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A few snippets from my iPhone of our trip to Hong Kong last year. We spent a month there in late November/December — our first time back in three years! We survived the plane ride with TWO toddlers in tow, and though we wondered during that first week of illness/jet lag if it was worth it, it didn’t take long for us to find out the answer was a resounding yes. Oh how we missed the sounds, the textures, and convenience of life just outside your doorstep. It was so interesting to see the city through our kids’ eyes as well (Miikka’s first question: ‘Why are there so many people mummy?’). Both of them learned how to hail cabs, the joys of 7-Eleven and being out past bed time! It was a trip to remember! 

Clockwise from top: The view from Kennedy Town; Incense stall in Tai Ping Shan; Grassroots Pantry; Shek O; Hong Kong Park; Tai Ping Shan

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Behind the Scenes/Making Our Book Cover

We thought it’d be fun to share a little peek into how we created our book cover. Hong Kong’s skyline is so iconic, it was an obvious place to start. But we also wanted to try out a couple of different ideas just to be sure. 

One of the earliest versions we toyed with was the idea of doing a pattern of bauhinia flowers (the official flower of Hong Kong). We hadn’t even written the book yet at this point, but envisioning it as a finished product was so fun! (Remember those beautiful Penguin classics they redid a few years back with gorgeous patterned covers? Yeah, we were totally inspired by that.) 

In the end, we thought a floral pattern was too abstract and we wanted something more recognizably ‘Hong Kong’ (although we did use it inside our book!): 

Fast forward a few years later, when we actually had a finished book, a publisher and a release date, Nick sat down to seriously crank out the cover. One idea he had was putting the reader right in the thick of the chaos:

“Basically, I wanted to capture the street life and turn it into a pattern or texture that you absorb,” he says. 

(Did I mention he was the art director? Ha! I definitely do not think or speak in those terms!).

Below is Nick’s original ink drawing of a wet market, which he then scanned into the computer to add colour digitally. The use of ink is in homage to traditional Chinese art.

But in our hearts, we kept coming back to the skyline. The tricky task for Nick was trying to capture all the textures in our book, which we likened to a timeworn sketchbook, while also being bold so it would stand out. He admits it was hard.

Above is the cover when it was still a work in progress. Nick had the idea of making the buildings look like a paper cut out, in reference to the different patterned papers we used throughout the book. 

And here’s the the final book cover! Nick wanted to bring in some of the watercolour elements from inside, so he asked me to paint a watercolour background. Then he added in various elements, such as the tape and different papers which we used throughout the book to get the ‘journal’ feeling. 

We were pretty content to let our publisher make the final call since we really trust his instincts. Although we were really glad when he chose this one! We hope you like it as much as we do!!

You can find our book on Amazon and Chapters/Indigo. 

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How our book was made

A blog post is up on our publisher’s website on how our book was made. 

But I thought I’d also summarize, and add a little more here, too…

1. The idea wasn’t mine The idea for How to Hong Kong sprung from my husband’s mind, not mine. Though it would become something of an obsession for me, I was steadfastly against it at the beginning. I was a full-time journalist at the time, and though plenty of my colleagues had written books, this was never something I aspired to. The whole idea felt daunting. 

2. Joy was the reason But as Nick, who’s used to having lots of passion projects on the side, pushed on about the idea, I began to resist less and less. I loved the idea of working on something completely joyful — a much needed respite from the grind of journalism. This book became my happy place. I was still anxious about pulling it off, but mostly I was excited!

3. It was always Hong Kong Ok, that’s not completely true. In a moment of insanity, I tried to sell Nick on the idea of writing about teahouses of Vancouver. (What was I thinking???!) He looked at me like I was a crazy person. There was only ever one subject for us and that was Hong Kong. The city we both love. The city where I was born and raised. The city we escaped to annually. We love Asia and wanted to showcase it.

4. This book is everything we love about books in one place I love reading literary travel. For a while, it was pretty much the only type of book I read. (Some favourites were written by a former editor I worked with, who I admire hugely.) We’re also big fans of gorgeous Taschen photography books and art books. But sometimes I’d be looking at an art book and wishing there were more words, or reading a novel and wishing there were pictures. So we made a book with a bit of everything: Stories, illustrations and photography.

Illustration by Nick Tay

5. Patience We started our research during a two-month stay back in 2009, but realized later we needed more material. Each time we travelled back in subsequent years, we would find more to write about. In total, we worked on the book off and on for six years. We did most of the work on weekends and before and after our regular jobs. There were times when I wondered if we’d ever finish, but then I’d remind myself that Helen Hunt once said she took about 10 years to get a movie made. And she’s famous! So I figured I could wait that long, too.

6. Meeting new people The great thing about writing this book was that it gave me an excuse to strike up conversation with people I wouldn’t normally have the courage to. We discovered a silversmith tucked away in the lanes of Sheung Wan, an old family-owned tea shop on the edges of Causeway Bay, and chatted away with a lovely old lady who specializes in the ritual of da siu yun (hitting the small people). As this was very much a travel journal, we wanted that spark of discovery to be inherent in our pages.

7. Rediscovering old passions I once told Nick that I loved my design and communications (or D+C) class in high school and I still have my portfolio from then! I never considered myself an artist, but I guess a part of me has always loved being creative. I think he always knew I loved art. And I suspect this book project was his grand plan to get me back to drawing and painting. It worked! I was really tentative at first, thinking he would do all the art, but as we got into it I started to enjoy doing the illustrations so much! I cannot stress enough how generous he was with his time and support. I now paint and draw as often as I can and it is one of the things in life that makes me really happy!  

If you’d like to read the original post, visit the Blacksmith Books blog.

Our book is available on Amazon and Chapters/Indigo.

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Ricepaper Magazine Interview

Thank you so much to Ricepaper magazine for this interview on How To Hong Kong! You can read the full interview here.

#howtohongkong

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Woot Woot! How To Hong Kong is now available in North America and the UK via Amazon, Chapters/Indigo and Waterstones. 

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How To Hong Kong is Here!!

We’re so excited our book is finally here! We’ve been working on this project for seven years (!) so it’s amazing to see it finally come to fruition. Part sketchbook, part travel memoir, How To Hong Kong is our love letter to a city that has played such a large role in our lives. For me, it will always be home. For my husband Nick, it’s the place where he’s felt most at home. Through illustrations, photographs and stories of our time spent in the city as well as interviews with locals, we take you along through some of our favourite neighbourhoods. Here’s a few pages from our book. . .

Each chapter is devoted to a different district and trying to capture the mood of it. Sheung Wan is one of my favourite haunts and it’s all about slowing down and ambling through its old lanes and steep hills.

We love the mix of east and west in Wan Chai. . .

Tai O feels like a step back in time. Sunset here is pretty magical too. . .

We hope this book brings you a smile whether you’ve long loved this city like us, or you’re an armchair traveller who’s never been. We hope it inspires you to look past Hong Kong’s brash urban veneer (which we also happen to love) to find a softer, more intimate side that isn’t often portrayed. 

How To Hong Kong is now available in major bookstores in Hong Kong such as Eslite, Bookazine, Swindon’s, The Book Centre and Commercial Press.

You can also order it online through our publisher (who ships worldwide).

For those in the U.S., Canada and U.K., it’s also available for pre-order through Amazon and Indigo/Chapters (Canada). 

And look out for it in bookstores in the U.S.,Canada and U.K. by January! 

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Hello Dashie

Our sweet Dashiell arrived almost three months ago. I can’t believe how long ago that feels already, and at the same time, like no time at all. He has such a sweet, sweet gentle spirit. He gives us the biggest smiles every morning, his big eyes turning into little half moons and today we heard him laugh for the first time (of course daddy made him laugh)! He feels like such a kind soul and we love him so much!

Dashie was just 6 days old in the photo taken above and here he is at two months old giving us his goofy little smile! What a gift you are to us, my love! 

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Life lately. . .

It’s April and the cherry blossoms are in full bloom (actually, starting to fade already...although I do love seeing the pink confetti strewn on the streets). We are gearing up for Baby #2 and my mood is both excited and anxious. I have always been someone for whom anticipation can be harder than the actual act of doing and this is no exception. We’ve been lucky however, with beautiful weather which has taken me out of my head. Soaking in these rays as a family of 3, as we count down the days until our lives turn upside down again (in hopefully the best possible way!). We’re ready for you Baby #2! Can’t wait to meet you darling!

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Books to wander with. . .

There was no travel on the agenda this summer, but rather plenty of books to indulge my wanderlust instead. Some of my favourites from these past few months include. . .

Sara Midda’s South of France: A Sketchbook: This gem of a book is packed with delightful watercolours and observations about life in Mediterranean France where Midda takes her salade nicoise under vine-covered trellises and picnics under olive trees on terraced hillsides. Divided by month, each chapter begins with short observations and historical notes (the only downside is the writing is very small, and somewhat hard to read). I’ve been savouring it slowly so I can follow along with the months...now into October!

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: Not exactly a travel book, but I was riveted by Marie Kondo’s manifesto on how to cut excess and create a home filled with only the things you love. I also found myself laughing at times at the very sweet and serious manner in which she approaches the subject. Even though it’s about minimalism, it was a fascinating journey into Japanese culture as she explained certain Japanese terms or how a Japanese home is typically organized. I can’t stop thinking about this book. Highly recommend.

Meet Me in Venice: My friend Suzanne Ma wrote this book and I loved it through and through. I have an obsession with Italy (even though I’ve never been) and in my mind it’s forever la dolce vita. But Suzanne’s book gives a very different perspective as she follows a young Chinese migrant from rural China to her new life in Italy. It’s tender and heartbreaking at times. It gives you an appreciation for how difficult it is to find a new life in a foreign country. And even though Italian food might make most of us salivate, for young Ye Pei and her family, while they agree that Italy is a fine country, “the only problem is the food”(!!!).  

Next up on my reading list, I can’t wait for Elizabeth Gilbert’s new book, Big Magic!

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I thought this quote was by Einstein, so you can imagine my disappointment when the Internet told me it was actually Bob Samples. Doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, does it? Still, it’s a good thought. And who is Bob Samples? An author and scholar who wrote The Metaphoric Mind: A Celebration of Creative Consciousness, in which he interprets and sums up Einstein’s perspective on the mind into the above quote. 

I heard it last week while listening to my guided meditation app by Deepak Chopra (which I highly recommend to any newbie meditators) and it struck me as something I really needed to hear. I’ve never worked well listening to my analytical mind, though I sometimes get lost in that side of the brain. It doesn’t make me happy. I make much better decisions listening to my irrational, sometimes non-sensical self. It’s harder to follow its advice, especially when the rational side doesn’t understand what it’s telling me. But as always, the intuitive mind knows exactly what’s best. Every single time. It makes me feel freer and happier, too. So a good reminder. Thank you Bob Samples.

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High Summer

How is it mid-August already? I am definitely still in a summer state of mind, although starting to dread how fast it’s going already. I’ve been continuing my love affair with painting swimwear and in my life after baby one pieces are starting to look tres chic to me! I’m calling this one French Riviera.

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Summer Life

June was filled momentous occasions (first father’s day, birthdays, arrival of parents and visiting family) and not-so-momentous ones: Breathing in the summer solstice, quiet walks, low tide, squishy sand in between toes. Yoga evenings, doors wide open, the best cardamom ice cream ever and a passionfruit cake (all in one day). Summer life is magic.  

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Nothing inspires me more than summertime and the tropics. Lately, I’ve been painting swimwear, which in this particular case captures both my loves perfectly. 

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INTENTIONAL NOURISHMENT

Seven months into this astonishing and sometimes bewildering gig that is motherhood, it occurred to me last week that I needed to tend to myself. And not in that rushed, harried way, like “I’ve got five minutes for tea, quick, relax!’ But in a slower, more intentional way. Even if it’s just drinking Vitasoy and eating an egg tart while driving the babe around the city for 40 minutes so he gets his last nap of the day. (I reeaally enjoyed that dan tat yesterday.) Or, a walk at the beach, even when you’re beyond tired and your back is sore.  

As the sleep deprivation caught up to me last week, I realized those small moments you take for yourself matter. Big time. So I’ve decided on one nourishing act a day, and to fully indulge in it, no matter how small it may be. It feels like a present to myself. A gesture of kindness. And that’s something I can really get behind. 

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Half the fun of travel is discovering treasures along the way. This white tee is breezy enough for subtropical summers and special enough to make casual look cool. It's made by one of our favourite Hong Kong brands, Moustache. 

New York transplants Alex Daye and Ellis Kreuger started Moustache back in 2009, inspired by the city's legendary tailors. They married local craftsmanship with their unexpected eye for detail and whimsy. Sadly, the dapper duo are on to their next adventure in Australia and Moustache will be closing at the end of this month. So if you happen to be in Hong Kong, run, don't walk!  

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We've had an incredible streak of perfect fall weather, which is nothing to take for granted here in Vancouver. Blue skies, sunshine and streets laden with golden leaves. . .it's been quite the week. My friend Kathryn, whose birthday was last Wednesday, noted it was the only sunny birthday she could recall (except for a time when she lived in San Diego). That's something, right? As such, I've been taking the little guy out for as many walks possible, which has been especially relaxing as a new mom. Soaking it all in while I can. . .because you never know when the weather will turn!

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Temple on Lamma Island, Hong Kong

Just 40 minutes by ferry from the bustling skyscrapers of Central, we disembarked to a sleepy, car-free island. I was visiting my parents in Hong Kong in the summer of 2013 and on a sleepy Sunday we suddenly wanted an easy escape from the city. Lunch on Lamma Island fit the bill. As we walked the narrow lanes, dotted with bicycles and storefronts, we passed by this village temple. I watched as a young man walked by, paused to bow before the temple's door and incense shrine before carrrying on his way. It reminded that this is what makes Hong Kong, well, Hong Kong. It's always about the contrast: a city of skyscrapers and island villages; customs of old and pioneers of the new. It's an Asian metropolis with an ancient heart.