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Archive for May, 2009

In transition

Published at May 21, 2009 in Uncategorized. 1 Comment

Hello faithful readers,

I arrived safely in HK yesterday after a whirlwind of a trip in China. The boys and I visited Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Xian and then Beijing. Right now, they’re in Shanghai doing some more travelling…I had to come back early to wrap up a few errands before going back to Toronto.

Wow…so much has happened in such a short time. I can barely remember what we did, where.

Here are a few highlights:

Kunming - Climbing the rocky path to the top of the city, Kunming lake (unrestored=/)
Dali - Took an overnight train to get here. Held my bladder for over 12 overs to avoid the washrooms! We learned about the Bai people culture, went on a boat ride, climbed a mountain in 4 hours
Lijiang - Cute little place…went HORSE BACK RIDING (highlight of my entire trip), ate pure FAT
Xian - It was so wet and miserable. We saw the historical sites…Terra Cotta soldiers..
Beijing - Great Wall, Tianmen square, Tombs of the great emperors, Summer palace…

Wow…it has been such a blessing!!

HK Day 7 & 8

Published at May 7, 2009 in Travelling Pants. 0 Comments

I really should upload my pics on flickr…but have been too busy/lazy/tired. You’ll just have to be patient:)

Yesterday was day 7 of HK/China trip. I woke up early to get to Cheung Sai Wan Government Building to register for my HK citizenship card. It was a short line-up because I went pretty early. Afterwards, I met up with my aunt (goo ma), yi po (grandma’s sister) and cousin for dim sum lunch. It was pretty good I guess… My yi po is a really special gal. Although she’s 74, she looks like she could be 50 sumthing. She is the only female in her family to have gone to University…she studied and taught English for a number of years. Yi po told me that she really respects my dad because he was (and still is) a fighter. Although he came from a humble family, my dad worked really hard and endured a lot of hardships so he could go to school and university. My dad is the only one in his family to have gone to University and he even has a Master’s degree. That’s pretty awesome stuff.

After lunch, the 4 of us walked around Garden street and I bought quite a bit of stuff. 2 pairs of shoes - one pair of boots for 50$ hk and a girly pair of shoes for 130$ hk. Not too bad. Garden street shopping is SO MUCH better than Mong Kok’s lue yun gai (Women’s street?) I thought my 50$ hk sunglasses from Mong Kok were a good deal until I saw similar ones at Garden street for 20$ HK!!!

For dinner, I met up with R and we went to a local Schezhuan place after walking around Langham place (a HUGE mall). Dinner was pretty good…35$ for a huge bowl of rice noodle with chicken and veggies. 5$ for hot lemon tea. We walked around a bit more after dinner and then I headed up. I slept around 12am last night - the earliest in all the time I’ve been here.

Today (HK Day 8), I met up with Uncle #1 (My mom’s oldest brother) and we went to have some morning dim sum. Afterwards, we went to the market where there is fresh produce and poultry. I’ve never seen live chickens for sale. Interesting:) Right now, I’m at my uncle’s flat and we’re about to have lunch.

Tonight, I’ll be meeting up with all my cousins on my dad’s side. I’m so excited! All the young ppl (meaning the children of my dad’s sisters). We’ll be going to a karoke dinner place and LKF (western bar district) afterwards.

Tomorrow, I have to get to Kowlong Station by 5:30am to catch a bus to Shenzhen. My friends (BDHHV & I) are flying from Shenzhen to Kunming where we’ll spend the next 2 days. I will also be visiting Lijiang, Xian and Beijing before coming back to HK on May 20th and leaving for Tdot on the 23rd. It’s a rushed trip I know. Everything moves at such a fast pace in HK (I’m sure it’s the same in China).

Anyways, that’s all for now:)

HK Day 4, 5, 6

Published at May 6, 2009 in Travelling Pants. 0 Comments

Sooooooooooooo….I’ve been too tired to update my blog for the past couple of days. A lot has happened and I’m not sure if i’ll remember it all, but I’ll do my best:)

Monday May 4 - Day 4

On Monday I met up with Arthur and he brought me to the China Resources Office near Wan Chai to get ｍy visa for China. Afterwards we took a tram to (I *think*) Central Station area where we did a bit of shopping and then had lunch at “Lan Fong Yuen” -ａfamous local spot known for their lai cha (milk tea) and lo ding. It was really gooooooooood:) Lo ding is basically instant noodle without the soup (instead, there’s a green onion, ginger, oil sauce) with roasted chicken and some veggies. The lai cha is a special lai cha called “si mut (pantyhose) lai cha” - where I think they strain the tea leaves with pantyhose (hopefully not used ones…=/) It was creamy and delicious:)

After lunch we went to a mall to buy a small carry-on luggage for my trip to China. Then, Art and I ferried across to Tsim Sha Tsui where we walked a bit along the harbour and went to the Starbucks inside Harbour City Mall. I was pretty exhausted at this point, so we just sat a bit and then went shopping again. I bought some stuff on the street and some girly stuff at Sa Sa (a make-up boutique). My cousin lives near Jordan station, so I walked over to her flat and hung out with her a bit. Afterwards, we went over to my Goo ma’s (aunt’s) place and had dinner together. In the evening, my cousin and I went back to her flat and I spent the night at her place.

Tuesday May 5 - Day 5

So originally my appointment for the HK Smart ID card was on this day, but because I’m an idiot, I applied for my visa the day before so I didn’t have my passport. Thus, I had to miss my appointment. Yes, I should’ve gotten my visa in Toronto, but I didn’t have time in between exams, interviews and getting ready for the trip. However, I had to meet up with an auntie to give her something (a church friend asked me to bring something to an auntie in HK).

In the afternoon, I met up with CDSV along with my cousin and her friend to go to Lan Tao Island (sp?). The cable car ride was pretty fun…the view is really nice and it was just a beautiful day - 24 degrees with a nice breeze. The main thing about Lan Tao Island is seeing the Big Buddha…which I didn’t care too much about but I know it’s pretty famous. After coming down from seeing the Big Buddha, we had tofu dessert and then headed back to Tung Chung. We did some shopping at the Outlet mall…There were some pretty good deals on brand names. S and I hung out afterwards and tried on random dresses we knew we wouldn’t buy.

Dinner was at Mickey D’s for me (I’ve always wanted breakfast at McD’s for dinner, and so this was my chance). After that, CSV and I walked around Mong Kok for more shopping. I bought an alarm clock and a pair of sunglasses (which I bargained down from 99$ to 50$). I had a headache yesterday so I headed home early.

Thursday May 6 - Day 6

Today I went back to Wan Chai to pick up my visa..afterwards I mtr-ed back to Tsuen Wan to meet my two uncles and my grandma for dim sum. “Big” uncle (Dai kou kou) who I haven’t seen in 21 years, Uncle #2 (yee kou kou) I haven’t seen in over 10 years…So it was pretty neat. They were warning me about things to be aware of in China (ie: don’t eat raw food in China, keep an eye on your belongings at all times…) I know they mean well, and I appreciate that they care…so I just nod in agreement.

Tonight I’m having dinner at my aunt (yi yi), uncle (yi cheung), and grandma (po po). I was be staying the night. Tomorrow I will head over Cheung Sai Wan to register for my Smart ID (citizenship card).

HK Day 3

Published at May 3, 2009 in Uncategorized. 2 Comments

Went to church at “The Vine HK” today…bumped into more people I knew than I would’ve expected to. Being at the Vine was an interesting experience…For a moment I thought I was back in Canada because there were White and black and brown people (and of course yellow!) Because I’m a visitor, I can’t really put my foot down on the spiritual temperature of the church - I guess it’s true that you should try everything twice before you make up your mind.

Was planning on shopping at Mong Kok today, but then my friends cancelled because one of them caught the flu (hopefully not the Swine flu..). So I followed BHMV + J + R to eat Viet food near LKF. It was pretty standard food. I haven’t had anything really spectacular in HK yet, except maybe the lunch yesterday with my aunt and uncle. That was pretty good. I still need to eat some really authentic HK food…except I don’t know where to go and neither do my friends:(

After lunch we took the Peak Tram up to the tallest point of HK. It was an okay view:P I mean, HK is definitely a crazy city with all its tall buildings/skyscrapers. As well, I think I’m usually more amazed when I see nature (ie: mountains and water), and not as amazed at tall buildings. The breathtaking-ness of the view was sorta ruined by the thick smog that covers over the city. Today was definitely not a good day for those who have asthma.

Dinner was at a fancy schmancy restaurant near the peak. We totally got jipped, but I guess it was expected, seeing as we were at such a popular tourist location.

Tomorrow I hope to get some shopping in - it’s been 3 full days without any real shopping. Kinda a bummer considering the main things you can do in HK are eat and shop.