This summer I had the privilege to travel around the east of Asia. I spent 3 weeks travelling starting from Hong Kong, a day trip to Shenzhen, to Taipei, to Shanghai and finally to Beijing. I thought I’d do some reflection and talk about my experiences, some of the highlights, lessons I learnt and all that good stuff.

Hong Kong

First I touched down in Hong Kong, immediately I got hit with the mugginess and humidity of monsoon Asia. Hong Kong was a cultural melting pot and a blend of eastern and western architecture. The density of Hong Kong gives the urban jungle vibe and the backstreets matched that energy.

When I travel, I always try to keep 2 things at the top of my priorities, the first is food, the second is activities. During my time in HK, Kowloon specifically, I travelled to (a very foggy) Victoria Peak, hiked up to the Big Buddha statue through Lantau Island (taking the ferry to the island), this was a lot tougher than it seems as it’s all uphill and was chucking it down in 27 degree heat with monsoon rain, I’d suggest anyone getting the coach to go straight to the top unless you want a challenge! The final activity I did was taking an easy stroll through the beautiful Nan Lian Garden.

For those unaware, Hong Kong has a massive culture of dim sum, to the point where a pub crawl in the UK is the equivalent of a dim sum crawl in HK. I made the most of this by eating plenty of dim sum, most notably visiting the mosque with a dim sum canteen and ordering a variety of dishes, before hiking up to the Buddha statue, highly recommend!

Shenzhen

I also spent a day visiting Shenzhen, China’s Silicon Valley. I visited the tech mall, although I found the items sold to be mostly all the same thing - cheap fans, massagers, hair dryers, portable batteries and such. I visited the high-end luxury mall and picked up Molly Tea, which actually originated out of Shenzhen. Luxury branded items are actually more expensive in mainland China than Europe for the most part due to import taxes.

This is also where I learnt that food in mainland China is very cheap, I ended up going to a Western Chinese food (a trend you’ll see throughout my trip) stall and each added dish was only 2 to 5 British pounds, which was a steal!

Taipei

Taipei was probably my favourite of all the cities I visited, the hikes and views were gorgeous, and there was enough western familiarity (7-Eleven, Uber, Costco) to make this city easy to navigate and one to remember.

In terms of tourist attractions, I visited the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial, Dihua Street, Houtong Cat Village, Shifen Waterfall and Jiufen Market. If you Google the top 5 touristy things to do in Taiwan I basically did those.

I had the chance to pray Jummah at the Grand Taipei Mosque (Taipei has a heavy Indonesian Muslim population) and went up Taipei 101 tower. Din Tai Fung (DTF) is also inside the mall of the Taipei 101, although the wait times are always crazy high. So long that I had time to get my waiting ticket for DTF and go up the tower to the viewpoint, back down, taxi to Elephant Mountain and hike it, and still had 15 minutes left over when I came back! The view of the city is so pretty, as can be seen below.

I ate some Indonesian food for the first time in my life and picked up some iconic pineapple cakes in cat form from Cat Village, which is a village with a bunch of cats… so I was living out my cat dream! I finished Taipei by having some lovely beef noodle soup and dim sum at Lao Chang Muslim Beef Noodle Restaurant.

Shanghai

Landing in mainland China was a rocky experience, as you really experience the internet restrictions quickly. Even with an eSIM it seems the built-in Google Translate was rate limited on both Amap (China’s version of Google Maps) and Alipay after even minor usage. This meant that at 1 AM when I finally landed and got to the hotel, it became impossible to order food - as I didn’t have a Chinese phone number and my reading skills of Chinese are pretty poor to non-existent, on top of that I was starving. I ended up having to call my Chinese friend who kindly stayed up till 2 AM to ensure I had food delivered to my doorstep. I also managed to forget my AirPods in the taxi, and the hotel service helped me call back the taxi driver for a small fee, even though the British in me was convinced I’d never get them back and they’d be stolen.

The Bund, or as locals call it Waitan (外滩), is iconic to Shanghai, it’s an embankment that was built after the Opium Wars and has lots of impressive western architecture on display. Basically everyone takes the chance to stroll across the Bund in the evening when they reach Shanghai, rightfully so as it’s stunning. I don’t think pictures do it justice. Oh, and more Western Chinese food at Yershari! I also left the restaurant much richer in mints! As I left, I went to take some from the mint basket, and a Chinese grandma who worked there was kind enough to hand me 3 handfuls of mints with a smile (probably a few too many!), kind of transcending the language barrier for a minute whilst we exchanged smiles and gratitude.

Taxis in China are cheap, and I ordered all my rides through DiDi. However, traffic in downtown Shanghai was even worse than in Los Angeles, we’re talking if I walked it would have been 30 minutes faster. That said, it was pissing it down with rain, so I guess it wasn’t the end of the world to be in a borderline stationary vehicle. During my trip to one of the malls, I also managed to try durian pizza, for those who don’t know, durian is the fruit known for its pungent smell, but if you can get past the smell and the breath it leaves you with, it does taste great!

Beijing

The final destination, which was a banger, was Beijing. As soon as I landed, I felt nostalgic for when I landed in Pakistan: the desert-like feeling, the empty sky and the strong sun beating down on the city during summer. It’s almost how I’d imagine Dune to feel in real life. It’s more spacious than Shanghai, and feels more “Eastern”, having its own unique charm.

Now, there are a couple of must-do things in Beijing: Peking duck and hiking (a section of) the Great Wall of China. For Peking duck, I had it at HongBinLou and they were nice enough to show me how to make a Peking duck wrap with hoisin sauce, which slaps. I could talk all day about hiking the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China, the views were gorgeous and you feel so free whilst simultaneously wondering the whole time how soldiers would move heavy objects across a large stretch of the wall. I pushed myself to pace up the stairs to Niujiaobian, which was no easy feat! By the time I reached the top my heart was beating out of my chest, I had to do it for good dad lore!

The next day I visited the famous Tiananmen Square and had authentic Chinese hotpot at Donglaishun. I also spent the day doing touristy things such as visiting various street markets and exploring the city. I was lucky enough to pray Jummah in Beijing, where the prayer was led by an Indonesian imam. Standard tourist day really.

Finally, on the last day I met up with my Chinese friend I studied at university with and we had more Western Chinese food (surprise!) and visited Beijing Zoo, where we got to see the (sad-looking) pandas and elephants. We ended the trip by going to the famous Hai Di Lao! Some trivia: the O2 Hai Di Lao in London is the only all-you-can-eat Hai Di Lao in the world. Although customer service wise, it didn’t even come close to the Beijing branch we went to, they even offered to clean my glasses whilst I ate hotpot!

Finishing Notes

The last thing I learnt more about was payment systems. When I interned at Thought Machine, I learnt a lot more about just how important the flow of money is to every big financial entity, hence they each make their own payment system to keep control of it. Hong Kong has the (awfully slow) Octopus card, mainland China has WeChat Pay/Alipay and in Taiwan’s case you have LINE Pay, although cash is still king there. South Korea also has KakaoPay. Also note that East Asia tends to have super apps, meaning not only do they handle payments, but you can also talk to your friends, order a ride or even order food all from one app.

If you do want to visit East Asia, I’d suggest going with someone who speaks the language. I understand this is a privilege, but if you don’t have this luxury, I’d still suggest visiting any part of East Asia if given the chance! If you’re like me and have lived the majority of your life in the West, the concept of going to the East can be quite foreign. By never visiting, you’d be missing out on a whole different part of the planet with rich culture, great food, and lovely people. I really believe systems of this scale and in such contrast to the West need to be experienced, not learnt about in a textbook. So, thank you East Asia, until next time.

In July of 2024, I spent a whole month in the City of Angels, also known as Los Angeles. I’ve never been away for so long, and I never thought I would be. But, here I am, let’s reflect on the myriad of experiences that defined my trip travelling around the West Coast of North America as someone from the UK. As a footnote, I tried to pick the best photos I had, as if I were to fit them all in it would go on forever!

Life is all about experiences, they open up your horizons to new things you would have never considered, and reignite some curiosity about the world and different cultures. This holiday in particular is one I’ll never forget, I met some wonderful individuals and got to spend time creating core memories with people I’ll never forget.

The Good

Let’s start off with the good, the American Dream if you will.

Cuisines

The culinary scene goes crazy, street food, high-end dining and almost every cuisine you can think of. The abundance of food in the U.S. is striking, almost to the point of absurdity. The reality of larger portion sizes is undeniable. When you combine oversized servings with limited walkability, a perfect storm for overindulgence is created. However, you quickly learn that one meal is the equivalent of at least two if saved for leftovers, this doesn’t always happen as your eyes can eat more than your stomach at times, especially when presented with some of your favourite foods! Although America feels unwalkable, there are nice hiking trails and theme parks you can use to balance out the foodie in you, such as the Hollywood sign and Disney Land.

As for selection, I’d go with fried chicken to be my king, more specifically, Korean bbq fried chicken. As for the losers, well, it’s difficult to find food and drink that doesn’t taste good in LA to be honest. I mean, even the bubble tea tasted ten times nicer. I had an epiphany that it’s because of the sugar tax we have in the UK, I didn’t even know you could fit 900 calories and an ice cream scoop into a bubble tea drink until I visited LA.

Activities

My second favourite thing about LA other than enjoying the various cuisines, was the activities. As with food, activities to do whilst on the West Coast of North America are endless. During the month, some of the activities I did were: Shopping at outlets and malls, Beach trip, Japan-Town, Korea-Town, Watched a Dodgers Baseball Game, attended Anime Expo 2024, rapped Central Cee at Karaoke, went to an Arcade, strolled down Santa Monica Pier, Hiked close-ish to the Hollywood sign, Watched Princess Mononoke at an AMC, Escaped an Escape Room and visited the Getty. The list goes on, you get the point. You won’t get bored, there’s pockets of communities for everyone, you just need to go out and find them.

As a tourist, I wondered what another concrete jungle had to offer, as London is. However, I was blown away at the amount of entertainment and culture the city has to offer, with the weather being less miserable than London’s, and the melting pot culture leading to a welcoming feeling, it’s quite a wholesome experience.

Attractions

Attractions such as Disneyland felt like a wonderland, and also part of LA culture. Growing up in the UK it was expected that you were supposed to “outgrow” Disney movies and stop watching them, so when I saw adults with Cars backpacks and mickey mouse ears I was pleasantly surprised, as it’s Hollywood culture to respect Disney movies. During my short day visit, I went on a total of 12 rides, thanks to the meticulous planning of our host, and I immersed myself in the different universes the park had to offer, I can now confidently say the appeal is real and it’s a must-do if you ever visit LA. It really brings back memories and I caught a brief escape from the hustle of life with responsibilities and work.

Being much more up-to date with the Universal movies, and seeing how Hollywood operates backstage was nothing short of spectacular (a 60 anniversary special). I prepared for this one beforehand, watching all the Harry Potter movies before setting my foot into the park and readying myself to drink butter beer! My younger brother is also a huge fan of the Jurassic Park movies, so I made sure to pick him up some original merch from the store, and send him enough media content to feel like he was watching a go-pro POV angle of my antics, and he was in awe. The thrill-rides at Universal triumphed Disney and the queues were significantly shorter. In fact, the mummy ride was so good we ended up riding it twice!

Last but not least, San Diego Zoo blew me away. I’m a big fan of zoos and aquariums, being able to view wildlife that you’ll never be able to see otherwise and really take in the variety of animals that nature has provided to the world was fantastic. Putting the ethics and moralities of (bad) zoos to one side, it felt like San Diego Zoo had a good focus on education and conservation of various animals, with a large range of endangered species. You need to see animals to appreciate them, and get a better understanding of how they behave, and ultimately we are animals too. Most important to me, is that by understanding animals we can put together the pieces of the ecosystem puzzle to get a more holistic view once we have more knowledge of Earth’s inhabitants. I can draw similarities on a different scale, to when I would play Monster Hunter World with my little brother throughout Covid-19 when sat in isolation at home. In the game, you get to run around and view all the large and small sized creatures in each area, that will fight, die and respawn. You come to learn that every one of these creatures, in its own way, contributed to a delicate balance in an interconnected, living and breathing ecosystem. Coexistence with different people, and animals, is what plays a vital role in creating a world of beauty that can thrive.

Las Vegas

Right next to the City of Angels, lies Sin City in Nevada, Las Vegas. Although it has, for lack of a better word, an interesting reputation, I found it to be a beautiful place with some of the most luxury experiences I’ve seen and witnessed. After a 4 hour drive and a stop at Dutch Bros, I arrived in “The City That Never Sleeps”. Staying in the Luxor Hotel on the edge of the strip, I was a quick 10 minute walk away from the Bellagio, as most of the hotels are actually connected underground and you can walk through them freely. Walking through the Bellagio, attending events at the LIV and the MGM Grand, seeing the Hershey’s and M&M stores and eating at one of the finest steakhouses made my Vegas weekend trip very much worthwhile. I talked at the beginning about Sin City, and watching people glued to slot machines was as normal in Vegas as seeing someone complaining about the weather in Britain, it’s so casual, constant and popular that you become numb to it. My advice to future Vegas attenders would be to never buy things on the strip, instead drive 10 minutes out to a local CVS, you’ll thank your wallet later!

Grand Canyon

During my trip, I also visited The Grand Canyon State, Arizona, in order to visit the Grand Canyon, AKA the GC, and grand it was. Loaded up on water, electrolytes and sunscreen, I was ready. From the moment I got there I was in admiration, the size of it was enormous and the views make it fitting of being one of the world’s seven natural wonders. Although I didn’t hike (due to the extreme heat), I drove around view points and stared into the vast expanse of the canyon. I took countless photos, but none of them do the GC justice, you have to go and see it in person to capture the true essence of it all. My one regret was not spending more time there when it would have cooled down in the evening. Advice here would be to bring lots of Sunscreen, be careful hiking, and save time to visit Sedona and marvel at the red rocks, a day trip may be too short!

The Bad

Now onto the bad things, as there must be balance in all things. The obvious one is that it can get expensive, even more so than London and when you factor in tips, even lunches can hit your wallet quite hard. Where costs don’t come as a drawback is in petrol (gas) department, as it is cheaper overall. Also, the tap water is not drinkable, which is really a shame because who wants to go out and buy a ton of plastic bottles? It feels like such a normalised inconvenience, to drive to go and get water. Air quality sucks, at least compared to Brighton, this is no joke as it can lead to respiratory problems long term for residents. On top of that, if you try to overlook LA from the Griffith Observatory there’s a thick cloud of smog, that’s when you realise you’ve been breathing it in the whole time. The nature of no public transport means everyone takes cars everywhere, which means everyone gets stuck in traffic, there is even a fast lane for cars who don’t want traffic (paying to win?). I was also lucky enough to never witness any gun violence, however it does exist and it does impact overall safety of the city. I’d say for tourists a lot of these things are negligible, and some not so much.

Culture Shocks

Neither good nor bad, are some culture shocks. For example, Tesla cars are as common as hatchbacks in the UK. This was particularly interesting as I always feel like the UK has less of an innovative culture, and more of a “safer route” type of thinking, LA is very much the opposite, which likely contributes to being heavy buyers of EVs along with some government incentives. Billboards, there are signs whilst driving on the motorway (where you are supposed to be focusing on the road?), seems counter-intuitive, the irony is that a lot of billboards are for accident insurance, is cause equal to correlation? As mentioned earlier, there’s also a fast track motorway lane, as well as car pool lanes, which seems a bit odd as initially I thought it would make more sense to push for more public transport instead, however if you live in LA you’ve been lucky enough to see a city grow and never consider public transport until it was too late.

Footnote

Thank you Los Angeles, until next time. As someone that wanted to grow up and work in the bay area for a tech company, this was the closest I’ve gotten to experiencing life in the US.