I went to Beijing and it was fun

Hey guys,
I apologize if this post is even more dull than my typical entries. It is nearly midnight and we got back to the dorms at two am this morning. I would have slept like a champion, except for the alarm that woke me up at 7 am for 9 hours of class. Needless to say, I've had my fair share of caffeine to get throughout the day.
Beijing was a tremendous city. The only complaint that I have is the pollution and the time constraints on our trip. I would have really enjoyed to have an extra day to see some more of the sites. I will have plenty of time to explore when I am back there in a couple of years (I will explain later).
Chris and I stayed with a BC classmate, Will Smith, who is currently studying at the Peking University. The University is ranked among the world's top twenty, and is readily considered to be the top in Asia. He was gracious enough to give Chris and I a place to stay- well, he tried to.
I arrived to Beijing on my own late on Thursday night. By the time my plane landed, it was already midnight, and I had to try and convince some of the taxi drivers to take me to the school. It's weird- they don't speak much English in Beijing. I finally got to the campus, but I soon realized that the campus was rather large, and I was about a 25 minute walk from Will's dorm. A local girl on a bike helped me to the dorm. She spoke broken English, and was in her final year of studying Chemistry. She has already been accepted to UPenn, UChicago, and UCLA in the States and is trying to decide where she wants to go to Graduate School. Tough Life...
Upon my arrival, Will passed out in preparation of his 8 1/2 hours of Friday class. While Will was working on his Mandarin, etc. I headed to the Silk Market with his roomate, Kelvin. Kelvin was born in China and has lived in Kansas City for quite a while. He is studying at Pomona College out in California. He ended up playing tour guide for a lot of the weekend. His knowledge of the language was an invaluable asset. Kelvin was quite impressed by my learned negotiating tactics, and even recruited me to buy a watch and some other items for him. I purchased four tailored shirts (for $10 each) and 5 silk ties ($1 each). We had a lot of fun.
The next day, Chris and I piggybacked on Will's exchange program's trip to the Great Wall. The group took us far out of the city to a remote section called Huanghuacheng. The lake was stunningly beautiful, and we all had a great time trekking around. There is usually a zip-line that can be taken across the lake, but there were a number of local guys doing work on the line and had closed it down. Maybe next time... Before heading back to campus, I bought some dried fruits from the local street vendors, and was pleasantly surprised.
When we finally got back to the University, my mood was quickly dampened as we watched the end of the Boston College vs. Villanova basketball game. If you didn't see, we lost in overtime by one point on a goaltending call. It was the right call, but a painful way to lose. It's a real shame that we lost- I think we would have had a great chance to beat Florida to make it to our first Final Four in school history. The way the the rest of the brackets played out, a National Championship was well within reach. I guess there is always next year.
To save our mood, we went to the supermarket on campus and went on a DVD binge. Seriously, it was ridiculous. Chris and I are working to build our DVD collections for when we have to move out of the house and set up shop on our own. We are more than well on our way.
Feeling exponentially better about life, we headed to have our Peking Duck meal. I couldn't have been more satisfied. Here is a little list about the stuff we (four guys and a vegetarian girl) ate:

1. Cooked Peanut Dish
2. Bean, Veggie, and Onion dish
3. Spiced Noodle Dish
4. Donkey meat- served sliced and cold on a platter
5. Ox Tongue- served sliced and cold on a platter
6. Snake, Turtle, and Scorpian Special- it ended us being a soup- we were slightly disappointed
7. 2 full ducks- served with homemade wraps and fixings too- phenomenal
8. ...and of course copious amounts of Yanjing 12 degree beer (Beijing's finest)

*This meal was delicious. I got a chance to try some other cool items the day before. For lunch, I had a rabbit stir-fry dish. The meat was incredibly tender and I really enjoyed it. Also, I ordered a shredded and spiced eel in beer sauce, which was pretty tasty. That night, Kelvin ordered a bunch of the specials at a local restaurant. The main attraction were the same wraps that the Peking Duck came in, but served with an enormous omelet and other fillings. The highlights of that meal were the great food, the awful service, and the manager who could open our bears with the back of a frail wooden chopstick. It was tight. But I digress...

After the Peking Duck dinner, we could hardly move from the meal. We waddled back (I think it was the duck influence) to Will's campus and spent the rest of the night testing the DVD's that we bought.
The alarm had us up and out on Sunday morning. There was way too much of the city that was unexplored, and not enough time to see it all. Unfortunately, because of the layout of the city and the location of the school, it took nearly an hour to make the 7 mile trip downtown. There was a lot of wasted time. We got to see the Summer Palace in the morning. The grounds were much larger than I thought they would be. Before lunch, we also made it down to see Tian'anmen Square and the entrance to the Forbidden City. At this point, we were feeling pressured for time. Chris and I decided that we would go see Lama Temple and, time permitting, the other side of the Forbidden City. Time was not on our side, but the Lama Temple was great. In fact, it plays host to the largest standing Buddha in the world. The Buddha was quite a sight, and Chris snapped a photo when the guard had his back turned.
Unfortunately, it was time to bid farewell to an incredible city. I know that next time I go back, things will be very different. The amount of construction that is being done in preparation for the 2008 Olympics is mind- boggling and the government is pressing hard for development (they can- they don't vote on things there). However, it is time that I let you in on a little secret.
I have decided that after graduating from Boston College, I will spend a year at Beijing Language and Culture University to enroll in an intensive Mandarin program. I'm documenting this decision now, because I want to hold myself accountable for this decision, and I want the people that are close to me to make sure that I do it. After spending this summer in New York, and next year in Boston, there will be plenty of reasons for me to abandon my plans, but I think that would be tragic. I'll be back to Beijing in a year and a half. I'll finish my DVD collection then. Signing off-

Shanghai

Ni men Hau,
Just got back from Shanghai, and quickly watched BC dominate Montana on CBS Sportsline. This whole watching live college basketball games online from anywhere in the world is pretty amazing to me. But I digress...
Shanghai was a really cool city. I didn't really know what to expect, and did not have a lot of time to do research before heading up there. But, as soon as I entered the airport, I knew that the city was the product of rapid modernization.
We arrived in Shanghai the night of Saint Patrick's Day, so we were eager to get to the hotel and out to the bars as soon as possible. Luckily, we had the fastest train in teh world on our side. The Magnetic Levetation Train (Mag-Lev) hovers on magnetic plates and is ridiculously fast. The poles of the track change to propel the train forward. Within sixty seconds of departing the gate, we were traveling 431 km/hr. For all of you that can't do the conversion, that's about 270 MPH. Pretty ridiculous. That ride made the trip.
Before you knew it, we were out looking for a pub that had Guiness on tap. We satisfied our Guiness fix at a Chinese restaurant, and then went to a bar that one of my Professors had recommended, Beni Coffee. The place allowed the patrons to buy and store bottles of liquer, and my Professor had a bottle of Bailey's with his name on it. Literally. He told us that we could drink out of the bottle for free, but that we would have to replace it if we finished it. We each had a glass, and quickly moved on to 3 Liter Kegs of Carlsburg and an improv drinking game that borrowed dice from the Chinese Yatzee game that I had come to know and love. Saint Patties Day in Shanghai- God bless globalization.
In case you were unaware, Chris and my negotiating skills have exponentially improved as the semester has worn on. To be honest, we often do better than the locals. Kaleigh and Andrea took us to a fashion market that had a bunch of amazing stuff. Any brand name designer had his pseudo-gear on display. the negotiation process was a blast, and I don't want to reveal my secrets, but here's a summary about how we made out:

Chris and I bought a total of 60 DVD's:
Individual Movies: Syriana, Ocean's Twelve, Good Night and Good Luck
Boxed Sets: James Bond (all 20 of them), Sopranos (first five seasons-37 discs)
Initial Price: 1250 Yuan- very cheap (just over $150)
Our Final Price: 450 Yuan (under $65)

5 completely legit Ralph Lauren Polo's- knockoff's but barely:
Initial Price: 180 Yuan ($22.5)
Our Price: 25 Yuan ($3)
*we later found out that the manufacturing cost was 21 Yuan- they were not happy with us

1 "100% Cashmere Polo Sweater":
Initial Price: 680 Yuan ($85)
Our Price: 80 Yuan ($10)

and the most amazing bargaining job...

1 8 oz. stainless steel Jim Beam Flask:
Initial Price: 280 Yuan ($35)
Our Price: 20 Yuan ($2.50)

You get the idea... we were pretty much rockstars at this market, and many of the locals that were selling to us were openly impressed. Unfortunately for them, we were not contributing to their bottom line.

After a long day in the markets, we were exhausted and headed back to the hotel for an hour or so before dinner. By the time we finally got ourselves moving, it was getting pretty late. We headed down to the Bund, which is an area on the river that is beautiful at night. The night's sky is lit by the futuristic sky-scrapers, and it feels like the year 2015. We were so taken by the sights that all of the affordable restaurants around the Bund closed before we had a chance to eat anything. We cabbed it over to another district that we were told was "low on class, high on fun." Struggling to find places that would serve us food, we ducked into a local joint, where completely changed the locals opinions of Westerners. The guys that ran the place did not think we would be able to eat there, judging by the confused look on his face as we wondered in. While the girls tried to order a couple of more conventional dishes, Chris ordered the local hot pot, and I had the Boiled Ox Tripe (stomach) in chili sauce. When ordering, the owner tried to tell me that I wouldn't be able to handle the spice. After two enormaous Tsing Tao's, we both took our meals down like champions. The owners grew more and more receptive as we continued to eat and drink.
Our last day in Shanghai involved a lot more wondering. It was a beautiful day, so we enjoyed walking around the city. We stopped by the Shanghai Art Museum, which was a monumental dissapointment. The only interesting exhibit was a photo mural that portrayed the development of Shanghai. The gist of the exhibit was that Shanghai was surrendering all of it's culture to become modernized. The Chinese government can basically do whatever they want. Since they have put such a high priority on developing Shanghai, the local people have often been kicked out of their homes, and relocated out of the city center. The traditional houses have then been destroyed in order to erect things such as the Pearl Tower. The artist is trying to warn the world of what might happen if this trend continues, and the tragedy that is sapping the city of it's roots.
Walking around, there is a stark contrast between the developed and the undeveloped, the modern and the traditional...
We had lunch in a great French Park, that was home to a statue of Marx and Engels. How appropriate. I had my first western meal in weeks when we sat down at an Italian Restaurant at Park 97. Park 97 is acutally a building within the park that is owned and operated by the same genious that built Lan Kwai Fong in Hong Kong. This guy must be raking in a ton of capital, and we have made it our goal to learn more. I'll let you know.
The rest of the afternoon was filled with some good memories around the city, having tea and whatnot. Then, it was back to Hong Kong for another hectic week of class and catch-up. I should really stop traveling every weekend, but there is just too much to see and too little time. Sleep is no longer a priority.

Guilin and Yangsho- the cities

Now that you all know how I got back from my trip, I figure I should tell you a bit about it. Let me start by saying the New York Times was correct- this is one of the most amazing places that nobody has ever heard of.
Aaron and I had the entire first day to explore Guilin on our own, since Chris and Kelsey were not arriving until the evening. Upon making our sleeping arrangements at the Flowers Youth Hostel, Aaron and I rented bikes and took to the city. Guilin is located right on the Li River, with mountains emerging from the ground everywhere. It is hard for me to describe these mountains to you. They are sharp and independent, sticking out of the ground like spears pushed through the earth's surface. Very cool stuff. Pictures will be up soon- and they are each worth a thousand words.
For lunch, we sat down at a place that came recommended by the NYTimes for adventurous people. It was a local Guilin rice noodle shop that was described in the article simply by it's location. The local food was incredible, and we spent the rest of the trip seeking the rice noodles out. Every other house seemed to offer the stuff and I never paid more than 2 yuen (25 cents) for it.
The afternoon was spent in Seven Star Park, where we explored the limestone caves. In addition to some amazing pictures, I got a great understanding of the stalagmites and stalagtites from Aaron, who is a geology major (among other things). Also in Seven Star Park, we saw Camel Hill (a series of mountains that looked like a camel), a zoo (where animals were cruelly mistreated and no picture was free), and a swarm of loose monkeys eating all around where we sat. Our time watching the monkeys was rudely interupted when Aaron showed signs of trepidation. The monkeys, who caught wind of his shaken confidence, took over and nearly attacked us. We eventually got away, but not without losing our lunch, and our self respect.

The next morning, we woke up at six AM to take a boat tour down the Li River to Yangsho. The trip was gorgeous, and we met a South African named John who was exploring Mainland on his own. John is a great contact, and he helped me learn some new tricks on my camera. We had a lot of fun with him, and may be meeting him in Shanghai next weekend.
The boat trip ended abruptly, and we were escorted to the shore of the river. We were pointed down a path to get to our bus, and we were on our way. The path apparantly brought us onto a thirty-minute trek into some remote town, where no bus was clearly identified to us. After a great struggle, and a lot of communication barriers, we made our way onto a bus to downtown Yangsho. Interestingly enough, the boat trip was arranged by the same guy that organized my bus home- and we all know how that story goes.
As we got off the bus in city center, we were greeted by a guy named Bin Bin, who seemed like a helpful guy. He brought us to an International Youth Hostel, where he arranged our stay and tried to take advantage of us. We were saved by another group of HKUST students who exposed him before he could collect our money. I did not appreciate trying to be ripped off.
After lunch, we rented bikes again and set off to see Moon Hill. This was supposed to be one of the most amazing places around, and we were excited to see it. There were two routes to Moon Hill- by highway or on the country roads. We decided to take the country roads, which came highly acclaimed for their beauty.
The next five hours were spent on the mountain bikes, pedeling through the backwoods of Yangsho on a dirt path for construction vehicles. In fact, it appeared that local workers were in the process of building a multi-laned highway. In any case, no road had been laid, and the journey was unforgettable. We must have rode for over 30 miles, with tourists continuously telling us to turn back because the route was not passable, and locals waving and screaming "Ni hau" like they had never seen white people before. Our decision to keep going was a classic example of "escalation of commitment" error, where humans are inclined to stick to a decision even when evidence suggests that it is a bad one. The adventure through the country roads was incredible, and I don't want to focus on anything but the possitives. So I won't mention our time stuck in the mud or Aaron's rear axle coming off. Needless to say, we never made it up Moon Hill that day.
Instead, we biked directly into town and made the mistake of having Kelsey choose a dinner location. Already a picky eater, Kelsey was not turned on by the dogmeat, a local delicacy. We finally settled over by West St., a backpackers paradise filled with bars and restaraunts. We were all starving and exhausted, but we weren't patient enough to let the waitress take our orders before sending her for our beer. That was the top priority.
As dinner came to a close, I got asked by a local girl who wandered into the restaurant if I could take a picture with her. One picture suddenly turned into a photo-shoot, with different local girls taking turns with me. This was one of the funniest things I had ever witnessed. I was a genuine celebrity- just for being white. What a feeling.
Finally, the lights were turned off and the set was broken down: the photo shoot was over. It was time to start bargaining. I was on a monster roll negotiating prices. I ended up buying three items- two jade pieces, and a Chinese scroll painting. The prices for them were 490, 450, and 320 RMB, respectively. After some hard lining, I paid 100, 60, and 35. I spent a solid 5 minutes refusing to pay a dime more than 35, when the woman was offering it for 38. I outlasted her and it felt great. Then, I realized I was arguing over 40 cents.
The next day, we hung out around the city in some pretty crappy weather. We were all exhausted from the ride before, and struggled to get out of bed. My rockstar image was confirmed, as I was asked to pose for a bunch more pictures. If i ever get depressed, or am having self-esteem issues, I'm going to Yangsho, where I can get my fifteen minutes of fame.

You Think You Know, But You Have No Idea...

Hey Guys,
I spent the weekend in Guilin and Yangsho, two Chinese cities that captured the essence of the word 'beauty.' Unfortunately, my image of both dreamlands has been somewhat tainted by my experience home on the bus that Hades built. Let me tell you a little bit about that so I can revisit the Chinese wonderlands with a proper perspective.
As you may or may not know, I have a whole lot of class each Monday, starting with a three- hour Understanding Culture in Modern Society course at 8 am. This timeslot has been the bain of my existence since the local students took a liking to Sunday-Night screamfests that resonate through my earplugs and keep me up each and every weekend. Here's to a fresh start to the week.
Anyway, participation in class is a significant portion of my grades here, so I have made a concerted effort to be present at all of them. To get home from Yangsho on an overnight bus for a morning class demanded meticulous planning. I had done my homework, and I had a solution. The plan was to depart Yangsho at 5 pm on an 11-hour journey, bringing me into Shenzen at 4am. That would give me plenty of time to get back to HKUST for my 8 o'clock class. Having lived in America my entire life, I budgeted a couple of extra hours into the schedule. You never know- some traffic or a wrong turn could easily add an hour onto the trip. That was wishful thinking...
After what I thought was a flawless negotiating exhibition, my travel mate Aaron and I had arranged to meet a new sleeper bus outside of the Happy Hotel in Yangsho on Sunday at 5pm. We had all our reciepts and documentation ready to go, and we waited on the street with our friend John- a South African mate we met on the boat trip from Guilin and I will tell you more about. Sleeper buses kept passing by, and we would be sure to give a wave at each of them. While it was hard to miss the only white faces in the city, we did not want to risk being left. All of our efforts were wasted as the buses continued to drive right past us.
Eventually, a woman working at the Happy Hotel and told us in her best English/Mandarin/sign language that the bus was running a little bit late. It would pick us up at six instead. No problem. We went and grabbed some Guilin rice noodles from a street vender and made it back to the Happy Hotel by six. Forty more minutes ticked by, and still no sign of a bus. Until...
Out of nowhere a motorbike pulled up and the women on the back screamed "Shenzen." Aaron and I nodded and before I could wet my pants, we were piled on the back of the bike, motoring in and out of city traffic.
Eventually, the driver swirved off to the side of the road and pointed at a bus waiting there. Finally, the coveted sleeper-bus that would take us home. We were instructed to take our shoes off upon entering the bus. I was feeling great. If they were going to make us take our shoes off, the bus had to be relatively clean- right?
I walked up the stairs and peered to my left. I could not have been less prepared for what I saw. The bus was the avevage width of a bus, except there were three rows of bunks with aisles in between. How the hell does one fit three rows of beds into that narrow of a space. Luckily, the beds were proportionately long (around 4 ft in length), with half of the bed tilted at 30 degrees. Having to sit in a bed this size for eleven hours would have been torturous, but the tale was just beginning. Lined in each of the aisles were local Chinese men, women and children packed like sardines. Their positions on the floor, in conjunction with their facial features, reminded me of the first scene in Amistad on the slave ships. I noticed one empty bed on the left hand side. The man at the front pointed to it and Aaron hopped on after navigating through the sea of people lining the floor. He pointed to the me and then to a bed next to Aaron. I was convinced that he wanted me to claim the bed, but there was one problem- there was already a woman on my bed. The man pushed the lady off the bed and instructed me to sit. The bus started moving, I could not have been less comfortable, and the women next to me had cultivated a deep-rooted hatred for me in under twenty seconds. Perfect.
The bus trip consistantly provided tales of horror. A few of the highlights are as outlined below:

The woman next to me decided to play a little game of Command and Conquer on my bed. From her perch to my immediate left, the Chinese woman who I had ousted from her "bed" made herself comfortable on my lap. Honestly, it was a no-holds-barred struggle between us. When she thought I wasn't flexing my legs, she would maneuver her body in between my legs, on top of my knees- you name it. Finally, I settled with her head on my knee and her arm extending underneath my buckled kneecaps (try to visualize it)

Aaron got in a heated smoking debate with the front of the bus. Despite being in undoubtably cramped quarters, the local people still had the urge to light up. Aaron, in a last ditch effort to breath, opened his window. The man in front of Aaron did not appreciate this move as much as my lungs did. Back-and-forth they went; when the cigarettes came out, Aaron opened the window, prompting the man in front of him to slam it shut. It was quite amusing.

At one in the morning, our bus came to a halt on the side of the road. We were stopped for two hours as a construction crew decided they wanted to close the road. That's when Aaron and I started to speak Spanish. As confident as we were that nobody on the bus spoke English, we were even more certain that they didn't have Spanish in their language repitoir. After two hours, the bus started the engine, and we were back on the road. I guess that's pretty standard operating procedure.

Once in Shenzen, the bus turned into a jungle gym for the passengers. Constant hollers to the driver and asses in my face summarized the experience of locals climbing out of this clown bus. What I found intriguing was the fact that people would get out anywhere. I don't mean on the side of the road anywhere; people were getting out in the middle of ten lane highways and running to the side. Which reminds me- there was one point when our bus was traveling in the wrong direction of a ten-lane highway.

The icing on the cake. Upon exiting the bus, we soon realized that we weren't at the bus station we were familiar with. Instead, we got dropped off at a bus station forty minutes away from the railway station. Luckily, the city was bigger than New York and nobody speaks English.

I got back onto campus around noon. My name is Kevin Slemp, and that was the longest day of my life.

Pops and the sisters came to Hong Kong (part 2)

So we made it to Vietnam, and our visas granted us entry into the country. Twenty four hours earlier, without that documentation, we would have been quarantined and directed back to Hong Kong.
We traveled by bus to the New World Hotel- a beatuiful hotel located in the middle of backpack country. The hotel could not have looked more lost. My father and I ventured out into the streets of Ho Chi Minh at around midnight on a quest for food. On the street, we were soon engulfed by the local motorbike traffic. The streets of Ho Chi Minh rival the seven wonders of the world with their appeal. Apparantly, there are zero traffic laws. Everyone weaves in and out of others as they please. In order to cross the street, one must close their eyes, say their prayers, and simply walk. The local bikers swerve around you like a school of fish navigating around a pillar in the sea.
My father and I could not stop laughing; questions were being generated uncontrollably. Where sis all of these people come from? Why were they on the streets at midnight? How did they all get motorbikes? Was there any method behind this madness? For the duration of the trip, these questions remained unanswered.
The next morning we traveled by bus to the Mekong Delta. While my father and I were wandering the streets the night before, we found a travel agent arranging the trip for seven USD. This was compared to the fifty that the New World Hotel was charging. While I thought we might be sacrificing certain services, but I simply was unaware of how far the USD goes in Vietnam. Our seven dollar expenditure entitled us to:

1. Round-trip bus service to the Mekong Delta- a two hour trip each way.
2. An english-speaking Vietnamese tour guide who both informed and entertained throughout the journey (10 hours).
3. A series of boat cruises on the Mekong: we travelled on five or six different vessels, each of which was a different size and piloted by different local villagers.
4. A local meal prepared on one of the islands.
5. A tasting session of coconut candy and banana wine.
6. A private traditional Vietnamese music performance by a local band and singers.

I'm sure there are a number of other things that I am leaving out, but seven dollars is a lot of money, and remebering all that it can buy can sometimes be a struggle. In America, you might be able to get a McDonald's Value Meal (I wouldn't know, since I have boycotted that garbage for years).

The trip to the Mekong was incredible. Weaving in and out of the web-like waterways got me thinking about the war. I looked around at the scenery and had a very difficult time imagining it as the backdrop for a war... or a conflict. I had always the Mekong Delta as a murky place, characterized by lots of rain and brisk winds. My preconceptions could not have been more wrong. As I bathed shirtless in what seemed to be a tropical paradise, I tried to imagine local gunsman ransacking boats from the trees that surrounded me. It was a crazy, crazy experience.

The next day we spent around Ho Chi Minh, seeing the War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Palace. Both of these sites were cool to see, but there isn't much to tell about either. However, there was a significant Anti-American theme going on at the War Remnants Museum. In fact, there was Anti-American Propaganda in multiple languages on display. Having heard stories from my friends that went to the Cu Chi Tunnels, the Anti-American sentiment was widespread.

That evening, we had an amazing dinner at one of the best restaurants in Vietnam, Mandarine. My dad treated my friends and I to one of the best meals of our life, before heading to Apacalypse Now, a happening night club. Aaron and I ordered a bottle of wine that we thought everyone was interested in. Apparantly, they were more interested in soft drinks, so we had the monumental task of finishing it all in front of us. We stepped up.

The next morning marked our departure for Hong Kong, and my families continuing journey to the States. Our stay in Vietnam was a lot of fun- but more than that, it was a shared experience. I made reference in my last post about how much it meant to spent some time with the family. We haven't had the opportunity to travel together, and I have not been good about reaching out to them. Being on the other side of the world, in an unfamiliar environment, forced us to interact and enjoy each other's comapany. While the trip was short-lived, the memories will last a lifetime, and the relationships that were forged will bring us closer as a family. Thanks for coming out to visit guys.

Pops and the Sister Came to Hong Kong (Part I)

Hey all,
Now that my family has been gone for nearly two weeks, I think it's about time to tell you a little bit about our time together. If you are pressed for time, I can give you the synopsis: we had a blast. If you have a couple of minutes, here are some of the details...
I met up with the fam on my way back from Taipei- I booked my flight so that we would arrive in Hong Kong around the same time. My flight was delayed for a little while, but the others didn't have to wait long. Since I can go through customs as a Hong Kong Resident, I just skipped the line and was through in a flash. That's right- I live here... no big deal.
On our way back to the hotel, our cab driver apparantly hadnt gotten the memo that I'm pretty much a local. He pegged us for tourists and tried to rip us off. My father and I would have none of it. A few friendly words were exchanged, and almost immediately my father was drawn to the familiar neon lights down the street from the hotel. I didn't know how it's possible, but we had been in Hong Kong for 10 minutes and were already grabbing drinks at Outback Steakhouse. My sisters and I dont play by the rules as it is, but in the Land Down Under, there are no rules.
Between Monday morning and Wednesday evening, I was scrambling trying to balance class and family. Unlike the rest of the International Students here, my grades transfer back to Boston College (the others can take their courses pass/fail). As the week continued, my priorities progressively shifted toward my family, where they should have been all along. We had a lot of fun.
It took them all a day or so to get adjusted to the time difference and the food situation, but they never complained. They bounced around the city, from the Jade Market to Stanley Market (and everywhere in between), without missing a beat. I was glad to see that they enjoy the city as much as I do.
Some of the highlights with each of my family members:
Dad- My dad has recently had the chance to do a lot of traveling in this part of the world throught his job. Therefore, he has a pretty good idea about how everything operates. Before the trip, I had no idea how my father conducted himself in a foreign land. It was really fun to watch how he communicated, bargained, and made his way through the city where the "East meets the West."
Jen- My sister is a lot like me in the sense that she doesn't like to complain. Sleep, yes... complain, no. Jen tore her ACL playing soccer this fall, had surgury shortly thereafter, and has been recovering ever since. She walked around Hong Kong each day without bitching and moaning like most of us would. I was really happy to see her pushing through, and even venturing outside of her comfort zone to eat things like Ox Stomach at the Jumbo, the world's largest floating restaurant.
Katie- Katie and I finally had a chance to spend some time alone one night at the Temple Street Market. While we each picked out some incredible things (polo shirts, gucci bags, jade jewelry, paintings, etc), the laughs that we had are what will be remembered. Since my older sister left for college, we have not had a chance to hang out often at all. And when we did have the chance, we often did not. We both have way too many commitments, and our dedication to those things has often overshadowed the commitment we should have to each other. Without wanting to get sentimental, I hope that I can make it my priority to have more of these shared experiences.
Hong Kong was great for my fam to see some sites and get acquainted with Asian culture, but the trip really got going when we left for Ho Chi Minh City. Just figuring out how to get into Vietnam as Americans would prove to be an adventure. I'll let you know all of the details in the next posting. For now, I have to go pack to go to Guilin.