A heavy week, much of it about getting there. A week on from the Kumamoto earthquake, Japan is recovering but still shaking. Flying to and around Europe is hard going: an indefinite ground-staff strike hit Barcelona and Palma airports from 4 August, and a wider air-traffic-control shortage is delaying flights across the continent. A tropical cyclone is disrupting Hong Kong–Japan routes, and — some better news — Spain’s wildfires are finally easing.
We do not fly business class to buy a sandwich, and we still queue at the gate for Ryanair like everyone else. But a big long-haul trip is a different thing, and planning our 2026 run to Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong took us a long way down a rabbit hole. Here is what we learned, what we nearly did, and what we did in the end.
Planning a long trip takes time — a surprising amount of it — and we have come to think that is part of the pleasure, not a tax on it. This is how the two of us actually go about it. It is a method, not a rulebook; take what is useful and leave the rest.
This week: a strong earthquake hits Kumamoto in southern Japan, a Gatwick ground-staff strike threatens severe disruption (28 July–1 Aug), Spain endures a third heatwave with inland wildfires, and Canada battles a severe fire season.
Leaving Hong Kong isn’t easy, honestly. We’ve got family here, and there’s just so much we love—the people, the food, the walks, the markets… all of it. We’ve been lucky to visit quite a few times, and even spend the last three years coming back regularly. Staying in Sha Tin was new for us, but it turned out to be such a good experience. We’ll definitely be back.
So this was a day for packing. We return home tomorrow so it all has to come together today. The many things we’ve bought and the limited space left in our suitcases? Somehow we found time and money to buy those last minute items and squeeze them into what are already bulging suitcase
It’s Sunday, day of the ‘maids’ in Hong Kong. This is an extraordinary phenomenon, experienced intensely if you’re walking the streets of Central Hong or practically in any public space in Kowloon. There are something like 400,000 “domestic helpers” (“maids” to some, “servants” to a few) in Hong Kong. Yes, that’s a lot for a city/region of about 7.5 million. They are overwhelmingly female, and from the Philippines or from Indonesia.
The Sha Tin Bike paths run in many directions but the ones that attract border the Shing Man River which runs through the length of Sha Tin and then out to the estuary. There are bike paths on both sides used by cyclists, walkers and joggers. We got a couple of basic bikes (e-bikes are said to be illegal in Hong Kong!) from the bike shop next to the hotel. We cycled out towards the river and then East to the Chinese University for coffee and a nice piece of carrot cake.
It’s literally pouring outside, and today was a total washout. RIP to our plans to walk or cycle. Instead, it was a mad scramble for the umbrella and the hotel shuttle – pure indoor vibes only today. Main character energy today was definitely finding elite eats. Wontons are a whole mood. If you don’t know, they’re basically Chinese dumplings with a thin wrapper, stuffed with seasoned pork or chicken and prawn.