Bangkok, Thailand

 

One of the Buddha halls at Wat Pho, Bangkok


Karen and I were in Bangkok, Thailand for a quick weekend escape from the cold and dampness of Hong Kong in January. Hong Kong had the coldest January in 30 years and while it was not a New England winter it was cold.   














We stayed in a friend's lovely apartment (Thank you Emily!) in a quiet section of the city.  There were vendors selling fresh fruit and food on the street, cheap restaurants and massage shops.  A 2 hour Thai massage (which some may consider a form of torture) was 16 dollars [US] including a very generous tip.   

The street outside Emily's apartment



  

A spirit house. 
These altar type structures
are built to allow the spirits who were
displaced by construction of buildings
with a new place to stay. This one is
rather elaborate, they are not all so
fancy, though they are very common.


Bangkok is notoriously congested with traffic.
We found the public transit a much better way
to travel in the city.  You have a choice of
boats, trains or buses.
 

Bangkok traffic.


   

Trains were clean and had AC, though they
did not cover all the city. 

 

Boats were another way to move around the city.  Bangkok sits 6 feet
above sea level, so parts of the city flood often.  Traveling by
boat is very convenient if you are going north or south along the
river.



 

We hopped on a local bus for what we thought
would be a quick trip up town.  Over an hour
later, we arrived at our destination.  These buses
are not used by tourists, but we found it an
interesting way to get a sense of the local scene.
Payment of the fare is done with the woman shown
above.  She would ask each passenger where
they were going, establish the fare and make
change out of the long tin box she carried.










The royal temple grounds as seen from the river.

 

Sign found upon entering the grounds of the Royal Temple.  Note the warning
not to trust "wily strangers".  This was advice we were given repeatedly, do not
trust people who come up to you on the street as con-artists were everywhere.
This made asking for directions difficult.




Stupas on the grounds of the Royal Palace. 
The grounds were breathtakingly beautiful.




Inside the courtyard of the Royal Temple


 

Shrine on the grounds of the Royal Temple.


 

All the buildings on the grounds were incredibly ornate.





Crowds of local people waiting to get in to
see the Emerald Buddha.




The Emerald Buddha is said to have miraculous powers and is worshipped by people in Thailand.
The actual statute is small and sits high up on an altar. 
No pictures are allowed inside the building, so this shot
was taken from outside.  The Buddha's cloak is
changed three times a year by the King of Thailand;
once in each of the seasons (cool, hot, and rainy). 
These are the cool season dressings.

 Near the Royal Temple was another temple - Wat Pho, known as the site of the Reclining Buddha.  We knew the Buddha was big, but it bigger than we imagined - 148 feet long and 45 feet high, covered in gold leaf.  It was impossible stand far enough back to see the whole Buddha. 


The Reclining Buddha's head







The Reclining Buddha of Wat Pho




The Buddha's feet. The bottom of the feet are
covered in mother of pearl.



We also visited the famous weekend market in Bangkok, Chatuchak.  Held every weekend, it is Bangkok's largest market, having over 8,000 stalls selling items such as clothing, household goods, fake designer purses, jewelry, real antiques and newly minted antiques.  The market grounds cover 30 acres.  We were there for about 5 hours and saw just a fraction of the stalls.

Children performing in the market

Most of the stalls were in buildings with streets between
the buildings



Luckily there was a tower on the grounds
which helped us to keep our bearings.



Japan earthquake and tsumani

It has been about a week since the devastating earthquake and tsunami in struck Japan and I have been asked several times what is it like being in Hong Kong now. 

First, Hong Kong is about 1,900 miles from Sendai, the site of the quake, and luckily is not part of the "Ring of Fire", those areas around the Pacific rim that are prone to earthquakes.  Due to geography, Hong Kong has not experienced tsunamis. As for fallout from any possible radiation, Hong Kong sits southwest of Japan and the winds from Japan do not flow in this direction. So Hong Kong is safe from those threats.

As far as people, the Hong Kong government has been reaching out both the government of Japan to lend assistance and to Hong Kong citizens who are in Japan.  We have been keeping up with the news from Japan via the Internet and postings from the US consulate in Hong Kong.  There has been an outpouring of support for Japan here.  We have been to two events since the earthquake where money was being raised to be send to Japan.  One elementary school organized a event where students sleep in the school overnight without supplies, only water and some rice.  There have been emails requesting people to use one less hour of electricity a day or to eat only vegetarian for a week to show solidarity with the people of Japan.  Japan is in the hearts and minds of the people here in Hong Kong.

So we are safe and continue to stay abreast of the news. Our prayers and thoughts are with friends and people met while in Japan.

Hiking in Hong Kong

 

Hiking on Lantua Island

When you think of Hong Kong, the last thing you may imagine is that it has some of the best hiking in Asia.  Hong Kong may be one of the most densely populated cities on the world, though it has designated 40% of the land as country parks. It is really easy to find hiking trails in Hong Kong, and is a great way to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.

Hiking on Yuen Tseun Ancient Trail. Not sure
how old this trail is, but it was used as a footpath
between two towns in the New Territories, north of
Hong Kong Island.


 

You may also not think about monkeys in Hong
Kong.This is an evil monkey (also known as a
macaque monkey) who stole a lunch and expensive
camera from a member of our group.  The monkey,
chased by a group of men carrying sticks,
climbed a tree with the stolen objects. 
He then ate the lunch and dropped the
camera smashing it to the ground. 

If you had nightmares from the flying monkeys
of the Wizard of Oz, monkeys in Hong Kong will
send you back into therapy.






Hiking on New Year's Day.  What
better way to ring in the New Year.



One never knows what dangers lurk on Hong Kong trails,
though you will be warned



In addition to monkeys, you may come across bulls in your
path.  They are pretty tame and I prefer them over the
evil monkeys.  Watch your step!

 

View of Hong Kong from Victoria Peak








Hiking along Dragon's Back toward Shek O on the southeast
coast of Hong Kong Island.  This trail was named as
one of the best urban hiking trails in Asia.




Some people just want to get down quickly.
Paragliding off one the cliffs in the New Territories.



Welcoming in the Year of the Rabbit in Hong Kong

Balloon float at the Chinese New Year's Day parade.

We spent Chinese New Year in Hong Kong.  It appears to be the only time of the year that stores actually close and they were closed for two days.  This year, 2011, is the Year of the Rabbit according to the Chinese calender.  Chinese New Year is a big deal here, it is like Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year's Day all rolled  into one. People celebrate by visiting family and friends, giving out red envelopes with new money inside, attending flower markets.  It is a really fun time of the year.

The holiday starts on the new moon of the first lunar month.  This year that was in early February.  The Chinese calender, just like the Jewish calendar is a lunar one.  The holiday is traditionally 15 days long, though here in Hong Kong the holiday was 3 days.  A lot of people from mainland China come down to Hong Kong to vacation and shop when the stores reopen. 

We participated in four of the activities for the New Year, the parade in Kowloon, the fireworks over the harbour, throwing oranges in a special tree and attending a flower market. 

Fireworks over Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong

31,000 fireworks for a show that lasted about 20 minutes

Four barges in the middle of the harbour staged the show
so that people on both sides could see.  We were on the
Kowloon side and had a great time.



A cloud of smoke hovers over the harbor after the fireworks



New Year's celebrations in Lam Tsuen 


We hiked from Tai Wo to Lam Tsuen so that we could take part in the Wishing Tree celebrations.  There was an old tree in Lan Tsuen that was called the Wishing Tree.  People would write their wishes on a piece of paper and tie the paper to an orange.  The orange would then be thrown as high as possible into the special tree, the higher in the tree the better. 

As you can imagine, after many years the tree was in pretty sad shape, so it has been replaced by a huge plastic tree.  Now you pay $20 HKD for a piece of paper to check off your wishes and the tie the paper to a plastic orange, which is then thrown into the plastic tree.  Sounds corny, but it was a lot of fun. 

Plastic oranges for sale!  The oranges had a sheet of paper with
check boxes of possible new year's wishes (all in Chinese of course),
such as winning the lottery, happiness for your family, your child
getting good grades, and some thing that the people I was with
said I did not need because I was already married.  All in all
there were about 25 check boxes, plus "fill in the blank' on the
opposite side of the paper all other wishes.

Tossing oranges high into the tree.

We also visited a flower show in Victoria Park. According to DiscoverHong Kong.com people look for an "auspicious bloom or plant for the New Year. Kumquat trees, narcissus and peonies bring prosperity; peach blossoms add fire to romance; while tangerine plants with leaves intact help ensure long-lasting relationships and ‘fruitful’ marriages".

The orchids were beautiful. 

The Hong Kong Institute of Education

Welcome to the Hong Kong Institute of Education!  I am spending the Spring semester here as a Visiting Scholar with the Faculties of Arts and Sciences.  The HKIEd was founded in 1994 when five teacher training schools merged to establish one institution.  The mission of the HKIEd is to train teachers, though the institution seeks to expand it's mission and become a comprehensive university.  The campus is built into the side of a hill in Tai Po, which is located in the New Territories of Hong Kong about an hour by public transportation north of Hong Kong Island. 

As you can see below, the campus is gorgeous.  The campus is self-contained, offers housing for students as well as staff and has a school for the community on the grounds. 



The campus is built in the side of a hill and
surrounded by mountains.  There are two wings
on the campus.  Shown here is the North Wing




Fountain outside the administration
building. The building in the back contains
student dorms and visitor housing.




View of campus from the Administration building




View from my office.



Karen on the steps leading down from
our flat in the Visitor's Centre

The walkaway along the complexes.

Our new place in Tai Po

 

Our flat is on the 11th floor.  Because the building is
sloped into the side of a hill there is no elevator,
only 130+ steps to our place. Walking up to our flat is like
jumping on a Stair Master for a quick workout.

 We left our flat (apartment) on Hong Kong Island mid January and have settled very nicely into a flat in the Visitor's Centre at the Hong Kong Institute of Education.  I am here as a Visiting Scholar and have been guest lecturing in courses on various topics ranging from Zen and music to health care reform in the US.

Tai Po is located about 1 hour north of Hong Kong Island by public transportation and is a suburban bedroom community in Hong Kong. The air is reported to be the second cleanest air in Hong Kong, though I really do not see much difference here.  There always seems to be a smoggy haze when you look off to the horizon.  Though being in the "mountains" of Hong Kong is really nice, the views are great and it is quiet.  Tai Po is a place where you can find children out riding bikes, playing soccer or cricket, less traffic and a slower pace than on Hong Kong Island.

While the flat is really small by US standards, it is a decent size by Hong Kong standards. 

Here is a look at our new place:
 

The kitchen only has room for one person at a time.
The counter height is about 30 inches and the
hood over the stove is about 5 feet off the ground. 
Definitely a kitchen made for a short person.


   

Living room/ dining room.  There is a love seat, TV stand and a table with four chairs. It is avery sunny room as we have two walls of windows, facing east and west. There are two balconies, each about 4 ft wide off the room.

 
  

 
  




The bedroom has one undersized double
bed, a small desk and closet for storage. There is also a
door out to the balcony. We have two portable heaters
for the flat which have come in very handy.  Hong
 Kong had it's coldest January since 1977.

  

We have storage in the bedroom.
Karen and I share the closet.  Suitcases
are stored on top of the closet.
















  

Bath and laundry room. Clothes are hung outside
on the balcony to air dry








 

  

View from the front balcony. The buildings to the right are luxury condos, not part of the campus. There are several condo complexes near us.  They are gated communities with names like Richwood Park and Tycoon Place, not your average Hong Kong residences.


 

  

The view of the campus from our flat.  The building in the center is where my office is.  I have nice view from my office of the mountains surrounding the campus.