We\’re in Mong Kok wandering through open air markets and snacking on street meat: fried squid on a stick and takoyaki balls sprinkled with seaweed. A few first droplets spit onto passing heads and the sidewalk quickly becomes a rainbow sea of umbrellas — hundreds upon hundreds of them snap open preemptively. There\’s been a [...]

Hong Kongers really like their Coke, which almost always comes in glass bottles. The Chinese name for Coca-Cola (可口可乐, ke kou ke le) is not only an accurate transliteration, but also a great slogan, since it roughly translates to \”tasty and happy\”. Kudos to the marketing team on that one, because more often than not, [...]

It\’s a weekend morning, but Hennessy Road in Causeway Bay has already been awake for hours. Jackhammering construction workers fill the air with dust and noise. Cars and buses shuffle past. Shoppers crowd Times Square. Cleanup crew sweep the sidewalk and a woman pushes a cart loaded with newspapers. A chef slices meats in the [...]

We land, and I feel like a dry sponge that\’s found water. My skin soaks in the humidity. My senses kick into high gear and absorb everything else. The double decker airport shuttle rolls across Cheung Tsing Bridge and Kowloon unfolds, piece by piece, familiar and unfamiliar. Mountains and highrises compete for the sky. Smog [...]

What is it about being in an airport? It\’s always the same mix of bleary-eyed excitement, dizziness, exhaustion, and a little bit of disbelief that I\’m actually (actually!) going where I\’m going. The butterflies are swirling in my stomach, or maybe it\’s the 5 a.m. coffee. A new travel chapter opens on Pencilprism today. I\’ll [...]

I know, I know, I know. Insert obligatory apology for being AWOL recently, and for allowing Pencilprism to be pillaged and plundered by the spambot overlords. Classic photoblog faux pas. But if it makes you feel any better, now you know where to find ALL KINDS of male enhancing pharmaceuticals! I have several reasons for [...]