One can get spoiled living in Asia. Finding cheap and cheery food is always easy, and you don't have to worry about shops being closed on Sunday. Cabbing to the airport is generally affordable, otherwise, the train promises to take you there efficiently and without fuss. There is also the quirkier side of Asia that one cannot help but love. Here are five of the experiences:
We love that... in Tokyo, sushi is as much for breakfast as it is for lunch or dinner. At the Tsukiji Market, wholesalers are ready to start selling by 3am, and sushi bars open their doors as early as 5am (with lines of customers forming even earlier). One of the most popular options is Daiwa-Zushi (Part 6 Bldg. 5-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku; +81 3547 6807), and a sushi set with seven styles of fresh catch of the day costs about US$36. What's more, this almost eight-decade-old institution will be closing at the end of this year, with operations scheduled to move to a new facility in January next year. While the new place will probably be cleaner and better looking, the authentic ambiance will inevitably be lost – so visit this place while it's still there!
We love that... in Hong Kong, you can start walking uphill from the HSBC Building – the centre of power of the finance sector – and in less than an hour, you will be in the middle of a country park, after passing by many historical landmarks. Take the stone steps up the hill right across the street on Queen's Road from HSBC, and you will see the Court of Final Appeal, built in 1917 as the French Mission Building. Nearby, you will also find St John's Cathedral, whose first foundation stone was laid in 1847. From the Garden Road exit, you can walk further up the hill, past the US consulate and find Upper Albert Road, home to the Government House (former official residence of colonial governors). Find Albany Road across the street, and walk up to enter the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens, in operation since the Victorian era. On top of the gardens, you walk up again to find Old Peak Road, a strip full of luxurious residential blocks, which will lead you to Lung Fu Shan Country Park. You can also easily walk up to the Peak from here in another hour. Signage is clear, and bilingual, so you don't have to worry about getting lost.
We love that... in Seoul, you can navigate through a big part of the city alongside Cheonggyecheon, a 8.4 km long urban river with modern public recreation space on two sides. It was an ambitious initiative in 2003, by then-Seoul mayor Lee Myung-bak. The US$900 million project involved removing a highway, digging up a dried up waterway and pumping water back in from the Han River. It was a controversial project, but today, very few complain about it. The promenades along the river banks also serve as performance and exhibition venues.
We love that... in Singapore, you can escape the hot and muggy weather by stepping into The Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay, where the cool-dry climate of Mediterranean regions is replicated and a wide range of desert plants are on display. What's more, you can end your experience there at trendy dining spot Pollen, all without having to brave the heat outside. For a review of the restaurant, see "A taste of Singapore" from the May issue of Business Traveller Asia-Pacific here.
We love that... in Jakarta, no matter how frustrated you get with the traffic, all is forgiven once you have arrived at one of those fantastically designed restaurants. They could range from Dutch colonial to Peranakan-style. In many of the flashy malls, very trendy restaurants offer food, cocktails and ambiances that are on a par with their counterparts in New York or London. For a review of four of them, click here.
Want to know more of the reasons we love Asia? Stay tuned for "The A-List" in the July/August issue of Business Traveller Asia-Pacific. To subscribe, click here.
Reggie Ho
