Travel – #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!

Geisha of Gion.

Red Geisha — Smiling Geisha, Gion, Kyoto. Robert Koenig-Luck. 2018.

The very first time you see a Geisha floating down the street its…..Well, it looked like this.

I’m in Kyoto Japan. I’ve chosen to stay in Gion because I wanted to see a bit of the old capital of Japan. I’ve also read that “Memoirs of a Geisha” was filmed in the streets of Gion. I’ve told my lovely wife this, and she seems unconvinced about the presence of Geisha, until the first sighting. I’m pretty amazed myself, as a photographer (yes I’m on holiday) the chance to try to capture real life Geisha on the traditional Lantern lit streets of Kyoto is a bonus on my first trip to Japan. I’ve got a fast 50mm f 1.8 lens and a Giggling excited wife to share the experience.

Ok, so what are Geisha? From the dictionary; noun: geisha; plural noun: geishas; plural noun: geisha; noun: geisha girl; plural noun: geisha girls. A Japanese hostess trained to entertain men with conversation, dance, and song.

My definition. “Geisha are captivating, speedy and mysterious beautiful Artisan Japanese women.”

I’ve read there is a place called Gion corner. Some how, when out for a stroll at night to see a temple, We’ve stumbled across prime Geisha spotting territory!

Screen Shot 2018-05-23 at 6.00.23 pm — Apple Maps. Gion.

We are on a corner when a very speedy Geisha appears, my wife chases asking for a photo, I am embarrassed, until a spanish women says “Que Bonita” and clamps the geisha by the arm for a photo.The Geisha is trapped and smiles. The wife is not happy and glares at me, I refuse to use my powers for evil.

somewhere about the centre of the map, and down the street to the right,also along Hanamikoji dori St, at around 8:30 to 9 pm is where you’ll see the beautiful Geisha of Gion.

The mission is now, capture beautiful photos of Geisha and satisfy frothing wife with a picture that contains her and at least one Geisha, whilst not using my powers for evil! I always love a challenge, so night two, despite the rain I’m poised like a paparazzi waiting for the Royal family. At first I notice a few well dressed Japanese men and friends are disturbed by my lurking. I’m not the only one. A french man with two cameras does the 100m in 8.5 secs to get a shot. I lower my weapon whenever businessmen are leaving establishments. My cunning plan, and instructions to wife are, stand in one spot for me to get focus and don’t move. When geisha are in sight you will need to move left or right so I can get you in shot. For once , she does not question this, must be the magic of Kyoto.

The sequence above is what it took to get the shot which satisfied her, and let me go and drink beer and eat some fried chicken and ramen. It was worth it for this.

Geisha of Gion and happy wife. Robert Koenig-Luck

Who would have thought wandering around the streets of Kyoto and not spending 1000’s of Yen could provide so much Fun!

Red Geisha, Gion, Kyoto. Robert Koenig-Luck.

The Geisha of Gion are mesmerizing and beautiful. If you get a chance, take a little time and just watch them move gracefully down the street. It will make the old capital Kyoto magical, and help you celebrate the #festivaloflife.

I stayed at; Ms Inn Higashiyama.

My Ramen recommendation; Musoshin Ramen

“Festivalofwater”

Bangkok River Sunset. Robert koenig-Luck

Its been a hot April day in Bangkok, and my wife and I have been taking in the local festivities of the Songkran festival. Somehow we’ve managed to time our arrival, the 13th Of April, with Thai new year. When we arrived at our hotel in Yaowarat road the night before, a very merry (intoxicated) Thai fellow turned a hose on our van and driver. We just thought, its hot and people are cooling down. Yes people were calling down, but the cooling down went on for three days! Observe the gents above with large water pistols………….What is Songkran festival? I hear you say?

Definition “Songkran is a celebration that embraces goodwill, love, compassion, and thankfulness, using water as the means of expression” Lots of water! My definition.

“Songkran is a three-day water fight, where crazy people will use anything that holds water, pistols, buckets, hoses to soak each other, and anyone in their path”

OK! The water festival is non stop fun for many Thai people, and quite a few enthusiastic tourists. You can buy large water propelling instruments every where, if you choose to do so, or not. You are still gonna get wet. If you are in Bangkok during this cooling celebration, bring your smile, and a sense of humour, you are going to need it!

I recommend you prepare to be soaked if you are going to visit places like Khaosan road pictured above. Put on some shorts and a T-shirt, any outfit you are happy to get soaked in. Lucky for me my backpack had a rain cover, and I kept camera, and anything else that needed to remain dry under cover. My passport did get a bit wet at a money changer when two girls decided the best place to hide was behind me! Water can, and will come from any where! As my wife and I rode a Tuk Tuk back from Khaosan rd the traffic came to a brief halt on a busy road.

Just moments, after the video above. Enter man with bucket! who gleefully tipped it over my head!

The Songkran festival, crazy as it is, generates a lot of goodwill, thankfulness, compassion and joy. Lets face it. It is hot, and as long as you are prepared, the random expressions of thankfullness delivered with smiles are fun. There is also another part of the festival which involves having your face smeared with talcum powder which is then wet.

On our last night in Bangkok we’d dodged the merry Thai man with the hose out the front of our hotel, only to be followed by another merry fellow. As he was about to jump me I turned suddenly, and for a moment he stared in shock. I smiled, dropped my arms and said “Common, do it!” he smeared me with talc, and wet me laughing hysterically as he did it. I thanked him in Thai.

The talcum powder represents the past years sins. As you wash it away you are reborn for the new year. At that moment, I felt goodwill, compassion and thankfulness that We’d experienced by chance, the Songkran festival

The festival of water, made me celebrate 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.

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