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Dec 30 2019
Getting ready to head out on a journey of a lifetime for us. One never knows when it is time to face the Hungry Ghosts but we think we can hear them in the distance so we have decided to make this “the big one” for us.
Plans are made...well mostly. Packing 90 days into 2 backpacks and the requisite negotiations as to allocation of space is underway (“well women need more space”).
Flight reservations are complete...18 flights, over 23,000 miles, and 65 plus hours in the air.
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Jan 11 2020
One and Done in Jakarta
A week here allowed us to acclimate to the 12 hour time difference and spend precious time with our grandchildren...and their parents.
It was an interesting city but lacked a soul...at least to us.
The route in the map of this program shows us traveling from US East to Jakarta. We actually trolled straight north over the North Pole and south over Siberia and China. Have you ever been going north one moment and then south the next without without changing direction? Come to think of it, that sort of sums up what’s going on back home now!
The National Museum was filled with treasures dating back to 8th century. Makes one realize just how young...and precious...our experiment in Democracy is
Restaurant menu.pick a card for each dish you want and give it to hostess before you are seated
Deborah channels the Buddha
Wonder Woman
Typical traffic, every day, every hour
I tried to buy his business but couldn’t wake him
3 rd largest Muslim Mosque in the world. It will accommodate 200,000 for prayer
Choipan Kukus- a dumpling filled with dried shrimp, garlic and Indonesian yam, topped with fried garlic...yummy!
Getting ready for Chinese New Year
Our local tour guide, Vera
Our friendly tuk tuk driver. You can’t see our knees shaking from the ride!
Ice cream with a syrup of brewed Tumeric and Tamarind. This picture was taken at 10:30am
These two broke off from their high school tour in Old Town because they wanted their picture taken with a white man. We were definitely a curiosity, especially Deborah with blonde hair
Galley on a local freight boat
The old harbor
Deborah’s new best friend
Yes, we are going through that opening!
The Beaufort shrimp boats would fit right in.
Young...and young at heart!
A gift from Timmy, artist and family driver
Finn and are learning to draw...on daddy’s classroom wall...
...it was exhausting
Kissing mom’s nose
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Jan 19 2020
Our first few days in Hong Kong have been spent getting oriented and walking...and walking. It is simply magnificent. Millions of people on so little land. And it works. Public transportation covers most every corner, except for the thousand of small alleys that are stairs. Stairs everywhere. If you don’t like the stairs take the Central escalators that run from the bottom of the city to the mid levels. There is no excuse for not seeing every nook and cranny...but it will take us a month for sure!
The city lights up at night with an incredible light show from the buildings that make up the skyline of Hong Kong Island
Taking the ferry across to Kowloon, the mainland. Free for “Elders”
The statue for the Chinese version of the Oscars along the Promenade of Stars
More markets than you can imagine
They have grocery stores too, but why would you?!
Typical residential street
The Queen holding court on Kowloon waterfront
The only sign of protest we have seen...so far
The wisest choice to get to Victoria Peak is the 125 year old tram that scales the terrain at a ridiculous angle up almost 1800 feet in a very short time. We did walk down and it was steep. Our quads have been paying the price.
Chinese New Year is next week. It is the year of the rat, but the portrayals resemble cute little mice...much easier to merchandise.
Dried meat stares at you on every corner.
An interesting note about construction. Scaffolding is all bamboo lashed together with rope. Some time 30 stories of bamboo scaffolding!!
Slurping is an art to be learned and we will endeavor to become experts
We are seeing many noodle bowl consumption methods. This is a primitive western style. Makes for good noise but not very efficient. As my fingers come back online I will move to the two-handed method using spoon and chopsticks. I see a lot of elders use this method.
Home Sweet Home...after climbing 4 floors. No elevators in most buildings under 8 floors
I find the signs, warnings, street markers are a wonderful part of the city. For instance, I never knew cabs would charge extra for a bird or animal!
How do they do that?
I think it is an Asian form of diarrhea
More to come.
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Jan 22 2020
Hong Kong is a city of ferries. We took a ferry to Lantau Island with the goal of seeing the Big Buddha. The 20 minute ferry ride took us around the northwest side of Hong Kong and down the eastern side of Lantau to the town of Mui Wo. We caught a nice double decker bus up to Po LinMonastery, the site of this magnificent 100 ft high Buddha. \240It was constructed of 202 cast bronze pieces with over 5 km of welding seam. 268 steps to approach it. Magnificent is not a good enough word to describe it. The path to the steps is lined with 12 warrior statues. Each is responsible for protecting the Buddha for a specific 2 hour time period. http://www.plm.org.hk/eng/buddha.php
We then caught a bus down to Tai O a small fishing village with homes on stilts in the water. The Tanka people have been fishing here for a long time. Bus back to Mui Wo and ferry back to Hong Kong.
Central Pier, home to the many ferries of Hong Kong
I can feel,the Buddha’s presence
Not sure how he was selected to guard the 11am-1pm slot but I didn’t argue with him
Mumms about half way up the 268 steps
View from the Buddha to the hall of 10,000 Buddhas
6 statues all offering gifts to the Buddha
Very impressive
The Hall of 10,000 Buddhas
Decorate for Chinese New Year, the tree, not the wife
Resting the fingers
Our sampan tour of Tai O
I’d like to see a display like this outside of Beaudry’s General Store back in Huntington
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Jan 27 2020
Today’s agenda was a simple climb up Mount Davis only a mile or so from our home in Hong Kong. The description looked good. The entrance to the path caused some consternation. The trek to the peak was basically concrete steps.. We \240walked them with purpose. \240We were reminded of Stephanie Kimball and Ashley Hall Kimball and their annual charity climb up the to the top of the bank tower in Charlotte...except we were doing it for views and the justification to eat more Dim Sum. The trek to the top was just surviving the steps to the summit, all 2,671 of them. The views of the mainland to the north were terrific. The route down was a challenge as the path disappeared before our eyes. Thank god for gps. We ended up in a jungle and slipped our way down the hill. Although my wife questioned my navigation, we eventually made it down to civilization...and the reward of wonderful Dim Sum. Another great day in an amazing city.
The beginning was ominous
But the views were worth it
It’s been 50 years since I took Mandarin so perhaps I misinterpreted this warning...or maybe it was in Cantonese
Couldn’t read it but felt sure it meant a choice
The path less travelled
I was reminded it was the path less travelled several times...often with unladylike language I might add
He was “testing” his new beer can camping stove. We haven’t noticed any forest fires...yet
Oops, at this point I was reminded again of my choices.
My favorite video of the trip so far
Much easier toward the end
Even a slide to end the hike
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Jan 29 2020
Macau
An interesting mix of new and old. The Las Vegas of Asia with all the same casinos as Vegas, huge Portuguese influence from its days as a colony, and old Chinese blended in. They take the virus out break seriously. All government buildings, museums and many businesses were shuttered. We were given masks several times. They have 11 cases in a population of over 600,000.
40 miles to the west of Hong Kong by ferry
They politely asked us to use the masks they provided us on the ferry. Hard to tell but we are both wearing them upside down...crazy westerners
I did find a safe haven for all my Democratic friends who want to flee the country
Streets paved just like Lisbon
Butter tarts just like in Lisbon
Yup, Portuguese architecture
Cookie bakeries are a thing in Macau. This was one of the biggest. We fit right in with this bus load of tourists trying the free samples. Protocol allows one to lower the mask to eat
Deborah consumed 100 or so samples. She wanted to get on the bus to see where they were eating next
One of many small Chinese temples
I tried to fit in but was not invited to join
Me and my new bestie, Mateo Ricci
Ruins of Portuguese cathedral
Well that casino fits right in the neighborhood
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