Adventures in Hong Kong and Beijing
From May 16 until May 30, my wife Mary and I joined her sister Lily (from New York) and their mom and dad (Nancy and Steve) on a trek to visit Mary's relatives in Hong Kong. We stayed in a two bedroom apartment loaned to us by some of Mary's family.
We all thoroughly enjoyed our time in Hong Kong, and greatly appreciated Mary's family's hospitality which extended way beyond the usual. They drove us everywhere, fed us everyday and escorted us around Hong Kong and its environs. They were all extraordinarily nice.
For a few days during our stay we took a trip up to my old stomping grounds of Beijing. You can scroll down to read about our time there!
Please enjoy the photos!
P.S. One important place I wasn't able to add to this blog, mainly because i forgot my digital camera that night, was the spectacular view of the Hong Kong skyline from Victoria peak. I have video of it, and Mary took film of it, but I have no shots from my digital camera!
Mary's mom (Nancy) and Mary sit awaiting our connecting flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong. 'Disjointed' United Airlines caused us to miss our San Fran to Hong Kong direct flight, which forced us to stop in Tokyo. 
Spotted in Tokyo's Narita Airport: I can't read this sign, but it's obvious ham and sausages aren't welcome here.
The magnificient Tsing-ma bridge at night.
Myself and Lily flash our Japanese tourist poses as we prepare to venture out on one of our first days. Mary's aunt and uncle prepare our itinerary for the day.
My beautiful wife Mary rides the escalator down to the MTR (Subway). The MTR was one of the coolest parts of Hong Kong, in my opinion.
Lily on the subway.
Never shy when food is involved, I reach for some tastey morsels.
Lily and Mary pose with their grandfather.
One night, we had dinner at a relatively famous Hong Kong restaurant called the "Lung Wah Hotel". One of the specialities here is deep fried pigeon, which made Mary's sister Lily a bit traumatized.
The path out of the Lung Wah Hotel/Restaurant. If you looked to the right behind the lanterns, you could see the cages of the pigeons biding their time before becoming deep fried culinary treats. Also, a friendly parrot (not meant for consumption) would serenade you with 'Hellos' (in English) as you'd walk down the corridor.
Hong Kong at night, a glowing gaggle of neon signs.
Mary with Hong Kong in the background. Taken near our apartment.
Mary's dad, mom and sister snap photos on the waterfront near our apartment.
Fortress Hill. This is very close to where we lived while in Hong Kong. The subway stop is below that concrete construction you see in the center.
Central Hong Kong
A side street in Hong Kong. Bamboo is still used in city construction, as you can see to the left.
Mary rides the world's longest escalator with her family. It is actually a series of escalators that take commuters up towards Victoria Peak. Along the way, you can stop to eat or shop in several areas. People use the escalator as well for their daily commute to work. Once we got to the top, we discovered that the escalator runs uphill only until the evening! So we had to hoof-it back down. It runs downhill in the morning so people can get to work.
Here is a view looking down at some of the segments.
One of the shopping areas (I believe this was SoHo) off of the escalator.
Close up of me riding the escalator.
An odd sculpture spotted on the wall as we made our way up the escalator.
A small terrace on the way up the escalator. You can hop off the escalator and relax for a bit.
Old and New Hong Kong
Mary and Lily point and discuss something simultaneously.
Some of our colorful bird friends in the aviary.
Mary and I posing in a park in HK
Family picture: L-R we have Mary, Lily, Nancy, Mary's aunt and Steve
Mary leads the charge as we all depart the park/aviary.
The HSBC building, which, according to experts, posesses some of the best Feng Shui of any building in Hong Kong.
The IFC building, the tallest building in HK, provides a modern backdrop to the old Courthouse in the foreground.
In the business center of Hong Kong, (Central District) you'll find many interesting buildings, including the puzzle-looking Lippo building.
One of Hong Kong's most recognizable architectural landmarks, the Bank of China building.
Looking skyward inside the Bank of China building in Hong Kong.
A view of Hong Kong from the Star Ferry.
Nancy (Mary's mom) pointing out some the fresh produce in the Causeway Bay market.
Causeway Bay meat market. Lily (Mary's sis) was traumatized with the live chickens that were being sold a stall away in this market.
New, glass buildings mix with old abodes in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong signage
Yes, I'm a geek: Star Wars Episode 3 subway poster in Hong Kong
Po Lin Monastery, the Big Buddha and the Lucky 8 monument
Mary at the base of the Buddha. We went to visit the largest outdoor seated Buddha in the world. Here we also visited the Po Lin Buddhist monastery, enjoyed some delicious vegetarian food and were among the first to visit a new monument.
Looking up towards the seated Buddha.
A look up the stairs towards the towering Buddha
Mary standing next to one the Buddhist saints. There were several of these magnificent statues just below the Buddha. They are making alms to the seated Buddha.
Close-up of one of the beautifully constructed Buddhist saints paying its respects to the Buddha
Another shot of the Buddhist dieties
Breathtaking shot of two of the Buddhist saints with the mountains providing a dramatic backdrop.
Up close and personal with the Buddha
Women lighting incense at the entrance to Po Lin Monastery.
Po Lin Monastery. The celebration of Buddha's birthday was happening while we were there, and you could 'bathe' a statue of the Buddha before entering this temple by pouring cups of water over the statue.
A view of the Buddha from the monastery.
A Buddhist scene carved into granite at the monastery.
While at the Po Lin Monastery, we went for a short hike to visit a newly opened (in fact, we visited on the first day it was open) monument on a picturesque slope. It is a series of wooden posts in a figure 8 pattern. Eight is a VERY lucky number for the Chinese, and each post has a buddhist saying carved into it. Here is a view of it from the top.
A view of the posts from below.
Another shot of the posts. Lantau Mountain, in the background can be hiked up as well. In fact, some like to hike up in the early morning to watch the sun rise. We couldn't muster the energy for a hike up that peak!
A clear view of one the Buddhist sayings inscribed on the post.
A view of the Tai O fishing village on Lantau Island, with a fisherman unloading his catch in the foreground. We stopped here on the way back from seeing the Po Lin Monastery and the Buddha. People in Tai O live on stilt-houses over the water. They offer water taxi rides to people, and before the bridges were built, offered a ferry service from Lantau Island to Hong Kong.
The Tai O village market. Here you would find primarily seafood from the local fishermen, in either fresh or dried form.
Mary showing us a very large, very dry fish for sale.
A whole dried shark for sale in the Tai O village market.
Mary and her mother navigate the narrow pathways of Tai O village.
The small fishing village of Tai O
Aberdeen
Aberdeen was once a fishing village, where poor fishmen lived on their boats. Now, it is home to some tall skyscrapers and a pricey marina. It is also where you can find a famous floating restaurant.
Nine dragons spitting water on a globe in Aberdeen. Nine dragons is a very lucky symbol in Chinese culture..not sure how lucky spitting dragons are!
Jumbo Floating Restaurant in Aberdeen. You must take a water taxi over to it.
Mary snapping a photo of the golden dragon at the Jumbo Floating eatery.
The sign says it all...
The Emperor and Empress sit on the Imperial Throne at the Jumbo Floating Restaurant in Aberdeen.
A view of Repulse Bay beach. It is a very clean and well-tended beach on Hong Kong, not far from Aberdeen. We saw many ex-pats (Europeans/Americans) here..must be popular with them.
Repulse Bay beach
At the far end of Repulse Bay you'll find this locale, which I believe is the Hong Kong Lifeguard's club. Buddhist statues adorn the grounds.
Beijing
I was up before everyone else the morning we were to leave for Beijing. I was excited to see a place that I've been to twice before in my life, and a place which has meant a lot to me for many reasons. I was anxious to share my 'laojia' (means 'old hometown') with my wife and her family.
As we were landing I noticed something right away. Beijing was always pretty polluted, but as we landed we flew through a cloud of brown smog so thick that you couldn't see any surface features below it. After we landed and made our way to our hotel, I noticed how many more cars there were and bad traffic had become. A taxi cab driver told me that the number of cars in Beijing had gone from about 400,000 when I lived there to now around 3 million.
Within 24 hours I had started to get very ill with some respiratory flu. I managed to go with Mary and my in-laws to the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City before it got so bad I couldn't go anywhere. Everyone except for Steve (Mary's dad) got ill to some degree. I missed out on a trip to the Great Wall that I had arranged for everyone. Luckily, Mary, her sister and their dad was able to make it. I had been to the Great Wall twice before in my life, but this was a trip to a new spot on the wall. One that had fewer tourists. Mary's mother and I were both too ill with fever, chills and headache to do anything that day. I sequestered myself in our hotel room for most of our stay, so I don't have as many photos of the trip as I would like.
So, sadly my 3 day trip to Beijing was a bust. It was nice to visit the city, and see some familiar sights..including a stop at my alma mater..but overall, the pollution and traffic left a bad taste in my mouth (literally). So, sadly, it made me a bit anxious to get back to Hong Kong and civilization.
Flying while sick is no fun, and with the Bird Flu scare it made me feel a bit uneasy about traveling. When we landed back in Hong Kong, everyone had to walk through this infrared scanner, looking like something out of a sci-fi movie. It was to detect body temperature. I thought for sure I'd be pegged for having a fever, but luckily my temp was normal then.
Li Da Zhou (my Chinese name) returns to Beijing!
A view of the plaza inside our hotel, the Tianlun Dynasty.
Why did I take this picture? Well, because this spot used to look a lot different..and was where the world's largest McDonald's was. It is the corner of Wangfujing and Dong An Jie.
Qian'men Gate in Tian an men.
A Chinese soldier guards Mao's Mauseleum.
Countdown clock to the Olympics. Last time I was here, this spot hosted a countdown to Hong Kong's return to China.
Me and Mary at Tian'an men Square.
Temple of Heaven (Tian Tan)
Elephant at the Temple of Heaven. It moved so slowly it almost seemed like a statue. Oh wait, I think it might've actually been a statue!
The tower you see in the distance is the Temple of Heaven. It was being worked on, so we couldn't access it. This long runway is the path the Emperor would take during the Winter Solstice as part of the ceremony to ensure good harvests and luck. Ordinary folks in the city had to be silent during all this, so as to avoid cursing the proceedings.
The Circular Altar at the Temple of Heaven. It was here that every Winter Solstice the Emperor would come to pray for a fruitful harvest and good luck. He'd stand up on a stone at the top and pray.
Lily and Mary at the circular altar at the Temple of Heaven.
The Echo Wall: The Echo wall is a circular wall enclosing a temple. Supposedly you could whisper something against the wall, and the sound would travel back around so you could hear it.
Another shot in the Echo Wall area at the Temple of Heaven (Tian tan). This was a fertile photo-taking area...
Forbidden City
Mary at the moat before we breach the walls of the Forbidden City.
Taking a break during our Forbidden City stroll.
A fierce guardian Lion-Dog.
The Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City. It was first built in 1420 during the Ming Dynasty, but was burnt down a few times since by lightning and rebuilt. It was used for big events like Lunar New Year celebrations, the Emperor's Birthday and other bashes. In case you were interested, that center stone ramp between the two staircases was where servants would carry the Emperor up into the building.
Mary and I with the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the background.
Not so Forbidden anymore: The sole Starbucks location in the Forbidden City. Anyone care for a frappaccino? :)
A courtyard in the Forbidden City.
The pagodas on Coal Hill. From the peak, you have a gorgeous view of the entire Forbidden City. When I lived in Beijing, I would go up there occasionally..but on this visit, I was beginning to get very ill..so we high-tailed it back to the hotel.
A watch tower on the NE corner of the Forbidden City. The entire Forbidden City is surrounded by a moat as well.
St Joseph's Catholic Church on Wangfujing in Beijing. It was next door to our hotel. I dont' remember seeing it when I was in Beijing last time.
Some of the many cloissone-clad goods for sale in Beijing.
Pineapple air freshener? Mary spotted many cars in Beijing with a pineapple in the back. She decided to snap a picture of this odd trend.
Return to BeiWai
As many of you know, I studied in Beijing at Beijing Foreign Studies University from late summer 1994 until the winter of 1995. Studying there brought to me a broader view of the world, and I made some wonderful friends and created some lifelong memories. Oh, yeah, my Chinese improved immensely while I studied there as well! (I wish it was still as good as then!)
One of my main objectives for my visit to Beijing was to swing by my alma mater to see how it's changed over the past decade. I took a lot of video of the visit, but also have a few photos taken by Mary.
What was interesting to me was the lack of 'laowai' (foreigners) that I saw there. We only spotted a few caucasians walking around. For some reason, I expected to see more.
The Xiaomaibu area of Beijing Foreign Studies University. A Xiaomaibu is a small convience store. When I lived here, it looked very similar, but with a large bicycle parking area. It was a place to enjoy cheap Yanjing beer with your fellow students and snack on the pastries, and read 2 day old International Tribune newspapers. Many an evening I'd sit there drinking 5 cent a bottle Yanjing beer and shoot the breeze with fellow students in both English and Chinese. They've cleaned it up nicely, adding a nicer, more permanent seating area and apparently removing the bike parking area.
My old dorm building at Beijing Foreign Studies University. It looks almost identical to when I lived there 10 years ago. Now, instead of housing foreign students, it is a dorm for Chinese students.
Me and Lily at a hospital in Hong Kong, getting our temps taken. For the record, mine was 99.6.
I had no idea my good friend Jamie had his own line of sport bags!
The Hong Kong Police building.
Mary's aunt and cousin lead the way on a shopping trip.
Mary's foot treads the cobblestone on the hunt for bargains.
You want Mangoes? They have Mangoes. You want Papaya? They've got Papaya. A fruit market in Hong Kong.
You might not find Uncle Ben's or Rice a Roni here, but this is a rice specialty store with many different types of rice. One of many stops for Mary on her shopping trip.
Mary was impressed with the LCD screens in the buses. The quest for perfect skin is a major thing in Hong Kong, and on these bus LCDs were countless ads for skin-enhancement products.
Mary's aunts and uncles discuss something at dinner.
Flashing my mug and my Japanese tourist sign at dinner.
View from our apartment towards the water. It's bright in this picture, but we could see the water and some of the Kowloon skyline beyond the overpass in the upper right.
A view of a courtyard outside our bedroom. Each morning a few people can be spotted here doing Qigong or Taichi, while mothers scurry past with their children towards a nearby preschool.
Mary and my bedroom. We wisely packed a couple of our camping air mattresses, as we weren't sure if our apartment would have beds. It worked out nicely!
Mary mugs for the camera during our final dinner in Hong Kong.
The five of us pose with Mary's grandfather. Left to Right (standing) Lily, Steve, Nancy, me and Mary. Grandfather sits in the center.
Mary's cousin's dog eyes Lily's dinner.
Mary's family pose for one of many group shots on our final night in Hong Kong.
Coming Home: Early morning view as we cross the Tsing Ma bridge on the way to the airport.
Homeward Bound: Last Impressions
Mary and I had a great time exploring Hong Kong. We were both blown away by how friendly people were in Hong Kong, a city of over 10 million souls. The drivers in Hong Kong were almost mystically courteous, and I barely witnessed anyone honking in anger, let alone cussing or flipping the bird to anyone. The customer service there is as world-class as the city itself is.
Despite being sick, it was also nice to visit Beijing again and see the city that has shaped, in some ways, the person I am now. I only hope that I don't become as polluted as it has become!
Meeting Mary's family in Hong Kong was a fun, and their insider's knowledge of Hong Kong made the trip very fruitful and adventurous for us. They went far beyond the bounds of hospitality, and I don't think we could ever thank them enough for their kindness. Spending some extended time with Mary's parents and getting to know Mary's sister Lily was rewarding as well.
I truely hope Mary and I get the chance to go back to Hong Kong, as it is a place that melds both ancient Chinese customs with the gleaming efficiency of a modern high-tech city. It left a very positive impression on both of us!
