Wednesday, Los Altos, California
Ah, good night’s sleep, what a wonder!
Soft wonderful bed last night, clean air, clear sky, fresh fruit you can eat without worrying, fresh garden-grown tomatoes, good supper last night (home cooked), relaxing surroundings.
It was a wonderful trip, but always good to get back to your home country. Love the US.
Friday we head back to Tampa, then Apollo Beach and our own house. Grace says for months.
Showing posts with label China. Show all posts
Showing posts with label China. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29--Going Home!
Tuesday--Going home
Got up early Tuesday; think both of us were ready and somewhat excited. Not rah-rah excited, but ready and past ready to get home. It is rainy and overcast outside, National Day is approaching (Everything is going to shut down for several days.), and we are dog tired.
We packed yesterday as it had been raining. Rain again today, that typhoon is getting closer--the cloud movement out our window shows us that. We are both dressed and packed when we get our wake-up call at 7:30.
Grace goes downstairs at 8:15 to checkout and wait for the bus to the airport at 9:00. I stay a little longer to wait for the bell hop to come for the bags. Boy, are the bags heavy; too heavy I am afraid. But Grace’s is not as heavy as mine, so just maybe we will get through. Wonder if they go on individual bag weight or if they average? We’ll soon find out. Used to be you were allowed one bag to Hong Kong, but two bags when leaving. I have not asked this time.
Bus is delayed, and the concierge is worried. He is making phone calls and looks agitated. Not sure what all that means, but if he is worried, that is not comforting to us. It’s 9:10 and the bus shows up. The driver is 10 minuets late, seems in a hurry. We are his last stop, and he assures us all in rapid-fire multiple languages that he will have us at the airport in 40 minutes. He does, and all is well. We are the second stop and start talking to a young man from Atlanta who does importing and sourcing out of China. He says he has flown to China 19 times since 2007, and I make the comment that is not much fun. He agrees, but it is part of his job. We kind of follow him to United and talk while in line.
At check-in we are overweight. I am 5 kilos over, about 10 pounds, but Grace is 3 kilos under. So we get down on the ground and pass several things from my suitcase to hers and move some things into my backpack. She tells us we can check two bags each, so I am thinking maybe to check my backpack, but it has my computer and some papers I don’t wish to be separated from. Back on the scale, and she grimaces when I put Grace’s on the scale, but then says, “Let’s pretend I didn’t see that.” And I put mine up. Mine is OK now, so I decide not to check my backpack. Grace thinks I am silly to carry such a load but it is a habit of mine.
Security is a breeze, I do not set off any bells, and the bags pass too. Immigration is just a formality and we go towards the gate. Luckily we have 1 ½ hours to flight time, so we stop for a meal. They have Burger King, Ben and Jerry’s, Popeye’s Fried Chicken, Starbuck’s and other western fast food places in addition to several Japanese and Chinese chains. We have hot fried chicken and the fixings at Popeye’s.
Everything in this airport that we see is very high end. No, not the food stands, but everything else. We had planned on spending our last $300.00 HKD here, but everything is way up in the $2000.00 plus range, luxury items all. Saw one coat, forget the brand, but one of those famous designer brands, that was priced at $156,000.00 HKD. In an airport? Gees!
Get to the gate in plenty of time, but the flight is delayed: “mechanical problem.” Delayed time approaches and they announce a further two-hour delay, same reason. Most passengers head back towards the terminal from where they came but Grace and I stay put. We have had enough walking. But have to say I really, really, want them to fix any mechanical problem while we are still on the ground rather than at 30,000 feet.
Close to 2:00 pm (original flight departure time was 11:40 am) the flight crew starts boarding, so I assume we are headed out. Every one of the crew that goes to the plane sets off the alarm: very reassuring.
We board, but do not get away from the gate. Plane is almost full, and then the captain or someone comes on and says there is a further delay due to congestion. The sky is quickly getting more ominous, even thought the typhoon is several hundreds of miles away. I want to get airborne. We pull away from the gate at 2:30, but then sit some more. Another announcement that we are delayed another 30 minutes, tower congestion. Finally get off around 3:00, so we are 3 + hours late getting off, for a 12hr 45min flight.
Hum, bus late, plane late, bad karma?
Flight is uneventful, except neither Grace nor I can sleep. We try, but it just does not happen. They show four movies, but we saw two of them coming over so they do not help pass the time much either. Usually they show different movies each way, and they change on the month, but it is still September. Grace has a book she got in Hong Kong and that helps her, but for some reason, I have not brought anything to read. Strange, as I almost always have something.
Arrival is smooth. We get in about 2:00 pm, I might add the same day we leave, which always confuses me. Traveling back in time, or getting someplace when you leave, is unsettling and of course makes you wonder if time travel really is possible.
Immigration goes well, but getting our bags proves disquieting. I see both bags come up from downstairs, but then mine is the only one going around the carousel. After two trips around, I suggest Grace walk over to the exit and kind of eyeball those leaving in case someone has gotten hers by mistake. As they say, lots of black suitcases look similar. I keep watch on the carousel. She comes back after a while, but saw no one, so I suggest she walk around the carousel and see if it is possibly on someone’s cart. About then a young lady behind me lets out a quiet scream. One of the hounds that sniffs for contraband has just sniffed her leg and startled her. Grace comes back several minutes later with her bag, Seems it had been going round and round the whole time. I was just missing it.
Loaded up we head for customs. Guy looks at our declaration and tells us to go left. We do, but then notice it is for connecting passengers, so we continue until we can figure out which direction to go to get out. Turns out we escape going through customs altogether. That is OK, we have nothing to pay duty on, and of course we look like upstanding and honest American citizens. (Had to throw that one in.)
Take the Airtrain over to the rental car garage and pick up a Dodge Caliper for three days. Head down to my brother’s home in Los Altos.
The air is clean and clear, the sun is shinning, it is cool, but not cold. We are back and it feels oh so good.
Good trip.
Got up early Tuesday; think both of us were ready and somewhat excited. Not rah-rah excited, but ready and past ready to get home. It is rainy and overcast outside, National Day is approaching (Everything is going to shut down for several days.), and we are dog tired.
We packed yesterday as it had been raining. Rain again today, that typhoon is getting closer--the cloud movement out our window shows us that. We are both dressed and packed when we get our wake-up call at 7:30.
Grace goes downstairs at 8:15 to checkout and wait for the bus to the airport at 9:00. I stay a little longer to wait for the bell hop to come for the bags. Boy, are the bags heavy; too heavy I am afraid. But Grace’s is not as heavy as mine, so just maybe we will get through. Wonder if they go on individual bag weight or if they average? We’ll soon find out. Used to be you were allowed one bag to Hong Kong, but two bags when leaving. I have not asked this time.
Bus is delayed, and the concierge is worried. He is making phone calls and looks agitated. Not sure what all that means, but if he is worried, that is not comforting to us. It’s 9:10 and the bus shows up. The driver is 10 minuets late, seems in a hurry. We are his last stop, and he assures us all in rapid-fire multiple languages that he will have us at the airport in 40 minutes. He does, and all is well. We are the second stop and start talking to a young man from Atlanta who does importing and sourcing out of China. He says he has flown to China 19 times since 2007, and I make the comment that is not much fun. He agrees, but it is part of his job. We kind of follow him to United and talk while in line.
At check-in we are overweight. I am 5 kilos over, about 10 pounds, but Grace is 3 kilos under. So we get down on the ground and pass several things from my suitcase to hers and move some things into my backpack. She tells us we can check two bags each, so I am thinking maybe to check my backpack, but it has my computer and some papers I don’t wish to be separated from. Back on the scale, and she grimaces when I put Grace’s on the scale, but then says, “Let’s pretend I didn’t see that.” And I put mine up. Mine is OK now, so I decide not to check my backpack. Grace thinks I am silly to carry such a load but it is a habit of mine.
Security is a breeze, I do not set off any bells, and the bags pass too. Immigration is just a formality and we go towards the gate. Luckily we have 1 ½ hours to flight time, so we stop for a meal. They have Burger King, Ben and Jerry’s, Popeye’s Fried Chicken, Starbuck’s and other western fast food places in addition to several Japanese and Chinese chains. We have hot fried chicken and the fixings at Popeye’s.
Everything in this airport that we see is very high end. No, not the food stands, but everything else. We had planned on spending our last $300.00 HKD here, but everything is way up in the $2000.00 plus range, luxury items all. Saw one coat, forget the brand, but one of those famous designer brands, that was priced at $156,000.00 HKD. In an airport? Gees!
Get to the gate in plenty of time, but the flight is delayed: “mechanical problem.” Delayed time approaches and they announce a further two-hour delay, same reason. Most passengers head back towards the terminal from where they came but Grace and I stay put. We have had enough walking. But have to say I really, really, want them to fix any mechanical problem while we are still on the ground rather than at 30,000 feet.
Close to 2:00 pm (original flight departure time was 11:40 am) the flight crew starts boarding, so I assume we are headed out. Every one of the crew that goes to the plane sets off the alarm: very reassuring.
We board, but do not get away from the gate. Plane is almost full, and then the captain or someone comes on and says there is a further delay due to congestion. The sky is quickly getting more ominous, even thought the typhoon is several hundreds of miles away. I want to get airborne. We pull away from the gate at 2:30, but then sit some more. Another announcement that we are delayed another 30 minutes, tower congestion. Finally get off around 3:00, so we are 3 + hours late getting off, for a 12hr 45min flight.
Hum, bus late, plane late, bad karma?
Flight is uneventful, except neither Grace nor I can sleep. We try, but it just does not happen. They show four movies, but we saw two of them coming over so they do not help pass the time much either. Usually they show different movies each way, and they change on the month, but it is still September. Grace has a book she got in Hong Kong and that helps her, but for some reason, I have not brought anything to read. Strange, as I almost always have something.
Arrival is smooth. We get in about 2:00 pm, I might add the same day we leave, which always confuses me. Traveling back in time, or getting someplace when you leave, is unsettling and of course makes you wonder if time travel really is possible.
Immigration goes well, but getting our bags proves disquieting. I see both bags come up from downstairs, but then mine is the only one going around the carousel. After two trips around, I suggest Grace walk over to the exit and kind of eyeball those leaving in case someone has gotten hers by mistake. As they say, lots of black suitcases look similar. I keep watch on the carousel. She comes back after a while, but saw no one, so I suggest she walk around the carousel and see if it is possibly on someone’s cart. About then a young lady behind me lets out a quiet scream. One of the hounds that sniffs for contraband has just sniffed her leg and startled her. Grace comes back several minutes later with her bag, Seems it had been going round and round the whole time. I was just missing it.
Loaded up we head for customs. Guy looks at our declaration and tells us to go left. We do, but then notice it is for connecting passengers, so we continue until we can figure out which direction to go to get out. Turns out we escape going through customs altogether. That is OK, we have nothing to pay duty on, and of course we look like upstanding and honest American citizens. (Had to throw that one in.)
Take the Airtrain over to the rental car garage and pick up a Dodge Caliper for three days. Head down to my brother’s home in Los Altos.
The air is clean and clear, the sun is shinning, it is cool, but not cold. We are back and it feels oh so good.
Good trip.
Jumbo Floating Restaurant--You Gotta Go!
Monday evening--Hong Kong
It is raining when we get into the taxi for Jumbo. Not hard, and since it has been all day, everything is wet. Our driver may be new to his profession, or he seems to be. The first few turns, we drift through them. That means slide, not sideways, but close. Either he is new, or his tires have absolutely no traction. Either way, I am concerned, but say nothing.
After the first few slides, he drives very carefully, and we arrive at Jumbo with no further problems. But quite a drive--way across town. Thankfully it is rush hour and we really can’t go very fast.
Grace is amazed at what she sees. We approach the landing which is certainly lit up. At the landing, we get onto a smaller boat to take us to the bigger boat, Jumbo. Unfortunately, Jumbo is not lit up yet, just the entrance. But still impressive. A three-minute ride later, we disembark and enter the restaurant. We are sent upstairs, and to the VIP room. Not sure I like this; they are all western tables, set for four. But the décor is magnificent, and Grace likes it. We have a table at the window facing the landing we came from.
I get a noodle dish with garlic and abalone sauce, very mild, but they mix and cook it at the table which is a nice show. Grace gets a shrimp dish with pumpkin, onions, and beef knuckles. It is better and very hot, heat hot. We also order a vegetable plate, green beans with two different kinds of fungus, or mushrooms. Water to drink. The food is very good, very, but not quite as spicy as we like. But then Cantonese cuisine is not known for its spiciness. It does have a reputation, but I will save that for another blog, another day.
Back downstairs and onto the smaller boat and back to the landing. It is a slow night what with the rain, and we are a bit concerned about getting a taxi. Maybe ten minutes of waiting and the attendant says he will run down to the main cross street and see if he can get one. No sooner does he get out his umbrella and start than one pulls up.
This guy is not cautious at all. He turns out to be a real speed demon, and lucky for us, his tires do a good job, not slipping once. Grace refers to him as “Mr. Fung’s Wild Ride” and says he should work at the new Disneyland here. We get back in a fraction of the time, but both Grace and I are a bit disoriented because we come into the street a different way. So I tell him to drive some more, but we are going away from the hotel, not towards it. Finally it hits us and we stop and walk back, almost from the Star Ferry terminal. The rain has stopped, so it is not too bad. But then the rain starts again about 200 feet from the hotel entrance.
One thing fascinates me. The two tolls to Jumbo were $40.00 and the other $5.00 HKD. Coming back? Nope, $15.00 and $5.00. I don’t drive many tolls roads where I live, but different costs for different directions on the same road does seem strange. The ride also is quite different, but then we came different roads, and it certainly was longer one way. But then going to Jumbo, he was only driving at 1/3 the speed the back driver guy drove. So one way was $157.00, the way back is $102.00. Do I think we were taken by going man? No, but maybe I am just slow or too trusting.
Airport tomorrow.
It is raining when we get into the taxi for Jumbo. Not hard, and since it has been all day, everything is wet. Our driver may be new to his profession, or he seems to be. The first few turns, we drift through them. That means slide, not sideways, but close. Either he is new, or his tires have absolutely no traction. Either way, I am concerned, but say nothing.
After the first few slides, he drives very carefully, and we arrive at Jumbo with no further problems. But quite a drive--way across town. Thankfully it is rush hour and we really can’t go very fast.
Grace is amazed at what she sees. We approach the landing which is certainly lit up. At the landing, we get onto a smaller boat to take us to the bigger boat, Jumbo. Unfortunately, Jumbo is not lit up yet, just the entrance. But still impressive. A three-minute ride later, we disembark and enter the restaurant. We are sent upstairs, and to the VIP room. Not sure I like this; they are all western tables, set for four. But the décor is magnificent, and Grace likes it. We have a table at the window facing the landing we came from.
I get a noodle dish with garlic and abalone sauce, very mild, but they mix and cook it at the table which is a nice show. Grace gets a shrimp dish with pumpkin, onions, and beef knuckles. It is better and very hot, heat hot. We also order a vegetable plate, green beans with two different kinds of fungus, or mushrooms. Water to drink. The food is very good, very, but not quite as spicy as we like. But then Cantonese cuisine is not known for its spiciness. It does have a reputation, but I will save that for another blog, another day.
Back downstairs and onto the smaller boat and back to the landing. It is a slow night what with the rain, and we are a bit concerned about getting a taxi. Maybe ten minutes of waiting and the attendant says he will run down to the main cross street and see if he can get one. No sooner does he get out his umbrella and start than one pulls up.
This guy is not cautious at all. He turns out to be a real speed demon, and lucky for us, his tires do a good job, not slipping once. Grace refers to him as “Mr. Fung’s Wild Ride” and says he should work at the new Disneyland here. We get back in a fraction of the time, but both Grace and I are a bit disoriented because we come into the street a different way. So I tell him to drive some more, but we are going away from the hotel, not towards it. Finally it hits us and we stop and walk back, almost from the Star Ferry terminal. The rain has stopped, so it is not too bad. But then the rain starts again about 200 feet from the hotel entrance.
One thing fascinates me. The two tolls to Jumbo were $40.00 and the other $5.00 HKD. Coming back? Nope, $15.00 and $5.00. I don’t drive many tolls roads where I live, but different costs for different directions on the same road does seem strange. The ride also is quite different, but then we came different roads, and it certainly was longer one way. But then going to Jumbo, he was only driving at 1/3 the speed the back driver guy drove. So one way was $157.00, the way back is $102.00. Do I think we were taken by going man? No, but maybe I am just slow or too trusting.
Airport tomorrow.
Rainy Day in Hong Kong--There's a Typhoon Out There!
Monday, Sept 28—It’s still Hong Kong
Not a good day, but gotta do something.
We wake—late--and it is raining outside. There is a typhoon several hundred miles south of us, headed from the Phillipines through Hainan and going into Viet Nam. We are in the rain shield to the northwest. Typhoon in the Pacific is the same thing as a hurricane in the Atlantic. Lots of rain and flooding in Manila on the TV; images from more remote locations are slower to get on TV. But southern China and Viet Nam are bracing for a big one.
We try to get going, but we are worn out, so it is almost 10:30 before we go downstairs. Raining harder than we thought, so plans to walk over towards Kowloon Park and do some trinket shopping and go to Kenny’s Restaurant for lunch are put on hold.
Sorry to miss Kenny’s as it is popular because they have a worldwide selection; you can choose Thai while your friend gets French while another gets American. But the rain is too hard, and I have no desire to walk on these cobblestone streets and sidewalks when they are wet and slippery.
I make a couple of phone calls, one to a stamp dealer I recently bought some stamps from at an auction. Not open yet; it is 10:50. Call again at 11:30 and he answers. He will have to get back to me as his staff is still not in. Hong Kong stays up late and sleeps in--evidently.
So we head to the Thai restaurant that overlooks the harbor. Still closed; they open at 12:00.
So plan four, we go down to the mall and try to find something. Lots of food stalls here, and we pick one after “reading” the menu at several. I get Sour and Spicy Chicken over rice, Grace gets Sweet and Spicy Fish over rice. Drink is coffee or tea. We are in China--I ask for tea, so does Grace. We sit down and Grace opens her paper glass to add sugar. Tea, well, yes, but English tea with milk already added. Terrible, I can’t drink mine. Grace tries, adds more sugar, and tries again, but not much luck getting it down. Food is OK.
We wander some more. It is still raining, maybe harder. So it is after 12:00 and we head to the Thai restaurant and have a beer on the outdoor covered patio. That harbor is nice, but it is raining, and we cannot see all the way across the harbor. One is enough; we are not really up for much of anything. I do take some pictures through the rain of the very large catamaran ferries that seem to be everywhere. There are seven of them below us at the terminal while we have the beer. One has on its side New Ferry LXXVI which I think translates to 76. That is quite some ferry fleet!
Lobby has a notice that we are at Level 1 for Typhoon preparedness. Level 1 is more like pay attention, there is a typhoon within 24 hours of Hong Kong. We hope we are gone if it turns north.
Back to the room. Message on the phone from the stamp dealer says I owe a number in USD. I do a quick conversion. I thought they would add packing and shipping charges, but it is less in USD than my invoice, substantially less. I call again, nobody there. So I put a check in the mail to him for the amount he said in the message with a comment that he might want to double-check as I do not think it is enough. Hey, I want the stamps, so, yes, I am going to call his attention to it.
Naptime.
Up again at 4:30, both of us are already packed and antsy. Still raining, don’t think it will stop before we head to the airport tomorrow morning. At least all of our stuff fits inside the suitcases. And we only have one each plus a carry-on.
Dinner tonight at Jumbo Floating Restaurant. Jumbo is across town in Aberdeen, a floating restaurant that is ALL lit up and designed like a Chinese boat with dragons on both ends. We will have to take a water taxi out to it after that land taxi (car) to the location. Pictures to follow. You have to visit Jumbo. I read that it is much more than a restaurant now, an amusement park on the water. Chinese restaurants like this are much better in a group, but it is just the two of us. Group meals mean there are more choices and I like that.
Probably next blog we will be back in the US. First thing I’ll do is clean up my computer. It has been running very slowly since about Jing de zhen. Not sure if something has been added, but I’m thinking I need to check.
Best to all. It has been fun, but Grace and I both agree that 21 days in China is enough, maybe more than enough.
Not a good day, but gotta do something.
We wake—late--and it is raining outside. There is a typhoon several hundred miles south of us, headed from the Phillipines through Hainan and going into Viet Nam. We are in the rain shield to the northwest. Typhoon in the Pacific is the same thing as a hurricane in the Atlantic. Lots of rain and flooding in Manila on the TV; images from more remote locations are slower to get on TV. But southern China and Viet Nam are bracing for a big one.
We try to get going, but we are worn out, so it is almost 10:30 before we go downstairs. Raining harder than we thought, so plans to walk over towards Kowloon Park and do some trinket shopping and go to Kenny’s Restaurant for lunch are put on hold.
Sorry to miss Kenny’s as it is popular because they have a worldwide selection; you can choose Thai while your friend gets French while another gets American. But the rain is too hard, and I have no desire to walk on these cobblestone streets and sidewalks when they are wet and slippery.
I make a couple of phone calls, one to a stamp dealer I recently bought some stamps from at an auction. Not open yet; it is 10:50. Call again at 11:30 and he answers. He will have to get back to me as his staff is still not in. Hong Kong stays up late and sleeps in--evidently.
So we head to the Thai restaurant that overlooks the harbor. Still closed; they open at 12:00.
So plan four, we go down to the mall and try to find something. Lots of food stalls here, and we pick one after “reading” the menu at several. I get Sour and Spicy Chicken over rice, Grace gets Sweet and Spicy Fish over rice. Drink is coffee or tea. We are in China--I ask for tea, so does Grace. We sit down and Grace opens her paper glass to add sugar. Tea, well, yes, but English tea with milk already added. Terrible, I can’t drink mine. Grace tries, adds more sugar, and tries again, but not much luck getting it down. Food is OK.
We wander some more. It is still raining, maybe harder. So it is after 12:00 and we head to the Thai restaurant and have a beer on the outdoor covered patio. That harbor is nice, but it is raining, and we cannot see all the way across the harbor. One is enough; we are not really up for much of anything. I do take some pictures through the rain of the very large catamaran ferries that seem to be everywhere. There are seven of them below us at the terminal while we have the beer. One has on its side New Ferry LXXVI which I think translates to 76. That is quite some ferry fleet!
Lobby has a notice that we are at Level 1 for Typhoon preparedness. Level 1 is more like pay attention, there is a typhoon within 24 hours of Hong Kong. We hope we are gone if it turns north.
Back to the room. Message on the phone from the stamp dealer says I owe a number in USD. I do a quick conversion. I thought they would add packing and shipping charges, but it is less in USD than my invoice, substantially less. I call again, nobody there. So I put a check in the mail to him for the amount he said in the message with a comment that he might want to double-check as I do not think it is enough. Hey, I want the stamps, so, yes, I am going to call his attention to it.
Naptime.
Up again at 4:30, both of us are already packed and antsy. Still raining, don’t think it will stop before we head to the airport tomorrow morning. At least all of our stuff fits inside the suitcases. And we only have one each plus a carry-on.
Dinner tonight at Jumbo Floating Restaurant. Jumbo is across town in Aberdeen, a floating restaurant that is ALL lit up and designed like a Chinese boat with dragons on both ends. We will have to take a water taxi out to it after that land taxi (car) to the location. Pictures to follow. You have to visit Jumbo. I read that it is much more than a restaurant now, an amusement park on the water. Chinese restaurants like this are much better in a group, but it is just the two of us. Group meals mean there are more choices and I like that.
Probably next blog we will be back in the US. First thing I’ll do is clean up my computer. It has been running very slowly since about Jing de zhen. Not sure if something has been added, but I’m thinking I need to check.
Best to all. It has been fun, but Grace and I both agree that 21 days in China is enough, maybe more than enough.
Bubba Gump Shrimp Company--Hong Kong Peak?
Sunday, a full day in Hong Kong
Up about 7:00 am, but I am in no hurry to get going as yesterday things were quiet until 11:00. Grace however is antsy; she stayed in half of yesterday and wants out. We leave the Royal Pacific about 8 +/- and head down to the Star Ferry Terminal. About half way, I mention that we might want to consider getting some HK money. We have been getting by on RMB, mainland China currency, but last night at the Subway, they balked. I just barely had HK money enough to pay that bill.
So into Star House, but the changer people are not at their stations yet. We decide to go downstairs to the Café de Corral and get a breakfast of egg, toast, meat, and coffee. Then they ask if we want congee rice porridge) or macaroni. Out of habit we say macaroni. Off to the pick up line on the other side, and cue with everyone else waiting. Extremely efficient, one guy takes our ticket, speaks into a microphone, pulls out a tray, and slides it down the counter. Another grabs the plate from the kitchen with food already on it, and another pours and places the coffee. I am about to leave when a fourth tells me to wait, the macaroni is coming. Oh, yeah, macaroni for breakfast, I forgot. It comes, and each of us takes our tray and we go sit down.
The meat turns out to be a slice of ham (?) and a sausage (?). Toast is great, egg is good, meat is OK, but then I taste the coffee. Oh, no, they have added milk! I like black, but am unwilling to try for a change, so I set my cup aside. Besides, I already had two cups in the room. The macaroni is maybe one cup, boiled, still in water, with maybe five grains of corn, a tablespoon of cabbage (yes, boiled) and ¼ slice of ham slivered on the top as garnish. No flavor at all; bland would be a compliment.
We are a novelty, at least to the cleaner ladies who stare and giggle. One even comes by and smiles ear to ear at me. She cannot wait to take our trays.
Finished, we head upstairs, the restaurant happens to be in the basement. We walk on to the Star Ferry, passing the gauntlet of “Watch, copy watch?” guys and the “Suit, good suit, purse, copy purse?” guys hovering outside the terminal. Change $100 USD into HK $, and get $700.00 HKD. Turn and go up to the Central entry for the ferry. Take out tokens at the machine, and as soon as we drop them in the turnstile, the bell rings to board. Not many going over yet, so it is easy. Good trip--the sea is calm. We have to go slow to avoid a large dredge-like vessel and a cruise ship coming into port.
Arrive at Central, get off and head up to the bus terminal. Bus 15C at the bus cue is a standard bus, so we wait for the double-decker one with the convertible top. It arrives after about 30 minutes and we head to the Peak Tram terminal. Good ride, skyscrapers all around, sharp turns, steep climbs, lots of pedestrians, but these Hong Kong drivers are pros. They even go to driver’s school to learn how to handle these monsters in a slide!
Terminal, tickets--another cue. We get on the second tram. Grace tries to be nice, but tourists and locals alike go on ahead. It is OK; nothing can take away from such a ride. I am not sure of the angle, but it is extreme, maybe 45o at some points along the track. Up, up, and up some more. We did pass one short level place where the trams pass each other, then up again. Several stops along the way as many live in apartments on the side of this mountain. The tram is pulled up by cable, pulled by an electric motor. Big motor as each tram holds > 100 people, and there are two trams in operation at one time.
At the top, there are now two shopping centers, both huge, and crowded. We try for the very top, up I think it was five escalators, but at the last one they want another 10.00 HKD, and I balk. So back down again, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 escalators, and out onto a terrace. Nice fresh air, good breeze, even some room to roam.
Oh, the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company has a location at that fourth escalator up just in case you are wondering. I came to China to eat at a Bubba Gump? No thanks. Also a big promotion is going on for Hong Kong Disney Land. They are getting ready to host a spooktacular Halloween there next month. Yes, really; Halloween has come to China.
We hang around, find an overlook, window shop, and eat a bit. Back down on the tram, taxi to Hollywood Road and the antique shops. We are dropped off exactly where I asked, but have to walk several blocks before we find anything open. It is Sunday, and although Sunday does not mean that much here, most shops are still closed. First open one is a small local guy, and he does have some nice pieces, but a bit pricey. Then to Arch Angel, a world class shop that I have been to before. Amazing prices, amazing. Three floors worth, filled with furniture, ceramics, pottery, painting. I gotta say I was loving it, but the prices? Wow!
We meet a nice young Italian man, and Grace, the young man, the store owner and I talk a good bit. These are challenging times in the antique business. We go next door to another of their locations and I find a couple more pieces. But they start at $8,000 HKD. I think that works out to >$1100.00 USD. Not sure that is even worth starting to bargain for. We talk some more and she says the price is negotiable.
I decide to pass, for now.
Walk some more and find Oi Ling Antiques. Oi Ling is another very high quality shop with a world wide clientele. They tell us they do not carry ceramics; it has gotten too problematic, too hard to authenticate. But what surprise me is many of these shops carry Tang Dynasty Pottery pieces. Ever seen one at $400,000 HKD? That is around $6,000.00 USD! Pieces in the auctions here often go for >$1 million USD, often. Amazing. Chaks, another I wanted to go into, is closed up tight.
.
We are worn out, still thinking of the night market, but….
We take a taxi to the Star Ferry terminal, back across the harbor, and go up to the Internet Café. Again, we are staying in a hotel that wants blood for a connection. Remember? $40.00 HKD for one hour at the hotel? ”Only” $20.00 HKD per hour at the café, a deal. I insert my thumb drive into the USB port but it does not work. OK, the other drive, nope. Grace asks to try, and it does not work in either of hers either. I asked yesterday, and the manager told me it would work, so one more try--we turn it upside down. Yep, it works. It is a complicated world we live in.
We try to walk back to the hotel, but decide to stop along the way, into this time the Gateway Mall. These malls do NOT have meaningful maps; they want you to wander. We do, but finally find Bubble Bar at the Prince Hotel, another hotel above this monster mall along the waterfront. Nice, cool, refreshing and comfortable seats. So we rest a bit, then head back to the hotel and now we are here. It is 7:30, and I do NOT think the night market is on our agenda. We left at 8:00 am +/- and got back about 6:45, almost all that time on our feet. Our feet are asking for mercy. But who knows, we are only in Hong Kong for one more day. Time is short.
Oh, that $700.00 HKD? I am having trouble finding it and trouble remembering how I spent that much today. But this is a big city, and big cities are expensive.
Up about 7:00 am, but I am in no hurry to get going as yesterday things were quiet until 11:00. Grace however is antsy; she stayed in half of yesterday and wants out. We leave the Royal Pacific about 8 +/- and head down to the Star Ferry Terminal. About half way, I mention that we might want to consider getting some HK money. We have been getting by on RMB, mainland China currency, but last night at the Subway, they balked. I just barely had HK money enough to pay that bill.
So into Star House, but the changer people are not at their stations yet. We decide to go downstairs to the Café de Corral and get a breakfast of egg, toast, meat, and coffee. Then they ask if we want congee rice porridge) or macaroni. Out of habit we say macaroni. Off to the pick up line on the other side, and cue with everyone else waiting. Extremely efficient, one guy takes our ticket, speaks into a microphone, pulls out a tray, and slides it down the counter. Another grabs the plate from the kitchen with food already on it, and another pours and places the coffee. I am about to leave when a fourth tells me to wait, the macaroni is coming. Oh, yeah, macaroni for breakfast, I forgot. It comes, and each of us takes our tray and we go sit down.
The meat turns out to be a slice of ham (?) and a sausage (?). Toast is great, egg is good, meat is OK, but then I taste the coffee. Oh, no, they have added milk! I like black, but am unwilling to try for a change, so I set my cup aside. Besides, I already had two cups in the room. The macaroni is maybe one cup, boiled, still in water, with maybe five grains of corn, a tablespoon of cabbage (yes, boiled) and ¼ slice of ham slivered on the top as garnish. No flavor at all; bland would be a compliment.
We are a novelty, at least to the cleaner ladies who stare and giggle. One even comes by and smiles ear to ear at me. She cannot wait to take our trays.
Finished, we head upstairs, the restaurant happens to be in the basement. We walk on to the Star Ferry, passing the gauntlet of “Watch, copy watch?” guys and the “Suit, good suit, purse, copy purse?” guys hovering outside the terminal. Change $100 USD into HK $, and get $700.00 HKD. Turn and go up to the Central entry for the ferry. Take out tokens at the machine, and as soon as we drop them in the turnstile, the bell rings to board. Not many going over yet, so it is easy. Good trip--the sea is calm. We have to go slow to avoid a large dredge-like vessel and a cruise ship coming into port.
Arrive at Central, get off and head up to the bus terminal. Bus 15C at the bus cue is a standard bus, so we wait for the double-decker one with the convertible top. It arrives after about 30 minutes and we head to the Peak Tram terminal. Good ride, skyscrapers all around, sharp turns, steep climbs, lots of pedestrians, but these Hong Kong drivers are pros. They even go to driver’s school to learn how to handle these monsters in a slide!
Terminal, tickets--another cue. We get on the second tram. Grace tries to be nice, but tourists and locals alike go on ahead. It is OK; nothing can take away from such a ride. I am not sure of the angle, but it is extreme, maybe 45o at some points along the track. Up, up, and up some more. We did pass one short level place where the trams pass each other, then up again. Several stops along the way as many live in apartments on the side of this mountain. The tram is pulled up by cable, pulled by an electric motor. Big motor as each tram holds > 100 people, and there are two trams in operation at one time.
At the top, there are now two shopping centers, both huge, and crowded. We try for the very top, up I think it was five escalators, but at the last one they want another 10.00 HKD, and I balk. So back down again, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 escalators, and out onto a terrace. Nice fresh air, good breeze, even some room to roam.
Oh, the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company has a location at that fourth escalator up just in case you are wondering. I came to China to eat at a Bubba Gump? No thanks. Also a big promotion is going on for Hong Kong Disney Land. They are getting ready to host a spooktacular Halloween there next month. Yes, really; Halloween has come to China.
We hang around, find an overlook, window shop, and eat a bit. Back down on the tram, taxi to Hollywood Road and the antique shops. We are dropped off exactly where I asked, but have to walk several blocks before we find anything open. It is Sunday, and although Sunday does not mean that much here, most shops are still closed. First open one is a small local guy, and he does have some nice pieces, but a bit pricey. Then to Arch Angel, a world class shop that I have been to before. Amazing prices, amazing. Three floors worth, filled with furniture, ceramics, pottery, painting. I gotta say I was loving it, but the prices? Wow!
We meet a nice young Italian man, and Grace, the young man, the store owner and I talk a good bit. These are challenging times in the antique business. We go next door to another of their locations and I find a couple more pieces. But they start at $8,000 HKD. I think that works out to >$1100.00 USD. Not sure that is even worth starting to bargain for. We talk some more and she says the price is negotiable.
I decide to pass, for now.
Walk some more and find Oi Ling Antiques. Oi Ling is another very high quality shop with a world wide clientele. They tell us they do not carry ceramics; it has gotten too problematic, too hard to authenticate. But what surprise me is many of these shops carry Tang Dynasty Pottery pieces. Ever seen one at $400,000 HKD? That is around $6,000.00 USD! Pieces in the auctions here often go for >$1 million USD, often. Amazing. Chaks, another I wanted to go into, is closed up tight.
.
We are worn out, still thinking of the night market, but….
We take a taxi to the Star Ferry terminal, back across the harbor, and go up to the Internet Café. Again, we are staying in a hotel that wants blood for a connection. Remember? $40.00 HKD for one hour at the hotel? ”Only” $20.00 HKD per hour at the café, a deal. I insert my thumb drive into the USB port but it does not work. OK, the other drive, nope. Grace asks to try, and it does not work in either of hers either. I asked yesterday, and the manager told me it would work, so one more try--we turn it upside down. Yep, it works. It is a complicated world we live in.
We try to walk back to the hotel, but decide to stop along the way, into this time the Gateway Mall. These malls do NOT have meaningful maps; they want you to wander. We do, but finally find Bubble Bar at the Prince Hotel, another hotel above this monster mall along the waterfront. Nice, cool, refreshing and comfortable seats. So we rest a bit, then head back to the hotel and now we are here. It is 7:30, and I do NOT think the night market is on our agenda. We left at 8:00 am +/- and got back about 6:45, almost all that time on our feet. Our feet are asking for mercy. But who knows, we are only in Hong Kong for one more day. Time is short.
Oh, that $700.00 HKD? I am having trouble finding it and trouble remembering how I spent that much today. But this is a big city, and big cities are expensive.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Conservation
We can learn much about economizing and use of available space from the Chinese. In a country were over a million people is a small town, they have had to be creative. Here are a few observations:
1. In the Suzhou New City Garden Hotel the escalators run only when approached.
2. At the toll booths on the “freeway” from Suzhou to Shanghai, two vehicles are served in each line. How? They’ve simply built a second toll booth behind the first.
3. Shanghai is preparing for an international expo in 2010. All tourists want to drive down The Bund. Already LOTS of traffic, so they are building a double-decker road! I would hope one level going each way, but that would not be very Chinese. Playing dodge cars seems to be a national sport.
4. Broadway Mansions, Shanghai—Electricity is conserved by having motion sensors in the secondary hallways of the hotel which only turn the lights on when someone is headed to a room down that hallway. (Lights by elevators stay on.)
5. Not sure if this is a safety issue or a conservation move, but the hotel elevators don’t go up without inserting a room key. I guess if you want to go to one of the restaurants or bars on the top floors, you have to have reservations. No just riding up to see the view.
6. This made me remember how the lights in shops are turned on in a cabinet when you show interest in a particular item. Why light the others?
7. Oh, yeah, and the lights in the hotel rooms don’t work until you enter and place your room key in a slot by the door. You take your room key with you when you leave; that way lights cannot be left on while you are out.
Thinking about this has put me in a quandary about something that happened at dinner last night. We treated three people: the young lady who has been our voluntary guide, the English teacher who hooked us up with her, and the young lady’s younger sister who is in the English teacher’s class. She ordered way too many dishes for us to eat. I think there were about eight platters plus a huge bowl of soup plus drinks and a crispy sweet thin bread for dessert. No rice as Chinese people seem to think that is an insult when served to visitors as that is poor people’s food.
I asked if Chinese people take home “doggie bags.” She said they don’t because food is so inexpensive here. I think we left at least as much as we ate. For the five of us the bill was about $25 USD which we think is cheap, but not so cheap if your income is less than a couple hundred per month for a good-paying job.
The retirees in SCC would blow their minds, wouldn’t they?
1. In the Suzhou New City Garden Hotel the escalators run only when approached.
2. At the toll booths on the “freeway” from Suzhou to Shanghai, two vehicles are served in each line. How? They’ve simply built a second toll booth behind the first.
3. Shanghai is preparing for an international expo in 2010. All tourists want to drive down The Bund. Already LOTS of traffic, so they are building a double-decker road! I would hope one level going each way, but that would not be very Chinese. Playing dodge cars seems to be a national sport.
4. Broadway Mansions, Shanghai—Electricity is conserved by having motion sensors in the secondary hallways of the hotel which only turn the lights on when someone is headed to a room down that hallway. (Lights by elevators stay on.)
5. Not sure if this is a safety issue or a conservation move, but the hotel elevators don’t go up without inserting a room key. I guess if you want to go to one of the restaurants or bars on the top floors, you have to have reservations. No just riding up to see the view.
6. This made me remember how the lights in shops are turned on in a cabinet when you show interest in a particular item. Why light the others?
7. Oh, yeah, and the lights in the hotel rooms don’t work until you enter and place your room key in a slot by the door. You take your room key with you when you leave; that way lights cannot be left on while you are out.
Thinking about this has put me in a quandary about something that happened at dinner last night. We treated three people: the young lady who has been our voluntary guide, the English teacher who hooked us up with her, and the young lady’s younger sister who is in the English teacher’s class. She ordered way too many dishes for us to eat. I think there were about eight platters plus a huge bowl of soup plus drinks and a crispy sweet thin bread for dessert. No rice as Chinese people seem to think that is an insult when served to visitors as that is poor people’s food.
I asked if Chinese people take home “doggie bags.” She said they don’t because food is so inexpensive here. I think we left at least as much as we ate. For the five of us the bill was about $25 USD which we think is cheap, but not so cheap if your income is less than a couple hundred per month for a good-paying job.
The retirees in SCC would blow their minds, wouldn’t they?
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Day Two: Guided Tours of Suzhou
Our local guide, Sonia—Chinese name is Yang Yang which we prefer—and our driver Mr. Dong pick us up at Suzhou New City Garden Hotel. Right on time, I might add. Lili, the trainee guide, got caught in traffic caused by an accident and caught up with us.
First stop is Lingering Garden. Here is a link to some photos and a description, but use your BACK button if you look now or you will lose the blog.
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/picture/jiangsu/suzhou/garden_lingering_in/
We have taken photos, but won’t ask Beth to upload them for us at this time. We have not been able to access Blogger.com from China. It is a bit of a mystery as Wordpress.com, another popular blogging site, is easily accessible. Rather than driving Beth crazy with uploading for us, I will set up a Wordpress site if Blogger.com stays blocked in Shanghai.
The sites were quite beautiful in Lingering Garden. Many different type windows through which were viewed sculptures and plantings designed to look like paintings. Old style architecture and furniture. Many rooms with Ming style furniture—beautiful. Our guide explained where the females would be hidden so that they could view guests, but not be seen.
A huge area had Chinese versions of bonsai which our guide said is much larger and is designed in four different styles. We happened upon a Chinese opera that was just beginning. It seems that audiences have become quieter and more attentive. A darling little girl kept going up to the stage’s edge and was imitating one of the performers. That would have been perfectly acceptable when we lived here. But one of the musicians even got up, went over to the mother and told her to have her child sit down.
Most of the tourists were Chinese including many children as it was Saturday. I often say, “Ni Hao” to small children and they say “hello” in return. The parents and grandparents laugh and encourage them, proud that they “know English.” And I have found that a smile is universal. Chinese have no compunctions about staring, often with jaws dropping as they check us out head to toe. But a smile and “Ni Hao” seems to break the trance and elicits a smile.
We were then taken to a silk factory. We’ve been before but this one was more of a tourist attraction followed by LOTS of opportunities to buy silk duvets, duvet covers, and clothing. This was all fine except lunch. We were taken to the “Western” section of the tourist restaurant and our guides went to the Chinese area. Had we known in time, we would have insisted on going to Chinese restaurant. We would much prefer to eat good Chinese food than their version of Western food.
After lunch our driver dropped Yang Yang and us off on a street through a reclamation area. The homes are the old style white walls with black tile roofs with lots of canals and bridges. There is little to do there as yet other than dodge getting hit by bicycles and motorbikes that whiz through. Hard to look around while playing a motorized version of dodge ball.
And the walk was LONG!!! Followed by several city blocks of stores before getting to the parking area for the van. Supposedly, parking was “forbidden” in the reclamation area. We suspect it was more a case of you might buy something during the walk. Thank goodness Archie and I have both been walking at home in preparation for this trip. But we really have not built up to the distance covered when you add Lingering Gardens to the reclamation area. I estimate about six or seven miles altogether. So we headed from there to the hotel for naptime. The guides picked us up about 6:15 pm to drive us to a Chinese restaurant for a typical Suzhou dinner. We were the only Westerners. The manager was so happy to have us that he did not allow us to pay for the Qingdao beer we ordered.
First stop is Lingering Garden. Here is a link to some photos and a description, but use your BACK button if you look now or you will lose the blog.
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/picture/jiangsu/suzhou/garden_lingering_in/
We have taken photos, but won’t ask Beth to upload them for us at this time. We have not been able to access Blogger.com from China. It is a bit of a mystery as Wordpress.com, another popular blogging site, is easily accessible. Rather than driving Beth crazy with uploading for us, I will set up a Wordpress site if Blogger.com stays blocked in Shanghai.
The sites were quite beautiful in Lingering Garden. Many different type windows through which were viewed sculptures and plantings designed to look like paintings. Old style architecture and furniture. Many rooms with Ming style furniture—beautiful. Our guide explained where the females would be hidden so that they could view guests, but not be seen.
A huge area had Chinese versions of bonsai which our guide said is much larger and is designed in four different styles. We happened upon a Chinese opera that was just beginning. It seems that audiences have become quieter and more attentive. A darling little girl kept going up to the stage’s edge and was imitating one of the performers. That would have been perfectly acceptable when we lived here. But one of the musicians even got up, went over to the mother and told her to have her child sit down.
Most of the tourists were Chinese including many children as it was Saturday. I often say, “Ni Hao” to small children and they say “hello” in return. The parents and grandparents laugh and encourage them, proud that they “know English.” And I have found that a smile is universal. Chinese have no compunctions about staring, often with jaws dropping as they check us out head to toe. But a smile and “Ni Hao” seems to break the trance and elicits a smile.
We were then taken to a silk factory. We’ve been before but this one was more of a tourist attraction followed by LOTS of opportunities to buy silk duvets, duvet covers, and clothing. This was all fine except lunch. We were taken to the “Western” section of the tourist restaurant and our guides went to the Chinese area. Had we known in time, we would have insisted on going to Chinese restaurant. We would much prefer to eat good Chinese food than their version of Western food.
After lunch our driver dropped Yang Yang and us off on a street through a reclamation area. The homes are the old style white walls with black tile roofs with lots of canals and bridges. There is little to do there as yet other than dodge getting hit by bicycles and motorbikes that whiz through. Hard to look around while playing a motorized version of dodge ball.
And the walk was LONG!!! Followed by several city blocks of stores before getting to the parking area for the van. Supposedly, parking was “forbidden” in the reclamation area. We suspect it was more a case of you might buy something during the walk. Thank goodness Archie and I have both been walking at home in preparation for this trip. But we really have not built up to the distance covered when you add Lingering Gardens to the reclamation area. I estimate about six or seven miles altogether. So we headed from there to the hotel for naptime. The guides picked us up about 6:15 pm to drive us to a Chinese restaurant for a typical Suzhou dinner. We were the only Westerners. The manager was so happy to have us that he did not allow us to pay for the Qingdao beer we ordered.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
In control, NOT
Some think we are in control. Sometimes I guess we are, other times, well.
We are in Los Altos, the San Francisco area, down right next to Stanford University. My youngest brother and sister-in-law live here. Very nice area, and the weather has been spectacular. Great week to be here on vacation.
Tuesday evening I tried to double check on our flight reservations. Used to be you check in 72 hours before an international flight. (Turns out now it is 24 hours, but I tried anyway.) Went to the United Airlines website OK, put in our frequent flier information, and it tells me “No itinerary found for this person.” Whoa! OK, maybe I’ll try another tactic. I’ll try the reservation number. “No itinerary found for this number.” Wait a minute!
I try again, both ways, frequent flyer number and the printed reservations number, but both come back as nothing. Two days before departure, and I am somewhat concerned. So I call United. Young girl answers and in her best street talk (what ever happened to business etiquette?) informs me that I should check in online. Yep, I tell her, I know that, but online tells me I have no reservations, and I need to get to the bottom of this. She digs some into her computer files, and comes back on the phone and tells me that someone has deleted those reservations! WHAT? OH ****! Who? She says she cannot tell me that, but asks who I bought the tickets through. Even tells me we were flying from SF to Shanghai and the date. Nice of her, except for the “were” part. I tell her the agent’s name and she verifies they did make reservations, but someone has since deleted them.
I call the agent, of course it is after hours in Florida, but I leave a message on her phone. No response, but about 7:00 California time I decide to also send an email to her. 8:00 or so California time my cell rings but I am at dinner, so do not answer.
Later back at my brother and sister’s house I check messages and the agent tells me she has gone in under reservation number such and such and the reservations are there and all is well. Turns out to be a different reservation number. Funny? No, but I’ll try online check-in later today, Wednesday, and see what happens. That is, before I call the agent. And ask why we have no reservations under our FF # either?
Control, no. It is just a mirage.
Hey, at least this happened here where I speak the language. Just wait till next week. Whoppee!
We are in Los Altos, the San Francisco area, down right next to Stanford University. My youngest brother and sister-in-law live here. Very nice area, and the weather has been spectacular. Great week to be here on vacation.
Tuesday evening I tried to double check on our flight reservations. Used to be you check in 72 hours before an international flight. (Turns out now it is 24 hours, but I tried anyway.) Went to the United Airlines website OK, put in our frequent flier information, and it tells me “No itinerary found for this person.” Whoa! OK, maybe I’ll try another tactic. I’ll try the reservation number. “No itinerary found for this number.” Wait a minute!
I try again, both ways, frequent flyer number and the printed reservations number, but both come back as nothing. Two days before departure, and I am somewhat concerned. So I call United. Young girl answers and in her best street talk (what ever happened to business etiquette?) informs me that I should check in online. Yep, I tell her, I know that, but online tells me I have no reservations, and I need to get to the bottom of this. She digs some into her computer files, and comes back on the phone and tells me that someone has deleted those reservations! WHAT? OH ****! Who? She says she cannot tell me that, but asks who I bought the tickets through. Even tells me we were flying from SF to Shanghai and the date. Nice of her, except for the “were” part. I tell her the agent’s name and she verifies they did make reservations, but someone has since deleted them.
I call the agent, of course it is after hours in Florida, but I leave a message on her phone. No response, but about 7:00 California time I decide to also send an email to her. 8:00 or so California time my cell rings but I am at dinner, so do not answer.
Later back at my brother and sister’s house I check messages and the agent tells me she has gone in under reservation number such and such and the reservations are there and all is well. Turns out to be a different reservation number. Funny? No, but I’ll try online check-in later today, Wednesday, and see what happens. That is, before I call the agent. And ask why we have no reservations under our FF # either?
Control, no. It is just a mirage.
Hey, at least this happened here where I speak the language. Just wait till next week. Whoppee!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
STAYCATION - Chinatown/San Francisco
If you can't make it to China, you can experience a lot of the sights and sounds by visiting Chinatown in San Francisco. Here are photos to give you the idea. Double-click on any photo to enlarge it.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Getting Our Visas
Wow, have things changed! I remember when we got visas here in San Francisco years ago. I don't know about Archie, but I felt very uncomfortable. The wait was long and the clerk was quite rude.
Now there is a special new office at the Chinese Consulate on Geary for getting visas. It is clean and highly efficient. Operates like our driver's license office at home. You get a number and can immediately fill out a form. The board lights up with your ticket number and the number of the window to go to. A pleasant female voice announces this information as well.
There is even a station for having passport photos made on the spot!
We were in and out in less than a half hour.
We will pick up our visas in four business days. For additional fees you can get one in two days or even one day.
About half the people there were Westerners who seemed to be going as tourists. The Chinese are not slow studies. Having the Olympics has definitely made them a top tourism destination and they have the visa process under control.
FRIENDLY REMINDER: CHECK THE EXPIRATION DATE ON YOUR PASSPORT! I didn't until about a month ago. We went to teach in Qingdao ten years ago. Archie has been back to China, but I have not. My passport was expiring so had to pay extra to expedite the process.
Grace
Now there is a special new office at the Chinese Consulate on Geary for getting visas. It is clean and highly efficient. Operates like our driver's license office at home. You get a number and can immediately fill out a form. The board lights up with your ticket number and the number of the window to go to. A pleasant female voice announces this information as well.
There is even a station for having passport photos made on the spot!
We were in and out in less than a half hour.
We will pick up our visas in four business days. For additional fees you can get one in two days or even one day.
About half the people there were Westerners who seemed to be going as tourists. The Chinese are not slow studies. Having the Olympics has definitely made them a top tourism destination and they have the visa process under control.
FRIENDLY REMINDER: CHECK THE EXPIRATION DATE ON YOUR PASSPORT! I didn't until about a month ago. We went to teach in Qingdao ten years ago. Archie has been back to China, but I have not. My passport was expiring so had to pay extra to expedite the process.
Grace
Thursday, September 3, 2009
San Francisco
Today met with old friends for breakfast, then a walking tour of the Chinatown neighborhood around the hotel. Out our window is Coit Tower. Have to go take a look at the new "birdman" of SF, the one that feeds the wild parrots at Coit. May get to that Friday before the convention gets cranked up.
Oh, parking is about $30/day at the hotel. That is a surprise. Asked around, and that seems to be the prevailing rate. Wow, city living is expensive.
Met up with our son, Sturdy for a late lunch and then to his house. Little Sturdy and Calan were home with their mom Kathy, so had a nice visit before Emerson came home from school. First grader, big deal.
Back at the hotel and trying to get a little rest. Grace was up 24 hours yesterday, and I have to admit both of us are tired.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Off and Running!
We leave for San Francisco today. We'll attend the US-China Peoples Friendship National Conference this weekend. (Go to http://uscpfa.org/.) And get our visas for the China trip.But here are the BEST reasons for going to San Francisco!
This photo taken by our daughter-in-law is one of my very favorites!
Grace
Friday, August 28, 2009
Going Where?
SFO to SHA on Sept 10: Of course, we lose a day, but worth it. Transfer to Suzhou on arrival and there till 14th, Monday. Have reservations at M on the Bund that night. Grace, Sturdy, Beth and I were one of their first customers back in 1999. Had an incredible Sunday brunch then on the patio if I remember right. On top of a building on The Bund, looking over the river as lights of Shanghai come up.
Fly from Shanghai to Jing de Zhen on Thursday, 17th. Jing de Zhen is the world capital for porcelain. I collect, so should be the highlight of my trip. Wonder what I can buy there?
Sunday we fly through Shenzhen to Xiamen and have a week there, staying in an apartment instead of a hotel. We'll fill you in on the conveniences--sounds very modern and upscale.
Sept 25 to Hong Kong and a stamp auction there.
HK to SFO on the 29th.
More to come I am sure.
Archie
Fly from Shanghai to Jing de Zhen on Thursday, 17th. Jing de Zhen is the world capital for porcelain. I collect, so should be the highlight of my trip. Wonder what I can buy there?
Sunday we fly through Shenzhen to Xiamen and have a week there, staying in an apartment instead of a hotel. We'll fill you in on the conveniences--sounds very modern and upscale.
Sept 25 to Hong Kong and a stamp auction there.
HK to SFO on the 29th.
More to come I am sure.
Archie
Returning to China
In 1999 we went to Qingdao, China, to teach in an international school—Archie, Grace, and Beth who was 16 at the time. Archie taught in Shanghai the following year. Although Archie and Beth have both returned, this will be the first time for Grace to set foot in China again since that time.
We hope that our friends and family will follow along with us on this return to China trip. We will post our itinerary soon. Even though we’re leaving home on September 2, we will actually leave for China from San Francisco on September 10.
We’re not sure how often we will be able to post, but Internet access is available in many places in China now. Of our five destinations we are sure that we’ll be able to access from Shanghai, Hong Kong, and most likely Xiamen. We have two side trips planned: Jing de Zhen and Suzhou.
Only time will tell whether we will be able to add to the blog from those locations or not.
So stay tuned. We hope you find our adventures interesting and entertaining. And who knows—you may want to join us in the future.
Grace
We hope that our friends and family will follow along with us on this return to China trip. We will post our itinerary soon. Even though we’re leaving home on September 2, we will actually leave for China from San Francisco on September 10.
We’re not sure how often we will be able to post, but Internet access is available in many places in China now. Of our five destinations we are sure that we’ll be able to access from Shanghai, Hong Kong, and most likely Xiamen. We have two side trips planned: Jing de Zhen and Suzhou.
Only time will tell whether we will be able to add to the blog from those locations or not.
So stay tuned. We hope you find our adventures interesting and entertaining. And who knows—you may want to join us in the future.
Grace
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