In our search for meals in Hong Kong, our culinary sampling ran the gamut from mall food court take-out to fine dining. After a mediocre scrambled eggs and hot dog(!) breakfast our first morning at...
Blog posts from asia trip 2011
Asian adventure 2011: exploring the heights of Hong Kong
Tian Tan (Big Buddha) Tian Tan is an enormous seated Buddha on Lantau Island. The site itself hosts a monastery, the statue, and of course a variety of shops. It is free to visit but the...
Asian adventure 2011: exploring the sights of Hong Kong
Findings from our wanderings: wow, Hong Kong is a dense city much like Disney world there are lines/queues for just about everything the city is a very three dimensional with walkways above and...
Asian adventure 2011: where we stayed in Hong Kong
While reviewing hotel options for Hong Kong we quickly narrowed our search to Kowloon, but had a hard time deciding between a hotel with a harbor view or one located along the metro line. Since it...
Asian adventure 2011: taking it easy in Bangkok
After the adventures of the past week we decided to take it easy and relax in Bangkok in anticipation of a busy end to our trip in Hong Kong. We started our day with the large breakfast spread at...
Asian adventure 2011: where we stayed in Bangkok
For Bangkok we booked two nights in Lebua at State Tower and our experience was decidedly mixed. Our room was quite large with a separate sitting area, small kitchenette, and a small balcony off the...
Asian adventure 2011: Sunday daytrip from Chiang Mai
After a good night's sleep we met our guides in the hotel lobby for our second day of touring. Our plan for this day was to visit several waterfalls north of Chiang Mai, and since we got an early...
Asian adventure 2011: Saturday daytrip from Chiang Mai
The scenic national parks and surrounding countryside was a major reason we chose Chiang Mai as a destination. From the beginning I knew we wanted to see some of the many waterfalls in the region,...
Asian Adventure 2011: Garra rufa
I had some time after my cooking class before Eric returned from the elephant park, so I ventured out to find the nearby Fish Spa recommended by my cooking instructor. Upon arrival I carefully...
Asian adventure 2011: Elephant Nature Park
While Leandra took a cooking class I visited Elephant Nature Park, an elephant rescue and rehabilitation center in Northern Thailand. There are a number of "elephant experience" tours around Chiang...
Asian adventure 2011: Chiang Mai cooking class
We both love Thai food, so when the opportunity came up for me to take a Thai cooking class in Chiang Mai I was all for it. Unfortunately, this meant I had to miss the Elephant Nature Park...
Asian adventure 2011: Chiang Mai temples and markets
Chiang Mai is the northern economic and tourist hub and second largest city in Thailand. The terrain is rather hilly leading to slightly cooler weather than points south. While not vertical like...
Asian adventure 2011: where we stayed in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai: Le Meridian We've stayed at a few Le Meridian hotels in Europe since they are part of Starwood. In our experience they are chic-looking with good locations, but their service can vary...
Asian adventure 2011: Similan Islands
We'd read that Thailand's Similan Islands had some great snorkeling that shouldn't be missed, so we emailed the hotel concierge for some advice. Our hotel recommended Andaman Leisure Phuket (ALP),...
Asian adventure 2011: dining in Phuket
The Pavilions are part of Relais & Chateaux, a group of small boutique hotels and gourmet restaurants; Fearrington House, one of our favorite North Carolina restaurants, is a member of this...
Asian adventure 2011: where we stayed in Phuket
Phuket: The Pavilions Phuket Wow. The Pavilions was our favorite hotel of the trip due to the beauty of the surroundings and especially for their friendliness and service. This resort is actually...
Asian adventure 2011: First class on Cathay Pacific
Our Asia trip started in style with first class seats from New York's JFK to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific. While we enjoyed flying international business class on our way to Amsterdam on Delta, the...
Our Itinerary
2025 Trips
Tampa Bay, FL (Jan)
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Feb)
Villa la Angostura, Argentina (Feb)
Bariloche, Argentina (Feb)
Iguazu Falls, Argentina + Brazil (Feb)
Miami, FL (Feb)
Richmond, VA (Mar)
Boston, MA (Apr)
Kathmandu, Nepal (May)
Bhutan (May)
Slovenia (Sep)
Treviso, Italy (Sep)
Bologna, Italy (Sep)
Turin, Italy (Oct)
2024 Trips
San Diego, CA (Jan)
Sarasota, FL (Feb)
Madrid, Spain (Mar)
Valencia, Spain (Mar+Apr)
Palma, Mallorca (Apr)
Croatia (May)
Long Island, NY (July)
Faroe Islands (Aug)
London, UK (Sept)
Puglia, Italy (Sept)
Matera, Italy (Oct)
Rome, Italy (Oct)
Mosel Valley, Germany (Oct)
Frankfurt, Germany (Oct)
London + Manchester, UK (Dec)
2023 Trips
San Diego (Jan)
Orlando (Feb)
Richmond, VA (Apr)
Northern Italy (Apr)
NC Mountains (May)
Long Island (Jul)
Wisconsin (Aug)
Chicago (Aug)
Oak Island, NC (Sept)
Brooklyn, NY (Sept)
Bordeaux + Rugby World Cup (Sep)
Castilla y León (Sep)
Seychelles (Nov)
Willamette Valley (Dec)