Ever since the 2 people per group restriction was implemented in Hong Kong, our Hello! Hong Kong tour guide Mel mostly stays at home and realized there are lots of things to do! So, he started to cook more and try out some simple local recipes that he always wanted to try. One of which is the famous Hong Kong milk tea!

Did you know that Hong Kong-style milk tea originates from British colonial rule over Hong Kong. The British practice of afternoon tea, where black tea is served with milk and sugar, grew popular in Hong Kong. Who wouldn’t want to try it?

Looks like Mel is not the only one having fun making his own made milk tea. His dog Nyla looks happy and wanted to try what his favorite person made.

Hong Kong Milk Tea ala Mel

You will need:

2 Litre of water to boil.

8~10 tea bag ( English Black Tea, from Sri Lanka )

200 ml of evaporated milk

6 tablespoons of sugar

Instructions:

Boil water

Once the water is boiled, put the tea bags in to simmer for 5min.

Take out the tea bags and squeeze out till they are dried.

Turn off the heat, add the milk, and add the sugar gradually to taste.

I put the mixture into a bottle and chill it in the fridge.

Its just a great refreshment for these hot summer days.

#getinmybelly #goodeats #travel #traveloften #wanderlust #discoverhongkong #love #food #foodporn #instagood #instafood #eathongkong #foodie #foodadventure #hk #tourism #travelbug #hellohongkongtours #hkfoodie #coronadiary #hklocaltourguide #localtourguide #hkmilktea #recipe #hkrecipe #photooftheday #hongkong #china #hk #lantau #instatravel #adventure #welltraveled #tourism

We are now in the last quarter of the year and looks like COVID-19 is not going away anytime soon. But, that won’t stop our Hello! Hong Kong tour guide Don in practicing his baking skills by making his own made Christmas cake!. Don made sure that he makes use of his free time wisely and productively, other than baking, he is currently doing stream walks and coast steering which are awesome fun in the heat as you are wet most of the time.

We believe that sharing is caring so Don, has shared with Hello! Hong Kong tours his newfound Christmas cake recipe.

Christmas Cake

8 oz (250 g) butter
8 oz (250 g) caster sugar
5 eggs
8 oz (250 g) plain flour 2 oz (60 g) self-raising flour
Pinch salt 1 teasp ground nutmeg 1 teasp ground allspice 1 teasp cinnamon
8 oz (250 g) raisins
8 oz (250 g) currants
1 lb (500 g) sultanas
2 oz (60 g) glace cherries
2 oz (60 g) almonds (blanched, slivered or flaked)
2 oz (60 g) lemon peel (I use fresh grated rind from 1 lemon instead)
2 oz (2 tblsp) brandy, sherry or orange juice.

Notes: Butter must first be “creamed” until it changes colour and then the sugar is gradually added. For electric baking, preheat oven to 325°F (165°C) then reduce temperature to 275°F (135°C) when cake is put in the oven. For gas, no need to preheat. Put cake into cold oven then light gas, 275°F (135°C).

Baking Instruction:

• Prepare tin: line 8 inch (20 cm) x 3 inch (8 cm) tin with two layers white paper and on the outside cover with one layer of brown paper (I use foil for outside). Recommend also cover outside with damp tea towel.

• Cut the white paper 2 inches (5 cm) longer than circumference of the tin, allowing 3 inches (8 cm) more than depth of tin. Turn up a 1 inch (2 cm) band along one edge and slash at 1 inch intervals. This will enable paper to sit smoothly in tin. Bases for lining the bottom should be cut fraction smaller than base of tin to allow them to sit completely flat on top of the interlocking slashed band.

• Sift plain and self-raising flours with salt and spices. Combine dried fruits with almonds, cherries and lemon peel. Soften butter, working until light in colour.

• Gradually add sugar and cream together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at time, and beat well, can add little flour to prevent separating, then add remaining flour and fruit alternately, and lastly the brandy.

• Put mixture into tin and make a slight hollow in centre.

• Bake in oven 275°F (135°C) for about 4 hours. Can lightly cover with foil after 3 hours or so if browning too much.

• When cake is taken from oven, allow it to sit in tin for 15 mins or so to set. Then gently lift from tin and allow to cool without removing the paper. When cool store in airtight tin. For added protection, wrap in cling wrap and/or foil.

Christmas came a little bit early for Don so as a special offer in partnership with Chef Rajesh, they are offering a 10% discount to all Hello! Hong Kong customer who wanted to book a Zoom online cooking class. For more information, you can email him at don@indiansummerhouse.co.

#getinmybelly #goodeats #travel #traveloften #wanderlust #discoverhongkong #love #food #foodporn #instagood #instafood #eathongkong #foodie #foodadventure #hk #tourism #travelbug #hellohongkongtours #hkfoodie #instafood #happy #getinmybelly #eathongkong #bbctravel #foodie #foodadventure #hongkong #china #hk #instatravel #adventure #welltraveled #tourism #travelbug #lonelyplanet #travelstoke #hellohongkongtours #hongkongtour #hkfoodie #foodtour #privatetour #personaltour #personalguide #hkstreetfood #hklocalfood #coronadiaries

Clam digging was one of the main sources of income for locals in the past. Nowadays, it is an extremely popular Hong Kong activity. That is why our Hello! Hong Kong tour guide Ryan did not miss the chance of spending his free time digging up clams with his friends. What a great way to stretch those back muscles and arms from your own harvest isn’t it? But of course, Ryan made sure to end the day by dipping in the cool ocean water!

Nothing beats a freshly harvested clams straight from the sea for dinner! He even got a big one!

#homekong #wanderlust #discoverhongkong #instacool #photooftheday #bbctravel #hongkong #china #hk #instatravel #adventure #welltraveled #tourism #travelbug #condenast #lonelyplanet #hellohongkongtours #hellohk #ilovehk #hongkongtour #cnntravel #homekong #privatetour #personaltour #tourguide #privateguide #personalguide

Our founder and CEO of Hello! Tours, Laura, has been going through the ups and downs of steering the three Hello! Tours locations through this difficult time. With another friend from the travel industry, she has started a podcast to try and find solace and humour in this new world.

Insights, stories, and revelations await as Laura and Jessop bring their firsthand experiences and guests to the show as we all move forward together.

Click the image to listen to the podcast.

Vivi is a new addition to our Hello! Hong Kong Team. She is originally from Indonesia and has been living in Hong Kong for the past 3 years. Her work experience in the information, communication, and media-related field made her a great addition to our Hello! Hong Kong Tours admin team.

Vivi is very active and loves hiking and eating out with her family and friends. It’s already the middle of 2020 and the world is still fighting its invisible enemy. Perhaps you are wondering, how does a very active lady cope during this time. Below is her corona diary.

All smiles from Vivi at the Tiger head hiking trail in Lantau

Pre-pandemic time, the  Admin team was busy answering inquiries, managing bookings, and coordinating with our customers and tour guides. Now, that this pandemic has put a stop to travel and we have more time on our hands, what keeps you busy? 

We are very blessed to be working still during this pandemic. Laura, our director is using this downtime to ramp up our efforts in making the company better, improving our website’s contents, finding ideas for future work and collaborations, so we can better prepare for when the world opens up and people are traveling again. When I’m not working, I love going hiking and exploring parts of Hong Kong we’ve never been before with my husband and friends. Even after being in HK for more than 3 years, there are so many places we haven’t been! We have also been cooking and bbq-ing more and on nice days, we would sometimes go to the beach.

Now that Hong Kong is observing social distancing measures to prevent the spread of the virus, what is the place that you miss visiting to the most and why?

We are lucky that most places in Hong Kong remained open, most restaurants were still open then, just with social distancing measures in place but if I have to say one place that I missed that was closed, it was probably the cinemas, it’s always a fun outing activity with friends but now, no problem because everything is open again! 

We know that you also suffer from wanderlust. When this Pandemic is finally over, and you can go anywhere where will your wanderlust take you?

The first place for me to go back to when this is all over will be Bali. We go there a lot as it is also my husband’s favourite’s place, it is very convenient for us and we love everything about it. We would also like to go back to Greece. 

What is the one thing that you this very unfortunate event has taught you and why?

Our need for human connections, when we put a pause on things that we got going in life, we reconnect more with our family and friends. Maybe we should do that even when the world resumes with all its activities, we should always touch base on what’s important in life. Like the saying “stop and smell the roses”. It’s also amazing to see that when we’re not doing anything, staying home, we’re actually giving a chance for the world to heal itself. Maybe this pandemic is a way of nature telling us that we should sometimes pause, rethink our ways of life and take more care of the world where we live in.

#instagood #repost #hongkong #china #hk #adventure #welltraveled #travelstoke #hellohongkongtours #ilovehk #hellohk #hongkongtour #hktravel#thetravellingnomads #intravelist #backpackersintheworld #travel #beautifulseason #tripscout #digitalnomad #sustainabletravel #photographeveryday #amazing #photographyislife #keepexploring #livetoexplore #wandering #travelanddestinations #seetheworld #tlpick #travellingthroughtheworld #postcardsplace

The pandemic is a testament that we are all in this together. Hello! Hong Kong tours would like to make you feel that you are not alone in this pandemic and that just like you, we are all doing our best to keep our heads together and keep going.

Allen is originally from the Philippines and has been living here in Hong Kong since 2011. She is one of of the Admin team that oversees the Hello! Hong Kong bookings. Now that it has been pretty quiet and there are no tours in Hong Kong, what keeps her busy? Here she shares with us below her Corona Diary.

Hong Kong tours admin team manager Allen enjoying her last trip in Cebu before the lockdown was imposed.

Pre-pandemic time, the  Admin team was busy answering inquiries, managing bookings, and coordinating with our customers and tour guides. Now, that this pandemic has put a stop to travel and we have more time on our hands, what keeps you busy?

To be honest, I miss the feeling of answering inquiries from our customers. I love the feeling of helping them out on their travel plans and giving them suggestions on the best tour that we can offer them. Now, that we have more time in our hands, Laura and the rest of the Admin team are working on individual projects to improve our tour contents.

When I am not working, I am spending my time with my family and our dogs in the Philippines. I am also helping out my mother on baking! It is called Puto Leche Flan or steamed cake with eggcustard.

Now that Hong Kong is observing social distancing measures to prevent the spread of the virus, what is the place that you miss visiting to the most and why?

I am currently enjoying my Family time in the Philippines. In the midst of the lockdowns, there is no other place I would rather be but here with my Family. So I am missing Hong Kong a lot!

We know that you also suffer from wanderlust. When this Pandemic is finally over, and you can go anywhere where will your wanderlust take you?

Hello! Tours is operating in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan. So I would want to visit the last 2 cities! It would be a great experience to meet in person our team over there! Another on my list is to go back to Thailand and do more sightseeing there.

What is the one thing that you this very unfortunate event has taught you and why?

Having a 2 months lockdown in the Philippines, I realized that our time is so precious that we have to spend more time with our family. I realized that it is okay to slow down in life for a moment. The Pandemic is a wake-up call that we need to take good care of each other and to show more kindness to other people. It is true when they say that “No Man is an Island”. It also taught us to be a more responsible citizen that in order to help the fight for the virus we need to change our mindset and behavior.

My message to all Hello! Hong Kong friends and guests, we cannot wait to welcome you all back in Hong Kong. Hello! Tours will always be here and will come back stronger!

#instagood #repost #hongkong #china #hk #adventure #welltraveled #travelstoke #hellohongkongtours #ilovehk #hellohk #hongkongtour #hktravel #covid19story #coronadisry #coronnastory #thetravellingnomads #intravelist #backpackersintheworld #travel #beautifulseason #tripscout #digitalnomad #sustainabletravel #photographeveryday #amazing #photographyislife #keepexploring #livetoexplore #wandering #travelanddestinations #seetheworld #tlpick #travellingthroughtheworld #postcardsplace

It is time, once again, for another Corona Diary from our Hello! Hong Kong Tours team. We aim to give you a sneak peek of our guides lives in the midst of the Pandemic. Don was one of our first Hello! Hong Kong tour guides. Originally from Melbourne Australia, he came to Hong Kong with his wife and they both instantly fell in love with the city.

Don, or The Don, as we call him will make you fall in love with Hong Kong too! He makes sure that all of his guests see the “real’ Hong Kong by showcasing the culture and local foods. We had a short interview with him and below he shares his COVID-19 diary.

Hello! Hong Kong tour guide Don (middle) enjoying a Cheung Chau Bun.

On a normal day, you are usually out on the streets showing our guests the beauty of Hong Kong. Given the travel restrictions imposed by several countries. How are you spending your time now?

I have volunteered for an NGO Board role in Hong Kong which has been really challenging and engaging and has kept me very busy. It's been great to spend time with my wife Mini as she normally travels a lot. We chat, watch shows together, cook (well I cook) and we signed up to Aaptiv an online exercise App and we have actually lost weight which was surprising!

We know that you also suffer from wanderlust. When this Pandemic is finally over, and you can go anywhere where will your wanderlust take you and why?

India is my favourite destination and I am really missing it at the moment. When you travel to India you have some sights in mind but it is always the interactions with the people that are the most valuable and memorable. It is the journey on the inside and what you learn about yourself that is so unexpected and I enjoy the most. Kerala state in India is leading the world in its humanitarian handling of Covid-19 -amazing people and a great place to be in a crisis!

After the world comes out of this dark time and that everyone can travel to Hong Kong again what is the first thing or place you are most excited about showing our guests and why?

I love to enjoy Hong Kong from the water. Even if it is a simple crossing on the Star Ferry, the Hello Hong Kong boat tour or a trip to an outlying island-like Cheung Chau it's a completely different aspect that has to be enjoyed! The picture is of me is enjoying a Cheung Chau Bun even though the festival was pretty quiet this year the buns are always popular.

What is the one thing that you this very unfortunate event has taught you and why?

I found more organizations are providing a lot of information and learning free now online and I am a big fan of free education so I hope that will continue.

Don’s message to everyone

To all our guests, keep positive and we look forward to welcoming you back to Hong Kong. This city is super resilient and we’ll be back providing wonderful experiences in no time!

#photooftheday #hk #instatravel #adventure #welltraveled #tourism #travelbug #lonelyplanet #travelstoke #hellohongkongtours #ilovehk #hellohk #hongkongtour #hktravel #hktourguide #coronadiary #covid19story #privateguide #HEllotours #hellohongkong #traveldestination # beautiduldestination #ilovehk #discoverhongkong

Sinclair has been a tour guide for over 20 years but is one of the newest members of our team here at Hello! Hong Kong Tours. A multi-linguist, he speaks English, Mandarin, Cantonese and French! Sinclair has a fascinating background; born in Cambodia, he spent his childhood here in Hong Kong and then went to University in Canada where he graduated studied in Pure and Applied Science. One of 23 siblings his family is spread out all over the world, just like the Corona Virus!

Full of wanderlust like all of us, Sinclair has visited many countries and yet still finds Hong Kong, his hometown, as one of the best cities in the world! His genuine passion resonates with all of his guests on his tours and he will definitely make you fall in love with Hong Kong.

Now, that every country has travel restrictions including Hong Kong, how does he spend his free time? Let’s check out Sinclair’s Corona Diary below!

Hello! Hong Kong tour guide Sinclair all smile enjoying the beautiful day at the sea!

On a normal day, you are usually out on the streets showing our guests the beauty of Hong Kong. Given the travel restrictions imposed by several countries. How are you spending your time now? What keeps you busy?

For the last few months, I mostly stay home watching TV, doing some household chores, and had some improvements in my cooking. On a sunny warm day, I prefer outdoor activities, such as jogging and hiking.

We know that you also suffer from wanderlust. When this Pandemic is finally over, and you can go anywhere overseas where will your wanderlust take you and why?

If the Pandemic is finally over, I would like to visit Thailand again. I like their culture, food and especially their smiling and enthusiastic hospitality.

After the world comes out of this dark time and everyone can travel to Hong Kong again what is the thing or place you are most excited about showing our guests and why?

If the whole world goes back to normal, and if overseas visitors return to visit Hong Kong, the first place I would like to show them is The Peak where you can see the beautiful, well developed, nice and clean city. I will also bring them to try the traditional food tasting as it brings people happiness as always.

What is the one thing that you this very unfortunate event taught you and why?

From this epidemic, it taught me that we should stand up and face all difficulties. In time, we will all heal. We should not forget and always remember that there is sunshine in every rain.

#thetravellingnomads #intravelist #backpackersintheworld #travel #beautifulseason #tripscout #digitalnomad #sustainabletravel #photographeveryday #amazing #photographyislife #keepexploring #livetoexplore #wandering #travelanddestinations #seetheworld #tlpick #travellingthroughtheworld #postcardsplace #missyoutoo #wewillriseagain #wewillgetthroughthis

Every week, we are featuring one of our Hello! Hong Kong tour guides to share with you their Corona Diary. This week it’s Mel!

A graduate of Engineering, Mel found passion and happiness in tour guiding. You can genuinely feel his passion for his hometown during his tours. His sweet smile and very calm personality make people love him and feel at ease. Aside from being a professional tour guide of Hello! Hong Kong tours, Mel also loves theatre and acting. During the downtime from tourism, Mel has been making a Hong Kong TV commercial themed healthy family, fight against Coronavirus.

We had a short interview with him, and below he shared with us a glimpse of his Covid-19 everyday life.

Hello! Hong Kong Tour guide Mel (Tallest guy with a nice smile ; extreme right) shooting for a commercial themed “Healthy family fight against corona virus”

On a normal day, you are usually out on the streets showing our guests the beauty of Hong Kong. Given the travel restrictions imposed by several countries. How are you spending your time now?  What keeps you busy?

I am a keen gardener, and now its the best time for doing some spring preparation and home improvements. But I think I am not the only one thinking this way. You can see the long lines at IKEA and at the garden centres! 

What keeps me busy? More quality time at home, more reading and more preparations for myself for future challenges.

We know that you also suffer from wanderlust. When this Pandemic is finally over, and you can go anywhere overseas where will your wanderlust take you and why?

My heart goes to Italy. I have some very good friends in Florence. I kept them updated with the news and practice on how to stay safe of the virus outbreak. I also sent them some supplies to make sure that they have enough physical protections. 

Italy is a great country with the highest number of UNESCO sites in the world. Also its a place with great food and a wonderful mix of landscapes. 

I really want to check on my love ones there and celebrate there together after such a hard time that we have been having these last months. As the governments of countries mentioned, the impact of this pandemic has been comparable to WWII or 911. It’s really one of the hardest times in the history of mankind.

After the world comes out of this dark time and that everyone can travel to Hong Kong once again what is the thing or place you are most excited about showing our guests and why?

It will be Wong Tai Sin Temple. The shrine of the God of Medicine, as he has been blessing Hong Kong. Hong Kong was one of the earliest territories with the virus outbreak, but the number of cases is one of the lowest in the world. We all need to pay the patron god a tribute for his great protections to us!

What is the one thing that this very unfortunate event has taught you and why?

We learned that all mankind are equal, no matter your colour/background/money or any differences. We need to show more love and respect to each other, and this can help the survival of mankind, and make this world a better place. 

Mel’s personal message to everyone:

Since January, Hong Kong was the first place to be affected by the Corona virus. It started to affect the cruise lines and package tours to Hong Kong. Visitors showed lots of concern to be in this crowded city, and were not sure how to protect themselves from the virus. 

For the guests that joined my tour at that time, they all learned the info on how to put on personal protection. Hong Kong has gone through similar epidemics since the Millennium ( i.e. SARS, Bird Flu, Swine Flu and MERS ), so the whole city is well trained on how to keep the city and its people safe. 

I am sure that those guests have taken away a great lesson from me, besides the sightseeing! It will make a life-changing difference as they know how to do the same back in their own countries after the safety drill which I showed them. 

I have faith that Hong Kong will have a quicker recovery of business and economy, comparing to many regions that will still have to rebuild the physical loss and public confidence. Again, I hope the whole world will know that Hong Kong is a safe and great city to visit.

#thetravellingnomads #intravelist #backpackersintheworld #travel #beautifulseason #tripscout #digitalnomad #sustainabletravel #photographeveryday #amazing #photographyislife #keepexploring #livetoexplore #wandering #travelanddestinations #seetheworld #tlpick #travellingthroughtheworld #postcardsplace #missyoutoo #wewillgetthroughthis #wewillriseagain #coronadiaries #coronavirusstories

It’s time once again for another Corona Diary story straight from one of our Hello Hong Kong Tour guides. Today, we will feature one of our female tour guides who is originally from the UK. She first came to Hong Kong in 1997, fell in love with the city and lived here ever since. She is non-other than our tour guide Jane. Jane is one of our very passionate guides who loves showing all the beautiful places in the city. Her warm and friendly vibe will definitely make any tour fun and something to remember.

Jane loves to travel like everyone else. In fact, she just had her recent trip to Argentina. She came back here in Hong Kong just in time before the lockdowns and quarantines are imposed. Being a responsible Hong Kong citizen, she did her own 14-day quarantine at home. Now that she is back and the city is strictly observing social distancing, What keeps her busy in the midst of this crisis?

Hello Hong Kong Tour guide Jane, having fun on her Lantau hike in Hong Kong.

On a normal day, you are usually out on the streets showing our guests the beauty of Hong Kong. Given the travel restrictions imposed by several countries. How are you spending your time now?

I have been going on some lovely hikes exploring new places and keeping my distance from others.  I've also been cooking lots of lovely home-made food to keep me healthy

We know that you also suffer from wanderlust. When this Pandemic is finally over, and you can go anywhere where will your wanderlust take you and why?

I was very lucky to have an amazing holiday to Argentina this year, I love exploring new places and it was a great adventure - even though a very very long way from Hong Kong

After the world comes out of this dark time and that everyone can travel to Hong Kong again what is the first thing or place you are most excited about showing our guests and why?

The Star Ferry is one of my favourite things to do in Hong Kong, it's such a lovely way to cross the harbour with amazing views and feels like you are going back to the old days with the staff still wearing traditional uniforms

What is the one thing that you this very unfortunate event has taught you?

I think after the world returns to "normal" people will value their lives better, their families and friends and in general being thankful for the little things

#instagood #repost #hongkong #china #hk #adventure #welltraveled #travelstoke #ilovehk #hellohk #hongkongtour #hktravel #hongkonger #hongkongese #welovehongkong #explorehongkong #meetthelocals #instagood #photooftheday #hk #tourism #travelbug #natgeotravelpic #lonelyplanet #hellohongkongtours #streetsofhongkong #homekong #privatetour #specialtour #personaltour #customisedtour