Shanghai

Ah - Shanghai.... if you ask me the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Shanghai, it's the hookers. Sure, there are prostitutes all over Asia, but the sheer volume and level of aggression in Shanghai was astounding.  Walking on the Bund or Nanjing Road with western features is an invitation for pimps and hookers to literally swarm you like paparazzi chasing a Kardashian.

Once you get past all that, it's pretty cool. Sure there's pollution, traffic, awful taxi drivers, you can't eat the chicken, and it's mainland China, so Google and Facebook are either non-existent or crippled, but there's so much history, culture and great food it's a hard place not to enjoy.

The skyline is one of the best and most beautiful in the world - and most of it didn't even exist 10 years ago.  Truly amazing.

There are so many cuisines represented so well, but I really enjoyed the Sichuan.  I ate at South Beauty a few times, on a great recommendation.  The one thing I was happy to learn, though, was that what Tony Hu is doing in Chicago at Lao Sze Chuan is really as good as the real thing!

Below are some pics from one night at South Beauty:

Yep - that's a turtle. The guy that ordered it didn't even try it... boo!  It tasted quite good, although there was much less meat than I expected.

I took the Maglev to the airport.  What a great ride.  That's the speed we were going... no joke.  It felt much safer than the taxis, and cost less too.

This is the Jing An temple.  The district that bears its name is mostly business, and it's where the Hilton is located, just a short walk from my client's offices.

Nan Xziang dumpling house - home of the most famous Xiao Long Bao in the world.  Honestly, not quite as good as Din Tai Fung (sorry) - but DTF does not offer the GIANT crab roe dumpling shown below.. complete with straw.  IT was quite amazing.

 

Outside Nan Xiang is the Le Garden.  It's quite beautiful and there is an area you can buy a ticket to take a tour as well.  Very cool, and lots of pearls/jade/art for shopping in this area.  Just remember to bargain.  The first price they give you is more than double what you should pay.

Some other recommendations in Shanghai:
Most of this stuff is on the Bund.  Opposite side of the river from the PuDong skyline shown above is the Bund, a relic of the years when the Westerners set up to trade with the Chinese.

Mr. and Mrs. Bund was quite god, but probably a little overrated.  Still, I'd say go as the prices are high for Shanghai, but not outrageous and the view from the outer deck is really great.  After eating here, I headed to Glamour Bar upstairs from M on the Bund.  Pretty good scene, although there were lots of hookers working, so need to be careful there.  I saw one guy get a drink thrown on him when he let a girl sit down and have drinks, then said he wasn't buying.  After that I hit the long bar at the Waldorf Astoria.  Live Jazz, solid cocktails and a generally nice room with good service.  Highly recommended.

Mercato (Italian) by Jean Gorges Vongerichten is an excellent value, serves food til late night. The night club in the 1st floor of that building (can't remember the name) was also quite a good time.

El Willy - an oasis of traditional Spanish tapas in Shanghai.  High end food and drink in a great atmosphere. Most of the servers are western and English is no problem here.

South Beauty - there are  many locations.  The one on Nanjing road is okay, but if you can, hit the flagship, it's much better.

If you're in the mood for Western food at a lower price point, in the Jing An district, there is a great Italian place called Bella Napoli.  Solid red-sauce Italian, mostly Western clientele, good service, and a nice patio, although outside seating is smoking allowed.

One place to stay away from... Amex Concierge recommended Shanghai Uncle, which happened to be in the Bund Center, adjacent to my hotel.  Did not like it at all.... I'd stay clear of that one.

Phuket

Phuket is a tropical paradise in Southwestern Thailand.  You won't find too many high end restaurants, but the local food is fresh and there is LOTS of fresh, wonderful seafood because there is lots of beautiful ocean (see pics).  The airport is quite small and easy to navigate.  Direct flights to and from Hong Kong took about 4 hours and were affordable, but the times were odd (very late at night).

The resorts are fairly spread out, so if you are going with a group you should coordinate to stay at the same place or in the same vicinity.  Prices are really not bad... 

In terms of things to do, we did elephant rides one day.  We were told the elephant sanctuary we used was not cruel to the animals... I hope that's true, but wish I had done some better research.  The Patong Beach area is classic Wild & Crazy Thailand with ping pong ball shows, other smut, and plenty of crime... but there are also some normal bars with karaoke, dancing, and live music, so with a group it's lots of fun.

There are a few other "activities" - you can tour some Wots, etc.  but the Island Boat tours are the way to go.  If money is no object, I'd do a private charter, just because you can spend more time on the open water, and you don't get herded to lots of different spots if you're really enjoying one of the less crowded ones where you are.

I stayed at Le Meridien.  Really loved the resort.  Got Platinum upgrade to a junior suite room with a full terrace, pool and ocean view.  Really wish I had thought to use Starwood's Your 24 benefit to cut out a day, as I checked in 4am Thursday night and checked out 4am Monday morning.  Could have made that 3 nights instead of 4. There's a shuttle to Patong, and it's about a $5 USD cab ride if you want to go immediately.  Teppan and Thai restaurants on the premises were both very good, and the drinks were fantastic.

Hong Kong

I waited a long time to post about Hong Kong after basically living there for five months.  I thought I would have more pictures.... I don't.

Hong Kong is an interesting place - it's China, but it's not - it's a S.A.R (Special Administrative Region) which means the PRC owns it, but they get to basically do their own thing.  There's a huge western influence since it was owned by the British until '97... but the biggest western influence seems to be SHOPPING.

On a side note, a stranger at a bar suggested I read "Noble House" by James Clavell to better understand Hong Kong.  It's best classified as historical fiction.  It's a dreadfully long book, but very compelling and fun to read, and if you spend any real time in Hong Kong, you get such a sense of the world it used to be.  The book is loosely based on the Jardines and tells a story of one week in 1960s Hong Kong rife with international and corporate espionage, love, lust, murder, tragedy, and fortunes won and lost.

HK is best described as a metropolis like New York City, set in the rolling hills of San Francisco, on an island like Hawaii.

When you get closer to the details - you see malls.. and more malls.  Every office building I worked in while in Hong Kong was in a mall.  And in those malls, the same luxury stores, over and over, each with a line longer than the next.  Due to the tax advantages, the rich from China go down to HK to shop... and shop they do!  There are also some great restaurants, of course, but more on that later.

When you need to get out of the mall, Hong Kong is HiKing.  The photo above was taken from Victoria Peak on Hong Kong island, which is home to some very lovely homes, a mall (surprise), and a great observation deck. If you go, check out the sub-decks which are free on the level below the observation deck that requires tickets.  You may decide to skip the one that costs money, which is much more crowded and offers only a few additional vantage points and an additional 12-18 ft of elevation.

Victoria Peak has a great number of hiking trails. You can explore on your own, or you can look for a Chinese walking group or join a hash (just google Hash House Harriers Hong Kong).

Beyond the peak, there are also the outlying islands which offer amazing hikes and a total respite from the uber-commerce of HK and Kowloon.  Also - north of Kowloon sits Sha-tin and a vast array of additional spots in the mountains just south of the mainland.. I never made it up that way :(

These pics are from Lantau island.  Lantau is home to the airport, and the Big Buddha.. pics of which I do not have because my friend Kristof has been lazy about sharing them.  There is a sky-ride that takes you up to the Buddha, or you can hike it.  The standard hike is treacherous.  Takes about 4+ hours and includes 2 peaks and valleys.  An alternative we took was to drive in a taxi around the perimeter of the island and then hike from the tiny fishing village of Tai-O up the roads behind the Buddha. This was about a 90 min. hike, good exercise, and very fun.   Another option on Lantau is to take the ferry to Mui-Wo.  The picture above was taken from a trail off the Mui-Wo ferry.

Upon landing, I had a burger at The Bear Bar - fun place... would probably be a blast on a Friday night.  

On trail I encountered some long stairways and an Ox on my hike.  It was a great time and good exercise.  

So - all that hiking makes a guy HUNGRY.  And there really is some fantastic food in Hong Kong.

First - just a standard Roncierge-style list of HK Dining Highlights:

Chinese – 

• Din Tai Fung is amazing at every location.  Perfect Xiao Long Bao (even better than Nan Xiang in Shanghai).  
• Crystal Jade is also good for xlb and their La Mein noodles are tops.
• YunYan Sichuan in the Mira is pretty good - although nothing in HK is as spicy as I would like it to be... except
• San Xin Lao on the 7th floor of an office building in Central;  
• Dim Sum:  Celestial Court in the Sheraton is amazing; Maxim's City Hall is great as well, and a traditional "trolley" style dim sum
• Under the Bridge Spicy Crab - every food writer or show recommends this, for good reason.  It's incredibly good.  Go with a big group so you can try lots of stuff.
• Yung Kee Goose - another big crowd place, probably a good idea to bring a local.  This is a 

Korean - 

• There are many Korean restaurants in HK and most are very good.  Myung Ga in iSquare is one of the best.  Sorbal in the Mira is a close second.  They have a fantastic cold soba with spicy sauce that I would travel back to HK for.

Sushi - 

• Sushi is more miss than hit in HK.  In one of the rare instances where Zagat was spot on, Kenjo’s on mody road is by far the best.  It's not inexpensive, but it is unpretentious, very Japanese, and very fresh.  There's a Nobu a few blocks away, but I'd skip it and go to Kenjo.

Japanese - 

• The Toy House on Canton Road is about 8 floors of top notch Japanese - anything you want can be found there.
• Katsu – HIP katsu in the Harbour City mall was my favorite.  If you read the Tokyo posts, you know Katsu is my favorite Japanese food.  
• Ramen – Ippudo (there are many); or anything in the Toy House

Western - 

• CraftSteak and Posto Publico in Central , Gourmet Burger Union in Central, chinnery in the Mandarin Oriental, BRAT sausages (go in Central, not the mall)
• Fancy – Bo Innovation in Wanchai (The chef is a bit of a character and a media whore - so a lot of people are uninterested, but it is a great place, the food really stands on its own with or without the 
• Mario Batali’s LUPA,
• Woolomooloo prime steak in “the one” with awesome view

Now - some pictures of food

 Bo Innovation:

 

 Yung Kee - don't be afraid of the preserved eggs... they are phenomenal... and the goose speaks for itself!

On my last night in Hong Kong, we had drinks at Ozone in the Ritz Carlton.  It's the highest bar in the world.  118th floor with a magnificent view.  The drinks are not nearly as overpriced as expected... I wish I didn't wait so long to go.

Three Nights In Bangkok

And I am no more humble than I was before I went, but I had a wonderful time.  It's true what they say - Bangkok is a full-on attack on your senses.  The sights, sounds, flavors, and smells of this bustling city on a river are bold and beautiful.  The architecture is striking - the city is modern, but also home to so many temples that break up the concrete jungle.  

It was HOT during the day, but it was fairly dry, so it cooled off nicely when the sun went down.  I do find it odd, however, such a hot place requires long pants in so many of the tourist attractions (I didn't go inside any of those).

My first Tuk Tuk ride.  Smokey, smelly, but a relatively fun form of transportation.  Of course mostly it's a scam - you need to be very firm in negotiating up front.  Pay more (baht are so cheap, more is not that much more) but be firm in negotiating "no stops" up front.  The common scam is for a kind stranger to map out a few tourist spots you "must see" then tell you he can negotiate a good rate from the Tuk Tuk which will be like $1.50 US.  Of course the kind stranger is a shill for some tailor shop or jeweler (sometimes also a bigger scam) and the store owner will pay the tuk tuk driver a commission for bringing you.

For lunch on my first day, I went to Nahm, recently voted the 3rd best restaurant in Asia.  It's in a hotel and I was able to sit on the terrace facing the pool.

Signature cocktail - the "Cool MC" - Hendrick's, cucumber, lemonade, mint

The menu was a prix fixe, starting with an amuse bouche.

Then an oyster satay, some laab, and another minced meat delicacy.  This stuff was really spicy.  Nahm is famous for serving food with the appropriate flavor profile, regardless of the taste of the diner.  Love it.  Especially after so much time in Hong Kong, where the Cantonese tastes really don't appreciate spice.

set menu let me pick three dishes - Duck in Red Curry, Pork stirfry with basil, and tom yum goong.

dessert - too much going on to explain, green noodles, corn, water chestnuts, and more.  Very tasty.

And then some buddahs - this one is golden buddah

Standing Buddah

The Golden Mount

A view of a wat from across the river

A friendly lizard in the park - on my way to the muay thai fights.  I don't know why it's so cool to see animals like this

Saturday afternoon Muay Thai fighting .... interesting mix of locals and tourists - pretty expensive ($60 US) but worth it.  You get ringside seats and cheap beer.

Other meals and recommendations in Bangkok:
Thriptara at the Peninsula - a little more "westernized" in terms of spice level, but the food, service, and atmosphere were fantastic.
Great view at the 360 bar atop the Millennium Hilton (where I stayed) - I was having too much fun to go back and grab a camera for pix, but it's breathtaking day or night.
Street food - famous, smells great, most of what I tried tastes great - but you really have to pick and choose to be safe.

Anyway - Bottom Line is that Bangkok is not nearly as seedy as I expected. Sure the vice is there, people are trying to scam you, etc.... but your money goes a LONG way there.  Nice hotels, even the most expensive restaurants are somewhat reasonable and there is tons of cheap food, taxis, etc. are all very inexpensive.  I look forward to going back.