Taken in Siem Reap, Cambodia. January 2012.

A group of Khmer school girls on their way home from school. 

Taken in Mae Sot, Thailand. March 2012.

Disneyland may be Hongkong's most popular landmark but no tourist should brush off what this city offers best: food. The rich influence of Eastern and Western culture in Hongkong's cuisine is prevalent in its restaurants and street stalls. From noodles, dimsum fish balls, pastry, rice pots, Peking duck, you'll never run out of choices for something to eat. The first time I went to Hongkong in 2008,  I was particularly drawn to their tasty egg tarts, nothing I've ever eaten anywhere. These HK$3 egg tarts are the best! Unfortunately I haven't taken pictures of them.

A typical restaurant in Mong Kok, Hongkong. December 2011.

When I went there last December, I spent a lot of time in Mong Kok. A place popular as a shopping area where new trends in fashion, electronics, gadgets are sold at bargain prices. I've heard that a popular GFX and post-production house is located in Mong Kok as well as several love hotels (inspired by Filipino short-time motels, yes). After a tiring day of bargaining and shopping, the restos around Mong Kok are the best places to spend your dinner.

An interesting menu offering exotic rice pots. Fresh frog and preserved duck's legs, anyone? December 2011.

The typical Hongkong restaurant is small, crowded and noisy, located beside the street. Usually, they have pieces of pre-cooked Peking ducks or pork meat hanging in front, not a reason to be intimidated though. The first time I ate in a jampacked small resto there, I was caught off guard when the owner pulled someone in to sit at a chair in my table that was good for two . A funny, awkward situation where I had to eat in front of a stranger. I guess that's how they maximize their space. Also note that most restaurant staff shout at each other but I reckon they're not fighting.

Not one with a stomach for frogs, I ordered chicken with mushroom rice pot.

In Mongkok, restaurants start to get full of hungry shoppers by 6pm, most of them have tables located outside occupying the sidewalk space and parts of the street. I particularly like the rice pots, a kind of dish where rice in a claypot with your choice of topping is cooked over charcoal. You can end your meal scraping pieces of crispy burnt rice at the bottom of the pot.

The best way to quench your thirst after a day's shopping is the milk tea.

And here's the best part. Milk teas. A form of beverage made of black tea and milk which can be consumed either hot or cold. Bubble teas, the ones that came from Taiwan, have become quite popular in Hongkong, too. Bubble tea is a tea-based drink mixed with fruit or milk usually with ice and small chewy black tapioca balls commonly known as "pearls". A lovely way to quench your thirst when shopping's done at the end of the day.

Don't forget to check out the Tsim Sha Tsui area if you're up for exotic food. 

Really nice Christmas exhibit at Kowloon Park last year. Lights were brighter at night.

Kowloon Park. December 2011.

Toy Story's Woody gives color to the exhibit. 

Green Dinosaur is the new Santa.

Chiang Mai Train Station. July 2012.

There's something about trains that is romantic. Probably because I grew up not seeing or riding one until early this year. What a sight looking at the hustle of intertwining lives bumping into one another that make up the organized chaos that makes sense and doesn't at the same time. Different stories of people going to the same destination, lost pairs of feet trying to make it on time, weary eyes waiting for their time of departure, crying babies wanting so bad to be taken cared of.

Casablanca Train Station in Morocco. June 2012.

What could a family of five be doing out of a poor town? Seeking for greener pastures on the other side perhaps, or going back to the place they were from after a failed attempt at finding a bright future in the big city. I stand at the ticket line watching that happy couple on their backpacks, probably on their first trip together hoping they'll make it to their 1st-year anniversary so they can share memories to talk about when they get home.

Graffiti on the wall on the way to Rabat, Morocco. June 2012.

Or that woman squatting on the floor, travelling alone, reading her favorite novel as she waits for her train to arrive. She could be a divorcee, mending a broken heart. Was she the one who left her man or was she left behind? That middle-aged man with the attache case on a business trip, most likely unhappy with his marriage and his strained relationship with his teenage kids pushes him to uninspired trips to the office and conferences. And the happiness he thought he found in his mistress' embrace made him realize his inadequacies.

Chiang Mai Train Station. June 2012.

That songwriter stretching his hand out of the window to feel the rush of wind on his arms. He closes his eyes, swaying to the rhythm of the wheels kiss the the infinite tracks. The laughter of a group of friends looking forward to a vacation together, talking about office or school gossip but avoiding the weight of talking about their families and relationship troubles. Or the filmmaker in deep thought, thinking of another story to tell, perhaps a story that happened in a train trip. A love story that isn't lasting and he knows that the uncertainty it brings is what makes its tragedy fun to watch. A love story that just happened to pass through time, both parties knew it would end sooner than later and the temporary high it brought them was something to cherish when they walk apart at their destination's exit stairs.

Yes, trains are romantic.

Upon arrival at Rabat Station in Morocco, taken by my brother James. June 2012.

They have stories to tell. Or am I just romanticizing the density of loneliness that trains bring? Maybe I watch too much 'Before Sunrise'.

Some street signs in Casablanca.

Taken on May 2012. Casablanca, Morocco.

Taken on May 2012. Casablanca, Morocco.

Casablanca wasn't what I expected it to be. Not romantic, as depicted in the movie. Very crowded, too but it was a good starting point for the whole Moroccan journey with my brother last June (more about these stories in my coming entries).  I must say I love the weather there!