Hong Kong - October 2026

1 October is National Day, celebrating 77 years of the foundation of the PRC. There are flags and banners everywhere...

And the lanterns are up from mid-Autumn Festival...

We caught the bus up to The Peak and did the Lugard Road circuit...

Then I went further, up to High West, which I had not done for some time. It's only 650 metres, but it's pretty steep...

Made it...

Then we walked down the morning trail through HKU to Shek Tong Shui and had lunch at a place called tgif.

On National Day, the Executive Lounge was full, but they opened up a function room on level 8 for drinks and food...

That night we watched the fireworks from our room. They were quite impressive...

The next morning I dropped off some more laundry, had a coffee at Retro, and went for a walk through Wan Chai...

That afternoon, I checked out of the Renaissance and moved to the Courtyard Marriott in Sai Ying Pun. It's Friday night, and the Renaissance is very expensive. And I fly to Seoul tomorrow.

They gave me a suite which was huge and had great views of the harbour. This is just the bedroom...

The lounge room...

The view...

The next day I headed to the airport for my Cathay flight to Seoul. I went to The Pier for lunch...

And I had the Mott32 tasting plate which was very good...

I arrived back from Seoul on Saturday. I'm staying at the Courtyard Marriott again. I intended to take the A10 to the hotel. However the next bus was 30 minutes so I got on the Airport Express and then got the MTR to HKU and walked.

I got a standard seaview room this time which was great as it was a corner room so I had expansive harbour views. This angle is looking to our old apartment in Shek Tong Tsui...

I'm pretty tired so I went to the lounge for food and a glass of wine. I got back to my room to this card and a bottle of French champagne (it is my birthday tomorrow).

The next morning I had breakfast at the buffet then coffee next door at NOC. I then walked into Soho as I wanted to buy something at The Ordinary. There is a much photographed street in Sai Ying Pun that I know well, so I walked that way. This is looking back down...

The shop in Soho wasn't open yet so I had another coffee at my favourite cafe, Fineprint. I discovered this cafe in 2016 when I first moved to Hong Kong and it's still there, but much harder to get a seat now. Coffee is good and cheaper than everywhere else at $35.

I did my shopping then caught the tram back to Shek Tong Tsui and walked around my old neighborhood...

Bought my favourite egg tart for $6...

The grapes looked amazing...

I then headed back to the hotel and rested for a bit. I have 4pm checkout as part of my Marriott status. I then checked out and crossed the road to wait for the A10 to the airport.

At the airport I went straight to The Pier...

I had a glass (three actually) of the Tattinger Rose...

And had the tasting plate (again!)

I also had two starters being the burrata and octopus carpaccio.

I then walked back to the Qantas Lounge as it was near my gate. I was greeted with birthday wishes and escorted to a table where I was presented with this...

I boarded on time and noticed a new colour with the RM Williams amenity kit...

Had a Bloody Mary but skipped dinner and went to sleep as soon as I could...

Arrived at 8am in Melbourne and made my way thru immigration to the domestic lounge. Had coffee and food and got on the 10am flight to Sydney.

Great trip.

Seoul, South Korea - Friday 9 and Saturday 10 October 2026

I arrived back in Seoul from Jeju just after lunch. I caught the AREX and then subway to Itaewon where I am staying this time. The hotel was close to the station. It's my last night in Korea.

I went for a walk and had a late lunch nearby...

Then I headed to Dongdaemun as I wasted to try another jjimjilbang and also see Dongdaemun Design Plaza. 

I got to Sparex, the jjimjilbang, and had a body scrub and enjoyed the hot pools and sauna. After I went to the mixed gender area and had a rest...

I left about 8pm when it was dark. The design plaza is meant to be lit up at night but it wasn't I walked around a little bit...

Then caught the subway back to Itaewon. This area is known for it's nightlife. I found the drinking street which was crazy - too much for me.

I found a nice quiet restaurant and sat at the bar while the guy cooked Korean BBQ for me. Then I headed back to the hotel. 

The next morning I had breakfast in the hotel, then walked around. It's not that impressive an area in the daytime.

Then I checked out and caught the AREX back to Incheon airport. I used the ICN SmartPass which I had registered for. It's facial recognition which was quick, but just took you through the first of three stages. I got through and found my way to the OneWorld Lounge and had some lunch. The chilli prawns were great...

Boarded my Cathay flight for the three hour flight to Hong Kong.

Jeju Island, South Korea - Friday 9 October, 2026

 Today is my last day on Jeju and I woke up to another perfect day. View from my balcony...

I wasn't sure how long it would take to fill the car with petrol and drop it back to the rental place, so I left in plenty of time. Easy drive and I arrive in Jeju City with time to spare. I found a cute cafe called Cafe Bree Free and had some breakfast...

Then walked to the sea. This spot is virtually under the runway...

Easy one hour flight on Korean Air back to Gimpo (Seoul)...