Playtime

Lillian and I took the girls to the playground downstairs in the morning. They are both just so darn cute that I had to take pictures.

From the playground we could see monkeys running on the hill. I'll try to get a better picture soon.

Anika and I climbed up the stairs on the hill trying to see the monkeys better. We didn't see any, but we found a bunch of these monument type things that I think used to be graves...the center looked like it had been dug up though.

At night I went to Mong Kok, which is a shopper's dream. You can find just about anything you need there, and it's not as expensive as the malls because you can bargain with the vendors. They close down the streets at night and there are people everywhere. I bought a new digital camera. I brought the price down about HK$400 (just over $50 US), and he threw in a case and a 4 Gb memory card...score!

The Peak

The Peak is the highest point on Hong Kong Island. To make our way up there we took the Central-Mid-Levels Escalator which is the longest covered escalator system in the world. Some people even use it to commute to work.

This bamboo scaffolding is the norm for construction. You'll see it on 20 story buildings...aparently it works...

We took a taxi after the escalators and the view was spectacular. This is looking out towards Hong Kong and the New Territories where the Melvers live. If you can see through the smog, Tai Wai (pronounced 'dye why') is just beyong the hills in the distance.

This is one of the ritzier apartment buildings. Mucho dinero to live here.



Heather and Erik enjoying the view...

Anyone recognize the tower? It was used in The Dark Knight...apparently Batman jumps off it.

This is the view looking out the other direction into the South China Sea just around sunset...




Here we have some of the most expensive real estate in the world. With a 360 view of Hong Kong, it's a very desireable place to live. This article talks about it more: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Housing/Story?id=2773844&page=1

The Island

We went to Hong Kong Island today and the weather was beautiful. There are Lunar New Year decorations everywhere, including this golden bull which I decided to kiss for good luck.




We stopped by the US Consulate so Heather and Eric could get some documents notarized for their move to Saudi Arabia in August. I was expecting some grand marble building, but the only marble I saw was this wall outside.




Hong Kong Island has steep hillsides that have been built on over the years. I love these stone walls with trees growing out of them.

We stopped by Hong Kong park in the afternoon which included this courtyard dedicated to those who had died fighting SARS. This picture was taken on a 30 m tower that we climbed 105 steps to get to the top of...fun...

This picture is dedicated to Glenda Wycoff. It was part of the "artificial lake" (they are very specific on their maps)

This was so exciting! Sulfur-Crested Cockatoos fly around wild in the park. They are an introduced species to Hong Kong.

This giant walk through aviary was closed when we walked by. I'll get some pictures of the inside another day.

The buildings in Hong Kong amaze me. This one has grass on the roof.





This is an example of a very typical apartment building. People hang their clothes out the windows to dry them.

The Lippo Towers are just neat...

I'm not sure how well you can see this, but the side of the AIG building was lit up like a rainbow. Every night at 8pm there is a light show with music on the sides of all the buildings...quite extravagant.

Ramon the way it should be...

Time for a few pictures...

This is Lillian and Saskia. Lillian is also known as Auntie around the house and is a wonderful cook. She looks after the kids and keeps the household running while Heather and Erik are at work. She is also one of the nicest people I've met. Saskia missed the memo about smiling but she is a little under the weather so I suppose that's okay.

Next is my favorite picture of the day. Anika has gotten so big since I last saw her, and she never stops talking. She loves to show people her dance moves and how high she can jump.

This is the view from the living room. The apartment in on the 23rd floor. There are so many people in Hong Kong that almost everyone lives in tall towers like these ones. The elevator and hallways smell like white rice...it gives the building character.

Say good morning to Heather and Erik. They were still a bit sleepy because both the kids are sick right now. I feel like I might be getting the cold too, but I'm trying my best to stay healthy.

I the afternoon Heather, Erik and I went to the mall to pick up some groceries (yes, they have grocery store in the mall). We stopped to have lunch at a ramon restaurant that was delicious. This is definitely the way ramon should be served...with veggies and pork in it. It came with octopus balls also but I didn't enjoy those as much. They were basically fried balls of octopus...yum! This is my audition to be the ramon poster girl...

At 9:30 pm we went out to see Benjamin Button which I highly recommend. The funny part about movies in Hong Kong is that people buy their tickets online mostly and you have assigned seats. We bought our tickets late so we were in the second row, but it was still fun. The strange thing is that not everyone shows up and there are empty seats.

We're headed to the island today so I'll have more pictures soon. Send me requests if there is anything I'm forgetting to tell you guys.

24

It's Wednesday the 28th in Hong Kong, 9:51 pm and I just got to the Melver's apartment. For those of you that don't know Heather and Erik, they worked at PLU my first two years there and moved to Hong Kong to teach at an international school the summer after my sophmore year. I came with them for the first three weeks and watched the girls (Anika and Saskia) as they settled in. When I graduated early, I decided to come back to visit.

They met me at the airport (surprise!) after a 15 hour plane ride. Fortunately I had four seats to myself so the flight wasn't too uncomfortable, just long. As soon as I got off the plane I smelled the scent of Hong Kong. I can't describe it in words but it felt like I was here just yesterday and not a year and a half ago.

It's time to go to bed after a long 24 hours of travelling. Thanks for reading!

The Beginning

So, I've graduated from PLU with a BA in Biology...what do I do next? Answer: Avoid the responsibilities of "real life" by travelling the world. On this blog you can follow my adventures, some exciting and others rather mundane. I leave for Hong Kong in the morning so be sure to check for updates on my trip. Be back in a month!