Hong Kong. Must-see – by everyone – obviously. However, from the sightseeing-tourist point of view, there isn’t actually all that much to do: in just two nice-weather days you can take a ferry ride and get up to the Peak, check out Hong Kong’s Big Buddha (more on that later), take an evening boat ride (more on that later too), and stroll along the promenade – and that’s basically it: you’re just about done; well, that is – if you or the party you’re with aren’t shopaholics. Oh – but if you want to see the “other side” to Hong Kong – the one away from the tourist traps and the famous skyscrapers and the large digital screens – that’s a bit diferent, and for that you need a really good local guide.

I’ve been to HK plenty of times: according to my photo archive, this was my 13^th trip. My first was way back in 2001, for a Virus Bulletin conference. (Woah: I thought Virus Bulletin was no more, but having just looked it up – turns out it’s still alive and kicking!) Wait – another mix-up: it wasn’t for the Virus Bulletin conference; it was for the AVAR conference.

Fast-forward to 2025, and Hong Kong’s Museum of Art made it clear all over again why there are so few tourist attractions in Hong Kong.

Read on…

I’d long dreamt of visiting Hong Kong’s Victoria Peak – known locally as simply “the Peak”. I tried my luck last year hoping for good weather, but it was a total flop. Sure, we got up there, but the cloud cover was so low you literally couldn’t see a thing. This time though everything worked out!…

There are a few ways to reach the tops of the hills surrounding Hong Kong. For example, you can rent a car for the whole day, which you pick up from and later drop back off at your hotel; sure – it’s comfortable being in air-conditioned comfort all the way, but it’s also a bit boring. So we decided to do it differently: first take the ferry across the bay, and then the funicular all the way to the top. And on the way back, sure – why not take a cab?…

So. First up – ferry! ->

Read on…

There’s plenty to see and do in and around Chengdu, so it’s not a bad option for long layovers. Apparently, visa-free transit extends to a whopping 240 hours – ten days! That’s enough for a vacation, never mind a stopover! In 10 days you’d of course see the pandas; however, it might not be enough time for a thorough exploration of Sichuan’s natural and historical treasures (for example, the turquoise lakes of Jiuzhaigou (the Valley of Nine Villages), and the Huanglong travertine cascades, etc.).

But if you fit in the pandas, but can’t stretch to the long-haul tourisms, you could, for example (if you’ve a weakness for impressive heavy engineering projects – like I have!) check out the Dujiangyan – the ancient irrigation-and-temple complex in Dujiangyan City…

Here’s a brief history of the place…

Read on…

Still in the Sichuan province, today – a continuation of my travel notes therefrom…

But first – a question to the audience: what do Russia and China have in common?

No – “nothing” is the wrong answer ).

Anyone?…

Well, first of all they have a shared border!

But more importantly (and much, much more seriously) – both Russia and China have the same national symbol: bears! Russia’s is the brown bear; China’s is the panda (full name – the giant panda), which is a species of the bear.

The panda is undeniably cute (but you know that). It’s also just unbelievably lazy. Move over sloths!

Read on…

Back in China, today – some travel notes from the Chinese city of Chengdu. It’s known for being one of the main economic centers in the country as well as the capital of the Sichuan province, which is the homeland of the giant panda and both Sichuan pepper and cuisine. The city is both huge – with a population of nearly 21 million, and ancient – formally established in 311BC, making it a bit younger than Rome (753BC), but older than Paris (250-225BC). Sitting on the same latitude as northern Africa, Mexico, and Texas, it has a subtropical climate where it’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter.

Story one – on the New Century Global Center multipurpose complex

Some might say that starting a narrative about a huge and interesting city with a mere shopping mall is philistine and materialistic, since it disregards the more important spiritual side to both life and the city in question. To that I say don’t be so quick to judge – for this is no ordinary shopping mall.

So, what’s so special about New Century? First – it’s 500 by 500 meters in area and with several floors. Second – inside (and this is pretty common in China), you start to feel like… maybe the wrong countries are called “developed” after all…

Read on…

As I was recently in South America (Brazil) again – for the second time this year – it reminded me of my first visit to the continent early this year on vacation – to both Peru and Bolivia, and that I’ve got one final post for you from that trip that keeps getting put off. Well, no more procrastination; here – finally – it is: on the Bolivian city of La Paz…

La Paz is an amazing city for several reasons. First of all, it’s simply beautiful. The city’s located in a valley surrounded by mountains of stunning colors and diverse shapes – it feels like designers really put in the effort!

Read on…

Rio sunset: caught
Rio sunrise: also
Next up: Christ the Redeemer!…

With the sun up, we headed on over to the one and only Christ the Redeemer statue! But of course we did! This imposing masterpiece of both engineering and art is simply mandatory for any visitor to Rio de Janeiro!…

…So, of course, “any visitor to Rio de Janeiro” means, alas, crowds of tourists – and right from dawn ->

Read on: The temptation of the Redeemer.

The month May this year was pretty busy with business trips around the world. But, as ever, I still managed to squeeze in some tourisms and meditative appreciation of beauty. Back in Abu Dhabi – one such beauty was the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque ->

You can see why they call it “grand”:

Read on…

After all the presentations, meetings, and interviews at our Latin American partner conference, we had some important business visits lined up in a couple of places around Rio the next day. But all work and no play makes Eugene a dull boy – especially in Rio…

I’d long secretly dreamed not just of being back in Rio, but of catching the sunrise somewhere at the foot of the Christ the Redeemer statue. So that was the plan post-business, and to make the logistics easier we decided to switch from our hotel in the suburbs to another one closer to downtown and the statue.

And just as we were checking out of our first hotel in the afternoon, our Brazilian colleagues, upon finding out we were heading into Rio and had a free evening, suggested we go watch the sunset from Sugarloaf Mountain – all about which I told you and showed you in a previous post.

So we hop into a car to take us to Rio. Meanwhile, one of our events crew (the awesome team that handles our exhibitions, conferences, etc. – huge thanks to them!) is frantically trying to get us fast-track tickets for Sugarloaf – for there isn’t much time left before sunset, and we really wanted to make it. But that’s enough detail; main thing: we (practically) made it!…

And here’s the sunset – from Sugarloaf Mountain:

Read on…

If you’re not in the know, the words Louvre and Abu Dhabi might seem incongruent. But it turns out there’s an art museum in the latter that’s renting just the name Louvre off the famous Paris museum for 40 years (2007–2047) for US$500,000! What?! Just goes to show: never underestimate the value of a brand name!

Sure, I was curious – and in town. So of course – we just had to get ourselves over to the Louvre Abu Dhabi!…

Read on…