It's All Chinese to Me

Thank goodness for Hong Kong! I had started to get a bit weary of sight-seeing, so my arrival in Hong Kong, a city I had previously visited, was well-timed. I enjoyed five wonderful days there before leaving on Tuesday to return to New Zealand for a few days.

I left Beijing on the afternoon of last Monday and had an unexpected encounter at the train station – while waiting in a large room for my train departure, I asked to join three other travelers who had been lucky enough to procure some seats. It turns out that all were affiliated with Olympic teams (one works for the American men’s soccer team; two work with the Norwegian women’s soccer team), and they were in town to visit some of the Olympic sites in advance of the games. After scoping the places in Beijing, they were headed onward to two other towns where their respective teams will be playing. I especially enjoyed learning that one of the Norwegians was a gold-medal winner from their team’s victory in the 2002 Olympics in Athens. I’ve never met a gold medalist (or really, any Olympian), so it was a nice treat. It also made me quite excited for the opening ceremonies on 8/8/08.

Leaving Beijing- parting shot of the walk to Barbara and Maria's hutong...

I made my way to the train and was pleased to see that one of my four Chinese cabin-mates was a female – AND that she appeared to speak some English, unlike the two men who were also going to be in the car with us overnight. One of the guys appeared to be a few years younger than me, and he decided early in the trip that it was his mission to teach me Mandarin. Unfortunately for him, I wasn’t a very willing student, nor a quick learner, and his efforts soon gave way to a great conversation between me and the female in my cabin. It turns out that she is an accountant for Maersk, had lived in New Jersey for a year during a management training program, and is moving to Champaign, IL in one month to get a Masters in Accounting from the University of Illinois! I was pleased to tell her that Ben had attended U of I for his MBA and that I was a tax accountant, which elicited much more enthusiasm than I usually get with such responseJ I extended my contact information to her in the event she needs any help getting settled into Midwestern life. Of course, this was reciprocated with a lot of help coordinating my next couple of days in Shanghai, including calls to a friend to find out the Shanghai-HK train schedule and price of tickets; texts to her friends to scope out my hotel/motel; advice on things to do and see in Shanghai; and scripting out my request for both train tickets and hotel directions in Mandarin. Without her help, I would have been quite lost when I arrived in the city.

I arrived in Shanghai, found my way to the ticket office to procure my onward ticket, and ultimately arrived at my local motel. The best phrase to describe those 24 hours was “full immersion,” as there were no other westerners on my train (or at least, none that I saw), and the only other guests at the hotel were Chinese businessmen. At least I knew I was getting the full Chinese experience! Despite the rain, I set off to explore the city and make the most of my two days there. I walked through the Pudong area, which is the newer business district known for its rapidly growing number of skyscrapers; took the tourist sight-seeing tunnel under the river; walked down Nanjing Rd, a pedestrian mall; had lunch at the Art Museum and then explored the exhibits; saw the largest city model in the Urban Planning Museum; walked around Renmin Park and People’s Square; explored The Bund; had a drink at Glamour Bar to observe the iconic city skyline at dusk; and took in a Chinese acrobat show. Whew! I found that I liked Shanghai much more, as it appeared to be a bit more manageable and a lot less overwhelming than Bejing. The one thing that really stood out to me was the amazing and unique architecture that graced the multitude of new buildings popping up all over the city. Highlights of the day included taking in the photography exhibit at the Art Museum; finding Glamour Bar upon recommendation from a borrowed Luxe Guide; and seeing the acrobatics show.

Walking on Nanjing Rd in Shanghai

Olympic exhibit at the Art Museum

Tianamen Square, made of coke cans!

Shanghai skyline at dusk

On Wednesday, I unfortunately had to pack up and check out of my hotel, as I was going to leave later that evening for Hong Kong. Because of the train schedule, I was departing Shanghai one day earlier than expected, but honestly, I was thrilled to head onward to see my friends. My second day in Shanghai was the best, mostly in part to the fact that I met up with Larry, the Chinese business student I met on the bus from Phnom Penh to Saigon. Larry had returned to Shanghai after his vacation in Cambodia and Vietnam, and he offered to meet me for lunch on Wednesday. We enjoyed walking around Xintandi, a cute area full of bars and restaurants that is apparently frequented by the expatriate community. For lunch, we headed over to Yu Yuan Park in the Old Town and had lunch at a famous Chinese steamed bun restaurant, courtesy of Larry. I really enjoyed talking with him more and hearing about his masters program and internship at Accenture and IBM, and I was extremely thankful he took time to meet me. After our delicious Chinese lunch, I grabbed my bag and headed for the train station.

Old City in Shanghai

With my friend Larry

Steamed bun lunch with Larry in Old Town

I was shocked at how packed the long, narrow waiting room was and quickly made friends with the two other westerners waiting, Steve and Paul. They were British brothers traveling in China for Paul’s Sydney-based business. We parted ways when boarding the train car but agreed to meet back up for dinner a couple of hours later. Again, I lucked out on car companions, as I found an older Chinese couple (think really cute grandma-grandpa) occupying the bottom bunks in my carriage. I had a very fun evening with Paul and Steve, as well as Ed, a young British guy who was traveling on the world’s longest train journey. He started his trip in Portugal and had traveled through Spain, France, Germany, Poland, across Russia on the trans-siberian train, and down China; he was headed to complete his journey in Saigon, Vietnam. Along the way, Ed has conducted interviews with locals and travelers on his train journeys on behalf of the BBC. Steve, Paul, and I were all interviewed, so who knows – maybe one day my voice will be heard on a BBC program!

The last few hours of the journey on Thursday morning took us through some beautiful scenery of rice paddies bordered by lush, green, rolling hills, and we arrived in Hong Kong shortly after lunchtime. I parted ways with my travel companions and found my way to the MTR, the Hong Kong subway. Half hour later, I was standing in Kelly and Raul’s condo, with panoramic views of the Hong Kong skyline and the harbor. Their place was absolutely amazing, and I don’t think there is a better hostess than Kelly. I showed up tired, starving (the train food options left me hungry), craving a shower and some relaxation after a busy five weeks in Asia. I was welcomed with a huge hug, a warm shower, clean towels, sandwiches, snacks, internet, gossip magazines, and a TV with a DVD player. It was truly heaven.

Kelly headed out with her business partner Naveen for a work event. As a sidenote, Kelly started a company in Hong Kong called dim sum and then some, which provides weekly emails to its readers regarding all things fabulous in Hong Kong (http://www.dimsumandthensome.com.hk/). She and her partners also maintain a website that features inside news on places, people, and events in HK. For the female readers out there, this is very similar to the Daily Candy emails in NY, Chicago, etc. It’s a brilliant idea, and because of her work, Kelly seems extremely well-connected in the HK community.

Anyway, when Kelly and Naveen left on Thursday afternoon, I had grand plans to meet them later in the evening for dinner. But after my long train journey and weeks of travel, I found that relaxing and watching some movies at her place were just what I needed. I told myself I was resting up for the weekend.

Raul’s sister Maria and her roommate Barbara (the two who had graciously hosted me in Beijing) arrived late Thursday evening, and it was so nice to see them again. On Friday, I headed to a yoga class with Kelly and then Kelly, Maria, and I met Kelly’s business partner Naveen and another friend Gemma for lunch. The lunch was in the IFC mall/office building and at a delicious Italian restaurant with a nice view across the water to Kowloon. We then enjoyed a nice afternoon of shopping (thrilled about the H&M!) before heading back to Kelly and Raul’s condo.

That night, we went out to a local club to celebrate Barbara’s boyfriend’s birthday (are you following the train of acquaintance?? Ben’s cousin’s husband’s sister’s roommate’s boyfriend…). Kelly had secured a table at MINT, and Maria and I went with her to meet Barbara and her friends, as well as Raul. I realized I hadn’t been out in quite some time and had a wonderful evening with them. We ended up staying out until around 5:00 a.m.! and of course ended the evening with some delicious late-night food from Lan Kwai Fong.

Out at M1NT with Kelly

Saturday was another relaxing day – considering we didn’t wake up until late after our early morning arrival back at their condo. I was so thankful for a restful day and glad that the others indulged my request to finish some DVDs I had been toting around with me. We went out later that evening to the Wan Chai area for a birthday party of Kelly’s friend, and ended up at another birthday party in Lan Kwai Fong.

Sunday morning, I met up with an old friend from my church in Greensboro – Jeff Burkett. Jeff and I met through our parents when we were in elementary or middle school, and it’s been fun to keep up with him via our families over the past few years. I hadn’t seen Jeff in possibly 8 years, but I knew he had finished business school and had recently moved to NY with his wife. Jeff was wrapping up a four month stint in the HK office of his bank but was fortunately still in town when I was traveling through. Over a good western breakfast, we caught up on the past few years. Jeff, it was so nice to see you and to hear how well everything is going! I hope Ben and I can see you and Brittany again soon – and certainly not wait another 8 years. Thanks for breakfast :)

On Sunday afternoon, Kelly, Maria, and I headed over to Macau. Macau is a former Portuguese colony that occupies two islands about an hour (ferry’s ride) away from HK. It is a separate country, and therefore, it’s necessary to pass through customs at the ferry port on each side of the journey to gain admittance. It’s also becoming known as the Vegas of Asia, as several casinos have opened hotels on the islands, including a Wynn, MGM, and a Venetian, among others. When we arrived, we first went to a restaurant on the second island called Fernando’s; this place is famous for its delicious Portuguese food. Over some sangria and fun conversation, we enjoyed chorizo, grilled cod, steaks, crab, salad, and fried rice. Afterwards, we headed to the Venetian and walked around the massive building for a few hours. It was remarkable how many shops were in the Venetian and how PACKED the place was on a Sunday night. The place was full of Chinese, gambling away in a large casino hall that seemed to stretch on forever. We did gamble a total of HK$20 (around UD$3.00) on a slot machine to which we were attracted because of the cartoon panda on the screen -- clearly, none of us were experienced or big gamblers. Our HK$20 occupied about five minutes of our time, after which we were satisfied with our gambling and were ready to head back to HK.

Dinner at Fernando's with Maria and Kelly

The Venetian in Macau

On my last day in HK, I met up with a partner/principal from the Deloitte office in HK for coffee. I had met Evan a couple of years ago at our M&A conference, and we had learned then that we had a mutual friend in Hong Kong. I contacted Evan again prior to my trip, and he offered to meet me for coffee and show me around the office, which I always think is interesting. It was nice to meet some colleagues on the other side of the world and also realize that I knew one of the Americans working for Evan from my Andersen internship 7 years ago! What a small world…

That evening, Kelly and Raul took Maria and I to dinner, and to celebrate my last evening, they selected Ruth’s Chris steakhouse – not Chinese, I know, but absolutely perfect. Great food to end a wonderful and much-needed relaxing stay in Hong Kong.

Unlike my other destinations, you’ve probably realized that I didn’t do much sight-seeing in HK, and you’re absolutely right. After six weeks in Asia and four months of intense traveling, it was so nice to end up in a city where I had already done the sight-seeing (in 2005) and where I had great friends and family with whom to visit. And, to be honest, it was so nice to see a “real” side of Hong Kong, to see the side that those who live there actually experience every day. My days were relaxing and left me feeling ready for the next couple of months.

City view of Hong Kong from Kelly and Raul's apartment

My favorite pasttime in HK - relaxing with Kelly and Maria

Kelly and Raul, I can’t say THANK YOU enough for all you have done for me. I had the most amazing time in Siam Reap and Hanoi with you, and my five days in Hong Kong were a high point in my travels. I appreciate you welcoming me into your home, showing me around, taking me to dinner, buying me drinks…the list goes on and on of all you did for me. I really truly hope to have an opportunity to repay your kindness, and I sincerely hope you’re still keen on Antarctica 2009! Maria, I had so much fun with you and Kelly and enjoyed feeling like I was living with two girlfriends again. I hope the rest of your holiday as been great, and please be sure to let me know if you ever pass through Chicago. Safe travels back to Beijing, and good luck with the trains!!!

Because the Asia portion was booked on a ticket separate from my around-the-world ticket, I returned to Auckland yesterday and will be here until the 6th of May. As Paula predicted before I left NZ in May, Auckland has been a “soft place to land” and the best place for me to return to after my stint in Asia. I found now that I love NZ even more than before, as its rolling green hills, logical traffic, friendly locals, and first-world-ness are even that much more appreciated after the insanity of Asia. I also have to admit that I am really enjoying the fall-type weather they are having here. While my trip was planned for me to live in an endless summer – or at least an 8 month summer – it’s so nice to have a break in the heat and humidity. It makes me feel like college football season and changing leaves are right around the corner! Don’t worry, though - I’m sure by the time I land in Chicago in late June I will be ready to embrace the summer weather and Cubs baseball season.

Ben, Paula’s husband, is back in Chicago taking his comprehensive exams for his doctoral degree, so Paula moved into a different apartment a few weeks ago. I found my way here yesterday from the airport and have enjoyed two low-key days with her. It’s great to be in NZ, it’s great to be in Auckland, and it’s great to be with Paula. I hope to make the most of my last few days here in NZ before I head to Peru, via Chile, on the 6th.