By Aaron on Sat, 09 Jun 2007

There are lots of questions, but one of my favorites is “Where are we going to eat?” Not just because I enjoy a good meal, but because there are so many great cuisines to be found here. Back in the US I was often asked what I missed most about my time in Taiwan and I would invariably include “the food” as part of my reply. While I can’t find Tian-Bu-La in Hong Kong, the food here is still excellent.

At this exact moment, I’m enjoying a quiet afternoon at the house while Jenny, Maeli and my mother visit some of the markets in Hong Kong. That means I have my choice of Lamma’s restaurants for dinner. Just considering the single village up the road, my options include:

• a vegan cafe (with great vegetarian lasagna and shepard pie)
• two decent Indian restaurants
• a small Thai shop
• a Japanese restaurant (with a decent sushi menu)
• a middle eastern place (falafal, lamb, etc.)
• a pizza joint (real pizza too)
• a few western style bars
• a few dessert shops including fresh cakes, pies and ice cream
• a dozen or so Chinese places with seafood specialties

And this is just all in walking distance on our tiny little island. Between Jenny’s excellent cooking and the food here in Hong Kong, I’m getting rather spoiled.

By Aaron on Wed, 30 May 2007

Today when I mentioned having visited a notorious landmark in Hong Kong, the Chung King Mansions, a city native responded, “Wow. I’ve never been there but I’ve seen it on TV.” Now it’s quite understandable why someone might not want to visit a place known for its seedy stores and questionable activities. Nevertheless I find it interesting that life-long locals have often never visited the very places in their neighborhoods which tourist come to see. It’s the New Yorker who has never visited the Statue of Liberty or, closer to my own home town, the Pittsburgher who has never visited Falling Water.

As I settle into Hong Kong I’ve often silently promised myself that I’ll continue to explore this amazing city, visiting all the sites and scenes that others travel around the world to glimpse. Likewise, wherever you may happen to be, consider the local treasures that out of familiarity have failed to attract you. Someday you may find yourself on the other side of the world unable to turn the corner and visit them. I’ve yet to visit Falling Water myself.

By Aaron on Tue, 29 May 2007

As you may have noticed, we’ve slowed down on the website articles lately. Part of that is due to some technical glitches I keep meaning to fix and part of that is due to us falling into the natural rhythm of daily life. With work and visitors, life has been cruising along, though not without adventures worth sharing.

My mother is visiting us right now. Grandma’s can’t stay away from their only grandchild for too long. Her visit came as something of a Mother’s Day surprise. That is, we called her up on Mother’s Day and asked if she’d like to fly out to Hong Kong… at the end of the week. Well, it wasn’t as surprising as it sounds. We had talked about it a few times before. It was just a big surprise to everyone else. (You’re going where?... when???) Until we have matters settled for a helper to watch Maeli, we’re taking advantage of flying willing family members around the globe.

The biggest hurdle for my mother was getting her passport. We had been told that if she had a plane ticket in hand she could go directly to the passport office and get the application processed within a day. We needed a quick solution because even expedited service can take months with the current backlog.

The first time my mother called the office, she couldn’t even get through. So she woke up very early the next day and tried again. The automated system informed her she could have an appointment at the end of the month… weeks too late. She knew that the office opened at 6:00 AM, so at 5:58 AM she started calling and got into the phone queue. Eventually a human responded and after some tense moments, my mother was able to secure an appointment for the next day.

Visiting the passport office revealed just how lucky my mother was. She met many people there who had expedited their passport applications months ago and were now desperately attempting to track down the application in the system. After being told that their applications were still being processed and they should come into an office, one family drove the next day to DC from North Carolina only to then be told that their passports were being delivered to their home that morning. In comparison, my mother’s one day in-and-out experience was simple, quick and efficient.

Thankfully everything else went smoothly (well, the flights were rescheduled and then rescheduled again…). My mother arrived last week and has been enjoying the beach here on Lamma Island as well as the markets and greenery that Hong Kong offers.

So a word to any US citizens: if you’re in need of a passport, apply for it as early as possible or try your luck and head down to the office directly (you’ll need your plane tickets in hand).

By jenny on Sat, 24 Feb 2007

Finally we have traveled to a place that we have been before… good old Hong Kong. It’s nice to know my way around and easily use the local money and public transportation.

Aside from stressful visa experiences, we’ve been enjoying our time with late nights and late mornings. The maids prompt Maeli and I to get dressed in the morning which encourages us to make a plan. We are biding our time here until we leave for Zhuhai in 5 days.

In our two days we’ve already made some memories with escargot and a boiled frog dish at Temple Night Market. Maeli and I checked out some famous day markets like the goldfish market, the flower market, and the bird market. The bird market was by far the nicest because it’s in a park setting away from traffic. Keeping caged birds is popular among older men who bring their pets to the market. You can see congregations of bird owners chatting and simply admiring each other’s caged creatures. Maeli enjoyed running around like a wild goose.

We’ve also stomped around Kowloon Park as a family. Aside from the water garden, aviary and pool, this park has an enormous kid’s area. Maeli has been to more playgrounds than I can count or remember. Aaron and I joke that she’s becoming a playground connoisseur.

While Maeli was running from one slide to the next, Aaron picked up an on-going conversation we’ve been having about getting a new laptop. He’s always going over the pros and cons of the purchase, trying to figure out if or when we should buy one. I asked if he consulted his business partner, William.

“Oh yeah,” Aaron smiled. “William said to figure out what’s necessary and not what my geek gut tells me.”

Aaron left the park early in search of a voice recorder for my upcoming classes. I came back to the hotel room to find this.

I’m still not sure if it was necessary or just a geek’s gut. Either way, I finally have my own laptop!

By Jenny on Tue, 06 Feb 2007

We’ve spent 5 days in Hong Kong and I have to say that it’s my favorite place so far. Since we’ve decided on living in Zhuhai (at least for the month of March) I’m glad that Hong Kong is only an hour away by ferry.

It would be easy to live a western life in Hong Kong. All the modern conveniences abound here and of course they come at a great price.

But, Aaron and I didn’t come to Asia to live a western lifestyle. We came to immerse ourselves in the language and culture and to live in a small apartment like almost every other Chinese city dweller.

I have enrolled into a 4 week full-time course in Zhuhai in order to gain my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification. I’m hoping on landing a position at a local international school in Zhuhai. Nothing is set in stone, and we like the flexibility of our situation.

Tomorrow we’ll take an afternoon flight to Taipei, Taiwan. From there we’ll take the train to Hsinchu. We’ll spend the next 3 weeks in Taiwan for Chinese New Year.

For now we’ll say goodbye to Hong Kong and we look forward to seeing her again.

By Jenny on Sun, 04 Feb 2007

I finally wore Aaron down with comments like, “This walk would be so much easier with a stroller.” And even when I wouldn’t say anything, in certain situations he could read my mind. So we decided to add one more piece of luggage to our already cumbersome load.

At least we went for the lightest reclining umbrella stroller that Toys R Us had to offer. Yeah, there are a lot of American companies in China, but mostly they are restaurants. I’ve seen more American brands in Hong Kong than in mainland. It was surprising to see Outback Steakhouse and Haagen Das, but McDonalds, KFC, and Starbucks are no new thing even on the other side of the planet. Actually, McDonalds has done such a wonderful job of marketing to the Asian public. The New York Times conducted a study and found that almost half of Asian children under the age of 12 believe that McDonalds is a domestic brand. My hats off to you, Ronald.

But anyway, back to the umbrella stroller. After the $50 USD purchase, I looked on-line and would have only saved $5 USD if I bought it over the internet. So with our smart purchase in hand, the Farr Family celebrated by taking a long adventure into the heart of Hong Kong.

We boarded the Star Ferry, which is a must-do in Hong Kong. For under $1 USD, it’s possible to island hop and at a rather speedy rate. From Kowloon (where our hotel is) the ride into Hong Kong central is only 7 minutes.

We hopped off the ferry and did a little sight seeing. I was pleased to walk through the only garden in Hong Kong central which boasts of many water fountains and meticulously landscaped paths.

Tickets onto the peak tram were only slightly more expensive than the star ferry and the ride was just as exciting. The peak tram looks like Pittsburgh’s incline but once you’re on it, the feeling is more like the accent of a roller coaster. The gravity weighs your whole body and the view of cutting skyscrapers at odd angles makes the experience surreal.

Once on top of Victoria Peak, we basked in the night lights of Hong Kong. The full orange moon had just risen over the endless lights and sparkling water; such beauties are hard to compare.

We didn’t walk around Victoria peak as much as we would have liked but we got a glimpse of the expensive shops and restaurants. The peak has always been the haven for Hong Kong’s rich. Because of building restrictions on the mountain, you won’t find any high rise accommodations. Residents enjoy free standing homes and they pay out the wazzoo for it.

Since our first stroller adventure in Hong Kong, I can’t shut up about how much I love our new purchase. When questioned, Aaron assures me that he doesn’t mind my constant praise and he “would rather hear that than all those complaints.”

By Jenny on Fri, 02 Feb 2007

We have made it to Hong Kong. As Aaron put it, “It feels like NYC‘s Chinatown has exploded!” But really, it’s hard to compare Hong Kong to any other city on earth. It has it’s own rhythms and impressive skylines. From our hotel window, the never ending docks and water traffic mesmerize us.

Anything goes in this booming metropolis. The people of Hong Kong remind me of an Ani DeFranco line, ”(In) New York City where at least when I walk down the street nobody ever hesitates to tell me exactly what they think of me” I’ve always taken this line to mean that New Yorkers are not afraid to express themselves however they choose. With the uncensored media, it’s easier to do that in Hong Kong too.

Amid this freedom there is also an admirable respect for law and order. People actually waited at the crosswalk for green “walk now” light to signal. It was a small, one way street, with no real traffic at the moment, and people waited. Well, most of them at least. This sort of behavior was unthinkable in mainland. The only reason you didn’t cross the street at anytime and place was to avoid being crushed by a bus. But all that civility aside, they still drive on the wrong side of the street here.

We have settled at the Salisbury YMCA. It’s like no YMCA that we’ve seen in the states. This 14 story hotel is complete with restaurants, viewing decks, play gym, 2 pools, beauty salon and more. We are very satisfied with our suite accommodations, which equips us with a pull out bed for Maeli. Aaron finally got a good night sleep without little feet kicking him in the wee hours.

But by far, the best of the best that this hotel has to offer (for me) is the guest laundry room. In every city that we’ve been, I’ve looked high and low for a laundry mat. At first I used the hotel services, but after being charged $35 USD for a small load, and they didn’t even get the stains out, I swore off any service.

As I walked into the guest laundry room at the Salisbury, I stood in silence for a few minutes… soaking in the sight of three gleaming washers and dryers. For a little over $15 USD, I did three loads of laundry.

Of course this doesn’t mean that my days of bathtub laundry are over. I’m sure we’ll see another load or two of clothes draped all over the room. But for our short time in Hong Kong, the Salisbury has relieved me of at least one domestic duty.