Blogs from Kowloon, Hong Kong, Asia - page 94

The overnight train ran late & it was afternoon before we crossed the border back into civilized Hong Kong, where we lunched at where else but Starbucks - great food by the way. Another train & taxi to the hotel where we freshened up & explored the surrounding streets before meeting for our final group dinner. Afterwards I was going to have a quiet night until somebody twisted my arm into coming out for ONE drink. We found a cute little club on Hong Kong Island that had at least three different Chinese bands playing covers of mainly 80's & 90's western music. Curiously there were a handful of songs that all three bands knew, so not only were Leah & I playing pick the song, we were playing pick the repeat as well. Met up ... read more

Sorry everyone, I made a slight mistake. Being the foreigner that I am and unfamiliar with the area, I am actually living in Kowloon and not on Hong Kong Island. I have a great view of Hong Kong Island though as my 6th floor room overlooks a concrete construction site (with really amazing bamboo scaffolding for all you civils out there) a highway, the Victoria Harbour and the Hong Kong Skyline. There's a lot more skyline in HK than there is in Calgary, that's for sure. There's a mishmash of thoughts running through my head. I'm adjusting quite well to the culture, I've been mistaken as a Hong Kong-ian many times, except the clothes I wear (my tie dye skirt and pink t-shirt) and my heavily accented cantonese gives me away like a sore thumb. The ... read more

A quiet day in Hong Kong! After our very late night it took us quite some time to surface this morning. The knock on the door by the Housekeeping Staff hurried our wakeup at about 9.00 am. Up until that time even the girls were safely tucked up in bed. Once we got started however, we moved like lightening and were out and about at just after 10.00 am and found our way across the road to Delifrance. It has been interesting that there are no restaurants of the Chinese variety in this area open at 10 am. So after another delightful lunch we hit the shops with a vengeance. (Actually we have had a very shoppy kind of day!) We started at Wing On Plus - which appears to be the Chinese equivalent of Target. ... read more

I’ve been involved with so many exciting people and events since my last blog. I will relate a few of them here. But, for those of you who I will visit when coming home, be assured that I have many more to tell, should you be interested. I hope that some of the joy I’ve experienced resonates with you as you share my stories with me. Someone to Talk to A few weeks ago I had lunch with an American who has lived in Hong Kong for the past 21 years. I related my inner struggles with holding in so much frustration about how I’m treated as a blind woman in Asia. My friend, Mark, encouraged me to be as assertive as I am at home. He reminded me that Americans are known for their directness ... read more

Wow! Who knew that Hong Kong is so beautiful!!!! (actually, Benji does, he's been here several times before...) But seriously, once you get past the huge CITY, the surrounding hillsides are quite picturesque! After getting trapped in a monsoon in Bangkok yesterday while checking out the Grand Palace (Long live the king!!!), we're excited to be back in the northern hemisphere and away from the rainy season. We just arrived here earlier today, and managed to find the smallest hotel room in the entire city. It's a wonder we can even fit our packs in it... but I'm not complaining. The city is so vibrant, and SO different from BAngkok (though the weather is similar... HOT!!!) As Benji likes to say, this city is like a furturistic Sci-fi movie. If the TV show Futurama is modeled ... read more