Are you looking for somewhere interesting to take a vacation? Hong Kong has been near the top of most travel sites’ rankings for so long that people are beginning to take it for granted. Is it still as good as it used to be? What can you expect if you go there? Will it provide the kind of experience you’ve been hoping for?

The sights of the city

With its many stunning skyscrapers, outsiders often think of Hong Kong as being dense and crowded, making it hard to get around and appreciate the sights. The reality is very different. In fact, the city has several large, open squares with beautiful surroundings, spacious parks and open sea views. A trip up to the Peak will allow you to see the whole thing from above, spread out like a map. You can climb to Po Lin Monastery to see the imposing Tian Tan Buddha or take the Star Ferry out across the water to admire the city’s skyline. Children will be thrilled by Ocean Park and Hong Kong Disneyland.

Food

One of the first things people fall in love with in Hong Kong is the food. It’s a city with a strong culture of eating out and you can find restaurants serving high quality cuisine from all around the world, as well as some excellent fusion cooking. Must-try local dishes include sweet and sour pork, roast goose, snake soup, fish balls, phoenix talons (actually made from chicken), roast pigeon and congee. Egg tarts for dessert are a must, and you should also try wife cake, pineapple bread and ginger milk curd.

Culture

Hong Kong has many excellent museums, including a hands-on science museum that is much loved by children, and a maritime museum that provides an insight into the city’s history of trade. The numerous art galleries showcase the products of the thriving local art scene and also reflect the cosmopolitan nature of the city with influences from all around the world. At night, head for Lan Kwai Fong, where you’ll find numerous bars and local people ready to party all night.

Shopping

If you love to shop, you’ll be a fan of the streets around Causeway Bay MRT Station, where the atmosphere is electric and there are some amazing malls. Head out to IFC, Pacific Place or Horizon Plaza to find luxury boutiques and designer brands, or try Tsim Sha Tsui for the hottest youth trends. The Mong Kok street markets are full of great bargains and you can keep on shopping at Temple Street night market into the small hours.

Why not stay?

Some people enjoy their time in Hong Kong so much that they choose to stay. It’s an easy city to settle in, very welcoming to immigrants. There are ample employment opportunities, you can get by in English most of the time, and you can even find American style education in Hong Kong. There are also plenty of American-style restaurants and entertainment venues if you are homesick.

This is a city where there’s always something happening, and its cosmopolitan nature allows room for everyone. It’s definitely worth a visit – and perhaps more than one.

2018 is the best year ever to take to the streets on a bicycle, and this list of pros and cons will show you why. As you can see, most of the pros are pretty constant, and most of the cons have solutions that mitigate or even abrogate completely their negative value:

Pros:

-Cyclists have more rights on the road now than they ever have before. In many jurisdictions you can take up a whole lane if you want to. And if cars don’t respect you they will get fined and points on their license. And if the worst happens and you get in an accident, contact a good attorney that knows about the subject like Slater & Gordon at once. The law is on your side more than ever now.

-Cycling is a lot safer if it is done in the right way. This includes not only obeying the rules (cyclists often think that red lights don’t apply to them, for example), but also knowing how to make yourself visible on the road, not camping out in drivers’ blind spots, etc. And it’s also very important to remember to keep your bike in good shape. Just like with any other vehicle, proper tire pressure is extremely important for a bicycle, as are brakes and lights. Most jurisdictions require by law a white light in the front of your bike and a red light on the back. And it’s a very good idea to have reflectors on your bike and reflective clothing as well, to increase visibility.

-Cycling contributes greatly to overall health, as if you had to be told one more time. Pro tip: cycle to and from the gym. This meshes beautifully with almost any routine you are doing in there. For example, if you usually warm up on the treadmill or elliptical, you can skip that step. And going back will give you that “after-burner” extra fat burn that is so beneficial.

-Cycling is a very green option; it uses very little resources and has almost no environmental footprint whatsoever, requiring generally very few repairs with small and cheap parts. Because of this, it’s also the cheapest option available. It’s the only mode of transportation that burns less calories per distance travelled than walking does!

Cons:

-Bikes get stolen really easily. Even in cities like Amsterdam and Singapore (which are famed for having very very low crime rates), bicycles get stolen all the time. The best is if you can bring your bike in with you, or if there is some sort of enclosed parking area for your bike that is secure beyond just a basic lock and chain.

-In some cities, networks of bike paths aren’t very well developed and/or other vehicles don’t respect bicycles properly. This, of course, is rapidly changing and dependent very much on where you are in the world. Ironically, in many cases, small towns can be worse than big cities for this these days.

-Weather can be hard to deal with. In the summer you may wind up being a sweaty mess by the time you get where you are going, and you do have rain to worry about. Also, in most situations, biking in the snow and ice is practically like playing Russian roulette. Aside from snow and ice, these issues can be mitigated by bringing a backpack with wet wipes and a change of shirt and/or proper rain gear.

As the holiday season descends upon us, some of us are looking at some longish drives as an inevitable part of it. For better or for worse, a lot of us are going to be taking to the roads to travel long distance, for whatever reason.

It’s important to make extra sure your vehicle is up to snuff in every way shape or form before you drive that first mile toward that destination.

Tyres:

Everybody knows to check the pressure, but not everybody knows what the correct pressure is. Consult your vehicle’s manual (If you don’t have it anymore you can Google it, it’s easy). And these days, most rest stops and petrol stations have digital gauges that stop automatically when they reach the required pressure.

Also, check the tread for any sign of uneven wear whatsoever, and also for  Don’t hesitate to replace tyres if they are no longer in optimum condition.  Go somewhere like TyrePlus and get some real tires on that car if you have to, and you will see the difference immediately. Not only will your car handle better, especially in nasty weather, it will obtain better fuel efficiency instantly, and be much safer on the road.

Brakes:

There are two main types of brake pads, ceramic and steel. Ceramic brakes should make no noise whatsoever, and in the UK are generally considered the better of the two. If you do have steel brake pads, they do sometimes make audible noise (ceramic brakes “squeal” at a supersonic frequency so we don’t hear them). However, it should be a very high pitched and almost inaudible noise.

Check your brake pads, making sure if they are not ¼” thick to change them before your trip. It’s easy to neglect brakes, but they are a cheap part to replace, and the labor to replace them is also minimal.

Suspension:

There’s a very easy check for your suspension. Push down hard on each of the vehicle’s four corners. The vehicle should bounce back to equilibrium quickly, without bouncing back and forth or making any undue noise.

These three things are crucial components of any vehicle, and taking what is really minimal time and effort to get them right before a trip, especially a long road trip, is something that nobody has ever regretted ever. Go and make sure that vehicle is in tip-top condition and happy holiday driving!