Nei Hao! This week marks the end of my first month back to HK. In this morning's newspaper, there is an article regarding a recent poll of HK youth that indicates they more closely identify with China and 'national pride' for China than the youth of ten years ago, which is not that surprising due to the fact that Hong Kong was reunified with China ten years ago this month. It's also understandable considering the world-wide interest in China's economic, travel and development potential. I read recently that China will be the number one travel destination worldwide within the next [View Full Entry]

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Wong Tai Sin Temple is one of the most popular temples in Hong Kong as it is the favored temple for the fortunes of gamblers and others who believe in random luck. For this reason, I had wanted to visit it for my Dad since my first arrival last year in Hong Kong. I told him via email then about this temple and that I was going to 'pray for good luck at the Biloxi slots' for him. This week with Father's Day approaching, I made the journey to this temple. Fodor's city guide describes it as a 'top 25 [View Full Entry]

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Time Magazine has listed this as the most scenic hike in all of Southeast Asia...and now I know why. 10 kilometers, lots of water and sore muscles but I can say I did it! Lilliana from Argentina, Amanda from London and Marco (our guide) from Switzerland were my hiking buddies. Tip: When you meet your hiking guide and he's from Switzerland--you know--home of the Swiss Alps and where babies begin hiking before they can walk--you should probably recognize what you're in for before you even get started! When he said he runs the annual HK beach run (70 kilometers) in [View Full Entry]

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Jo San All! I've been back to HK a whopping 9 days now and I feel like a local. I've arrived just in time to celebrate Buddha's Birthday on Thursday so the temples will be packed--I suppose I should wait to do my 'temple-ing' until the weekend. I've returned to the category of 'culinarily inquisitive' again, too. I've enjoyed 1000 year old egg (look it up if you're wondering), congee (rice porridge), fish stomach, and goose foot. Gwen, that one's for you. If you can get past the webbing, it's pretty good. To facilitate the flow of my research, I [View Full Entry]

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Hello TravelBlog Faithful, You've inquired about my absence and I'm grateful for your interest in the Hong Kong blog. My father passed away on November 16, 2006 and I returned to the US for some time. I hope to return to Hong Kong mid-spring and resume blog postings. Peace to You and thank you for your support, Melissa Nothing Gold Can Stay--Robert Frost Nature's first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold [View Full Entry]

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The Buddha said "Live your life like an empty bowl...open and receptive to all possibilities". You gotta love dim sum (little heart) to live in this phenomenal city--I think of dim sum like small appetizers served with lots of tea for either breakfast or lunch (or both!)--it's served in about 8,999 of the 9,000 restaurants in HK and has a staggeringly infinite number of combinations and flavors--it's truly an ancient chinese secret! My favorites are sui mai (pork and shrimp steamed dumplings), cha siu bau (barbequed pork buns)--um, um, good--and chun guen (spring rolls). There's a guy who p [View Full Entry]

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is that a southern accent? where is that coming from? I heard it in the Temple Street Night Market as a woman from Live Oak, Georgia, (no less) was price haggling with a local--I just couldn't resist and had to watch the spectacle of the dueling calculators...she REALLY wanted a set of six cloisonne santa tree ornaments...and for HK$60--and the vendor wanted HK$90...the difference was $4 US. You might guess who won--15 minutes later, she got her six ornaments for HK$60 ($7.70 US)...I guess you just can't keep a southern shopping woman down! Her family is on a two week visit [View Full Entry]

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like sleeping late, playing with puppies and walking tours of Hong Kong...and sometimes the free things are quirky, too-- so, in honor of the anniversary of my first month in Hong Kong and the one thousandth hit on the blog, i've compiled a montage of photos from a walk and a double-decker tram ride about the city yesterday. i should have known when the girl threw up in the McDonald's bag at the Jade Market that I was in for an interesting day--finally, a purpose for those discarded McDonald's bags! The free day was off to an auspicious beginning--i just had [View Full Entry]

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My culinary mojo, that is...I took a cooking class! Fun Intro to Chinese Cooking 101—I think they had to tack the 'Fun' on the front of it for those who suffer with what I like to call "Wok-aphobia". This is the same class that the blonde chick on Globe Trekker took on the Travel Channel. I don’t like to brag BUT Lillian, our instructor, said I stirred a mean wok! I would like to say the photos are my creations, but too bad—they are the demo samples prepared by Lillian. Spareribs in Orange Sauce, Pan-Fried Salmon with Lemon Infused Sauce and [View Full Entry]

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When I got the news that someone I loved is gone, I wanted to honor him and my memories of him. I thought I might travel to one of the outlying islands surrounding Hong Kong, Lantau Island, and spend some time 'with' Mark. I am thankful we shared sunsets and sunrises, campfires, lakehouses and starry Texas skies, good Kentucky whiskey and Houston Astros games. I will be the same age as Mark lived when my journey comes to an end here--so, I want to make the most of the time I have on this journey--as he and the Buddha said "love [View Full Entry]

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