With our options in Seoul VERY limited to properly celebrate Thanksgiving (the only turkeys and pumpkin pies to be found were at Costco and only in enormous Costco sizes and I’ve yet to see cranberries…my favorite part of the meal…so it was an easy choice for this cook!), we decided to take advantage of the girls’ 4-day weekend from school and go to Hong Kong. Many Americans chose to attend a Thanksgiving dinner hosted by the American Women’s Association on the US Army Base, but this wasn’t appealing to us and certainly paled by comparison to the lure of a HK visit.
Mike Falcon, Bill’s old banking pal from his Merrill Lynch days in Chicago who also ended up raising his family in Princeton, happens to now cover the Asian market for JP Morgan Chase from Hong Kong. We’ve seen him here in Seoul when he has flown in for business. Mike has a lovely apartment at the Four Seasons on the island of HK and generously offered it to us since he was headed back to Princeton to spend Thanksgiving with his family. Moreover, Mike arranged a private tour guide and driver for us AND left us a fantastic gift basket full of all sorts of American snack foods. The girls and Bill devoured the chips, cookies and cereal while I focused on the candy. In true Four Seasons style, the apartment was very comfortable, the concierge services very accommodating and the amenities subtly perfect. Each morning while the “princesses” slept in a bit, Bill and I relaxed on the 59th floor where the pool, health club, and coffee bar were located, reading the English papers (!) and absorbing the spectacular views below us.
We loved watching the busy harbor with its shipping and ferry traffic and were reminded of S.F. and Istanbul. The weather was balmy and a nice change from chilly Seoul. The image below is a common sight and a deliberate strategy to protect high rises from the heavy typhoon winds. “Holes” are placed in the buildings to allow the air to pass through (versus knock over, I’m guessing) the buildings. We also learned from our guide that these holes are also designed for Feng Shui purposes, such as letting a dragon pass through for good luck/protection, and to preserve the yin-yang balance and positive energy flow. Very interesting, especially given the real estate dollars given up by these construction gaps!
Hong Kong is a truly the financial center of Asia and this was immediately apparent to us. The city is very wealthy, with Bentleys, Telsas (we’ve yet to see a single one in Seoul) and other fancy cars whizzing by, construction cranes suspended by ever higher and higher buildings and endless haute couture shopping malls such as the IFC one to which the Four Seasons is attached. Every major bank has a prominent property on the island of HK and often on the Kowloon side as well. The buildings are architecturally interesting, especially the Bank of China Tower designed by I.M. Pei which was built to resemble bamboo shoots and has giant criss-crossing external support beams so that it can have an open-floor design inside. You can see this building in the background of our family photo for this post. We also saw Frank Gehry’s luxury residential apartment building, Opus Hong Kong, which leases at some truly astronomical price. The harbor at nighttime was beautiful as well with all of the lights and reflection of the moon on the water. I realized how much I miss a water view when in Seoul (and N.J.!)
Below are some pictures of the elaborate bamboo scaffolding that is seen throughout the city. Our guide Kitty explained that Hong Kong is famous for this type of scaffolding and that it is extremely safe and the only type used on construction sites. One has to go to scaffolding school to learn the skill/art and these are the highest paid laborers in the city.
Kitty met us our first morning in HK and was one of the very best private guides Bill and I have ever used. She was full of interesting facts, easily engaged Daphne and Zoe and had a good sense of humor. At one point, she offered such a succinct and articulate description of the difference between Buddhism and Confucianism that Bill almost asked her to repeat it so he could record it. Our first stop was on the Kowloon side to see the flower market which had LIVE Christmas trees!!!!! We cannot cannot get them in Seoul and they smelled SO WONDERFUL as we walked by that I had a momentary desire to smuggle in a small tree, but alas, we have bought a pine-scented candle for our house in Seoul instead. Better than a Customs fine at the border…or jail time, I suppose.
Next door to the flower market is the song bird market which was a big hit with Daphne and Zoe. Kitty explained that Chinese men, particularly elderly ones, like to keep songbirds as companions and spend a lot of time and money on their birds. Even though the birds often live for 10 years or more, they are never given a name. Kitty laughed at this concept while I was equally perplexed that one would care for a bird for years without naming it! The gentlemen below was very proud of his bird who had suffered very serious burns on his throat/chest, but had been nursed back to health (at great expense!). Brave Bill enjoyed petting the creature which reminded us of “Igor”, his brother Peter’s one-legged cockatoo though Igor’s vocabulary was much more advanced than this bird who could only “laugh”.
Daphne and Zoe loved seeing all the colorful little birds in the stalls lining the market and took a million photos on their phones…of course. Selecting a cage for one’s bird is quite a decision and several men were engaged in discussions about the various features and elaborate carvings of the displayed cages.
I was instantly flooded with memories of my 4th grade classroom at Marin Country Day School when we came upon crates of mealy worms and hatched crickets. At school, we were always surrounded by these creepy crawlies that were fed to the many, many box turtles, caimans (sharp noses!) and “Big Al”, the 4 ft. long alligator and main attraction of the classroom menagerie our teacher Bob MacDonald maintained. Here, the critters were sold in bags to bird owners. Bill and the girls got the “heebie jeebies” when we walked by these stalls, but I enjoyed the memory flash back.
Our next stop was the Jade Market. Interestingly, Kitty told us that most of the jade in the Jade Market is fake and yet it is still frequented by locals and others who were all knowingly buying the imitation jade items around us. Bill showed off his negotiating skills and snagged a bronze dragon statue which we now have as a souvenir of our HK adventures. He was very willing to just walk away from many other items and in fact, took a pass on a domino set which quite surprised the shop keeper who thought she had fooled yet another tourist. As we moved on, she desperately shouted lower and lower prices. I was intrigued by how uncomfortable I was with the bargaining whereas Bill was energized by the whole experience and thrill of getting a “great deal”. Maybe that’s one reason why I’m rather “expensive” as Bill often comments…
We strolled along a very active street market, enthralled by the produce, fish and meat displayed. Every part of the animal/fish is used and we were amazed by the dried intestines, hooves, skins, etc available for purchase. Some items were much more appetizing than others to say the least! You can see the dried gourd-like items that contain loofah and we learned that the gilded coconuts are a traditional wedding gift delivered to the groom on the wedding day to wish him “Good Fertility”?!! There were lots of Chinese medicine shops with clients arranging to have prescriptions filled, all of which Kitty says is typically covered by one’s medical plan.
We stopped in at a incense store to enhance Bill’s yoga experiences at home. The shop was filled with paper jackets, toys, fake money, shoes, etc. that are all burned in memory of loved ones who have passed. Bill got a lesson on how to properly burn his sandalwood incense.
A very active Mahjong game was in progress at the back of the store. I’m intrigued by this game which Daphne enjoyed playing on her school trip to Chengdu, China. I may in fact join the Mahjong Club in Seongbuk-dong that many of my neighbors enjoy in the New Year, though I am worried it involves betting money which is WAY too scary for this “chicken”!
Our last stop with Kitty was an active fishing harbor on the south-side of the island. The drive over the hilly landscape of HK was tough on Zoe’s tummy so she and the driver chose not to get on a “sampan” which
the traditional small fishing vessel on which the local fisherman work and sometimes still reside, though the government has built housing on the mainland to discourage this in an effort to control water pollution. Bill, Daphne and I joined Kitty for a tour of the fishing harbor and it was lovely to be on the water, absorbing the history and culture from this angle.
The harbor was full of the sampans with their loud motors, hanging decorations and used-tire bumpers. There also several luxury yachts in the harbor as a reminder of how the ultra-rich Chinese live side-by-side with the very poor these days.
We motored past an enormous floating restaurant which was elaborately decorated from the front…and quite unattractive from the rear where the kitchen quarters spilled (literally!) out over the open water.
Many of the fishing vessels were lined with lights to attract squid and other fish at night.
It was definitely a very smelly boat ride, but a memorable one certainly, if only because of this nice picture I snapped!
We made a brief stop at the nice beach and golf course area where many international schools are located and all the expats tend to reside. Distinctly manicured, quiet and empty relative to the other, much more frenetic and crowded sites we’d seen in HK, this part of the island was appealing though Bill and I agreed that the HK expat experience must be a bit like living in a “bubble” versus our more-integrated Seoul experience. 
After our tour with Kitty, we folded back into the very comfortable Four Seasons apartment and enjoyed watching episodes of “House of Cards” on Mike’s Apple TV. There’s a fantastic supermarket in the adjoining mall that has many international items, again a reminder that HK is a veritable international hub that brings together cultures from around the world. The girls were thrilled to find Annie’s Mac & Cheese, a variety of Kellogg cereals, blackberries and a wide range of American snack foods. Bill and I enjoyed the selection of cheeses (!!!) and I was able to secretly buy advent calendars for the girls to enjoy upon our return to Seoul.
For Thanksgiving “dinner”, Daphne and Zoe cruised the IFC mall and visited some of their favorites stores (Lululemon, Victoria’s Secret, the Apple Store, e.g.), basking in the ease of shopping in an English-speaking mall while Bill and I went out to dinner (in the very same mall) with Bill’s boss, Ashish, and his wife. We loved the restaurant’s ambience and low lighting, wine and leisurely pace of our Italian dinner. We traded stories about living abroad, all the while looking out at the beautiful harbor lights.
Fearing the lure of the mall when we awoke on Friday, I made a plan (there’s a reason my nickname is “Commanda”) for us to take a ferry to Macau since its Portuguese maritime history intrigued me. Directions to the ferry building, reading the schedule and purchasing tickets IN ENGLISH all felt so unbelievably easy relative to what we encounter daily in Seoul. Based on the guide book descriptions, we thought we would find quaint European streets and vestiges of the Portuguese culture that dominated this island years ago. Macau is NOT that at all!! Instead, it is a very, very crowded island full of gambling casinos, jewelry shops and tourists who throng the streets. We were bumped and jostled as we tried to navigate our way to the Portuguese part of the island without GPS (we didn’t remember to pay for a data plan and wanted to avoid data roaming charges) and my agenda as “leader” was definitely called into question by the “hangry”, mutinous troops.
The Christmas decorations on this old Portuguese square however were a nice site and it began to feel a bit more European as we neared our destination.
We finally found the Ruins of St. Paul’s and its cathedral and some fruit to eat. The streets were crammed full of tourists all excitedly sampling and buying Chinese “bacon”and the little custard tarts. Unsatisfied with fruit for lunch, Bill tried some of the “bacon” and immediately suggested that we NOT follow his lead. He did scarf down several custard tarts in desperation. A Dairy Queen “Blizzard” is what really saved the day, though.
Without a doubt, the best part of Macau for Zoe was finding Nike store and a particular style she desired. She quickly donned her new shoes and enthusiastically climbed up to the old fortress near St. Paul’s Cathedral, showing off the speed and extra energy afforded by the new Nikes. Daphne could not find a pair for herself due in part to her shoe size (8) which is generally not carried in Korean or Chinese stores since there’s no demand for this extra-large size among the smaller locals. Wisely, she also refused to get the same style as Zoe. Please admire the special Macau “find” below:
The ferry ride back was quite rough but good “exposure therapy” for our timid traveller Zoe (who survived btw…). We dined on yummy Thai food at a restaurant recommended to me by Nikki, my new friend in Seongbuk-dong who lived in HK years ago. Once again, this nice restaurant was located in a mall next door to Chanel and other haute-couture brands. So bizarre to us but obviously the norm in HK.
For our last day in HK before our night flight home, we made a plan to shop during the morning for Christmas gifts which got very little resistance from Daphne and Zoe. The two-story Apple Store was jam- packed, had a tremendous line out the door (we think because of the iphone 6+ launch?) and was rather intimidating, but we happily picked up two Apple TV devices to bring back to Seoul and keep up with House of Cards, Downtown Abbey, etc.
After a quick lunch of some delicious and familiar favorites procured from the international supermarket near the apartment, we set out for the island of Lantau which Kitty had recommended to us and looked interesting in the guide book. Located on Lantau island, is the Tian Tan Buddha statue which was erected in 1993 near the Lo Pin monastery. It is 85 ft. tall and sits upon a 25 ft. base against the beautiful backdrop of the Lantau mountain.
Let me now add a disclaimer that should be in all guide books and readily available to all tourists: THE GONDOLA TRIP TO LANTAU INVOLVES ALMOST 4 HOURS OF WAITING IN LINES!!
We were not privy to this vital piece of information and therefore spent a crazy amount of time waiting to get on the gondola to take us up to the famous Buddha statue and then in line, waiting to get back on the return gondola ride. There was an option to hike the trail you can see underneath the gondola, but I felt this was too long of an outing for our gang and we didn’t have the proper footwear. In retrospect, it might have actually been as fast to walk as it was to wait in line!!
When we finally got to the top of the mountain, Bill and I literally got right back in line (see snaking line below) for the return trip while Zoe and Daphne set off to climb up closer to the Buddha. The light was fading and so I decided to do the same, leaving Bill to hold our place in line. I literally arrived at the gates SECONDS AFTER closing time (4:30pm) and was denied access to the giant staircase you see below. The situation was so ludicrous all I could do was laugh and bow to the majestic Buddha along with the other worshippers around me. Fortunately, Daphne took some photos and Bill was able to see the Buddha as well before darkness descended.
All of us were so shocked and astounded by the outrageous situation that we couldn’t even get angry though we did feel a bit like this statue here: 
We chuckled over the sneakers one kid was wearing and I secretly wished I had a cold one in hand. 
There were sacred cows running by the tourist shops 
and Bill bought himself a nice “Walking with Buddha” sweatshirt when the sun set and it got chilly. A few hot coffees and lattes from the omnipresent Starbucks eased the wait time. 
Apparently, the lines are even WORSE on Sundays which is nearly impossible to imagine. We heartily recommend all travelers to SKIP this site when visiting HK.
Here’s one last view before we rode the gondola back in darkness. The Buddha is actually quite magnificent and certainly the outing was memorable!
We left HK at 12:30am and arrived to a cold snowy Seoul. Wonderful Mr. Choi met our 4:30am flight and ferried us back home where we crawled into our beds and slept until noon. A wonderful, but vastly unconventional Thanksgiving holiday for these Seoul Stantons!
seoulfulsojourn.net 