Food•Sports•Travel
Is Castello di Amorosa Napa Valley's best kept secret? Set amid the rolling hills that overlook the valley, the imposing castle houses a winery producing Italian style wines made from grapes harvested from the surrounding and nearby vineyards. And it was built by the great grandson of an Italian immigrant, who settled in Northern California …
Continue reading "Castello di Amorosa – Napa Valley’s Best Kept Secret?"
Ho Shing and Pai Fung temples in the village of Ho Sheung Heung in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Photo Credit: Accidental Travel Writer. Temples dedicated to Hung Shing, a historical figure that was deified after his death, are situated throughout Hong Kong and Guangdong province. A festival in his honour is held every …
Continue reading "Hong Kong: Hung Shing Festival Set for 21 March 2016"
First hand account of New Year's Eve in Times Square - is it really as much fun as it looks on TV? And an informative infographic of how the celebration got started in 1904 and how it has evolved over the years.
Shopping for clothes in Guangzhou, China: give Shangxiajiu Street a miss unless you have very bad taste (or poor eye sight).
Antarctic explorer Frank Wild has been buried according to his wishes on South Georgia Island next to Ernest Shackleton 72 years after his death.
Here is my honest appraisal. The Bund has not been turned into the Champs-Elysees of the East. Not by a long shot. The exterior of the Peace Hotel and the former Shanghai Club, now the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai, both look fantastic. Jobs well done. Other projects – such as 18 at the Bund and the Roosevelt …
Continue reading "Analysis: Shanghai’s Bund Gets Mixed Reviews (Part II)"
On my first visit to Shanghai several years ago, the Bund was looking a bit worse for wear. On my second trip to Shanghai a couple of years later, there were hopeful signs. I interviewed a developer, and he informed me that a complete restoration of the Bund – returning it to its pre-Liberation glory …
Continue reading "Analysis: Shanghai’s Bund Gets Mixed Reviews (Part I)"
Several years ago a decision was taken by the municipal authorities in Shanghai to restore the Bund to its pre-liberation glory. The original inhabitants of the imposing stone edifices that line the waterfront boulevard were offered them back. But there was one condition. They could not alter the exteriors of the buildings. They could do …
Continue reading "Heritage Sites Get Government Backing in Shanghai"
Shanghai's iconic waterfront boulevard with those imposing stone edifices housing banks, corporate headquarters, and a handful of municipal offices, is called the Bund. I was never quite sure how to pronounce the word bund. Was that “u” a long “u” as in “rude” or a short “u” as in “bus”? As it turns out, it …
Michael Taylor toured the Peace Hotel during his first visit to Shanghai several years ago - but he didn't actually stay there. He visted its public areas, and the place was dripping with what he thinks of as "shabby chic". Michael had dinner at the Peace Hotel's Chinese restaurant with friends he met on the trip. Then …