Beyond the Buzz...

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After mazeing through the noisy, busy streets and feeling like a little bee in one of the billions of concrete honey comb quarters, at last, mostly durring weekends, I’m discovering all the rest of Hong Kong; the mountains, and beaches, and forests, and islands,……………………

Here are a few pictures that should fill in the blank:
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Photos

The view
During a TerryFox fundraising hike (for cancer research) about 56 people started on a hike up a mountain overlooking Shenzhen in mainland China, only 4 of us made it to the top, one of us was a 60 year old African American lady, I think the sight of her hike up got me motivated to make it.

Waterfall
On the way were waterfalls, with lots of butterflies around!

Caterpillar
And on the way were tiny little wonders that were sometimes easily overlooked.

Organic
Some lady workers hired to farm the organic fields
very yummy vegetables!

Next: Cheung Cha Island
The boats

Cheung Cha Island
The beach

Cheung Cha Island
The hike on the rocks

Cheung Cha Island
The bamboo view

Cheung Cha Island
The old homes

A field trip
Back to school life, this is a picture of one of the 3 major sewage treatment facilities in Hong Kong (situated in Yuen Long, North-West upper territories). Inside this aeration tank billions and billions of aerobic-microbes are feasting on the sewage waste. As you can imagine it wasn’t a very pleasant smell. (one crazy story told was that: once they started getting millions of HK dollars floating in the sewage (durring the screening stage) and after investigation it was found that money, illegally obtained, had been dumped in public toilets because the thieves had no other way to dispose of it)

2 Macau School Girls
Just like Hong Kong with the British the Portuguese’s owned Macau but latter on gave it back to China.

Casino
Today, Macau is known for gambling. In its realitively 2 small islands there are at least 1/2 a dozen casinos and 4 more being built. Because most gambling is prohibited in Hong Kong, so many people from here and all of Asia go there to gamble. It was really strange because everything was in either Portuguese or Chinese (just like in Hong Kong: English or Chinese)! It was strange to see the marriage of Chinese culture with a Latin sort of Spanish flare.

Remnants
Remnants of the Portuguese influence in Chinese Macau.

Yummy!
Some good street deserts!

A street
Dont you just love the title of this picture...

A sweet win
Jockey Club is a very powerfull rich organization because it has the monopoly as being the only major form of gambling in Hong Kong; Apart from betting on sport games and wining numbers (like the loto 649), twice a week they hold huge hourse races. Its big big money, people are so addicted, they gamble from home placing bets then they get there to the race site and place more bets and watch the hourses and just like that they lose all the money. I tried for trying sake and played once, a friend and I bet 30HK$ and won 859HK$ and decided never to play again ( as Emeka taught me once you win you call it a night).

Sea Food
My host family took me to one of the seafood galore places in Hong Kong. Boats come in at the harbour (not from the polluted ocean water but enclosed lakes) and you buy your, very fresh, sea food and take it to a restaurant and they cook it for you. As I already mentioned, Hong Kongers don’t cook (maybe I cant say never but lets just say rarely), the kitchens are small and they don’t have the time is what most say.

Strange Food
That day I saw a lobsters as big as half of my leg, notice I said leg, but also as expensive. I ate all sort of seafood I never knew existed
one of them in Chinese is called an elephant’s trunk because out of a massive shell is this protruding muscel that looks like an elephants trunk! Here is one that I had heard of before, I don’t know its name though
perhaps something like “soldiers helmet”?

Walk
Winter has started here but I prefer the weather now! It’s not as humid, and most nights we can do without the Air Conditioning.
Thanks for reading my blog. I sort of miss the snow back home (not the cold though!)...Xmas without snow will be strange

Comments

[Micheline]

Do you also have time to study??
Hi Cynthia! your pictures are wonderful and so are your comments! what an opportunity you have! do you still have time to take in classes and do a bit of homework??? though sounds like you are learning lots through these other experiences! Take it all in and enjoy! and remember to take care! Big hugs Micheline

[Sofiat]

MISS HONG KONG
Hey C-babi, how are u doin?? am happy to see that u are enjoying urself in HK we miss ur craziness in mtl, take care and be good ok, have funnnnnnnnnnnn. miss ya Sofiat.

[Princesca]

looking great
Girl, You are looking great. Quick question, where do you get your hair done?

[Elijah Johnson]

Nice pics
Looks like your turning out to be quite the photographer. I'm damn impressed (esp. with the waterfall, and caterpillar one. Very nice! And those helmet things... wtf!) Can't make too long of a comment now, got a midterm on Wednesday and it's like 12am right now. But I will say it's cold here, very cold... trust me, you don't miss it. Take care! E

[ERNEST]

FABULOUS PICS
Thanks for the pics girl, We hope you are studying hard and achieving success in the classroom as usual. Don't worry about snow we'll save some for you! Keep up the updates!

[anonymous]

Beautiful
What beautiful photos you have taken.

[PRINCE]

Picteres of the sky
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