Words of wisdom

Before I left for China, Brian's sister, Natalie, gave me a travel journal and there is a quote on one of the pages that I keep coming back to... "The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he came to see." Today, I am so happy to be a traveler. 

Colette and I got a slow start this morning and were a bit anxious we wouldn't have enough time in the day to see everything we had on our agenda (I'll admit: I think I was a bit more anxious than she was...). So we sort of hurried through breakfast to get to our first stop: The Forbidden City. As we were about to cross the street outside of our hotel, two young Chinese men overheard our English and pointed us in the right direction. They then walked with us saying they were on their way to somewhere near the Forbidden City and could direct us. 

Directions turned into introductions: Byron (his American name) was a Philosophy PhD/Professor and his friend, Chen Yi, was his student. We learned that Byron focused on Confucionism and he thought it particularly interesting we were illustrating one of Confucious' teaching: that among any group of people (2 or 42) you have something to learn. Our group of four kept walking and as we neared the Forbidden City, they showed us the art studio they were heading to and we learned Byron was not only a philosopher, but an artist, as was Chen Yi. 

As we talked, they asked my Chinese name. I told them it was "Ai mai" - sort of a literal translation of Amy that my Mandarin teacher told me about. As we continued to chat and see their art, I looked over to see that Chen Yi (who is also a master of calligraphy we learned) had drawn my name in Chinese. He turned to us with the biggest grin I have ever seen..... 

He took the liberty of writing my name in Chinese (for the record it means "love" and "beautiful"... I'll take it). I couldn't believe it. These were some of the nicest two people! The experience continued as they showed us their art, they drew Colette's name in Chinese (and Brian's!) and we learned the best spot from which to see the Great Wall of China tomorrow from a beautiful painting Byron had done. We are heading to Simatai tomorrow - it looks stunning. 

Laughing to ourselves at how nice these people were and what a surprisingly great encounter this was, we left with our gifts and Chen Yi showed us the way to the Forbidden City.

Above: Colette and our new friend, Chen Yi. 

Then, we continued on and by early afternoon had finally made it to our original destination... above you can see the North Entrance to the Forbidden City. Pictures cannot capture the size of this place. MASSIVE and totally like nothing I have ever seen before. 

As much about grandeur as it is about surprisingly little nooks and crannies, the Forbidden City is beyond words and should also go on your 'to do' list. As we walked through and observed everything before us, an hour quickly passed. I turned to Colette and she informed me we were only about 1/4 through the entire Forbidden City. I couldn't not believe it. I felt like I had already walked forever! 

Above: A sign within the FC that must be from the Beijing Olympic days: a toilet that is rated 4 stars! 

A few more images below. This was a really humbling experience as a novice photgrapher... nothing I did could really capture how grand this place was. 

As we exited the Forbidden City and turned back, you cannot miss the giant painting of Mao above the doors. This is one of my favorite photos of the day. 

We crossed the huge 8-10 lane highway (via an underpass) to get to Tian'an Men square across the street. As we neared it, I got another picture of a guard below. I felt Communism here like I had not felt in my entire time in China. 

Tian'an Men Square is also larger than life... pictures don't do it any justice, but I'll try...

That's actually the Forbidden City entrance above - all the separates me from it in this photo is the 8-10 lane street I mentioned and the Square. The Square is just soooo big.

Above: A guard standing watch in Tian'an Men Square.

As 4pm approached, we realized we had not had anything to eat since breakfast, so we went in search of Peking Duck which we've heard so much about. Below is the duck arriving at our table. This is officially my favorite meal I have had in China.... duck, lettuce, a very thin little pancake with scallions and a soy-like (but thicker) sauce. YUM. 

We left full and happy two hours later and headed to one more spot: the silk market. Exhausted, we returned home a few hours ago and reflected on the great day we've had. We've never seen or experienced anything like the things I saw today: the biggest smiles from our new Chinese friends, the enormity of the Forbidden City and Tian'an Men Square, and the deliciousness of the Peking Duck. As impressive as this all was, we can't wait for the Great Wall tomorrow. 

In Beijing!

We're here! We had a very easy quick flight up to Beijing and have just checked into our hotel. We got a great deal on a 5-star hotel through the internet, so we were pretty excited. It is a massive old palace-style hotel called Raffles. So far the thing we have noticed is that it is quiet as a mouse around here!!! Perhaps the hotel is just too big to notice other guests or perhaps it's the middle of winter in Beijing and there are not a lot of tourists.... we'll have to see! The upside is we thought we were getting a room with two twin beds and expected it to be a bit like a dorm for the price, but instead we have a really big suite that will be quite comfortable. Not so bad. We're excited to get out and see Beijing in the morning and promise to have something more exciting to report then! :)

Two steps forward, one step back!

Today was a day of feeling like I've made a lot of progress during my time in China and also realizing there are still many small little obstacles to overcome. 

I took a taxi to an "american style deli" for lunch today and realized on the way there that I had forgotten the little card that I take with me everywhere that has Saatchi's address on it written in Chinese. It's the only way I get where I need to go here. Hmph, how was I going to get home? Then I realized I knew exactly how to walk back to the office, and while it would take about 20 minutes, I wasn't deterred. In fact, the New Yorker in me was excited to actually walk somewhere in Guangzhou - a rarity!!

Then, I arrived at the deli and tried to order a tossed salad. It looked just like in NYC: all sorts of toppings displayed in front of me. I thought it would be just like NYC where you tell them "Cucumbers, carrots, peppers, italian dressing" and I'd be done with it. It wasn't that easy. I ordered the salad and then without asking me what I wanted, they put almost every single possible topping on top. The salad must have weighed 5 pounds when they handed it to me. Oh well - beggars can't be choosers! In the end, I enjoyed the salad and reflected on the fact that it took me over 4 weeks to find crisp iceberg lettuce in GZ.

The funny thing is that my co-worker, Sylvia, took Colette and I out to dinner tonight to an Irish Pub. And what did Colette order? A delicious green salad! It took her all of 1 hour to find one in GZ. It made me laugh because if only it were that easy!!! There were also french fries and a cheese burger to be had tonight. This is the most Western food I've seen in my entire time in this city. 

To add to the little hiccups in the day, after meeting Colette at the train station today, I quickly stopped by my apartment to drop Colette and her luggage off and head back to the office. I got back into a taxi to go back to work and as he sped away from the curb I realized I had left my wallet upstairs in my apartment with Colette. How was I going to explain to this man that I had no money?? But a light dawned on me that I could call a co-worker on my cell to meet me when I arrived at the office and pay for my cab. Sylvia, the same one who was so nice to take us to dinner tonight, was also the co-worker who saved me in this situation! Thankfully, she answered her cell phone and quickly came downstairs to meet me in the taxi and pay the driver. 

As I reflect on my time here, it's these little moments of frustration and triumph that I'm sure to forget but really define time spent abroad. My co-workers have helped me out in many many moments of need here, and I'm so thankful to have them to rely on here (like the time I left my ATM card in the machine and simply walked away.... try explaining that to the teller when she doesn't speak English). I've also learned to be overly prepared and that I can usually wiggle my way out of sticky situations. It's a nice feeling of accomplishment as I wind down my days here. 

Colette and I are packing up now because we leave for Beijing late tomorrow afternoon. We're both very excited. In addition to just seeing what the city and its people are like, we're going to get to some places I have always wanted to see: The Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, and the venues that hosted the 2008 Olympics. We'll keep you posted along the way! 

Bright lights, Big City

Here's the verdict: I loved Hong Kong. Such an incredibly cool city with tons to see and do. It's vibrant, safe, full of interesting and diverse people, and urban and naturally beautiful at the same time. It was unlike anything I have ever seen before. I hope to get back there many more times and, like Tokyo, I think it should go on everyone's "to do" list!

On my last night in Hong Kong, Colette and I went over to the Kowloon side of Victoria Harbor to watch the nightly light show along with many other tourists. It's quite unique: most of the buildings on Hong Kong Island are wired with lights that are lit each night starting at 8pm and synchronize with music that is piped over the sound system. It's hard to capture in photos, but as the music plays, various buildings light up and laser beams shoot up into the sky. At the beginning of the show, they actually introduce each building one by one like characters in a play. It's a bit Disneyworld-esque, but really cool at the same time! We were impressed and glad we made the effort to see it. You can tell from this show and from our time in the city that there is a lot of pride in Hong Kong!

Above is a photo of Colette on the Star Ferry. This is the old ferry that takes people back and forth from Hong Kong Island to the Kowloon side.

After dinner, we met up with my friend Liz's cousin, David, for dinner in the SoHo area at a place called Wagyu. He's been living in Hong Kong for almost two years, so it was nice to get the young ex-pat's perspective and also to swap some funny stories of what it's like when you first get over to this part of the world. It was a great Western style meal before I headed back to mainland China.

Above: David, Colette, and me

This morning I took the train back to Guangzhou and got back to work. Things are a bit slow as people get back from their big yearly vacation, but I'm sure it will be picking up very quickly. Colette comes back to meet me in Guangzhou tomorrow, and then we'll be packing again to head up to Beijing this weekend!

A serendipitous breakfast

First: for the grammar police... I am hoping "serendipitous" is a word because I think we had a serendipitous breakfast this AM. We were planning to head off to Lantau Island this morning to see the famous Big Buddha, but we met a nice ex-pat couple from Shanghai who had been doing a lot of hiking all across Hong Kong Island and the New Territories. They told us about a few cute little beach towns on the back side of Hong Kong Island and assured us they were worth a visit. They mentioned Stanley, a town we had heard of and feared was a bit touristy, but also a small village called Shek O and a place called Big Wave Bay. Armed with their endorsement and directions for a taxi, we changed plans and went to explore the other side of Hong Kong Island.

We are so glad we did! It was like we were suddenly on a tropical island (slightly over-dressed in the city walking gear we had on the for the day). We had our taxi drop us off at Big Wave Bay, which was the only disappointment of the day: no waves at all, never mind big ones. Colette and I then walked about 20 minutes to Shek O, the next village up the road. Here are some pictures from this tiny little beachside village.... again, such a contrast from the skyscrapers of Hong Kong Island just over the peak!

A woman doing her morning Tai Chi and exercises in the sunshine. It had to have been nearly 80 degrees over on this side of the island.

Colette looking cute on the rocks just up from the beach in Shek O.

After we sat and enjoyed the sunshine and peace and quiet for about an hour, we meandered into the little town. While the town is very local, there is a beautiful golf club and many large homes built on the ocean just outside of the little village center. So as we explored the little lanes, a few times we had to get out of the way of a Bentley or BMW that came around the corner!

I kept forgetting where I was.... Hong Kong or Barbados?? I've never been, but this shot is something I picture from Barbados.

And this shot reminded me of a small little town in Mexico.... a place so relaxed, the dogs can sleep on the side of the road. But no - it's Hong Kong. I really couldn't wrap my head around it!

As most places I've visited on this trip, the tiny little village of Shek O had a small temple... this is a shot I took inside.

After we explored the little nooks and crannies of Shek O, we decided to head to the more well-known town of Stanley - we figured it would be easier to find lunch there! So, we hopped on two different busses to make our way to Stanley... the busses were tiny and rickety and the roads were high up on cliffs and windy, so it was a bit hair-rising at times. Everyone was incredibly friendly though and made sure Colette and I made it to our destination in Stanley.

Stanley is the home of many ex-pats living in Hong Kong... beach views and gorgeous high rise buildings just outside the bustle of the city... I can see why it would be a desirable place to live. We enjoyed a nice lunch on the boardwalk, took some photos, and then jumped in a taxi to head back to the city. I felt like I had been to a tropical island and back again all within 4 hours! Below are a few photos of the main street in Stanley.

What a nice day! Once back in the city, we decided we had to get another foot massage... we had done so much walking, it was necessary. For the record: they are incredible, so if you make it to Hong Kong, be sure to take advantage!

We're resting up now before we head to the light show that happens at 8pm every night on the skyline of Hong Kong. We'll watch from Kowloon across the harbor and then we're coming back to have dinner with my friend Liz's cousin. He's here working at Fidelity in Hong Kong and has been nice enough to offer to take us to dinner. Should be a fun night... and then I'm taking the train back to Guangzhou tomorrow morning to get back to work while Colette enjoys one more day in HK!

New heights in Hong Kong

I have a new travel and blogging partner this week: Colette is here! She arrived late Saturday night and in order to fend off her jet lag, we decided to stay awake and go for a drink on the top floor of the Peninsula Hotel in Kowloon. It was a beautiful view of the Hong Kong Island skyline.

We woke up this morning and took the tram right up to the peak of the highest point on Hong Kong Island. It was a very steep cable car ride to the top with amazing views in all directions. This photo (above) is of the Hong Kong Island skyline and then the Kowloon skyline in the distance. 

If you are afraid of heights, this would not be the activity for you! More views below...

A massive skyline, made even larger when you are looking down on it from the peak. 

This is the tram stop at the top of the peak. Once you get on the tram and it pulls away, it seems to just drop off the cliff and you pray good engineering is at work!

After the peak tram, we walked down into the Soho neighborhood and looked through some boutiques and the Man Mo Temple below. This was a very small but extremely busy temple. It was filled with people making offerings to the Buddhas and lighting incense. Very smoky!

We then continued on through Soho and stopped for a nice long brunch (my first omelet in over a month - delicious!!) Our next stop was the antique market on Cat Street. This was full of trinkets and knick knacks: old coins, clocks, and figurines... 

Brian hates clutter, so I thought he would really appreciate this one stall in the market.... I wasn't sure if they were selling things or just using it for storage!!! 

Soho is built into the side of the mountain on Hong Kong Island, so the streets are windy and there are many steep hills. This is the view from one level down to lower streets below. The city is such a contrast of new and old!

Hong Kong is glitzy and futuristic, but still has so many very local elements to it. The contrast is striking. 

To end our afternoon, we stopped by the Mandarin Oriental for afternoon tea and scones. This is Colette enjoying her white lotus tea. 

As we sipped our tea, we decided we needed to try one of the famous foot massages we had been hearing about. We ventured there next and spent the next 50 minutes in total heaven. So relaxing!

We're pretty tired from the long day and lots of walking, so we're going to have a low key dinner in the Times Square center that is close to our hotel in Causeway Bay. Wondering which came first: New York's Times Square or Hong Kong's? New York's SoHo or Hong Kong's? 

Tomorrow we're planning to take the ferry to Lantau Island to see the famous Big Buddha. I hope everyone is doing well at home and not getting tired of all these travel pics! I kind of feel like I've been traveling for a LONG time at this point and seen so much. I hope you are enjoying! Please keep the emails coming - I promise they make my day ;)