Australia, 1/27/2011 - 2/14/2011

1/27/2011 Thursday.  We had a rather severe storm that came through yesterday (lasted until early today) and I was wondering if we could make the trip.  There was about a foot of snow on the driveway so I dug out a small path to the street – didn’t take long, but I still worked up a sweat.  All flights were canceled last night and this morning.  Ellie came by at 1 pm to pick us up, the streets were quite well ploughed and there wasn’t a lot of traffic.

The airport wasn’t chaotic (e.g., no one was sitting on the floor) but the lines were very long.  Because our itinerary is international, we couldn’t check in on line or at a kiosk.  There were only a couple of agents and every passenger seemed to need help (understandable).  After a few minutes we decided to elicit the help of a Sky Cap even though we didn’t have any luggage to check in.  The guy found an agent on break and she managed to check us in.  The tip ($40) should be generous enough.

Security line was short (everyone was at check in).  Our flight was quite full but we left EWR only a little late and got in LAX on time.  We had dinner at Jody Maroni (sausage subs) and then went to the United lounge.  Turns out there was another UA flight that left at 9 pm; we couldn’t get on it.  The agent explained to us we couldn’t hop on international flights just like that; and the other flight was also quite full in any case.

UA839 is quite full.  My center row is full  Anne started with only one neighbor (two empty seats) but someone decided to take one of the center seats (probably a Premier member.)  Then someone else just decided to take the other empty seat.  He eventually left, though.  We are about 10 hours into the flight as I type this, only nodded off every now and then – listening to Mozart is not helping a lot.  I hope I can get a couple of hours after I wrap up this report.

One other note.  CO website flight status has a “where is aircraft coming from” feature.  I kept checking it and was worrying about aircraft availability for our flight. For instance, at one point our aircraft EWR-LAX was to go Newark to Ireland to Newark before heading out to LAX.  Its departure for Ireland kept getting delayed at Newark.  At some point they scheduled another plane that was already at Newark.  Later, however, our plane was to come from Orlando and it was delayed somewhat.  That was the plane we actually took, and things turned out okay.  Ellie remarked that kind of monitoring causes unnecessary agitation, and that Kuau does the same thing.

1/29/2011 Saturday.  Plane landed about one hour early and the immigration and customs process took less than 15 minutes.  Called Ruth while we were having coffee.  Also activated phone card: process is on the complicated side.  Went to Chinatown for lunch, then to Market City so Anne could pick up some decorations for Rose Mountain and Ruth could do some grocery shopping.  Followed by visit to East Garden to pick up a couple of travel brochures.  Slept for a couple of hours in the afternoon – didn’t get much sleep on the plane.  Chinatown again for dinner, with Susanna, Chris and their two kids.

1/30/2011 Sunday.  Went to church in the morning.  Stopped by Maroubra main street to buy fish & chips and pizzas (Dominos) to bring back to Jennings Street for lunch.  Wilson and Susanna and their families joined.  I also bought several pies from House of Pie.  Ruth drove us to the airport to catch the Virgin Blue 4:10 pm flight to Gold Coast.  Short flight was packed.  Rented a small Toyota at the airport.  Drive to Surfers Paradise took about 30 minutes.  Room at Mantra Legends is reasonably nice with partial view of the ocean and its wave upon wave of surfs hitting the shore.  Walked around a bit and went to dinner at this Tandoori Indian Restaurant around the corner from the hotel.  Food was okay but not worth the wait of 40 or so minutes.

Skyline of Gold Coast (viewed from Marina district.)

Expensive Condos seen from our hotel room.  It was right after a drizzle and we could see this rainbow in the distance.

1/31/2011 Monday.  Woke up quite early at about 6 am, tried but couldn’t go back to sleep.  We first drove to the Sea World and Marina area to take a look.  Quite a few marinas, reasonable amount of activity for Monday.  Drove to the Tamborine National Park area and saw Gallery Walk, Glow Worm Cave and Skywalk.  Gallery Walk is a collection of artist shops, restaurants and other shops concentrated along Long Street.  Didn’t visit any, quite quiet when we visited (but more tourists when we drove through again in the afternoon.)  Most tourists are Asian.  We then drove to Glow Worm Caves and took a short guided tour. This is a man-made cave with (supposedly) real glow worms.  Reasonably interesting and informative.  Skywalk – an elevated walkway over a valley populated by rain forest vegetation – was next.  We learned a few interesting things.  This tree called Strangler Fig would grow around and eventually smother a gum tree.  We saw quite a few examples of the end result – nothing in progress, though.  The Flood Gum eventually evolved so it would shed its bark – and the fig – every year.  Quite sinister, and quite interesting.  There are many lizards along the way, and butterflies.  We heard loud noises attributed to the cicada but didn’t see any.  Also had a quick lunch of pie and coffee at the Skywalk Café.  We then went to Curtis Falls which was a short walk from the parking lot.  However, the visit was just so-so.  We still had a lot of time so we drove to The Natural Bridge.  It isn’t nearly as spectacular as I expected.  Anne pointed out the glow worm strands hanging from the ceiling – we did learn something from the earlier tour.  Dinner was KFC take-out, I was quite tired from all the driving.

Life Cycle of a Glow Worm display at Skywalk.

Entrance to the Glow Worm Cave.

We saw a few of these pheasants.

Entrance to Skywalk.

Parasitic Plants are found on many trees.

Skywalk view.

Strangler Fig.  Can't tell if it has a victim inside or not.

Twisted vine.

 

Canopy view from Skywalk.

No Strangler Fig around this Flood Gum.

One of many "insects" (in this case a spider) along the Skywalk.

Many of these Australian Brush-turkeys hanging around.  Grotesque, yet somewhat beautiful.

Curtis Falls.  Not a lot of water flowing today.  I have seen photos that show a more impressive water flow.

Natural Bridge.

Look carefully, you can see the strands sent down by glow worms to ensnare their prey.

2/1/2011 Tuesday.  We followed the route of a tour bus for the day.  First to Tweed Heads, then along the Pacific Coast and drove by many different towns, including a huge development called Salt – perhaps a real estate bubble in the making.  We reached Brunswick Heads early in the afternoon.  It was then to Cape Byron Lighthouse, the most easterly point of Australia.  All the beaches begin to look alike after a while.  We wanted to visit the Crystal Castle (a Buddhist retreat) but it was closing time by the time we got there.  Got back to the hotel at about 6 pm.  Lunch was at a Thai place in Coolangatta.  Many of the towns we drove by were quite a bit bigger than we expected.  There seem to be more Australians than one would think …  Dinner was takeout from Chinese Restaurant next to the hotel.

Tweed Valley.  We got a bit lost.  Luckily there were so few roads that we eventually found our bearings.

One of the many beaches we drove by.  After seeing a few they begin to look alike.

Cape Byron Lighthouse.

Proof that we are at the Eastermost Point of Australia.

2/2/2011 Wednesday.  Morning jog.  Broadwater Cruise for about 2 hours.  Saw lots of expensive houses, somewhat like Fort Lauderdale but smaller and, yes, quite a bit less expensive (most house here are for less than $10M!).  Lunch at restaurant next to Marina Cove.  I had the Fish & Chips, and Anne had the Tandoori Chicken in Turkish Bread.  Stopped by the Q1 building (which claims to be the tallest residential building in the southern hemisphere) and walked around the observation deck on the 77^th floor.  Got to the airport at about 3 pm, found out our plane has changed its schedule and will leave 30 minutes later than expected.  Surprised at how non-chalant people are about these things.  By the way, there is a threat of a Cat 5 Cyclone (Yuzi) hitting northern Queensland at 10 pm tonight.  Things will be bad, so the forecasters say.

Multi-million dollar boat at a multi-million dollar house.  Both get used a few weeks a year.

View of Gold Coast from Q1.

Another View.

2/3/2011 Thursday.  Slept in while Ruth and Stephen went to pick up Tim and Alyson.  Lunch at Fish Market, crowds were not nearly as huge as they were used to be; economy and the strong Australian dollar making things relatively expensive.  Checked into Meriton Pitt in the afternoon: a 3-bedroom apartment on the 49^th floor with reasonable views.  Air conditioning system a bit weak though.  Dinner in the apartment with take-out food and a couple of dishes cooked by Ruth.

2/4/2011 Friday.  Bought Transport Day Passes and used it to first go to Manly Beach.  Lunch at Bluewater Café along the beachfront.  I had the “Tempura battered lightly fried monkfish with handcut potatoes” which was basically wording to justify the charge of AUD24 for fish and chips.  Took ferry back to Circular Quay and then onto the one for Darling Harbour.  Got off but decided not to go to any of the attractions.  Missed the return ferry by a couple of minutes, so had to wait a while for the next one.  Tim and Alyson decided to head back to the hotel to sleep, but Anne and I wanted to go to Bondi Beach so we took the bus (#333) to get there.  Anne lost her pass so we bought a ticket for her.  It was after six when we got back to the apartment.  Lamb chops and spaghetti with meat sauce for dinner.

Coming into Circular Quay on a Ferry.  A familiar sight.

2/5/2011 Saturday.  Tim’s friends were staying at their friend’s house in Kangaroo Valley (exact village is Barrengarry), 150 or so km away.  We woke up early to check out a rental car (about a 10 minute walk from our hotel).  The drive was quite uneventful (Tim did the driving).  Roads here generally are quite okay.  What a house.  It’s on 200 acres (or 150, but who is counting).  The main house has huge “functional areas” such as kitchen, sitting room, library, and various gathering rooms, and two wings (owners and guests) with approximately 9 en-suite bedrooms, with most overlooking the Kangaroo Valley which touts itself as the most beautiful valley in Australia.  (We passed by Australia’s Best Pies on the way there, so hyperbole is evidently quite common.)  Everyone decided to go visit a Wildlife Park (which we gave up because we drove past it for a while before realizing it) and a beach (Hyams Beach in Port Jervis) which is only ordinary as far as Australian beaches go.  I drove back to the city and we met up with Ruth and Stephen and had dinner in Maroubra.

Living area overlooking Kangaroo Valley.

Kitchen and dining area.

 2/6/2011 Sunday.  Tim and I again woke up early so we could return the car.  I was a bit apprehensive since I parked it on the street overnight.  I did notice a long key mark on the side although I’m not sure it happened under my watch.  In any case the Hertz person decided to let it go.  Anne and I took the bus to Matraville to attend church and returned to the City right afterwards.  Lunch at Taste of Shanghai in World Square.  Slept in the afternoon. Dinner at No. 8 (Market City) to celebrate Stephen’s upcoming 80^th birthday.  Today is Chinese New Year Parade Day so many of the streets were blocked off.  We did see some parade going on when we left the restaurant at 9:15 pm or so, and saw reflections of fireworks from our apartment.

2/7/2011 Monday.  Anne and I took the train to Bondi Junction.  The shopping mall is large and modern, but the surrounding area is not that great.  Lunch at the Food Court in Westfield Mall: Indian and Turkish dishes.  Took train to Penshurst to meet up with others to visit mother at Fairlea.  Dinner with Stephen’s friend William.  Rather fancy dishes such as egg white and lobster meat, abalone in soup, and custards in the shape of pumpkins.

2/8/2011 Tuesday.  Woke up a bit late (9 am).  Stopped by Hertz office but they didn’t have my Garmin GPS, too bad.  Walked over to The Art Gallery to look at the First Emperor of China exhibit.  It was basically the same as the British Museum one we saw a few year back, with only 8 or so terra cotta warriors.  Somehow I managed to learn something I didn’t know (or have forgotten) and I thus find the exhibit well-curated.  They could use a bit more Chinese in their descriptions though.  Lunch at Food Court in Market City: Anne and I shared a couple of dishes.  Picked up some brochures at the Darling Harbour Visitor Bureau in preparation for our drive up to Port Stephens later this week.  Light dinner brought in by Tim in the apartment.  Jogged a couple of miles afterwards.

2/9/2011 Wednesday.  Went with Anne to Bondi Junction so she could go to Curves.  Headed back to CBD and had lunch with Ling – she came back to Australia to have her teeth fixed by Alfred.  Anne and I then went to Bondi Beach and walked for a short bit.  It was a nice day but we unfortunately didn’t have much time.  Dinner at Tetsuya’s with Tim’s friends (that would be their whole extended family).  11 adults and 2 children (the children had rice and noodles).  The tasting menu is certainly quite expensive at $210 per person, additional $95 for wine pairings, and yet additional for raw oysters.  Tetsuya’s is considered one of Australia’s best restaurants which has lost some of its luster.  I just found it so-so, and become more appreciate of my sentiment “a disappointing expensive meal is worse than a disappointing expensive concert,” which I coined last year after eating at Quay.  And the dinner lasted 5 hours.  Amazingly the two kids (about 5) were very well-behaved.  We sat next to the elder Mr. Chan and her daughter and had rather interesting conversations.  Even then we had slightly awkward moments of silence.

2/10/2011 Thursday.  Checked out of Meriton this morning.  The location is nice, and the apartment is generally quite pleasant (at their price it better be).  However, there are some aspects (such as sewer gas smell in the laundry room) that are unexcusable.  Went to Ruth’s house so Anne could do her class conference call.  We had pies that Tim and Alyson bought.  After dropping Tim and Alyson off at the airport, we started our journey to Nelson Bay/Soldiers Point.  The trip took about 3 hours; we stopped along the way for a quick bite at McDonald’s.  It was early enough that Anne and I drove to the Stockton Sand Dunes and lingered there for a bit.  Dinner was takeout Chinese supplemented by home-cooked rice, Chinese sausages and salted eggs.  The unit we rented isn’t nearly as nice as we thought it would be.  It is right next to the bay but the view is blocked by many tall trees.  There are 32 steps from the living area to our bedroom.

Stockton Sand Dunes.

Oyster Farm.  These structures are under water when the tide comes in.

Oysters being processed for shipment.  We enjoyed what we bought.

2/11/2011 Friday.  Dolphin watch cruise at 10:30 am.  Boat carried about 80 or so tourists, many were Korean.  We did spot quite a few, but the enthusiasm of the crowd wasn’t all that high.  A boom net was then lowered so people could dip in the water, and there was a tube people could slide in: that was a hit.  Still a pleasant 90 minute ride.  We wanted to eat at Hog’s Breath, but it was closed for lunch for kitchen renovations, so we had pizza instead, they were quite good.  Anne and I then went on a series of excursions: walk from Nelson Bay to Dutchman’s Bay where I stayed last August; drove to the tip of Soldier Point and saw several large pelicans lazing away the summer day; stopped by the Nelson Head Lighthouse (and not understanding why it is called a lighthouse); climbed up Tomaree Head, not high at 161 meters, but nonetheless quite a walk including 300+ steps; and walked on Fingal Bay till we reached the spit, the waves from Port Stephens and Tasman Sea were crashing into one another.  We stopped by Jumbo Palace to pick up some food and went back to the house to have dinner with Stephen and Ruth; together with the oysters we bought earlier at Holbert Oyster Farm, it was quite a meal.

Ruth and Stephen on the cruise boat.

The passengers are having more fun with the water slide and net than seeing the dolphins.

A Kookaburra.

This area is teeming with spiders, you have to watch where you are going to not run into their webs.

We were surprised to see so many sailboats out at the same time.

These are huge pelicans.  Their toy-like eyes look artificial.

Nelson Head Lighthouse.  Not sure why they call it a lighthouse.

 

Waves from Port Stephens and the Tasman Sea crashing into one another from opposite directions.  Creates a strange effect.

2/12/2011 Saturday.  Checked out of the unit at 9:45 am.  Overall I was quite disappointed at the place: it was dated; inside could be cleaner; master bathroom missing important features like toilet paper holder and soap holder; inadequate air conditioning; no use of garage (although we were given a garage door opener); view of bay restricted by grove of trees.  I would give it 2 stars (out of 5).  Drove around a bit before having lunch (mostly fish and chips) at Aussie Bob’s at Shoal Bay.  Per Ruth, Chris (Ngo) loved this place; I found the food just so-so.  We then visited Gan-Gan lookout before driving back to Sydney, stopping at McDonald’s for a short break.  After staying at Susanna’s place for a short while, it was dinner where Ling, Alfred, and Toby joined us.

2/13/2011 Sunday.  Took bus and train to Chatswood and had lunch with Uncle Richard and Auntie Fannie at the Toraya Japanese Restaurant in the Mandarin Center.  They looked fine, all things considered.  We actually found out when they were born: the secret is safe with us.  The public transportation fare structure is such that it costs more than $16 for the roundtrip, and $20 will give you unlimited ride on the system for a day.  Dinner at an Indonesian Restaurant (Ratu Sari) in Kingsford where Chris, Susanna, and Alfred joined us.

2/14/2011 Monday.  It’s been a long trip, and we are ready to go home.  Packed up, and then went to lunch in Chinatown.  Ruth and Stephen dropped us off.  I am in UA840 as I type this, a bit crowded (Anne and I are sitting in seats FG, with seat E empty).  We brought two pies along, and are glad we did (they have been consumed already, we are about 10 hours into the 13 hour flight.)  Trip LAX to EWR was on time.  Ellie picked us up – she was a bit late since she thought we would go through customs at EWR.

Hershey & Lancaster, PA. Jan 5 - 7, 2011.

Main purpose was to take Ellie to Hershey for an interview and then to take him to the Harrisburg Airport to fly to San Francisco.

1/5/2011 Wednesday.  We visited Hershey a few times in the 80s when Anne's brother Kenneth was a resident at the hospital.  It is a very quiet town during the winter times.  We circled the "town" in a few minutes and there were very few people out and about.

Dinner at Chocolate Avenue Grill while Ellie was at her interview.  They had Greek specials which were quite reasonably priced.  Food was okay, not great.  The Days Inn at Hershey is one of the best in the chain I have seen.

Inside Hotel Hershey.

Peaceful countryside.

Another farm.

1/6/2011 Thursday.  After dropping Ellie off in the morning, we drove to Lancaster to meet up with someone from Hope International in Lancaster.  Ellie gone done early so we rushed to Hershey to get her.  She managed to fly out a few hours earlier (paying a $75 change fee) and wouldn't have to get in at 2 am in the morning (and leave at 7 am for her interview.)

Harrisburg Airport is quite modern, the old building which is not longer in use still looks pretty good. Interestingly we saw a United States 747 making touch-and-go landings at the airport.  Wonder if it is the pilot practicing.

Three Mile Island.  It certainly made news in the 1970s.

United States 747 probably practicing touch-and-go at the Harrisburg Airport.

We then drove to Wayne, PA where we got a room at the Courtyard for $65 (plus fees).  It snowed a bit overnight, but not too bad.

1/7/2011 Friday.  The Barnes Foundation has an interesting history behind it, the upshot of which is it will relocate to Philadelphia in the near future.  It does have an impressive collection of Cezanne and Renoir.  I am glad we visited.

Barnes Museum.  They will soon relocate to Philadelphia.

We made it back to NJ in good time for a meeting at church.  An interesting trip, all things considered.

Hong Kong and Japan. December 10 - 21, 2010.

12/10/2010.  CO99 to Hong Kong.  Plane was being towed to gate closed to boarding time.  It took them forever to refuel the plane so we took of about 90 minutes behind schedule.  Arrival was going to be an hour or so late.  Plane was packed – every seat taken.  Flight itself turns out to be not so bad.  Didn’t get much sleep though.

Ling, Wally and Ruth were waiting for us, we brought over some stuff for them.  Had coffee with them and said goodbye.  Anne & I had something simple at JP Porridge.  Our hotel for the night is Regal Airport as we have an early flight the next morning.  Quite expensive, but that’s what happens when choices are limited.

12/12/2010.  Checked in to CX flight: kiosk check in didn’t work (only checked in Anne) so we had to go to manual check in.  We were under the impression the flight was full as the travel agent told me she couldn’t get me on the flight – and I ended up booking the trip myself; turns out it wasn’t even half full.  Uneventful flight to NRT.  Took Narita Express to Shinjuku, about 90 minutes.  It was very dark when we got into the hotel.   We took a taxi even though the distance was quite short.

Checked into the very small room of the hotel, walked a bit (back to the train station, in fact) and had dinner.  Turns out the ticket machines were reasonably easy to use.

12/13/2010.  After breakfast (for me salmon and rice, for Anne sliced beef and noodles) we headed out to the Hamamatsucho Bus Station to purchase tickets for a Mt Fuji Hakone tour for Tuesday.  During the winter the tour often ends up not quite what it is supposed to be as the mountain is snow-covered and inaccessible and visibility is quite low.  We then took the bus to the Ferry Terminal and took the 11:30 am ferry to Asakusa, famous for the temples.  The trip on the boat lasted 35 minutes and was generally pleasant.  Unfortunately today would turn out to be rather rainy day.

Inside tour boat.  Limited ceiling height as boat has to clear some low bridges. Sign says "A Ceiling Becomes Low."

After walking around the Asakusa area a bit, we had lunch at the place staffed with Chinese.  I find it interesting that even in Japan the restaurants are often staffed by Chinese – just like New Jersey!   We didn’t find the temples all that impressive, perhaps we would be if we knew the history a bit (thus the probably with not joining a tour).  I didn’t have an umbrella, and was soaking wet, so we decided to visit museums (indoor) instead.

Asakusa temple.  It is a surprisingly small temple, given its reputation.  Today is a rainy day with a sea of umbrellas.

A short subway ride took us to Ueno where most of the national and metropolitan museums are located.  After walking in the rain for 10 or so minutes, we found out they were all closed (probably Monday is the closing day).  I finally gave in and bought an umbrella for Y100 (clear plastic, disposable.)  We also sat down and shared a cup of Caramel Latte at Starbucks (cost Y510).  We decided then to try the Tokyo Tower.  The observation tower is at 150 meters, even though it was raining we still got a good view of the city.  We then went to Roppongi but didn’t find it too interesting, so we headed back to Shinjuku and had dinner.  We found Japanese a bit tedious and had Chinese instead.  Dishes are very small at this restaurant, which is okay since we have been eating a lot so far this trip.

 View of Tokyo at dusk from the Tokyo Tower.

 Rainbow Bridge over Sumida River.

Tokyo Tower at night.

It is now 9 pm, trying very hard to stay awake …

12/14/2010.  Got a few snacks from 7-11 downstairs as breakfast.  Then it was to the metro station to get to the Bus terminal for today’s tour.  Bought some sandwiches and sweets for lunch during the trip.  Bus departed pretty much on time with 20 odd tourists, a Japanese driver, and an English-speaking Japanese guide.  It took about 2 hours to get to the Fuji Visitor Center, and the weather was quite iffy along the way.  Luckily the weather cleared up and we managed to get to the fifth station – a 50 minute additional bus ride away – which is the starting point of the actual walk to the summit.  It was quite cold, and the clouds still covered the top of the mountain.  After 30 minutes also, the tour bus took us to the Highlands Resort where some people had their lunch as part of the tour.  Anne and I ate the food we bought earlier in the lounge.  The sky cleared up nearly completely and we had a great view of Mt. Fuji.  Too bad the sun glare prevented us from taking too many pictures.  It was about 2 pm that we started our trip to Hakone.  We took a 15 minute boat ride on the small (12 mi circumference) Lake Ashi to get to the cable car.  The 1800 meter ride up the cable car took 7 minutes and it was extremely foggy at the top.  Anne and I decided to visit the Shinto Shrine which is only about 10 minutes away although we couldn’t see it through the thick fog.  Not that we needed it, but we were glad to have the GPS with us.  We were the only 2 in the group to miss the 4:10 cable car down, we took the 4:30 instead (the rest went shopping with the extra time.)  Bus then took us to Odawara Station to catch the bullet train which got us to Shinagawa Station in 20 some minutes.  Bullet train reached a maximum speed in the low 160s mph per my GPS – not the advertised 180 mph.  We were packed in like sardines from Shinagawa to Shinjuku as it was rush hour.  Walked around the electric street a little bit, I am not sure Japanese things are cheaper in Japan – actually things are in general quite expensive here.  Dinner cafeteria style at a noodle shop.

 View of Mt Fuji from the Visitor's Center.

 View of Mt Fuji from the Fifth Station, peak hidden in clouds.

View of Mt Fuji from Highland Hotel.  It eventually turned into a very clear day. 

View of Mt Fuji from Highland Hotel.  The sun glare made a great picture impossible.

 On the Cruise Ship (boat) in Lake Ashi.

 What is a Tall Ship doing on a small lake 12 miles in circumference?

 Small Torii Gate in Lake Ashi.  Shrine is built to commemorate a priest who calmed a sea beast.

Cable car station.  Very dense fog.  We were the last tourists to leave.

Bullet Train pulling in the Odawara Station.

12/15/2010.  Checked out of hotel a bit before 9 am, and left our luggage with the front desk staff.  Strolled to Shinjuku station to purchase Narita Express tickets, then went to the Shinjuku Gyoen Park and walked around for about an hour.  This is one of many former feudal lords’ palace grounds that got converted into parks.  Very quiet, but quite pleasant.  Trees here are greener in general than in New Jersey for the same time of year: Tokyo’s winters are more moderate than what we get in NJ.  Took train back to Shinjuku Station (2 stops, Y130 each) and walked back to hotel.  Too tired to walk back to station, so flagged down a taxi instead.   Bought some Japanese takeout (my first sushi meal) and ate on train.  Got here (at airport) at about 2 pm for a 4:20 pm plane.  Everything is going quite smoothly so far.

 Shinjuku Gyeon Park.  There are some huge carps in the ponds.

 Shinjuku Gyeon Park.  A very calm place despite its being in an urban area.

Narita Express.  The airport is so far away that it would take about 90 minutes from Shinjuku.

The 747 was quite crowded.  We had one of the empty seats next to us which made the flight quite pleasant.  The return flight would take about an hour additional, I assume the winds are quite strong from west to east.  We landed a bit ahead of schedule, and Tim picked us up at the airport and we all came to the Tai Po house.  Had some of Ling’s spaghetti and some dessert.  The stuff we (more like Anne) bought at the airport turned out to be quite popular with Ling, Wally, Ruth and others.

Tai Po House, our home for the next several days.

12/16/2010.  Went to Tai Wan Tau Village to meet up with the Lau’s.  Picked quite a bit of the fruits in their “orchard”: pommelos, papayas, and star fruit.  Went to Hang Hau to have late lunch.  We had a lot of food for HK$400.  Takeout food purchased at Tai Po Market.

 Tai Wan Tau house.  I was told I was born in this house.  While I don't remember that, I do remember spending much time there as a kid.

 Inside the house which has been unoccupied for a while; it'll probably collapse soon.  Room now used to hang laundry to dry.

The Ding house (丁屋) now occupied by Mr.Lau.  They rent out the upper two floors.

12/17/2010.  Memorial service for Wally’s mother at Evangel Hospital, lunch afterwards catered by Café de Coral.  Stopped by Rev. Pao’s room to have a brief visit.  He has been there for quite a while after his stroke.  Toured Kowloon City a bit and then to Hong Kong Club to have a short visit with Larry and Elaine.  Victoria Park to visit the 45th Annual Industry Exposition (工展會) which has turned into a shopping venue for many local and mainland people.  We joined in the “fun” and bought a few bags worth of food.

12/18/2010.  Morning hike with Wally started at Tai Shui Heng, went up to Mau Ping, Ngong Ping, and then to Ma On Shan station.  About 7 miles, took close to 4 hours.  Some sections were quite strenuous.  Along the way had great views of Sai Kung and Ma On Shan.  Lunch with Ling at a well-known Dai Pai Dong in Lik Yuen near Shatin.

In front of some Mau Ping Village Ruins.

One of the main reasons we came back to Hong Kong this time was to attend the 50th anniversary celebration of George and Mana Leung, old family friends.  We all showed up – except for Alfred.  The banquet was held at Hotel Nikko.  It was close to 1 am when we got back to Tai Po.

12/19/2010.  Tim came by this morning to pick up us to go on his boat.  Rode to Lamma Island for a vegetarian lunch at Yung Shue Wan.  Dropped Anne off at Stanley so she could buy some gifts and visit her mother, we had coffee at ABC Middle Island.  Went on elliptical for 45+ minutes to burn some calories.  Dinner at Tai Hing in Tai Wai with two sisters and their husbands, bill totaled about HK$500.  Looked for dessert place in Tai Wai but couldn’t find any; so we went to Tai Po and ate at the shopping center.

12/20/2010.  Lunch at Beef Brisket Noodle place by Kowloon Walled City Park.  Strolled around park by myself for a while afterwards.  Tried “French Toast” twice, neither satisfactory.  Ling cooked dinner at Tai Po House.

 Hau Wong Temple.  I lived nearby for many years but never visited.

A model of Kowloon Walled City.  I also lived close by.  Never visited as it was known as a very "bad" place.  It has been torn down more than 20 years ago, and is now a park.

12/21/2010.  Trip from Tai Po to airport via private car was quick.  Flight back was uneventful, except that it was quite full.  Anne did have an empty seat next to her.  Ellie picked us up from the airport.