A few weeks ago we visited some of Hong Kong’s most popular tourist sites to gauge the effect the protests were having on them. We concluded that, regretfully, we could not recommend Hong Kong to visitors in the current climate. Since then, the situation has grown much worse. In the early months of the unrest the protesters’ anger was directed at property, not people. Now the violence is causing serious injuries, and in one case this week an elderly man died after being hit by a brick. In addition, massive disruption to transport and the sheer scale of the protests are causing problems for most residents.

The impact is seen in many different ways. I visited Wan Chai – normally one of the city’s busiest areas – on Wednesday afternoon and found the roads spookily quiet. The sad truth is that, as things stand, Hong Kong can no longer be seen as a tourism destination. READ MORE

Afaranwide finally got to look inside the Hong Kong Museum of Art when it held a trial run for volunteer visitors to test out its fabulous, refurbished premises in Kowloon. The museum closed for renovation just as Colin arrived in Hong Kong to take up a new job. Four years and three months later, and the transformation is almost complete. Good news for Hong Kong at last, but we still don’t know when it will open to the public. READ MORE

Some time ago Sue was approached by International Women of Hong Kong to be interviewed about life as an expat. They are a group of young expats who recently formed the group to build a social network, and we wish them well. Expat life can be tricky to navigate, especially when you’re new to a country. But they navigated Sue’s interview well!

Thailand has come under the laser eye of global travel analysts Skift this week, with latest figures showing that fewer Europeans are going there now. Partly due to the Thai currency being strong, so it’s cheaper and easier to lie on a beach in Italy, Spain or France than take long-haul to Thailand. But Skift hints at other reasons – the number of Chinese tourists remains strong, and could it be that Thailand is resting on its laurels?

The Ronald Reagan library in California has many blockbuster exhibits, such as an Air Force One jet and an armoured limo. But there are also small, personal items that are equally interesting. Did you know, for example, that Reagan’s famous quips were inspired by the likes of Aristophanes, Cicero and Gandhi? For more than 40 years he collected memorable and inspiring quotes from them and many others, handwriting their words on these index cards. He drew on them when working on his speeches. READ MORE

When I was a boy, and didn’t know any better, I went to a dolphin show at Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, while on a touring holiday with my family. Somewhere in our attic back home there are my black-and-white photos of the dolphins looking forlorn in their small, round tank. Thankfully, these fabulous and intelligent creatures are no longer kept in captivity in the UK, but the same is not true elsewhere. A new report called Behind the Smile by the World Animal Protection group exposes the cruelty inflicted on captive dolphins.

This passage stood out for me: “In the wild, bottlenose dolphins often have home ranges exceeding 100 sq km... In captivity, this study found that the average size of the largest primary tank used at dolphin facilities is just 444 sq m.” The detailed report concludes that the best way to see dolphins is to view them responsibly in the wild. Having seen them in the waters off New Zealand, Oman (top picture), the US (above) and Hong Kong, I can certainly testify to that. – CS READ MORE

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