of time and so far it seems either fairly luxurious hotels or very little options. It's often the problem with a family of 5, you rarely fit in one hotel room so even if a HK$2000-2500 a night room sounds reasonable for a fantastic and beautiful hotel ... times two, it's becoming a completely different ball game.

>> Phu Quoc, Vietnam, another island south of Vietnam this time that requires a connecting flight from HCMC. Several higher end options but also less expensive places to stay. Unfortunately some of the cheaper, well rated options have no swimming pools, something to consider. Tripadvisor gives you a good overview including some b&b (mostly smaller hotels) options.
>> West-Malaysia has some other island options like Tioman, Pangkor (Pangkor Laut is top of the bill as well), Perhentian Islands that may be worth looking into. Unfortunately, not a lot of mid-range, well rated options ... either expensive or poor reviews ...
>> Sihanoukville, Cambodia, drive from Phnom Pehn. When we explored Cambodia we decided to go to Kep as Sihanoukville is known to be sleezy (lots of sex tourism, partying, etc.). Because I love Cambodia, I recently asked a friend who posted some pics of her stay at Sohka Beach Resort, and asked her whether it was worth it after all. She said she would not recommend it, Sokha Beach Resort is apparently the only nice place but it is indeed sleezy. She thought about Kep (I love Kep) but beaches are clearly better in Sihanoukville, though I feel the overall atmosphere in Kep is a thousand times better for families, so I guess Sihanoukville can officially go on the "pass" pile. Unless I was able to afford Song Saa Private Island.
>> Lombok, Indonesia, haven't really looked into it. Had friends happily stay at Qunci Villas, but it's a day travel to get there and a day back. I have mixed feelings about Indonesia, it's slightly touristy, but if you try a little bit harder it's fairly easy to get away from the crowds, and it's so worth it, beautiful country, great food. Probably higher on my list would be Gili Islands, but I haven't looked into that at all, but have heard great things about it.

Changing Vang Vieng, Laos - April 2014

Our travel plans for 2015 are pretty much laid out ...
>> During the Easter break we're heading back to Taipei where I booked the Amba Hotel (large room that fits us all for a very affordable price). This time we plan to do some sight seeing along the northern coast including Keelung. After 4N/3D we'll take a train to Hualien (staying at Bayview Hotel) to visit the east coast (and see the Pacific Ocean) and do some hiking in the beautiful Taroko Gorge. Flights for 5 including 6 hotel nights and train tickets shouldn't cost us more than HK$20k. And hoping to get some Mandarin practice for the kids ... I am going to play dumb and see what they can get done!
>> Plan to visit my lovely friend in Dubai again, hopefully this year, with my other great friend, using my Emirates points (free tickets, yeah!).
>> Big Sister's birthday (turning 11) is coming up, and instead of presents, we'll be visiting the child we sponsor via Cambodian Children's Fund in Phnom Pehn and ideally bringing some donations with us. Booked 2 flights on points and we'll be staying 3 nights The Plantation this time!
>> Summer's booked, travelling with Lufthansa to Brussels via Frankfurt, cheapest flights I ever found over the summer, HK$35k for 5, booked early again (September / October). Spending a month in Europe and will be seeing my brother and girlfriend in Zurich and visiting Arosa for a few nights with the entire family to breath in some fresh air (and lots of sun as we weren't so lucky in 2011). Plan to add some days at the Dutch coast as well, hopefully the weather will cooperate.
>> Fall break ... using points to get 5 return flights to Japan ... ideally Osaka, Kyoto and Nara but now Tokyo is being a contender again as well (want to avoid doing both in one short trip).

Delicious satay in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - July 2014