MangoVine
Adventures in East Asia

Malaysia posts coming up! Thailand & Cambodia after.


Welcome! Please note that MangoVine is updated daily pending travel net connections (honest!), but the post dates show when our experiences happened. Thanks for reading! (Mark & Linh, Jan 10) 16 January, 2010
Saturday Eating in Yuen Long
Out in the north western New Territories sits Yuen Long, a New Town that was on our list to visit purely to continue on via bus to Lau Fau Shan, an oyster gathering and fishing village a few kilometres away.

Yuen-Long-180

However, we found ourselves there this evening as some of our UK friends visiting Hong Kong were staying there. Since we went on a Saturday evening, the town was pretty busy with people out to eat.

Read more... 15 January, 2010
Friday Portable Travel Photography
The weight of my camera had always been a consideration of mine when I first began planning our travels but I took photo-documenting what we see seriously so I never settled for less than a DSLR. I've been lugging a three-year-old Nikon D80 about with an 18-70mm lens.

Incense-Burner

When Olympus released their E-P1 (disclaimer: affiliate link), a smaller compact camera with interchangeable lens and a DSLR quality photos, I kept my eye on it closely, as the price (over £600) kept me from buying it straight away. I then heard about its slow focusing and then subsequently saw Panasonic release their Lumix GF1 model (disclaimer: affiliate link) which touted much faster focusing.

Read more... 31 December, 2009
Thursday Impressive Bamboo Scaffolding Tower in Hong Kong
I mentioned my early "appreciation" of Hong Kong's bamboo scaffolders earlier in the year, and so was equally amazed at the scale of the use of this renewable material on a few tower blocks in my local town Tai Po.

Taipo-Tower-Bamboo-Scaffold

Clad around the surface of what looks like a forty-storey tower block must be the mother of all bamboo scaffolding. I know nothing about construction but my guess is the structure facilitates workers to carry out light exterior work to the building.

Perhaps those platform outcrops extending every ten floors or so are there to catch any fallen workers. 21 December, 2009
Monday Tim Ho Wan - One Michelin Starred Dim Sum in Hong Kong - World’s Cheapest Michelin Star Restaurant
I came across a ripple of blog posts online about a newish dim sum restaurant in Hong Kong (Kowloon) which had recently been awarded a Michelin Star and of course, Linh and I had to go. Called Tim Ho Wan, the place now seems to be the world's cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant.

Tim-Ho-Wan2

If you didn't know it, Michelin ratings range from one to three stars and there are only a few hundred awarded in the whole world. Practically all serve expensive meals.

Read more... 23 September, 2009
Wednesday Malacca River Cruise
Linh and I opted to take the Malacca River Cruise, especially since it cost a paltry RM10 (£1.75) each for a half hour journey up and down the route.

Malacca-Boat-Trip-5

It gave us a chance to see some architecture along the river and though it wasn't always picturesque, still turned out to be a leisurely way to sight-see.

Read more... 23 September, 2009
Wednesday Malacca Maritime Museum and Naval Museum
Located along Jalan Quayside, we couldn't miss the Maritime Museum contained in a replica of the Flor de la Mar, a Portuguese vessel that sank off the Malacca coast while trying to transport Malaysian treasures back to Europe.

Maritime-Museum-12

We popped into the Naval Museum first however, which is in a block next to the ship. We actually entered through a side gate not realising there was ticket booth and main entrance to consider!

Read more... 23 September, 2009
Wednesday Kite, Beauty and Peoples Museum in Malacca
On Jalan Kota, around the corner from the main square in Malacca, we passed a terracotta-coloured building which was emblazoned with titles on each floor, such as the "Museum of Enduring Beauty". We thought we'd drop in quickly for a look as it turned out the the block housed three museums - one on each floor - on the subjects of Kites, Beauty, and the People of Malaysia.

Peoples-Museum-4

There was an entrance fee but it wasn't very much, and we made straight for the second floor to see the kites. This rickshaw above was meant to be one that was used to break a Malaysian record for distance traveled.

Read more... 23 September, 2009
Wednesday Views of Malacca Town Square
The Town Square on the eastern side of the Malacca River brings together a number of landmarks in the historic city. It was also the hub of both tourist and mechanical traffic with the latter being not just cars, but also Malacca's army of colourful rickshaws. Any visitor to Malacca is bound to cross the Square at some point.

Malacca-Main-5

Flanked by a pair of striking red examples of Dutch architecture, the square is home to the Christ Church (above) and the Stadthuys (below).

Read more... 22 September, 2009
Tuesday A Famosa Ruins in Malacca
The A Famosa or "The Famous" in Portuguese, was a fortress located in Malacca. It's among the oldest surviving European architectural remains in Asia and the Porta de Santiago, a small gatehouse, is the only remaining part of the fortress still standing.

Afamosa-Close

The gatehouse was part of our little walking tour of Malacca and actually has more relevance and history that is at first apparent. Well, I guess that's the case with alot of ruins.

Read more... 22 September, 2009
Tuesday St Pauls Church Ruins in Malacca
The St Paul's Church ruins stand atop the Bukit St Paul and was worth climbing the short path up to for the fine views over Malacca. Originally built in 1521 by a Portugese captain, its history has seen ownership pass to the Dutch and British, gaining two storeys and a tower before falling to ruins over a century and a half ago.

St-Pauls

Visiting on a fine, sunny day, there were scores of people climbing up steps built into the hill, to look around before descending at a different point. We found ourselves exploring in and outside the church walls whilst a busker played and vendors sold tourist items on makeshift stalls in the shade.

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