Beaches, Night Markets and DRAGONS!

Nicole and Jesse had a wonderfully busy weekend.  It started with the Mid Autumn Full Moon Festival, where it is customary for children to parade the street with paper lanterns.  On Wednesday evening, Nicole and Jesse headed downtown to take in some of the festivities, which included a Fire Dragon parade. Unfortunately, they arrived a little bit too late, and Nicole was unable to see much of the parade due to her height (or lack thereof). But happily, she was able to see it through the digital screen on the camera which belonged to the man in front of her, so the evening wasn't lost!

The head of the Fire Dragon

The parade began with a drummer, followed by many children carrying lanterns. Unlike the parades back home, this one happened all in one small area, going up and down the same street, instead of winding through a few streets and ending in a different place than it started. Probably one of the reasons why it was so crowded, everyone wanted to be in prime viewing area! Once the kids exhausted themselves by their fifth lap, the FIRE DRAGON appeared. You may be thinking this dragon is going to look like the typical Chinese new year dragon, but you'd be wrong.  This one was made of incense and was on fire. The air filled with smoke as it wound its way towards us, its 220 feet held up by many men.

Peacock Lantern

Once the parade died down, Nicole and Jesse headed towards Victoria Park to see the lantern display. There were lanterns hanging throughout the park unlike any they had seen before. They were so colourful and so big, it took quite a while to walk around and see them all.

On Saturday Nicole and Jesse decided to explore a little bit of the south side of Hong Kong Island.  There are a number of beaches that are only a short bus ride away, and one of the most popular is called Repulse Bay.  They hopped onto the number 260 bus and were on their way!  After a quick lunch when they arrived, they posted up on the beach and began to relax.  There is something to be said for having a wonderful beach practically outside your city doorstep.  Even though the weather didn't stay as nice as they had hoped, it was an afternoon well spent, and they headed home happy and ready to continue their evening with the Kowloon Night Markets.

Crowded Temple Street Night Market

Due to their upcoming trip to Borneo, Malaysia this week, Nicole and Jesse needed to pick up some supplies. Their trip consists of hiking up an actual mountain, and then spending some time on a beach, so they needed to grab some towels, hiking poles, and backpacks.  After acquiring their goods, Nicole and Jesse kept strolling through the stalls, seeing if there was anything else that peaked their interest.  Once they were completely shopped out, they headed home, knowing the they had an early morning of hiking awaiting them!

Hong Kong island has many trails for the weekend hiker, ranging in difficulty from easy-peasy to quite challenging.  One of the more well known hikes is Dragon's Back, taking you up to a ridge and along for quite a ways, giving you beautiful views on all sides.  Sunday turned out to be a very sunny and clear day, perfect for seeing the views and making their first real hike on the island one to remember.

The hike was a great warm up for Nicole and Jesse, getting them more excited, and nervous, for their grueling mountain hike this week.  Nicole tested out her new hiking pole, which proved to be of wonderful use, and Jesse continued to hone his photography skills.  Once on the top of the ridge, they could see many small towns and villages littering the coast.  Knowing that the finish line was a beach with swimming and food and beer, they plodded on despite the heat and Nicole's allergies!

On top of the ridge, looking down on Shek O Village.

The hike lasted a couple of hours, and Big Wave Bay beach didn't disappoint when they finally arrived.  After the hiking party changed into their swimsuits, everyone happily ran into the water and enjoyed the waves.  The next step was to fill hungry bellies, and a roof top restaurant came to the rescue.  Beers were drained and food consumed, after which everyone promptly returned to the beach to either pass out or sit and enjoy the view.

Big Wave Bay beach

Looking down on Big Wave Bay (left)

This week will be another huge adventure for Nicole and Jesse, as they attempt to scale the 13 000 ft Kinabalu Mountain.  The next post will surely have some incredible tales, and photos, so be sure to check back in a week!

Jesse and Nicole atop Dragon's Back ridge.

Check Out Our Apartment!

After a post-production effort that would have made James Cameron proud, we are happy to present, at long last, a video we made about our apartment.  As you'll see, we really love the place!

By way of credits, Nicole did the camera work and editing, while Jesse did the sound track.  

Enjoy!

Seoul Searching: A Tale in the Third Person

After three weeks in Hong Kong, the time had come for your humble authors to strike out into the maelstrom otherwise known as Asia.  Nicole and Jesse had come to Hong Kong with big travel plans, and first on the docket was a weekend trip north to the capital of South Korea, Seoul.

Seoul by night.  The streets are always busy and the shopping never stops!

To put things in perspective, whereas Hong Kong and its environs house some seven million people, Seoul proper holds more than ten million.  The city is massive!!  Seoul is also the high-tech capital of the world, home to both Samsung and LG.  These companies have provided the city with technologies that keep the city running smoothly, and are generally very cool.  The travelers took generous advantage of the interactive Google-maps based info-centres to navigate Seoul's massive and incredibly convenient subway system.

History buffs and political enthusiasts know that Korea had a rough ride through the 20th century.  Seoul is only a short drive away from the border with North Korea, so on their first full day in Korea, Nicole and Jesse took a day trip to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).  By way of brief explanation, part of the armistice pact ending the Korean war called for a line to be drawn across the Korean peninsula. Extending two kilometers north and south of this line is the DMZ, where entry is strictly limited, and armed guards from North and South Korea keep a close eye on each other.

South Korean families leave notes and prayers for their relatives trapped in the North.  The military presence is everywhere.

On their trip, Nicole and Jesse saw the train that was bombed by North Korea to ignite the Korean war, and they took a trip through a tunnel dug by North Koreans in the 1960s in an attempt to move troops into Seoul underground.  The tunnel was only 5'8" tall in most places, so Jesse was grateful that they supplied hard hats, although his back was in some pain after crawling through the kilometer long path.  Unfortunately, fog blocked most of the views into North Korea, so the travelers couldn't see much north of the border.

Later that day, Nicole and Jesse went for a stroll and happened upon an excellent food market in the Dongdaemun district, which is known for its massive fashion markets.  Korean food is extremely diverse, and this market seemed to favour kimchi (pickled and spiced cabbage) and various fresh and dried seafood.  While we did not try anything, it looked interesting and smelled more interesting.

Sights, sounds, and smells: Dongdaemun Night Market

Nicole and Jesse spent the evening with Jesse's friend Mark and his girlfriend Seulki in their neighborhood, Sinsa, catching up, and enjoying a few drinks on the bank of the Hangang River.  The path is lined with bike and pedestrian paths, and although Mark claimed that the paths were normally very safe, we nevertheless witnessed two awesome bike crashes in the span of ten minutes.  No one was badly hurt, but some egos were definitely bruised as a motor scooter plowed into a pedestrian, and then a biker managed to go over the handlebars after riding directly into a concrete pillar.  It made for an extremely entertaining, if slightly disconcerting night.

Buddhist Temple - Insadong

Seoul is also an extremely popular destination for young Canadians looking to make money teaching English overseas.  Nicole's friend Ashley and Jesse's friend Mark have been teaching kindergarten classes and doing some private tutoring on the side, and both were very happy to see some friends from home in their new cities.  Ashley took the travelers on a great tour of the city on their second day, starting in Insadong district to see traditional temples and cultural art before meandering down to the Cheonggyecheon river to cool off.  The river is man-made and is a fine example of Seoul's wonderful city planning that creates green space in the middle of a huge urban centre.  It was a beautiful day, and many families were out cooling off in the river and enjoying the pleasant stroll.  We also came across some traditional drummers performing in the street and stuck around to enjoy the lively show.

Cooling off at the Cheonggyecheon river, and some traditional drummers

 

Shopping in Myongdong

After a big night out in the Hongdae District at Gorilla Bar, Nicole and Jesse met up with Ashley for a day of shopping in Myongdong.  A note on this: Seoul may be the shopping capital of the world.  Fashion markets are open 24/7, and are still swarming with shoppers in the small hours of the morning.  Myongdong is more of a day-time shopping Mecca, and Nicole was truly on FIRE!!  So much so that we almost didn't notice that it rained the entire day!  Fortunately, the prices are very very good in Seoul, so Nicole found some great deals on shoes, shirts, etc. etc. etc.

To throw Jesse a bone and keep him from going bonkers during an otherwise lady-centric day, the crew also stumbled upon a couple other Asian treats (although upon reading this section, the 'treats' are also fairly girly - so what).  First, we found a small spa that offered fish foot massages.  For the uninitiated, this is a treatment where Gara Ruffa fish literally snack on the dead skin on your feet.  It doesn't hurt at all, but there are many fish, and the spectacle can be overwhelming.  Needless to say, these tiny fish do no often get to lay into a pair of size 15's, so Jesse's feet were the popular choice in the group.  After five minutes of incessant giggling, everyone agreed that it was a pleasant experience, and our feet felt very refreshed.

Next, they found a popular haunt of Korean teenagers, the photo-booth.  Unlike the 3-photo movie theatre jobs we get back in Canada, in Korea, the photo-booth has been elevated to an electrified art form.  There were no less than 10 machines to choose from, each boasting different themes and effects you could apply.  After settling on a particularly fruity booth, the travelers-cum-models then posed, edited, and printed a sheet of tiny memories.  The real fun came in the editing process, which is a race against the clock to fill your pictures with all manner of zany teen-aged crap before the time runs out and your photos print.

After a much needed respite, we united all of our friends for a traditional Korean BBQ dinner near the hostel Jesse and Nicole were staying at in the trendy area of Hyehwa.  Despite the rain, the restaurant was outside, and each table has its own grill.  The meat comes out seasoned, but raw, and you cook the food for yourself.  It's a lot of fun, and extremely delicious.  Saying goodbye to their friends,  Nicole and Jesse called it a night in order to catch an early flight to Hong Kong.

Ashley, Seulki, and Mark at the Korean BBQ

All in all, a great time was had, and Seoul is a highly recommended destination for travelers interested in Big City living.  Stay tuned for our next adventure: BORNEO!!

Dried fish at the Dongdaemun market

Guard tower behind barbed wire - DMZ

Seoul

Hey Everyone!

Just a quick note to say we arrived safe and sound in Seoul yesterday. We found our hostel and have had a great time so far! Tonight we hope to meet up with some friends, and possibly do some night shopping.

More to come later!

Deep Thoughts with Nicole Pullen

As you have all probably figured out by now, Jesse is the talented writer between the two of us.  My job is to organize the photos that will accompany our stories for your enjoyment.  So these entries, about my observations while living over here in Hong Kong, will be short and sweet and hopefully give you another look at what we're experiencing every day!

1)  When you go to a restaurant and ask for the bill, your waiter will return and hover over your shoulder and watch you the entire time you and your party figure out how much everyone owes.   At first it made us a little bit nervous, but clearly that is what happens over here, so we've learned to deal with it!

2)  I'm the type of person who enjoys something sweet after dinner.  And because it's so incredibly hot here, a lot of the time we end up meandering over to our favourite store, the 7-11, and grab a little bit of ice cream or a Popsicle as we continue our post-dinner walk.  In Toronto, I normally never have a problem eating and walking down a street.  But here, eating and walking down the street means you are hit with strange smell after strange smell, which makes it hard to keep eating that wonderful strawberry ice cream while smelling dead fish heads! 

3)  I have yet to capture a picture of this, but I definitely will and when I do I'll post it.  The paint on the road is SO THICK!! You can tell it's been painted over and over and over, and walking on the stripes reminds me of driving across the paint test strips on the way to Ottawa, but way better.

4)  I'm amazed every day when I see people wearing long jeans and a jacket.  I am so hot when walking outside, I haven't worn pants once since we got here.  When it's 40C+ outside, it's hard to do anything but lay by the pool, but the locals don't seem to find it that hot, or not hot enough for shorts, anyway.

I think that's it from me for now! When I find some more interesting tid-bits, I'll let you know :)

Peaks, Typhoons, and Ten Thousand Buddhas

It's been almost a week since our last post, and we are settling in to something of a routine in Hong Kong.  Nicole has started working on her new show, Crash Canyon, and has a lot to animate in the opening weeks of production.  For me, class started this week, and was a great mix of the good, the bad, and the boring.  I spent the week working out a class schedule that would allow maximum time off, and minimum boredom.  I think my scheming was fairly successful, and I've managed to limit my classes from Monday to Wednesday, giving me long weekends to have some fun.

There is a lot to report in the fun department since the last post.  Since we arrived, Nicole and I have been waiting for a good night to head up to Victoria Peak for a nighttime view of Hong Kong.  Rising 1800 feet above Central, the Peak offers amazing 360 degree views of Hong Kong island, and is one of the "must-see" attractions on the island.

Nicole and I enjoying the view from the Peak

Luckily, the non-stop haze that has plagued the city since our arrival cleared up for a day, and we seized the opportunity to hop on the Peak Tram and head up.  The tram itself is a wild ride as it takes a direct line to the top, cutting through the crowded residential neighbourhoods before tearing through the jungle at an incredibly sheer angle.  It's just like the ascending hill of a roller-coaster, except instead of a gut-wrenching drop-off, there is only a massive mall complex at the top.  No lies!  Hong Kong's obsession with shopping has conquered the summit of an otherwise natural vista.  The juxtaposition is bizarre, but it does have some benefits.  First, beyond the souvenir shopping and wax museums, the Peak Tower also holds a number of good restaurants offering amazing views of Hong Kong.  Second, the roof of the six story tower is an observation deck that is perfect for photography.  Raised above the jungle trees, you get some incredible views over Hong Kong harbor.  We spent some time taking shots of the city, then had a big ol' Yankee dinner at Bubba Gump's Shrimp (guilty pleasure, and a nostalgic departure from our otherwise all-Asian meals) before calling it a night.

Hong Kong harbor, seen from the Peak

Now, while Nicole's job is fantastic, and is the reason she's been able to come on this adventure, it is nevertheless a job meaning that she's got to put in hours in order to get her paycheques.  This responsibility lies in stark contrast to the student life..especially the pass/fail exchange student life.  So, it was with a heavy heart that I struck out on the next adventure without my partner in crime, who was stuck at home making money.

Yesterday, I joined fellow UWO student Joel and Goodmans pal Lyndsay on a trip into the New Territories, which is still part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) although it is on the Chinese mainland.  Although Mikey made fun of me for going to explore the boonies, I have to say that there was some cool stuff to see off of the island.

Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple

For example, we went to Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple, located in Sha Tin, which Joel had found in his trusty guidebook.  Without a word of a lie, there were AT LEAST 10,000 chubby deities in this place, starting from the moment you enter the 450+ step path to hike up to the temple.  The entire path is lined on both sides with gold-painted statues, no two of which are the same, and many of which are hilarious.  The temple itself hold some 12,000 or so little Buddha sculptures (see inset) wrapping around all four walls of the temple.  I have no idea why this temple exists, other than for the amusement of tourists, and for the profit of the troupe of monks who shook Joel down for HK$57.  We had no idea what these monks we're saying, either bought himself eternal salvation, or a new friend.  At the very least he got a stylish wood bracelet for his troubles.

You should know that this one of those blistering days we had heard about.  Base temperature was about 38 degrees, with humidity almost maxed out.  I saturated my shirt completely on the hike up, super-saturated it on the way back down.  I think it was more perspiration than cotton by the end of it.

Junk boat, and our fearless (and toothless) captain

After taking advantage of the air conditioning at the otherwise dull Hong Kong Heritage Museum (no offence), we hopped a bus to Sai Kung, a tiny little coastal village way out in the middle of nowhere.  Without much to do in the village, we took to the water, offering a local lady HK$100 for an hour-long cruise on her junk boat.  Apparently this sort of thing is a booming cottage industry in Sai Kung as many little old ladies offer boat rides to passing tourists.  Despite initial fears of piracy, the cruise was a pleasure as the bay is dotted with tiny islands, and some nice coastal vistas.  Plus, the sea breeze was a refreshing respite from the oppressive heat.

We also got a small peak into a very different way of life, as it was clear that our captain also lived on her tiny junk boat.  Her clothes were stowed in a cargo net, and next to the helm with a tiny head (bathroom), which she availed herself of at one point on the cruise.  Slightly awkward.  Apparently HK$100 was enough to cover the fuel costs, and her time for an hour out at sea.  We were certainly grateful for the ride, and for surviving it, when we disembarked back at the harbor to make our way back towards Hong Kong proper.

The junk, seen from port

One last treat before signing off.  For the past couple nights, Hong Kong has been tormented by a typhoon that blows in after the sun goes down and provides some unreal electrical shows.  Wednesday night, the show was amazing, and we had the camera rolling to record the lightning.  This storm was incredible, and the lightning raged on constantly for over four hours.  Enjoy the show, set to Metallica's 'Ride the Lightning'.

Kowloon Markets and Macau Mania

Though it has only been a couple of days since our last post, predictably, lots has happened since we last checked in. Thanks to an amazing piece of scheduling, I have managed to avoid all classes to this day, and will start in earnest on Monday - probably. School is officially in session, but I have managed to cram my classes from Monday to Wednesday in order to free up time for future weekend trips. That in mind, Nicole and I have been free to wallow in our own crapulence, and have continued to explore Hong Kong and its environs. Here are some highlights.

Found: HK's Dance Floor Tai Pan

On a recent trip to LKF, we happened upon a live music bar featuring an outstanding Filipino funk band. The music was to good to stay seated, but before we could get the dance floor started, a lone dancer stormed the stage and really set the tone for the evening. Brandishing little more than a Chinese fan and canned heat in his heels, this strange middle-aged man taught us kids a thing or two about rhythm. Enjoy.




Kowloon

Located 800 meters across Hong Kong harbour, Kowloon is the grimy, rougher, no-frills ying to Hong Kong island's yang. While the island is high-end, international, modernized, Kowloon still bares the appearances of China town on crack. This means megawatts of neon, and a variety of markets for the pleasure of locals and tourists alike.

Nicole and I took the MTR across the harbour with our friends Lyndsay and Kora to take in the sights, sounds, and indeed the smells. We started in the Flower Market, which consisted of four or five consecutive blocks selling almost exclusively floral arrangements, house plants, trees, and one motorcycle store (which presumably exists for the benefit of the Chinese boyfriends who have forgotten anniversaries and need to speed flowers to their infuriated lovers). From bouquets of roses (HK$5) to carnivorous pitcher plants, this place looked and smelled great.


Where the flower market ends, the Yuen Po Street Bird Market begins. While the flowers were all nice and fragrant, the bird market was something else altogether, and, frankly it was quite unsettling. The crowded streets lined with caged birds were certainly beautiful, but the conditions these animals were kept in was generally appalling, and many of the birds were showing signs of psychological and physical distress. That said, the variety of birds was impressive. Macaws, African Grays, and mynah birds were displayed with a host of finches, love birds, lesser parrots, etc. The sensory assault at the bird market was a stark contrast to the serenity of the Flower Market. These birds stank! After we had all we could of this spectacle we carried on to the next site, the Goldfish Market.



The fish were pleasantly silent, and the market was really interesting, stretching for four city blocks. All kinds of aquatic life was for sale here: red, white, and blue crayfish, all sorts of tropical fish, turtles, and creepy little albino frogs were all displayed in plastic bags hung from the shop walls. I felt less bad for these guys, because...well because they're fish. No one flushes a parrot - think about it. The fish market was my personal favourite. There was tons to look at, and it made for some spectacular scenes. Nicole and I have decided to get a goldfish to keep us company at the apartment, but that will wait for another trip.



Livestock markets now completed, we stumbled upon the Ladies' Market, which is a proper street market selling almost anything you can imagine. There are no fixed prices in the market, so bargaining skills are a must. We spent a couple hours taking it all in, and picking up a few things along the way. Also, we learned that the Chinese are not shy at all about their sex toys. Many of the stalls in the Ladies Market sold well scandalous outfits for both the ladies and the fellas. Other stalls had all manner of stimulating implement imaginable (and some you definitely never thought of) for general perusal. Given that there were many children present in the market, I would love to be there for the inevitable discussion about 'baby's first gimp mask.' Though I feel that Nicole and the girls could have stayed in the market for several more hours, they took pity on me and we began to make our way south to the waterfront for the Hong Kong lights show.



Whereas Canadian buildings are single-purpose (either dwelling, or living), buildings in Hong Kong have multiple personalities. If you can't throw yourself off the skyscraper with a bungee cord, the building is likely rigged with lasers and lights for a nightly spectacle. When viewed from the Kowloon promenade, the lights of Hong Kong are choreographed to music and the entire skyline puts on a 15 minute performance. While the score might be a little contrived, the spectacle is amazing, and it's not every day you see massive financial institutions blasting lasers into the night sky. All in all, it was pretty badass. My hope is that the Chinese spirit of entrepreneurship kicks in and the city starts to license this amazing toy to some of the world's most entertaining musical acts. Just imagine seeing Daft Punk's Alive Tour choreographed across the Hong Kong Skyline....just imagine.



After a few photo-ops, we headed back into Kowloon for dinner at Gaylord Restaurant. What? This place had amazing Indian food and a live band covering all of your Hindi favourites.

Despite our best intentions to carry on to the Kowloon night markets, we were frankly pooped and had to call it a night.

Macau

Following a "personal day" (viz. foot massages), Nicole and I decided to join a group of 16 exchange students on an overnight trip to Macau, a former Portuguese colony about one hour away by ferry. Currently, Macau is one of the worlds premier gambling destinations, a close second behind Las Vegas, and substantially similar, but with far less Americans, and far more Asians.

There are bright lights, and every sort of indulgence you can think of. From luxury brand malls to the world's highest bungee jump, Macau is an amazing destination to blow off some steam, and some money.

After the roulette table ate my investments in record time, we decided to take it out on the dancefloor. Having been disappointed by the lack of dancing in Hong Kong, we eventually found D2 nightclub in Macau, after a somewhat insane search through many of the casinos on the strip. The DJs were fantastic, starting with some standard house favourites, and progressing through the night into some insanely hard house. It was a feverish workout for all involved, and we left the club a thoroughly exhausted, sweaty mess.



We later came to learn that D2 was a popular hang out for the local 'working girls,' and this important fact explained several key aspects of the club. First, the Asian girls lustily eying me when we walked in, were apparently not taken by my rugged good looks, but rather my pocketbook. Second, while gogo dancers are common at many disco bars, strippers are not. We should have known something was up when the entertainment went from wholesome to pole-dancing. Third, where go Russians, so follow hookers. This explains the Siberian crew that showed up around 3am with a particularly lascivious entourage.

All in all, it was a great night, and everyone seemed to have a great time. While some of the crew decided to stay in for another night in Macau, Nicole and I came back to HK, which turned out to be a great decision, as the tail end of a typhoon has descended on this part of the world, and it has been raining in sheets all day.