Macau

Legit. And loving my København stamp next to HK.

The first and most relevant/exciting part of this post is that I GOT MY WORKING VISA! Hallelujah.  This was a major source of anxiety for me because it was truly the last hurdle I had to go through to be totally legit.  And believe you me, I'm all about being legit.  I came into Hong Kong on a tourist visa and had to wait to do basically anything until I got my working visa.  The specs of this are really boring, but the moral here is that everything hinged on this, so it's a big deal that it's finally done!  As part of the agreement, however, I had to exit Hong Kong and come back in the country on my working visa. The most logical choice was Macau, since it's just about an hour away by Ferry Boat.  Of course, if the church had opted to send me to Cambodia or Japan, I wouldn't have objected! Ha!  Anyway, I decided to take a trip to Macau on my day off to do some exploring, and to validate my newly acquired working permit.  (Not shown in pictures because it has personal numbers, etc, and I'm just not fancy enough to photoshop them out).

Macau and PRC flags

The Macau ferry terminal is about a five minute walk away from my office, which is convenient since I left my visa at the office on Sunday!  After I swung by and picked it up, I headed to the terminal.  There were two ferries to pick between, but I chose Turbojet because it sounded fast.  I know, very scientific.  I waited in a boarding hall that was in complete disarray, but fortunately caught on to the fact that we all had to get our tickets stamped with a sticker for our seat assignment before boarding.  The poor chap next to me, however, didn't fare as well, and was left wondering what had happened when he was denied boarding.  I helped him out...us Westerners have got to look out for each other.  Speaking of Westerners, there were the three most obnoxious college girls from the US on my ferry.  They did nothing but complain about the lines once we got to Macau, and were in general not pleasant.  I wanted to apologize to everyone around me on behalf of the United States of America, but sadly, I'm sure this is the impression many people have of Americans.  Sigh.

Moving onward.  I had no real plans for my day in Macau except one thing: eat an egg custard.  This, I found from reading blogs, was a must-do.  I planned to otherwise wander the city until I found something interesting.  I did pick up a free map at the visitor's bureau (Macau has an excellent one right in the ferry terminal), and I started walking towards town.   I followed the harbor for a while, but there was literally nobody around.  It was almost eerie to go from congested Hong Kong at all hours of the day and night to a city where you could walk and not run into people every five feet.  While exploring, I came across this apartment complex (of which I'd see many more). On all the balconies there were bars.  Not kidding, it looked like a maximum security prison.  I can't imagine there are that many felons in Macau, however, so I'm assuming they're standard apartments. 

 One thing I DID love about Macau is all the open spaces.  Every few blocks, there were open spaces with gardens, parks, benches, etc.  It was a great touch and made the city feel a little more intimate.  Hong Kong does not have very many of these spaces, so I definitely enjoyed them!  It was also interesting to see the very European architecture bang in the middle of Asia.  If you didn't know, Macau was a Portuguese colony, similarly to how HK was a British one, and there are a lot of carryovers from this period.  In fact, the signs are all in Chinese and Portuguese, so I had to bust out my Spanish on one or two occasions to read things.  Directly across from the park where I stopped, there was this gorgeous Catholic school, and a sweet little girl heading back to school from lunch with her mom.  I couldn't resist snapping this picture as she headed up the many steps!

I loved walking around and looking at the funny juxtaposition of these very European looking things surrounded by Chinese signs and very modern buildings.  It was definitely interesting.  One of the other things I loved were the cobblestone sidewalks.  There were obviously some amazingly talented craftsmen who created them.  They put the cobblestones in Europe to shame!

 I wandered around a bit lost for some time, until I poked in a Baptist bookstore.  The ladies spoke no English whatsoever, so I gave them a choice of bad Mandarin or bad Spanish.  The shopkeeper chose Mandarin, and I asked her for some directions.  I decided during my walk that I'd try to see the facade of the old St. Paul's cathedral (the facade is all that's left).

 ...while I was listening to the directions, I heard go right instead of go left and ended up back at the street I'd just come from.  Serendipitously, I did stumble upon this large map, and what do you know, but Rua de Afonso de Albuquerque was there!  It was funny to see a little piece of my hometown so far away.  It made me strangely nostalgic.  I did, however, get several funny looks for taking pictures of the map instead of the sights.  Judge away, everyone!

Casino Lisboa from the top of the fort. 

After working out the directions and heading up the hundred or so stairs, I made it to the Monte Fort!  It was built on a hill in the middle of the city by the Jesuits in the 1600's to ward off any attacks, but apparently, it hasn't seen a lot of action.  Well, except once when the Dutch came to invade and an angry monk set a cannon off, accidentally hitting a Dutch gunpowder ship and blasting half the Dutch fleet to smithereens.  Lucky mistake! 

This was the best view I had in Macau.  From the top you could see in each direction, to the casinos in one direction and to tightly packed apartments upon apartments in the other direction.  It was a nice break to stroll around and look at the different sights.  I decided to ask a group of Chinese businessmen if they'd take my picture as they were the only other people around. After nearly dropping my Nikon (heart attack moment) and it taking three of them to figure out how to press the shutter button, they finally worked it out.  This picture was the outcome.  Not great, but hey, I can say I've got a picture with the ugliest building in the world!  Okay, okay, maybe except that really tall and creepy pyramid building in North Korea, it might win.

 Pleasantly, I discovered that the cathedral I wanted to see was just a few steps down from the fort.  It was crazy to see just this facade standing, but apparently the rest of the cathedral had been destroyed in a fire and/or typhoon? So they didn't rebuild it.  This picture was taken by an awesome Vietnamese lady who was also traveling alone.  Her Mandarin was excellent, though I was surprised that she came up to me and initially asked me to take her picture in Mandarin straight off.  I don't know what made her decide to use Mandarin instead of Vietnamese, because honestly, what is the chance that some random white girl speaks either of those languages? Nevertheless, we started chatting, and I told her I thought it was brave that she traveled alone.  She said she was headed to Hong Kong, so I told her a couple of my favorite places to eat!

 If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you will know that I make mention of how hot it is at least once per post, and I can say that I will not disappoint here.  By this time in the afternoon, I was definitely starting to overheat.  There was a great tea shop right at the bottom of the stairs leading to the cathedral, so I took a rest and had the BEST milk tea I've ever had.  Nom.  It was delicious.

I did finally discover where all the tourists were, and headed back with the crowd.  I wasn't excited about going down the stairs I'd come up, so I wandered through a shopping area and came across this gem.  Don't you want to buy your clothes from Ick?  Haha. 

I think I might have made mention about the Mid-Autumn festival in a previous post, but the main shopping area was decorated to the nines with lanterns.  It was awesome to see them against the cobblestones.  Hello, East meets West!  I loved this little shopping area, though it was a lot more crowded than the way I came up.  

Along the way, I also accomplished my one and only Macau objective, and that was to eat a Portuguese egg custard tart.  And it was delicious.  All 7,000 calories of it.  It was a golden puff pastry doused in butter filled with a sweet egg custard.  Nom.  That's a once a year kind of treat!

 But, all good things must come to an end, and I was exhausted from the 5+ miles of walking I had done, so I decided to head back to HK.  There is this incredibly large bridge that connects the island of Macau to the part of Macau actually connected to Mainland China.  We went right under it on our way in and out.  I was in a middle seat on the way, however, sandwiched between a too-friendly Chinese businessman and a couple that looked about 120 years old, so I wasn't going to bother them to get out and take a picture.  Fortunately, I had a window seat on the way back. 

 Let me tell you that heading back to HK was a GOOD decision.  As we got closer, the water started getting more and more choppy, and the clouds started to look ominously grey.  I can now say that I've experienced my first "red" rain.  Hong Kong classifies the rain it gets by color (or if it's a typhoon by a number T3, T8, etc).  Amber is the lowest, then Red, then Black.  I can't imagine what Black would be like, because red was intense.  Here's a progression of the storm out my bedroom window...

These last couple of pictures aren't great, but I think you get the idea.  All of the buildings in Central were completely obscured by the pouring rain for about two hours, coupled with crazy lightening and thunder.  It was glorious to go to sleep to.

Anyway, that's it for now.  Stay tuned for next time - Camping and somehow I missed the Mid-Autumn Festival.

-The Adventurer

And for the sign o' the day...

Duly noted.

I hike now. And other things I never thought I'd say.

First thing I never thought I'd say:  I might be living above a brothel.  Sorry for the families that are reading this! Censor this next part, then pick up again once the beach pictures start. 

I have found a great apartment, living with two other Christian girls.  It is a huge answer to prayer, and I'm hoping sincerely that it works out.  The ONLY and I do mean ONLY drawback is that it is on Lockhart Road in Wan Chai which is notorious for being a hub for prostitution in Hong Kong.  Nothing about the area is particularly dangerous, it's just a little bit shady.  I need to really pray through this place and make sure it's right, but I do feel pretty strongly that it is.  Hey, it'll make a great ministry opportunity?  After I went and checked out the place, I did some research about the neighborhood and found that most of the girls working at the "club" (read: gateway to brothel) nearest my potential apartment are Thai or Filipina.  Prostitution is legal in Hong Kong so long as the girls are in it for themselves, ie, no pimping, it's legit.  Of course, trafficking and pimping still happen.  This picture was taken on a Sunday afternoon, of all times.  There were girls (and Western guys) out and mingling galore.  It makes me sad to know that I could be living in such proximity to this, but also convicts me that while not called to be of the world, I am called to be in the world.  This might just be an example of that call...

Okay, here's the G rated portion of the blog! For the second week in a row, I went hiking!  I never thought I'd be one that would enjoy hiking when it is upwards of 90 degrees and 90 percent humidity, but alas, I am!  I got invited to Sai Kung, an area in the New Territories area of Hong Kong (the part that is actually attached to Mainland China) with some other church peeps from around Hong Kong.  After a significant journey on the MTR, a 20 minute mini-bus ride, a 25 minute cab ride, and an hour long hike, we made it to our destination.  As we came down the paved path into a small village, this is what was around the corner.  I'm not even joking when I say that there was NOBODY on the beach.  The transit time (and the fact that it was a Monday) made this area completely deserted and spectacular.  I found myself overwhelmed for a moment.  I seriously, honestly, cannot believe I live here. 

 

 The sand on this beach was as fine as powdered sugar.  It was honestly one of the nicest beaches I'd ever been to! In case you're visiting Hong Kong, here's our itinerary:

MTR to Hang Hau
Mini Bus 101M from Hang Hau to Sai Kung
Taxi from Sai Kung to trailhead on Sai Kung Sai Wan Road (there is a pavilion at the trailhead)
Hike to Sai Wan village (the trail is paved the whole way)
Go through Sai Wan village to the second beach, and veer left, starting on the MacLehose trail, following the sandy path through some dense shrubbery that will surely make you believe you've taken a wrong turn.  Continue 10-15 minutes in this direction.  Once you reach the rock formations, start climbing (not rigorous, just watch your step, it can be slippery) and you're there!

Second thing I never thought I'd say: I jumped off a two story cliff!

Okay, so this cliff doesn't look that menacing from this picture... but seriously, it is LARGE.  We were fortunate when we arrived to be the only people around.  It was right around noontime, and it was just hot enough to entice our group into the water.  Right away, a couple of the guys started hiking up the backside of the waterfall, and I joined them, knowing the longer I stalled, the harder it would be to jump, and I WAS jumping!  We climbed over rocks covered with algae and tiptoed through narrow areas, but we finally made it to the top! 

And I jumped off!!! That little figure at the top is me!  It was crazy insane and I wanted to pee my pants a little bit when I first stepped off, but I did it!  It was literally the most exhilarating, terrifying, amazing thing I've done in quite some time.  And I re-discovered my daredevil side.  Once I jumped off, I couldn't get enough and probably jumped off another 5 times before we left.  It was glorious.  Most everyone in our group also jumped off the cliff.

We thought we were all pretty rad until a group of adventure guides came along.  They were doing some scouting of the site to see if they could bring groups along.  They gave insane a whole new definition.  These guys were (from the very top) doing back flips, somersaults, and climbing the sheer rock face like it was no big deal.  We decided that that moment we had been out-shined and so we decided to make for the beach for some lunch. 



Not to mention, I was getting fried like a lobster.  Of course, I didn't realize it yet, but it's probably a good thing we left when we did!  I managed to get this shot of me leaving the cliff, but I'll definitely be returning there.  If you're ever in an adventurous mood, I'll be glad to accompany you out there again!  It was a total blast.

Our group had lunch at a beachside restaurant that was delicious and had an unbelievable view.  Some noodles and a brief break later, we were ready to go down to the beach.  I can absolutely not take credit for this photo, so thanks to Eric Scott for capturing the view! Did I mention that I cannot believe I live here?  It's simply nuts.

 We played some frisbee, swam, played more frisbee, and at the end of the day, we were all exhausted!  

It also occurred to me while I was out there how insanely blessed I am to have connected with a group of people so quickly after arriving.  I'm very fortunate to have been invited on several outings which have been not only fun, but also very important for my emotional well-being.  It's good to be around good people! 









I noticed these formations all over the beach and wondered what the heck could cause them.  I then noticed that there were tiny crabs who rolled sand into perfect balls in order to clear the way for their crabby-homes!  There were thousands of little crabs all over the beach, diligently rolling these balls up until, I'm sure, the tide came back in and washed it all away. 

I saw this ad on the back of a bus when we arrived in Sai Kung.  At the time I thought it was funny for several reasons:

First, I just find this all-around hilarious.  Feral Cattle in Sai Kung - Don't forget to enjoy their presence!

Second, feral cattle?  Maybe this a translation issue, because where I'm from, feral, while meaning wild, also implies a certain ferocity.  So there are wild, ferocious cows here?

Lastly, enjoy their presence.  How does one enjoy a feral cow, pray tell?  Do you gaze upon the cow, do you make an effort to not hit the cow if it is in the road?  Do you not cow-tip the cow?  Honestly, I still haven't figured this one out.

But, this advertisement did cause me to be on the lookout for these feral cows, and I was quite distressed, because I hadn't seen one our whole trip.  Until... we were on the way back to town after the day was done, and I saw this big guy right on the side of the road. 

There was a feral cow right there.  And I did actually enjoy his presence, so I guess the advertisement worked. Ha!

Third thing I never thought I'd say:  I got engaged to Mr. Wong.  Or I didn't.  I can't really be sure.

After our hike, Eric decided that he needed to take us to this super local place, dubiously named "Mr. Wong's". I have no idea what the actual name of the restaurant is because everything at the restaurant was in Chinese.  In any case, our group was ushered to a table out in an alleyway beside the restaurant (not making this up), and we sat down on red stools.  Apparently, the situation at Mr. Wong's is that you pay $50 HKD (less than $7 USD) and you get all you can eat food, all you can drink beverages.  If you're thinking this sounds cheap and questionable, you would be right.  But, as with many things here, the best strategy is to just go with it.

The first thing we were brought was a steaming dish of dumplings, which were actually quite standard.  They tasted like something you'd get in any American Chinese food restaurant.  We weren't off to such a bad start.  But, as Eric had already mentioned, you don't go to Mr. Wong's for the food, rather for Mr. Wong.

Almost immediately after we sat down, Mr. Wong came up to the table and started to talking to us in a language that I presume was English, though I cannot be certain.  I caught about every eighth word, leading me to conclude that it could just as easily have been Swedish or Spanish.  I decided to switch to Mandarin, at which point, Mr. Wong became very interested in me.  Eric warned me that every girl he had ever taken to Mr. Wong's was lauded for their beauty.  And I was apparently no exception.  Mr. Wong asked me on several occasions what I did for a living, and once I replied that I worked for Jesus, he informed me that I needed to pray in the church so that we could be married.  This was the most innocuous of his funny sayings, but they all centered around us getting hitched.  He also told me he wanted to move to Fresno, which seems like sort of an anti-climactic destination if you are wanting to move to the US, but I didn't want to burst his bubble. 

Later on, he informed me that he was a good kisser.  I can safely assure you that I didn't find out.

Mr. Wong's food was the first time I have seriously questioned since moving to Hong Kong what exactly I was eating.  It was called sweet and sour chicken, and curried pork, but in reality, it didn't bear very much resemblance to any kind of chicken or pork I'd ever eaten.  I've vowed to not think about it too deeply, and I encourage you to do the same.  The moral of the story is... I think Mr. Wong and I are over.  It was a delightful adventure while it lasted, but I'm ready for the real thing - not the questionable, imitation variety!

Til next time,

The Adventurer

Chinglish o' the Day...

Beware the heave materials!

Solo in Hong Kong

Two blogs in two days! It must be a new record.  This one is on a way more personal note and doesn't have that much to do with Hong Kong specifically, so if you want to skip on over this one, that's a-okay with me!

It's interesting to get to know some of the expats here.  There is a strange undercurrent here, especially among my Christian expat friends (okay, really the only friends I have here!) about who is dating who, who isn't dating who, or who should be dating who.  I was kind of weirded out by this when I first arrived here, but now I'm beginning to understand. 

It is hard to be in a new city alone. 

I often look at the married people I know who are here - new or old timers and find myself coveting their lives.  It is hard to be a single person.  From the insignificant desire to have someone to share your day with to the more significant challenges when it comes to traveling, or planning a future - being single in Hong Kong is different.  And it isn't easy.

I have had no less than 5 female expats tell me that they were frustrated with Hong Kong because they felt like they'd never meet "the one" here.  And I find that so disheartening.  Not because I'm here to find "the one" - in fact, that's about as far from the truth as it could be.  I'm here to serve God.  I often have no idea what that means, or how to accomplish it, but I feel sure of it.

Do I want to be married? Yes.

Do I want to be married soon? Absolutely!

When I was in college, did I think I'd be married 4 years ago? Yes! 

However, there comes a point in life where we're called to obedience.  And that means taking my desires and putting them in the hands of God.  I have no idea if or when I will be married.  I have no idea what God has in store for my future.  And as frustrating and logistically, spiritually, and emotionally challenging as it is to be here alone, it is also fruitful.  I'm forced to rely on God more.  Much more than I did living amongst friends and family in Texas.  I'm given the opportunity of time.  Time I can spend praying for my future husband, whoever he is, and in doing things to be a better woman of God.

I'm called into a grand adventure.

I heard a speaker tonight at a young adult gathering and I loved some of the things he said.  He asked the question, "What adventure is God calling you into?" "What are some small steps you can take?" And I think that for me,  Hong Kong is a grand adventure.  It is by no means THE grand adventure, for I see a lifetime of opportunities ahead.  And perhaps marriage is one of them.

But for the time being, I'm here, serving an amazing God who provides for all of my needs.

And that is enough.

Hiking and Day to Day

You can see the HK skyline over the mountains

 So I've been in Hong Kong almost a month, which is crazy to me! I can't believe how quickly the time has gone.  I feel every day more like this is my home.  It occurred to me today as I was taking the bus to work that this is my life.  This realization comes in waves, mostly after something epically amazing or catastrophically upsetting happens, but alas, this is it! For the next two years!

One of the huge blessings that I've had is becoming friends with a lot of the youth directors at other churches here in HK.  They are really fun, awesome, genuinely good people.  A couple of weeks ago, a hike was organized with a big group of these people, and I was invited.  I can confess here and now that I've never been much of a hiker, but when I was offered the opportunity, I figured I'd best not turn it down!  We set out on a VERY hot day, and despite it being past 3:30 when we started, the temperature was still scorching. 


We hiked the High Junk Peak trail, which is as scenic as anywhere I've been in HK. As we started our ascent up the first of many large hills, I began wondering what the heck I was thinking.  By the top of the hill, I was sucking air and sweating like it was my job.  Honestly, I'm pretty sure I have never sweated so much in my life.  It was worth it, however, when we got to the top and had these views.  This trail was awesome because this was the view pretty much most of the way there.  The lesson I've learned in my short time here is this:  If you ever get to Hong Kong, don't let the urban sprawl deceive you.  Most of Hong Kong actually looks like this.  Hilly, forested, and gorgeous.  Get out of the city and explore, because there is so much beautiful terrain nearby. 

High Junk Peak Trail

So much sweating

We followed this red route, and I took this picture about the midpoint of the hike.  We intended to hike all the way to the end, but it was getting dusky and we were tired, so we ended pooping out about 3/4 of the way through.  Three in our group decided to finish and were about an hour behind us.  After that, we were graciously invited over to one of our group member's houses for a barbeque and swimming.  It felt so weird to be in a home with a front door and a back yard.  It's strange how quickly I've acclimated myself to apartment living.  There is very little grass here in HK, so I took a good long time sitting in theirs, soaking up the evening.  It was a great time, and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to experience a little "home" even if it wasn't my own!

You can clearly see in this picture how much I was sweating.  It was honestly out of control.  This is my co-worker, Julie, who is a hiking commando and whom I asked to look out for me in case I passed out somewhere along the trail, ha!

Very large looking IFC from this angle

In any case, it was a fabulous day, and I was really glad I went.  I also had the chance to meet some of the newly arrived people in HK, and we commiserated about all of the "new people things" which did wonders for helping my outlook on my life here.  It's amazing how just knowing someone else is in your shoes can help things out!

The following Monday, I decided to wander around HK a little bit.  My first week here, I had tried in vain to reach this fabled rooftop garden in the IFC mall, but to no avail.  So last Monday, I decided to conquer this once and for all.  There is an awesome public space with chairs and couches where you can bring your lunch, your laptop, or just yourself and get some work done in the great outdoors.  This is a shot up the side of the IFC building which is the tallest building on the Hong Kong side, clocking in 88 stories.  It is gargantuan to look at, especially from this angle.  It was a great respite from the craziness of the city.  I'll definitely go back in the future.  

ICC across the harbor

This is a shot directly across the harbor to the ICC building, which is impressively taller than the IFC building.  You can see these two buildings faintly outlined in the first picture I posted.  They're in the haze beyond the mountains.  This last week was also the anniversary of September 11, and for the first time, I actually began to visualize what that day must have been like for New Yorkers.  I have never lived in any kind of proximity to tall buildings, so to see these gargantuan structures and imagine the terror of seeing a plane flying into them was compounded on a whole new level for me.  I often look out my window at night and think about just how crazy that would be.  I'm a probably less than a mile as the crow flies from IFC at my host family's house.  I cannot imagine what 9/11 must have been like for those in the surrounding areas.  I hope and pray that I never have to find out.

This is on a lower level of the IFC rooftop.  This is good design.  It's actually quite Scandinavian, which I love.  Lots of clean lines and interesting textures (except the flooring).  I've heard this place is prime real estate during Chinese New Year or any other event with fireworks because it is literally right on the harbor.  And the whole place is free!  I love to see urban areas getting this right.  And heaven knows that Central Hong Kong needs a few more open spaces in which to relax!

Love this babeh

I'm pretty sure I've talked to my parents more since I've lived here than I did when I was in the US.  I often get the pleasure of skyping with my mom and nephew, who she keeps in the mornings.  I love this little man and can say that one of the hardest parts of being so far away is knowing that I won't be there for his milestones, like his first birthday or when he takes his first steps.  It's a price to pay, I suppose, and I am so extremely blessed to be able to keep up with my family using modern technology!

Final resting place... for 10 years, anyway...

 I'm really excited to be working with one of the other Youth Directors here at an International School.  We go on Fridays and have a Christian club which includes discussion and just doing life together.  It's giving me an opportunity to see some of our students outside of church, and to meet new ones, too!

As Eric, the other youth director, and I were leaving the International School, we passed by this cemetery.  This photo doesn't do it justice, but this thing is MASSIVE.  And there all these individual little shrines or altars above each grave.  Eric told me that sometimes, you can see bones just laying near graves because people only rent out the funeral plots for a certain amount of time, say 10 years... After so long, the bones are dug up, and the plot is rented out to someone else.  Here's an interesting alternative...
http://buildipedia.com/in-studio/featured-architecture/floating-eternity-hong-kong-s-offshore-cemetery

Lantern a Palooza

 One of the other delights I experienced while walking back to the office after visiting the school was this store.  It was literally jam packed with lanterns of all sorts.  It's moments like these that makes me realize just how out of my culture I am.  I loved it.  If I hadn't been sweating profusely, I would have probably perused around the stores a little more.  But seriously, how cool is this?  I also learned that according to the Chinese calendar, August is the month where ghosts or souls come and visit their living family members.  You're supposed to buy paper objects and burn them for your dead relatives. This store also sells those, apparently. My co-worker, Wendy, said that you can buy everything from paper iPhones to Louis Vuitton bags to clothes and shoes! On certain nights in August, the burning hits a fever pitch.  Apparently her kids asked her why they weren't burning anything to their ancestors.  We all got a good kick out of that!

Breakfast

One of the other cultural things I've experienced here is the food.  First of all, my host family's helper is a genius in the kitchen, and I mean that.  Everything she cooks tastes good, even if I have no idea half the time what things are.  Today for breakfast, I had dragonfruit and starfruit.  The other day, as evidenced in this photo, I had noodles with pork and greens!  When the wife of my host family came home from traveling and saw this dish, she exclaimed "You're already an Asian!"

Not sure about that since my Cantonese is still woeful, but I have been known to eat noodles for breakfast on the occasion! (Though I still prefer a good ol' Western egg or oatmeal breakfast!)

You can also see in the upper right hand corner of the picture next to the Banana, a Moon Cake.  These are totally local and come out in advance of the moon festival, which is happening in a couple of weeks.  It's a big deal around here.  I haven't tried any Moon Cakes except this one, so I plan to do a much more in depth blog post once I do the required "research".

Well, that's it for now!  Next time: Cliff Jumping and how I got proposed to by Mr. Wong.

-The Adventurer

Chinglish o' the day:

Not bad translation, just hilarious.

Po Lin Monastery and the Big Buddha

One of the switching stations coming up

One of the great things about having Mondays and Saturdays off is that I've gotten to do a lot of "touristy" things here.  I think it's important to visit these places so that when any visitors come, I can actually be of use!  Last Monday was a fantastic day, weather-wise here in Hong Kong, and when I awoke to blue skies, I knew that I had to get out to one of the top items on my list: The Big Buddha.

The only scary part.  Right over a lagoon.

I will confess that the first time I ever heard of the "Big Buddha" was in the movie "The Family Stone".  This is a movie that I love and adore - and once I moved here, I wanted to check it out.  The Big Buddha is located on Lantau Island, which is to the Northwest of Hong Kong.  It is also where Hong Kong Disneyland is, for some comparison.  I hopped on the MTR and headed out there.

Apparently, the only way to get to the Buddha in the past was to take a boat or a very scary bus ride up the side of the mountain.  Now, however, they've erected a huge cable car system that takes you directly there.  I chose this option as a) I'm a fan of cable cars and b) the view this way was going to be a lot better.

First glimpse of the Buddha

 After purchasing my ticket, I boarded our little car.  In my cabin was a family of Mom, Dad, and two sons, who were Hong Kongers and the Mom's brother and his wife, who were Mainlanders.  Oh, and some random guy from South America next to me who spoke neither English nor Chinese.

Anyway.  As we went, the dad was pointing out some things in Mandarin to his family.  At one point, he said something funny, and I laughed.  The family looked at me and immediately barraged me with questions in Mandarin.  This led us into a whole discussion about where we were from, etc, and culminated with me getting asked to take a picture with each family member.  I had heard before moving here that this could happen to light-skinned, light-eyed, light-haired Westerners, but really hadn't encountered it in HK too much. We finally got over the high point of the cable car ride, and the view was GORGEOUS on the other side.  Pictures seriously do not do this view justice.  Out the right side of the car, you could see a lagoon with mountainous islands in the distance, and on the left
 side of the car, you could see the Buddha with rolling hills all around.  And the weather was absolutely perfect.

Some factoids about the Big Buddha that I learned for you history people:

The Buddha is 112 feet tall, and weighs 250 tons.

He is made of bronze.

Construction started in 1990, and finished in 1993 (so he's younger than me!)

There are 240 steps leading up to the Buddha. (Which yes, I climbed).

There is a circular platform around the Buddha where you can see him from different angles and get a great view of the surrounding area (360 degrees worth).

There is also a monastery onsite, but it was undergoing renovations, so I opted to come back another time for that.  I have heard that it's a pretty cool experience, too.

 Here are some more pictures from my explorations...

Entrance to the Buddha

View from the "Village" below

Up, Up, and Up

Adherents praising the Buddha

Indeed, a very big Buddha.

Beautiful view from the top.  I can't believe I live here. 

Corner of the 3 story pedestal that houses the Buddha

The ONLY thing I wasn't a fan of was the "village" at the exit of the cable car.  You have to walk through this area in order to get to the Buddha and monastery. There were options there ranging from Mediterranean food to a cartoon theater telling Buddhist stories, to kitschy shops, and, who could be without Starbucks.  I don't know, but something about this just felt over the top to me.  It was well done, but it felt like a Disney effort at replicating something Chinese, and we're IN China, for crying out loud.  That is my only negative feedback from the whole experience.  If you ever visit, I'd suggest speeding through this area in favor of the much more authentic things to be seen further on.

On the way back down, I chose to sit on the other side of the car.  One of the other cool things about the Cable Car is that you have a great birds-eye view of the airport.  Maybe this wouldn't be impressive to everyone, but I loved seeing all the huge planes take off and land.  The picture on the left is of a Cathay Pacific 747 taking off.  It's crazy when you see just how big these planes are. And they look like they just take off effortlessly. 





This is a view out the other side of the car.  High Rise living at its finest.  Totally typical of HK, even in outlying areas like this.  There is also a fabulous outlet mall right adjacent to where the cable car takes off where I did a little bit of perusing while cooling down! Thank goodness for air conditioning!



That sums it up for now!

Chinglish O' the Day:

NO DAMAGE OF PLANTING!

-The Adventurer