Week 3

Last Sunday I did go to the Big Buddha as I had hoped. We took the MTR out to Lantau Island and then stood in line for an hour waiting for the Ngong Ping cable car. It's a novelty in Hong Kong so there were a lot of locals and families also out for a day by the Buddha. Spectacular views. I tried to capture it on my camera but of course couldn't do it justice. There is a little village that has been created at the top that reeks of tourist trap. But it was clean and with lots of things to see. And I tell you that after snaking the Disneyland-style lineup for the cable car, the Starbucks iced mocha tasted really good. We then went into the Nature centre and talked to a couple of nice kids who worked there. There weren't any English tours so the nice kid, who wanted us to call him "Stone" told us to join his Cantonese tour and he would do his best to translate into English for us. And thus we ended up on a nature tour of flora and fauna around the mountain for about an hour. Saw lots of butterflies the size of birds and plants. Don't ask me to repeat what they were because I have zero talent for that sort of thing. But it was beautiful. In Hong Kong it is so incredibly easy to get away into the countryside. Much much easier than Toronto - oh wait, there is no countryside within an hour of Toronto. I climbed the 188 steps to the Buddha and walked through the exhibit section. They worship a bone relic there and the relic was held inside of a tiny glass urn surrounded in a large altar built for it.
We toured the Temple a bit but decided to come back because there was a sudden change in the weather and it started to rain. In fact, cable car service was suspended for about half an hour. All of the people decided to go home at the same time and we waited another hour for the trip home. But all in all it was a great day.
Tuesday has become a regular social meet-up day in Lan Kwai Fong at Al's Diner for happy hour. I had gone to Causeway Bay beforehand to try and get some cloths because people tell me the shopping is good there. This was the same place I had tried my first weekend here. I definitely went the wrong way the first time because this time, when I had people who knew where to go, I found the outdoor markets and the giant shopping mall. I have decided that a lot of the fashions here are u-g-l-y. Overly drab or overly vibrant colours and cuts that generally are not suited to me. And I am so tall that the "dresses" look like tunics and I can't quite decide what to do about that. But the pants, shorts and shoes are good. I picked up a couple of shorts at the end of seasons sale. Nothing crazy. After happy hour, a few of us went to a noodle shop that was recommended to us by the owner of the restaurant we went to on Monday. For 2 dollars CAD I had a bowl of soup with noodles and the freshest shrimp wantons I've ever had. I'm turning into my father when it comes to food but I suppose there are worse things that could happen.
Wednesday after school a few of us went out to visit a new mall in the suburbs. There is a free shuttle bus from the MTR station and since there were a couple hundred people waiting, we thought the mall must be pretty good. That was until we saw all of these people returning from the mall without shopping bags. I did find a cute pair of shoes suitable for going out so I don't have to wear my Naot with skirts anymore. But all in all not so great.
On Thursday, almost all of us went to a Moroccan restaurant in Soho called Sahara. It is on one of the little side streets and you might find it if you meandered but I know that I probably would have never gone in there. We had a private room on the second floor with cushions and candles. We were celebrating two birthdays and Dan had negotiated a special menu and price for us. Delicious lamb and chicken, and some kind of fish.
Last night I visited the Jade Market. It is a giant permanent set-up with dozens of merchants all selling you the same thing. The tinkle of glass was everywhere. And they all have lighters to try to demonstrate to you that their jade is the real thing. I bought a couple of glass beaded necklaces, and then some silver and pearl necklaces from a woman who makes jewelery. But after that I was pretty much done with that place and went on to Canton Road. That road is full of little shops that sell the authentic stones and metals. The prices reflect it but it was great to just wander and ask what all of those stones are. I had some jewelery made for me and bought a gift here and there. I love shiny things and bright colours so the allure of Canton road might bring me back. If anyone wants freshwater pearls in any colour you can imagine, or any other strong of stones, now is the time to place your orders.
We then wandered on to Temple St. and at dinner in one of those popular places by the night market. On the advice of an American who had lived here for seven years, we ordered a crab dish that was seasoned with something mysterious and delicious. Of course, it takes more calories and brain power to find the meat than you can physically extract from the crab so to make up the deficit we had some garlic scallops and singapore noodles. After that we walked the gauntlet of the night market. We got lured into a back alley where a merchant had all of his fakes and would have bought some gucci wallets if there had not been a bunch of other tourists there with their wallets open. They were easy targets and Barb negotiates like a pro so we came away from that one empty-handed. The same thing happened with a different vendor about 10 minutes later. She had a goal. I decided I had the same goal, and went along for the ride. But I did get a couple of watches for cheap. If you want a watch, let me know.
We ended the night by finding a juice bar on Nathan Road and for $2 CAD I had a little woman prepare me a fresh mix of cucumber and strawberry juice. I highly recommend that. Very, very highly recommend that.
Thanks for visiting. Send me shopping orders. I can't believe I'm going home in a week.
Leslie