The Family Tall went out for our first hike of the 2007-08 season last Saturday morning, and in the flurry of preparations required for hiking with a five-year-old, I was reminded of both how easy it is to get out on Hong Kong’s hiking trails, but also of why it’s just enough trouble that surprisingly few people actually do it.

So my purpose today is to try to pass along a few tips that might make it more feasible to get out and about on family hikes in Hong Kong. Longer, more ambitious hikes for all grown-ups we’ll leave for other times. Read more »

Imagine it's been ten years since you've left Hong Kong.

What sound, as soon as you heard it, would make you think of Hong Kong? Read more »

We've set a target to raise US$10,000 by the end of October. That's enough to let the 'Room to Read' charity build a library for a school community in Nepal. And stock it with books. And provide three years' support to make sure it is a success!

Think what that means - the children's current future is to grow up learning in a school without any printed books. Together we can change that. Here's where we need your help: Read more »

Instead of an article this week, it's your chance to tell us what you'd like to see.

For example, if you're a regular reader, are there any features you'd like to see that we're missing? Maybe something you use regularly on another website, and miss because it's not available here?

Or if you've arrived here from a web search, was it easy to find what you're looking for? How could we have made it easier?

Are there some topics you'd like us to write more about? Less about? Things we should have covered but haven't? Read more »

I went to see ‘The Simpsons Movie’ last month. It was fun: it’s not great, but it’s very good, upholding the general excellence of The Simpsons TV series – which I believe has earned a permanent booking at the base camp of the pinnacle of western civilization. The Simpsons has for years been my touchstone for the culture of my homeland; it’s the tether that connects me to my people.

Or is it?  Read more »

I can't see that as the HK Tourist Board's 2008 slogan, but it's still true - a visit to Hong Kong will give your nose a good workout. Read more »

Many of the excellent reader comments made on this article about the cost of living in Hong Kong have focused on the relative merits of keeping a car here, and how having one can be crucial if you’re living in a village outside Hong Kong’s urban areas. Read more »

In this stage of my exploration of the cost of living in Hong Kong, we get out of the supermarkets and check out some of the other day-to-day expenses expatriates face in this costly city.

If you're interested in the earlier price comparisons I did for food, you can find them here and here.  Read more »

Summer holidays have become much more important in the past couple of years for the Tall family, as Daughter Tall’s availability is now constrained by her kindergarten’s schedule. So although I’ve always been a travel fan, and enjoy trip planning as part of the experience, the stakes have been raised. Fortunately, as I’ve mentioned, Hong Kong is an excellent base from which to travel all around Asia. Read more »

How different would life be if you’d never left home to live overseas? Mr Tall pointed out some of the big differences a couple of weeks back, but here’s a couple more. Read more »