An Interview with Blue Balu

My first interview as a blogger, many thanks to Ruth from Blue Balu for asking me to take part in her interview series. 

INTERVIEW WITH SPACE BETWEEN IDEAS

March 23, 2015 · by bluebalu · in Food & Drink, Hong Kong, Interview. ·

I stumbled upon Anneka’s blog Space between Ideas by pure luck – I was searching for easy hikes in Hong Kong and found her blog post that features a number of different easy hikes (including my all-time favourite Discovery Bay to Mui Wo). There is one from Sai Kung to Sai Wan that was new to me, so I bookmarked this post – and then I continued reading through her blog, discovering that Anneka likes to travel, hike, eat and exploring Hong Kong. That’s a perfect mix and match for my blog, so let’s interview her in today’s interview.

One of my favourite posts on her blog is about 10 hidden gems – out of which I only know the IFC rooftop and the Tai O infinity pool. I also enjoyed her visit to theabandoned village in Ma Wan – again that’s the first time I found out about this. I know that there are several abandoned villages all around Hong Kong, mainly in the New Territories, but I have only managed to visit one so far (during our Poon Choi hike to Lai Chi Woo).

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Describe your blog in one or two sentences
I blog about anything I do (or eat) that I really enjoy and think other people will too. I like sharing great experiences I’ve had with my friends, likewise I love a good recommendation.

What made you start a blog?
I moved to Hong Kong shortly after graduating from uni, I didn’t take a gap year after A-levels and then did a degree in English Literature, so it was pretty much the first time in my life when I didn’t have any kind of writing that I had to do. I found that I really missed it and as I had started an exciting new adventure in Hong Kong, blogging seemed like the next natural step.

Where do you get your inspirations from?
Literally anything that I enjoy that can be shared with others. I usually end up blogging about food, travel, hiking and the odd music or art event. However I am open to blogging about other things too, like the other day I was making origami fish for a lesson, I thought, this is fun, why not blog about it?

What has been your highlight so far?
It may not seem that exciting but really anytime anyone leaves a comment saying that my blog has been helpful in some way it gives me a real boost to know that people are not only interested, but helped out by the stuff I’m writing.

What do you like to do when you are not working on your blog?
Taking advantage of all the exciting things there are to do in Hong Kong. Aside from working (as an English teacher) I enjoy hiking, eating, cocktails, going to the beach,yoga… and traveling as often as I can!

For instance, here are blog posts about top beaches in Hong Kong, a recent trip toYangshuo and a great weekend break on Mactan Island in the Philippines.

What three tips would you give to someone visiting HK for the first time? 

• Get out of the city at least once. I find first timers to Hong Kong (myself included) have no idea that Hong Kong is more than just a big, busy city. I think first timers especially are amazed at the contrasts. Go to a place like Lamma, where a twenty minute boat ride takes you from being right in the midst of central’s skyscrapers to a chilled, tropical island. It really is amazing.
• Go up. There must be more great viewing points in Hong Kong than anywhere else in the world. Be it up The Peak, up a mountain, up to a rooftop bar, just go up and enjoy the peace and the views.
• Eat, eat, eat. Dim Sum, hot pot, ramen, BBQ’s… there are just so many different varieties of food to be had in Hong Kong and there are restaurants literally everywhere. I love how social the Asian style of dining is. If you don’t gain a few pounds during a trip to Hong Kong, you’ve not done it right… and make sure to try these fantastic egg waffles if you are in TST.

And what three tips to someone who has been here many times (or maybe even lives here)?

• Take advantage of the availability of Junk Boats. I guess coming from the UK makes the whole concept especially exciting. On any given weekend I can party on a yacht in the sun with my friends. Every time I go on one I feel like I’m on holiday, I get the whole ‘wow, this is where I live’ amazement every time.
• Always try new things. It’s so easy to settle into a routine.. going to the same restaurant, bar or on the same hikes again and again. We all do it! But it’s good to keep things fresh, there’s so much to do here you never know where you might just find a new favourite spot. Like recently, I’ve really been amazed by the amount of cool little coffee shops I’ve seen around Kowloon which goes to show, despite normal mentally, you don’t have to go to Central to find great coffee.
• Don’t be an island snob… we all know at least one. Nothing annoys me more than someone who lives on the island and thinks that it is far superior to the rest of Hong Kong and thus never leaves. Yes the Island is great, but each part of Hong Kong has something unique to offer and there’s always something new to discover, don’t be close minded and end up missing out!

What are your favourite blogs?
I follow quite a few bloggers on instagram, I’m a particular fan of @cramepete, he’s based in Beijing and does a lot of travel around Asia. His photographs are always amazing, constantly inspiring me and making me add places to my travel bucket list (which will be useful as I’m going travelling for a while in September, so my blog will be going down a slightly different path).

I would like to have more blogs on my reading list so any recommendations from anyone would be much appreciated.

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Thanks Anneka, it was nice talking with you – and I have now bookmarked also your food posts including the tips about Yuen Long (I have been to Tam’s Yunnan Noodles in Wan Chai so many times, I love it too) and the great dining experiences in Hong Kong.

You can find out more about Anneka’s blog by following her Twitter and Instagramaccounts.