Hong Kong [1]

In my previous post, I talked about choosing which airline to travel to Hong Kong. I know the differences between Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines very well because I travel to Hong Kong almost every year. I go to Hong Kong because I have many relatives there. I always stay at their houses in the summer and explore by myself. I am fluent in Cantonese therefore navigating around isn’t difficult. Even if you can’t speak or read Chinese, you have nothing to be afraid of. All of the public signs are in both Chinese and English and most of the people are bilingual in Chinese and English.

Victoria Harbor

I love everything about Hong Kong except for its hot and humid weather. The average temperature in June is around 82° F. In July and August, the average temperature can exceed 90° F. Hong Kong’s summer is also characterized by the thunderstorms and tropical typhoons. In the September of 2013, a super typhoon named Usagi hovered over Hong Kong. It reached the wind speed of 160 mph! I remember stepping outside of my cousin’s house during a typhoon when I was little; I almost got blown by the wind.

Excuse the crazy summer weather and let’s talk about public transportation. EWWW! Public transportation? Trust me, public transportation is the way to go. Getting around Hong Kong is fairly cheap and easy comparing to many major metropolitan cities in the U.S. such as San Francisco and Los Angeles. Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system connects all the major districts. There are ten rail lines (Island, Tsuen Wan, Kwun Tong, Tseung Kwan O, Tung Chung, West Rail, East Rail, Ma On Shan, Disneyland Resort, and the Airport Express). The MTR system is highly efficient because some of the lines have trains come every two to three minutes. There are also buses and minibuses if the MTR doesn’t reach your destination. I am not very fond of taking buses in San Francisco but I like it in Hong Kong because most of the buses are double deckers. So you don’t like public transportation still?  It’s okay! You can take the taxi. For the first 2 kilometer, it costs HK $22 (which is 1.2 miles for US $3). Then for every 200 meters (0.1 miles) or every 1 minute of waiting time, it cost HK $1.6 (US $0.22) for fare meters below HK $78 (US $11) and HK $1 (US $0.15) for fare meter over HK $78.

In my next post I will tell you where to eat, shop, play, and more! Get Ready!

Hong Kong, here we come. 

Why Cathay Pacific over Singapore Airlines?

Every time I travel to Hong Kong from San Francisco there are only few airlines that provide nonstop flights, therefore my choices are limited. It is important to choose the airline that provides the best service because airfare from San Francisco to Hong Kong during the peak season can costs up to $1,700 for round trip economy seats. Its either United Airlines, American Airlines, US Airway, Cathay Pacific, or Singapore Airlines. I’ve personally experienced Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines. I prefer flying with Cathay Pacific rather than Singapore Airline because Cathay Pacific offers two flight times, afternoon and midnight, from San Francisco to Hong Kong but Singapore Airlines only offers midnight flight time.

Basic Facts

Cathay Pacific

- 139 aircrafts

- Serves 182 destinations in 42 countries

- Loyalty program: Asia Miles (over 500 partners in nine categories, including 21 airline partners)

Cathay Pacific Boeing 747-400

Singapore Airlines 

- 102 aircrafts

- Serves 65 destinations in 34 countries

- Loyalty program: KrisFlyer (170+ non-airline partners and 26 airline partners)

Singapore Airline SIA 747-412

Awards and Rankings

According to the 2013 Skytrax World Airline Awards, a prestigious award for the airline industry, both Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways were in the Airline of the year award. Even though Singapore Airline was named third while Cathay Pacific ranked sixth, Cathay Pacific has the Best Staff Service in Asia and the overall best cabin staff.

	Airline of the year	Best Inflight Entertain-ment	Economy Class Catering	Best Economy Class Cabin	Best Economy Class Seats	Best Staff Service (Asia)	Best Cabin Staff
Cathay Pacific	6th	3rd	7th	6th	Not on top 10	2nd	1st
Singapore Airline	3rd	2nd	3rd	3rd	4th	3rd	5th

Safety

            According to planecrashinfo.com, the last fatal crash for Cathay Pacific was in 1972, more than 41 years ago. As for Singapore Airlines, the last fatal crash occurred in 2000. Flight SQ006 to Los Angeles from Singapore via Taiwan crashed on the runway of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. This incident killed 83 people.  

Why Cathay Pacific?

            From my personally experiences, I like Cathay Pacific because they offer two flight schedules. The afternoon flight is more convenient than the midnight flight because I don’t have to keep myself awake until 12am to board the plane. Both Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airline’s loyalty program allow you to use the miles collected to dine, shop, and even fly. Cathay Pacific has more partners in this program which makes collecting miles easier. Most importantly, it is easier to find a ticket cheaper because Cathay Pacific has more flights to Hong Kong than Singapore Airlines.

Have you travel with these two airlines? If not, can you tell me your favorite airline?

Hokkaido [2]

Attention foodies! Hokkaido has the freshest seafood you can find in the Asian pacific, authentic ramen noodles, world class dairies and mouthwatering fruits. I am giving you a warning right now. You might want to buy a plane ticket right away after reading about the food adventures in Hokkaido. 

The crab is bigger than my face

Besides hot springs, this island is known for their crabs. The crabs draw many people outside of Hokkaido because the crabs are fresh, delicious, and inexpensive. The four types of crabs in Hokkaido are the Hanasaiki crab, hairy crab, snow crab, and king crab with Hanasaki crab as the crown jewel of them all. Other well-known fresh seafood includes sea urchin, scallop, salmon roe, and squid. I prefer eating seafood in Japan because you can eat the seafood fresh at the two-story market complex. You choose your food on the first floor of the market and they prepare your food right away. You can find a seat on the second floor of the market and enjoy the seafood you bought fifteen minutes ago in sashimi style or soup style. 

Ramen scoreboard at the Ramen Alley

When you visit Hokkaido, be sure to visit the Ramen Alley in downtown Sapporo, capital city of the Hokkaido prefecture. Dating back to 1951, there are a total of seventeen ramen shops lining side by side on the both sides of the alley. You can’t choose which place to eat at? Don’t worry! There is a scoreboard posted in the alley which gives each restaurant ratings. These ramen shops are holes in the wall. Each shop can seat about ten people and expect to lose your space bubble. Remember to slurp when you eat ramen. Sounds weird, but yes, it is considered polite to do so in a ramen shop. It shows that you are enjoying the noodles. That bowl of ramen from one of the shop called Aji no Karyu (味の華龍) completely changed my views on ramen restaurants in America. No fancy ramen restaurants in American can compare to a bowl of ramen from a hole in the wall restaurant in Japan.

Hokkaido supports half of Japan’s dairy products. About 60% of the milk produced is used for drinking. The rest is processed into butter, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. You can buy soft serve ice cream at around every corner of popular attractions. I prefer plain milk flavor then the melon flavor because there is a distinctive milky taste that will leave you craving more. The milk flavor tastes so rich and the ice cream is extremely creamy. You will probably eat as much as possible until you get a stomach ache like I did. I can never forget that taste. Every soft serve ice cream I have tried outside of Hokkaido fail to impress my taste buds. (If you happen to go to flower farms in Furano, check out the lavender flavor soft serve ice cream too).

Pricey melons 

The Hokkaido summer is the season of Yubari melons. Yubari melon is considered as one of the high-end fruits in Japan. Many people buy Yubari melons as a gift for friends and family. In May of 2013, a pair of Yubari melons was sold in an auction for $15,700 USD. Without $15,700 in your pocket, you can still try the Yubari melons. It will cause you around $50-$100 depending on the grade of the melon. The melon is as sweet as sugar syrup. It is super juicy and it has a fresh after taste. When you cut open the melon, you can see the juicy racing out. You can’t find another melon like this anywhere in the world. In my opinion, you will regret if you don’t try it. 

I went to Hokkaido, Japan with an empty stomach and left feeling satisfied. There are so many places that I wanted to try but I didn’t have the time or the space in my tummy. I will definitely visit again for the amazing food and experiences. Hope to see you there! 
Do you want to travel to Hokkaido and why?

Hokkaido [1]

When someone said “Japan”, most people automatically think of places such as Tokyo and Osaka. If you enjoy nature rather than the trendy Shibuya district or the bright city lights, I suggest you make a trip to Hokkaido, Japan. Hokkaido is located Northernmost of Japan. This island’s attraction is its distinctive seasons. In the spring, you can find delicate cherry blossoms bloom on mountains. In the summer, you will find a sea of lavender flowers across Furano flower farms. As for autumn, you will see people enjoying food and sake as the leaves turn red. Expect to soak into the hot springs when the snow falls in the winter. “Everywhere you see, it is just like a painting.”

Mascot of Noburibetsu

I find Hokkaido’s summer particularly beautiful. The weather is dry, sunny, and breezy during the day but temperature drops a little at night. The weather is still comfortable enough to dip into the hot spring or “onsen” in Japanese. I highly recommend that you pay a visit to the town of Noboribetsu to enjoy two nights of hot spring therapy. Noboribetsu houses some of the most famous hot spring resorts in Japan because Hokkaido is known as the “hot spring kingdom”.  The mineral-rich hot spring water can help you relax your muscles and it also helps rejuvenate skin. The sulfur in the spring water is reported to help relieve the pain and lessen the fatigue of fibromyalgia as stated in an article published in the Rheumatology International journal. There are two hot spring facilities, one for men and the other for women. You are not allowed to wear any clothes or underwear into the hot spring water and you must shower before entering the hot spring pools. If you find this uncomfortable, I suggest that you bring a small towel into the hot spring with you. To prevent from hydration, only soak in the water for fifteen minutes then drink a lot of water.   

Jigokudani or "Hell Valley"

Besides the hot spring, many Japanese travelers love to hike in the mountains above the resort town of Noboribetsu.  There is a famous attraction called the Jigokudani or “Hell Valley”. The Hell Valley displaces volcanic activities. Before you can spot any hot steam vents, you will smell a strong scent that will remind you of boiled eggs. This smell of sulfur created an image like that of hell. The sulfurous water of Hell Valley is the main source of Noboribetsu’s hot spring. If you hike up the trails above the Hell Valley, you will find a hot, sulfurous river called Oyunumagawa. You can hike along this river, sit down on a rock for a free foot bath, and enjoy the nature.

Hokkaido is stunningly scenic and it also has amazing food. My next post will take you through a mouthwatering journal. Get ready!