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!