These are the days of My Life - Hong Kong, China Lunch w/a friend and The Elevator

I gotta say when you have been away from home for 3 1/2 months it is a blessing to find an old co-worker on the other side of the world to invite you to lunch.  thanks Seline, Dim Sum and tea was delicious.  It was great to get caught up with you and thrilled that you and your family are doing well.  I shared with Julie and Seline the following statement:  I had lunch with an old co-worker from Dallas today.  She works in Times Square (office building/mall) which is located in Causeway Bay (my Hong Kong neighborhood) just at the end of Fashion Walk (the few block area where my Hostel is located) off Patterson Street.  I am still having a hard time fathoming that i am really in Hong Kong, China.  I walk in a heavily traffic high end shopping area to a skyscraper office tower/mall for lunch in a Chinese restaurant with an old friend from the States.  It could have been a similar scenario anywhere.  Only I'm in Hong Kong, China.  Some things are just the same no matter where you are or who you are with.  It was great.

I decided that I would then head over to traverse The Elevator.  The Elevator in Hong Kong is 792m (7598ft long) string of elevators who link all the road between Queen's Road and Conduit Street.  It is the best way for pedestrians to get around the steep districts of Central, the Mid-Levels and SoHo.  The escalator runs uphill until midnight except during the morning rush hour when it runs downhill.  There are alot of bars, restaurants, art galleries and skinny streets with local vendors selling anything from kid clothes, womensware, cheap watches, scarves and of course whole streets just for the produce market.  It is a lively area and turns into a popular trendy nightly hang out for expats in SoHo.

After talking with my Hong Kong expat friend, I have decided that a week in Shanghai and a week in Beijing and 3 days in Xi'an should cover my travel to Mainland China.  I keep feeling that mainland China is going to be a bit of a shock only because it will be totally different from Hong Kong.  HK had until a few years ago been under British rule.  Mainland China will be much more...hmmmm how do I say Chinese (uncommercialize).  I will be staying in a nice YHA hostel in the Bund (neighborhood) called Blue Mountain once i reach Shanghai.  only problem is I have not confirmed how I'm getting to Shanghai.  Oh well there is always tomorrow to figure that out.  i need to leave on Thursday so i may get to pay extra for the last minute reservations.   No need rushing to get plans made too far in advance you never know when a better invitation may come at the last minute.  So far I have managed just fine and expect tomorrow will turn out to be a success as well.

I will attach a few more pictures of my night at the Peak as they are just stunning.

As the sun begins to set, the buildings exterior lights begin to come to life.

It is a awesome as the picture shows and you can't believe the light show as people begin to get home and start to turn on their apartment lights it is a twinkling wonderland.

This photo is shot just with the night lights of the city.  It is stunningly bright.

Then of course there is the nightly light show at the harbour which just adds color to the already stunning sight.

The light show lasts from 8:00pm to 8:15pm nightly.  What a great way to end the day with a cocktail and light show. 

A little grainy but it shows the colorful additions of the nightly light show on the harbour.

Atop the buildings are huge search lights that accompany the light show.

To always be looking up at the tall building it is an awesome experience to be looking down at them.  Luv The Peak!

Oddly, this is the Peak tram station.  there are only 2 double cars at each end of the cable car and they are on a close to perpendicular track pulled by a huge cable.  The lines coming and going are long as the ride is about 5 minutes each way and the double cars carry only about 60 +/- max capacity each trip.

Capturing the final glimpse of the Hong Kong night skyline on the final descent.

Happy Belated Easter!  Ya'll

These are the days of My Life - Hong Kong, China Tin Hau Festival

Enjoyed the Tin Hau Festival celebrates the birthday of tin Hau, also known as the Queen of Heaven and goddess of the Sea.  Celebrated on the 23rd day of the third month of the lunar calendar this year's Tin Hau festival falls on 25th April 2011 (Monday).  Legend has it that Tin Hau, daughter of a fisherman who was born in China's Fujian Province, has visions enabling her to predict storms and even saved people from drowning.  Consequently, fishermen adopted  her as their patron saint and Tin Hau temples can be found wherever there are fishing communities in southern China.  during this annual festival, fishermen make a pilgrimage to pray for protection on the high seas and for full nets in the year ahead.  Yuen Long, a traditional new Territories market town where fishermen sell their catches, is home to one of the biggest Tin Hau celebrations.  This Tin Hau Temple was built some 300 years ago and villagers adopted Tin Hau as their protector against marauders.

I missed the actual parade thru the streets which from the confetti in the street when I arrived told the story of Mardi Gras, New Territories style.  The New Territories are on the north side of the mountain range from Kowloon which is on the Harbour and across from Hong Kong Island.  The train ride took 3 stops and about 30 minutes but was well worth the journey.  I arrived at the Temple where the various community fishermen all presented Gigantic offerings to Tin Hau.  They beat drums and symbols and pranced their elaborately colored dragons in and around the temple.  It was just incredible. 

New Territories, Location of the Tin Hau Festival. 

They are just so Cute.  Lions and Tigers and Bears...Oh My!  Ok so it is a Dragon but just play along.

Banners line the street of the parade route and confetti is everywhere.

Elaborate Displays to the the Deity...Tin Hau

Street Decorations

Building decorations

Building exterior art...having nothing to so with the festival...just awesome.

more building decorations

I think they went this way...but I could be wrong...?!?!?!

Drummer chariots and flags

Dragon kissing security guard....kinda cute.

These are elaborately decorated offerings to the Deity...Tin Hua, there are food, and enough bling to deck out a few dozen drag queens bonnets for Easter in the Park back home. 

Flaggers and Dragons, Drummers and Symbolist were the festivities of the day.

baby Dragon paying his respect at the alter.  I was so caught up in all the colorful festivities i forgot to even get a picture of the actual temple.  Silly me.

Carmen Miranda ain't got nothing on this headware.

Dragons seem to follow the bouncing disco ball.  The disco ball holder is like the drum major of the marching band along with 20 other guys/girls with whistles that they constantly blow to tell the dragon boys how to move with the body of the dragon it really is like a choreographed productions.   So fun!

It gets hot under there as well as the dragon poles get heavy.  There are teams of about 30 people that switch in and out during the dragons prance thru the temple.

Drummers and Symbols keep the spirits attention so they are a banging and clanging all day long.  If I could have gotten the SMILE off my face, I may have gotten a headache, but it was an extraordinary experience.  All the time there are people pay their tribute at the temple with incense and hug paper offerings that were burned in large dumpsters and kilns.  the smoke was intense and my feet were black when I got back to the Hostel.  i shed 4 lbs once I washed off all the soot.

Packing it in and heading for home.  another awesome day in The New Territories, Hong Kong, China

These are the days of My Life - Hong Kong, China Rain on The Big Bus Tour

Big Bus tour day 2.  In the Rain. Rode inside as i had already done this side of Hong Kong Island yesterday and was headed to the Star Ferry dock to cross the harbour.

Today's haze brought to you by the Rain.  Still quite an impressive view.

Remember the ferry picture of last post a bit swaying in the seas?  Well let me tell you that the sway would throw you out of your seat.  It takes about 3-5 minutes once the moor rope is secured for the boat/ferry to come to a bit calmer position to allow passengers to disembark.  Green is not a good color on me.;-(

The main nightly light show stage for all the laser light show fun.  The laser lights are shot from across the harbor and dance on this backdrop.  It is actually a building with enough light reflectors that it would probably blind you in the sunlight...luckily the haze/smog/pollution will protect you.

Shout Out to my Mom...Happy Mother Day!  i know that i missed it by a day and that you can barely read the sign from across the harbour but it is an advertisement for Samsung product for Mother's Day....Love this....Side by side refrigerator, flat screen TV or dishwasher....No kidding...Just what Mom wanted.   LOVE YOU from Hong Kong, China!

A little rain does not dampen the Hong Kong walk of fame.  Even in the pouring drizzle the fans show up for the photo opps.

Streets are deserted but the Big Bus Tour rolls on.

Nothing is as pretty when it gets wet. 

Even the festive signage looks a bit drab and dreary.

Looks like the old...real old MTV music video...if you chuckled...you are real old too.

It isn't all awesome some of the buildings in the Kowloon area are much older residential buildings.

Google map one of these locations to see where i am in the world.  It's awesome.

Awesome even in the rain.

Now you know why real estate prices are outrageous in SE Asia.  Everyone lives on the coast or with a view of the coast and these are the views they ALL have.  Pretty stunning even in the rain.

They do have quite a few unique building architecture...Looks like Mighty Magnet from back in the day...Again is you are smiling you were there back in the day. ;-)

Talk about product placement.  That Samsung sign is where about 2 1/2 hours earlier you couldn't read the Happy Mothers Day illumination. And the red sign on the boat is for Coca cola.  Feels just like home.

Buildings, buildings and more buildings...in the rain.

Minnie Mouse and friend ride the Star Ferry with me.  She and Minnie were alot braver than I.

Such a tourist...but it really helps to get a better lay of the land in advance of tackling the return to the places, sights, neighborhoods and points of interest that appeal to you.  There is also the brief history, insight and local customs that are shared on the headset that you don't get just wandering around aimlessly looking up at all the stuff that makes you go WOW.

Hong Kong's version of the Dallas Mobil Oil Winged Stallion. 

Tunnel...really, really, long tunnel.  I heard that the subway system in Hong Kong was only install in the last 20 years or so which of course makes me go Huh?  I try not to think too hard about the fact that it is all along the coast, that the buildings above it are all very tall residential skyscrapers, that they use bamboo scaffolding and that there is alot of cement type support along the steep sided cliffs where the roadways are to prevent landslides of these towering buildings from sliding down the side of the mountains on top of the roads.  i guess it is very California in concept..have a road along a cliff lead to a driveway where the entire home is suspended over the cliff on what appears to be a toothpick so as the view is 360 degrees and then wonder why they slide down the mountain in a landslide, earthquake or heavy rain.  Things that make you go Hmmmmmm?

Other side of the tunnel.....cleared up for about a second and then more rain.

Ocean Park Amusement Park, very popular mini Disneyworld.  Tram ride over the mountain and rides. 

The beach.....in the rain....I am so happy now.  I love the beach and with awesome views of the outlying islands...Paradise!

On a clear day, you can see forever...sing along....in the rain you can see... well this is it.

Happy Easter Ya'll.  Another building that like to leave a bit of the center missing so you can see their view from the other side of the building.

Love the beach...Repulse Beach...strange name, awesome place....Rich, Rich, Rich

Yeah, I'm not stupid, I did put on the rain poncho provided.  Glamorous isn't it.

Hosteling isn't for wimps.  Home sweet home.

Today it rained. Which; when you have the remainder of your open topped double deckertightened to the moors and you are allowed to disembark. So looking my best in green (pale) I head out to meet the Big Bus Tour which is at the end of the Celebrity Star walk of Fame that i visited on Tuesday. Kowloon is pretty cool as a shopping and exploring destination. Nathan Road run thru the center and appears that the 2 streets on wither side are the best for shopping and exploring for all sorts of nick knacks, clothes and souvenirs. I need nothing but will tomorrow use my Octopus card (bus, MTR and food purchases) to visit the other side of the harbour, if it isn't raining to explore more on my own.

The second half of the tour takes an interesting ride into a very high dollar area that also has a couple of nice beach areas; Recluse Bay/Stanley. i just heard from an old work buddy whose office in the Causeway Bay area where I am staying and she lives in the Recluse Bay/Stanley area. We will meet up for lunch next week and maybe dinner. Sweet! I have to say that there are alot of areas of town that I would love to revisit but time constraints due to the other cities that I want to visit will prevent me from spending quality time. I would much rather visit Shanghai, Beijing and Xi'an than wonder thru endless markets when I know that I don't need anything of for that matter to be tempted to purchase more stuff that I don't have room for in my luggage. I can shop during my next travel trip when I know or figure out where that will be and if it ends up being a permanent destination or merely another travel for adventure/experience. I know that SE Asia is a definite return trip in the future. There is so much culture to explore and excitement to be in such a imposing and forbidden land that my interest is spiked to already be planning a return when I have not even left yet. This is what makes me glad that although I may not have done or seen everything; I know that there is a future opportunity to return. What i don;t get to this time i will certainly prioritize to see on a future journey. The goal this trip is to absorb...not saturate or I will not continue to enjoy everyday that I have been on the road. So far it has been perfect everyday...even the rainy ones like today. Rain slicker on and on the upper deck of the us in the rain is an experience in itself. Enjoying it as it comes your way in the way it comes....Priceless!