Hong Kong with the Parents

Hi all,

Sorry for being AWOL but I didn't have internet access when I was in China and in Singapore and Malaysia. I'm back in Columbus but have been suffering from a heinous bout of food poisoning/sore throat that has been keeping me under the weather for the past week. I'll post pictures from my travels in a couple of posts.

When my parents arrived in Hong Kong, we set out to see the sights. One of the places that was a must see for us was the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. If you know me, one of my life goals is to visit all the Disney Resorts (I know, so thrilling). Here are my parents standing in front of the entrance sign. I'm sad to report that the park was tiny and there wasn't too much in way of rides. They didn't even have the Pirates of the Caribbean ride! But one highlight was that we got dim sum at the hotel where they have food shaped like the characters. We had glutinous pancakes shaped like Mickey, pork buns in a pig shape, and chicken little buns filled with lotus paste. They were all very delicious.


We also when to Lantau Island to see the big Buddha because my father has never been to see it. We took the cable car to the island and it was pretty amazing. The cable car spans over 5 miles and the views were pretty good.
This is the main attraction that everyone comes to see. It's a pretty big Buddha.
My family also decided to visit the island of Macau, which is a SAR like Hong Kong with Portuguese influence instead of British influence. All the signs are in Portuguese and Chinese. There is more to Macau than just casinos, although there are lots of casinos there.

Here's a casino in Macau, I can't remember the name of it.
We also went to afternoon tea at the Peninsula Hotel, one of the must do things on my Mom's list. She's been wanting to do this for decades. She was very happy and so was I because the food was delicious.
On my birthday we took the tram to the Peak to have dinner. It was pretty nice, here's a night view from the Peak of Hong Kong. It's very pretty with all the lights.
I also managed to convince my parents to take the Star Ferry with me, a ferry that goes from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island. It's been around for decades, since my parents were young.

That's all that we did in Hong Kong besides shop and eat lots of food. Next up, my pictures from Xi'an and the terra cotta warriors.

Almost done?

Hello all!

It's been a busy couple of weeks and hard to believe that my time in Asia is almost over. So I've managed to collect data from 695 skulls, which means I have lots of numbers to crunch when I get back to Ohio. My parents come on Monday and we're going to have dinner with my grandparents and celebrate my b-day.

There hasn't been much to report so far since all I've been doing is working everyday. Last Sunday I went to the Hong Kong History Museum to learn about my natal land and I must say that it was one of the best small museums I've been to and that's saying a lot. It was also really cheap, entry fee was only $10 HKD ($1US=$7.76). There was a special exhibit about the qipao, which is the traditional Chinese dress. Here's a picture of one of the many they had on exhibit. I'm thinking of getting one made when I go to China. Here's a picture of the bound feet shoes popular in China merely a hundred years ago (a little family history, my maternal great-grandmother had bound feet). The shoes are so tiny!
On Saturday, my aunt and cousin took me out for dinner and dessert, so I took some pictures of the dessert just for my mom. I'm happy to report they were as delicious as they looked.

Lastly, on the balcony of my dorm on clear days, I get to see spectacular sunsets over the harbour and this photo doesn't really do it justice but I'd thought I'd share it.
So that's all for now from the fragrant harbour. After Hong Kong, I'm going to travel to Xian to see the terra cotta warriors in person, which is what I'm really excited about. Then we're off to Singapore/Malaysia, so hopefully I get lots of good pictures so I can share with you all. Hope you're well and talk to you later.

My time in Hong Kong so far...

Hello all,

Sorry I've been a little AWOL but I've been busy and adjusting to life in Hong Kong. It's almost like I'm a native here since I can speak the language and understand most of the culture. It's been pretty rainy here and we've actually had flooding in the area, so that was kind of a new adventure.

Here's a picture of the dorm I'm staying at. It's pretty deserted here since it's the summer.This is the view of the bay and what I see pretty much every day. Isn't it pretty?This is the building I work in everyday at HKU.

My cousin took me to the Hong Kong Botanical and Zoological Gardens where they have lots of primates on display, including lemurs, marmosets, macaques, tamarins, gibbons, siamangs, and orangutans.
My aunt, her son (my cousin) and I went to a cupcake art gallery and here are some pictures. Maybe I could do this when I get back?
They all look so yummy.
I've been having lots of dim sum here and it has been pretty good.
Well that's it for now, I'll post more when I get more pictures.