China, part 1

Where in the world are Ethan and Siena? We said we were going to China, but this feels very western in many ways. And, no wonder! The British were here from 1841 until 1997, when this small island was returned to the Chinese at the conclusion of a 99 year lease. There are over 7 million people living here. It isn't a very large island, the main island is barely 77 square kilometers, and most of it is too rugged and mountainous to allow building. So, they have built up. And up. The absolute tallest buildings in the world aren't here, but the majority of the ones from the 5th to 20th tallest are. This is Hong Kong.

We love to wander through markets, and here it is an especial treat. What are these things in the baskets? We can't even tell if some of them are animal, vegetable or mineral. There are whole streets devoted to selling items we can't imagine anyone buying, much less enough of a market to warrant entire streets! The birds' nest stores were of particular interest to us. Are they abandoned nests? Do they boil them to clean them before selling? Does it taste like twigs when made into birds' nest soup? While we are adventurous eaters, we were unable to answer any of these questions.

There are many cities that may lay claim to the most beautiful skyline in the world, but it would be hard to beat Hong Kong. Not only are there a plethora of stupefyingly tall buildings, but there are mountains in the background, and a bustling harbour in the foreground. Each night, there is a free sound and light show, in which 80 buildings participated with flashing lights and lasers shooting in all directions.

Then there is the food. Chinese food is considered to be one of the three high cuisines in the world (French and Italian being the other two), and we are inclined to agree, at least from this first foray into the delicacies. We enjoy eating at small, hole-in-the-wall places, where we are the only non-Chinese. Because space is at such a premium here, we have been seated with other people at absurdly small tables. We do a fair amount of pointing at what other people are eating to order, but the results are worth it! Our favorite breakfast are stuffed buns, sort of like a dinner roll with barbeque or coconut cream or red bean paste inside. We shared 6, and each of us had a different favorite (although none of them was left over). They sell Tsing Tao beer everywhere, and, although it is not so unusual as it can be purchased around the world, it is still very good. It has a honey taste, like St. Pauli Girl, and we learn it was started with German brew masters, so I guess the taste similarity makes sense. I also tried a Lan Kwai Fong (named after the wild and crazy bar area in town) draught, and that was wonderful, too. Sorry, I didn't actually buy the beers, so I can't give you an accurate Beattie Beer Index yet.

We enjoy taking the ferries around. Kowloon, just across the harbour, is serviced by the Star Ferry. The 10 minute boat ride, with the most amazing views, cost us barely HK $6.20--that's about 85 cents, for the 4 of us! It must be the most beautiful "cruise" for the money anywhere in the world. Today, we fly into mainland China. I am sure it will be very different from here. We think this will be our last country before returning home. It is an interesting day to be here, as this is the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square "uprising" (so as not to get censored).

We continue our journey, in its 12th month now, trying hard not to, as Confuscius says:

"Like Climbing a Tree to Catch Fish" (waste time).

Ng Goy! (Thank you, in Cantonese, what they speak here in Hong Kong. I guess that's equivalent to cheers if someone has bought you the beer...)

The Beatties