Stitch for Christmas

I have a new toy. I got a web cam from my brother and included was some basic photo software that includes Stitch! Basically, what it does is allow you to create panoramas out of multiple photos. I was just messing around with it on some photos I'd already taken and managed to create a decent one. This is a view from Tai Mo Shan, near the summit of Hong Kong's highest mountain.

(Not Quite) King of the Hills

On November 25th, I joined the first of five winter marathons around the Hong Kong area. The series is called King of the Hills and is organized by an area hasher. Each day consists of a full and half marathon on primarily off road mountain trails.

I ran the first one (half) in Sai Kung in a blistering 2:25. I am skipping this Sunday's run on account of the yearly Santa Hash that's quite a big deal. I should be able to make it to the other ones.

Hip Hop Sketches

flat_hhh_round3_sketches_03_big
Originally uploaded by rigo_crz
Browsing Flickr, I just found this set of amazing sketches of classic Hip Hop artists and groups.

A Phrase Worth Using

When used to describe early Rome, the world’s first city to crack one million residents, “Megalopolitan Elephantiasis” means a total loss of human scale (Kotkin, 2005). The phrase was originally coined by Lewis Mumford (The City in History [New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, 1961], p. 237). This source also describes it as “purposeless materialism” and a “penchant for tall buildings, dense housing and mass entertainments that make life frantic and choked”.

By modern standards, Rome could hardly be accused of still having these ills. Obviously ancient Rome and modern Hong Kong have stark differences; I can’t help but think of Hong Kong when I read the above definition of “Megalopolitan Elephantiasis”. (By the way, does anyone else think this is one of the coolest phrases you’ve ever heard?)

Hong Kong most definitely has a penchant for tall buildings, unbelievably dense housing and mass entertainments in the form of horse racing, sporting venues, crazy shopping areas, a sprawling bar/club/brothel scene, not to mention the burgeoning casinos across the water in Macau. I suppose you could describe almost any of the world’s most populous cities in the same way.

Whereas ancient Romans had to deal with less developed sewage and water delivery systems and poor transportation, Hong Kong does not have these issues and in fact has a fantastic transport system. I don’t often get the feeling that my life here is “frantic and choked” when getting out to the beautiful hills and mountains around the city is only a 20 minute train ride away.

Another aspect of Hong Kong that I find particularly interesting is the amount of reclaimed land here. While Japan has revolutionized land reclamation by nearly doubling the size of metropolitan Tokyo, Hong Kong has not done so badly for itself over the years. Early on, it was the old Kai Tak Airport that was built jutting out into Victoria Harbor (actually lengthened during Japanese occupation). When airport traffic outgrew Kai Tak, a massive new island rose out of the sea near Lantau Island to become Hong Kong International Airport, one of the largest on the planet. The famous Peninsula Hotel in Kowloon was formerly directly on the waterfront, but it now separated by a six lane road, an art museum and an office building.

Most notably, reclamation in the Central and Wan Chai districts have provided several square miles of new real estate which is up there with the most valuable properties in the world. The graphic below illustrates just how much of the harbor has been encroached upon. (via Wikipedia, 1842 – Present. The final peninsula pointing into the bay is the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, woohoo!).

Click on the image for the animation

As we speak, massive construction boats are pumping millions of tons of rock, sand and soil into the waterfront between Central and Wan Chai to create a brand new waterfront promenade.

Does Hong Kong have a wicked case of “Megalopolitan Elephantiasis”? It can be debated, but I think stronger candidates would be the exploding Shanghai or Beijing to the North.

So Much Drama on Google Maps

Wild video from Slate:

Wanchai H3, Setting the Trail

Fei Ngo Shan.

If you are ever in Hong Kong, make your way over to the East side of Kowloon and have a look at a few places. One of those is Devil's Peak, see the previous post. The other is Fei Ngo Shan.

Tonight, I had the opportunity to set the trail for the Wanchai Hash House Harriers. Lost in Space, the hareraiser for this run, had recruited me for this particular mission, imploring me to pick out a good trail, find a nice restaurant for the On On and make all of the above somewhat interesting. So I had a fantastic spot in mind. On the East side of HK Island, there is a great area call Chai Wan. It's quite suburban, many mountains and trails, graveyards which are quite interesting in HK, pretty much the perfect place to set a trail. Perfect in every way...

Except that we ran there the week before. Two weeks ago, when Haggis said that he was setting next week's run in Chai Wan, I had a moment of panic, followed by the necessary feeling of wanting to explore somewhere new. So I got on google maps. Pretty much every run needs to be adjacent to an MTR (subway) Station. I found a station with an abnormal amount of green around it: Choi Hung. Choi Hung?

I woke up at 7:15 on Sunday A.M. and left the house to set this running trail. I momentarily thought about watching the Nets/Sixers game on at 8:30, but luckily gave it up (although VC with 24 off the bench would've been fun to see). I got out there, threw down the trail all along the way, through fences, up hills, around corners, over rises, up rivers, everywhere that I had previously planned out. The trail here consists of flour, plus red and green chalk. The day before, I had nearly stepped on some kind of 6ft black snake and reluctantly continued on.

So on this night, my job was to give the runners a brief explanation of the trail and set them off the the right direction. Also, I had to organize satisfactory alcohol drinking for 30 of my closest friends in Hong Kong. Hence the reason for early arrival; I was dutifully assisted by Twin Peaks, and we managed to carry 6 slabs of beer up the (236) stairs to the start. (1 slab = 24 beers).

As the pack returned to the start, I was relieved to hear retorts of 'Good trail' and 'Nice Rambos' and 'Well Done'. I'd managed to get it done, set an interesting trail through some unexplored (by the WH3) parts of Hong Kong. After a fantastic circle with quite a few awards handed out to yours truly, Caligula knew of a nice place to get some food and drink.

We walked to the grub and had a great feast for relatively cheap too. It is pretty nice when your hash works out and people are generally satisfied with the evening. It's even better when I hear the random hasher say, "Good trail, I'd never really seen any of those trails before." Truly a phrase rarely uttered in this corner of China.

On on to the next well done trail.

Hacked Hardware

Up until now in Hong Kong, I've used a very cheap cel phone, quite thick, not a lot of features and generally outdated. But yesterday, Sunny, my coworker, worked some hacker magic and somehow unlocked my TMobile phone that I use in the states. I am now recieving calls to my HK number with my US phone. As a bonus, it's not a contractual thing like in the US, I pay as I go.

Thanksgiving Bullets

The American holiday of Thanksgiving is a work day in Hong Kong. A turkey dinner would have really hit the spot, but I settled for a steaming bowl of spicy beef ramen at my local Ajisen. Not a whole lot going on, just a few thoughts rollin' around in ol' duder's head lately:

-In Thailand, I purchased a less than reputable copy of the movie Babel. Apparently it was burned from a Thai DVD, as some of the graphic scenes were edited or blurred out. Plus, every time someone drank alcohol or smoked something, a Thai warning appeared at the top of the screen. Until I can find out a proper translation, I will assume it is something like, "Please refrain from emanating the behavior you see displayed here. These are professional actors whose questionable morals allow them to act in such a way. Shame on you for watching them. Long live the King."

-Following the NBA via the internet is not the best, but it's better than nothing. We are at the point of the season where the talking heads offer their biggest surprises/disappointments of the season so far. My dad, brother and I each offered analysis of the upcoming season a few weeks back and my pick was none other than the Orlando Magic. I flipped on ESPN World this morning and NBA Fast Break was on. A segment where the commentators picked the biggest surprises so far came on and Jamal Mashburn picked, yes, the Orlando Magic. As of today, they are 10-3. They stayed with the Spurs in San Antonio today, but couldn't keep up in the 4th quarter.

-A week from Sunday, the Wanchai Hash Hourse Harriers will set off on a run on a trail that I've set. I am the nominated Hare. I was slightly stressed last week when both of the locations I was planning on running in were used very recently in trails we ran, so me recycling them on my run is not an option. So I flipped on Google maps and picked a subway station with a lot of green around it: Choi Hung.

- Choi Hung: A few hours of work wrapped up and I left my house and got a bus out to the area. I had been out here a few days earlier and inspected some good trails. It gets dark around 6pm these days, so when I hopped up on a rise and followed a trail up into the trees, it was only about 4:45 and I had plenty of time. Although I was on the slopes on Fei Ngo Shan, a 600 meter peak overlooking Kowloon and the Harbor, I had no intention of going up. I expected to follow the trail, cut across a contour path/catchwater and head down another trail. Funny things happen when climbing. The higher you go, the closer you get to the top. Turning around means you have to follow the same path you just came up. So I go up, and up, getting near the top, over a rise, still more to go, going. Then I am on the ridge, and it's 5:20 with a stiff breeze. I can see the sun setting over Lantau Island to the West and Sai Kung's to the East, the skyscrapers of Central right over there. But the sun's going down and the path down is steep. I head along the ridge path for a while looking for another trail down. There is a satellite/electrical tower at the very top. I expect there to be a road leading up to it, and I will take the boring but safe road route down. Once I get up to the tower, I find a helicopter pad, no road. Uh oh. They built all this with no roads. So my only option is a steep path down in the accelerating dark. This way, no, another dead end. 5:25. Here it is, going down. Don't bust ankle, you'll never get down. The tops of the high rises getting closer. I hear traffic, closer. Dead tired. I am regretting not bringing water. Legs like jelly. I hit the tree line. Concrete steps, then there it is, a cistern with clean mountain water. 5:45.

-Tomorrow evening, I will go to the Hong Kong Indian Club to enjoy some Lawn Bowling. I had no idea what this was until two days ago. Teams are divided by nationality and another Sepo Yank was needed to complete the American team, so I stepped up. I will dutifully sip a brew, puff a cigar, and enjoy a fine white collar sport with some fellow khakied gentlemen. Cheers.

-Monday morning I will be heading to the company office in Guangzhou for some meetings and training. After so much time in Hong Kong, I can't wait to go to mainland China.

Back to Turtle Island

After a week of work in suburban Bang Na, I left the offices of my client at 5:30 Friday and after a two hour, 200 Baht (~6 dollar) taxi ride to the Bangkok city center highlighted by a 14 minute red light (no malfunction, no joke; welcome to Bangkok!).

I hopped on a double-decker luxury bus for the seven hour overnight ride due south to the ferry terminal at Chumporn. Chumporn sits on the Gulf of Thailand, where ferries move tourists and locals alike to the scenic islands of Ko Tao, Ko Phangan and Ko Samui. Due to my budgetary constraints, familiarity with the place and the super accessible dive sites, Ko Tao was my destination.

Now I am by no means a salted seaman; I am by now a veteran of quite a few ferry rides here in Hong Kong, the Mediterranean, New Zealand, Japan, Korea and various other areas. Some of these ferry rides were quite rough, but never have I been more seasick than I got on the two hour ferry from Chumporn to Ko Tao. Whether it was the movie with Dane Cook/Jessica Simpson working in Costco playing on the boat or the massive bouncing waves, we may never know. I joined a few like minded tourists doubled over the rail in the back of the boat miserably hacking up a lung waiting to spot the island.

A bit of rain fell as I jumped in the back of a pickup and hitched a ride to the accommodation I had arranged. I was told that it had rained pretty much the last 14 days in Ko Tao and that was pretty evident by the flooded roads, the rutted out paths and general massive erosion. Because of this, I was worried about the prospects for decent diving and enjoyment of this tropical paradise.


The next few days could not have turned out better weather-wise. Saturday, the day I arrived, I spent the afternoon doing two dives with my instructor James from the UK. He reviewed my basic scuba skills then we had a nice fun dive at White Rock. After a baking hike over the mountain ridge to a secluded beach for a swim the next morning, I was out on the boat again, this time with another Brit Simon, highlighted by a cool swim through (basically swimming through an underwater tunnel).

My third and final day of diving on Monday consisted of a couple more dives with James in some choppy water. We submerged to thirty meters and saw some pretty nice sea life. Overall, the water was cloudier than it had been when I visited here about the same time of year two years ago. It could have been due to the rain, or the sea currents, or any number of factors. I also had wanted to fit in a night dive, but that was cancelled due to lack of visibility in the water. In any case, it was great to get back underwater and regain some skills I first learned two years ago.

In the evenings, I generally found a good restaurant to relax in, happy to pull up a pillow mat/bean bag, eat some Pad Thai and entertain myself watching pirated DVDs publicly shown at the restaurant before turning in early for a ten hour nap.

On rainy Tuesday morning, I hopped back in the back of the truck, got to the ferry terminal and the thankfully calmer seas. A short ride to Ko Samui and one of the coolest airports in the world (think outdoors, breezy, supremely laid back with free snacks and drinks). I flew back to Bangkok in time for my return flight to Hong Kong. A nice autumn getaway.

Click on this to see my Flickr set of photos from the weekend.

I could not be happier that I have found in Hong Kong medicine to help me treat all of the 87 mosquito bites that I recieved courtesy of my flying friends of Southern Thailand: MOPIDICK!!!

The Signs of Hong Kong

I rather enjoy looking at signs in whatever non-English speaking country I am in. Whether it's the loosely translated English or the artful display of Kanji or a combination of both, it's always fun to look at. Click here for a few more. A few from here in Hong Kong, a few other countries and even the states.

One of my favorites from Cambodia:

Full of Redoubt

Hong Kong's history as a British colony has ensured it has an interesting personality with some excellent areas to explore especially for someone interested in World War 2 history such as yours truly. Throughout various high mountain areas of Hong Kong, one can find these ruins, know as Redoubts in various states of disrepair and neglect. Some of the more well known ones include the Shing Mun Redoubt on the Gin Drinker's Line, the Pinewood Battery and Devil's Peak Redoubt.



I recently explored the last of these three, way up on Devil's Peak. The area is quite accessible, only about a 25 minute walk from the Yau Tong train stop. Hardly any of the sprawling compound is closed or sealed off. Provided you have a decent flashlight and don't mind getting dirty and meeting some friendly subterranean reptiles, you too can crawl through foxholes once occupied by the British, Indian Rajputs and Japanese troops. What I really like about these areas is that they are not meant to be tourist attractions, just areas that seem to have been forgotten.

Click here to browse all the photos I took in, around and under the fortress.

Looking Out My Windows

The apartment building I live in is relatively new in Hong Kong, so it tends to be pretty nice. One of its nicest features are the large windows. It also helps I live on the 21st floor. Every morning I wake up, open my bedroom door and see this:


Then I turn to my left and check out the progress being made on a new set of buildings. As the workers work towards completion, I often sit and watch them straddling the Bamboo scaffolds as the peel away all the layers.

Evening on the Praya

After a nice run in Central, HK tonight, I headed back home while the Symphony of Lights was taking place. A tourist infection no doubt. I'm allowed say that since I am a resident of this place. Here is the Avenue of Stars:


Here are a few more that I took this fine evening.

An Argument for Guns?

For as long as I have been alive, I have been anti-gun across the board. The level of violence in the states is almost unparalleled in the world thanks to the lax laws regarding who is allowed to own or buy a gun. The law cannot touch many gun owners, who go about acquiring arms illegally.

A daily routine of mine is to log on to the St. Louis Post Dispatch's web site, STL Today.com, and peruse the headlines. Almost without exception, there is a story of someone gunned down, a bullet riddled body found or some other terrible gun crime. It's never made much sense to allow this to go on.

Then comes this recent quote from a man in Burma:

"I really want change - but they have guns and we don't, so they'll always win."

--from this article on BBC

I've followed the violence in Burma quite closely over the past few weeks. The once promising peaceful protests of monks and civilians has spiraled into sickening violence on the part of the military and thugs. Among the sad, sad stories that are struggling to make their way past the iron media curtain imposed by the government: protesters mercilessly gunned down in the street; cars pulled over and occupants beaten and incarcerated; praying monks beaten and incarcerated; monasteries being raided and trashed with monks being sent to rural prison camps; civilians' homes invaded at 3am and occupants dragged out and incarcerated; international media being intimidated and physically denied from filing reports; people coming home from work struggling to breathe amidst the tear gas used by the military; sons and daughters abducted by the military unable to be located by parents; the internet being completely shut down in the country to prevent news of the terror being imposed reaching the outside world.

I cannot help but think: what if this country allowed its citizens to own guns? Would these travesties still be happening? Would the violence that would occur as people fought back result in thousands of deaths? Is this the reason our founding fathers in the US ensured citizens should always be allowed to own guns? Is violence the only answer in this situation? Does gun ownership in a country cause more violence or does it protect its citizens from brutal regimes abusing and enslaving the population? Is the NRA on to something???

We may never know.

Burma vs Myanmar

While what the country should be referred to as is up for discussion, violence has begun there.

Apparently the government has shut down the internet and most phone communication coming out of the country within the last 24 hours. It is scary to think what they have in store that they do not want the rest of the world to see. Just tonight, one of the local news channels here in Hong Kong showed footage from yesterday of the miltary attacking protesters and bystanders. The video shows a man getting shot at point blank range as he fled the rushing troops. Apparently this man was a Japanese reporter, Kenji Nagai, a veteran reporter of many war zones and conflict areas. He's not alone. The latest reports speculate many casualties, including monks.

While the government attempts to block any news of what is happening inside the country, it is more diffilcult to do than in 1988, when 3,000 were killed with very little news of the violence reaching the outside world. The world has changed. The same technology that allows me to ramble on here also plays host to this blog belonging to Ko Htike, a gentleman from (Burma) currently in London (as reported on...drumroll...CNN.com). He is using his sources in the country to get photos, accounts and news to the outside world. If you take one minute to just look at this site to see what the Burmese government so badly wants to hide, then this guy is making a difference.

Unfortunatley, it looks like things are going to get a lot worse before they get better.

***UPDATE: Found another web site that is posting some recent photos. I must warn that this link and the above contain some very graphic photos. Use your discretion.

City Viewing in Asia

Comparing Hong Kong and Singapore, I find that Singapore has remained truer to its roots architecturally than has Hong Kong. I think a lot more older building have been preserved here while Hong Kong has scrapped the old for new skyscrapers. The historic buildings are there in Hong Kong for sure, but they are fewer and further between.



Here are a few more from a couple nights walking the city.

Singapore Commerce

Currently in Singapore. My hotel overlooks the burgeoning port and endless container docks. I feel like I am watching Modern Marvels on the Discovery Channel.
From satellite image on Google:

View Larger Map

Monks on the March

The drama continues in Myanmar. I am fascinated by it all. The protests in pictures.

Myanmar: A New Day Coming?

The past few days, I've been following an intriguing set of events taking place in Myanmar. While CNN dot com is filled with Britney, OJ and other nonsense, the BBC has done a great job with coverage. Even better local coverage here.

In a nutshell: Recently, there have been some incidents where the ruling military dictatorship has incarcerated and held some local Buddhist monks. In addition, the monks are protesting a government policy that doubled gas prices overnight without warning (And we thought we had it rough in the US). While the government has been incarcerating and abusing its civilian citizens for years, it has always respected the monks in this extremely devout Buddhist nation. So in response, the Buddhist monks have gathered and marched peacefully the past six days. Each day, the numbers of protesting monks grows and fortunatley so far, there has been no violence.

Past tactics the government has used to combat civilian protests is to hire goon squads to intimidate and even violently break up any kind of protests inlcuding holding protesters indefinitely. The amazing thing that is happening now is that these are not civilian protests. The throngs of monks that have been forming these demonstrations have even, until recently, discouraged ordinary citizens from joining them to avoid the certain violence that would come with it.

Another development is the monks were allowed to march to the house of detained democracy activist and leader Aung San Suu Kyi. She even came out and showed her support for the monks.

Normally something like this is so far from my consciousness that the story remains a headline on a web site. However, this is different. When I was in Myanmar, I visited the Shwedagon Pagoda, which is the focal point for many of the protests. At the Pagoda, I met a monk and talked at length with him. He invited me to speak at the school where he was based. After that, we spent the afternoon together, him asking me about Western culture, discussing religion and life. When I caught my flight later that day, he gave me a blessing. I imagine he is joining in these protests and I wish for his safety along with a positive outcome for the people of Myanmar.

Asashoryu on the Skids

Sumo is in trouble. That is, according to the BBC.

During my three years in Japan, I got into Sumo a bit. There is not really a Sumo season, as the two week tournaments are held during the odd months of the year. Soon after I first arrived in Japan in 2002, a young Mongolian was just establishing himself as a Yokozuna, the highest ranking in the sport. For the next three years, I followed each Sumo Basho on tv when I could and even attended a match in Fukuoka.

It was the final day of the 2003 November Tournament and Joey and I road tripped for the afternoon and got two scalped tickets outside the taikan. We watched all the matches leading up to the final match which pitted the heavily favored Asashoryu against Tochiazuma. Both were 12-2 leading up the final match of the 15 day tournament, the winner taking the title. It was a fairly short match as Tochiazuma overpowered Asashoryu and pushed him out for the upset championship. Joey and I stood up in our cramped booth as we joined the crowd in showering the champion with the seat cushions we had been sitting on. It was an amazing thrill, perhaps the Japanese equivalent of being almost courtside at the NBA championship.

The thing about Sumo is that it is not very popular at all with the Japanese population under 50. There is so much tradition with the sport that it seems like the youth don't have time for it. Plus the mainstream international sports are becoming ever more popular. (One exception is some rural high schools in Kyushu. I had several friends who worked at schools where the Sumo program was healthy and churned out some fine young talent.)

And now the trouble with one of the all time greatest Sumo wrestlers, Asahsoryu, the aforementioned young Mongolian. As he has racked up Sumo titles the past five years, there have been several instances where he has broken certain rules or traditions and has upset the omnipotent Japan Sumo Assiciation. The final straw was when he recently participated in a charity soccer game back in Mongolia while he had withdrawn from a previous tournament due to injury. His punishment from the JSA was a two tournament ban. Unfortunately, unable to do what he loves, Asashoryu battled depression and was recommended by his doctors to return to Mongolia for recuperation.

So Sumo's best Yokozuna is now in Mongolia and scandal is rife in the Sumo world. What will happen next? Will another young Mongolian, Hakuho, step up and become the dominant figure in the sport? Will Asashoryu triumphantly return to regain his position on top? Will Japan ever warmly accept a foreigner as its dominant poster boy? Will Sumo survive or will it have to abandon its traditions and deep rooted history in order to remain competetive with other sports? It should be interesting to watch.

Hong Kong - Getting Around the City

With five weeks under my belt in Hong Kong, I have had a chance to get out on the weekends and check out some pretty nice areas. Weekdays are spent in Macao in the daily grind of work, and I have not had a day off since arrival. So Saturdays and Sundays are more valuable than ever and I try to make the most of them. Another change of lifestyle coming from STL is that my weekend nights are not spend out on the town, so I usually manage to rise at a reasonable hour. Here is how my weekends usually break down:

Saturday AM, get up and do any errands that need to get done: recharge my phone credit, laundry, get any necessities, toiletries, food, etc., pick out an interesting place on the map whether it is on HK Island or in the New Territories, go to that place, walk a lot, explore, wear myself out then get back early evening to cook some food and have a relaxing evening at home. Sunday AM, work on my timesheet, expense reports, various work odds and ends. Maybe have a nap, or call back to the US. The Wanchai Hash on Sunday starts at 4pm sharp, so I leave myself plenty of time to find buses, trains, ferries, or any method of transport that I need to get there.

The list of places I have explored already is a short one, but quite varied in what each place has to offer. The photos I have posted so far include some of these places, but I'd like to point out an amazingly valuable and underrated tool I use to get a feel for where I'm going: Google Maps.

As an exercise, if you are a person with ample free time, or one that has access to the internet at work and lots of time to (ab)use it, plug in any of these places in the above web site, click on Hybrid, then zoom to the smallest level of detail possible. Crazy, that technology is. These are places I have checked out so far, whether on my own or with a well-planned Hash run or with the hiking group TWATS (Trail Walkers Are Tired Soles) Hong Kong.

Aberdeen
Chai Wan/Big Wave Bay
Kennedy Town
Mui Wo/Chueng Sha/Lantau Island
Plover Cove Country Park
Pok Fu Lam
Sai King
Yuen Long

One week more in Macao, then off to Singapore.

Pro on Flickr

I just dropped a bit of cash to go Pro on flickr.com. Why? The main reason is that every photo you have ever uploaded there is saved, however if you are not pro, only 200 of your most recent photos are available. The minute you drop some cash, all of them come back. I now have 480 photos online. Just had the chance to revisit a few. A fellow hasher recently told me there is a cheap flight from Macao to Yangon, Myanmar. Considering I took this set in Myanmar, I am quite tempted to get back. What an amazing country. I was last there in Autumn, 2005.


I've also always enjoyed flickr's layout and way of browsing. Here is a page that lists all of my photo tags in quite an interesting way.

Macao: Portugal in Asia

Aerial Venetian

After work, I climbed a nearby hill and got a bird's eye view of the Venetian complex and nearby constuction sites. The road at left is the Cotai Strip, along which most of the casinos will be/are being built. Just to the left of the road is The City of Dreams construction site along with another Sands resort.

From Kowloon to Wanchai to Chaiwan to Big Wave Bay and Back

When I woke up Saturday, I saw that it was the nicest day I've seen in HK in the three weeks I've been here. Few clouds in the sky and more importantly, it was not smoggy or foggy at all. I had no trouble seeing across the bay to HK Island and all the way to the top of the peaks.

I decided to take advantage and do a bit of hiking along with a visit to a beach to cool down. I made the short walk from my apartment to the Hung Hom ferry terminal where I hopped on the Star Ferry to cross over to Wanchai.

Upon arriving in Wanchai, I get on the MTR train to Chaiwan. Wanchai station is rather interesting color-wise with lime green tiles on the walls and floors.

Once in Chaiwan, I have to make the 4km hike up and over Cape Collinson to get to the beach at Big Wave Bay. For about an hour, I am climbing stairs that look like this.

Quite taxing on a hot day. Nearing the top, there is actually a spring that emits drinkable water. How do I know it's drinkable? When I was here last week, an old guy was filling up huge tanks here and communicated that I was crazy to think I couldn't drink it. So I filled up my bottle and continued.

Near the top of the Cape, there is a pretty nice view looking back on Chaiwan. Just an amazingly clear day.

Going over the crest of the hill, all the high rises disappear and what's left is an almost unspoiled view of mountains, islands and the coast.

Right on the tip of the Cape, they have constructed Cape Collinson Correctional Institute. I can't think this is anything but a white collar retreat for some embezzling businessmen of Hong Kong. Very nice indeed.

Finally, I descend enough to get a view of where I am going, Big Wave Bay. Although I am slightly disappointed it is so crowded today, can't blame others for taking advantage of an awesome day. It's a great feeling to take off my sweat soaked shirt and hat and jump in the cool waters of the Pacific. After a short swim, it's another two hour hike over the mountains on a different trail back to Chaiwan, the train, the ferry then home.

In Bangkok Limbo

The other times I've been to Bangkok, it's a taxi from the airport to Kao San Rd. Not so this time. This week I have the pleasure of working in the Bang Na district of the city, which is a good 20 - 30km outside the center of the city. It's a lot like being in the suburbs of most large American cities. Not a lot to see and not a lot of places a pedestrian can easily get to. Unfortunately I probably won't be able to make it to a hash this week because work pretty much goes until 6:30 or 7. All I want to do after is get something to eat and take it easy. Unfortunatly, none of the restaurants in the hotel I am staying in offers Thai cuisine and there isn't much to walk to.

Oh yeah, and youtube is blocked anywhere in Thailand. Apparently, folks were posting videos denigrating the King, and well, that's a no no.

And as I sit in Bangkok, the Venetian Macao is officially opening today. Here are some snippets:

AP story
CNN Video

Hong Kong from a Doubledecker Bus

With not much else to do today, I walked down to the Hung Hom Ferry pier and got on a random doubledecker bus. I had no idea where it was going, but was gonna ride it til the end, then check out that place. It first snaked through Kowloon, then headed north over the bridge into the New Territories. Finally, it arrived in Yuen Long, a smaller suburb located near the mainland border. I walked around a bit, checked out a Pagoda/birdhouse in Yuen Long Park, then got on the train for the return trip.

During the ride, I took a few shots from the top deck of the bus. Here are a couple I like, then here are the rest.

The Price of Travel

Packing up and moving to a new country or taking off on the road for an extended vacation is naturally tough on the body. Could be the drastic change in the time zones, changes in the diet, new experiences, the stress of living out of a suitcase, the environment, or even not being around the people you enjoy spending time with. I'm currently in the midst of a wicked cold, perhaps brought on by any of the above. I am not complaining though. Work requires longer hours and is quite challenging so far. I've been mostly eating Chinese food, but have recently switched it up with some Japanese and Portuguese here in Macao. The average American burger is a long way from here, and I am delighted. Once I kick this cold, I'll be once again enjoying life in Asia no doubt.

One amazing fact that I learned recently: For all gambling revenue in Las Vegas, the US government taxes 7%. In Macao, the Chinese government will be taxing 40%!!! Recently, Macao overtook Vegas in Casino revenue (gambling only). Macao-8 billion, Vegas-7 billion. Scary to think that the largest Casinos here have yet to open or still exist only on the architect's drawing board. Quite a long way from the Indiana State Fair.

The Bountiful Concrete Gardens

The gardens around Hong Kong continue to bear marvelous fruit. A massive complex rises in the Hung Hom Bay area on Kowloon. (Check out the full size image to see the massive scale.)

Bookmobile Macao

Here is your typical bookmobile in Macao. Forget walking into the back of a trailer to browse for books. Just walk up to the side of the truck and grab one.

1,800,000,000 > 535,000,000

The price of the brand new Venetian Macao is over three times the amount the state of Missouri is spending on totally revamping highway 40 in metro St. Louis. This actually provides a bit more perspective to the scale of what they are doing here, especially if you are familiar with what a big project highway 40 is. While the materials they are building with at the Venetian (marble, glasswork, paintings, tile, etc.) are the finest money can buy, the labor is quite cheap relatively speaking. So basically this project in the states or Europe would likely be even more.

Not only do they expect to draw massive amounts of people from mainland China, this is also where they are pulling most of the labor from. I've heard anywhere from 12,000 to 20,000 employees when operating at full capacity. And I venture to think how many years it will take for the Venetian to move into the black on the entire project. My guess? Not long. Scary.

The Venetian Macau

A couple more from the Venetian. Click for the full size. Grand Opening is August 28th.

The Venetian Macau, A Sneak Peek

Some random dude from the internet put up some photos of the yet to be opened Venetian Casino Macau. Just incredible. Here is one. It looks like it's the corridor from the lobby onto the Casino floor. I will check back to see if he posts any more the next few days...

Typhoon Arrival

I arrived in Hong Kong on Friday night in the midst of a mild typhoon. Just a bit of rain is all, not too bad. No delays on the flights, but I had to wait an hour for a taxi in Tsim Sha Tsui. Saturday I did a bit of exploring and shopping. It wasn't a very good day for taking pictures, but here's looking across the harbor into Central.


There was no jet lag that I could feel, so I took a long walk in the drizzle from Wachai to Central up in the hills, then the Star Ferry back to Hung Hom.

Sunday I woke up with one purpose, and that was to get to the Wanchai Hash starting at 4pm in the Pok Fu Lam area. I left around 2:30 with plenty of time to get to Central, locate the correct bus to take and find the start. After walking around Central for a good half hour and looking in vain for an information booth or map or bus schedule or anything, I was almost gonna give it up and go back. All of a sudden, I look up and see an older caucasian gentleman dressed in shorts and running shoes getting on a mini-bus. I looked at the bus and it was heading to one of the roads listed on the directions. When I got on, I asked him is he was a hasher by chance and why yes, he was. So I followed him to the start. It turned out to be a super long hash (compared to the average Wednesday night in St. Louis). We went up into the foggy hills, running through rain and looking for small piles of rice that are a lot more water resistant that flour. Up hundreds of stairs, then straight back down a path, back up into the hills, across slippery steep rocks then finally almost back down to sea level and the finish. We had circle under a bridge and I was awarded a down down along with my buddy from the bus for our teamwork in finding the place. I tried to speak some english to the random Korean tour group on the way back. A great workout and today i'm a little sore.

Another oddity is the crazy light show that takes place on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront every night. Dozens of buildings in the HK skyline are rigged with all kinds of lights and lasers that are perfectly coordinated to corny Chinese music that's piped in. It is incredibly tacky, but interesting how they managed to coordinate so many things going on at once. I will hope to record the spectacle on video one day.

Here is the result of my Saturday morning shopping binge. Mostly food and home items, of course I managed to find a Japanese Home store for the essentials. And once again, i'm ecstatic to be in a country that has Dragonfruit readily available.

Today was my first day at the Venetian in Macau. Just an overwhelming experience to say the least. I'll be here for 10 straight weeks, so much more to come on this monstrosity.

Grand Junction Once More

A few more days in Grand Junction, Colorado highlighted by a drive through the Colorado National Monument in a less than monumental Chevy Aveo. Great views of Fruita, Grand Junction and the surrounding valley.

On On to Southeast Asia!

Here is a complete list of all of my business trips in the past year and a half.

Birmingham 2/1/06
Burbank 02/05/07
Burbank 10/09/06
Burbank 11/13/06
Calgary 4/24/07
Calgary 7/8/2007
Charlotte 2/18/07
Chicago 03/15/06
Chicago 6/5/06
Chicago 7/10/06
Detroit 2/13/07
Grand Junction 5/14/06
Grand Junction 7/16/06
Grand Junction 7/22/2007
Harrisburg 4/10/06
Harrisburg 6/19/06
Harrisburg 7/11/06
Hilton Head 4/3/06
Hilton Head 6/11/06
Houston 5/14/07
Indianapolis 3/19/07
Los Angeles 3/20/06
Minneapolis 5/22/06
New York 1/23/07
New York 7/30/06
Omaha 8/27/06
Pittsburgh 10/30/06
Pittsburgh 12/4/06
Portland 8/13/06
San Jose 3/20/07
Savannah 2/15/06
Toronto 5/7/07
Tulsa 4/17/06
Tulsa 4/9/07
Tulsa 5/8/06
West Palm Beach 2/26/07

On August 9th, I am heading off to SE Asia for work. I will be there for a period of 6 to 9 months. I will be based in Hong Kong but am expecting to be working in Macau, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Some much needed Asian flavor to add to my list up above.

Stampeding in Calgary

I am in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for 3 days of on site training. By sheer luck, one of the largest rodeos in the world is taking place here, the Calgary Stampede. The entire town of 1.1 million people is totally engrossed in all things country. Pretty much every single storefront/office building downtown here where I am staying has some type of decorations: Faux wood fencing to imitate a barnyard; random hay bales sitting out everywhere; plus scary cartoon cowboys painted on the glass corporate office storefronts.

Last night I had the chance to go to the Stampede itself. While I was only there for a few hours, it had the air of a state/county fair times 100. The Fairgounds there are sprawling, it must take a heck of a computer system to organize it all; oh wait, that’s ours. I joined two gentlemen I worked with, one a cockney Londoner and one a native New Yorker. So the three of us in the midst of all this countryness was pretty humorous. We bought tickets to the Chuck Wagon Races which consist of a team of six horses pulling a cart followed by two other guys pulling up the rear. With a few beers and some friendly wagering, we got into it pretty nicely.

It is rather unfortunate that I busted out my camera the first night to shoot some aforementioned cartoon cowboys only to find the battery completely drained. I would love to provide evidence that 75% of people on the street here are wearing cowboy hats. Or that in various public spots in the city every morning, you can get a nice pancake and sausage breakfast for absolutely free. Or that even at 10:30 at night, you can see the sun ducking over the mountains in the west from my 20th floor hotel room. To be able to get out of the regular 95 degree high humidity heat of the Midwest is very nice as well.

Back to reality tomorrow, for a little while at least.

Myanmar Ceremony Video

I shot this footage on an excursion to Mt. Popa while visiting Bagan, Myanmar. It was an amazing display of musical extravagance, colorful outfits and a plethora of food and drink offerings. I do not know the reason for this ceremony but imagine it was some kind of funeral/memorial or an offering to some diety in this devoutly Buddhist country.

A Bay Area Visit

I recently spent 2 days in Larkspur, CA, just outside San Francisco. I didn't get a chance to do a lot, although I did take a nice drive out to Pt. Reyes National Seashore and also saw the Giants play the Astros at beautiful AT&T Ballpark.

Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX

I went to the Astros game last Tuesday night and saw former Cardinals Woody Williams and Matt Morris face off against eachother. The Astros won it in the 10th on a walk off home run by Carlos Lee. Unfortunately, I left in the 8th innning so I could get back and watch the Jazz/Golden State game. Click here to check out some photos from the game.

A View from the Stands

Since childhood, I’ve had the great opportunity to visit many baseball stadiums throughout the world. I owe most of it to my father who trucked his four kids to destinations near and far, being sure to stop for a game at the local stadium in whatever city we were in. I’m sure I am missing some, most likely a few Minor League parks. This list is sure to grow with my current travel opportunities. The newest entry on this list: Minute Maid Park that I experienced tonight. Pictures to come.

Major Leagues
AT&T Ballpark, San Francisco, CA
The Ballpark at Arlington, Dallas, TX
(Old) Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO
Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO
(Old) Comiskey Park, Chicago, IL
Comiskey Park, Chicago, IL
Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO
(Old) Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, MD
Metrodome, Minneapolis, MN
Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI
(Old) Milwaukee County Stadium, Milwaukee, WI
Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX
(Old) Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
(Old) Tiger Stadium, Detroit, MI
Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
Yankees Stadium, New York, NY

Minor Leagues/Spring Training/Other
AutoZone Park, Memphis, TN
Cracker Jack Stadium, Lake Buena Vista, FL
Drillers Stadium, Tulsa, OK
GCS Ballpark, Sauget, IL
Harrisburg Senators, Harrisburg, PA
Field of Dreams, Dyersville, IA
Fifth Third Ballpark, Grand Rapids, MI
(Old) Louisville Redbirds, Louisville, KY
Mudhens Stadium, Toledo, OH
Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter, FL

Japan
Fukuoka Dome, Fukuoka
Kumamoto Yakyujo, Kumamoto

The Kentucky Derby

I had the pleasure of attending the Kentucky Derby this year on Cinco De Mayo. Kristina and I drove 4 hours throught downpours to Louisville, KY. We stayed at the parents house of one of her friends.

We paid 40 bucks apiece to get access to the infield of Churchill Downs. With well over 150,000 expected to be in attendance, it was sure to be a wild day. As we entered, our bags were checked thoroughly for any liquid at all. We were also patted down to uncover any stashed flasks. (Luckily, some of the resourceful ladies I was with had poured various libations into ziploc bags and stuffed them in their bras). Anyone attending the derby is encouraged to purchase alcohol there for 8-10 bucks a drink.

I brought along my horse mask acquired in Japan and also sported my So Taguchi shirt, which proved to be a hit with Cardnials fans all day.


The spot we chose was not very close to the track, but during a few of the early races, we walked up to the edge to check out the race.


We walked around the infield a bit to check things out. A huge mass of people, some dressed nice, some dressed like wrestlers, a sight to behold indeed.




Kristina and I pose for a photo as we take in the action.


As the crowd started to clear out late in the day, the mass of garbage remained.


The cops were present all day, keeping an eye on things and taking the guys out who had too much to drink.


The military also made an appearance and managed to avoid tripping over the garbage when they marched.


This girl made the mistake of challenging me to a handstand contest just before we left the Downs. She was humiliated.


It was a pretty fun day. I learned a bit about betting on horses and only managed to lose about 15 bucks on the day. The Derby is quite a spectacle and it is interesting ot see such a huge event taking place only a few hours drive from where I grew up without the faintest idea that something like this existed. Maybe I'll go back next year.

Notes on Calgary

Calgary is a booming oil town. I am taking part in the boom by training the staff who sell booths to these oil companies at huge exhibitions held here. Here is what I have discoverd in this small foothill hamlet:

Canadians love hockey.

Every night I watch SportscenTRE.

Sportscentre features mainly hockey highlights and gentlemen with mullets talking about hockey.

On Sportcentre, there is not a top 10. There is an HonOUR Roll.

I have not seen this much new building construction since Shanghai.

Graffiti artists in Calgary have excellent skills.

If you go to Canada and you have been to Thailand in the past two years, the customs officer will assume you are a sex tourist.

I am fine with that.

Brits can distinguish an American and Canadian accent like I can distinguish a Brit and Scottish accent.

If you wear heels and are concerned about getting stuck in sidewalk grills in Calgary, fear not; there are metal foot plates you can step on.

You can find almost any ethnicity of food in Calgary.

It is still light out at 9:45pm.

People actually live downtown in Calgary.

Drivers stop at red lights in Canada.

Canadians do not like Vince Carter.

Canadians dress like it is the middle of summer when the temperature is approaching 55 degrees.

Canadian beer is drinkable.

99% of Canadians prefer to wear headphones when walking to work.

Steaks available in Calgary: Bison, Elk, Caribou, Big Freakin Cows.

I have not seen a gas station since I have been in Canada.

A TV News reporter is a popular profession for Candians of Indian descent.

One can fly from Calgary to London direct; travel time: 9 hours. I must fly from Calgary to Phoenix to St. Louis; travel time: 7.5 hours.

I will be back here again soon, so no pictures this time.

New World Series Video

LMF was lucky enough to attend the final game of the '06 series. I just recently got around to helping her transfer some of the video and decided to post a short clip from what she shot.

The Secret Life of Salarymen

While working in Japan as an English teacher, my fellow teachers and I were treated to receptions and parties several time of year. The occasions were the arrival of new teachers or the departure of others. The dynamic of a Japanese style enkai is very unique and with a little preparation, can be an amazing experience.

The party goers arrive in the early evening and are coming straight from work, a long day of paper pushing and office calisthenics behind them. No alcohol is immediately served and the office workers wait patiently for the gaijin to arrive, usually tardy.
The party begins formally on time with a word from the Superintendent and a rough translation from Yuji. A formal toast is offered, not before the beer is brought out and everyone takes turns filling someones glass, never your own. After the kanpai, the atmosphere is noticeably different.

We all grab a pair of chopsticks and dig in to the beautifully presented plates of food. There is no sitting, simply nibbling on the appetizers between sips of beer and a chance for the gradually reddening salarymen to practice their limited knowledge of English. (Others choose to converse with some of us other teachers who've been in Japan a few years and are comfortable with limited Japanese).

As everyone moves closer to sauciness, the games begin. On this occasion, I am acting as the MC and purveyor of the games. The game chosen to be played on an occasion like this has to involve everyone, it has to be lively, not necessarily intellectually stimulating, but perhaps a bit more risque than your average junior high English class game. The previous winter break, I had headed to Western Australia and was introduced to a game by our crazy Aussie guide. Have a look:



It is very simple, just what it looks like. A participant ties and tennis ball-laden pantyhose around his waist and proceeds to use repetitive pelvic thrusts and nothing else to push a tennis ball across a given distance. As you can see, this gentleman is enjoying himself, (although the placement of his hands in his nether region technically constitutes a rules infraction). Of course the gaijin participate as well, and this guy has chosen to sport some classic Air Jordan shoes to this semi-formal party:



This game turns out to be pretty successful. I know this by seeing office workers doubled over as they see their drunk superiors gyrating and thrusting their way across the room with an over sized floppy phallus.

Finally it is time for a Kumamoto City Board of Education Original Performance, as the staff performs their patented Feats of Strength. These are various figures, monuments and shapes built only by human ingenuity and Japanese eccentricity. They warm up with a few easy ones. It is time for the London Bridge:



The final shape is the traditional pyramid:



We all appreciate this gesture, it's sort of a gift from our co-workers. The two hours worth of laughter we experienced this night will no doubt bookmark this party into the volumes of our memories.