Hong Kongin' around (ton's o' pics)

Hong Kong is awesome!

But Cork and Angie are even better. What great hosts and hostesses they are. We arrived in Hong Kong from Seoul last Thursday afternoon to Cork's smiling face at the airport. He didn't have to come to the airport, but he did anyway.

We took the super fast and efficient train into Central Hong Kong from the airport which took only about 30 min or so. Then, a taxi to Cork's place up into the hills behind Wan Chai. The dogs went crazy, of course.

After resting a bit, we went down to a big mall for Jen to see the Mango, Zara and Espirit stores. She was happy to see her favorite clothes stores. After the mall, we went to the mid levels for some tasty grub. We told Cork we will eat any food but Korean, please. So, we went to aplace called Soho Spice. We had some awesome curries and meat. Jen and I aren't able to find much ethnic food in Korea, and that is something that we really miss about Seattle. Food in Seattle is excellent. Food in Korea is kimchi.

The next morning we traveled out to Disneyland for a day of Americana. We had a great time and the pictures speak for themselves. Afterwards, we taxied out to Repulse Bay for an awesome dinner at Spice (yes, the same name of the dinner from the earlier night but diferent place).

The following day, we went to Kowloon for Yoga in the Peninsula Hotel. The view from the shower was incredible. We ate an awesome Dim Sum lunch afterwards. Then, we took the subway to two different temples and then to Starbucks for a jolt. That night we went back to the mid-levels to celebrate Cork's upcoming birthday at Fat Angelo's.

The next morning, we went to the peak and then to the airport. We were very sad to leave.

Murphy after mellowing out a bit.
















Jen getting to know the Murph.
















And the sweet Mae-Mae.
















A family portrait.




















If you look closely, this is a COACH tram. Jen was really happy about that.
















Super tall skyscrappers near Cork's place.



















Jen and I on the Star Ferry.














The new Star Ferry terminal on the Hong Kong Island side.














The night-time harbor view with a giant cruise ship pulling into the harbor.














Night time in Jordan.



















I think this is near the mid-levels, where the food is tasty.




















A rad view of Nan Lien near Diamond Hill.



















This is in the middle of an enormous city.



















Pretty, eh?
















Cool temple














The juxtaposition of the old and the new is startling. Really though, the temple is new, but the architecture is old.



















Sweeheart, watch out with that flame!



















Cool temple














Yoga was a good experience but very difficult, too. Cork is the maestro.














Me and the pups hanging out on the path near Cork's place.















This path is really awesome.



















Jen's favorite building. Pic taken from a double decker bus.



















Express train to Disney






























Entrez-vous

















Minnie!















Buzz Lightyear and Jen being very Asian by giving the peace symbol.




















































Space Mtn.














Tea-cups














Turbo guy is ready for 3-D.














On the river ride















Jen on the river boat.



















Waiting to get on on the river ride.





























Main Street, Hong Kong, via Burbank CA.














We are cheesy people. I am probably most guilty.



















Us at the top of the peak tram on the morning we left.

So, it's really true

Well, we had a nice weekend but...make sure you aren't eating anything while reading this...

It's true, there are dog meat markets. Seeing man's-best-friend encaged like this was a bit startling for us.

Sunday afternoon, we went on a subway tour as we like to do during the weekend. The idea is to pick a new subway stop to explore as often as we can. Jen was feeling under the weather for the later part of the week, so by Sunday we were both ready to explore our new city more.

We heard of a "Western" market in an area called Dogok. Well, there was nothing different there than anywhere else (I had visions of dancing taco seasoning packets), so we weren't too impressed but enjoyed the fancy neighborhood and a small park.

















Pretty autumn leaves and a pretty lady



















So, after we explored this subway stop for a bit, we decided to roll on back to our home via a few other stops we had heard of. Next stop Moran. We stepped out of the subway and up the stairs to the light of the atmosphere. Before us presented a question, where do we walk? Since it looked like market in all directions, we choose "go straight". We choose wrong. Around the corner we found a market shutting down for the day. As we got closer, we saw the merchandise. Dogs. Not for pets. We were beginning to think this was myth.

If you look closely, you can see cages of dogs. They are all the same breed.















A couple of fellas loading up another cage for transport back to the farm...or somewhere.















Pictures speak a thousand words.















Although a dark and not often talked about piece of Korean culture, I'm glad we saw it and never have to go back.

Jen and I are off to Hong Kong Thursday morning. We are beyond ourselves with excitement for a little break and to see Cork again.

Have a great week!

Something peculiar

When living overseas, sometimes you encounter things that are so incomprehensible to your home country that you just have to laugh.

When someone opens up a new store in Korea, a big celebration must ensue. The tradition is to buy a bunch of big plants, dress them up in ribbons and bows, pink of course, and place them in front of the shop. Then, you must hire a large stereo system...no more like rock concert sound system with lights and such. Play at high volume through the streets. And last, hire two girls to dance out front for hours and hours to techno music. Now, you might think to yourself when walking by, "I bet they are opening up an exciting new nightclub." No, not even close. A family restaurant, a convenience store, a hardware store, a pharmacy all would make the cut. If you are opening a large store, you might even consider hiring a pickup truck to put the sound system and girls in the back to dance while you drive around.

So, all we can do is laugh at this one.

Back to the blog

It's been almost a month since our last post. We have settled in a bit more and find life to be a bit more routinous. This is not a bad thing because things seem more "normal" for us after 3 months. Still, it's not a long amount of time to be away from home when you are trying to make Korea your home.

All in all, we are still very happy here. Work is going well and we are learning more everyday. Of course, some days are better than others, but that's to be expected. Jen began coaching cheerleading for KIS's first ever team and I am enjoying soccer, flag-football, swimming, and learning squash.

We have an awesome trip coming in 10 days that we can't wait for. We will go to Hong Kong for 4 days to visit Cork and Angie. Should be a blast and nice to get away for a few days.

Pics-


Here's the Myeong-Dong Catholic Cathedral. As you can see, it's being restored and has a cover on it.




















Here is a wedding in procession.




















Some neon lights up-close in Myeong-Dong - a super hip area of downtown Seoul.




















Looking down the street, all you can see is a sea of heads.















On our 6 year anniversary of dating, we went out for a fancy Italian dinner near school. The food was the best we've had in Korea.
















A picture before the food came. We are drooling.
















On to Halloween- Jen's Kindergarten classroom. You can see Jen in the far right in her costume as a "Warm Fuzzy."















Here I am handing out candy to the Kindergarteners. My costume was to be our neighbor, Tommy Toms, the hiker. I think the staff liked it more than the kids.
















Here's a picture of the Halloween parade on the Soccer Field. You can see the line behind 2A.















And our usual parting shot of a sunset out our window.