One week, four cities
Bangkok:
Bangkok was our shortest city break and our feet barely touched the ground! From landing to flying out, we had less than 18 hours- even by our standards this was whistle stop!
We decided a rooftop bar was the best way to get an overview of the city by night and managed to get incredible views of the twinkling city in an open-air bar, 65 floors up, while sipping on what felt like the world’s-strongest cocktails.
Bangkok by night
It had been just eight months since we were last in the city and we felt we had to have another crack at the infamous Koh San Road, which certainly blew away our sense of sound, sight and smell!
Crocodile cooking on the Koh San Road!
An early start enabled us to squeeze in a Tuk-Tuk tour, a whizz around a world-famous temple and a Thai takeaway, which we managed to balance eating in the back of a cab en route to the airport! This was certainly a Liz Chaplin type of city break!
Hong Kong:
We found Hong Kong to be the most exciting of the four Asian cities and plan to return sooner rather than later!
Arriving late on our first night we learnt that the city never sleeps; we managed to navigate our way through the street markets and sit road-side to enjoy some local street-cuisine….although Luke was less than impressed with the miniature plastic chairs and the manners of our waitress who threw the menu at him and shouted at him to order!
Old vs new in Kongers
We spent the next day craning our necks by looking up at all the incredibly tall buildings and managed 24,000 steps (thanks Fitbit!) on a guided tour of the city. We felt that we covered most of Hong Kong (!) from central on the island, to the tightly compact streets in the residential districts. The contrast between old and new was amazing and gave us an insight into the hidden history of Hong Kong. One of the perks of Luke working for HSBC has been having a lot of contacts in Asia- we ended our busy day with a wild night out with a group of his former colleagues, enjoying the full expat experience around Soho and even ended up partying in a former colonial prison.
Prison-style partying!
Hangovers were in full force the next day, so we attempted to shift them with a HK style brunch and a boat tour around the harbour. Finally feeling human, we ventured on the old-tram up to Victoria Peak to take in the sights of the city. The view was spectacular, despite some fog hugging the harbour, and it really highlighted why HK is called the city of skyscrapers. We rounded off another sight seeing day with more cocktail consumption, with another set of Luke’s former colleagues, and ended the night at a HK house party in an apartment that felt as though it was 8metres squared!
The rickety tram up to the peak!
Views from Victoria Peak
We were lucky enough to be gifted some tickets to the HK 7s which certainly lived up to the hype! The lunchtime session enabled us to catch the women’s finals, which I really appreciated having covered the sport for a new show before leaving for our trip, and we watched Brazil take the crown in an impressive fast-paced final against Scotland.
The afternoon session presented a new challenge to Luke and I. Having nursed yet another hangover, we decided it was time to enjoy some rugby cider.We had to attempt to smuggle the jugs into the family friendly stands, past some military style security…Various attempts failed, before Luke pleaded his innocence, claiming it was apple juice! 😂🤦🏻♀️
As the tempo of the day picked up, we relocated to the raucous south stand and joined in unison with the masses to sing cheesy music, including Sweet Caroline & 5,000 miles led by Sebastian Chebal dressed as a cave man! The day was absolutely brilliant and we’re so glad we were in the right place at the right time.
The opening ceremony of the 7s
French rugby player Chebal entertaining the crowds
For our final night in Hong Kong, we took in the light show from the tallest building in the city and ended the trip as we had begun it, devouring local delicacies.
Kuala Lumpur:
KL felt like the muggiest city in the world and did absolutely no favours for my hair!
It was quieter, calmer and cheaper than HK, but there was still plenty to keep us entertained with during our two days in the city.
Shopping and sight seeing took up the majority of our time here, but my navigation skills led to all pursuits being much longer, and sweatier, than anticipated!
KL tower
We managed to see the city from the KL tower which had panoramic views and climbed the Petronas tower at night- which is an iconic building in the city’s skyline and has been made famous by several films.
Petronus tower from inside the building
Singapore
We felt we couldn’t be this side of the world and miss out on an opportunity to see Singapore, so we added the additional city to our whirlwind week as a last minute extra…
The city was incredible and we could certainly see the British influence- to find our feet, we enjoyed an open-top bus tour and squeezed in as many highlights as possible.
We were extremely grateful for the stop at the botanical gardens where we had an opportunity to have a picnic by the lake, which provided us with some much needed respite from the heat! The orchid garden was absolutely beautiful, see photos for evidence.
Over in Marina Bay, we decided to try our luck in the mammoth casino. It’s safe to say our disposal cash was minute compared to the high rollers in there! I did, however, make us a tidy profit on the roulette table … we certainly benefitted from beginner’s luck!
Celebrating our casino win!
We swung by the architectural feat that is the Marina Bay Sands hotel and enjoyed the views from the top, but it was the gardens and their peculiar pods, situated behind it, that we found most impressive.
Gardens by the bay
Before we left Marina Bay, we managed to catch the light show, but we found it less than impressive, especiallycompared to shows put on by other cities!
The world famous Raffles hotel was our final stop in the city, where we met with yet another of Luke’s former colleagues and sampled the Singapore Sling at its birthplace. Luke turned his nose up at the age-old tradition of throwing peanut casing on the floor…he wanted to ask for a dustpan and brush (!) but I managed to persuade him to have a crack!
Singapore Sling sampling
We’re bidding goodbye to Asia, after an amazing trip. Next, we’re off down-under!
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