EC Travels

The Ka-Ching Dynasty! - China

2012-02-16T10:57:00.000+08:00

As Europe's economy burns, China booms.

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The economic transformation of China has been electrifying. But with Europe teetering and the US plodding, can the biggest tiger of all keep on roaring? China's super-rich certainly think they can.

Outside a private Beijing nightclub Porsches, Maseratis and Ferraris compete for space. Inside the club is packed with the children of China's super-rich enjoying a 'palace' themed party. China now has almost a million millionaires, six hundred billionaires, and the numbers keep growing at a staggering rate. As a reporter for the Hurun Report rich-list points out, they are a force to be reckoned with: "certainly we need to be aware of and understand this group." Even more striking is the bravado of China's super-rich, who feel that they can keep going from strength to strength. "I met an entrepreneur last week who said that if all goes to plan, in ten years time his business will be ten times the size it is now". The focus is certainly on quick growth. Current projections say that in ten years time half the world's billionaires will come from China. While there are warnings signs that the economic woes of Europe and the US will hit China, China's super-rich don't seem concerned. For some the hope is that the Chinese market will pick up the slack. For others, who have only known the good times, anything else is unthinkable: "if I have any spare money I buy sports cars."

A Film By ABC Australia
Distributed By Journeyman Pictures
February 2012

One day, I did (Malacca, Malaysia).m4v

2012-02-16T10:17:00.000+08:00

*Click on the link 'EC Travels' below to view the blogpost*

The Melaka Story - Simply Peranakan

2012-02-16T10:11:00.000+08:00

This is a UKM Life Science Project which discovers more about the unique culture of Peranakan or also knwon as Baba & Nyonya. Special thanks to Mr. Roberth Seet, Mdm. Joyce How and Mdm. Suzy Goh for spending their time to have interview sessions with us. This short video clip is something small that we, as UKM students can give back to the Baba & Nyonya community.

The Country in My Blood

2012-02-03T13:44:00.001+08:00

loyarburok.comhttp://www.loyarburok.com/2012/02/02/country-can%e2%80%99t-love/

The Country in My Blood

Alvin Teoh, Executive Creative Director of NagaDDB, shares with us a Malaysia we can hopefully still remember in the years to come.

I love Malaysia. I mean, I could do with some nice, cool San Francisco weather sometimes, but yeah, I love this lady because she's such a part of me.

Recently, I joined an international community of Catholics on the net. I thought it'd be cool to exchange views of our universal faith with people from all over the world. (Having the occasional fight online is exciting, too). But one thing about the community stood out. Amazing and learned as some of them were, I did find some of their points of view a tad narrow. Not so much because of the faith, but more so, I feel, because of their monolithic culture.

Quite unlike our rojak one, hor?

Over the years, I am blessed to have met Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Sikhs, Protestants, Agnostics, Malays, Chinese, Indians, Eurasians, 'Bananas', 'Chindians', 'Mat-Salleh Celups', 'Rockers', 'Jinjang-Joes', 'Diskangs', and those categorised as 'Dan lain-lain'.

Different colour, different faiths, same mischievousness | Photo by Alvin Teoh

My first real friend was a John Skelchy. He was as Eurasian as they come. We met in kindergarten when we were 5. From him I learnt that boys have penises and girls, something different altogether. One day, our teacher caught us comparing private parts. Our parents were called, and so, they too became friends. This Skelchy fellow was my classmate all the way to form 5.

In Standard 1, I met Sheik Faizal. He didn't look like the average Malay boy. I have to admit he was rather good looking. I wonder if he had Arab blood. He was a great artist; he could do caricatures. And he did a mean pencil sketch of characters from 'Planet of the Apes'. We hung out all the way through Standard 6. He was a very deep and intense sort of fellow. He wrote in my book:

Allah gave you wings to fly, so fly high. Don't let Satan's arrows shoot you down.

Other friends I hung out with during those days were Julian Hassan, Lim Hong Bok and Jaswinder Singh. Julian Hassan (mum: British, dad: Malay) taught me how to eat rice with tomato sauce. I loved it. Meanwhile, Hong Bok taught me how to write mystery stories. We'd find some flattened patch of grass in a field or an abandoned house to do this. Occasionally, we felt certain we'd chanced upon a crop circle formed by aliens, or an evil house haunted by some creepy entity. We would then 'investigate' these 'phenomena' and record them in our journals. It was classic Hardy Boys sort of stuff.

As for Jaswinder Singh – well, Jaswinder had a habit of snatching our journals and reading them aloud for all to hear, laughing his head off as he debunked each mystery with great pleasure. This always became an exercise of epic embarrassment for Hong Bok and me. Then Jaswinder would finish with a flourish: "What the fuck is this all about?"

I suppose I should mention that this Singh taught me how to expand my vocabulary. From hanging around him, I learnt to pepper every sentence with the word 'fuck'. It was cool to say 'fuck'. For a while anyway.

Hong Bok and I were in the Boy Scout Troop together, too. From this group, we learnt the art of shoplifting and we performed this feat with another kid we called KKK. We were quite good at it, I must say. Our prize was always some Airfix model plane or Matchbox model tank. We shoplifted from Standards 4 till 6 until some plainclothes detectives finally caught us. Our lookout, KKK, fled the scene at our hour of need. Thanks bro.

[Just so you know, I was caught in my scout uniform. During interrogation, I peed in my pants. The Indian interrogator then told me he'd pull out all my fingernails and cut off all my hair, then use them to make soup for my dinner in jail. When you're 11, you tend to believe these sorts of things.]

From KKK, I learnt the jentik game. You open a page from your textbook and add the numerals in the page number. For example, page 35 meant 3+5. If you lose, your finger gets flicked by the winner's, hence jentik. Now, KKK had rather large fingers. I was amazed that our fingers didn't break under the pressure of his. I still remember the sound…thok, thok, thok. From our fingers being jentik-ed, we progressed to having our manhood being treated in the same manner. I am amazed I managed to have children later in life.

Yeah, I had a healthy and happy childhood.

No handphone or i-pad but no boredom either | Photo by Alvin Teoh

My neighbour was a Malay boy. All the boys in Ampang Jaya were mostly Malays, really. Anyway, I called this boy Boy because his mum called him that, too. Thanks to Boy, my spoken Bahasa Malaysia improved a lot. We played catch and football, climbed trees and plucked cherries for our cherry guns and shot paper bullets at goat's balls – they were large and hard to miss.

From Boy, I learnt the word dosa. So whenever the occasion arose, I'd tell the other Malay kids, "Hei, jangan buat 'gitu…dosa lah!" Their response? "Ha? Cina pun ada dosa ke?" Ha-ha.

Opposite my house lived a 'Chindian' family. They had a daughter my age named Tina. She was my first crush. One day, when I was coming back from school on a bus, she ran out of the house and after the bus yelling my name, "Alvin…Alvin…Alvin!" That was the happiest day of my life. (Yeah, I'm big on cheap thrills.)

By the time I entered Secondary School, most of my friends had changed. Most of the Malay kids went to the asrama and most of the Chinese ones became gangsters. And the Indian boys? Most of them became Catholics for reasons unknown to me.

During these years, I learnt a new lesson: it's possible to fail seven subjects at a time. Most of my classmates failed above 5 subjects. In my class, that was a badge of honour, like a Purple Heart. Well, you had to be brave to fail that many subjects! But yeah, in reality, we were pretty hopeless.

These years were also a time when I joined the Scout Troop. It was a whole different world. In the initial years there, I grew close to one John Williams. If you see that name in the West, he'd be a white dude. But in Malaysia, you can bet he'd be Indian. John was our scoutmaster and he, God bless him, introduced me to the fabulous world of Indian food.

Manna from Heaven modelled by Machas from Kelana Jaya | Photo by Alvin Teoh

I first tasted thosai in 1982 after a fishing trip near Bukit Takun. We were at Lebuh Ampang and my God, did that stuff taste like heaven! I remember it was a masala thosai and I still recall my fingers surveying the brittle surface and coming into contact with hot chunks of potato and beans in some yellow sauce. Topped off with dhal and chutney, then mashed up with crushed vadai and Lord, you'd died and gone to Heaven, like, maybe twice.

Many times, I could be found in John's house, and Edwin's (another scout) house and having these unreal Indian lunches. Lovely!

Original finger-licking good food of the gods | Photo by Alvin Teoh

From my Indians friends, I learnt another new word – mutal – which means 'stupid'. Now, mutal went with another word – Malayali. I soon found out that Tamils and Malayalis didn't get along. Or at least, pretended they didn't get along. I had both Tamil and Malayali friends and they called each other, yup, mutal. And they could do this the whole day, too. (Yes, there was a lot of love in the air.)

It was during these times too that I met some Orang Asli and Kampung folks. Twice a week, a few of my friends and I would find ourselves in Hulu Langat. In fact, it was there that I met and befriended one Encik Zainal. He was in his 40s and he looked after the mini hydroelectric dam in Pansoon.

Happiness is... | Photo by Alvin Teoh

He'd take us trekking up Gunung Nuang, and then we'd swim in the dam at Lolo, at the waterfalls at Lepuh and also Upper Ponsoon. Through him, us Chinese city dwellers met other Kampung folk. I remember a heavy bamboo-grass smoking old gentleman called Mat Katun. I challenged him to a sport of tree-climbing halfway up Nuang. I managed to ascend 20 feet and was quite pleased till I looked back: Mat Katun was already 10 above me and he was, like, 60 years old, too!

From Encik Zainal and his family, I picked up a thing or two about the Kampung life and also life as a simple and humble Muslim. He also regaled us with Pontianak stories when we got lost after a hike to Latar Siak. I learnt later that 'Latar' was the old word for air terjun.

And oh, Zainal had a daughter. My God, I could not stop staring at her. My friend Benson, a Chinese-speaking Eurasian who looks Indian described her as a 'natural beauty'. He intended to introduce himself to her this way: "Me Tarzan. You Jane." It was the lamest thing I'd ever heard so I stopped him.

From the Orang Asli, I discovered that one could pick amber with one's bare hands. They'd even asked us to try. Now, I know I failed seven subjects in school, but I wasn't that stupid. From these warm, earnest people, I also learnt to trek jungles carrying very little with me. That a small piece of newspaper placed over a leech bite could stop bleeding quite effectively.

Thanks to them, I was introduced to the magical world of glowing plants, too, just like the ones in the movie, 'Avatar'. They were little mushrooms and fungus-like plants that thrived under rotten leaves and damp tree barks. It was an amazing sight, one that could not be described with words

Little fellow had style & a pet hornbill, cool or what? | Photo by Alvin Teoh

These are all the experiences I've enjoyed in the first 22 years of my life. This is the Malaysia I remember and the Malaysia I cherish. The excitement and beauty I experienced during these years stem from a life thrown into and shaped by a mix of many cultures and faiths. And I'm rich beyond measure because of it.

Muslim grave site next to Buddhist temple | Photo by Alvin Teoh

Today, I see a different Malaysia. I see fear, insecurity, suspicion and anger. There seems to be a lot of sentiments of frustration boiling under a seemingly harmonious surface. And I blame self-serving community leaders for this. While I see our diversity as a blessing, many of these fellows seem to look at it as a threat. They don't see that we're a blessing to each other. They don't see that we have much to gain from each other. They don't see that we can be good together. In fact, we are good because we are together.

Instead of celebrating our diversity, they've turned it into something divisive, raising one race above another, and causing each one to be suspicious of the other. Essentially, they've turned a blessing into a self-inflicted curse. After all, our diversity is our gift from God, yet look at what we've done to this gift!

A Hindu deity hangs out at a Chinese altar with Jesus | Photo by Alvin Teoh

My plea to all who're reading this is that we may stand together and deny these small-minded and irresponsible people as well as their goal of dividing to conquer us. If this spirit of bigotry is in us to some degree because we've been contaminated by their sickness, let's cast it out. It's never too late. Don't let their darkness overcome our light.

I say to all Malays, Indians, Sikhs, Chinese, Eurasians, Bananas, Orang Asli and Orang Asal, DLLs, Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, Atheists and Agnostics: we're all beautiful. We're all unique. We're all special. We've so much to share with each other. Don't let a bunch of idiots rob us of who we truly are or perverse the Malaysian in us. Don't let them steal the blessing of being a rojak culture. Let us fight to keep Malaysia beautiful. So that when our time here on Earth comes to an end, we can go knowing that our children – and their children – will experience the kind of Malaysia we experienced as a child. The Malaysia in our blood.

Masjid Keling amidst Chinese shops; a beautiful sight | Photo by Alvin Teoh

20120124-SunWay Pyramid, PJ

2012-01-24T14:41:00.000+08:00

Australia Day Address By Neurosurgeon Dr Charlie Teo

2012-01-23T20:33:00.000+08:00

http://m.smh.com.au/opinion/australia-day-2012-address-full-speech-20120123-1qdh9.html

A very long address but worth reading.

20120123-CNY2012 decorations @ MidValley, KL

2012-01-23T15:33:00.000+08:00

People and Places - Some amazing pictures

2012-01-18T10:47:00.000+08:00

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Cliff Seeto <Cliff.Seeto@iag.com.au>
To:
Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 4:47 AM
Subject: Some amazing pictures

Note: This e-mail is subject to the disclaimer contained at the bottom of this message.

Shanghai 1990 vs 2010

Busiest. Train. Ever.

The Blue Lagoon, Ecuador

Meanwhile in Chicago…

Best. Sidecar. Ever

The U.S. – Mexico Border

Awww Yeah Flowers!

Certified Badass

A Castle in Miami?

Rago National Park, Norway

Wheeeeee!

Incredible Water Bridge in Germany

Epic Aerial of Barcelona, Spain

The Sky Walker

'Crystal' Ice Cave in Skaftafell, Iceland

Festival of Lanterns in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Fields of Lavender in Provence, France

Yarn Bombing in Germany

The Runaway Tree

70 Lightning Strikes in One Shot

The Craziest Illusion in Paris

Ladybug Lands with Style

The Edge of Earth – Bunda Cliffs of Australia

Stargazing

The World's Largest LAN Party

Instant Acrophobia

Livin' on the Edge

The Stunning Glasswinged Butterfly

Lightning Show at the Grand Canyon

The Hamilton Pool Nature Preserve in Texas

Wait For It…

Sunset on Mars

Cloud City Dubai

Autumn in the Adirondacks

European Beech Trees of Mariemont, Belgium

The Inhabited Volcanic Island of Aogashima

The Great Grey Owl

The Cloud Covered Island of Litla Dimun

The Miniature Northern Saw-whet Owl

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Saturday Jan 14 2012 - Chinese New Year festivity @ IOI Mall, Puchong, KL - my 1st time here at this shopping mall.

2012-01-14T15:02:00.000+08:00

azerbaijan discover

2012-01-05T17:08:00.000+08:00

Magical Langkawi New Year

2012-01-05T15:47:00.001+08:00

http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2012/1/5/central/10193669&sec=central

Thursday January 5, 2012

Magical Langkawi New Year

Story and photos by RENEE MOORE
metro@thestar.com.my

THE countdown to midnight on New Year's Eve is a tradition I look forward to every December in my hometown Sydney, Australia. Celebrating with family, friends and fireworks is among one of my favourite ways to spend the night.

This year, I left the magnificent fireworks display of Sydney Harbour Bridge behind and braved my first New Year away from home, ever. Looking for something totally different to the city experience I know and love, I decided Malaysia's picturesque Langkawi would be the perfect place to usher in 2012.

Wishing all: The writing on the wall at a beach bar at Pantai Cenang.

One of Malaysia's shining jewels, Langkawi is an island oasis. The name alone is synonymous with white sandy beaches, clear waters and palm trees. Surrounded by the turquoise Andaman Sea just 30km off the coast of Kuala Perlis, Pulau Langkawi is easily one of Malaysia's most promoted holiday destinations.

On one night of the year, the island wakes up from its peaceful slumber and comes alive with fireworks, music and lanterns. From my experience, it is simply one of the best ways to celebrate New Year's Eve.

Langkawi was declared a duty-free zone in 1986. Since then tourists have come from near and far to take advantage of cheap alcohol, cigarettes and designer knock-offs. It's one of Malaysia's most budget-friendly places to see in the New Year.

The allure of low-cost living has also attracted a number of expats who have decided to set call the island paradise home.

British waitress Emily, who works at Pantai Cenang's Mexican watering hole, has been in Langkawi for over a year. During lunch she told us the best place to countdown to 2012 was on the beach front, adding that it becomes packed after 6pm.

Magnificent: The sunset at Pantai Cenang is a must-see.

Taking our new friend's advice, we secured a table at one of the many bars that popped up along the beach, seemingly overnight, Our eagerness paid off when we were rewarded with a spectacular Langkawi sunset.

As a proud Australian, I've been to my fair share of beach bars and BBQs but Langkawi is in a whole new league. The picturesque waters of Pantai Cenang are truly magical at the best of times but at sunset, it is one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen.

When darkness fell, the beach swarmed to life. By 10pm the shore was packed with people adorned in neon lights. Glow sticks could be bought from stores along the beach for as little as RM1. Light up headbands were only RM5. With so much neon around me, I suddenly didn't feel so far from Australia at all.

The real magic of the New Year's Eve celebrations began an hour before midnight when lanterns were released into the night sky. Blown away by the beauty of Langkawi's sunset, I was in absolute awe when the beach was surrounded by hundreds of these floating candles. It was like being in a fairytale. According to locals, the release of sky lanterns are said to be good luck and signify the letting go of one's problems and worries.

Without hesitation, I bought a lantern from a vendor on the beach and symbolically let it go — releasing the good and bad of 2011 with it.

With only a few minutes left to midnight I looked back to what I was doing this time last year. It took me a while to remember, a definite sign that whatever it was, it was nothing compared to the beauty I was witnessing in my final minutes of 2011.

All of a sudden fireworks filled the air. Finally, 2012 was upon us. Although it is silly to compare the fireworks of Langkawi to the grandeur of the Sydney Harbour celebrations, I knew instantly what I preferred.

A sky full of floating lanterns, fireworks puncturing the air and bonfires in full flame; Langkawi does New Year's Eve like I've never experienced before.

World's clearest lake is on our doorstep

2012-01-03T10:17:00.001+08:00

December 28, 2011

Blue Lake in the Nelson Lakes National Park has some of the clearest water in the world, a study has found. Photo: Mark Gall/NIWA

A lake at the top of New Zealand's South Island has some of the clearest water in the world, a study has found.

Research by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research shows that the visibility in Blue Lake in the Nelson Lakes National Park is up to 80 metres. The water is considered almost as "optically clear" as distilled water.

It surpasses the renowned Te Waikoropupu, or Pupu, Springs in Golden Bay, where visibility of up to 63m has been reported. Water visibility was considered outstanding when it exceeded about 40m, Niwa said.

Visibility in Blue Lake in the Nelson Lakes National Park is up to 80 metres. Photo: Rob Merrilees/NIWA

The lake's clarity might be bettered only by ocean waters such as those in the southeast Pacific near Easter Island.

"Blue Lake is characterised by blue-violet hues seen only in the very clearest natural waters," Niwa said.

"It is highly unusual in its geological and hydrological setting, being apparently spring-fed from neighbouring glacial Lake Constance. Almost all suspended particles appear to be filtered from the water as it passes through landslide debris that forms a dam between the two lakes – which probably accounts for its extreme visual clarity."

Niwa scientist Mark Gall said researchers suspended a black disc, a metre in diameter, under a buoy. They then paddled away in a boat while looking at the disc. Visibility was measured when the disc disappeared.

Niwa aquatic optics specialist Rob Davies-Colley said it was highly significant that the clarity of the water in the lake was close to pure water.

"The absorption of light by pure water is not well known in some parts of the spectrum, including the ultraviolet."

Some of the best data might be collected from Blue Lake, he said.

GuiLin (KuiLin) - Rustic CHINA

2011-12-27T10:10:00.000+08:00

GuiLin (KuiLin) - Rustic CHINA

Guilin (pinyin: Guìlín) is a city in China, situated in the northeast of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on the west bank of the Li River. Its name means "forest of Sweet Osmanthus", owing to the large number of fragrant Sweet Osmanthus trees located in the city. The city has long been renowned for its unique scenery.

History

In 314 BC, a small settlement was established along the banks of the Li River.

In 111 BC, during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Shi An County was established, which could be regarded as the beginning of the city.

In 507 AD, the town was renamed Guizhou.

Guilin prospered in the Tang and Song dynasties but remained a county. The city was also a nexus between the central government and the southwest border, and it was where regular armies were placed to guard that border. Canals were built through the city so that food supplies could be directly transported from the food-productive Yangtze plain to the farthest southwestern point of the empire.

In 1921, Guilin became one of the headquarters of the Northern Expeditionary Army led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen.

In 1940, the city acquired its present name.

In 1981, this ancient city was listed by the State Council as one of the four cities (the other three being Beijing, Hangzhou and Suzhou) where the protection of historical and cultural heritage, as well as natural scenery, should be treated as a priority project.

Guilin cuisine is known for its snacks and the use of spices, especially chili. The famous Guilin chili sauce, Guìlín làjiāojiàng, used widely in cooking by locals,[1] is made of fresh chili, garlic, and fermented soybeans, and is considered one of the city's Three Treasures .The other two of the Three Treasures are Guilin Sanhua Jiu, a variety of rice baijiu, or liquor distilled from rice; and Guilin pickled tofu.

Guilin rice noodles (pinyin: Guìlín mǐfěn) have been the local breakfast staple since the Qin dynasty and are renowned for their delicate taste. Legend has it that when Qin troops suffering from diarrhea entered this region, a cook created the Guilin rice noodles for the army because they had trouble eating the local food. Specifically, the local specialty is noodles with horse meat, but this dish can also be ordered without the horse meat. Zongzi (pinyin: zòngzi), a dumpling made from glutinous rice and mung bean paste wrapped in a bamboo or banana leaf) [2] is another popular delicacy in Guilin.

* Guilin was used as the planet Kashyyyk in Star Wars: Episode III

* Many scenes from The Painted Veil (2006 film), adapted from the 1925 W. Somerset Maugham novel The Painted Veil were filmed in Guilin and the surrounding area.

* The scenery from the twenty Yuan bill is that of the Li River.

* Guilin is the final area of the video game Shenmue II and the home of Shenhua.

* Guilin was mentioned in the novel The Joy Luck Club as the original home of Suyuan Woo, the mother of the primary narrator of the story, Jing-mei Woo.

Tokyo Street @ The Pavilion, KL (Christmas Day, 2011)

2011-12-25T21:35:00.000+08:00

Christmas Day 2011 @ The Pavilion, KL

2011-12-25T16:01:00.000+08:00

Chinese Angel Masseur - Singapore-20110804

2011-12-13T23:53:00.000+08:00

Toilet Graffiti @ Bondi Beach, NSW, Australia - 20111029

2011-12-13T23:29:00.000+08:00

The Hakka: Nomadic gypsy tinkers or China's ancient Han? | China Travel

2011-12-11T01:47:00.000+08:00

ECGMA says: Ethnically, my late-Dad was of the Hakka descent thus that makes me a Hakka too but I don't speak the dialect. The dialect is a dying language as a result of generation to the next, less and less the dialect was spoken at home. Also with Inter-ethnic marriages, especially if the wife is not Hakka and also taking into account that majority of hakkas are also fluent in at least another dialect or more like in the dialects of Cantonese or Hokkien (Fukien). If mum speaks Cantonese, chances are the children would be more fluent in Cantonese than in the Hakka dialect, as in my case.
So when on telly, "The Story of Hakka" was screened, I watched (see pics attached) but could not understand the documentary spoken in Hakka. Somehow or rather, the Hakka spoken sounded so foreign to me as I am familiar with the dialect my father spoke. This is akin to Malaysian Chinese Hokkien is different in accent to the Taiwanese spoken hokkien.

http://blog.chinatravel.net/culture-history/china-ethic-minorities-hakka-people.html

I am Malaysian - Rebecca Loh

2011-12-07T11:36:00.000+08:00

Rebecca Loh, who has been living in Singapore for over 10 years, tells SwitchUp.tv how she maintains her Nyonya and Malaysian identities while adapting to the life there.

6 tips for traveling with kids in China

2011-12-06T15:12:00.001+08:00

6 tips for traveling with kids in China

No worries -- it will be great. Just be prepared for cheek-pinching grannies

By Angela Doland 2 December, 2011

Your kids will enjoy China's trains, but make sure you warn them about the squat toilets.

One big reason to take your kids to China: it may be the only place on earth where people think your rambunctious toddler is as adorable as you do.

Chinese people generally dote on children, which means you can drag your youngsters to swanky restaurants and hotels without staff rolling their eyes.

Nonetheless, be prepared for surprises -- like how everyone and their mother will want to pose for photos with your kid.

And what should you do if your child gets sick? What about the awful stories about poisoned baby formula?

Here are six tips on what to expect and how to cope.

Bring a basic medical kit containing familiar brands.

1. Prepare in advance for medical issues

Many pharmacy staples that are easily available in your home town are tough to find in China, so pack accordingly.

Dr. Carenia J. Kuan, chief pediatrician at Parkway Health in Shanghai, recommends bringing oral hydrating salts or electrolyte solution, an anti-colic product, anti-itch cream, hydrocortisone cream, Benadryl syrup, and children's sunblock and mosquito repellent.

Don't forget enough medicine for existing conditions. Anti-fever medicine is widely available in China, but bring your favorite brand.

Check with your pediatrician or travel clinic to see if kids need extra vaccines or anti-malaria pills, depending on the exact destination.

For parents and children, Kuan strongly recommends shots for rabies and hepatitis A, which require advance planning.

Also note emergency contacts for a major hospital -- preferably an international one -- in each destination city.

More on CNNGo: 5 rules of traveling with kids

You will know you are in China once your kids run out of the toilet horrified.

2. Squat and bear it

If you stay in the bubble of luxury hotels and restaurants in Shanghai or Beijing, you may never see a squat toilet.

Otherwise, don't panic when the restroom door swings open and you spot the hole in the ground. Small children probably won't care. Older kids might.

Squat toilets do have advantages. With no skin-on-porcelain contact, in theory they're more sanitary (though perhaps not for your shoes).

Don't forget to carry tissues, since many Chinese restrooms don't have toilet paper. And don't count on McDonald's in times of need -- not all have bathrooms.

On a related note: disposable diapers used to be hard to find, but now many big-city supermarkets stock them. If you're going to rural areas, bring enough to get your baby through the trip.

More on CNNGo: 7 tips for flying with children

Strollers and baby carriers are the best way to transport your kids in China.

3. It may be time to invest in a kid leash

That's only partly a joke.

Traffic in China can be truly frightening, as witnessed recently by the viral video of two-year-old Wang Yue getting run over by two vehicles at a market, with passers-by ignoring her plight. (People in China are often afraid to help accident victims for fear of being held liable.)

Chinese drivers don't seem to follow clear rules. You never know when a silent electric scooter with its headlights off is going to zoom out of the dark and burn a red light.

Keep your toddler immobilized in a compact umbrella stroller that will be easy to bring into the subway and taxis. For infants, baby carriers are the simplest option.

Most taxis unfortunately don't have seat belts, so there's no point in bringing a car seat unless you hire a car and driver. If you're worried, stick to the subway or walk.

More on CNNGo: 5 places to exhaust your kids

If your kids look even a little bit different, they are bound to attract attention in China.

4. Your kid might feel like Suri Cruise in a swarm of paparazzi

On our first night in Shanghai, our two-year-old started bopping to the music at a street festival. Immediately, 20 cooing grannies lunged at her, camera flashbulbs popping.

We had been forewarned, but still we were unprepared for the attention Caucasian kids can attract in China.

Notions of personal space are different than what you're used to. Some people might even lift your toddler out of his stroller for a better look.

The reaction will be most intense in areas where international travelers are rare.

What can you do if your child gets upset?

May-lee Chai, co-author of "China A to Z," suggests "smiling politely but saying firmly, 'Bu shu fu' (不舒服), pronounced 'boo shoo foo'."

The easy-to-pronounce phrase "literally means 'uncomfortable' and can be used to mean the child is embarrassed or not feeling comfortable or is sick," she says.

My daughter solved the issue herself. After spending time on a Chinese playground, she picked up the handy phrase "bu yao!" (不要 or 'don't want!').

More on CNNGo: 8 China travel tips from a professional fixer

Chinese national holidays -- the worst time to drag your kids around.

5. Travel during Chinese holidays? Forget about it

China's 1.3 billion people all seem to travel at the same time: during Lunar New Year every January or February, and during the National Day holiday in October.

Lines for tourist attractions can stretch on for hours. Train stations are a mess. Adults can deal with it, but children may not be able to.

"Your kids are going to go crazy, and you'll go crazy too," says Cristina Rueda, a mother of two who runs Shanghai's Bumps & Babes parenting website.

More on CNNGo: How to take an original Shanghai travel photo

Make sure you pack enough baby formula.

6. Don't panic too much about the food -- but BYO baby formula

The news has been full of Chinese food scares, from steroid-laced meats to exploding watermelons.

The worst cases date to 2008, when at least six children died and several hundred thousands fell ill after drinking milk powder tainted with an industrial chemical.

Beijing United Family Hospital's Dr. Alan Meese recommends that parents bring their own infant formula when traveling abroad anywhere, since switching brands needlessly can upset small tummies. But what happens if you lose your formula-stuffed suitcase?

Meese, an American-trained pediatrician who has been practicing in China for 10 years, says he has no problem with parents buying the international brands sold in China, such as Nestlé, Similac and Enfamil.

As for ordinary food, you can't pack all your kids' meals in your bags, so don't stress too much.

Travelers' diarrhea is a problem everywhere, not just in China. If you're worried, avoid street food.

The good news is that most Chinese restaurants have kid-friendly choices. It's hard to go wrong with pork dumplings or fried rice.

Here's an extra shout-out for dumpling restaurants: some of them will give kids a ball of dough to play with, keeping them out of trouble so you can enjoy the food.

The world according to Americans

2011-12-05T17:55:00.001+08:00

Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico

2011-12-04T21:57:00.000+08:00

So you think you're having a bad day.......then you step outside of your house.................and look up into the beautiful blue sky..................and see this!!!!!

All of a sudden, that smile comes back to your face and things don't seem quite so bad!!!!!!

Now that's a 'big ass balloon!!!!!

http://www.balloonfiesta.com/

Downpour in Kuala Lumpur

2011-12-04T21:22:00.000+08:00

Today Sunday Dec 4th 2011, rained cats and dogs. Monsoon season. Rain was heavy, thunder and lightning and very strong winds howling away.
When it started, pics were taken from my apartment with 1st pic poor visibility. 15 minutes later, pic 2, very bad or zero visibility. That was how heavy the rain was. 45 minutes later, all cleared, see pic 3. What a contrast.

Singapore Angel Masseur - 20110804

2011-12-02T23:29:00.000+08:00

Which place is this?

2011-12-01T15:56:00.000+08:00

WHICH PLACE IS THIS..... DUBAI, MALAYASIA , SINGAPORE, USA, GERMANY OR ANY OTHER?

NO...no.....NO..........IT IS SAHARA AMBY VALLEY ( INDIA )...

LONAVALA..(NEAR PUNE)

Indian Billionaires' Town!

Tokyo's really, really real ninja hideouts

2011-11-29T15:53:00.001+08:00

Get to know the city's ninja neighborhoods still hiding in plain sight in 2011

By Matt Alt 23 November, 2011

Fact or fiction? Tokyo wouldn't exist without the efforts of real-life ninja.

Fact -- 100 percent fact. And they're still here today, in a manner of speaking.

Don't get us wrong. There aren't any secret training grounds or black-clad assassins leaping from rooftop to rooftop (if only). The signs are subtler than that, but they're definitely there, hiding in plain sight.

So forget the silly Ninja Akasaka restaurant, the sillier Nikko Edo-Mura ninja shows, the foam-rubber shuriken throwing stars on sale in Asakusa's Nakamise souvenir stands. This is your chance to tread in the two-toed footprints of Japan's masters of darkness, right through the heart of the city.

On second thoughts, maybe picking up some of those throwing stars wouldn't be a bad idea.

1. Harajuku

Let's turn the clock back a few years to 1597. That's when soon-to-be Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu moved to the city, bringing a brigade of ninja bodyguards along with him. The place these fearsome fighters were quartered just so happens to correspond to Tokyo's poshest, most-fashionable address today.

Over the years, they fortified the area into a maze of tiny, tough-to-invade streets now known as Ura-Harajuku, where assassins and spies have given way to shoppers and Gothic Lolitas.

Make your way past them and you'll find Onden Jinja (The Shrine of the Hidden Field), where the ninja once carried out their religious duties. It's still standing proud, more than four centuries later.

Onden Jinja, 5-26-6 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku. Google Maps.

2. The Hanzomon subway line

A ninja runs through Tokyo. His name is Hattori Hanzo, aka Hanzo the Demon. He was a master ninja who served as Tokugawa Ieaysu's right-hand spymaster. You may be familiar with the name: Quentin Tarantino resurrected it in his movie "Kill Bill."

Hanzo proved so handy that Tokugawa gave him VIP access to the castle via a special back entrance.

Known as Hanzomon (Hanzo's Gate), it's part of the Imperial Palace today -- and gave one of the city's most-traveled subway lines its name.

Hanzomon Station. Google Maps.

3. Yotsuya

The neighborhood right outside Hanzo's Gate is known as Wakaba today, but prior to 1943 it had a different name: Iga-cho (Iga Town), named after the ninja village from which Hattori Hanzo hailed.

Wakaba may have lost its ninja name, but it hasn't lost its ninja spirit. Sainenji Temple is home not only to Hanzo's grave but also his favorite spear.

Sainenji Temple, 2 Wakaba, Shinjuku-ku. Website.

4. Shin-Okubo's Hyakunin-Cho

It's known as Little Korea today, but this section of town just so happens to be where Shogun Tokugawa garrisoned a legendary team of ninja snipers -- the elongated shapes of the city blocks here outline their old practice grounds.

They were known as the Hyakunin Gumi (Battalion of Hundreds), and a wall mural portraying them in action is visible right outside Shin-Okubo Station. Every fall, the Edo Bakufu Teppo Gumi Hyakunin Tai (say that five times fast) reenacts their firefights in full costume.

Hyakunin-Cho, 1-10-15 Hyakunin-cho, Shinkuku-ku. Google Maps.

5. Hyakunin Bansho Guardhouse

The ninja who defended Edo lived in places like Harajuku, Shin-Okubo and Yotsuya, but this is where they worked. And the best part is, it's still there today.

Located in the Imperial Palace grounds, the Hyakunin Bansho Guardhouse represents the administrative wing of the ninja forces stationed around old Edo.

Over the centuries, ninja duties shifted from being soldiers to forming the city's main police force -- still, we suspect they preferred rice and miso to donuts and coffee.

Hyakunin Bansho Guardhouse, 1-1 Choyoda, Chiyoda-ku. Google Maps.

Matt Alt runs AltJapan Co., Ltd., a Tokyo-based entertainment localization company that specializes in video games, comic books and other pop culture. He is also the co-author of "Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide" and Ninja Attack! True Tales of Assassins, Samurai, and Outlaws.

The showdown: Singapore vs. Kuala Lumpur

2011-11-29T14:49:00.001+08:00

Who's bigger, better, tastier, et cetera? Two Asian capitals duke it out

By Kate Hodal 25 November, 2011

Which city is the bigger hitter: Singapore or Kuala Lumpur?

Just like all the greats -- Athens and Rome, London and New York, Paris and Berlin -- Singapore and Kuala Lumpur have had to endure a long-standing rivalry over which city does what best.

But for two capitals whose cultural similarities can sometimes outweigh their differences, finding a true winner in the great debate can prove difficult ...

Street food

Sweet, sour and spicy, Singapore's barbecued stingray doesn't compare to a simple plate of nasi goreng from a KL street trader.

Without a doubt, the longest-running and most vociferous war between the two cities has always involved food.

In Singapore, street food equals hawker centers. And let's face it -- while they're supposedly cleaner, they just don't have the taste of a gritty roadside stall. While Singapore does do better Peranakan and Teochew cuisine, and a meaner chili sauce, there's something to be said about street food actually coming from the street.

And in Kuala Lumpur the stalls are never-ending -- from Ramly burgers to lok lok and satay. Their popularity proves something that oh-so-clean Singapore can't: when your street food is still in the street, you know you're in Asia.

Verdict: Kuala Lumpur

Shopping

Quantity does not win over quality. Kuala Lumpur's less crowded and more affordable malls beat Singapore.

Singapore may have more shopping centers -- ION Orchard (2 Orchard Turn, +65 6238 8228, www.ionorchard.com), Ngee Ann City (391A Orchard Road, +65 6733 0337; www.ngeeanncity.com.sg), VivoCity (1 Harbourfront Walk, +65 6377 6860; www.vivocity.com.sg), Marina Bay Sands Shoppes (10 Bayfront Ave., +65 6733 0337; www.marinabaysands.com), Mustafa (145 Syed Alwi Road, +65 6295 5855; www.mustafa.com.sg) -- but the shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur -- KLCC (Lot No. 241, +60 3 2382 2828; www.suriaklcc.com.my/shopping), Starhill (Starhill Gallery 181, Jalan Bukit Bintang, +60 3 2782 38556; www.starhillglobalreit.com), Berjaya Times Square (1 Jalan Imbi, +60 3 2117 3111; www.timessquarekl.com) -- are just as good, if not better, and the prices tend to be around 10 percent cheaper.

With just as many high-end stores -- and an interesting mix of cheap local fashion -- Kuala Lumpur is the obvious choice, not least because Kuala Lumpur's malls are a lot emptier than Singapore's.

Verdict: Kuala Lumpur

Taxi drivers

Singapore's ComfortDelGro taxis may drive you to the point of profanity but at least you won't be ripped off.

Taxi drivers in both Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are annoyingly often as lost as the passenger. But in Singapore, drivers have GPS, the cars pass roadside safety tests, and the booking system is relatively easy and fast. And, while prices are high, they're regulated -- meaning there's no haggling. Ever.

In Kuala Lumpur, drivers are either indifferent or crazy and can charge four times the metered price. Traffic can be atrocious any time of the day and travelling at night -- especially for lone females -- is way more dangerous than it should be. So no surprise that Malaysia's taxis have been voted the worst in the world.

Verdict: Singapore

Nightlife

Singapore's swanky nightclubs are a bigger hit with party revelers.

Whether it's live jazz, karaoke or a philosophical talk you're after, Singapore is the place to be. Thanks to its large expat population, it simply has more to offer in terms of nightlife, from rooftop bars and international dance acts, to celebrity restaurants and glamorous nightclubs such as Avalon and Pangaea (Marina Bay Crystal Pavilion, 2 Bayfront Ave., www.avalon.com, www.pangaea.com) and Ku De Ta (57/F Marina Bay Sands, 1 Bayfront Ave., +65 6688 7688; www.kudeta.com.sg).

Kuala Lumpur, in contrast, has a more vibrant local music scene, with venues like No Black Tie (17 Jalan Mesui; +603 2142 3737) consistently providing awesome entertainment. But with standard nightlife centering around samey areas like Changkat, Kuala Lumpur City Center and Chinatown, things can get a little dull over time.

Verdict: Singapore

Pampering

Outdoor massages in Singapore's humidity are no competition for KL's no-nonsense hammams.

This simply wouldn't be Asia if it weren't for a massage parlor every few blocks.

But where Kuala Lumpur is known for its cheaper, traditional Malay variety, Singapore has a plethora of higher-end spas that make pampering an other-worldly venture.

That said, the fact that Kuala Lumpur has two hammams -- Singapore has none -- and you can get a really good two hour deep-tissue massage for RM80 (S$40) almost anywhere; the winner has got to be Kuala Lumpur.

Verdict: Kuala Lumpur

Architecture

Singapore's new modern, eye-catching buildings beat out KL's Petronas Towers.

A shared British history has left an interesting architectural legacy in both Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, although Singapore has better preserved its end of things.

The restoration of shophouse areas like Duxton Hill, Spottiswoode Park and Arab Street simply shows how much the city values its iconic buildings.

Then there's the vastly changed Marina Bay waterfront -- an area that simply didn't exist five years ago -- which, thanks to buildings like the durian-shaped Esplanade (1 Esplanade Drive, +65 6828 8222; www.esplanade.com.sg) and the Moshe Safdie design Marina Bay Sands -- is further establishing Singapore as a major player in the world of forward-thinking architecture.

Kuala Lumpur's large number of Islamic-inspired buildings, from the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center (KLCC, +60 3 2382 3359; www.suriaklcc.com.my), Petronas Towers (Jalan Ampang, +60 3 2051 1320; www.petronastwintowers.com.my) and Islamic Arts Museum (Taman Budaya Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Sultan Mohamed, +60 3 2274 2020; www.iamm.org.my), to Putrajaya and Dayabumi, demonstrate its own cultural and religious ties.

But apart from the Towers, what new stunning architecture can be seen gracing its skies? Kuala Lumpur's shophouses and art deco facades are in desperate need of repair, and the city has already lost historical buildings like Bok Mansion and Pudu Jail to time. Let's just hope they don't lose more.

Verdict: Singapore

Cleanliness

It's safe to breathe in Singapore's air, but we can't say the same for Kuala Lumpur.

This really shouldn't even be a category -- but let's go for it anyway.

Thanks to public fines against littering and an obsession with cleanliness, Singapore -- or "Sterile City", as it's sometimes called -- is the cleanest capital in the world.

Kuala Lumpur, on the other hand and like many other cities in the world struggles to compete with the Singaporean fastidiousness with cleanliness. But that, some may argue, could bring a sense of roughness, chaos and excitement the city-state is lacking in.

Verdict: Singapore

Cost of living

It will cost you to live in Singapore -- approximately 47 percent more.

No contest here -- according to Expatistan.com, Kuala Lumpur is 47 percent cheaper than Singapore -- prices that are reflected in everything from a night out on the town to a 85-square-meter apartment (which is actually 70 percent cheaper in Kuala Lumpur).

But let's investigate. People in Kuala Lumpur tend to earn considerably less than Singaporeans -- so, technically, have even less money to spend when they do go out. That said, if you stick to basics in both cities, you'd need S$36,000 in Singapore for the same lifestyle that would cost just S$19,060 in Kuala Lumpur.

Verdict: Kuala Lumpur

Overall verdict: It's a draw!.

Freelance photojournalist Kate Hodal has filed copy from steaming volcanoes in Iceland, the Prime Minister's office in Tuvalu and the deforested jungles of the Amazon. When she's not behind the lens or in front of the screen, she can be found madly dashing away on those other keys -- the piano's -- or singing along with the buskers on Orchard Road.

Showing 12 comments

Denise Ang 19 hours ago

Singapore is a developed nation, while Malaysia is a developing country. Thus both are very different. If you are looking for a city that runs like clockwork and everything is clinically clean, choose SG. If you like diversity, colours, sights and sounds of Asian culture, choose M'sia. If you want to look for a job, go to SG. If you want to start a business, do it in M'sia. If you want great street food, its M'sia. If you want classy dinners, its SG. :-)

NK Khoo 12 hours ago in reply to Denise Ang

Malaysia is just ok except the NEP apartheid policy.

Among the six benchmark comparisons, I only say taxi and public transport in KL is truly suck, among the worst in the world.

Cleanliness in Singapore is achieved through FINE and housekeeping by an army of foreign workers. Nothing to be proud of.

2 people liked this.

shyan Tay 19 hours ago

We like to eat food, but also like to drink beverages, often with their mouth against, just like Grandpa gave us bubble tea drink in Taiwan mountains, smell the fragrance of the entrance, and a real sweet taste, like the grandfather of a man to teach us the same reason

shyan Tay 19 hours ago

shyan Tay 20 hours ago

要拆開精緻討論結合
因為我要精緻討論後結合
3個選1個
武茶18 和茶乐町就okle----對

1 person liked this.

gino loloya 1 day ago

I totally agree and more can say that Singapore sucks when compared to the Greatness of KL. Singapore Vivocity or Orchard is no comparison to KLCC, Pavilion, Sunway and a host of other big malls in KL. KL not only has better malls, but affordable. Singapore can enjoy Loui Vitton and Diors and like -- but KL is the place to be for Christmas.. Singapore just smells money and nothing else. KL malls are packed with shows from China and much in action like Belle, NO COMPARE Singapore with KL -- you will regret not being in KL -- but not in Singapore. I live in Singapore..

Flag

NK Khoo and 1 more liked this

kenny ng 3 days ago

poorly researched news article; this journalist has yet to experience and appreciate the true depths of Singaporean culture and society. a huge dislike

4 people liked this.

Tony Xiao 3 days ago

Interesting that a shallow ang-mo think she can tell people what she think is better in a land that she does not even call home. She probably have never travel into the heartlands of Singapore, nor the slumps in Malaysia...

I am a Malaysian living in Singapore, and in all aspects of those mentioned above, Singapore beats KL in almost everything and anything.

But HEY, this is CNN, the American Imperialist's news channel that thinks their say in everything and anything in planet earth is final, and what they say counts (and so they think, very naively)...

kenny ng and 18 more liked this

NK Khoo 23 hours ago in reply to Tony Xiao

Only Singaporeans and some runaway Malaysian Chinese think Singapore is so great until ang-mos have to submit to this mindset, otherwise ang-mo is imperialist with ulterior motive to run down Singapore.

I lived in Singapore for several years and can testify that Singapore is a boring city. I doubt any true Malaysians like the sweet char koay teow in Singapore.

2 people liked this.

Maula Nurul Khakam 3 days ago

hi.. i prefer to go KOMODO island...hehehe

Nat Steiner 3 days ago

Disagree about food in Singapore, sure we lack KL's more gritty, actually-on-the-street culture but we've got a host of unique dishes to Singapore on a hawker and kopitiam level. Furthermore, our fine dining culture is in a high boom time currently and kills KL on many fronts.

kenny ng and 8 more liked this

Vincent Wee 3 days ago

You are really scraping the bottom of the barrel here. Shallow, poorly researched piece. I suppose that's about par for CNN so I shouldn't be surprised. Friendly tip Kate. Did you know the "buskers" on Orchard Rd are not really buskers at all. You need a licence from the authorities to busk and they give them out to disabled people so they don't end up begging on the streets. I honestly don't know how you got as far as you did. Oh ya, that's right, you're a "native English speaker".

kenny ng and 5 more liked this

Monorail (background) - Market Street, Sydney, Australia - 20111025

2011-11-14T20:45:00.000+08:00

Centrepoint & Monorail (background) - Market Street, Sydney, Australia - 20111025

2011-11-14T20:04:00.000+08:00

Publika @ Solaris Duta Mas, KL - Decorations

2011-11-13T21:35:00.000+08:00

Coffee Shop @ Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur

2011-11-13T00:21:00.000+08:00

Bondi Beach, Sydney - 2011Oct29

2011-11-03T17:05:00.001+08:00

Bondi Beach, Sydney - 2011Oct29
It is not pronounced as 'bondee' but 'bon-dye', ok?

Allianz Australia, Market St, Sydney - one of my former employers (2011Oct25)

2011-10-28T20:55:00.000+08:00

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Sydney Centre Point - 2011Oct25

2011-10-28T20:49:00.000+08:00

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Sydney Chinatown souvenir shop (zoom in) - 2011Oct24

2011-10-28T17:42:00.000+08:00

Zoom in.

Sydney Chinatown Gift shop - 2011Oct24

2011-10-28T17:38:00.001+08:00

Darling Harbour, Sydney (2011Oct24)

2011-10-28T09:31:00.000+08:00

Back to Marsfield from Sydney CBD (2011Oct24) - sights of man & his dog, North Sydney & Apartment

2011-10-28T09:13:00.000+08:00

Back to Marsfield from Sydney CBD (2011Oct24) - sights of man & his dog, North Sydney & Apartment

Martin Place, Sydney (Oct24, 2011)

2011-10-28T08:51:00.000+08:00

Sydney Chinatown - Oct24, 2011

2011-10-27T23:11:00.000+08:00

ECGMA says: my mate, JmastaT quoted the very words "within the 4 seas all men are brothers". On land they kill each other.

Sydney - Monday Oct 24, 2011 (2)

2011-10-25T09:24:00.000+08:00

ECGMA says: At mid-George Street, passing by Town Hall toward Sydney Chinatown for lunch.
The irony is that it took me 22 years to snap these pics. When one lives in 'town' we see these sights 'everyday'.
Spent all day in the city centre and returned to Marsfield exhausted. Slept like a baby that night.

Marsfield to Sydney CBD (1)

2011-10-24T12:14:00.000+08:00

Day 2: Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Took the 292 bus from Marsfield to the City Centre, Sydney. Alighted at QVB (Queen Victoria Building) near Town Hall, then proceeded from upper George St down to lower George St toward Sydney Chinatown for lunch. Then went to the immigration office, renewed my PR visa. All done within 15minutes online. Not a single paperwork. So efficient! Off to lunch @ BBQ King known for roast duck, roast pork, BBQ chicken and pork. Sin food to some people.

Only in Asia

2011-10-17T14:48:00.003+08:00

Row of Houses In Dubai

2011-10-17T14:06:00.000+08:00

The World According to India

2011-10-11T15:26:00.001+08:00

Miss LadyBoys

2011-10-11T03:46:00.000+08:00

Singapore Sights

2011-10-11T03:41:00.000+08:00

Hua Shan plank walk full 10 minutes video

2011-10-11T00:48:00.000+08:00

*Click on the link 'EC Travels' below to view the blogpost*

El camino del rey 2010

2011-10-11T00:44:00.000+08:00

The Legend of Fat Mama - story of Chinese community in India

2011-08-24T17:35:00.000+08:00

*Click on the link 'EC Travels' below to view the blogpost and video clip*

“The Legend of Fat Mama” is a bittersweet story of the Chinese community in Kolkata, India, intertwined with the nostalgic journey in search of a woman who once made the most delicious noodles in the city’s Chinatown district. Kolkata once had a thriving community in its Chinatown, engaged in different trades, like medicine shops, food and shoemaking.

Though a small number of Chinese still live there, many of them left India in the aftermath of the 1962 India-China war. Thriving street food, disappearing family-run eateries, mahjong clubs, a Chinese printing press that has shut down and its handwritten counterpart that continues to deliver the news every morning, and the first all-woman dragon dance group preparing for the Chinese New Year make up the Chinese heritage in Kolkata.

About the director:

Rafeeq Ellias is an internationally known photographer. As a cinematographer, he has shot three documentaries: ‘The Nectar of Immortality’, a Channel Four film on the Kumbh Mela; ‘Slum Mumbai’, on Mumbai’s pavement-dwellers; and ‘Steps in Time’, on the Asiatic Society, Mumbai. ‘The Legend of Fat Mama’, made for BBC World, was Ellias’ first documentary as director and scriptwriter.

“The Legend of Fat Mama” won the Best Anthropological/Ethnographic Film at the 52nd National Film Awards.

I still call Australia home

2011-08-22T17:19:00.001+08:00

(4) Universal Studios Singapore @ Resort World Sentosa

2011-08-09T02:18:00.000+08:00

(3) Universal Studios Singapore @ Resort World Sentosa

2011-08-09T01:40:00.000+08:00

Re: (2) Universal Studios Singapore @ Resort World Sentosa

2011-08-08T21:43:00.000+08:00

(1) Universal Studios Singapore @ Resort World Sentosa

2011-08-08T01:51:00.000+08:00

(2) Clark Quay, Singapore

2011-08-08T00:53:00.000+08:00

(1) Clark Quay, Singapore

2011-08-07T23:45:00.000+08:00

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(2) Sights & Scenes @ Skypark Marina Sands Bay, Singapore

2011-08-07T22:41:00.000+08:00

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(1) Sights & Scenes @ Skypark on top of Marina Sands Bay, Singapore

2011-08-07T17:21:00.000+08:00

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NSW, Australia - Snow go area: Great Western Highway closed as winds and cold front cause chaos

2011-06-22T13:13:00.000+08:00

ECGMA says: F-shit, man! Oberon, NSW, Australia covered in snow! We used to visit Oberon during the winter for the snow, located deep down the Blue Mountains passed Katoomba. Beautiful place. Missed home already! Darn!

Snow go area: Great Western Highway closed as winds and cold front cause chaos

Kim Arlington, Stephanie Gardiner

June 22, 2011

Time to stay inside ... few people plucked up the courage to venture out after a thick layer of snow blanketed the town of Oberon.

Photo: Karen McCusker

HEAVY snowfalls in the state's central west forced the closure of the Great Western Highway yesterday, while winds gusting up to 100 km/h brought down trees on houses, roads and power lines in Sydney.

The State Emergency Service responded to 220 calls for help, mainly in Sydney's south and west, as damaging winds moved in ahead of a strong cold front.

Snow blanketed Bathurst, Orange, Blayney, Oberon, Mudgee and Cowra as temperatures dropped to near freezing.

Digging deep ... everyday life gets trickier at Perisher. Photo: Kellie Schlecht

The highway was closed for several hours in both directions between Bathurst and Lithgow and a stretch of the Castlereagh Highway was also shut. With numerous traffic accidents, police urged drivers to take care.

Kimmy Yee, in Oberon, said the snowfall was ''crazy''. ''Everything is all white here,'' she said. ''It's actually snowing sideways.''

Roger Bailey, from Lithgow City Council, said: ''It's been a couple of years since we've had snow like this.''

101 East - China's dirty secrets

2011-06-07T10:35:00.000+08:00

*Click on the link 'EC Travels' below to view the blogpost*

China's juggernaut economy is the envy of the world, but at what cost to the country's people and environment? 101 East investigates.

China's Ghost Cities and Malls

2011-06-07T10:33:00.000+08:00

*If you received this via email, click on the link at "Posted by ECGMA to ECTravels Blog" to view the blogpost"*

Documentary by SBS Dateline (Australian TV) about the Chinese real estate market.

Original link to SBS Dateline video: http://www.sbs.com.au/dateline/story/watch/id/601007/n/China-s-Ghost-Cities

For my views and possible ETF investments to play China's real estate bubble collapse: http://etf-investment-ideas.blogspot.com/2011/03/chinas-ghost-cities-and-mall...

China's Hairiest Man

2011-05-04T17:40:00.000+08:00

*If you received this via email, click on the link at "Posted by ECGMA to ECTravels Blog" to view the blogpost"*

Meet 26 year-old Yu Zhenhuan - officially China's hairiest man.

Beerology: Where beer is a serious subject

2011-04-23T11:35:00.001+08:00

Bangkok beer lovers now have more than 50 reasons to check out phase two of the Crystal Design Center By Saransri Prawatpattanakul 21 April, 2011

Located in the just-opened second phase of Crystal Design Center (CDC), a lifestyle complex in Lad Prao, Beerology is the latest in a string of Bangkok openings catering to suds lovers in search of premium ales.

The bar might be small and the decor understated but its selection of beer imported from all over the world is anything but.

On offer are more than 50 varieties, from standard imported brands like Guinness and Stella Artois to less common offerings like Leffe Brown from Belgium, Victoria Bitter from Australia and Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse Dunkel from Germany.

If you get overwhelmed, well-trained staff can help you choose. Also recommended is Beerology's house-brewed beer.

Snacks are available but don't come here hungry as there isn't a full dining menu. The setting is laidback, the soundtrack unremarkable but pleasant.

Young professionals who avoid the busy scene of CDC phase one can be seen chilling here after work, espcially on Friday and Saturday nights, when reservations are recommended.

Beerology

2/F, Crystal Design Center Phase II
1420/1 Praditmanutham Road.
Between Lat Prao Soi 77 and Soi Yothin Pattana
Tel: +66 (0)8 6052 5262
Open daily, 5 p.m.-midnight
www.facebook.com\beerologyBKK

The top 10 most boring things to do in Singapore

2011-04-23T11:25:00.001+08:00

Singapore is boring, we all know that, but what are the definitive 10 things that will deliver you to snoresville? Read on ... By Elaine Ee-Meyers 19 April, 2011

Old habits die hard, in spite of Singapore's efforts to shed its boring image, a lot of what happens here remains, well, boring.

Should you ever feel the urge to utterly bore yourself silly Singapore-style, there are, ironically, plenty of things to do.

We pick the dullest of the lot.

10. Go to the cinema

Movies are meant to entertain but in Singapore expect to be bored.

Here mainstream Hollywood blockbusters are king and indie movies, art house films or anything that doesn't star one of the brat pack are relegated to small film festivals, DVDs bought overseas or whatever is streamed available online.

When you do decide to go to the cinema, prepare to put up with a slew of irritations: the endless rustle of snack-filled plastic bags, glaring mobile screens, inane chatter between people etc …

And if the movie is really, really good, there's a chance that it has been snipped to shreds by the censors.

9. Take a drive

Just like the country, the roads in Singapore are straight and orderly.

It's ironic, Singapore hosts a Formula 1 night race every year but it doesn't mean driving here is any fun.

Think of it as being stuck in a driving school's road circuit until the end of time. You are forced to remember all the rules all the time, someone is always waiting to haul you up for doing wrong, you can't speed, there's a traffic light, speed camera or stop sign on every corner and there's really nowhere to go.

On the few roads that you could possibly speed on, you have to pay the minute you start your engine. No wonder all the road fun takes place in Malaysia.

8. Have dinner at the airport

In any other country on this planet, going out to dinner at the airport would seem incredibly strange. In Singapore, people do it in the hundreds, especially on the weekend.

What's the appeal? Perhaps it's the space. Changi Airport is one of the most spacious, uncluttered buildings on an island where most live in small flats. Walking down the cavernous passenger halls in the terminal buildings might just provide Singaporeans with a rare feeling of openness.

And while they're at the airport, they might as well do what Singaporeans do when they go anywhere: eat.

7. Listening up at Speakers' Corner

The sound of the crickets are louder than the sound of the protesters.

A government-regulated platform for free speech? What a contradiction. No wonder nobody is rushing to get on their soapbox.

Just the sign stating Speakers' Corner kills its spirit and worse, replicating the name of the London oratorical spot only serves to amplify the emptiness of the one we have here.

This supposedly public space for open discussion currently falls under not one, not two, but three legislative acts -- the Public Order of 2009, the Public Entertainments and Meetings Order of 2008 and Parks and Trees Regulation (what, in case the trees get offended?).

For a space intended to allow more free speech, these web of rules just strangle it instead.

6. Day camping in East Coast Park

Why bother pitching a tent if you're not actually going to camp in it overnight?

What exactly is the point of pitching it for just the afternoon? It's pragmatic -- you have your own shelter on hand -- but it can't really be called fun.

And it's not like you're parking yourself somewhere to enjoy a stunning view or beautiful countryside. We're talking supertankers, oil-streaked waters, man-made breakwaters, dirty beaches and fast food restaurants.

The whole experience is about as interesting as having a picnic in a void deck.

5. Read the newspaper

Hardly riveting reading.

There's a reason why a certain newspaper here has been called "the world's biggest in-house newsletter." And the same can be applied to most local dailies.

With predictable pro-establishment reporting, the weight of self-censorship bearing down, the absence of a single engaging opinion, no humor, no controversy, no scandal, no sex, no race, no politics … well you get our drift. No fun.

4. Watch local television

How many programmes about hawker food are we supposed to stomach? Or painful comedies and dramas with badly written scripts and stilted acting?

On the nightly news, we're lucky if news "casters" toss in the rare opinion -- most read off the teleprompter wholesale.

Local television has come a long way since its Radio-TV Singapore days, but is still has a long, long way to go.

3. Go for a walk in a shopping center

Up and down, around and about, Singapore love to stroll around shopping centers.

When we think of going for a walk we think of pretty parks, breezy beaches and eclectic streets, not strolls through crowded shopping centers where the most interesting things to look at are discount signs and mass-produced goods in an artificially-lit, hard-noise environment.

If you're there to buy something, fine, but if you're out for a walk, why would you want to do it here? Yet many Singaporean spend every weekend milling about aimlessly; it's an entrenched local habit.

Who are the biggest offenders? The ones walking excruciatingly slowly, often blocking an entire passage, and the clueless ones who stop without warning at the foot of escalator to talk on their mobile phones.

2. Have a ride on the Singapore Flyer

Each rotation on this giant observation wheel takes half an hour and during that time on the Flyer you get to see … wait for it … not stunning architecture, wondrous landmarks or breathtaking scenery but slab after slab of concrete blocks of flats, separated by gashes of building sites and gray expressways, with the occasional clump of trees.

It's almost better with the haze.

1. Indulge in a spot of gambler watching

Even the dealers look bored in Singapore.

Since the opening of the two Integrated Resorts, gambler watching has become a new national sport (next to taking a mall strolling).

Why? We have no idea. Asian gamblers rarely exhibit any emotion and you can forget about spontaneous displays of joy, or a cheeky "blow on my dice, sweetheart."

Hence, as an observer, this means remaining catatonic, for hours on end, observing glassy-eyed strangers move chips and cards around, and vicariously feeling elated or depressed as money is won and lost, except none of that money is actually yours.

A "sport" for those who really want to take the risk but don't have the money or the balls. We'd rather watch a factory production line in motion.

Elaine Ee-Meyers has been a writer and editor for 15 years. She has written extensively for books, magazines, websites and exhibitions on a wide range of topics.

Asia's most sinful cities

2011-04-23T11:23:00.001+08:00

The best cities in Asia for indulging the devil on your shoulder

By Andrew Willis 20 April, 2011

Seven deadly sins -- seven lively Asian cities. We all stray off the path of righteousness from time to time.

So if you're going to end up in hell due to a temptation to eat more than your fair share of stinky tofu, take a detour to Taipei first. Or if pride's your vice, take a turn toward Manila.

These Asian cities take a sin and turn it into a raison d'être.

1. Gluttony: Taipei, Taiwan

Two men, four chopsticks, myriad good reasons to eat out again.

Cheap eats, everywhere, day or night.

Taipei sports 18 streets dedicated to nothing other than food. Where you might usually expect a bus shelter, instead you'll find a barbecue. Sidewalks become snack stalls. The pungent smell of stinky tofu fills the air.

Night markets in Taipei have become famous for their snack selections, or xiaochi, literally meaning "small eats."

The dishes may be little, but so are the prices, running around US$1-2 dollars. A fat gut never came so easily.

2. Sloth: Seoul, South Korea

The digital "activity" of Seoul's gamer havens.

When South Koreans are not racking up overtime, they're collecting bandwidth fees.

Seoul's Internet has been honed, sculpted, streamlined and sped up to such a degree that no one really needs to move, at all, ever, except maybe when the orc hordes descend in "World of Warcraft" and some rapid double-clicking is required.

South Korea has been ranked the 15th laziest country in the world (and the first in Asia) by The Daily Beast. And there's every reason to assume they'll get even lazier.

A recently proposed government policy seeks to advance digital technology in the capital, partly influenced by demand for online gaming and streaming video, and will take Internet speeds to 1,000 Mbps by 2012.

So if some of the 39 million connected South Koreans wanted to emulate their favourite national soccer heroes, they may as well just do it via "FIFA Manager."

3. Pride: Manila, Philippines

The only men in the world who call out their own name in bed.

Much is made about the loveliness of the Filipino female. But you wouldn't know it by talking to the Filipino men -- they're too busy gazing lustfully into the mirror.

According to a study from Synovate, Filipino men are the most narcissistic in Asia. A whopping 48 percent consider themselves sexually attractive.

And if the ladies reading this think the guys' encounters with the brow tweazers are for your benefit, sorry -- nine out of 10 Filipino men polled said they liked to look good for themselves, not anyone else.

By way of comparison, just 25 percent of men in Singapore considered themselves sexually attractive, 17 percent in China and Taiwan and a measly 12 percent of Hong Kong guys think the same.

4. Greed: Shenzhen, China

Bigger, faster, stronger, richer.

The financial crisis is for suckers.

When everyone else was tightening the belts, Shenzhen carried on regardless, pumping out billions of dollars worth of high-tech products.

Shenzhen is one of the fastest growing cities in the world, with a provincial GDP of US$42 billion -- that's more than some countries such as Guatemala and Lebanon, and four times more than Iceland.

Meanwhile, China's millionaires keep millionairing -- it won't be long before there are 1 million U.S. dollar millionaires in the country, guided by Shenzhen's philosophy: if you can't make a million, make a billion.

5. Lust: Tokyo, Japan

Whatever tickles your fancy, Tokyo delivers.

Japan's sex industry is worth an estimated ¥2.5 trillion (US$30 billion), second only to the country's automobile industry. Is there any competition?

According to "Pink Box" author Joan Sinclair, "Japan offers absolutely everything imaginable."

From gratuitous puke porn (and worse) to the barely titillating maid cafes, Tokyo is like a dirty old man in a teenager's body. But one who celebrates his lewd desires with the gusto of an exhibitionist poodle on heat.

Head here to indulge your fetishes or simply to have yourself bathed by a pretty young thing in a uniform.

6. Envy: New Delhi, India

Leaving on a jet plane, don't want to come back again.

More Indians emigrated in 2010 than any other nationality in the world except for Mexicans, according to the World Bank's Migration and Remittances Factbook 2011.

Some 11.4 million Indians headed elsewhere to find a better life, drawn by the lure of things done properly.

India, and its capital New Delhi, has the world's worst case of grass-is-greener syndrome.

7. Wrath: Pyongyang, North Korea

So much fun to be had as the scourge of all peace-loving nations.

Pugnacious, belligerent, quarrelsome ... the North Korean capital is the moody adolescent of the continent. But unlike most spotty delinquents who express their angry insecurities by piercing body parts or coloring their hair, this one sinks ships and shells islands.

North Korea's national sport is Taekwondo. If there's a food shortage, the military get served first. Propaganda films talk of the "invincible power" of the North Korean army and posters in the capital state, "The way to peace is on the point of a bayonet."

Its army comprises nearly 1 million troops, out of a nation of 24 million.

Still, the Dear Leader Kim Jong Il does claim to have made the world's best ever golf score -- an astonishing 38 under par on a regulation 18-hole course incuding five holes-in-one. And that on his first ever attempt, too.

Perhaps he's not so bad.

Hawkesbury River's secrets: Hugh Jackman to act out Grenville's colonial journey

2011-04-07T15:40:00.001+08:00

Now is the chance to explore the scene of last year's best-selling novel, 'The Secret River,' before a new film makes it world famous

By Mark Franklin 6 April, 2011

Hawkesbury River Bridge in the nineteenth century. The bridge was built by New York's Brooklyn Construction Company.

For the historical inquirer, the Hawkesbury River is more than a journey into tranquil coves and ancient forests. A deeper look reveals past conflicts between colonial settlers hungry for land and indigenous people to whom land ownership was a foreign concept.

The river banks were the most populated part of greater Sydney by the Dharug tribe, who had lived there for thousands of years.

The area is set to have its colonial history told in a film starring Hugh Jackman, due for release later this year.

It is directed by Jackman's wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, and is based on -- and will take on the same name as -- Kate Grenville's best-selling book, "The Secret River."

The book is a fictional commentary on the life of Grenville's great-great-great-grandfather, Solomon Wiseman –- played by Jackman in the movie -– who built a convict-supply ferry across the Hawkesbury in 1827.

The Hawkesbury was crucial to the survival of the British colony in New South Wales. In the early 1800s, with the settlement at Sydney Cove struggling to feed an ever-growing number of convicts, soldiers and freehold landowners, the Hawkesbury became the colony's breadbasket.

But the clearing of land for agriculture came at a cost –- and that cost was largely born by the Dharug.

Historical accounts vary -- it's a controversial topic in dissident journalist John Pilger's "A Secret Country" -- but it is certain that many Dharug died at the hands of white settlers, and most of those who survived the British invasion were forcibly displaced.

Known as Deerubbun by its traditional inhabitants, much of the Hawkesbury region is now national park and seems largely unchanged by more than 200 years of white settlement.

The area is sure to experience an increase in travelers after "The Secret River" arrives on the silver screen.

A journey into colonial history

Little Wobby Beach, Hawkesbury River.

Solomon Wiseman's original ferry no longer remains, but the present-day Wiseman's Ferry transports cars across the river (free of charge) to Dharug and Yengo National Parks. There, numerous hiking tracks take walkers past Aboriginal rock carvings.

A little further downstream, along banks dotted with fruit orchids and vegetable farms, is the old oyster-farming town of Brooklyn. It was given the name after workers from New York's Brooklyn Construction Company moved into the area to build an arched sandstone-and-iron rail bridge across the river, linking Sydney to the Hunter Valley.

The bridge now carries thousands of train commuters across the Hawkesbury River every day from the Central Coast to Sydney.

For travelers to the Hawkesbury, the one-hour train journey from Sydney would end here. Visitors who alight the train at Hawkesbury River Station will see black and white photographs documenting the bridge's construction.

A short walk from the train station, houseboats and dinghies are available to hire from several of Brooklyn's many marinas. From there, it's a short trip across the water to Bar Island, where missionaries built a church in the 1800s. Remains of the church still stand on the island –- which is now a heritage site –- along with the tombstones of Aboriginal children killed by smallpox.

The nineteenth century built church in Windsor.

Visitors to Brooklyn can also join Australia's oldest and last-remaining river postman on an exquisite postal run from Dangar Island upstream to Spencer.

The boat passes steep escarpments and wild bushland, stopping along the way to deliver mail to scattered houses that have no road access, mains, power or piped water.

For ferry journeys along the Hawkesbury to Wobby Beach and Dangar Island, check local information - +61 (0)2 9985 7566.

The Hawkesbury River plays host every November and May to an international water skiing event, the Bridge to Bridge. From Brooklyn's rail bridge, the 112-kilometer river-course winds through mangroves and gullies, to the bridge in Windsor.

Windsor, a major colonial settlement that is home to many of Australia's oldest buildings, is the largest town on the upper Hawkesbury.

Visitors can stroll through the heritage sites, sip drinks in federation-era pubs, or shop for arts-and-crafts at the weekend markets.

And those interested in exploring the Hawkesbury's settler history a little further can browse Windsor Library's comprehensive archive of original documents, and join one of the city's hottest historical debates.

For acommodation on the Hawkesbury, information is at www.hawkesburyaustralia.com.au

For rail journeys to the Hawkesbury, one or two express trains leave Central Station every hour -- commuters then have to change at Woy Woy Station (two stations past Hawkesbury River) to catch the local train back to Hawkesbury River. AU$6.

Life after dark: 10 things best done 'round midnight in Hong Kong

2011-04-07T15:26:00.001+08:00

Touring dodgy fruit markets, squid fishing by moonlight, hunting ghosts and pigging out ... it's what we like to get up to at night in the city that never sleeps

By Christopher DeWolf 7 April, 2011

Mongkok is best experienced during the neon-lit nights.

Hong Kong is one of the rare cities that is even livelier and more interesting at night than it is during the day, yet most people's nocturnal activity consists of the same old, same old: dinner and drinks then off to bed.

That's fun, but it gets old after a while. Here's our pick of alternative activities for the witching hour and beyond.

1. Go squid fishing

Like a nighttime version of the popular daytime junk trip, squid fishing is an excuse to get together with a bunch of friends, rent a boat and spend the evening drinking, talking and enjoying the particularly peaceful experience of being at sea after dark.

Squid and cuttlefish only come out at night; seasoned with a bit of garlic and soy sauce, they make for delicious eating.

You'll be given a simple line and hook; dip it in the water, pull it back to imitate a fish moving around and you'll hopefully catch a small squid, which the boat staff will then pan-fry for you.

Plenty of companies offer boat rentals for up to 30 people, see www.thelist.com.hk and hk.88db.com for more details.

2. Visit the 'gwo laan'

Yau Ma Tei's fruit market.

Every night, just as the Temple Street Night Market is packing up, the Yau Mai Tei Wholesale Fruit Market is only getting started.

Known informally as the gwo laan, the market is a shambolic collection of century-old buildings set along narrow alleyways near the corner of Waterloo Road and Reclamation Street.

Though it starts operating as early as 10 p.m., the action doesn't reach a fever pitch until 4 a.m. when retail buyers negotiate with vendors and tattooed shirtless workers haul crates of apples and lychees.

Though the market has a sketchy reputation, it's a perfectly welcoming place to wander around. Just don't get in anyone's way.

3. Take a red minibus to Mongkok

A corner of Cheung Chau at night.

As far as red minibuses go, all roads lead to Mongkok, especially in the wee hours of the morning when the buzzing neighborhood acts as a transfer point between routes heading to every part of Hong Kong.

There's plenty to keep you interested after midnight: street food, late-night clothing stores, snooker halls, DVD hawkers.

Fuel up with a bowl of noodles at the 24-hour Aberdeen Fishball and Noodles (139 Tung Choi St., +852 2787 6678) or the Sea View Congee Shop (103 Argyle St., +852 2787 7330) and hit the streets for a late night of entertainment.

4. Get lost on Cheung Chau

Sleepy outlying island this is not. While Peng Chau, Lamma and Mui Wo tuck into bed early, Cheung Chau plays host to a miniature night market that gets started after 10 p.m., with delicious treats from sushi to tong shui.

Weekend holidaymakers, meanwhile, keep the beach busy well into the night. But even with all of these activities, it's still possible to escape: try wandering along the picturesque Peak Road. Ferries return to Central at 11:45 p.m. and 2:20 a.m.

5. Watch a rooftop movie

Beach can be better in the dark.

Despite Hong Kong's rich cinematic history, there aren't many alternatives here to the box-standard commercial cinema. That's especially true for outdoor movies.

The open-air harborfront cinema closed in 2007; Moonlight Movies is on indefinite hiatus; and outdoor screenings at the local film festivals are a thing of the past.

Luckily, Rooftop Cinema is doing its best to reinvigorate al fresco cinema with a new series of films that will be shown on the roof of the Fringe Club until May 4th. See rooftopcinema.hk for more details.

6. Hang out at the beach

Innocently fun in the daylight, the beach takes a more seductive turn under the moon, which makes it the perfect place for a romantic date or a chilled out get-together with friends. Bring a mat, some candles and a bottle of wine -- there's no better place on a hot summer's eve.

If you find yourself at a non-gazetted beach, such as Lamma's Power Plant Beach, kick it up with a bonfire. Just remember to douse the embers and pick up the trash before leaving.

7. Eat at an all-night dai pai dong

Midnight munchie cure at dai pai dongs.

Late-night hunger pangs are never a problem in Sham Shui Po, where several of the neighborhood's 14 dai pai dongs are open around the clock.

Head to Yiu Tung Street, near the corner of Shek Kip Mei Street, where So Kee dishes up pork chop noodles and milk tea 24 hours a day, Hung Fat satisfies congee cravings and Cheung Fat does fantastic fish ball noodles until 4 a.m.

8. Get middle-of-the-night dim sum

Dim sum at all times.

There's nothing quite like a radish cake and some cheung fun to soak up a night of excess. In Prince Edward, One Dim Sum (15 Playing Field Road, +852 2789 2280) serves the Tung Choi Street bar crowd until 1 a.m. every night.

But for a truly exceptional dim sum experience, head over to Kennedy Town, where Sun Hing Sik Gah (10 Hau Wo St., +852 2816 0616) opens for the day at 3 a.m. This is a steamy, white-tiled, fluorescent-lit kind of place. With dirt-cheap prices, the crowd of early birds and late sleepers get along just fine.

9. Walk with the ghosts

You'll never see Hong Kong the same way again after taking the Wanchai Livelihood Museum's nighttime ghost story tour, which visits several haunted sites in the city's most ghostly neighborhood.

Tour guide Wong Sau-ping explains that the abundance of ghosts stems from Wanchai's long history and high rate of casualties.

With the flair of a natural storyteller, Wong delves into the stories behind the ghost stories. You'll leave the tour with goosebumps and a richer knowledge of Hong Kong's history.

Call Suki Chau at +852 2835 4376 for details about the tour.

10. Go for a bike ride

Nighttime biking.

All of cycling's most sensual qualities are enhanced after dark, when the Sunday cyclists have gone home and there's nobody but you, your bike and the cool night breeze. Our favorite destination for nighttime biking is Tai Mei Tuk, where you can ride at high speed along the Plover Cove Dam, the city's lights on one side of you and the moon's reflection on the other.

Christopher DeWolf is a writer, photographer and self-styled flâneur.

Foreign men over 50, or earning too little, banned from marrying Cambodians

2011-04-07T15:24:00.001+08:00

The Cambodian government announces controversial measures to ensure its women receive a decent standard of living

6 April, 2011

From now on, only Cambodian men and foreigners below 50 and earning more than US$2,550 a month will be able to wed Cambodian women.

Low-earning foreign men older than 50 can forget about marrying Cambodian women.

The Cambodian government announced new restriction on foreign marriages last month, stipulating that grooms must be younger than 50 and should earn more than US$2,550 per month.

"Marrying a man over 50 years old seems like a grandfather and a granddaughter," Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said to Phnom Penh Post. "We want people getting married to look like proper couples."

The salary minimum was in place to prevent labor trafficking and to ensure that Cambodian women enjoyed a decent standard of living, he added.

Foreign men older than 50 are also banned from marrying Cambodian women of their age or older. The ban does not extend to foreign women, The Economist reported.

The restriction prompted outcry among rights groups and human rights activists.

"This justification is reflective of the attitude of this government which considers it appropriate to impose its own norms on the people without regard to their freedom and capacity to choose and often in violation of the law and human rights principles," renowned human rights activist Ou Virak wrote in the Phnom Penh Post.

Pung Chhiv Kek, president of Cambodian rights groups Licadho Pung Chhiv Kek, pointed out to The Economist that a more effective way of protecting women in Cambodia is to step up implementation of laws against rape and violence, instead of regulating morality.

This is not the first time the Cambodian government had announced marriage bans. In 2008, a temporary ban on all foreign marriages was imposed to curb the trafficking of women to South Korea.

In 2010, the government again temporarily forbade foreign marriages, this time between Cambodian women and South Korean men.

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