My Travelogue #3

I used to work in Glasgow for a while, but I wouldn't say I knew this city well enough. It may not be as attractive as Edinburgh, but Glasgow is where you'll find the real Scotland. And I had some of the best time during my short stay in Glasgow, it'd always be an important city to me.

Hanoi was a calmer version of Saigon. The old district around Hoan Kiem Lake was particularly charming. Personally I would rank Saigon (the city after next) above Hanoi though; I like hustle and bustle.

I think I was too young when I visited Helsinki to fully appreciate it. Back then I thought there were not many things to see or do, and it could not compare to Paris, London or Rome (these were all I knew back then). If I have a chance to visit again, I would stay there for longer and perhaps meet few more locals to get to know the city better.

I have been there twice, but these were few years ago and I know it is undergoing massive transformation just like the Chinese cities in the past decades. Even back then it was emerging as the next big thing, with skyscrapers and luxury goods shops sprouting up like bamboo shoots.

As I mentioned above, Saigon was all about the hustle and bustle. With millions of motor bikes honking day and night, it could be quite intimidating to foreigners. I loved Saigon for its great colonial buildings, busy street hawker stalls and night markets, excellent (and cheap) food, and the Independent Palace telling the story of the Vietnam War from the Vietnamese point of view. You will not be bored in Saigon, I promise.

I think the only reason Hobart is in the top 100 is that Lonely Planet is from Australia, and then there is the MONA. Although it was nice and pleasant, I could think of many other cities more deserving the top spot.

If you follow my blog and my quizzes, you would know that this is my home city. Surprisingly, it was quite difficult for me to find a decent photo of Hong Kong in my photo album.

When I grew up there, first I assumed that everyone in the world lived like this. Then I thought there was nothing special about the city and wondered why anyone would want to visit (how naïve was I?). Now that I have been to many places, I can tell you that Hong Kong is unique, and absolutely nowhere else on this planet is similar to it (no, Singapore is soulless by comparison). The fact that this unique city, people and culture are now fast disappearing, and the rest of the world watch on letting this happen to Hong Kong (and Myanmar, Belarus, Afghanistan...) is shameful.

Honestly I could not claim that I have visited Innsbruck. It was a toilet break en route to Italy, and I only stayed there for an hour or less. I couldn't even find a single scenery photo that I took, and I had to crop myself out to show you the golden roof. If you have been to Innsbruck, please tell me what I have missed.

The first time I went there was during the 2013 anti-government protests. Days before I arrived, riot police dispersed protesters with tear gas and water cannon. I had no choice as my flights and hotels were all booked in advance. On the day of my arrival, protesters were doing their silent stand-up protests at Taksim Square. When I strolled along Istiklal Avenue in the evening, people suddenly started running back from Taksim Square. I didn't know exactly what happened, but I ran back to my hotel with the crowd. And there you have it, my first experience of civil unrest of sorts.

Anyway the rest of my trip was uneventful, as other major tourist areas were all peaceful and business as usual. Istanbul, with its rich history and culture, truly deserves a top 10 spot in the Lonely Planet city list.

I used to work in KL, right on top of the Petronas Twin Towers. This photo was taken from my office.

So I know KL quite well. I have friends living there and been there many times (thanks to cheap tickets from Air Asia). Unlike Penang or Ipoh where Hokkien and Teochew are the common dialects, most local KL Chinese speak Cantonese, so it does feel like a second home to me.

It may surprise some of you, but I have only been to Kyoto twice, compared to many Asians who visit Japan at least several times a year. Japan is now jokingly called the "ancestral home" for middle-class Asians, because many go there every time they have a break, just like migrant factory workers flocking back home during the Chinese New Year.

So the ancient Japanese capital is very popular with tourists. It is conveniently located with Osaka, Nara and Kobe all within a short train ride from Kyoto. It has the World Heritage Kiyomizu temple, Nijo Castle, the picturesque Kinkaku Temple (the photo above), Fushimi Inari Shrine etc. In fact, it was so popular that I could hardly squeeze myself into the shrine when I got there.

So this is the end of the third blog. A number of cities here are very close to my heart. I hope you enjoy reading it.