Uninvited Visitors…

So I’m just sitting here looking up where to buy mini cookware for my new toaster oven, when I hear the smallest tap on my door. I wasn’t even sure it was a knock, but I trot to the door anyway. Standing before me are two eldery Chinese women with big smiles on there faces. I thought for sure they were at the wrong address, “Can I help you?” I ask, to which one of the women replies, “Ah yes, we hearing for Jehova Witness.”

Never in a million years did I think that I would have  JW knocking on my door in Hong Kong. You can’t escape them…they’re everywhere!

On the Job

Anyone who has been to Hong Kong knows you can’t hang out here for too long without a J-O-B… unless of course you’re independently wealthy, a trust fund baby, or enjoy sleeping on an underpass!

To support my global move, I am teaching English to a “kindergarten” class. When I hear the word kindergarten, I imagine 4-5 years old, fully potty trained, ect, ect, no big deal. Aaah but this is Aaaasia, and nothing is as it seems to the Yankee-eye.  Imagine my surprise when I walked in to a classroom of 2-3 year olds crying for mommy. 

This is a tri-lingual school where kids (uh..babies?) are taught English, Mandarin, and Japanese. Believe it or not, we have a syllabus. Lessons are centered around colors, numbers, letters, and simple concepts (such as big/small).  

It pays the bills, and the people I work with are cool so it works out well.  Since I know this information will not satisfy my mother, I promise to answer almost any questions put in the comments section. Shoot me an email if you’d like to see some pics.

Kappu

Kappu closes in on Hong Kong

Typhoon Kappu hit tonight and this morning. It was a “Signal 8″ warning with sustained winds at 38-73 mph and gusts up to 113 mph. I didn’t get much sleep because of the pounding winds against the window (which to my dad’s horror … I sleep right under!)

Suprisingly the schools don’t make 3 year old kiddies troddle through the wind/rain to learn their ABCs, so I got the day off! I even got to leave school early when the first warning came in, a signal 3. It was a rush taking the ferry home and then trying to make it to the store in time to get food/water because once it goes to the next step, signal 8 (i know, i know 3-8 doesn’t make sense) everything is shut down. It was signal 3 when I got out of work and even then the wind took my breath away! At one point I saw a man riding his bike and for every 3 laborous peddels he took, he only moved 2 feet.

Conor got out of work at 3 AM and walked home. When asked what it was like walking home in a signal 8 he replied, “just like any other night but a little bit windy…”

Creepy Critters

Whatever happened to cereal prizes?

I was eating Frosted Flakes when I noticed a little extra rustle coming from the box. Suddenly, brown and green flashed and I felt a flurry of sticky footprints down my arm. My eyes registered what it was just as his tail flicked behind the washing machine.

It was a lizard in my cereal! My heart was pumping like I just ran a marathon and now it skips a beat with every little noise. On the positive side, a little research revealed that the little guys don’t cause any damage and eat cockroaches. I would rather have a lizard than a cockroach. But really I would rather have NEITHER! Anyway, now I have an unnatural fear of Frosted Flakes… I consider that ”causing damage”.

The week of the pig… (carcasses and burrows)

It was a fine morning as a I strolled out of my building onto a busy Hong Kong sidewalk and came shin to face with… a pig carcass, split in half. It appears the restaurant next door was getting it’s delivery for the day. I Don’t think pork will be on my menu any time soon!

A Wild Boar (pic from wikipedia)

“The week of pig” continued with a much needed retreat from the city. In defiance of the 90 degree weather, I joined 40 others from a www.meetup.com hiking group and set out on an adventure into the wild… boar that is. The route was Tai Tam reservoir via Wild Boar Path, about 8km – (4.9712 miles). I had not considered the possibility that there could be a reason for the name “Wild Boar Path”, that is until the hike leader pointed out a boar BURROW. Now even though “Wild Boar” was quite literal, the term “path” was abstract. I say this because the leader was tying yellow ribbon to trees so the laggards would know where to go. Forgive me for not stopping to take pictures, I was busy fighting through the branches, and thick spiky grass on the 40 degree trek. I did not want to become one of the aforementioned slackers, hunting for yellow ribbons amongst the boar burrows. Now to get real, this part of the hike was actually very short and was meant as a taste for the more difficult hikes, or perhaps the leaders way of getting people, myself included, to start wearing pants as is suggested by the group site. The rest of the hike was fantastic.

View from the hike

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One more piggy thing… my Chinese zodiac sign is the Boar.

Hot Pot Dinner

The was just a small portion of all the food that came our way!

I experienced the “adventurous Hong Konger palate” first hand at a Chinese Hot Pot. First off, I’m very grateful to our host, (pictured below, left) who helped navigate the waters. It would have been impossible without his guidance! TIP: If you are in an Asian country and want to do this…be sure to get a local to go with you!

Hot Pot is a popular dining option in Hong Kong, usually more so in the “cold” winters of 70°F. A pot of boiling broth is brought to the table along with raw ingredients, which you then submerge in the broth until it is cooked to your liking. It was mostly DELICIOUS: mushroom, squid, chicken, crab, lamb, steak, oysters, corn, udon.

Other bits… (the rooster testicle, sea urchin, bone marrow, or pig’s skin perhaps?) were not so much to my liking – but a great, and very fun experience regardless! I weaseled out of eating the fish head. Unsurprisingly, that task fell on Conor who did a great job.

 

Lucky Poop?!

A bird checks me out at the market - looking for target practice?

On a recent trip to the bird market I was awarded with a little present from a winged friend. A Chinese man informed me that this is good luck… hmmm interesting, I would think it is more bad luck to have a creature’s excrement plopped on my shoulder. I set out to google what exactly makes bird poop good luck. I found many resources saying that it is good luck… but no reason why. I guess even google has its limits…who comes up with this stuff anyway!? Sidetrack: During my quest for knowledge, I found this interesting article, oh jeez:

Bird Poop Facials

No thank you! I will pass on the bird poop facial – the plop on my shoulder was traumatizing enough. Does anyone know where that superstition comes from?

Just Wondering…

A Trip to the Market

A typical site at the local food market

Hong Kong has a variety of markets to stumble on. There are fresh food markets with live fish, exotic fruits, roasted duck (with the head still on), and just about any animal and/or animal part you can imagine: eel, pig stomach, chicken feet, bull penis… you get the idea, Hong Kongers have adventurous palates. In addition to the lively food markets, there are clothing, jade, electronic, bird and even goldfish markets. I have yet to work up the courage to make a purchase from the food market, but I did pay a visit to some other places.

Armed with my “Hong Kong Walks” pamphlet, Conor and I were on our way during a lovely 102 degree Sunday afternoon. (FYI “Hong Kong Walks” can be picked up at any HK tourist board for free!)

Stop One – The Flower Market

A quick trip on the MTR and I was at the Prince Edward station where I headed out into the fish soup that is the summer air in HK. Two steps out of the station and I was already breaking a sweat. North on Sei Yee St, then west and we were at the flower market. This was a refreshing stop, but unfortunately far too busy for me to take any pictures… It was beautiful, orchids and peonys everywhere and such a breath of fresh air to walk through. Conor liked the banzai trees… When it’s NOT Sunday, I’ll head back there for some pics!

Stop 2 – The Bird Market

Please click this image to get a closer view

Being the Bird lover that I am, this was my favorite stop (despite being pooped on). It was not only a market to purchase birds, but also a place where people, old men mostly, hung out with their pets to take them for birdy walks. The bird market did not stink as I had predicted. Lots of whistling and squawking going on here…it was funny to hear parakeets and macaws speak in Chinese.

Stop 3 – The Goldfish Market

A wall-o-fish

This one was stinky! Don’t let the name deceive you, this market had any kind of fish you could think of. All stored in little plastic baggies, it seems like it would be quite a task to run one of these stalls without killing half the little fishes. One thing that always strikes me is that staggering amount of stuff in HK – no matter what it is: fish, birds, food, flowers – there is just soooo much of everything. It must be due to the incredible population density. Supply & demand, lots of people+tiny space = lots of stuff? I guess they must sell a lot or they wouldn’t be set up.

I was ready to head on down to the Jade and Lady Markets, but Conor was fed up with the heat and needed some a/c so we headed home for the day. Pleny of time to check out the other markets later!

Michael Jackson in Hong Kong

An unofficial MJ memorial has popped up outside my apartment in Wanchai, Hong Kong. This is a hustle and blustle part of town, people do not typically stop on the streets.

Crowds gather to watch MJ in Wanchai, Hong Kong

Even with the media circus dying down, there are still at least 20 people outside this video store every time I pass it (much more during rush hours). The pic and video were taken at around 8pm.