Xmas in Hong Kong

It's that time of the year again at the end of the year when families around the world get together to celebrate Christmas in a close-knit setting in the company of loved ones and delicious food. Well... Not in Hong Kong.

Christmas is almost treated here as Halloween where people slap on a Santa hat and head out to bars to drink and party the night away. I remember the quiet streets of Budapest on Christmas Eve when we were counting the number of Xmas trees we see in the windows as we drove by are replaced here in Hong Kong with street festivities, concerts, some local firewroks and mostly drunk and obnoxious gwailos who have nothing better to do on Christmas Eve. It is neat in its own way but can easily become a bit overwhelming.

I headed out with a friend and had some great Thai food for Christmas Eve dinner. Afterwards, we walked around a bit to "walk it all off', took some pictures and headed home for a nice nite of rest. Giving presents at Xmas time is not as customary here in Hong Kong so when I 'replenished' our unofficial chewing gum depository at work with two packs of gum, a co-worker said "this is the only Xmas gift that I will receive this year". Everyone is looking forward to Chinese New Year which this year takes place at the end of January. 

Click here for a few pictures from Christmas Eve in Hong Kong.

Merry Christmas everyone and Happy Happy New Year !!!!!

Track at Aberdeen

First of all, I apologize to the loyal readers who are not as much into running but this post would probably be the most insignificant one for a long long time. I happened to have my camera the other day at speed training so I took a few shots of the track at Aberdeen where I spend my Tuesday nights running around. Literally. Once spring arrives and it is still light when I get there you will see that the track is surrounded by mountains. A beautiful setting.

... and the homestretch:

Macau Marathon - 12/7/2008

So here I am again, about a week too late but the race report from the Macau Marathon finally is here.

Needless to mention that due to my laziness I missed the early-bird registration at the end of October and ended up paying twice as much for the race as I could have, had I registered a few days before. In either case, the HKD 600 entry fee (about CAD 90) was still about 100 times as much as this race was worth… More on that later…

We boarded a ferry from Hong Kong Central to take over to Macau which is also a Special Administrative Region of China and is a former Portuguese colony (‘till 1999). The ferry takes about an hour and is quite comfortable. Upon arrival we walked around the downtown area where the Portuguese influence is clearly visible. Some buildings and storefronts are very reminiscent of Mediterranean Europe. Once again, preparing for Santa’s arrival in 25C weather is not quite what I am used to… After walking around for the entire afternoon, sightseeing around old town and visiting some casinos we retired early to get ready for the 4am wakeup call…

Next morning came rather soon; I took a cab to Macau Stadium where the race started promptly at 6am. I hooked up with fellow AVOHK member Tom Booth who was aiming to run his very first marathon under the magical 3-hour mark. Our projected pace was similar so we stuck together. The mass start included the marathoners, half-marathoners and the mini-marathoners (5km). There was no seeding, no corral system so 30 minute 5km runners ended up in the first row… Argh… After going through the first 5km a bit slow we settled into a decent pace that would allow us to recover the minute and a half we lost due to slower runners in front of us. Running on smaller access roads in the dark was a bit unusual. Once the mini-marathoners turned back to the stadium, the field thinned out a little which was even better after the half-marathoners departed the course at 21km. The course was made up of one loop of 21 kms that the full-marathoners had to run twice.

During the second loop the field thinned out. The sun was fully up and shining brightly and we were still hitting our 4:13min/km pace. After crossing the Ponte de Sai Van for the third time at 30 km I could have used a sport drink but there was NONE around since organizers only offered water and wet sponges to the runners. I never thought a marathon existed these days that did not provide the runners replenishment such as Gatorade, Powerade or such drinks. At 33km Tom and I separated and I pushed the last 9 km or so a bit harder and after going off-course for about 60 meters total, out of anger I was able to run a handful of kilometers in 3m 30sec, a sub 2:30 marathon pace.

Runners had to run an unexpected circle around the block before entering the stadium for the final 300 meters. The lap around the stadium was reminiscent of the marathon finish in Amsterdam. I crossed the finish line in 2:55:37, a great time for a challenging training run.

4 bananas, 2.5 liters of water and 3 Kit Kat bars later I found a way to the baggage check area and managed to change out of my sweaty running gear. Since it was still only 9:30 am, we headed back to the hotel, cleaned up a bit and enjoyed a delicious Portuguese meal on a sunny patio. We grab a few more Portuguese egg tarts, pork chop buns and an extra large bubble tea before heading back to Hong Kong late in the afternoon.

Click here for pictures...

Happy Valley

Earlier this week - on Wednesday to be precise - I finally had a chance and a legit reason to head out to the Causeway Bay area and experience what is known as a Hong Kong institution, the racetrack at Happy Valley. Being the only legit form of gambling in the region, the only track on Hong Kong island draws thousands to watch and bet on horses in one of the 10 races run on each Wednesday night.

Too bad and a bit embarrassing that it took a co-worker from NY to visit the Hong Kong office for me to head to this venue which I regularly pass on a daily basis.

The setting (Happy Valley) can be described as picturesque. Virtually the entire area was built around the Racetrack that held its first race in December 1846 (and I thought the Boston Marathon had some history).  Residential buildings overlook the racetrack and many tenants actually hold dinner parties on a Wednesday so the races can be viewed from their balconies. Note: an 800 sq foot apartment with a balcony overlooking the racetrack could cost as much as CAD 8000/month. Not cheap... 

The crowd at the racetrack is quite mixed:

People that go there to bet

People that go there to hang out

Usually the first group includes the locals and long time Hong Kong island residents that can be seen holding multiple tickets hedging their bets with another one, it is almost a science. The second group is what people call here 'expats' that treat an outing at the racetrack as a social event. They are frequently seen yelling at the horses on the homestretch so they can win enough to be able to buy another pint of Heineken. The contrast in the crowd is quite unique.

I placed a bet only once and ended up winning enough to have a wonton soup with rice noodles for dinner which by the way only cost about CAD 3.50. Entry fee to the facility is a very modest HKD 10 which translates into CAD 1.50 and a pint of Heineken only cost HKD 30 (about CAD 5).

Click here for pictures...   ... and here for a short video.

PS: During this past week I have received many kind comments from my "loyal blog readers" encouraging me to write and post pictures/videos. I am glad that there is a following, after all that is the purpose of this blog.  :)

UNICEF Hong Kong Disneyland Half-Marathon

Well, it's finally done!

Earlier today (and a lot earlier today) I ran in the UNICEF Hong Kong Disneyland half-marathon. What a nice race but let's start from the very beginning - a very good place to start... ;)

The race started and finished at Disneyland (what a surprise) which is conveniently located about a good 30 minute bus ride from Central Hong Kong. So I had to board a bus at 5:10am (!!) at the North Point subway stop to make it to the start of the race by 5:45 - 5:50 or so. Unusually cold temperatures (14C) and a pitch black parking lot welcomed all the runners. The announcer mentioned over and over the fact that it is "extremely cold this morning" while I was warming up in my singlet. There were dozens and dozens of runners wearing gloves and hats.. Strange..

The race went off quite suddenly at 7am without any sort of a lead-up or music or public announcement. The field thinned out relatively early due to the huge access road on which we were running. I must admit that this race is probably as flat as it gets in Hong Kong even though we went over two overpasses twice and a tunnel under the highway once (by no means flat based on North American standards) Far from flat but not hilly at all.. The weather warmed up as soon as the sun rose...

A few runners took off from me and were about a minute ahead by the time we reached the 5 km mark while the closest competitor was about 30 seconds behind me by this time. 19 out of the 21km I ended up running having nobody to push me but myself. The race was quite scenic, winding its way on a bike path near the ocean shore towards the Airport and back to Sunny Bay towards Disneyland. I suspect this race would be called 'boring' by some runners in North America but it was quite a refreshment from the hilly city running that we are forced to do on a daily basis in Hong Kong. Hmmm, Martin Goodman trail, how much I miss Thee...

A really strange feeling happened at around 16km, the route entered a park reminiscent of the Mississauga half-marathon route. It meandered its way through this park for about 2 km then we got back on a thinner bike path that lead us back to Disneyland.

At 20 km, the route turns back into Disneyland where a huge statue of a surfing Mickey Mouse welcomed all the runners. Christmas songs blasting out of the speakers for the last 1.1km which is a bit strange since the sun was up by now and the temperatures reached 18-19C. Passing a few more statues of Disney characters we finally made the last turn the lead us into the finish area.

Not nearly 100% effort that resulted in a time with which I am very satisfied. I finished 5th overall with a Kenyan runner winning in 1:07 followed by the best half-marathoner in Hong Kong at 1:08. This race just confirms the fact that with hard work, results will follow. 2 more months 'till the Standard Chartered Int'l Marathon of Hong Kong and there is no reason to doubt that another PB will follow...

Friends / family

There has not been an update on this blog in about a week and a half but that does not mean life stopped in Hong Kong.

After a few months of living out of one suitcase my belongings from Canada finally arrived. Slowly but surely all is being unpacked and re-assembled but the one major addition to the apartment is still missing ---> INTERNET! Hopefully that would be sorted out shortly, I am in hunt for the fastest service so online radio, streaming videos and - most importantly - skype will be smooth as well. Once I am fully up and running you guys will know... :)

Speaking of running, it is going really well. Getting into very decent shape as the weather is cooling down. Nowadays it is about 22-23C during the day and not much cooler in the mornings. I started doing some core work as well in the gym, mostly focusing on the abs and lower back with minimal work on the upper body. I think I am seeing its dividends but the goal-race is still far far away. Next Sunday will be the Hong Kong Disneyland Unicef half-marathon, the flattest and potentially only PB course in Hong Kong. I will be certain to post the results here in a week's time. The week after that is the Macau Marathon which will be only a training run but the weekend there should be quite interesting.

This morning I spoke with many friends in Toronto as they all gathered for the end-of-year annual banquet for our running club (notice how I still say 'our' from HK). It made me realize how supportive and caring people are that I left behind in Toronto. Talking to them I realized how blessed I am to know them and to be able to name distance running as a common interest with all of them. I have always said that I have met some great people through running and this morning just proved me to be correct once again. I have always known them to be great individuals and great friends but reassurance every now and then (especially on the other side of this planet) is comforting. Guys, I hope to see all of you soon, maybe in the summer of 09?

Congratulations go out to Lynn and Roger for winning the "Runner of the Year" award for Longboat. There couldn't have been two better choices for the award after what they have done as running ambassadors and club members. Congrats guys! Let's postpone the celebrations 'till May 2010. I will make the restaurant booking as well. How does Durban sound..?

There is no new pictures to post but shortly I will have some new ones. In the meantime, I took this video about 2 months ago. It was taken just before a typhoon warning was hoisted and we were sent home from work. It is the actual view from my office. No, I do not have an office with a window, my desk just happens to be facing the window of the trade floor...




Oh yeah, one more thing: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM! :)

A true local...

The day has finally arrived. On Thursday, November 12 I was returning home after a very tiring 18km run and as I was stretching while waiting for a green light to cross the street someone walked up to me and asked me for directions. This is not quite as big of a deal as it seems but being able to give precise directions to this pedestrian's choice of destination made me really feel like a local.. So when it comes to directions, I am 1 for 1.

Now that you guys wasted 2 minutes of your time reading this message, feel free to get back to whatever you might have been doing before this post....

Random Running Report

It has only been a few days since the last post so obviously not much has happened since then, except for the fact that I have registered for two great running events in late November and early December.

November 30 will be the date for the UNICEF Hong Kong Disneyland half-marathon which is by-far the flattest race in Hong Kong. It starts and finishes in Hong Kong Disneyland so it should be a fun race.

Click here for UNICEF Charity Run website


Last but not least, the following week is the Macau International Marathon which I will run as a training run. I was just desperate for a reason to go to Macau and this was it. A nice run, a fun race, good training and hopefully good food.

Click here for Macau International Marathon website

Race reports are sure to follow...

I am back !

Well, it has been a long time since I last posted anything to this blog and I have too many reasons to justify the absence…However, none of these reasons can be valid since friends and family (those who read this blog) should always come first and hereby I promise to be a little better at this thing going forward.

Early to mid-October I moved out of the temporary apartment from Tsim Sha Tsui (in Kowloon) and moved into my permanent home for the next (at least) 12 months. The apartment is located in a massive complex that contains 6 towers, each of them over 70 floors. With each floor hosting 8 apartments. Well, you do the math. It is practically a small village. It is on the eastern side of Hong Kong Island, a few minutes from the subway in an area called Sai Wan Ho. It takes about 33-35 minutes to get to work, about 9 stops on the subway and a few minutes walk on both sides of the journey. My very limited amount of personal belongings and my furniture has not arrived yet from Toronto so I am still living without kitchen appliances (forks, knives, plates, glasses) and currently only have a wardrobe and a fold-out futon in the apt. My time will come though… The place is very decent and provides plenty of room for visitors so please come and visit. I cannot think of one person who reads this blog that would not enjoy this city.

Work is still work, I am slowly getting the hang of it. The systems are very similar to the ones we used in Toronto but some connections and routing is quite unique. We also deal with many other brokerage firms to gain access to many local exchanges so it’s been neat to be exposed to these things. We do support our Australian office as well so many times we have an Australian co-worker from Sydney calling us for help but then we get the developers involved that are located in Culver City, CA to discuss a connection to Singapore or Japan. So a Tuesday morning 8am outage in Australia is actually a Monday 1pm outage in Culver City. Sometimes these time zones are mind-boggling….

On a much lighter note, last weekend I traveled to South Korea and spent a lovely 4 days in Seoul. It was a great experience to see the Olympic venues from 1988 and learned a lot about the Korean War and the conflict between the North and the South. That, however, will be further discussed in another blog entry.

Meanwhile, check out some pictures from a hike we did this past weekend to Repulse Bay via the Tai Tam Reservoir area. Who would think that with a 10 minute bus ride from the busy streets of Hong Kong one can experience clean air, beautiful views and great nature? There are many trails on Hong Kong island and I have yet to discover most of them. So if there is nothing happening on a Saturday, there is always hiking to do. The weather is great here these days, constantly around 26C-28C. It never gets too cold around here so let these pictures serve as further enticement to attract a few of you guys towards this part of the planet for a visit.

Hiking pictures from Repulse Bay


On a side note: Congratulations to those who ran the New York City marathon this past weekend. Most of us know that it takes huge dedication and commitment so hats off to Roger and Lynn (as always) Well-done guys!

Stay tuned…

Amazing Race Asia

It was a sad time to be a Canadian this past weekend. Former Miss World, a Canadian, and a Torontonian, Miss Natalie "I-will-always-be-a-princess" Glabova got eliminated from the Amazing Race Asia. She gave up on a Detour which resulted in a 4 hour penalty. Then she says she tried her hardest... Then to top it all of she goes on to call this race "suffering"... Unacceptable! :)

SHAME !! SHAME !! SHAME !!

New World Record

This has nothing to do with living in Hong Kong other than the fact that this clip will definitely provide some motivation in training for the next big race. Over the past weekend Haile Gebreselassie of Ethiopia broke his very own world record in the men's marathon in Berlin. The new mark to beat is 2:03:59, incredible stuff. It was a rather amateur solution but I managed to video tape the coverage on Eurosport and posted it on YoTube.
Enjoy:

Click here for footage

Stay tuned for more blog posts in the near future...

Mid-Autumn Festival

I am back with another report to introduce you guys to life in Hong Kong...

This past weekend was the day to celebrate the Mid_Autumn Festival. It is one of the most important Chinese holidays of the year where they celebrate the "woman on the moon". Nobody has been able to tell me exactly what the origin of this holiday is so I decided to go to "wikipedia" to find out. It pretty much is in sync with what I have been able to find out as it lists many different explanations as well.





Pete (a friend from NYC) and a few Japanese tourists we had met a few nights before gathered at Causeway Bay to check out the festivities at the center of it all: Victoria Park. Here you find little kids walking around authentic paper lanterns with a candle burning inside but we also saw the battery powered version where the little light lit up a Starwars-like spacecraft. There were concerts set up but mostly geared towards the locals (rightfully so). We stayed around for a while but then realized that we were a bit too foreign to truly understand the importance of the festivities. It was HOT HOT HOT (what a surprise) with high humidity so maybe that was a big reason why we got discouraged so early on...

Great idea by Pete, let's go to Lan Kwai Fong to celebrate.

Lan Kwai Fong is the main entertainment area in Hong Kong Island, filled with restaurants, lounges and late-night entertainment establishments. No, not the dirty kind... We ended up going to "Insomnia" where a band played that we had seen at another bar a few nights before. The music was really good, the atmosphere was energetic and the music first-class (Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Guns N' Roses, Gwen Stefani etc.)

Worth mentioning that at 2 am we grabbed some Wonton noodle soup at Tsui Wah restaurant, a popular diner near-by where we were charged 12 HKD (about CAD 1.5) for a glass of tap-water…

A great night overall that ended on a bit of a bad note but definitely well worth the time...

A couple of interesting observations:
1. A bottle of beer that would cost 7 Hong Kong dollars at a 7-11 store around the corner is sold for 60 HKD at the bar.
2. For a live band there was no cover and once you leave the dance floor area make sure you tell the bouncer because he would only let you back in if you buy another drink.
3. Oh, one more thing: if you want to go outside to grab some fresh air, you better stay inside since the muggy 33C air outside will feel like a punch in the nose as opposed to a "breath of fresh air". Stay inside where the AC is at 100%.

Pictures to back up my story can be found here:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=mxgvx6r.9cwzgu3v&x=0&y=sxyaiq&localeid=en_US

The weekend also included a trip to another popular and famous Hong Kong location about which I will write in a few days...

Everyday pictures from a few weeks ago...

Hello Everyone,

I am back with a newfound effort to further introduce to you guys to the daily life in Hong Kong. The below album has a few pictures from around the neighborhood where I will be for another 3-4 weeks.

The neighborhood is called Tsim Sha Tsui and is located on the Kowloon side of Victoria Harbour. Known for its 'authentic replica' Rolex watches and cheaper-than-dirt tailor shops, this place looks like the Hong Kong that westerners would envision. It is almost certain that after midnight any tourist-looking person (ie white people) gets approached with offers of a 'personal message by a beautiful girl in your hotel room'. I think that's what's called a message with a happy ending. :) Whereas I have not had the chance to enlist as a member in their client lists, some of the fake-Rolex salesmen on the street already recognize me and won't approach me anymore.

Just a few blocks down from Shama Apartments is the Promenade aka waterfront. Here you find the Hong Kong Space Centre, Cultural Museum and a beautiful walking path overlooking the Hong Kong skyline on the Island. The 6 minute ferry ride to Central cost 1.7 Hong Kong dollars which is about CAD 0.25...

The album shows the tiny place where I am staying for the time being. Very decent place at an amazing location. It has no balcony but has an awesome shower which I will miss for the rest of my life... Good pressure, huge space, first class. You will also find pictures about the neighborhood and even my favorite Chinese restaurant...

So, here it is:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=mxgvx6r.c29zn3ib&x=0&y=-nbm80h&localeid=en_US

Back after a brief hiatus...

It's early September but one would never know that if living in Hong Kong. The weather is still really warm although locals say that it's getting a bit cooler already. I can't tell... The temperature hovers around 30C every day but the humidity is constantly in the 85% range which gives us a humidex of 43-44C. It's hot but hopefully by next year I will be more used to it.

I have to apologize for the larger break between posts, it does not mean that I have been sitting at home and have nothing really to talk about. If anything, it's the complete opposite of that.
Unfortunately, the Kodak gallery site has been under reconstruction for a few days now and I am unable to post pictures but here are a few just as a "coming attraction" ...

Tonight was a "welcome back!' get-together organized by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. We basically went to Lan Kwai Fong, an entertainment district in Central Hong Kong with many bars and restaurants and had drinks. I did not see one Canadian flag and did not get to drink Molsons and did not get to see hockey. But, they still had the courage to charge 50 Hong Kong dollars for the entrance. (about CAD 7). It was a fun get-together to which a lot of people from the office came as well. Wearing the BMO sponsored Toronto FC shirt was a success since half of BMO's Hong Kong office was at the party... I didn't get the feedback I was looking for with the jersey, as a matter of fact it did not serve even once as a conversation starter... (note to self: girls here don't like soccer) Getting annoyed by the cigar smoke coming from the next table we left around 9pm to grab some food. We ended up going to this one area in Central where food is served on the street. Very local, traditional Hong Kong cuisine with jasmine tea, fish, squid, shrimp fried rice and mushroom chicken. Rubun and Benny came along from the office and they were kind enough to introduce me to this area. I will definitely come back to it but I am afraid I will have to wait 'till the weather gets a little cooler.

This weekend I am heading out to Lamma Island which is about a 20 minute ferry ride away from Central Island. If Kodakgallery.com is online by Monday, there will be more pictures for all of you to view.

I am also looking for a permanent place to live but I am still shocked about some of the apartments. a 450 sq foot apartment would cost about HKD 15,000 a month which equals to about CAD 2000. Real estate prices are expensive and the rents reflect that as well. I have looked at Olympic Station which is on the Kowloon side of the Harbour and have seen a few places in the neighborhood called Wan Chai. Nothing specific yet but once I find a place pictures will be posted.

Major events in the last few weeks:
Happy 36th anniversary to my parents, happy name-day to my mom, congrats to Lauren and Olivia on starting school and Reka, good luck with this brand new chapter in your life!

Stay tuned!

Olympics in Hong Kong

So the Olympics came to Hong Kong and I was lucky enough to experience it. It is 'only' equestrian but don't ever mention that to the people in attendance.... ;)

The events were held at Sha Tin which happens to be about a 10 minute walk and six subway stops from the southern Kowloon area where I am staying. All the events were sold-out in advance so we had to rely on scalpers to obtain the tickets. They are not nearly as rude and obnoxious as the ones in North America and are mostly people who bought tickets but are unable to attend. A couple of co-workers (one was visiting from the New York office, the other one from Tokyo), their girlfriends and Val (a Canadian girl I met here) came to the event.

On the final day of competition, it was probably the most spectacular event: individual show jumping. There were two Canadians in the list of 22 riders which sadly included no Hungarians. The first Canadian completely demolished one of the hurdles so got disqualified quickly. A few Dutch, American and German riders battled for the first place when the Canadian Eric Lamaze came and rode a flawless round as the last rider of the competition. He went into a jump-off (equestrian term for 'playoff') for the Gold Medal where the Swedish rider knocked over a hurdle and the Canadian rode flawlessly again.

The stadium erupted, Canadian flags were flying high all over the stadium. At the medal ceremony we proudly sang "O Canada" and my co-workers from the US had no choice but to acknowledge the winner and stand for the anthem.

After the event we were able to get caught up with some of the Canadian delegation who invited us to join the party that the official hotel of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was throwing to all the Olympic "athletes".  I must say that this was one of the best parties I have ever attended. There were so many different countries represented, the Netherlands, Norway, USA, Canada, Sweden, Germany etc. All the medalists showed up, we were able to congratulate the Canadian and the Swedish rider, checked out the gold medal up-close-and-personal and partied the night away. This party started after the event ended and towards 3 am it was virtually impossible to determine who was from what country. I saw a Swedish girl who was wearing a shirt from Mexico and was waving my Canadian flag while dancing (a bottle of Heineken in the other hand). Some of the organizers showed up along with a few volunteers as well. If the Olympic Games were this much fun in Hong Kong (about a 3 hour flight from Beijing), I cannot even imagine what it must be like in Beijing for the final weekend of the Games...

A cab ride back to Tsim Sha Tsui at 5:50am and a quick shower later I was at my desk at 7am. God bless nature since a typhoon was approaching Hong Kong. We got sent home for safety reasons and I spent the afternoon taking a 5 hour nap...

The album below is from the Dressage competition held on August 14.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=mxgvx6r.6qrjx737&x=0&y=6qiopa&localeid=en_US

Pictures - Welcome to Hong Kong !

As promised, here is the link to my first album on this blog. Once you are on the Kodak Gallery website, click on the 'View Slideshow' button, I have entered a few comments on each picture, hoping to provide some description and explanation. If there are any issues, technical difficulties, let me know. :)

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=mxgvx6r.7u4dmm5f&x=0&y=sah2gm&localeid=en_US

Greetings

So, here I am with the very first entry to this blog. I think I might have jumped into the deep end of the pool since I am committing myself to frequent enough updates to keep this blog alive.

Over the past week and a half since I came to Hong Kong many of you have asked about the city, work and the adjustment period. It is hard to answer each question in the given time frame and I am also tempted to stay the easy course and answer with a short comment such as "good" or "awesome" or "very nice". Hopefully here I can talk about the events and observations that makes living here truly a unique experience.

I will also post links to pictures that I have taken recently just to give you a better idea as to what I am exposed to here and to better describe the experience.

In the very near future I will post some pics from my early days in Hong Kong which goes back as far as ... about a week.

Stay tuned...