Foley on his Soapbox

Three random observations from Mike Foley (my better half), after living in Hong Kong for almost six months.

Garbage

I’m not the greenest guy on the planet, but I’m telling you, China is heading towards a garbage crisis.  And based on the math I did in my head while waiting in line for my lunch, I think it is eventually going to be an absolute disaster.  Now, this is a government that has figured out how to control the weather, so I’m not ruling out the possibility that they are building a large rocket to shoot all the trash into space directly at the sun.  But, I doubt it.  The issue is that while it does exist in certain places, there is effectively no recycling here.  It certainly doesn’t happen in my office.  In the little bin beside my desk, there is currently two Pacific Gourmet coffee cups (I miss you Tim Hortons), about 30 sheets of paper (more on paper in a minute), a banana peel, an apple core, some saran wrap, the plastic tub for my salad, a bunch of napkins/paper towels, the plastic fork that came with my salad, and the packing my pineapple came in.  I agree I should print less research, and use a metal fork and a ceramic coffee mug.  That’s not the point.  The point is that all this stuff is going to end up in the exact same place, which I’m assuming is a big landfill somewhere.  Back to the math, I have no idea how much garbage the average Chinese person produces in a day, but I’m sure it is a couple of pounds each.  So even if everyone produces just one pound of garbage a day, that is 1.3 BILLION pounds of garbage a day.  That’s one TRILLION pounds of garbage every three years.  What the hell do you do with all that??  I’m telling you, China is heading towards a garbage crisis.  It’s scary stuff.  Somewhere out there, for no apparent reason at all, a single tear just rolled down David Suzuki’s cheek.

Paper

When I first arrived, it took me a few days to figure it out why things looked slightly different, but the size of paper they use here is A4.  It’s not that big a difference to what we use back home, but sometimes emails print out funny, and it obviously doesn’t line up perfectly with anything I brought from Toronto.  So, I looked into it, and know what I learned??  Except for the US and Canada, EVERY other country in the known universe has adopted A4 as the standard sized piece of paper.  I’m all for independence, and doing your own thing and all that, but c’mon North America.  I think we can concede this one.

Pants

I’ve never been accused of exactly been ‘fashion-forward’, but I’ve noticed a disturbing trend that is occurring in Men’s fashion in Hong Kong.  Aside from the fact that everybody’s suit pants are generally ill-fitting… WAY too tight, and usually three inches too short… there is now a movement towards going beltless.  And I’m not talking about Morty-Seinfeld-beltless-trenchcoat kind of beltless, which I can dig.  This is just like you were too lazy to put on a belt, and instead use these little straps on the side to secure your pants to your waist.  Maybe I’m just old fashioned (and am admittedly an old man), but for me, it is kind of like the super colorful sock thing…  I just think it looks stupid.

That’s it for my soapbox.

Cine-MAZING.

Gillian, wrapped in the blanket, loving the cine-mazing experience...

I recently had my first experience in a Hong Kong movie theatre.  I went with a friend to a weekday matinee of "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" (because we can...).  The movie was great and much funnier than I expected, but what really impressed me was the Hong Kong movie theatre experience.

Here are the top five reasons why movie theatres in HK are cooler than home:

5) Cheaper than home.  Ticket costs about $8 CAD, popcorn & pop (for relative comparison) cost about $6.50 CAD... that's like 1989 prices in Canada.



4) Seats are HUGE, theatres are small, legroom is plentiful = happy me.

3) Assigned seats.  Here you buy your ticket on line in advance, select your exact seat, then show up when the movie is going to start.  No need to wait in line or go super early for a new release... I love that!

2) Blanket service. Simply ask as you walk in and you'll be brought a cozy fleece blanket to curl up and watch the movie in.  At the end of the movie, leave it on the seat and they'll wash it.  Genus, especially when the temperature difference from outside in summer to AC inside can be a good 20 degree swing.

 AND...


1) Stocked bar AND cocktail specials.  This wasn't a big theatre, but nonetheless, the selection of beer, wine and cocktails were impressive.  Even better were the 'combo sets with beer' and 'combo sets with wine' options! And yes, you can even take your drinks into the theatre with you.

We have much to learn here Canada... much to learn.

Mike 'n Moe

Ever since his first 'guest entry' I've had many requests for Foley to write again.  He hasn't shown much interest, so instead I'm going to start sharing some of his funny tales.

Foley & I joined a gym, called Pure Fitness.  It is similar to GoodLife back home in that it has many of the same classes (BodyPump, BodyBalance, etc.), and it has several locations.  Foley goes to the one near his work.  He wasn't finding the motivation or time to go, so he took a similar approach as he did in Toronto, enlisting a personal trainer.  Enter Moe.

Moe is Foley's trainer, and although I've never met the man, he is already a legend.  Standing a little over five feet tall, he's Chinese and he taught break dancing for 8 years before becoming a trainer.  Two stories of Mike and Moe...

1) Foley returned from travelling and after a week of drinking, eating out, and not working out, he dragged himself to the gym to meet Moe.  Moe poked Foley in the belly a few times, shook his head and stated "it get bigga".

2) Last week Foley was late for his appointment.  Foley: 'I'm sorry I'm late'.  Moe: 'It okay.  I punish.'

Birds, flowers and fish

Mike has been travelling A LOT.  In the past few weeks, he could have circled the world for the number of kilometres he has spent in the air.  I used to get very lonely when he'd travel, but I've gotten better at meeting friends and filling my days when he is away.

I met a friend here, who just happens to be from Kitchener-Waterloo, AND she went to the same high school as I did (just not at the same time)... small world.  Our 'KW roots' and love of hiking meant we got along immediately. Last week, we (Linda and I) were planning to do a gorgeous hike which ends at a beach, but weather being what it has been (grey, poor visibility, very rainy) we altered our plan to spend a day wondering the markets instead.

In Kowloon (an area of Hong Kong, right across Victoria Harbour) there are many markets and cool places to explore.  We decided to check out three markets, all within a couple of blocks or each other.

Lots of fish, on display and ready to take home...

Scary Sting-Ray

Linda with wee fishies...

First we went to the Goldfish Market.  Hong Kongers believe that fish are auspicious, and that having fish as 'pets' will bring good luck.  In a culture that seems to revolve around it, anything here that involves luck is hugely popular.  The Goldfish Market is an impressive street lined with stalls and shops with all kinds of fish and other marine life... there are turtles, snakes and even sting rays available to be purchased and carried home.  The most impressive to me where the huge 'cork boards' with various fish hanging out in baggies, asking for a home.  If it weren't for the necessary task of cleaning an aquarium, I may have come home with some lucky fish.

A short stroll from the Goldfish Market is the Bird Market (also called the bird garden).  The bird garden has 70+ stalls of birds and bird related products (including live grasshoppers on sale for feeding your birds!).  The ornate cages are stunning and the sheer variety of birds is very impressive.  There are thousands of caged birds, but also many 'free' birds in fly around your head, likely attracted to their homeys and the copious bird feed in the area. Taking bird ownership to a new level here, bird owners actually bring their caged birds to the bird garden to WALK THEM.  No joke.  They walk their cage around, giving the bird some fresh air.  Hilarious.

Finally, a mere 30 second walk from the Bird Market is the stunning Flower Market.  The stalls and shops of the flower market have everything from fresh cut flowers, to plants, to outdoor furniture and water features.  In love with the lush greenery, Linda and I were inspired to start indoor gardens in our apartments that don't have balconies.  We chose the pots, soil, plants, seeds and watering cans we wanted.  Then, like everything in Hong Kong, scheduled the delivery of our choices.  You can get ANYTHING delivered to your door here... I love that convenience because it would have been a lot to cart home on the metro.  The following day, Linda and I met at her place and potted our plants.  If I can keep these alive and growing, I will be very proud (I have a track record of killing household plants).

Roses each wrapped in foam.

Beginnings of tomatoes... apparently I put too many seeds per space.  I'm learning....

L > R - tomato, mint, lettuce just sprouting, hot peppers, sweet basil and Thai basil.

On a day when I almost wanted to buy an aquarium with fish, a bird in an intricate cage and a water feature... I'd say it was 'lucky' that Foley only had to come home to some new house plants.

Buddhist Nunneries and the BIG Buddha !

A friend, Gillian, and I have been doing weekly excursions to various places around Hong Kong.  A couple of weeks ago, we went to a stunning oasis in the city.  The Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Gardens are nestled amid a busy area in Kowloon.  A simple metro trip across the bay, and we were blown away with the beauty and tranquility of this place.  They were both built in the ancient style of the Tang Dynasty architecture (618 AD - 907 AD).  Although they aren't that old, you could certainly feel the history and wisdom roaming around the gardens and walking through the Buddhist Nunnery.

Last week, we decided to 'up our game' and venture out to the Big Buddha, on Lantau Island.  This Buddha's claim to fame is as the 'largest outdoor bronze seated buddha' in the world.  The Buddha was built outside of the Po Lin Monastery, up in the mountains of Lantau.  To facilitate tourism, a lovely cable car (gondola) was built to bring the masses.  As an optional upgrade, you can get a glass bottom cable car.  Gillian and I decided that since neither of us were afraid of heights and since that line was shorter, it was worth getting the upgrade.  What I meant to say was, we didn't THINK we were afraid of heights.  Geez. My stomach was in knots if I looked through the glass floor. It's like my mind was suddenly convinced that since I could see through the floor, it was clearly not safe and I was likely about to fall right through it.

Gillian & I - a bit giddy with fear.

Buddha in the distance.

glass bottom... gulp.

After about 15 minutes in the (pulse racing) gondola, we could finally see the Big Buddha from a distance.  He was pretty amazing, even from afar.

The Big Buddha (officially named the Tian Tan Buddha), is 34 metres tall and sits upon a lotus flower, at the top of a 240 stair climb.  The Big Buddha is surrounded by 6 smaller statues holding offerings of flowers, incense, lamp, ointment, fruit, and music.  The offerings the 6 'devas' hold symbolize charity, morality, patience, zeal, meditation and wisdom (but I'm not sure which is which).  All six of these are required in order to enter (sandman) nirvana.*  The Buddha's raised right hand is delivering a blessing to all... and delivering a 'high five' for a tacky tourist (ahem... moi).

Sooo many steps up to the Big Buddha.

Thanks to my 200mm zoom lens, we can see Buddha's beautiful features up close.

Offering a flower.

The Big Buddha (also called the Giant Buddha), was built near the Po Lin Monastery.  This little monastery used to be a quiet, secluded place of peace, according to people who have been here for many years.  Although it still felt peaceful to me, the dynamic has changed dramatically since the cable car and the Giant Buddha statue were built in the 90's, bringing with them throngs of tourists each day.  The ornate interior and dragon carvings on the exterior of the temple were extraordinary.  No wonder this beautiful place is one of the 'must sees' when visiting Hong Kong (or living here!).

* research from the highly reputable wikipedia, as well as a couple of tourism sites... exception of 'sandman', that I couldn't resist.

Amazing Outlying Islands

One amazing thing about HK are the hundreds of outlying islands that surround this mega city (technically a part of the city, actually).  Many islands are not inhabited, or difficult to access, but many other islands have regular ferry service running to and from downtown.  There are people who actually commute from these islands everyday.  Not exactly your typical Mississauga/401 commute.

In the past two weeks I went with my 'Foon Ying' group (Foon Ying means Welcome in Cantonese) to two of these outlying islands.  The outlying islands are all different, but none have buildings higher than 3 stories (a bylaw) and so the natural views are maximized and the congestion is minimized.  First, we went to explore Lamma Island.

Commuter bikes at ferry dock.

Lamma Island was pretty great.  It is pedestrian and bike traffic only, no motor vehicles (aside from little golf-cart like delivery vehicles), and has a bit of a reputation as a 'hippie island'.  There were some pretty cute organic cafes and 'all natural' food marts supporting that image.  It is known for incredible seafood restaurants along the shore line (naturally, all I can attest to are very yummy steamed veggies and tofu).  The island is peaceful and tranquil with only 6000 inhabitants.  We strolled around the narrow streets and then crossed to the opposite side of the island (~35 min. walk), where there was a beautiful beach.  At first you don't see it, but as you walk out of the trees and onto the warm sand, there it is... a huge coal power plant.  My quest for a good swimming beach continues.  I really did love this place, and it's only a 25 minute and $2 ferry ride from downtown Hong Kong.

"Welcome to Lamma"

Beautiful Beach...

Until you see this.

Narrow streets of Lamma

My Foon Ying group.

The second island we went to visit was called Tai O.  Tai O took my breath away.  It is a traditional Chinese fishing village.  The local population, called Tanka people, live in houses on stilts over tidal flats because they "do not feel safe on land".*  It was truly an amateur photographer's DREAM.  I have included many, many pictures of Tai O, because I found it so unique and beautiful.  The only 'downside' to Tai O for me was the making of shrimp paste.  Shrimp paste is very popular in cooking here and around Asia, and Tai O is a major manufacturing source of this stuff.  They were literally making huge barrels of this stuff in the streets.  The smell is almost indescribable, but I'll try...  Horrific.  Repugnant. Vile.  This is not just me and my aversion to seafood, everyone would hold their breath and cringe as we passed the ad hoc manufacturing sites.  It's only about 30 degrees right now too, I'd hate to smell that stuff in the 40 degree heat of the summer.  Yikes.  All told, I think this was my favourite day  trip that I've done so far.  It's only 30 minute ferry ride, followed by a 50 minute bus ride from central HK, but it feels like you are truly in the heart of China and a whole world away from the crazy concrete jungle of Hong Kong Island.

Stilted homes

Traditional chinese medicine shop

Strolling streets of Tai O.

Making shrimp paste in the street

A big laugh... probably at me.

Love straw hat + hard hat combo

The village draw bridge

My Foon Ying friends

* true story, according to: http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/attractions/outlying-taio-fishing-village.html