Great US Trip

We are starting to feel normal again having almost recovered from jet lag due to our recent visit to the US. It was an excellent trip—very relaxing while still managing to see family, friends, shop, and eat. Our house and storage unit are in great shape which is a true comfort. Fall was upon the east coast and a refreshing change from the hot and humid Hong Kong weather that will likely be around through October.

While in the US, I reflected on the things I miss about the States and also the things I love about Hong Kong. Erik and I both miss fall. I am nostalgic about making chili or soup on a cool Sunday evening with the sound of football from the living room. Additionally, I miss my house. It is a great place. Of course, we miss our friends and family dearly, but I think an attribute of great relationships is when you feel like it’s been a week, not a year, since you last saw one another. Now that we’ve been away from the US for two years, I don’t miss some of the things I did when we first moved. I don’t miss TV. It is crazy that with about 200 channels, there is nothing decent to watch. It is better to have only 20 channels of crap. Even though we did buy a decent amount of clothes, I am comfortable with my limited choices here in Hong Kong. I definitely miss having a cat. It was a real joy to have my parents’ cat sleep with us each night.

I think I’ve commented before that Hong Kong definitely feels like home to me, and I hope we can remain longer than one more year.

I didn’t take many photos in the US, but did manage to capture a few highlights.

A fabulous dinner at the new Emeril Lagasse restaurant in the Sands casino which has inhabited the old Bethlehem Steel Factory. Erik and his friends—interestingly, these were his attendants at our wedding.

Want Some Watermelon?

I’ve mentioned before, the grocery store in the mall near our apartment is quite fancy and features organic and high quality merchandise. There is a special produce section devoted to items from Japan. These Japanese items are always more expensive than the China grown produce and often more expensive than the stuff imported from the US, Europe, or Australia. That said, I was shocked to see the price of the Japanese watermelons this week. The price for a basketball-sized melon was HK$329 or US$42! Who buys these things, especially when the store had China watermelons the same size for about US$4.00. Fresher produce can be purchased in the street market for approximately half the cost of this high-end store. So the choice is an air-shipped US$42 watermelon from Japan, or walk 15 minutes to the street market and get a locally grown one for US$2.00 max.

Another Moon & Arch Pic

There was a beautiful full moon in Hong Kong this weekend. The summer has been very clear, and recently, the weather has changed to be less humid. It is still hot, around the mid 80s, but it is bearable.

Apartment Touch Ups

This week marks our two year anniversary in Hong Kong. Since our days in the apartment are limited, I wanted to put the final touches on it while we still had time to enjoy them. We acquired many wonderful items from my friend S who recently returned to the US. S has excellent taste. I would like to buy at least one more piece of antique Chinese furniture. Here are some of the recent additions:

Black Chinese boxes, antique picture, and flower pot from S. The plant is from another expat who returned to the US.

Chinese alter table and reclining Buddha from S. Erik's Beijing photograph I had framed for his birthday. Framing in Hong Kong is very inexpensive.Porcelain Chinese vase lamp from S. The little urn is from Bangkok which was purchased last fall. The Japanese block print is a few years old. Erik bought it on one of his first trips to Japan.Big, beautiful, carved mirror from S in our bedroom. You can see the Tibetan prayer flags hanging over our bed in the reflection. The prayer flags are from a sacred Buddhist temple we visited in India. On the dresser is an antique postcard from India with a handpainted image of Ganesh. In the guest bedroom, my sister's sketches were recently framed and hung over the bed.

Hong Kong Restoration

A big criticism of Hong Kong is the lack of appreciation for history. The city gets lots of flack from the media for not preserving historical/old buildings, streets, stores, etc. Many say "old Hong Kong" is what makes it a cool city, and I agree; however, the current trend is to bulldoze everything old in lieu of making sparkling new buildings, streets, shops. There are virtually no thrift or vintage shops in Hong Kong. It is an aspect of the US I miss, rummaging through junk shops to find something unique and funky.

One recent departure from this trend is the renovation of the old Marine Police Headquarters (circa 1881). This building has been wrapped in scaffolding since we moved and is finally complete. It looks very cool with a mix of modern touches. I guess beggars can't be choosers, but I wish the building was being used for something other than luxury boutiques. Hong Kong is turning into one giant store with ridiculously priced merchandise. The Marine Police Headquarters is located near the harbour in Tsim Sha Tsui, very near the other luxury shops I blogged about here. When I was in this area over the weekend, I heard mostly Mandarin being spoken which indicates the shoppers are from mainland China. The well-documented rise of the Chinese middle/upper class is so apparent in this area and everyone is paying cash. The world economy is certainly changing.

Junk Trip III

Another junk trip! This one was for Erik's colleague's birthday. We anchored in Sai Kung, and the water was amazingly clear. Many boats were cruising and anchored in this location. Even though it was a hot day, the sea breeze made it enjoyable. It has been an excellent summer, weather wise. Now, it is extremely hot, but the humidity is semi-manageable remaining under 90%. Will there be more junk trips this summer? There are none planned that I know of, but I'd be happy to join another one.

Good Bye Friends

One of my favorite experiences as an expat is meeting tons of great people. I have so many friends in Hong Kong of varying ages, nationalities, and backgrounds. Moving to a new place forces you to make friends more readily than you would in your home country. In the US, I had only a few close friends, which was fine, but I really enjoy all my peeps in HK. I think living in a compact city makes socializing much easier and results in many more dinners, coffees, pedicures, etc. with friends, developing the relationships more quickly. The negative aspect of expat friendships is people move home. This weekend, I said good bye to two close friends. One was Erik’s colleague who has lived in Hong Kong for 7 years. The other is my dear friend S. I felt very sad when I walked past S’s office today and realized I wouldn’t be meeting her for any more lunches. In addition, I inherited some of S’s lovely belongings which will be a constant reminder of her. You will be missed.