Plan – #festivaloflife

“Get sum Dim sum”

What do you think of when some one says, I’m going to Hong Kong? Maybe, the harbour ferries, Jackie Chan, or The Australian Martial arts film “The Man from Hong Kong”

I think of all these things, but mostly I think of Dim sum. Hong Kong is the place I learnt about the beautiful, crazy world of Dim sum. I’m sure everyone has had great Dim sum at a crowded noisy restaurant with trolleys of steaming goodness, but you’ve not truly experienced the ritual of Dim sum until you visit one in Hong Kong.

Ok, so how do you get authentic Dim sum in Hong Kong?

First you need training. I took a Dim sum walking tour with a young local, Ben Ho Leung Lam. Dim sum guide. Robert Koenig-Luck Vimeo.

I discovered there is a bit more to the experience then just shoving an endless supply of tasty food down your throat. Dim sum is a celebration of family and food. You could say its brunch asian style, but it can be eaten any time of the day. Dim in Cantonese means, “touch”, and sum means “Heart” Touch the heart. Ok, what is Yum Cha? Are they the same? Yes. Yum cha means drink tea. Hence the endless supply of tea at Dim sum, generally Oolong, Jasmine, chrysanthemum. Strong black Tea is used to clean the palate between bites. If you go to a Dim sum restaurant in Hong Kong, you may notice at the start of a meal, a pot of tea, bowl, plate, chopsticks, spoon and an extra-large bowl are placed on the table. Since the outbreak of SARS and swine flu many years ago, tea is used to wash all of the utensils and crockery you will use for your meal. This has become part of the Dim sum ritual, so don’t be afraid to ask for a bowl if you are not given one. It will ensure your plates, utensil are clean, and let your waiter know you are not a rookie. Ok so what do you eat. The short answer is whatever you want! But there are a few go to favorites.

Shu Mei pictured above is a pork and shrimp dumpling. Its delicious, and usually comes like the picture above, in a serve of four.

Pictured above top left is Cha siu Bao, pork bun. To the right, is chilli dipping sauce. You can dip what ever you want in chilli sauce. Dim sum is a taste festival of sweet and savoury. There are no rules! Mix it up however you like. Second from the left bottom is Ma Lai Gao, it’s basically a very light steamed sponge cake, normally vanilla. Bottom right is Nai Wong bao, a sweet egg custard filled steamed bun. Most Dim sum restaurants, will have a menu you can order off, (may not be in english) or just pick from the trolley as it comes around. Top middle is a typical Dim sum bill. As you take food from the trolley, or order, your waiter will stamp your bill. When you are finished, you present the stamped paper to pay. It is tradition, if you invite someone for Dim sum, you pay, or at least make an attempt to cover the bill.

Where is the best Dim sum in Hong Kong? The answer to this is, it’s all good, but if you want to eat from a one Michelin star Dim sum you’ll need to go to Tim Ho Wan, 9-11 Fuk Wing street, in Sham Shui Po. Tim Ho Wan Hong Kong.

barbeque Cha siu bao. Robert Koenig-Luck

The specialty at Tim Ho Wan is barbeque Pork bun. How could you make a pork bun better? This is how! A normal pork bun has a soft bao bun, filled with sweet savoury pork. Make that bun light and crunchy by baking it, add the same filling, and angels will dance on your tongue when you bite into this tasty creation.

My sample bill and menu above shows six dishes for $110 HK which is about $18 AUD or 14 USD. Tim Ho Wan is good! This means its popular. So when you go, you may need to line up and get a ticket for the next available table. The sign of a good Dim sum is not the people inside, it’s the line outside. Be prepared to sit wherever there is a spare seat. This may be at a table with other people, already eating. You can take advantage of this, and may have a better chance in small groups of two or more.

There is some good news. The success of Tim Ho Wan means they now have restaurants in Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, Philippines, Taiwan, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpor and New York. So if you can’t get to the original in Hong Kong, check this link for other locations. Tim Ho Wan website.

Enjoy Dim sum, and the #festivaloflife.

My Hong Kong recommendations.

Yat Lok. Michelin star Roast meat. The Specialty is Goose.

Lin Heung Tea House. Very traditional family Dim sum tea house in Soho.

Spot the one western lady up the back (my beautiful wife) trying to order barbeque pork, not on the trolley. She did it! Two words and pointing. “Cha siu”. It was delicious!

HOLY SHINKANSEN

I’m in Kyoto Japan, on my way for a day trip to Hiroshima. The trip there and back will be 657kms. With a Shinkansen/bullet train! no problems.

Sounds a bit too much in one day? On Japan Rail, it’s not!

My trip to Japan is ten days all up, including three nights, two full days in Tokyo. A bullet train to Nagoya and then a local train to Nakatsugawa, then three days Walking the Nakasendo trail also using local JR trains. After the Nakasendo, Nakatsugawa back to Nagoya, then to Kyoto. Three nights two full days in Kyoto, including a day trip to Hiroshima. Then one last train to Osaka where I’ll fly out of Kansai International. Ok, it’s a hectic schedule, but I only have two weeks all up including stopovers in Bangkok.

The easy solution is a Japan rail JR pass. JR pass Australia. Depending on what country you are in, you should buy your JR pass vouchers a few weeks before you travel to Japan, allowing enough time for them to arrive before you travel. JR pass vouchers are valid for three months from the date of Purchase, and need to be exchanged for passes at one of the following offices throughout Japan. JR Ticket offices.

It’s important when buying your pass online, to make sure the name on your passport matches exactly with the name on your pass. If they don’t you won’t be able to redeem the voucher for a pass. You will also need to make sure you get the tourist visa stamp when entering Japan, as the JR passes are only available to tourists. When you go to exchange your JR pass at one of the ticket offices, ( you can also do this at the airport) make sure you have your passport, and allow a bit of time as the ticket offices can get very busy. The ticket offices are extremely efficient and attendants will check your documents whilst you wait in line. There are two types of passes. Ordinary and Green/ first class. The passes are 7, 14 ,and 21 days duration, and will start from the date you nominate when you exchange the voucher, ending midnight on the last day.

Is it good value? and which one should I buy? Well, Japan is a big country, with big cities, Tokyo has 38 million people! and if it’s your first trip to Japan it can be overwhelming. Any thing you can do to make it easier, will make it more enjoyable.

I purchased the green first class JR pass for 7 days. It was about $100 Aud more than the ordinary pass and I think well worth it. If you’ve ever walked past envious of all the people sitting in business class on a plane then spoil your self. The first class seats on a Shinkansen are better than any economy seat I’ve ever sat in. There are train attendants who will sell you food and drinks as you sit watching the country side go by.

Shinkansen are like a jet plane with out wings and they are fast! How fast? This fast.

Ok, so they are comfortable and fast. They also run on time! to the minute! This means when your train is doing 250 kms an hour approaching the station you need to be ready to get off! Be prepared by getting your bags down from overhead racks, or if you’ve been lucky enough you can leave them in the last row behind seats near the carriage exit. But generally these will already be full. If you plan to do a lot of train travel, it’s a good idea to choose baggage you can move quickly by yourself, and are able to stow in front of your seat, (there is room for medium size bags) or not too heavy to lift to an overhead rack.

Booking is easy once you have your pass, just go to a JR ticket office and book preferably the day before you travel to guarantee getting seats together. You can book at any time with a green car pass, but if its busy, you can miss out sometimes on the first class seats. This not a problem, just book the next train.

The first time you use the JR pass you will need to go through the entry gate where a train attendant will stamp and check your Pass. Even though you have a ticket, most times you will still need to show the JR Pass. On local JR trains, like the Chuo line on the Nakasendo way, you do not need to get a ticket, you just need to show the train driver your JR pass when you get off at your destination. This is handy if you arrive in a hurry, or the ticket office is shut.

So is it good value? I calculated over all my train travel I saved about $200 Aud by having a JR pass. It also made travel quick and easy by not having to have cash to purchase a ticket for every train. I also hired a WIFI hotspot from the Australian JR website. The hotspot was delivered to my hotel in Tokyo with a return prepaid envelope, which could be put in any Japan mail post box. Most airports have post boxes, you just need to check the location. The Hotspot was super fast, and allowed both my wife and I to connect with unlimited data. Having WIFI wherever you go makes planning, (like using maps) and staying in touch easy. So if you want to experience the amazing efficiency and luxury of Japan Rail, take a Shinkansen and enjoy the ride, and the #festivaloflife.

” Take note”

OK! You finally made it on to the plane! Got the exit row, and are sipping your first holiday drink. You are about to choose a movie when the flight attendant brings around the immigration cards. NOOOOOO. You’ve put everything in the overhead locker including passport.

Not a problem, because you are prepared! You’ve got your phone (now in flight mode) and a pen. It’s all you need!

It’s always good planning to take a note of travel documents, including Passport numbers and expiry dates, place of issue etc. I use a password App called 1password.

1 Password App

There are many different Apps like this, so use which ever one suits you.

I store all types of logins, like Facebook, travel apps, credit cards and secure notes, which can only be accessed by my fingerprint or a password. Security in mind, it’s a good idea when traveling to make sure you are using a location App like find my iPhone to keep track of your devices. If they are lost, or even stolen, you can locate them, and if needed erase all the data remotely. It’s also a good idea to have an alternate email address for password reset and recovery, separate to your most used emails.

Also, check the coverage amount on your travel insurance for Mobiles, laptops and tablets. Many companies will only pay up to a maximum depending on the age and condition of your device. Consider traveling with a burner phone if you are going to destinations with high crime rates.

In the secure notes, I put all the passport numbers, details of the Family members I’m traveling with. This makes it super easy to fill out immigration cards without having to pull out passports. Its quick, easy and also good to have a record of your documents you can access if needed. For example, if you use a cash card over seas, it may be a while since you’ve traveled and used it. No problem, you can quickly and securely check the pin if you need in the secure app. Make yourself Appy, enjoy the #festivaloflife.

Plan your adventure

Kanasai International. Osaka. Robert Koenig-Luck

I’m at Tengachaya train station in Osaka Japan, trying to get to the airport for a flight to Bangkok. An elderly man in double denim approaches me and asks where I’m from. My spider senses tingle a little. This is the first time anyone has just come up to me in Japan in past ten days. I scope him out as he touches my arm, and my hands go into my pockets where phone and wallet are. The man in denim with wispy white beard tells me he is Javanese, and was once a writer for Lonely Planet. I tell him I’m from Australia and he says the world has changed, and these days he just notices young people staring at their smart phones looking for answers. The Lonely Planet writers were the pioneers of travel. I remember when I started traveling 30 years ago, Lonely Planet was the bible. Now its a very good online resource and app.Today it is a different world, where your success may depend on the strength of your WiFi, or Wihi as they say it in Japan. I am a self-confessed travel nerd! I love pouring over blogs, YouTube whatever gets me the info to make my adventure easy (depends on your definition) and enjoyable.

People you’ve got to do some work for your holiday!

Yes. We all have busy lives and my motto is never judge. If you want to hand your dream holiday to an experienced professional who will do an amazing job at connecting you with the travel companies that pay their commission. Go for it!

I reckon you will have a great holiday. But. Never let a but go by, my English Literature teacher told me many years ago.

If you want to step outside the guided track and find adventure, then research the life out of places you want to go to. When you discover something by accident, because you took a detour, its unique and amazing. You experience your own adventure!

OK, within reason, I’m not recommending dark alleys. But I am recommending meet locals, like a great tour app I discovered recently visiting Bangkok.

With Locals

OK. Lets back the truck up a little. I asked a journalist friend recently who worked in a previous life, before kids, for Lonely Planet, What I should do in Bangkok, and she recommended visiting a local floating market. I did not want to share the experience with a horde of other tourists, and I was a bit hesitant to go up to a long tail boat driver on the river and say “please take me down a canal and rob me” so I searched the internet and found via Google, With locals. website. Blog of this adventure coming soon.

But. The point is, I had a unique experience, with my own personnel guide, where I was not herded by a person with a flag. And, it ended when I wanted it to.

What I’m saying here is the world has changed. The travel writers, before the internet, took the journey for you, and wrote beautiful stories in a book which you put in your backpack. I’m 50 now. I don’t want to carry much! WiFi hot spot, cash and my phone.

Take the journey, research, use whatever you can to plan your holiday.

Your hard-earned cash will be well spent when you discover the real and local adventures.

Ok. Back to Tengachaya station.My wife and I climb the stairs with our suitcases and carefully check the google maps. We need the Nankai line on platform 3 to get to Kansai International. We’ve bought our tickets, 1000 yen all the way to the airport. In the past ten days we’ve discovered the joy of first class Shinkansen travel, we bought Japan Rail passes. We are very suited to first class travel now. The JR passes have expired. But we think, nah the google maps told us the fare was 1000 yen! We board a fancy blue sleek train, take our seats, and as we are high fiving each other thinking, We’ve nailed it again! A very polite and smiley Japanese train conductor asks to see our tickets, and then says please follow her. I’m thinking, we must have got in the wrong car. There are better seats! No. The smile now gone from her face, she leads us to the nearest door and tells us we have to get off at the next stop. There is another train for the people who paid 1000 yen. This train is 1600 Yen and the seats are all booked. I apologize with a phrase I’ve learned from my Japanese language app. We stand now for about 30 minutes, and the smiley Japanese conductor comes back at the next stop to show us the door! Japan is amazing, and beautiful. Plan, but be prepared to make a few mistakes.

Lat Mayom river. Bangkok. Thailand. Robert Koenig-luck.

Enjoy the #festivaloflife

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