![]() ![]() Today, the website has a huge cult following made up of Hong Kong travelers and history buffs who share fun facts, stories and photos of the city. Eventually, he decided to shift gears and, in 2009, founded Gwulo, which means “old” in Cantonese. When he wrote about the fascinating historic sites he saw, readers would respond by sending him their own old photos to share on the blog. “But it turned out that Hong Kong’s history was a lot more interesting than my experiences,” says Bellis. ![]() In 2002, he decided to start a blog with his friend Ross to document their lives in Hong Kong. Her mum had been a vegetable hawker for many years and approved that I knew how to pick a good loh baak, not knowing it was the last one for sale on the market stall.”īellis says he’s always loved wandering off the traditional tourist trail, giving him greater opportunities to meet locals and learn about the city’s history.ĭavid Bellis moved to Hong Kong in 1992 and has called the city 'home' ever since. I bought her a turnip (loh baak) that she took home. “When we started dating, I asked her which flowers she likes and she told me ‘turnip’ (she meant ‘tulip’). “She was a client before she became my co-worker,” says Bellis. But it was at that job that he met his wife, Grace, a local Hong Konger. When Bellis made a permanent move to Hong Kong in 1992, he was thrust into a sales job instead of working in programming – his true passion. But little did she know, her wartime diary would lead to an unlikely friendship with another Hong Kong resident – Bellis. The family eventually moved back to the United Kingdom in 1959 – for good this time.Īnslow’s former home became a distant memory for her. The couple had five children – all born in Hong Kong. She moved back to the city to start a job as a stenographer and, in 1948, married a fellow Stanley internee. “Mum would tell us how (life at the camp) was ‘a bit boring really’ and how she put on plays for the young children and wrote her stories on any paper she could get her hands on to pass the time,” shares Maureen Rossi, Anslow’s other daughter.Īfter the war, Anslow vowed to never return to Hong Kong again. The dedicated diarist documented her daily life in the camp. She spent more than three years in an internment camp in Stanley, now a tourist-friendly seaside area of Hong Kong. She witnessed the Japanese invasion and the Battle and Fall of Hong Kong in 1941. Travel experiences you can only enjoy while you’re youngĪnslow’s 20s would prove to be a tumultuous time. “As a teenager, she enjoyed going to weekly whist drives (a social gathering centered around cards) with her older sister and mother, as well as bingo, tennis and launch picnics run by the Naval Dockyard,” Anslow’s daughter, Kerry Maddison, tells CNN Travel. Her family left Hong Kong in 1929 but returned in 1938 when Anslow was 19 years old. Thankfully, Anslow eventually came around. “If I stay much longer I shall be in tears.” ![]() Judging by this excerpt, it wasn’t love at first sight. In honor of the occasion, she wrote a poem in her diary. Her father, an electrical engineer for the Naval Dockyard, had been relocated to the city, which was under British rule at the time. Her reaction was very different from that of Bellis.Īt nine years old, in the summer of 1927, Anslow boarded a steamer to make the long journey from England to Hong Kong with her family. More than 60 years earlier, Barbara Anslow was experiencing her own introduction to Hong Kong. ![]() on a shirt/top, Regretted an apology, Thrown a drink at someone and Snooped in someone's bathroom.In the 1930s, at the age of 19, Barbara Anslow relocated to Hong Kong with her family for the second time in her life. This bingo card has a free space and 39 words: Played hooky from school or work, Stolen anything, Broken a bone, Been on TV, Fought in public, Crashed a wedding, Sneezed and farted at the same time, Climbed out of a window, I ever gotten car sick, Ran a marathon, Never have I ever lied about my age, Participated in a protest, Pranked someone, Been an alibi for a lying friend, Dined and dashed, Been stopped by airport security, Left gum under a table, Gone 24 hrs without showering, Ate a whole pizza by myself, Deleted a post for lack of likes, Never have I ever ate icecream for breakfast, Been to Disneyland, Stood up someone on a date, Never have I ever cried in a Pixar movie, Binged a series in one day, Maxed out a credit card, Pretended to be sick for attention, Cursed in a place of worship, Trolled someone on social media, Lied to my boss, Lied to law enforcement, Gotten a tattoo while drunk, Drunk dialed my ex, Missed a flight because I overslept, Attempted a trendy diet, Spent more than $100. ![]()
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