Asia Region 1996/97

Legend

Driving
Hiking
Plane
Boat
Bus
Cycling
Train

Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong ‐ Jul 1, 1996
Hong Kong Island ‐ Jul 26, 1996

2.5 km
Macau, China

66.2 km

Macau is a wonderful mix of traditional Chinese heritage and Portuguese colonial influence. Only one hour on the hydrofoil from Hong Kong, Macau is the perfect weekend away for some fun... and to renew your three month tourist visa.

Destination: Macau

Flying the TurboJet way

In 1996, Turbojet was operated by Far East Hydrofoil and the high-speed ferry service between Hong Kong and Macau, covering the ~70kms in roughly 60 minutes.
Hotel Lisboa Casino, Macau

2.3 km

We stayed at the Hotel Lisboa Casino, located in the heart of the Macau Peninsula area. At the time the Hotel Lisboa Casino was a hub for 1990s nightlife in Macau, known for its iconic 1970s architecture with its dark, atmospheric casino being a central point of interest. Where else could we have stayed?!?!?

Hotel Lisboa Casino

The original Casino Lisboa and the 12-storey round hotel tower were built in 1970 by Stanley Ho, the godfather of the modern day Macau casino precinct. A 270-room extension was added in 1991 for a tot...
Cafe Nga Tim, Coloane Village

12 km

For dinner on our first night we went to Coloane Village and ate at Cafe Nga Tim and enjoy the nights activity in the piazza with Chapel of St. Francis Xavier.

Cafe Nga Tim & Chapel of St. Francis Xavier

On the first night we ate at Cafe Nga Tim located (foreground left in photo below) in the cobblestone piazza by the St. Francis Xavier Chapel in the Coloane Village. It has a great old Macau vibe with...
Hotel Lisboa Casino

12.2 km
Walking Macau Peninsula ‐ Jul 27, 1996

10.6 km

Walking around Macau is easy and you can see all the sights most comfortably if you break it into two segments, being the Macau Peninsula on one day and Taipa, Cotai and Coloane on a second day. This post focused on the main sites in the Macau Peninsula.

Walking Macau Peninsula

This post will follow the route (loosely an anti-clockwise loop) on the Wandering Sprocket map and highlight key points of interest in order of the walk.
Walking Taipa and Cotai ‐ Jul 28, 1996

15.1 km

This post focused on walking the main sites in the Taipa and Cotai areas of Macau on our second second day of the long weekend trip.

Walking Taipa and Cotai areas of Macau

This post will follow the route on the Wandering Sprocket map and highlight key points of interest in order of the walk. To walk from Macau Peninsula to Taipa, you walk across the Governor Nobre de Ca...
Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong

66.2 km
Beijing, China ‐ Aug 23, 1996

1 926.8 km

Beijing is one of the special cities of the world and was one of the early trips during my time living in Hong Kong in 1996/97. Its cultural heritage and history is magnificent and fascinating to immerse yourself in and needs a trip of at least a long weekend to enjoy. The following timeline provides some detail and photos of the key attractions I visited during my trip.

Destination: China

Destination: Beijing, China
Tiananmen Square & The Forbidden City

6.8 km

Exploring Tiananmen Square & The Forbidden City

Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City are the central point of Beijing and the launch pad for exploring the city. Most photos below are mine, 1996. Tiananmen Square
The Summer Palace, Beijing ‐ Aug 24, 1996

20 km

Exploring The Summer Palace, Ming Tombs and Temple of Heaven

The Summer Palace is the largest and best-preserved imperial garden in China, often called the “Museum of Royal Gardens.” Built in 1750 during the Qing Dynasty, it was most famously used as Empress Do...
Ming Dynasty Tombs, Beijing

36.3 km
Ming Tombs, Dingling, Beijing

4.3 km
Beijing

51 km
The Great Wall of China, Simatai ‐ Aug 25, 1996

141.7 km
The Great Wall of China, Simatai

17.4 km

Exploring The great Wall of China at Simatai

The Great Wall of China at Simatai is located in Beijing's Miyun District, 120km northeast of downtown Beijing. Adjoining the Gubei water town, it is unique as the only section of the wall preserved i...
Beijing

138.3 km
Temple of Heaven, Beijing ‐ Aug 26, 1996

5.8 km
Hutong District, Beijing

Exploring Beijing's Hutongs

Hutongs are narrow streets or alleys formed by lines of siheyuan, traditional courtyard residences. They are typically found in northern Chinese cities, especially Beijing. Many neighbourhoods were fo...
Beijing Daxing International Airport ‐ Aug 27, 1996

55.4 km
Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong

1 971.3 km
Phnom Penh, Cambodia ‐ Oct 18, 1996

1 543.1 km
Siem Reap ‐ Oct 20, 1996

230.4 km
Angkor Wat ‐ Oct 21, 1996

8 km
Terrace of the Elephants ‐ Oct 22, 1996

4.7 km
Ta Prohm
Baray Jayatataka

8.6 km
Angkor Wat

10.4 km
Siem Reap ‐ Oct 23, 1996

7.5 km
Phnom Penh

230.4 km
Hong Kong, Hong Kong

1 543.1 km
Guilin, China ‐ Dec 5, 1996

531.6 km

Destination: Guilin, china
Guilin

21.6 km

Guilin city is the entry point for exploring the area. Mum had come to stay for a couple of weeks with me in Hong Kong and we made the trip to Guilin to explore its splendour.

Guilin city

Mum and I flew in from Hong Kong and stayed the first night in Guilin city. Guilin is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Within the Guilin prefecture...
Li River ferry terminal, Guilin ‐ Dec 6, 1996

14.9 km
Li River: Guilin to Xingping

59 km

Travelling along the Li River

In writing this segment for the trip Mum and I made to Guilin area in 1996 and looking at what information and photos are available online I have a strong sense of the true nature of the region being...
Exploring Xingping area

19.5 km

Exploring Xingping area

Xingping is one of the crown jewels of the Li River in Yangshuo area. It is a 1,700 year old ancient town which developed through the Ming and Qing dynasties. It has been preserved as small and well-p...
Li River: Xingping to Yangshuo ‐ Dec 7, 1996

22.9 km
Yangshuo ‐ Dec 8, 1996

9.2 km
Exploring Yangshuo

0.8 km

Exploring Yangshuo area

Whilst the boat journeys' were a highlight, Yangshuo was my favourite stop off. It has a magic vibe and being able to cycle around the area was a lot of fun. We stayed at Lisa's cafe and Hostel, on We...
Yangshuo

0.7 km
Yangshuo

8.9 km
Guilin Li River Boat Terminal ‐ Dec 9, 1996

82 km
Longji Rice Terrace Fields

90.1 km

Exploring Longji terraced rice fields

On our final day before flying our of Guilin back to Hong Kong, we had caught the boat back and then a car to the Longji (translating to Dragon's Backbone) terraced rice fields roughly 80kms north of...
Guilin Liangjiang International Airport ‐ Dec 10, 1996

83.3 km
Hong Kong, Hong Kong

531.6 km
Ho Chi Minh International Airport, Vietnam ‐ Dec 22, 1996

1 503.9 km
Ho Chi Minh

8.4 km
Cu Chi Tunnels, Ho Chi Minh

56.7 km
Ho Chi Minh

1.3 km
Notre Dame Cathedral, Independence Palace, War Remnants Museum ‐ Dec 23, 1996

5.9 km
Mekong River Delta Cruise, Ho Chi Minh ‐ Dec 24, 1996

155.5 km
Mekong River Delta Cruise

40.2 km
Ho Chi Minh

144.8 km
Hanoi Airport ‐ Dec 26, 1996

1 164.7 km
Hanoi

26.9 km
Hanoi exploration ‐ Dec 27, 1996

15 km
Ha Long Village ‐ Dec 28, 1996

157 km
Ha Long Bay Cruise

91.7 km
Hanoi ‐ Dec 30, 1996

157.8 km
Lào Cai

291.6 km
Sa Pa ‐ Dec 31, 1996

33.4 km
Hiking in SaPa region ‐ Jan 1, 1997

8.5 km
Fansipan Mountain Peak Hike ‐ Jan 2, 1997

23.7 km
Lào Cai ‐ Jan 3, 1997

33.3 km
Hanoi ‐ Jan 4, 1997

289.4 km
Hong Kong, Hong Kong

871.2 km
Shenzhen, China ‐ Feb 7, 1997

32.5 km
Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong ‐ Feb 8, 1997

32.6 km
Shanghai, China ‐ Mar 27, 1997

1 231 km
Hong Kong, Hong Kong ‐ Mar 31, 1997

1 231 km
Taipei, Taiwan ‐ May 14, 1997

813.6 km
Hong Kong, Hong Kong ‐ May 18, 1997

813.6 km
Macau, China ‐ Jun 6, 1997

62.7 km

Macau is a wonderful mix of traditional Chinese heritage and Portuguese colonial influence. Only one hour on the hydrofoil from Hong Kong, Macau is the perfect weekend away for some fun... and to renew your three month tourist visa.
Hong Kong, Hong Kong ‐ Jun 8, 1997

62.7 km