The day before heading back to Seattle, I took the train from LuoHu to the Shangri-La hotel. The Chinese border is so confusing here. I actually got lost, ended up in a maze of shops in LuoHu. I wandered back and found a sign that read “Chinese Immigration”. That confused me – “How did I end up here?”, I thought. I guess my academic nature confused me: I expected the word “emmigration”, because I was leaving China, not entering. Well, I decided I’d at least get in the line and someone would at least be able to help me (assuming someone spoke English). Well, it turned out, of course, I was in the right place. No big deal.

An hour later, I emerged in downtown Kowloon at the entrance of the Shangri-La (I like the train because it leaves you within a half a block of the hotel) and was greeted by the familiar sight of the carport filled with Mercedes, Porsches, Ferraris, and a Maserati this time.

The flight to the US was a piece of cake; going through Tokyo breaks up the trip nicely and I was able to adjust nicely with no jet lag. OK, I’m not going to describe the details of the activities in the US, that’s just the usual work – not blogworthy. Basically, I was ridiculously busy from very early to very late and ended up getting sick just in time for the lousy return flight home. I definitely don’t like flying from San Francisco directly to Hong Kong. 14 hours is too much for one leg. Anyway, here are some pics:

Some shots of Japan from the air (they’re big fans of golf courses):

I had dinner with someone every night, except for Friday, when I had to go to bed early ’cause I was getting sick. (l-r) dinner w/ Tiffany, feigning jet lag w/ Robert (check out the Fu Manchu ’stache), “Rush Chow” with Kevin (I forgot to take pictures with others…sorry, fellas):

Got to have a pic of Georgia:

I had to take pictures of my work environs because the differences with China are shocking. This is a pastorale paradise compared to the loud, smelly madness of China. In fact, I couldn’t believe how silent Seattle sounded to me; the birds work me up a couple of times. Of course, being the northwest, the greens are refreshingly overpowering and the air is so fresh. Fewer people, but more cars (arr).

Pictures of work:

Here’s a silly picture in the bathroom of the San Francisco airport. You think they would have realized that it would have been better to conserve natural resources by not printing such inane signs and plastering them at every sink and at every paper towel dispenser:

The 14-hour flight from San Francisco to Seattle was lousy. My throat was painfully sore. It made speaking difficult. I watched “Casino Royale” again (an edited version which really messed up the movie) and “Happy Feet”, which was flat out terrible. I wanted to make it all the way back to Shenzhen this evening, but was unable to cancel my hotel (because of the guarantee). So, I spent a night in the nice hotel (had a sweet view this time, but the day was misty and rainy) and crashed early.

Getting back to China felt nice. I feel like I’m becoming a pro of getting around up here. As we rode into LuoHu, I could make out the skyscrapers of Shenzhen through the mist in the far distance, most notable was the tall Di Wang building. Much closer was an inhospitable fence complete with razor wire; no doubt this was the border. Before I could shoot a picture (was hoping for some armed guards too), we arrived at the station. I breezed through customs and exited into the madness of the commercial center. Ah, the smell. Not bad, not good, but distinctly China.

Cupla views from the train. (l-r) I took the first class compartment for the first time, random construction as we approach the border of China:

Here’s a very common sight in China, at least in Shenzhen: Friends, mostly girls, walking arm-in-arm. You see this every now and then in South America, but it’s quite common here. I think it’s pretty cool – it shows a close connection between friends. Most connections are arm-in-arm, but you often see girls holding hands too. What’s really different is that every once in a while you’ll see *guys* holding hands, can you believe how this would be perceived in the US? But, as a colleague of mine said, “…and no one will think they are gay.”

I’m slowly starting to learn Chinese characters. I wonder if this is actually worth it. Well, I’m enjoying it, so I’m forging ahead. Check out the receipt for my “Yi ping mian” (my noodle dish that I frequently eat for lunch):

See the lower left corner? You see the numeral “1″ (not sure why Roman numerals are favored over the Chinese versions) followed by two characters. I’ve learned the first; it’s quite common. I describe it as a “J” with two little slashes on either side. This is the word “xiao” which means “small”. The other character is therefore “wan” which means “bowl”. ‘Cause I always order “Yi ping mian xiao wan”. I haven’t memorized “wan” yet ’cause it’s more complicated. “Xiao” is quite common…as you’ll soon see.

Oh yes, also look at the character in the upper left followed by the “3″. It looks like a wishbone, sorta. This is the character for “ren” or “person”. We had 3 people at our table this day. I think “ren” is the very first character that everyone learns; it was for me too.

OK, check this out:

These two characters together mean “center”, as in a “shopping center”. The first character, “zhong”, looks like a rectangle with a vertical line through it. It means “middle”. The second, “xin”, looks like a backwards “J” with three slashes. It means “heart”. So, the word for “center” is a combination of “middle heart”. Go figure. I remember learning “xin” and asking, “How does that look like a heart?” “Doesn’t it look like a heart? See the valves and the major veins?” Well, after looking for a long time, I guess I see it. Reminds me of the computer-generated 3D artwork where it takes a long time to “see” the image. Anyway, this is a very common combination that you see everywhere.

Now, finally, look at this one:

I showed this in a previous post. Note the first two characters: “xiao” followed by “xin” (granted, “xin” looks much different in this picture). Those two together mean “be careful”. So, “small heart” means “be careful”. I have no idea if Chinese folks think about small hearts when someone tells them to be careful, I’ll have to followup with that one. Anyway, it’s interesting how a combination of these very simple words mean new things. Another word that uses “xin” is “happy”. Put the word for “open”, or “kai”, in front of “heart” and you have “happy”, or “open heart”. That’s Chinese for you.

I’ve permanently turned off comments.   Never figured out how to create a comment.   But, someone figured it out!   I’ve been getting lots of spam comments on various posts soliciting Cialis!   How did they figure it out?   Wish they’d share that with me.   Oh well, the struggle is over.

This may have been the best day yet in Shenzhen. The night before we had a huge ominous black cloud sitting over the city. Around 7:30 pm, the cloudburst came. The winds picked up and a torrent of rain fell in less than 15 minutes. The following morning, I was expecting heat and humidity, but instead the weather was cool and suprisingly clear. These days just don’t exist in China, at least in Shenzhen. It was very much like a late June morning in Seattle. As I’m writing this blog entry, I’m sitting in the outdoor Italian eatery enjoying one of their pizzas (only Peluso’s in Columbus, Georgia can rival it) and it could not be more pleasant. Check out these pictures of the area around where I work taken on this clear day.

This is a view of construction going on near my building. When walking to lunch, it’s frequent to hear loud explosions. I’m not sure if it’s blasting or giant metal beams pounding the ground, but it shakes everything:

In this picture (which is the same picture as above but looking at the horizon instead of the ground), if you look far in the distance you’ll see two white towers that slightly lean. This is a new bridge under construction that leads to Hong Kong:

Here are some views out of the office window. In the zoom shot, you can see the area where I live. It’s just left of the lone, yellowish apartment tower just right of center (that tower also happens to be where Greg, my Polish friend, lives):

Here’s a dense cluster of small buildings. No doubt these will be bulldozed and replaced with much taller ones:

Here’s a pretty cool language story.  Have you ever heard the term “Long time, no see.”?  Obviously, it’s a saying that almost every English speaker is aware of.  However, I’m pretty sure that it originated in China and is a direct translation of the Chinese saying, “Hao jiu bu jian”.  I thought it was odd when someone taught me this same saying in Chinese, but they also spoke decent English so I figured they were just translating a common English saying, that they happened to like, into Chinese.  Well, over time, I noticed other people, who didn’t speak English, saying it as well.  So, of course, I thought, “Why are they saying this literal translation of an English saying?”  Then I realized that English most likely borrowed it from Chinese.  The supporting argument is that the saying follows typical Chinese grammar which is way simpler than English.  Instead of, “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other” they just say, “Long time, no see”.  Chinese grammar is like this:  simple, straightforward, almost to the point of appearing half-witted on the surface.

I lost my wallet today. Dang. This day, I happened to take the subway to work and then a taxi. The driver drove like mad, easily the most aggressive driver I’ve had yet. Trying to read my book was futile as I slid from one side of the backseat to the other while taking the curves. Well, good. I was in a hurry today. I had my 12.50 RMB ready but as I pulled up to the building, I noticed the meter went to 13.70. So, I reached into my back pocket, pulled out my wallet (“qian bao”) got an extra yuan, *placed my wallet on the seat next to me*, got a few coins out, handed them to the driver, thanked him, and rushed out the door in a hurry. Within two steps, I realized what had happened. Bad luck that I had the aggressive driver. He sped off. I bounded after him, running for maybe 3 blocks. I started looking in parked taxis like a crazed lunatic, some drivers shrugging their shoulders as if I was a cop and they were saying, “What’d I do?!?!” Well, of course, I didn’t find the taxi. I knew in a place like Shenzhen there was no way the wallet was ever coming back. So, I went to my office and cancelled my cards. I lost about 40-50 bucks. Ah well; I hadn’t lost a wallet in I don’t know how long. Guess I was due.

The Hong Kong skyline is something to behold – especially at night. The very first time I saw it during the day I was blown away; night time is even more spellbinding. Many building have lasers on top of them and perform nightly light displays. Got to get back here the next time they shoot fireworks!

I took a series of 4 pics on a slow timer and assembled the panorama by hand. I tried out various stitching programs and they were all lousy. And the pollution cloud on the right side isn’t really pollution; it’s my bad and impatient Photoshop technique.

By the way, comments still don’t work.   But, someone trying to sell me Cialis figured out how to leave a comment on one of my old posts.

I had to check out of the hotel at noon on Tuesday. So, after finishing up some work, I went downstairs, asked the concierge about the tram going to the top of Victoria Peak (overlooking Hong Kong), and checked out. I needed to return at 5pm to pick up my visa. I hoped there would be no trouble. As soon as I stepped outside though, my spirits sank – a lousy foggy day. There would be no views at all of the ciy from the top of the peak. Well, I decided I would take the ferry over to the main island and set off for the IFC, the International Financial Center. The IFC is the area around the IFC building, the tallest in Hong Kong, and the 5th highest in the world, just behind the Sears Tower in Chicago and the Jin Mao building in Shanghai.

The impressive IFC Tower:

Just beyond the IFC is a great area for shopping and dining speckled with parks and such. I figured I’d just go wandering here. Hong Kong is a pretty small city in terms of land mass and you can cover a lot of ground just by walking. I was hoping to get into the IFC and ride the elevator, but a card key was needed. Instead, I went up the escalator and out of the doors into a large and luxurious mall, one of many that I would pass through today (it’s hard to avoid).

Scenes near the IFC (the first picture is especially for the Meshew. Ain’t no ’swap meet’ here, homes.):

Beyond that, I followed tunnels and raised and enclosed sidewalks that connected buildings like a mouse in a maze. I won’t recount all of the individual places I went to (bo-ring), but I saw plenty of stores and restaurants. The parks were a nice respite from the elegant concrete jungle and were cared for with fastidious attention. I snapped lots of pictures of buildings from parks.

On the map, I spotted “World’s Longest Escalator” near where I was. I had to check that out. Well, it’s nothing exciting. It’s basically a series of escalators that take you up part of the mountain into the residential areas. It was fun following them though. In between I’d stop and check something out. I stopped and had a fabulous lunch at a Lebanese place. At the top of the escalator, I didn’t have the view that I was hoping for (too many huge apartments in the way), so I just meandered along more twisting sidewalks back down into the main part of the city. Along the way, I passed through a small zoo which featured tons of monkeys and birds. I didn’t hang around too long; I was more intent on exploring. Taking time at a zoo is more fun when you’re with someone else. I ended up in Hong Kong Park, passing the spot where I would have taken the tram, the US embassy, among others. More pictures, more malls, and I eventually ended up at the Admiralty subway station where I made my way back to Kowloon and my hotel.

Lebanese restaurant (on the right):

Some more sites around the Soho area (near the escalator):

Some shots of apartment high rises:

This is kinda boring. But I shot a short video of this monkey swingin’ on a rope in the zoo.

The visa was ready for me shortly after I arrived. Instead of taking the sissy ferry ride back, I decided to go “local” and take the train through Luo Hu back. I’ve heard stories, but, being early evening on Tuesday, it wasn’t bad at all. I even got to sit down! At immigration and customs, I had no trouble, except when I took a picture of the immigration line and a stone-faced guard approached me and gestured angrily to show him the picture. He made me erase it. I’ll try to be a little more sneaky next time.

The most obnoxious thing on the streets of Hong Kong, especially Kowloon, are the persistent Indians either 1) telling you about your lucky face or 2) peddling tailored suits. Every damn street corner there’s an Indian guy who will target you for an up-close and personal marketing campaign – especially if you’re a westerner. I got good in a mere afternoon at spotting these guys and I could see them notice me out of the corner of my eye, see them saunter up to me, and then politely inquire: “Sir, would you like a nice suite?” The best defense is to simply keep walking as if you didn’t hear a peep. It’s not rude; they are used to this. I was probably being overly polite by raising my hand in my air with dismissing motion. Paying any mind to these guys will get you this:

“Sir! Sir! Please, my friend! Come to my shop! You will be so happy, sir! Wonderful new suits and shirts for you sir! Oh, when you see my prices you will smile and be so happy, sir. Sir! Sir! Please, my friend! Please!!”

When I first came to Hong Kong two months ago, there was one Indian guy right outside the hotel who barely let me escape because I paid just a little attention to him. The same guy was still haunting the same area when I came back to Hong Kong. Incredible.

I do think it would be cool to pick up some tailored goods, but a Hong Kong friend of mine said to skip it. Apparently, you can get tailored goods in Luo Hu too. Of course, it’s cheaper. I’ll try that out; look for a post soon.

The other Indians like to walk up and down the waterfront near the Avenue of the Stars (similar to the Hollywood Star sidewalk or whatever it’s called) and find unsuspecting westerners to “tell their fortune”. If you read my first post on Hong Kong, I told this story. Yeah, I got ripped off, but he did forsee a good February. And it came true! I did enjoy my February. Anyway, there was another Indian guy prowling around waterfront who, of course, said to me, “Good morning sir!” So, I politely waved, but kept walking. “Sir, what a lucky face you have!” I kept walking. “Sir! Do you know why your face is so lucky?” Walk. “Sir, next month will be lucky for you!”

Another guy tried the same thing. When he told me about my lucky face, I couldn’t help but reply, “I know! I’ve been told many times!” He looked a bit perplexed but followed up immediately with, “Oh sir, you have such a happy face, sir! Sir, you are fortunate to be so lucky. Do you know why, sir? Sir?!?”

See the guy leaning against the railing in the turban? He’ll be happy to tell your fortune:

And then there was another young, tall, roguish in appearance Indian who approached with the same technique on my last day. This time I was getting annoyed. I think I made the mistake of acknowledging him and he followed me for a long way. It wasn’t until I angrily shooed him away that he left me alone.

And, along the famous Avenue of the Stars is this popular statue of Bruce Lee: