Friday, January 29
Thursday, January 28
Chinese Theater
Well not quite. It was theater, but mainly Eastern European performers. The Global Arts Center at the absolute end of the bus line is closing down, and in a last bid effort to leave on a high note, they have slashed ticket prices 90%!! Instead of 200HKD, the prices for last night's 8pm show were only 20HKD. That's less than three US dollars! It was essentially a variety show, with dance performances, acrobatics, magic tricks, Cantonese singing, and the like. The show was narrated in Chinese, but a dance number from Moulin Rouge or Chicago can be enjoyed by all! Grabbed my favorite dinner in Hong Kong-- Thai green curry, ice lemon tea, and roti bread. A little mixup when ordering got us a basket of regular roti bread and garlic cheese and gee roti. The latter is the. best. thing. you. have. ever. tasted. At just over three US dollars per basket, our appetizers were more expensive than the live performance that night! Add to that figuring out the bus line and riding the whole of it for less than a buck, we had a random, good for the wallet Wednesday night!
Saturday, January 23
Busy Week
Last week was great! Wednesday I was thrilled to hear from Stephanie Laubacker, saying she was in town on business. She only had one night in Hong Kong, so Liza and I arrived at her Tsim Sha Tsui hotel to greet her and her co-worker John (from Rock Hill!) and show them around after work. The recent acid attacks and chilly weather prevented us from enjoying the atmosphere at Temple Street Night Market, but it worked out nicely because we went to Knutsford Terrace to share a meal. The tucked away street of upscale international flavors in TST is charming and boasts its own unique experience. I had tiger prawns over linguine drizzled with truffle oil (yum!) and we had a blast hanging out with fellow South Carolinians. They had to be jetlagged, and were Shanghai-bound the next day, yet John and Stephanie had the energy so the four of us headed to AquaSpirit—the swanky, ultra modern bar on top of One Peking Tower. The view of the Central skyscrapers and neon lights over the harbor is breathtaking. I loved showing my temporary home to someone else, which is why I am thrilled my sister Amelia has officially booked her flight to visit in May!! Can’t wait!
Thursday after work (while it was still light out) Tripp and I met at the Chungking Mansions in search of some authentic Middle Eastern kebabs. It seems everyone is familiar with the Mansions, a gritty, smorgasbord of sketchy hotels—by far the cheapest accommodations in the city. The pungent smell of foreign spices and body odor blasts your nostrils as you walk deeper into the place. This is the first stop for many immigrants coming to find a new life in Hong Kong, thus you can find a true melting pot in this place of cultures, languages, and ethnicities. It’s a sociologist’s dream. Many vendors set up stall with about six feet of retail space selling items from their native country—calling cards to various African countries, fake Rolexes, and legit naan bread abounds! One promising stand packed floor to ceiling DVD’s, but they were all Indian films! We ate chicken kebabs (with one eye on the exit!), caught the Symphony of Lights show at the harbor, and walked the Avenue of Stars (with Jacky Chan and Bruce Lee’s handprints in the cement, of course!)
I got a big surprise at work Friday when a teacher told me I would accompany the K2’s on an excursion to the Jusco supermarket! I never really know what is going on at school, so the fact they were going anywhere at all was news to me! K2’s are my four year olds, and I have three separate groups to take, each one lasting an hour. Very nice, as I got out of all but two teaching lessons that day! We walked over a footbridge and up the elevator to the grocery store, so it was very close. The entire field trip was spoken in Cantonese, but the idea that fruits and veggies are healthy and the tempting bakery goods are not is universally understood. I wish yall could have seen the level of discipline these children have. The matching uniforms are immaculate, and they marched in perfect formation holding their assigned buddies hand the whole time. No one spoke out of turn, and everyone listened to the teachers as they stopped and spoke about different types of food. At the end, one child got to hand over cheese to the teller and put the new purchase in a reusable grocery bag. Too cute.
This weekend we made the most of this unusual city. We took to the street Saturday afternoon with an excellent guidebook full of little known local points of interest and Tripp’s new camera. We looked like the ultimate tourists. It was fun to explore places right near our apartments that have been previously undiscovered in the past months. We moved around the bustling flower markets, which smelled fantastic and were full of people buying up flowers in preparation for the Chinese New Year. We wandered through the bird garden, where elderly men hang their pet birds in cages outside for fresh air. The bird market vendors were selling rare species of parrots that performed tricks for the humans and mingled with the wild birds hoping to get some bird seed. We covered a lot of ground on the Kowloon side. We beat closing time at the Jade Market, so I was finally able to see the 400 stalls full of jewelry and Chinese curios. Moving up through Temple Street, we found deals on two movies that are still in theatres, and also a pair of speakers for my laptop!
Once dinnertime rolled around, we headed into the heart of Kowloon City, where it seems more Thai is spoken than Chinese. Many Thai expatriates have settled here, so the curries are authentic and delicious. The Thai food here is spicier and less oily than the “Hong Kongified” versions. We were searching for a particular place our book suggested, but along the way met a man who took us across the way to his friend’s restaurant. He yelled into the kitchen through the throngs of diners, presumably to tell the owners to take care of us. Tripp got red curry and I chose the green, so we sampled both. I loaded my rice and veggies with the curry sauce and the hot flavor brought tears to my eyes. At the end of our meal, our new friend popped his head back in the restaurant to ask how we liked it! No guidebook can give you that!!
On the walk home, we happened upon a home goods store. “Just a quick peek” turned into a new oven, electric toothbrush, bathmat, and towels for my place, and bedroom slippers and an electric razor for Tripp. He hauled my little oven onto a minibus and we were able to enjoy homemade potato chips the next day!
Sunday we met up to hit Lamma Island, the hippie, semi-lawless commune accessible by a ferry from Central. It is a bedroom community for expatriate and local commuters, and is famous for its fresh (so fresh it’s still swimming in the tanks!) seafood restaurants with sea views. The best way to see the island is by hiking the Family Trail. We started near some stalls of tie-dyed clothing and beaded blankets. One gift shop was run by a Malaysian girl named Dolly. Chatting with her, we learned she studied at Tri County Tech for four years! She lived in the Anderson ghetto and said her church members in the Upstate donated furniture to her and the three Malaysian friends she was living with! Malaysians in Clemson!! Can you believe that?! We were the first South Carolinians she met on the island.
We left Dolly and climbed a hill up to the massive71 meter windmill that’s the focus of Lamma Winds, an alternative energy research facility. The weather was sunny, clear, and just the perfect crisp temperature to be active outdoors. It was probably in the 50s, and yet I still saw a girl wearing HUGE earmuffs! ) The trail led us by a beach and over mountains. Once we made it to the village on the other side of the island, we took a ferry back and brought our fantastic weekend to a close!
Yall are amazing for reading our play-by-plays! I love you and appreciate you keeping in touch!
Thursday after work (while it was still light out) Tripp and I met at the Chungking Mansions in search of some authentic Middle Eastern kebabs. It seems everyone is familiar with the Mansions, a gritty, smorgasbord of sketchy hotels—by far the cheapest accommodations in the city. The pungent smell of foreign spices and body odor blasts your nostrils as you walk deeper into the place. This is the first stop for many immigrants coming to find a new life in Hong Kong, thus you can find a true melting pot in this place of cultures, languages, and ethnicities. It’s a sociologist’s dream. Many vendors set up stall with about six feet of retail space selling items from their native country—calling cards to various African countries, fake Rolexes, and legit naan bread abounds! One promising stand packed floor to ceiling DVD’s, but they were all Indian films! We ate chicken kebabs (with one eye on the exit!), caught the Symphony of Lights show at the harbor, and walked the Avenue of Stars (with Jacky Chan and Bruce Lee’s handprints in the cement, of course!)
I got a big surprise at work Friday when a teacher told me I would accompany the K2’s on an excursion to the Jusco supermarket! I never really know what is going on at school, so the fact they were going anywhere at all was news to me! K2’s are my four year olds, and I have three separate groups to take, each one lasting an hour. Very nice, as I got out of all but two teaching lessons that day! We walked over a footbridge and up the elevator to the grocery store, so it was very close. The entire field trip was spoken in Cantonese, but the idea that fruits and veggies are healthy and the tempting bakery goods are not is universally understood. I wish yall could have seen the level of discipline these children have. The matching uniforms are immaculate, and they marched in perfect formation holding their assigned buddies hand the whole time. No one spoke out of turn, and everyone listened to the teachers as they stopped and spoke about different types of food. At the end, one child got to hand over cheese to the teller and put the new purchase in a reusable grocery bag. Too cute.
This weekend we made the most of this unusual city. We took to the street Saturday afternoon with an excellent guidebook full of little known local points of interest and Tripp’s new camera. We looked like the ultimate tourists. It was fun to explore places right near our apartments that have been previously undiscovered in the past months. We moved around the bustling flower markets, which smelled fantastic and were full of people buying up flowers in preparation for the Chinese New Year. We wandered through the bird garden, where elderly men hang their pet birds in cages outside for fresh air. The bird market vendors were selling rare species of parrots that performed tricks for the humans and mingled with the wild birds hoping to get some bird seed. We covered a lot of ground on the Kowloon side. We beat closing time at the Jade Market, so I was finally able to see the 400 stalls full of jewelry and Chinese curios. Moving up through Temple Street, we found deals on two movies that are still in theatres, and also a pair of speakers for my laptop!
Once dinnertime rolled around, we headed into the heart of Kowloon City, where it seems more Thai is spoken than Chinese. Many Thai expatriates have settled here, so the curries are authentic and delicious. The Thai food here is spicier and less oily than the “Hong Kongified” versions. We were searching for a particular place our book suggested, but along the way met a man who took us across the way to his friend’s restaurant. He yelled into the kitchen through the throngs of diners, presumably to tell the owners to take care of us. Tripp got red curry and I chose the green, so we sampled both. I loaded my rice and veggies with the curry sauce and the hot flavor brought tears to my eyes. At the end of our meal, our new friend popped his head back in the restaurant to ask how we liked it! No guidebook can give you that!!
On the walk home, we happened upon a home goods store. “Just a quick peek” turned into a new oven, electric toothbrush, bathmat, and towels for my place, and bedroom slippers and an electric razor for Tripp. He hauled my little oven onto a minibus and we were able to enjoy homemade potato chips the next day!
Sunday we met up to hit Lamma Island, the hippie, semi-lawless commune accessible by a ferry from Central. It is a bedroom community for expatriate and local commuters, and is famous for its fresh (so fresh it’s still swimming in the tanks!) seafood restaurants with sea views. The best way to see the island is by hiking the Family Trail. We started near some stalls of tie-dyed clothing and beaded blankets. One gift shop was run by a Malaysian girl named Dolly. Chatting with her, we learned she studied at Tri County Tech for four years! She lived in the Anderson ghetto and said her church members in the Upstate donated furniture to her and the three Malaysian friends she was living with! Malaysians in Clemson!! Can you believe that?! We were the first South Carolinians she met on the island.
We left Dolly and climbed a hill up to the massive71 meter windmill that’s the focus of Lamma Winds, an alternative energy research facility. The weather was sunny, clear, and just the perfect crisp temperature to be active outdoors. It was probably in the 50s, and yet I still saw a girl wearing HUGE earmuffs! ) The trail led us by a beach and over mountains. Once we made it to the village on the other side of the island, we took a ferry back and brought our fantastic weekend to a close!
Yall are amazing for reading our play-by-plays! I love you and appreciate you keeping in touch!
Friday, January 15
Tuesday, January 12
Thanksgiving at the Peak Lookout
Picasa Web Albums - Sara - Thanksgiving at the Peak Lookout
A few holidays back at this point, but dredged this picture from the depths of my memory card I just uploaded. :)
A few holidays back at this point, but dredged this picture from the depths of my memory card I just uploaded. :)
Monday, January 11
.... annndd we're back!
It’s been a full week since we have been back in the Kong and I thought I’d let our faithful readers in on what’s been going on since leaving Newark with my last post. We flew from Newark to Beijing then on to Hong Kong—but the worst blizzards Beijing has seen in sixty years was waiting to greet us. In fact, the visibility was so poor the pilot continued circling above the airport until we could safely land. After I went through security towards the Hong Kong flight and Tripp went to the counter to get a boarding pass. We planned on meeting at the gate, but did not plan on all flights in the entire airport being cancelled. Thus, he couldn’t print his ticket, I didn’t know where he was, no phones working in mainland China, Visa was not everywhere I wanted to be, I speak no Mandarin….. long story short, Beijing airport is huge with three terminals connected by light rail or a shuttle bus. It was absolute chaos in the airport with thousands of stranded travellers, and we both were panicked for several hours until Tripp and a policeman found me waiting in the AirChina line. The policeman saw my orange sweater and started running and jumping up and down, he was so excited! Instead of reliving that nightmare here, I will focus on my own guardian angel!
I met a Chinese man who I noticed was carrying a US Passport. He helped me communicate with a staff member while I was desperately trying to dial out to the US to let my parents know I was ok (which actually didn’t happen for many many hours, sorry Mom and Dad, and thanks to all who prayed for us!) We got to talking and guess what….. He’s from South Carolina! Then he pulls out a business card… a CLEMSON business card! That’s right, he’s a professor at my alma mater, lives in Pendleton, pulls for the Tigers, hates China Wok (I had to ask him!) His office is next door to my Spanish professors! I can’t imagine how many times I sat outside his office waiting to talk to my teachers. Doesn’t God have a great sense of humor?! I have been e-mailing with him since and am hoping to join him this summer in Xi’an when he brings a group of Clemson students to the mainland for a summer course.
Amid flights to Hong Kong being cancelled left and right the next day, we were miraculously able to fly via Cathay Pacific in an exit row! We got back a full day later than planned, but were so relived just to be safe and together! Last week we jumped right back into the swing of things with no time to think about jetlag…. Forming young minds at work, pizza with friends, playgroups and tutoring, Tripp’s late basketball games, finding a Ruby Tuesday (!) and getting a free dessert from the manager, welcoming a new teacher to our company, Liza’s birthday, renting bikes on an outlying island to explore the Silvermine Bay waterfalls and caves, and attending the Hong Kong Tennis Classic to see Venus Williams play! If this week was any indication, it’s going to be a fantastic semester!
Sunday, January 10
Hey Y'all. Well we've had a pretty busy week, but we found time to have a really great weekend. Started things off on Friday with the Hong Kong Tennis Classic. Sat 14 rows up from center court and watched Venus Williams spank Team Asia. Followed up on Saturday with a birthday lunch for Liza. It was awesome. Then rounded off the weekend with a hike and bike ride at the Mui Wo National Park. Hope everyones doing well and thanks for reading. Saturday, January 2
En route back for round 2!
Happy new year all! Tripp and I are sitting in a terminal in Newark and can see the New York skyline! It's snowing!! We had an amazing holiday at home. Tripp couldn't wait to eat fried chicken, Groucho's sandwiches, and sweet tea! I loved seeing as many people as I could, but hate I did not catch everyone and couldn't spend too long with those I did see! I split time between the farm in Kershaw, working at Pink Sorbet, and celebrating New Year's with friends in D.C. We drove last night to Richmond from Washington to start our journey back to the Kong. We are heading back with high hopes of world travel this time around, but are pretty nervous about being gone for such a long stretch this time. We are scheduled to leave in an hour for Beijing then on to HK! We will catch you up on our travels (complete with pictures!) as soon as the jetlag wears off once we arrive! Love yall!! Tripp and SB
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