Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s power buildings and gleaming harbour are made for the cinema. The city’s views have inspired the sci-fi classic Blade Runner and awed audiences in The Dark Knight. Luckily, unlike Batman, you don’t have to scale a 400-storey building for a glimpse of Hong Kong’s dramatic skyline. There are plenty of less life-threatening spots around town that afford equally stunning views.

Remember, too, that it’s not just about Hong Kong from the top down. One of the city’s most famous views is of Victoria Harbour crisscrossed by boats, with architectural wonders lined up in the background.

Highest viewing spots

You can get a rush of energy (or acrophobia) taking in this futuristic megacity’s outline, but you’ll need perspective to do it properly. Getting as high as you can (we mean physically) is one good way to enjoy this simple thrill.

Victoria Peak, one of the city’s foremost tourist attractions, is the highest point on Hong Kong Island. Soaring above Central, the Peak offers superlative views of the city and the mountainous countryside beyond, as well as dappled trails and cooler climes (the Peak is about 5⁰C cooler than the city). At sunset the scenery dons its glitz and starts to shimmer like a fallen Milky Way. The best way to reach the Peak is by Asia’s oldest funicular, the Peak Tram, which hauls itself almost vertically up the hillside to finish at the Peak Tower.

Going vertical: stellar views from the Peak Tram. Image by Megan Eaves / Lonely Planet

Going vertical: stellar views from the Peak Tram. Image by Megan Eaves / Lonely Planet

Hong Kong’s highest observation deck, Sky 100 (sky100.com.hk), is suspended 390m above terra firma, on the 100th floor of the territory’s tallest building, the International Commerce Centre (ICC) in West Kowloon. The deck offers a spectacular 360-degree view covering Hong Kong Island and almost all of Kowloon Peninsula. On clear days, you can see as far as the nine ridges that gave Kowloon its name, and Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong’s tallest peak.

Even higher than Sky 100, is Ozone, Ritz Carlton’s flamboyant top-floor bar on the 118th floor of the ICC. Ozone features floor-to-ceiling glass that shows its location in the clouds to the best advantage.

Off-the-beaten-track vantage points

For half a century, the large outdoor carpark atop the Harbour City shopping mall and cruise terminal has attracted clandestine lovers and fans of sunsets with its riveting views and the serenity of a bygone era.

Italian Food

ITALIAN FOOD AND WINE

Italian food and wine

Italian food and wine are probably as famous as Italy's artistic and historical assets: think of Italian wines such as Chianti, Amarone and Barolo, of our specialty foods, like Buffalo Mozzarella, or of fresh produce such as truffles and olives, that are so much part of our cuisine to have become almost a symbol of it. Feeling hungry? Well,  If you want to get straight to work, check out our delicious Italian food recipes database. If you want to learn more about Italian food and wine and some of their secrets, than keep on reading this section of our website: you'll be surprised by the history behind the food, and how strictly related to the culture and heritage of an area a wine or a dish can be.

In truth, food is one of the cornerstones of Italian culture and even if times are changing and life is more and more frenetic, Italians still find a great pleasure in sitting at a table, at home or  at the restaurant, and share a good meal together: this is because to the people of Italy, Italian food and wine are part of their culture and, very often, also of their own family history. Each Italian will tell you about their family way to cook a specific dish, using recipes often passed on through generations. If this is somehow common also in the rest of the world, in Italy it truly has a deeper significance. This, however, doesn't mean that Italians don't enjoy discovering new foods or new ways of preparing familiar dishes, maybe matching them with a different wine: this is, once again, a sign of how much Italian food and wine mean to the people of Italy, how important they are in their everyday life. 

As many of our articles will show you, especially those on traditional cuisine, either cooked at home or enjoyed at a fair or sagra, Italians are very much attached to their food and wine heritage. If, for some years, the trend of foreign cuisines did become popular in the country, especially among young professionals, it is this very category that, today, has been rediscovering the pleasure of traditional Italian cuisine in all its regional varieties, along with a marked desire to source produce in an environmentally friendly manner. 

The attention to Italian food and wine has risen, of course, also abroad, where Italian restaurants are among the most popular: certainly, not all of them serve the real stuff! Fear not, though: our Food and Wine Section has everything you need to know to recognize proper delicious Italian food when you dine out and loads of recipes and advice for when you fancy play chef in the kitchen. On our website, you'll also find a lot of interesting articles on the history and the heritage of Italian food and wine, so you can keep the conversation going during those dinner parties!

Genting Highland

Genting Highland

Genting Highlands is an integrated resort development comprising hotels, casinos and a theme park in Pahang, perched on the peak of Gunung Ulu Kali at 1,800 meters high. Nestled near the border of Selangor within an hour's drive from Kuala Lumpur (about 35km), Genting Resort presents a popular weekend getaway from the city heat, conveniently connected by the Karak Highway and major trunk roads, along with a cable car service from the satellite town of Gohtong Jaya. On a clear day, the peak overlooks lush valleys of rainforest stretching towards KL, a breathtaking view for visitors as they enjoy the cooling weather and serene mountain environment.

Since 1971, Genting Highlands has remained the only legal gambling outfit in Malaysia - its very own mini Las Vegas on a mountain top. While the casinos are central to Genting Highlands, a theme park provides fun rides and activities for adults and children alike, while First World Plaza is a colourful shopping complex with restaurants, entertainment and boutique outlets. On the peak, First World Hotel - the largest hotel in Asia with over 6,000 budget rooms - provides much of the budget faccommodation along with family-oriented Theme Park Hotel. Genting Grand (formerly Genting Hotel) and Maxims (formerly Highlands   Hotel) are classy five star establishments while Resort Hotel bridges the gap between budget and luxury accommodation for visitors.

History

Genting Highlands was founded by Lim Goh Tong, who arrived at the shores of Malaysia from Fujian, in 1937. Born in 1918, Lim was a young man, only a lowly carpenter while he picked up the local Malay language. For the next few years, he dabbled in vegetable farming and petty trading, but eventually involved himself in the scrap metal and heavy machinery business. It was through this industry that Lim finally made it rich. The end of World War II signalled rapid development in Malaysia, fueling the demand for Lim's stock of second hand equipment for tin mining and rubber plantations. From there, he ventured into iron mining and then, construction

One day, while having a meal in the Cameron Highlands, it struck upon Lim the idea of a highland resort near Kuala Lumpur. The nearest hill station then, Cameron Highlands, was about 200 km away from KL, which made it less than a convenient journey for a quick highland holiday. He scouted the mountainss within the vicinity of Kuala Lumpur, and found an suitable spot on the peak of Gunung Ulu Kali, one of the highest mountains on the Pahang-Selangor border with an ideal and relatively spacious ridgetop. After studying its topography and mapping out its development, Lim pooled all his resources and energy into creating a highland resort with accessible roads, proper infrastructure, clean water and supply of electricity.

In the middle of 1971, Genting Highlands opened for business - the first Prime Minister of Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman granted him the only casino license in the country. Over the next 30 years, Genting Highlands continued to grow from a simple resort with a small casino to a modern holiday destination, with theme parks, numerous hotels, large roads and a cable car system. Today, Genting Highlands is one of the most popular highland tourist destinations in Malaysia, attracting visitors from Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and all over the world. It remains still the only legal gambling den in Malaysia.

Best Time to Go and Weather

Genting Highlands has a cooling climate between 20°C to 25°C during the day and 15°C to 20°C during the night. Misty weather is a prevalent element and thunder storms are frequent towards the year end. However, you can visit Genting Highlands anytime, as the roads up are made of sturdy construction that resist most landslides. If you prefer a dry holiday, the best time to come here would lie between March and September when the rainfall is generally least. Be sure to wear some thick clothing at night if you're susceptible to cold. The mist around the peak can obscure panoramic views of Kuala Lumpur city and the landscape below, so the best time for a view is usually the early morning or late evenings.