Queenstown in New Zealand has long been rightly identified as the
adventure capital of the world as it is the birthplace of
thrill-seeking tourism, home to many adrenaline-laden world
firsts – welcome to the action-packed epicentre of the world
New Zealand was the last mass region on the planet to be settled by humans. Being late to the inhabitation party, this has given the island country a distinct ecological advantage, as the two main landmasses and all the smaller islets within it now boast a vast biodiversity of life unlike any other in the world. This has also given rise to the adventurous outdoorsy national spirit that New Zealanders have long been known for, which naturally comes with the territory, and is not surprising for a populace living amidst some of the most dramatic topographies on the planet.
Over the last few years an aesthetic uprising has been taking place around Asia. With the region enjoying the fruits of a mushrooming economic climate, the environments of many leading Eastern urban metropolises have started to metamorphose and transform into something of a more attractive nature. Like a snake shedding off its old skin, these central capitals have slowly but surely become more visually appealing, with stunning new interiors cropping up alongside an ever-increasing stream of strikingly-planned urban areas. Whether it is Tokyo’s consistently futuristic cityscape, the clean well-organized and unrelentingly booming streets of Singapore, Dubai’s breath-taking skyscrapers, or the ever-changing landscape of China, where a new high-rise building is erected every five days, Asia has been undeniably and conspicuously restyled of late. Continue reading A Design Revolution→
This year marked the 110th anniversary for Hong Kong’s trams, with the star-named ferries only being slightly older. To celebrate these cultural incarnations, Billy Clarke got up close and personal with Hong Kong’s movable heritage icons during the fourth annual Free Ride Day, when all rides on trams and ferries were free.
Luxury gets taken to new heights at Ritz Carlton’s stupendous new Hong Kong property.
Unless you’ve been reading censored news over the last year, you’ve probably heard about Ritz Carlton’s phenomenal return to Hong Kong, with their striking new property much more than adequately filling in what was approximately a three-year absence for the brand in the city. Having just passed its first anniversary things have only gotten better to the point of perfection, and over the last twelve months the sky-scraping hotel has come to be an iconic happening address, with luminaries, leading politicians and stars such as Lady Gaga having graced the towering heights of the property.
Billy Clarke heads to the Hong Kong district of To Kwa Wan to capture a last glimpse of homes that will be destroyed by the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) next month. The URA ousted almost 380 residents from their homes on Pak Tai Street as part of a redevelopment project, compensating tenants with cash or a flat-for-flat option. We met with the last man standing on a block that will soon be demolished.
Billy Clarke takes a walk through Kowloon where age old shops, buildings and a culture have stood the test of time, fending off the impeding construction and gentrification that mars Hong Kong.
As one of the world’s leading international financial centres, with one of the most traded currencies on the planet and the highest per capita income in the world, culture is not really the first word that springs to mind when one thinks of Hong Kong. But amidst the chameleonic concrete landscape and the tumultuous, yet organized, frenzy that marks the city, long-suffering nuggets of genuine culture seep through, vying for attention like a green-eyed child or a neglected drowning creature struggling for air.
We’re just going to say this straight up; there will never be another Song Saa. Like a rare top-drawer gemstone, this boutique Cambodian luxury resort will never be replicated – it’s the kind of place that the phrase ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ was designed for. However, after experiencing the magic here, you’re going to want to visit twice or thrice in a lifetime. We say that because we’re already wishing we were back there (and continue to do so daily).
Having successfully gone from Malaysia to New York, the hot and slightly weirdly-named concept that is Fatty Crab has now arrived in Hong Kong with a bang.
A few years ago, when the concept of Fatty Crab was first opened by the expatriate Fatty Crew in New York City, the concept at first received a mixed reception amongst reviewers and diners alike. Having emulated and taken a name from a small no-frills hole in the wall in Malaysia, the group culturally tailored it slightly to the Big Apple market, with consistent elements such as the dingy interior and scrumptious large spicy crabs at the heart of the menu remaining. In time, the concept caught on and, like the accepting diverse foreign atmosphere that is NYC, the cultural import that was Fatty Crab grew to be an astounding hit. Now, the group has just brought the concept to Old Bailey Street in Hong Kong, home of the Hairy Crab. To make it work here, the group worked to customise the concept slightly more for the local market, with an upmarket and raw edgy styled interior making the restaurant perfect for the local Soho crowd.
There is no denying that social media is now part and parcel of the way many of us work. With recruitment firm Robert Half putting the figure of Hong Kong professionals using LinkedIn at 600,000, the importance of social-networking websites to the business world is only expected to grow.
New Zealand was the last mass region on the planet to be settled by humans. Being late to the inhabitation party, this has given the island country a distinct ecological advantage, as the two main landmasses and all the smaller islets within it now boast a vast biodiversity of life unlike any other in the world. This has also given rise to the adventurous outdoorsy national spirit that New Zealanders have long been known for, which naturally comes with the territory, and is not surprising for a populace living amidst some of the most dramatic topographies on the planet.
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