Goodbye Hong Kong

It's my last full day in Hong Kong (sad but true) and if you got me right you'd know I love it here.  Here's a quick rundown of what I did.  Oops sorry, quick sidebar.  At this internet cafe I've witnessed a strange phenomenon.  I kept hearing an aggravating, high pitched, tragic sound and I couldn't figure out what it was.  Finally I realized it's the girl sitting next to me staring at her computer and singing into the headset.  I figure, whatever, but almost every time I come here it's happening but always a different girl.  I've tried to spy over the partition but just can't figure it out.  Are they recording the next big You Tube hit or singing love songs to their internet "boyfriends" for $1/miniute?  Who knows?  Anyway, after my last post I got on the subway (excellent and clean) heading to Soho.  When I got to Queen's Road I hitched a ride on the mid-level escalators.  It's the longest outdoor escalator system in the world.  Hong Kong has steep San Francisco style hills and this is an excellent way to navigate them.  There are periodic breaks and you just hop off near where you're going, love it.  The escalator carries commuters downhill from 6:00-10:00 am and then switches direction and goes uphill till Midnight.  I hopped off in Soho to have a look around and go to an organic vegetarian restaurant I read about.  I found the restaurant and was reading the sidewalk menu when out of the corner of my eye I see, could it be...a Mexican restaurant!  Wouldn't hurt to just take a peak at the menu, right?  Just a quick glance?  Screw the organic restaurant, the next thing you know I was tucked in with a couple Baja pescado tacos and a reposado margarita, excellent!  I was in heaven.  I haven't had Mexican food since December, that's almost inhumane.  While I was sitting there wallowing in the glory of what I must say were decent fish tacos a guy sat next to me and said he just had to see what Mexican food was like in Hong Kong.  He was Diego from LA and was in Hong Kong for a quick vacation to use up his remaining time off before it expired.  We started talking and he ended up inviting me to Lang Kwai Fong (his treat, gotta love that) to celebrate his last night in Hong Kong.  LKF is a small street with hundreds of bars and restaurants where everyone goes to party; we had a great time.  The next day I  went to the Hong Kong Museum of Art to see the Chinese Gold and Wu Guanzhong exhibits and to listen to the free Sunday concert (it was classical, not my thing, I don't really like music without words).  New flash...I'm a 3D addict.  I went to see Avatar at the IMAX.  The ticket was $21 US dollars!  Can you believe that?!  And I paid it.  Like I said, an addict.  Monday I was back on the subway and headed to Lantau Island to spend the day at the Po Lin Monastery and to see the Tian Tan Buddha; the world's largest outdoor, seated, bronze Buddha (WLOSBB).  Now if you take one of those words away (outdoor, seated or bronze) I have no idea where it stands in the ranking but it was spectacular.  After a hike up the 260 stairs to see to the Buddha (What is it with Buddhists and stairs?) and a walk around the monastery I had lunch at the monastery's vegetarian restaurant and then headed back to Kowloon.  Tuesday brought more Buddhist reflection at the Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery in the Diamond Hill neighborhood of Kowloon.  This has to be the most peaceful place in Kowloon.  The gardens are meticulously maintained and stunning.  The nunnery is so serene with beautiful architecture and an amazing collection of Buddhist statues (sorry, no photography).  I had lunch at the vegetarian restaurant in the gardens hidden behind a waterfall that I read about in Time Out Hong Kong.  After that I headed to the Hung Hom train station to buy my Friday onward ticket.  That night I decided to go back and see the Symphony of Lights since it's right at the end of my street.  When I was leaving I managed to get all caught up in a red carpet situation at the Hong Kong International Film Festival where I'm sure I saw some exciting stars, unfortunately I just don't know who they are.  Since I run around all day, most nights I just grab a quick bite and go home and relax.  I'm not ashamed to say a couple of those meals included an American classic, the Filet-O-Fish, always a cheap and delicious option, thanks Ronald.  Wednesday brought rain on what was supposed to be my beach day, oh well, buy an umbrella, leave the bathing suit at the hotel and go anyway.  I hopped on the bus to Stanley and Repulse Bay on the south coast of Hong Kong Island.  The bus climbed up and down the steep hills in the pouring rain with little room to spare, it was mildly frightening.  The Stanley Market was no more than a bunch of tourist junk but the beaches and nature on that part of the island were beautiful, even on a rainy day.  It's raining again today so here I am at the computer trying to make the best of it.  I've been to the bank to exchange some Hong Kong Dollars for Renminbi; the mainland currency that hopefully the US won't talk them in to revaluing before I leave.  I have a train ticket tomorrow going to Guangzhou where I'll stay for a couple days while I plan my next destination.  Apparently it's much cheaper to get onward tickets throughout mainland China once you're actually in mainland China; so I'll arrive tomorrow and figure it out from there.  Here's hoping I don't encounter any internet censorship problems on the other side.  Until next time.  Peace out...Jan

Mid-level Escalator

Po Lin Monastery with WLOSBB in the Distance

Close-up and Personal with WLOSBB

Nan Lian Garden

Koi at Nan Lian Garden

Beautiful Architecture at Chi Lin Nunnery

The Honeymoon's Over

With a spinach/mushroom quiche and giant cappuccino in my belly I guess it's about time I filled you in on my excellent honeymoon with Babe I and II.  I was lounging in my room with the door wide open and my screen door securely in place listening to the intermittent, deafening screech of the Cicadas at the Hollanda Montri Guesthouse (HM) when the rail weary honeymooners arrived.  Actually once I got used to the crazy sound it didn't bother me, although when Vania arrived she thought it was noise from a water treatment plant since we were staying on the river and was sure I had checked out and left word of my new home.  Needless to say I was thrilled to see them!  They had taken the overnight train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai along with some unexpected cockroach companions who shared their first class cabin.  They got situated, showered and sustained and we were ready to hit the town.  We took off on foot and roamed the streets of the walled and moated old city of Chiang Mai.  Now walled and moated in my book conjures up images of an ancient city of ruins steeped in history...well erase that image if you have it too and imagine a fairly normal looking small city that just happens to have a brick wall and water around the outside (buffalo girl style) with some beautiful temples sprinkled throughout.  Not to say it was bad, just not what I expected.  We went from temple to temple, had a couple beers and then hit the Sunday Street Market.  They close off the street and it's filled with vendors selling just about everything Thai.  At 6:00 pm (and 8:00 am) every day the Thai National Anthem is blared through a sound system and everyone stops dead in their tracks, listens to the anthem with great respect (unless you're Vania and giggle) and when it stops goes about their business as if nothing happened.  We roamed through the Sunday Street Market in search of the Chiang Mai Night Market but by the time we found it our feet were swollen and tired and we just wanted to get back to HM for beer, Scrabble Slam, dinner and bed.  The next morning we sprung up and raced off to the women's prison.  I know it sounds like a place most women would try to avoid but we voluntarily took ourselves there for a Thai massage.  The prison has a rehabilitation program that teaches the women Thai massage so they have a profession when they are released.  Nate and Vania went for the full body hour long massage ($5.50) and I went for the hour long foot/leg massage ($4.50), it was excellent.  At one point I hear an odd sound that vaguely resembles Nate's voice, I open my eyes to see him bent upside down like a human rainbow, delicately balanced on a small Thai woman's legs.  After our massages we hightailed to the pool.  For $3.00 per person you can use the pool for the day at a nearby hotel.  To me the place looked like somewhere you would see foreign correspondents lounging in a war torn Hollywood blockbuster; Vania saw my vision, Nate not so much.  We had our tuk tuk driver Mr. Yut pick us up at 4:00 to race home and get ready for our Thai cooking class at Baan Thai Cookery School.  It was really great!  You select four things you personally wanted to cook from a list of choices, head to the outdoor market to see where and how the ingredients are purchased and then it's back to the school where you start cooking.  I must say, we are excellent chefs; the food was delicious!  You moved from group to group depending upon what dishes you chose to make.  I had Vania in all of my sessions except one and luckily Nate was in that one.  I made green papaya salad, panang curry (I think), soup, etc.  After cooking school I was ready to chill at HM and needed to make some calls to deal with paying bills and taxes while Nate and Vania went to the Chiang Mai Night Market.  In the morning Mr. Yut took us on a twisting mini-van journey to our next destination Chiang Dao where we would be staying for three nights.  Everyone's stomachs were a little upset after the journey, I blame the van ride, Vania blames my white trash sugary sweet iced coffee from 7-Eleven that everyone had.  Here is where I must include Vania's new cure-all obsession with Alka-Seltzer, she loves it!  If anything ails you Alka-Seltzer is the cure.  Actually one night I wasn't feeling so great, she whipped me up an Alka-Seltzer and I felt much better, I think she may be onto something.  Anyway, we arrived at Chiang Dao Nest One (CDN1) and settled into our "family bungalow".  Nate and Vania were in the first room with a beautiful queen size bed and I was in the second room with twin size bunk beds that looked more like a giant crib, it even had a side rail that moved up and down to lock "the baby" into bed.  That's my new nickname...The Baby.  Actually it makes things a little easier; having three Babes was getting a little tricky.  After we were settled we headed to the pool, Vania had a two hour massage allowing Nate and I some alone time to bond and join forces against her...I know, on HER honeymoon, we're just not nice people.  After the massage we played Scrabble (I lost horribly, my skills have tragically faded, my brain must be slowly rotting, all play and no work makes Jan a very bad Scrabble player), had a couple beers and got ready for dinner.  We walked down to Chiang Dao Nest Two (CDN2) for dinner at their Thai restaurant and then back home to bed early.  The next morning The Baby slept in while Nate and Vania, being young and healthy, took a walk up 500 steps to Wat Tham Pha Plong.  By the time they returned I was up and we all had breakfast together.  We decided on a whim to sign up for a day long tour to see the local hill tribes, a Burmese style temple, a waterfall and hot springs.  Of course I had a great time because we were all together but each attraction was less interesting than the last.  The hill tribes were all situated along this dirt road in what appeared to be land set aside to "contain" them and their lifestyles seemed less than truly authentic especially since there were churches built in their neighborhoods by charity organizations.  I'm comparing this to the hill tribes I visited in 2005 in Vietnam, but what do I know.  I did however really appreciate seeing these kids with long sticks that had been dipped in the sap of a fruit tree and used to stick up in the trees and grab the wings of insects that were then impaled on another stick and taken home to fry for a snack.  Next we were off to the Burmese style temple which I liked a lot (Vania you were right) because it was a replica of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon/Rangoon which I love so much.  The waterfall had mildly interesting rock formations but no beautiful pools in which to swim.  The hot springs ended up being one small pool with a slimy bottom where a Chinese woman was bathing grandpa, washing their shoes (in the adjacent stream, not the pool) and her naked children were frolicking around.  I always criticize and pity people trudging off on organized tours, now I remember why.  Upon arrival back at the CDN1 we decided to treat ourselves to a fancy cocktail and Nate ordered something to surprise us.  What he thought we were getting was a pineapple daiquiri, what we somehow ended up with was a bright blue margarita, oh well we sucked it down anyway.  After that we got ready and were headed to a small Thai restaurant that we saw on the road to dinner the night before but it was closed so it was back to CDN2 for Thai food and then home to bed.  Let me just say that CDN1 is out in the country with few choices of night time activities, a little bit of a hostage situation but with Babe I and II as your fellow hostages it's no problem.  Once again the next morning the Babes got up and went on a grueling "nature hike" up the mountain to the Chiang Dao caves and then hired a guide to take them "off the beaten path" within the cave...not me.  Again I was chillin at the crib (no pun intended) and then I took off on foot (the bikes sucked) to the caves via the normal road.  I ended up accidentally meeting them at the entrance, looked and their photos, and decided to walk to town with them instead.  What I thought was a quick little jaunt into town ended up being 6kms, the last two of which we jumped in a Songthaew to complete the journey.  During lunch we had grand delusions of hopping on a plane that night and heading to the beach for their last day, but due to logistical problems our dreams were dashed.  So after lunch we looked for the day market that was closed and then went back to CDN1 to the pool where I became best friends with the owner's children Joseph and Alice (really Joseph's BFF).  We decided to eat at CDN1 that night because it is supposed to be an excellent restaurant, a place for foodies.  It was pretty good, not great, but keep in mind I lived in NYC where excellent food is everywhere, so I might be a tough critic. In the morning our good friend Mr. Yut picked us up and took us back to HM.  Nate and Vania headed back to the women's prison for one last massage before they had to begin their journey home.  I skipped it because I had some odd rash behind my knees and calves (probably from the hot springs) and just didn't think some nice prisoner rubbing it would feel so great.  I'm not sure at what point of the trip this happened but Vania likes to say "don't get me wrong".  Me, feeling all Zen Buddhist said why focus on the negative?...don't get me wrong?...wouldn't it be more positive to say get me right?  So now a campaign of sorts is under way to spread the new version of "don't get me wrong"...GET ME RIGHT!  Maybe you can help spread the word.  Anyway, it was one more meal and then they were off with Mr. Yut to the airport to catch their flight to Bangkok, with a quick stop and city tour of Seoul and then back home to Tacoma and their dog Fletcher (who Vania missed horribly) and the kitties (who she missed a little less).  I of course miss both Vania and Nate terribly; thanks for honeymooning with me Babes!  That was on Friday, March 26th, I only mention the date because it's a special one.  Not only is it my good friend Jeff's birthday, but it's also my new friend Emma Josephine's birthday who was born to Kate and Marino that day...CONGRATULATIONS!  If some of you are wondering who the hell Kate is maybe you need this handy nickname guide to assist you.  You may know her as Choppers, Chip Chop, Chippy, Chipper, Skipper, Skip Chop or a variety of other variations.  So I was back on my own in Chiang Mai at HM for what ended up being three more nights.  To spare you the misery of the boring details, my stay included the Warorot Market, a trip to Pantip Plaza for a new memory card for my camera, the Night market, the bookstore and of course more pool time with a few meals thrown in for good measure.  On the 29th I took the five hour bus to Sukhothai to see the 13th century Thai kingdom.  I stayed at the lovely At Home Guest House where the woman in charge seemed to initially hate me, but warmed to me when it was clear that Grandma and the husband were on my side.  I took the old city (now this was a REAL old city) bus out to the ruins and rented a bike on which to see the kingdom.  It was excellent!  A great way to break up the journey back to Bangkok.  The next morning I was on the 7 hour bus to Bangkok where I was caught in heavy traffic and detours around all the red shirt protests.  I checked into the good old Dang Derm on the Khao San Road for the night and then caught my morning flight to Hong Kong where I am now.  GET ME RIGHT...I LOVE HONG KONG!  I arrived on April 1st and checked into a guest house in the beautiful Mirador Mansion, no, it's not really a mansion, it's a huge old building filled with every imaginable type of business; money exchangers, cell phone dealers, cyber cafes, junk shops, tailors, guest houses and what appear to be other shady activities.  Let's just say my first choice of accommodations that I had reserved prior to arrival was a little less than desirable.  When standing next to the twin bed you could touch both walls in the width of the room, there was some where between 2' to 3' beyond the foot of the bed in the total length of the room, no window, tiled walls and the bathroom was old and wretched.  Don't worry the next morning I found another place still in the beautiful Mirador Mansion where I can't touch the walls, the bed is bigger and very comfortable, the walls are still tiled but they are sparkling new with a cool dotted detail, the bathroom is spotless and new and I have a window, yeah!  I really like this place, in fact I just paid for three more nights so I'm here at least until Tuesday, maybe longer who knows.  I had to book for at least three nights because of a mysterious Hong Kong holiday that the owner couldn't quite explain to me.  I questioned him incessantly trying to learn of this exotic holiday, he just couldn't explain it, all I could gather was that most things were open but the government offices where closed and he anticipated being fully booked because of it, that's why I had to commit to at least three days.  Well I just figured I would never solve the mystery of this holiday when that night I'm watching TV and between commercials a greeting is flashed across the screen...Happy Easter!  Hong Kong is definitely more expensive than to what I've grown accustomed; the shit hole cost me $20/night, my new digs are $32, guess that's the cost of livin in the big city.  The day I arrived I checked in and took the Star Ferry across to Central on Hong Kong Island where I walked around a bit, had a beer and waited for sunset so I could see beautiful Victoria Harbour at night.  I've dreamed of seeing it for awhile and it didn't disappoint.  Once the sun set I took the ferry back to Kowloon (where I'm staying) settled in near Avenue of the Stars and the Hong Kong Cultural Center to watch the Symphony of Lights show that is held nightly at 8:00 pm.  Apparently it's the world's largest permanent light show.  A bunch of buildings along the harbour light up with different colors, patterns and lasers set to music which in theory celebrates the energy, spirit and diversity of Hong Kong.  The next morning I just needed a normal day so I jumped on the ferry (it's only between 30 and 40 cents per trip) to Starbucks (because at that time it was the only one I could find) to get a giant Cappuccino and then to Subway to get a 6" veggie sandwich.  After that I sought counsel at the Big Bus tour agency where two really nice girls got on the internet and found the closet and cheapest screening of Alice in Wonderland in 3D and English, excellent!  In Hong Kong you actually get assigned seats for the movies, I like it.  After the movie I headed to the comfort of my new home where I did a little China research before going to the Temple Street Night Market and then to I-Squared Mall (I love the malls here, it's really weird) for rice pizza.  That's right...rice pizza.  It was delicious.  Instead of crust there is rice.  I chose a pizza with wasabi sauce, salmon, pineapple, seaweed and other unidentifiable fish.  One of the fish toppings was sliced paper thin and was moving; I was afraid it was still alive.  I consulted my waitress and found out that it was just the air vent blowing the feather light fish around, needless to say we all had a good laugh about it.  This morning I've been, as mentioned, for coffee and quiche and here to update all of you.  Now it's time to decide what to do with the rest of my day.  I'll keep you posted.  Peace out...Jan

Nate & Vania at the women's prison post massage

My favorite Buddha in Chiang Mai

Vania working the mortar and pestle at

Baan Thai Cookery School

Vania & Nate in Chiang Dao

Who knows?...I just love this picture

Buddha in Sukhothai

Victoria Harbour Hong Kong