Home Sweet Home

I am home and it is good! I will miss Hong Kong and the different pace of life but there is a relief at the end of a journey to be at home. I am attempting to stay up until 8pm in order to get my body/internal clock back to normal ASAP. I am falling asleep at the computer so please forgive me if there are any typos.
To see some pictures of the trip, check out http://picasaweb.google.com/bateman.sj for some highlights.

Xie Xie Hong Kong

Xie Xie means Thank you in Chinese.
As my trip wraps up, I am truly thankful for the experience I had here. The city and culture were kind to me through great food, memorable outings, fantastic shopping and good times with friends old and new - the only exception to the city's kindness is the facial rash I developed yesterday! Besides that, this trip was worth every penny of it. I am glad that I made the choice to experience Hong Kong and Beijing. I hope to come back to Asia soon - perhaps the rash is the travel bug that I have caught again. The list of places I want to travel is growing daily as I ask myself why I haven't travelled to the ends of the world in recent years.
Now, I have to figure out how to get to the airport with my 2 suitcases - it will be a bit of gong show.
PS - Some people have requested pictures from my trip. When I get back, I will post some here on the blog as well as provide a link to my picasa photo album

China - a country of contradictions

Arrived back to Hong Kong from Beijing last night and am still trying to process my feelings about China and Beijing. What I found is that China is a country of contradictions and it is difficult to define it. It is clean and dirty, rich and poor, communist and capitalism, polite and rude, old and modern - perhaps Beijing defies any type of definition.

Having said that, our side trip to Beijing was incredible and overwhelming. There is very little English spoken so that has its challenges but we found a few "friends" along the way which helped with our trip. One being the cute concierge at our hotel - Mark. He booked our Great Wall trip and suggested places to visit during our time there. I had a small crush on him.

Speaking of the Great Wall, I am a "heroine" because I climbed it - apparently Chairman Mao called anyone who climbed the wall a hero or heroine. In my expectations, I imagined the Great Wall to be like this first picture - not a lot of people such as the picture here. But let me say, the wall is complete insanity due to the crush of tourists just like the second picture (I didn't take either of these pictures - thank you Google Images) . Despite the majesty and immensity of the wall, the crowds took away from the pleasure of being there. Still, I was glad that I went because it is one of the wonders of the world and I don't think I could go to Beijing and not go...it is like going to the Eiffel Tower in Paris...you just have to go because of the iconic nature of the attraction.

The other things we did were:

- Ming Tombs - the burial sites for the Chinese emperors

- Chinese Herbal Medicine University

- Jade factory

- The Forbidden City - the living quarters for the emperor's family

- Tiannamen Square

- Wangfujing Shopping District

Beijing is full of ancient reminders of the imperial rule as well as constant propaganda of the Communist regime. Quite a fascinating city but I was glad to leave and return to the civility of Hong Kong.

Today is our last day in Hong Kong - I can't believe our trip has gone by so quickly. We have 29 hours to go before our plane leaves. We are going to explore the Central District around our friend Lynn's apartment and then out for dinner with friends for Korean BBQ- more good food.

My darling Kate

Yesterday's highlight was the trip to the Kate Spade store in Kowloon. Kate Spade is a designer extraordinaire of all things beautiful...stationary, accessories, shoes and style. I have loved her things for years and her store is one of the reasons I would go to New York City so imagine my delight when I stumbled across the store here in Hong Kong...oh the bliss! I did control myself somewhat but I was in heaven...deciding what to buy was so difficult.

Today we are off to Beijing...this will be a very different experience from Hong Kong because at least in Hong Kong many people speak English and it is fairly easy to communicate. Beijing - not so much. But regardless, it will be memorable and fabulous and I will try to keep you posted although the Internet availability or blog access from within China may be problematic as I had some issues posting from the Shenczen spa last week. Also, the flight to Beijing may prove to be an experience as Lynn thinks we are part of a Chinese tour package...who knows, we may be wearing yellow hats and following a guide carrying a flag through the airport...Good times ahead!

Will the real Hong Kong please stand up?

Today, I met the real Hong Kong - the crowds, the British life and luxury.

We have moved over to the Kowloon side of Hong Kong for the next couple of days prior to our trip to Beijing and we are currently staying at a posh apartment complex in Kowloon with a pool, workout center, Internet cafe and free lattes on demand. This truly is the life!

This afternoon (after a very leisurely morning), we headed into the Mong Kok district to browse the "Ladies Market" - the name is really a mis-nomer as it has something for everyone. Kowloon and Mong Kok have the crowded streets and millions of people that is iconic Hong Kong. Apparently, Mong Kok is the densest population in the world. Loads of people but the market seemed less overwhelming or else I am just becoming immune to the chaos.

Funny thing - at the Ladies Market amid the millions of people, Christine and I run into 3 of the handful of people we know in Hong Kong - what are the odds??

After that shopping experience, Christine and I headed to the Peninsula Hotel for High Tea...English style. I have never had this very shee-shee poo-poo experience before and it was great.

Tomorrow is gearing up for another shopping day at the haute couture stores. Must wear my new Gucci fake glasses to fit in. I can't believe we are leaving for Beijing in less than 2 days. I think I have become friends with Hong Kong and it is good!

The dragon's back

I haven't really said much about what Christine and I have done here on our adventure so I will try to summarize our activities quickly (although that may be challenging). Each day seems to be overflowing with activities and although the trip is already flying by, it has been so great. The jet lag has not been too bad so we have been able to fully participate in everything. Here is a brief summary of our itinerary thus far:
- Out Friday night to the Peak Lounge - great place for a drink and ex-pat community ...it was hard to believe we were in HKG
- Saturday am - took the train into Shenczen, China for a day at the spa and shopping. As explained earlier...the spa was an experience. We ended up spending nearly 10 hours there. After a full body massage, pedicure and facial, we hit the Shenczen shopping mall which was so chaotic and took the wind right out of me but definitely worth the experience.
- Sunday am - the best brunch of french toast, chocolate and bananas EVER! then off to church for Easter Service. Met up with friends of Lynn's for lunch at Stanley Market. Have I mentioned how good the food is in Hong Kong - have yet to experience a bad meal. Love it!
- Sunday pm - wandered around Stanley market and then to the Peak above Hong Kong in the evening where you can see the harbour and downtown all lit up. To get to the peak, you take this crazy funicular tram that goes up the mountain at a 60 degree angle but the view is breathtaking a beautiful.
-Monday - after a morning of errands (China visas, hotel reservations, etc), we took the train to the outskirts of HKG and hiked this beautiful trail - "The Dragon's back" and ended up on Sheko Beach where we spent the afternoon. A most gorgeous day with a slight breeze, bright sun and low humidity - a perfect summer day! The picture is a view from the trail down to the beach. Stunning panaromas of the Pacific Ocean and the Hong Kong coastline.
It is now Tuesday morning and has just finished raining which is great because we have outdoor plans today. We are heading over to the Kowloon side of Hong Kong and exploring that neighbourhood.
I have been waking up like clockwork at 5:45 am so have been spending the time journalling, meditating, etc. It is nice to have a couple hours to me as a nice start to the day. It is difficult to explain Hong Kong but I think I may have fallen in love with the city. There is magic here.

the indescribable

It is difficult to describe Hong Kong or to put what I am seeing into words. The city is similar to what I thought yet quite different in some respects. There are alot of people but it is not as stupid crazy busy as I imagined. However, it is holiday time here and tomorrow may be a different story.
Hong Kong is very international so there is every type of food your taste buds desire - a great city for foodies. Just tonight, I finally had an authentic Chinese meal of dumplings at this great place around the corner from Lynn's. The neighbour we are staying in is so great with lots of cool shops and restaurants.
Speaking of shops, shopping is somewhat overwhelming - there are so many choices and it is hard to make decisions. You don't know if this will be the best deal or the opportunity to buy. Also, sometimes you are expected to barter and other times the price is fixed and I have yet to determine which course of action is appropriate. So I just am trying to deal all the time. Shenczen, China's shopping was particularly overwhelming with overly aggressive clerks who pounced as soon as you showed even the slightest interest in an item.
We have barely scratched the surface of Hong Kong but I do know that it is beautiful, vibrant, diverse and overwhelming all at once - a city difficult to describe yet beckons to explore it's secrets further.