Shanghai & Hong Kong, July 17 - 30, 2010.

Saturday 7/17/2010. Henry dropped me off at EWR. CO87 EWR-PVG flight was packed. Didn’t get much sleep as flight was during day time. 14 hour flight didn’t feel that long, watched only one movie (Alice in Wonderland) and a few TV episodes.

Sunday 7/18/2010. Pudong Airport is quite modern and seems to be well designed. Clean washrooms. Took MagLev train which reached a top speed of 430 km/h. Train looked a bit old, with some tattering in the upholstery already; let’s hope track maintenance is more diligent. Short Taxi ride from train station to Citadines Hotel. Anne already checked in earlier in the day. Hotel (an apartment) is reasonable, but very far from town – map at hotels.com website indicated a different location. Didn’t do much during the day – basically trying to make up for the sleepless flight. Lunch and dinner (takeout) at the hotel restaurant.

Monday 7/19/2010. Anne met up with her colleagues for lunch while I stayed at the hotel. Met up with her at the LaYa Shopping Center where we had coffee. Shanghai has been having very hot weather these several days (reaching 37C which is about 100F), so we were expecting an uncomfortable afternoon. We first visited the Bund with many buildings from the early 1900s. We then took a ferry ride across the Huangpu River – cost RMB2 one way.

PingAn Insurance Building. Greek columns galore. Who was the architect?

Pudong Skyline, dominated by the Pearl of the East Tower.

Took taxi from Ferry Terminal to the EXPO (Door 4). Very few people at the entrance, and surprising very few people milling about on EXPO grounds. Turns out they were all standing in line. We picked the pavilions that didn’t have long lines and ended up visiting most (if not all) of the –stans. Other places included Mongolia, East Timor, and Iran. We did wait for about an hour to get into the Kazakstan Pavilion and decided it wasn’t worth it. Dinner at an EXPO restaurant.

A few observations. (i) Attendance to the EXPO was very low after the opening days. There is a lot of talk in trying to make the target number of 70 million, the government has been giving out a lot of free or discounted tickets. Our tickets today were gifts from a friend, for instance. Now they are on track to make the number, but – at least in my case, and in some of my friends’ cases – in exchange has made the experience bordering on unbearable. (ii) Queuing is still a strange concept in China. To be able to jump the line seems to be a national sport. I used to think it is people are so conditioned because of the lack of resources, now I am not so sure. Actually I remarked sarcastically to a mother that she would bring her daughter up thinking that’s the way things should be. (iii) Anne thinks many things are there for “perfunctory” reasons. Shanghai thinks it is an international city and thus needs to be bi-lingual, so announcements and signs are also in English. But the English items are just of minimal help. During the EXPO people were just going around gathering stamps instead of trying to understand other cultures. (iv) You see exceptions every now and then, but people are in general not very friendly. Most of the time the answer we get is “I don’t know.”

Tuesday 7/20/2010. Visited the Pearl of the East TV Tower. We wanted to get the RMB150 ticket and they were sold out. When asked when they would be available the agent didn’t know. So we got the RMB135 ticket. It quickly dawned on us they probably sell so many of the RMB150 tickets every hour and then stop in order to control people flow. After standing in line for a while, we took the offer of an “upgrade” to 3-station ticket and a buffet lunch. That allowed us to jump to the top of the queue (actually we went to another line which was very short.) The views were quite spectacular, although the hazy day limited our visibility. I gathered enough courage to step onto the plexiglass flooring with a direct view of the ground 340m below me. Buffet in the revolving restaurant was okay. Visited the Shanghai museum after the tower, rather interesting and informative display.

In front of the Pearl of the East Tower.

View of Pudong Traffic Circle from the Tower.

Tall buildings in Pudong viewed from the Tower.

This observation deck is at 350 meters.

It took me a while to gather the courage to step on the plexiglass floor. These are my legs.

Cicada pupae shells left behind after the insects emerged as adults.

We went to the EXPO again, they didn’t sell tickets at Door 4 (who would have thought) so we walked to Door 5. This time we found ourselves near the EXPO axis and the China Pavilion. We strolled around and were quite impressed with the Axis and the Cultural Center. We then took a bus to the Pacific Area. Visited the Pacific Pavilion with its collection of small nations such as Marshall Islands. A stamp collector’s dream. We also saw Indonesia which was reasonably interesting. Dinner at an EXPO restaurant also.

EXPO Axis. No idea what this represents, but it looks nice and changes color.

EXPO Cultural Center. Quite an impressive building. The black band you see is a glassed in corridor.

Wednesday 7/21/2010. Went to People’s Square and visited Shanghai Museum. Quite disappointed at the haphazard way things were grouped together. One usually expects to learn something after visiting a museum, not this time. I remember going to it before and it certainly didn’t leave any lasting impression either. Developed a cramp in my right calf, very painful to walk. Had to rest at Raffles Plaza across the street from the museum; had lunch and then went back to the hotel.

Took taxi to Big Thumb Plaza and had dinner at a restaurant serving Northeastern cuisine. The “Fish Boiled in Water” dish was very spicy.

In front of the Shanghai Museum. The visit was a disappointment.

Thursday 7/22/2010. Woke up early (at 5:30 am) to get ready for early trip to Pudong Airport. Taxi took about 40 minutes (no traffic, hotel on Eastern part of town). Check in, security, and boarding processes were quite smooth. However, at 9 am the pilot said we were all ready, but airport traffic control couldn’t tell us when we could take off. According to a flight attendant I talked to, this happens quite frequently with Shanghai. Other airports at least will give an estimated time. And there was no obvious reason for the delay: early flight, good weather, airport didn’t seem particularly congested. In any case, when we got to Royal Park Shatin, it was about 4 pm. It should take that long (close to 10 hours) to go door-to-door from Shanghai to Hong Kong. Landing was relatively smooth given that there is threat of a hurricane (cyclone). Hong Kong Express is a decent airline from this limited experience.

Friday 7/23/2010. Went to Langham Place to have Samsung Cell Phone repaired. Then to Causeway Bay to have lunch with Tim. Went to The Peak and had dessert with Elaine. Evening spent eating a quiet meal at Café d’ Coral. Feeling a bit sick – coming down with a cold.

Saturday 7/24/2010. Had a rough night last night with my sore throat and coughing. Woke up after a fitful night’s sleep. Went back to Samsung to get the repaired phone. It was a good thing I asked the customer service rep to try the wifi feature: it still didn’t work. Eventually they got it fixed and it seems to work okay now. Lunch at Jockey Club with Larry and Elaine. Came back to hotel to rest up. Dinner at Japanese Restaurant in Shatin Plaza. Anne went to airport to pick up Joe and Jessica.

Sunday 7/25/2010. Tim picked me up to go to Tai Po to look at his project. Also saw cleanup work with bulldozers and trucks after the heavy downpour on Thursday. A person was washed out to sea. Anne, Joe and Jessica checked out of hotel and checked in at the YMCA. We met up with them and drove to Aberdeen Boat Club where Alyson joined us for the boatride to Lamma Island, lunch and then a short anchor at one of the Lamma bays. Got back to the hotel and changed to go the dinner at The Country Club where most of Anne’s family showed up: Uncle Richard & Auntie Fannie; Ellen; Jane and her daughter; Larry, Elaine & Larry Jr & Justin; Kenneth, Anna & Kenneth Jr & Eric; Gordon and Alex & Lucas.

Joe and Jess swimming in one of the bays at Lamma Island.

Dinner at the Country Club. Relatives from Anne's side of the family.

View of harbor from YMCA hotel room.

Monday 7/26/2010. Started off the day with Joe & Jessica dropping off the laundry they have accumulated over many days. Breakfast at Breadbox which was Malaysian/Singaporean. Then ferry, shuttle, and Peak Tram to The Peak. Walked a bit. Took 15 to head back to town. Anne & I split up from Joe and Jessica. Lunch at Café de Coral. I came back to the hotel to rest while Anne went off to Jordan to check out a bookstore. Dinner at Serenade Restaurant at Cultural Center.

Tuesday 7/27/2010. Dinner with Kenneth & Jr at China Club. Needed to borrow jackets.

Wednesday 7/28/2010. Went to Ngong Ping 360. Quite windy, sky was clear, though. Was about to take bus to Tai O when sky really darkened. So we took bus back to Tung Chung instead. Dinner at Canton Restaurant at Harbor City.

Inside a NgongPing360 cable car. It was quite windy this day.

Thursday 7/29/2010. Dim Sum Brunch at Jade Garden, Star House. Took train and then light rail to Wetland Park. I sat inside the café while Joe, Jessica and Anne walked around the grounds. Went to see Tim before heading back to the hotel. Dinner with Larry and Elaine at the Shanghai Club. Joe just found out his flight will be delayed for 11 hours. He managed to rebook themselves on a 9:30 am CX flight.

Friday 7/30/2010. The day started with Jess calling to say Joe was not feeling well. With Panadol and a hot shower he recovered enough to make the flight. Anne and I were in a full flight also; I didn’t get much sleep. Took train and then walked home.

Lancaster, PA & Delmarva, June 3 - 8, 2010

6/3 Thursday. Drove to Lancaster for a Friday meeting with Hope International. Ruby & David and Alfred were with us. Drive was uneventful, not much traffic. Stopped at an Amish Farm and took a short tour (run by non-Amish folks). Learned that Pennsylvania "Dutch" is actually "Deutsch" and other interesting facts. Couldn't really find a nice Amish restaurant, so had dinner at Olive Garden instead.

6/4 Friday. Morning meetings with Hope International. Afterwards they took us to lunch at a restaurant in a golf course. Took our west coast friends on a boat ride when we got back to NJ.

6/5 Saturday. Drove Alfred to Newark airport early in the morning.

6/6 Sunday. Went to David and Ruby to Cape May. Stayed at the Beach Shack. Walked around a natural preserve.


David & Ruby in front of Cape May Lighthouse.

6/7 Monday. Took Cape May - Lewes Ferry. Lunch at Jerry's Seafood in Lewes. City is quite nice. Had the "crab bomb" which is a crab cake large enough to split as an appetizer among the four of us. Meal was quite enjoyable. Took the Oxford - Bellevue Ferry. Didn't get to join an eco-tour as it was fully booked, to our surprise. Drove around the area and saw a bald eagle landing very close to us. Dinner at Crab Claw's was okay but not spectacular. Stayed at Best Western St. Andrews, very few guests were staying there.


Jerry's Seafood serves up some good lunches.


Oxford to Bellevue Ferry.


Bald eagle.


Typical town in the St. Andrews area.

6/8 Tuesday. Joined the tour on the Rebecca T. Ruard, the oldest skipjack in the United States. It was an oyster boat, we still managed to trawl up three oysters, which someone on the tour ate after Captain Wade opened them up. I had to steer the boat for a while, and the boat was going along at 3 mph. I went to dinner with David & Ruby and their in-laws while Anne went to class.


Relaxing on the skipjack Rebecca T. Ruard.


At the helm of the skipjack. Not too difficult to keep a straight line on a calm day.

Boston and Hong Kong, April 30 – May 17, 2010

4/30. Train from Metropark to Boston. We went to CBCGB to attend the third annual Social Concern Conference with the theme of “Exploited Women & Children.” Friday was a message by the keynote speaker, and there were several Saturday evening workshops. Met up with Sarah of Hope International.

5/1. Boiled water alert for several towns in the area, including Boston. Certainly makes life a bit incovenient. Lunch at a Korean Restaurant in Union Square, Somerset.

5/2. Took Joe's car and dropped Anne off at Logan for her trip to Chicago, then drove down to South Yarmouth (about 90 minutes away) to pick up Ellie who attended a wedding. Trip back took longer because of repairs on Sagamore Bridge causing a rather lengthy delay. Dinner with Ellie, Joe Jr & Jessica at Yuki's at Station Landing, then we dropped off Ellie for her trip back to SFO.

5/3. Joe Jr dropped me off at around 10 am for my trip to Hong Kong (via Newark). Packed plane from Newark to Hong Kong. Plane was late taking off and arrived a little late; it took just about an hour for me to settle in my room at the Rosedale, though.

5/5. Wednesday. Met up with Johnny at YMCA Salisbury and spent a good part of the day with him catching up on various things. Had two coffees and lunch at Prince Restaurant at 1 Peking Road. Also went to Mongkok and bought a Chinese made cell phone (2 lines); battery connection is lose, though. Ruth and Steven arrived a bit late and joined us for dinner after 8 pm.

5/6. Thursday. Met up with Johnny again and said goodbye after lunch. Then off to Hong Kong Club to meet up with Larry and Elaine. Elaine gave me some tourist information. Dinner at a local cafe (Tsui Wah) in Causeway Bay, followed by dessert at Yee Shun, with Stephen & Ruth.

5/7. Friday. Breakfast with Ruth and Steven at Jade Restaurant, Hysan Ave. Lunch with Larry at Hong Kong club; chatted for more than 2 hours. Went to HK Cultural Center; the Beethoven concert was sold out so bought a ticket for the Chinese Orchestra's performance tonight. Turns out the concert was for tomorrow; mad dash to City Hall was for naught.

5/8. Saturday. Went to Tai Po construction site to look at progress of house. Ling fell and now has a large bruise around her ankle.


I ran into this Qilin Dance in the Mongkok area. Probably to celebrate the opening of a new store.

5/9. Sunday. A rather large group (4 Lau's from Clear Water Bay; 6 Cheungs) went on Tim's boat, first to Lamma Island Rainbow Restaurant for lunch, then to Yung Shue Wan to look at the temporary theatre for Chinese Opera – not much happening because it was a holiday. Coffee at ABC's Middle Island club house, followed by a tour of Repulse Bay. Ling cooked for us at Tim's apartment.

5/10. Monday. Looked around Shum Shui Po computer markets. Met up with Ruth and Steven to head out t Noah's Ark. They now have convenient shuttle bus service from Grand Century Plaza in Mongkok. Dinner at China Land Restaurant at the Plaza.

5/11. Tuesday. Morning tea at Lin Heung Restaurant in Sheung Wan. Food at this well-known traditional restaurant isn't as good it is reputed to be. Tea with On Ching at Starbucks in Hopewell Center. Tea at Macau Restaurant in Causeway Bay. Dinner with Derek at Ding Tai Fung, another somewhat overrated restaurant.

5/12. Wednesday. After breakfast, Ruth, Steven & I left for Disneyland. We got there about 11:30 am and it was quite empty. There were more people as the day progressed but the rides were never crowded. The theme park is quite small compared to the one in Florida, with many fewer rides. While somethings were tri-lingual (Mandarin, Cantonese & English), most shows were in English, not sure it is a good idea. A lot of walking involved, but Steven seemed to take it in stride. Evening dinner in Sai Kung hosted by the Lau's. A rather sumptuous event. Quite late when we got back into town.


Hong Kong Disneyland is a rather small theme park.

5/13. Thursday. Visit Ocean Park with Steven & Ruth. Saw the dolphin and sea lion shows, the bird show, and the “clown” show. All disappointing. The desire to add an “ecological” message didn't help as it was quite artificial. Tim joined us for dinner at Ding Tai Fung. Tea with Larry at the Conrad. Bought a new cell phone.


Dolphin show at Ocean Park. It took me a few tries to time the camera correctly.


Pandas are always an attraction.

5/14. Friday. Late coffee at Happy Valley with Larry.

5/15. Saturday. Trip to Kennedy Town took about an hour. Surprised at number of foreigners that live there and the many coffee shops and bars that cater to them. Met up with Ling and Wally at Tai Po Market Station and went to construction site again. Windows have been installed. Went to HK Culture Center concert where a sung version of Fidelio was performed.


Construction site. What would it look like when completed?

5/16. Sunday. Went on Tim’s boat for lunch at a pizzeria at Stanley, then tea at Middle Island. Dinner at Lei Garden.

5/17. Monday. Left a bit late and missed the city check-in window. It was after 9:30 am when I got to the airport for a 10:25 am departure. Managed to get the luggage checked, boarding pass issued, and by the time I got to the gate most people had boarded. It was a crowded flight.

Florida, April 15 - 19, 2010

4/15. Got upgraded to first class. International configuration meant a log of leg room. Too bad this wasn't a lunch or dinner flight, so all we got were pretzels.

4/16. Lunch with Pastor Al and Miss Ruth at the Palm Grill of Shell Point.

4/16 & 4/17. Both afternoons: toured different properties with Tony of ReMax. Dinner with Hwangs & McNally's at University Grill.

4/18. Morning. Went to Ding Darling National Park with David & Helen. Very few birds though. The Hwangs returned to the Tampa area. We went to Park Alliance Church for their 1:30 pm afternoon service. Lunch at Five Guys in Cape Coral; Dinner at Bob Evans.

4/19. Stuck around the hotel in the morning while Anne went to Curves. Short tour of Rotary Park. After lunch at the FirstWatch Restaurant we went to Manatee Park; unfortunately no manatees probably because of the warm weather. We then walked along the trail in the Six Mile Cypress Park.

We again got upgraded to first class and enjoyed a hot meal en-route. Ran into James on the train. He studied computational linguistics in Taiwan. Walk home pleasant in the cool evening air.

China & Hong Kong, March 11 - 24, 2010.

3/11/2010. CO89 Newark – Beijing. Anne and I (mostly I) were arguing about upgrading to business class on this flight. By the time we decided to do it, all the upgrade seats were gone. According to the CO website, the business class cabin was only half full, and the coach cabin was packed with several people waitlisted to get on this flight. We even asked at check in, and they said they couldn’t do anything. So we were very surprised when we got called and offered free upgrades. I am sitting in a bulkhead seat (8A), so my coughing (which could be quite severe at times) would not bother those around us. Yesterday I thought things weren’t working out too well for this trip, but I am glad how things have worked out so far. Jamie and David got upgraded also; I suppose they are also happy.

It’s now 6 pm Newark time, a little over 5 hours into the flight. We are now over Greenland, and there has been this orange glow of the sunset for the past hour or so. They do have longer dawns and dusks in these northern latitudes. It’s still winter, so all we see is white. Interestingly, after we crossed the North Pole, East was on our side of the plane, and we get to see the orange glow of the sunset. At first I thought dusk somehow reappeared.


It was like this for several hours outside the plane window as we crossed the North Pole.

We took the airport express and then No. 2 subway to get to the hotel. Even though it was rush hour the trains were not unduly crowded. Met up with David Law who got here a day earlier. Five of us had dinner at a local restaurant (“Little Potato”) in the New World Shopping Mall. Food was only so-so.

3/13 Saturday. Anne, Jamie & David Hsieh went to a training session with an organization helping migrant children. David Law and I took the subway to “Yuan Ming” Garden in the Northwest part of town. This used to be a huge palace complex with many buildings, they were all destroyed and pillaged when the “Eight Countries” invaded China. I wish they would restore some buildings so visitors can have some idea how things looked before, instead you just wander around these grounds you are sure have a lot of history to them. The Chinese government needs to learn how to develop its tourist industry. There are also many signs saying they want the pillaged artifacts to be returned. One would think the proper way is to make the request in international forums. Given today’s climate, things will be returned if the claims are legitimate.


Entrance to Yu Ming Garden.

David and I had a late lunch at Chef Kang’s, well known in the US for its instant noodles. Cheap, and not bad.

Another short subway ride took us to the Olympic Green with the Water Cube (National Aquatics Center) on one side and the Bird’s Nest (stadium) on the other. Quite crowded since this was a Saturday afternoon. Some hawkers were selling these tandem kites that looked quite interesting.


Bird's Nest on the Olympic Green.

Met up with the others and had dinner at the “Cheap Restaurant” which was neither cheap nor very good.

3/14 Sunday. It had snowed quite a bit by the time we woke up. Took a 45-minute taxi ride to BICF-ZGC. Had to teach the driver how to get to the Raychem building using my Blackberry GPS. Long singspiration, interesting sermon by someone who works in Kyrgzstan. Lunch with Sarah H at Grandma’s Restaurant.

Anne bought me a couple of shirts since I didn’t bring enough.

Dinner at a local restaurant before David, Anne and I went to a concert at the new Performing Arts Center.

3/15 Monday. Michael H and Sarah H came to the hotel at 7:45 am. Left for Z in Michael’s rental minivan after breakfast. Trip took over 3 hours. Except for some patches, most of the snow on the road had been cleared. Along the way we saw many disabled cars, and we had to stop for some windshield washer fluid selling at highway-robbery prices. The fresh-covered mountains made for a rather strange landscape. We also passed through the Great Wall.


Mountains we passed by on our way north from Beijing.


Finally, the turn off to the town we visited.

Lunch at Z restaurant with office manager of a charitable organization (H). After an overview of H at their office, David and I visited a small business selling women’s clothing. Anne and Jamie visited a handbag seller. Dinner at a local restaurant. The hotel (Flatroad in English; Transportation in Chinese) we stayed at had shower curtains with mildew on it.


View of city from hotel.

3/16 Tuesday. Left hotel at 7 am to get to XH for office morning devotion. Went to see two customers: a beer delivery person, and a farmer who raises pigs, bakes cakes, and makes powdered hot drinks as a living. Lunch at “Grade A” fancy restaurant. Donkey meat dumplings actually were quite good. The return trip to Beijing went slowly because of the number of trucks on the road. We contacted Franklin to postpone our dinner to 7 pm, which we barely made. The La Paletta in the new financial district served som good food, including a fish head dish (not nearly as weird as it sounds). Franklin’s treat. We checked back into the Courtyard. Who would have thought returning to BJ would feel like going back to civilization? But that’s how we felt.


A residence in the town of XH.


Is this pig cold?


Kitchen where food is prepared.


We encountered many trucks on our way back to Beijing. This stretch of highway later made the news with a 75-mile traffic jam in late August.

3/17 Wednesday. Woke up at 4:45 am to check out at 5:30 am. It seems we have to get up earlier and earlier. 30-minute taxi ride to airport. Check in & security lines were both short and efficient. As Star Gold members, we got to sit in the Air China lounge. Flight CA905 was packed but uneventful (which is good). Kunming landing was a bit rough due to crosswinds. Bought some KFC for our car ride.

Got into Mr. L’s rental car (a moderately beat-up Mitsubishi Pajero); he and Michael H drove the 350 km from Qunming to Dali to get us to the hotel at (Xianghe) about 5:15 pm. Dinner at 6 pm with Michael and his wife Lan, Mr. Li and Joseph C in a Western style restaurant. Good, spicy Nasi Goreng.

Mr. Li has an interesting life story: Born in Inner Mongolia, he came to Yunnan to start his own business. Through contact with other Christians he eventually became one. He started to preach the gospel and joined H through Mr. Joseph’s invitation. They met when Joseph stayed at a hotel Mr. Li was running and noticed a sign saying “Jesus Loves You”.

3/18 Thursday. Went on a field visit with H personnel. The drive out was over two hours, and we had to walk down a steep dirt road to get to a village of about 40 families. These villages look nice from a distance (this is the land of Shangri La, after all), but up close the conditions are quite miserable.


From a distance, one might think this is Shangri La.


Up close, the living conditions are not that good.

We first visited a relief case: the father is blind from a disease he couldn’t afford to treat, the mother is unable to speak, their son is mentally handicapped, and the cooking is done by the 95-year old grandmother. Mr. Li brought some rice for them.

The house we visited belonged to the village elder. The transaction was supposed to be with six families but there was much confusion as to who needed to show up to sign the documents. While the living conditions were wanting, the place was surprising clean, especially considering they were raising chickens, cattle, and a pig with 10 or so piglets in tow in the courtyard. We out-of-towners left at about 4 pm to get back into town.


Inside of Village Elder's home, this is as comfortable as it gets around here.


Yunnan was suffering through a drought when we visited. Parched fields all over.

3/19 Friday. Day in Dali. Went with H and Lan to Old Town, sure enough someone was trying to sell us opium. Visited the church building which was over 100 years old (rebuilt after destruction by an earthquake and the cultural revolution). Took tram to Chang Shan. 1.6 km, elevation rise from 2100 to 2600 m, as indicated by my GPS. Lunch at La Stella Pizza. Dinner at Mr. Li’s, whose wife cooked up quite an elaborate dinner.


Walmarts are quite common in China, including here in Dali. We bought a toy for Sammy which turned out to be of rather shoddy quality.


Picture with Michael & Lan on top of Chang Shan.


View of Old Dali from cable car. Erhai Lake in the background.


Dali Church.

3/20 Saturday. Morning MU flight from Dali to Kunming. David L would wait 5+ hours to get on KA flight to HK. Anne & I couldn't get a hired car at the airport, so we went to the hotel (Grand Park) to check in, and then got a hotel hired car to go to Stone Forest (Shilin) leaving at 11:30 am. Trip took about 90 minutes. Hired a guide for CNY60, an electric cart for CNY200 (a bit of a rip off as it only took us around the outer loop). Toured Shilin for a couple of hours. Interesting, but not as spectacular as I'd expected. Guide took us to tea house where we obligingly bought some tea (CNY150 for 4 small canisters).





Shilin (Stone Forest) scenery.

After dinner at a Yunnan Restaurant we went to the Trinity (3-self) Church. Singspiration typical young worship. Preacher from Hong Kong (Rev. Cheung) talked about attitude towards money. Crowded but not everyone was attentive.

Hotel was the most luxurious yet for this trip. At CNY630 not all that expensive, with free internet and breakfast.


We attended a service at this Kunming Church.

3/21 Sunday. Stayed in hotel room most of the morning. Walked around Cui Hu (Green Lake) Park for an hour or so. Buffet lunch at Palmetto Restaurant in hotel. Off to airport. Anne to BJ, I to HK. Dinner at Tim's, Ling cooked up stewed beef and pasta.


Cui Hu (Green Lake) next to the Kunming Grand Park Hotel.

3/22 Monday. Morning spent visiting the annual flower show in Victoria Park. Lunch at Vicwood Plaza’s Chiu Chow Garden with Ka Shi & David L. Chatted with David in coffee house until after 5 pm. Dinner at Tim's.

3/23 Tuesday. Morning to Tai Po Market/Lai Chi Shan to visit construction site with Ling. Wally joined us for lunch at Tai Wai “Maple Grove Cafe.” Good meal, not inexpensive though. Picked up ticket at Ka Shi's office for tonight's ballet. Took a quick nap. Ballet Don Quixote performed by the Mariinsky Ballet was 2:45 hrs long, with 2 25-minute (closer to 30 minutes) breaks. Had a sandwich at 7-11 during the second intermission, and won-ton noodles at Mak Un Noodle Shop in Causeway Bay. It was about 11:30 pm by the time I got back to Tim’s place.

3/24 Wednesday. Tim dropped me off at the Hong Kong Airport Express Station. Check-in was a breeze. Even though plane was packed and one of the restrooms was out of commission, it was still a relatively painless flight. Took train to South Amboy, and got home at about 3:30 pm. Our house suffered some damage during the storm about 2 weeks ago, fortunately it doesn’t appear to be major.