Ramblings from Oct. 1 through Oct 8, 2006

See all photos at: http://community.webshots.com/user/jbhubbell

Oct. 8 Sunday
We really didn't go into work!! We went to pick up the dry cleaning, but the store wasn't open yet, so we went to Starbucks & had a coffee & read the paper. It was a very Sunday morning thing to do & felt like we were home in Davidson at our favorite coffee place, Summit (but no familiar faces). Then we went to the escalator & found a restaurant serving breakfast. I had riccotta pancakes with bananas & some special butter. John had eggs benidict (he said they weren't as good as mine - how sweet. Very tasty breakfast. Picked up our dry cleaning & by the time we came back up the hill to home we were drenched with sweat. It's still in the upper 80's here, so feel like summer. We were going to try another hike today, but Kristin & Steve are returning to the states next weekend for a vacation & they had some shopping to do before leaving Saturday morning. I've had enough shopping for a while, so I bowed out. John found another massage place he wanted to try & I've been having some trouble with my ears. So I went to the place John tired last week for massage & had my ears candled. It was wonderful. While the candle (it is a hollow wax cylinder that is lit at the top & it creates a vacum to suck stuff out of your ear & just feels good) is in your ear the man massaged my neck & area around my ear. As he finished each ear he would massage the ear itself. When both ears were done he had me get onto my back & he massaged my head, neck & upper back. Took about 30 minutes & cost only $15. It was heavenly. I'll be going back to that place. Might have to try the foot massage next time!! John said his massage ended up being 90 minutes & was very good also. Massage & reflexology (foot massage) are very popular here. There seems to be a store on every corner. I guess these people work so hard, they need to do something to relax. I can get used to that!

Tonight John is out for dinner for business & I have finally taken time to update my photos & blog. Hopefully it won't be so long between entries in the future. By the time I get home from work I'm usually too tired to make any sense of what I'm thinking. John heads out for India tomorrow & Thailand at the end of the week. I should have time to do some more blogging. I have taken some photos of the walled trees & need to tell you all more details about the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is so interesting learning about the different customs & holidays & stories. It is fastinating how we can look at the same thing & have such different stories associated with it. I'm talking about the moon. I'll fill you in on this later in the week after I've learned the whole story. Our new employees, Sophia & Ruby, are really great & fun & entertaining. They both used to work for the main printer that we use here, so they are good friends. Their English is excellent & they both lived in the US. I think they are going to be good friends. I also think they are going to be a HUGE help in the office & make John's job easier. Already they have proven valuable in getting things done & solving some major problems. It helps to know who to go to when you need something done & they have the connections & know the system.

Oct. 7 Saturday
We had planed NOT to go into work today, but of course there was a crisis, so we all ended up going in & staying until 5. John almost hopped a plan for Pakistan to deliver a shipment that the printer didn't get off in time. Fortunately Ruby, who used to work for the printer, went there & got the shipment & delivered it to the airport after doing some calling to find out when a plan was leaving for Pakistan. It was very touch & go, but I think Ruby has been a great addition. She knows how to get things done & who to talk to. Helps to have some locals on your side!!
On the way home from work Kristin, Steve & I decided to check out a new grocery store we were told about. It is in the basement of the mall that I got lost in after the dinner a few weeks ago - when I couldn't find the exit!! It turns out this mall is several buildings & the grocery store, called GREAT, is in a different building than the one I couldn't escape from.
So I've been on a search for hummus lately & I was not disappointed. They had several varieties. Great is definitely GREAT! This looks at least as big as CitySuper, although it doesn't have the stationary & stuff like the big CitySuper (which is more like a Super Taget without clothes). Great has a gelato (Italian icecream) booth, along with a tea booth, meats, pastries, and all of the other usual stuff. I don't know if it was because it was a Saturday, but they had tons of samples they were giving out. I really enjoyed getting to taste all of the items. It just so happens that Great is closer to our house then the others AND is on the bus route home. I think it will become a frequent stop!

Saturday night we all decided we needed a reward for working so hard all week, so we went to our favorite Japanese restaurant, Osaka (the one John & I discovered when we were here in April). I think I described it before because we went the first week I was here. They do the giant prawns on the hibatch grill & you eat the heads, brains & body. The head is very dramatic because some of the legs are still attached. They cook it a long time & put lots of butter & garlic on it, so it is like crunchy garlic better chips. They have excellent sushi & we had some beef dishes that were delicious.

One reason John likes to take people to Osaka is because early on he discovered a watch & purse salesman down one of the alleys. So John keeps bringing people back. I'm not sure he gets any better deals, but they've developed a relationship & it is a fun experience. You go down this alleyway, past some souvenier shops & a strip joint & a luggage vendor, into a little room with a card table & a bunch of stools. It is very movie-like & clandestine. You look through a catolog of watches & tell him what you want. He goes out & tells someone else & they go get watches from somewhere. You look them over & haggle & haggle about price. John is pretty good at that. It helps to go with someone who's been before so you know what to expect to pay. Eventually nobody leaves empty handed because as long as the price isn't ridiculously low, he'll go for it, especially if you buy more than one. Then there is another room with bags of all kinds. I'm not much on name brand stuff, but there was coach, gucci, Lois Viton, Channell, & I'm sure a bunch of others. Some of the women got purses too. I guess they are good deals. I wouldn't really know. I think they got them for around $30 or $40. I know I went into a Coach store last summer & a little change purse was around $80, so I guess $30 for a purse is a good deal.

Then we walked up Nathan Street which is just filled with shops of all kinds. We passed a jewelry store & there was a woman's Rolex watch in the widow that we figured cost $58,000 US. It had diamonds all over it. It is funny you have a guy selling Rolex watches for $20 & 2 blocks away they are $58,000. Strange place!! In front of one of the shopping plazas there were big lanterns celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival. Each one had a HK landmark on top of it. There were really pretty. Obviously they were something special to the local people as many were having their pictures taken in front of them.



Oct. 5 Thursday
One of the American's, Elizabeth, leaves tomorrow (Friday), so there is a tradition that the person leaving gets to pick a restaurant to go to for their last dinner in HK. Elizabeth wanted to try Vietnamese food as she hadn't had that yet. She's been here since about August 27. We let Sophia (she's new & from HK) pick out the restaurant. We went to a very nice place on the 11th floor of Time Square (this is a multi floored shopping mall in Causeway Bay, an area on HK Island). We let the HK natives do the ordering. The tradition at most restaurants here is to order several dishes & then share them all. I personally like that as it allows you to try lots of different dishes. There was nothing that really WOWed us at this meal. They did serve giant prawns (shrimp) that were split & then broiled with garlic & butter. This was delicious. Sophia & Ruby (another native we've just hired to be office manager) shared a prawn and were argueing a little over who would get a certain part. I asked what they were fighting about & they said the brain, it's the best part of the prawn. I was going to leave that part, but decided I'd better give it a try. It had a very different flavor & texture from the body of the prawn, but I can't say I'd fight over it. I actually offered mine to Sophia & Ruby after having my taste. I guess it is all in what you are used to. (photo: Sophia on left, Ruby on right)

Oct. 2 Monday
Another day off - YIPEE!! Steve has been talking about going to Monkey Mt. since I got here. One of the Chinese women at work told him about it. I guess he really likes monkeys. So I found it on a web site & researched how to get there, so Monday we did an excursion to Monkey Hill (that is what the locals call it, it isn't a mountain). We walked down the escalator & got the subway to Kowloon (that is the peninsula across the harbor from HK Island where we live). We got a taxi to take us to the entrance to the park. The first thing we saw was a man with blood all over him, a cut on his head. While we were walking by a motorcycle ambulance showed up. I got a picture. We were a little worried that maybe these monkeys were not so friendly.

Within a few minutes we saw several monkey that were hanging out at the entrance to the park. We ventured out on a park road that went around the 3 Kowloon reservoirs. As soon as we got away from the populated entrance area (where there are lots of garbage cans) we didn't see any more monkeys. The scenery was nice, but it was very very hot. At one point we came upon a picnic area where people were grilling all sorts of things. I guess that is what people like to do on holidays here, they get out of the house & go to a park & BBQ. Doesn't sound too unfamiliar. The food smelled good, but there weren't any hamburgers or hotdogs. We weren't really sure what they were grilling.

As we approached the other entrance to the park we started seeing lots & lots of monkeys. I have already posted those photos & I know many of you have seen them. There were monkeys of all shapes & sizes. The most fun ones to watch were the babies. They were very uncoordinated & kept falling of the branches in the trees. One time this one was pretty high up & he fell & just in the nick of time his Mom caught him by the foot as he was on his way down. She let him dangle there for a moment before pulling him up & giving him a hug. It was so cute. Of course he went right ahead & fell again. They seem to have so much personality. Some were very freindly, although they didn't touch you and some were downright nasty. For some reason they didn't like Steve & one bared her teeth and hissed at him. It was a little frightening. One just looked pissed off at the world. Most just ignored all of the attention. It was interesting that frequently as soon as you went to take their picture they would turn away, like they knew exactly what you were doing & they were sick of having their photos taken. I want to go back with John's telephoto lens & get some good closeups.

We caught a bus back to the subway. Went through a town that was obviously old & much of it looked deserted & falling apart. A stark contrast to where we live & work that is so clean & modern. I guess they've been selective about where the money goes. We were very hot & sweaty & wanted to do something inside. We were going to see a movie, but there wasn't anything playing that we were interested in. We decided to come back to our place & go bowling. Yes our apartment building has a 2 lane bowling alley. It's pretty fun. Then we ordered pizza & watched a movie on HBO. It was another good day in HK.


Oct. 1 Sunday:
October 1 is National Day in China. It was explained to me as being like our July 4th. On mainland China the workers get the entire week off so that they can go home to see family. The mainland workers usually get a week off now & another one in the spring for the Chinese New Year. It is such a large country that most people need a week to travel home. In Hong Kong we only got Monday off, which was nice, we actually got 2 full days off in a row. To celebrate we invited the American Cadmus employees over for brunch. John & I made omlettes. It was fun to entertain.

On Sunday Kristin, Steve, Ashley & I took a bus to the Peak Tram. It was packed, but we decided to wait & the line moved quickly. This is a funicular that goes straight up to Victoria Peak (The Peak). The view is spectacular. I'm sure on a clear day it is even better. It's much cooler up on the Peak compared to where we live. There is a strange looking half circle building where the tram ends & you can walk up several floors, actually take about 10 escalators (they love escalators here) to the top which is open for a panoramic view of Hong Kong.

As official Cadmus HK ED (entertainment director) I am given the job of finding our way around. Again I had a very difficult time locating the exit to the tram building. It is about 6 floors of stores & they make it very hard to get out. They want you to shop shop shop! We located the exit after asking 3 different people. We found the trail I'd found for us to hike down. It is a road that is limited to park vehicles only. Traveling was good, but very steep downhill which was tough on the knees. The scenery was a refreshing change from the city & hard to believe we were so close.
The trail ended by going around this reservoir. We discovered a stream that fed into the reservoir which we walked up. There was a nice little waterfall we came to. It was most unexpected to find and I think it was just what we all needed to relieve the stress of a busy work week. There was a public bathroom at the bottom & I took a photo so you can see what the hole in the ground toilets look like.

We caught a bus out to Stanley. This is on the other side of Hong Kong Island. Stanley is on the water and is known for it's market (like so many other places in HK). There are lots of restaurants along the waterfront. The street market has most anything you could want. I actually found some pants that fit me. Very exciting in a place where the average person is probably a size 4! There was a clothes shop that was almost 1/4 full of ski jackets & warmup suits, which I thought was very strange considering it was almost 90degrees. I guess someone must buy it.

We got a taxi home (expensive ride, but there were 4 of us & we were exhausted so it was worth it. Ashley & I regrouped, got up with John & headed to the waterfront in downtown (near our office) to watch the fireworks. I guess for National Day mostly people just relaxe & rest all day, no big family picnics or anything, but they love their fireworks. The place was packed. We got there about an hour early & everyone was jockying for position. This little old lady kept trying to get infront of me. She was really subtle about it, but determined. I was equally determined not to let her in. I'm not being mean, this is a game here, it happens everywhere. People are alway trying to push ahead. We decided that they have a closer personal space zone, so they don't mind getting right up in your face & they respect you if you get back in their face. If you don't you will get walked all over. They aren't very big, so this is not as difficult for me as it would be in other places. Most westerners complain about the personal space thing & the shoving. I think it is also just city life. People are not outwardly rude, just pushy.

It was amusing because with all the jockying going on to be right up front, when the fireworks started it turned out there was a roof for a walkway that blocked the fireworks if you were in front, so everyone quickly moved back in order to see. There were 5 boats in the harbor that were setting off the fireworks. It was very impressive. I think what struck us the most was the noise of the crowd. When the first one went off the crowd just gasped and cheered. They were very vocal throughout the entire 30 minute show. Oohing & ahing and cheering, it was delightful. Their were some unusual fireworks as well. One that looked & sounded just like a waterfall - it was beautiful. The sounds of the fireworks were much more varied than I've seen before. There was one that sounded like bubble wrap being popped. Of course there were lots that just boombed. The grand finale was spectacular, the sky was literally lit up with colors and sounds and the crowd responded accordingly. When it was over the crowd was very orderly & the streets were closed off for about 4 blocks right up to the subway station. A father & son (about 6 years old) spoke with us & asked where we were from and how we liked the fireworks. The boy spoke English very well, it was impressive. If you make the slightest effort to speak the language or show an interest in the culture the people are very very nice. They are a proud people and with good reason.

John had left during the show to find a better vantage point to photograph the fireworks, so we didn't go back with him. Ashley & I decided to take the bus home, but the lines were really long, so having not eaten since brunch, we stopped at a McDonalds. It was packed. I had yogurt with fruit (blueberries & peaches) & it was very good. We got home around 11:30pm. Another great day in HK!!!


Kripsy Kreme:
Just so we wouldn't feel too homesick a Kripy Kreme opened up along the escalator. A prime location. It was funny, about a week before it opened people were handing out 1/2 dozen boxes of free donuts. They also had people dressed up like donuts handing out coupons. It opened up about 2 weeks ago & every day I see so many people walking home with boxes of donuts. It is packed every time we pass. We have not succummed to the HOT NOW blinking beacon, but I'm sure one day soon we will.