Hong Kong ~ Day 2!

On our last day in Hong Kong (and the last day of our trip) Jesse and Gwen took us hiking! There are hundreds of mountainous trails in Hong Kong and hiking has become one of Jesse and Gwen's new hobbies. They grab their trail guide, pick a trail that looks interesting to them, and they are off discovering new sites and getting a GREAT workout! Jesse and Gwen decided to take us on the most popular trail called "Dragon Back". They said it was a moderate trail (Ha! Moderate was very difficult for us flatland folk. With the high altitude and steep steps, Lee and I were panting pretty hard. It was no sweat for Jesse and Gwen... they are acclimated and pros.) The sites were terrific and we really got a good feel for what Hong Kong looks like outside of the city.

You can see in this picture why they call it "Dragon Back Trail". The trail goes up and down mountains that look like a dragon's bumpy back.

Once we got to the end of the trail there was a beach! You would never guess we were in Hong Kong by looking at the people on this beach. We felt like we were all of a sudden in California. Everyone had a "hippie" look and way about them and the restaurants had sand floors and were playing Bob Marley. You get the picture. I guess everyone who lives close to this beach has lived their for at least 30 years and have raised their kids here. The kids are sooo cute! A lot of them have long blond hair, barefoot, tan ... you know. The surfer look! Love it.

After our hike, sipping pina coladas at one of the restaurants on the beach. Sand floor and all!

Dragon Back Trail

Hong Kong ~ More of Day 1!

Geesh ... I forgot how much we did on day one in Hong Kong. I still have more pictures, so hang in there... I'm almost done blogging about our trip.

After lunch in Hong Kong Park, we came across some people who would write your name in Chinese for you. We had them write out Krue and Kiefer's names (see the video at the bottom). It was really interesting because each Chinese symbol that they used for their name had a meaning. Krue had two symbols and they represented "The First One" and "The Best". Kiefer had three symbols and they represented "Little One", "Chemistry", and "Happy".

Next, we took a double decker bus to see the open air fish market. Here are some sights of the city from our bus...

The red taxis are all over the city and so easy to catch.

All of the side streets look like this. So many people! So many little shops! And of course... a KFC.
All buildings under construction in Hong Kong use bamboo scaffolding!

Some of the Chinese advertising.

Another busy side street market.

When we got to the open air fish market... it was quite an eye-opener. Jesse and Gwen said that Asian people like to see their fish and meat fresh and alive before they buy it. That means we saw live fish and sea creatures flopping around, blood running down the street, and live animals in the back of the shops. And the smell... OMG.

Fried chicken feet, anyone?

How about some fish heads? You know your tempted.

These fish were flopping. Pretty fresh if I do say so myself!

A stinky stinky street.

After the fish market, we went back to Jesse and Gwens apartment to get freshened up... I'm sure we smelled lovely. I couldn't stop thinking about what was on the bottom of our shoes!

We got a little cuddle time with Baby Jack...

... then we headed off to a restaurant with authentic type of Asian eating called "Hot Pot". They bring you a pot filled with seasoned water... one side is seasoned pretty spicy and the other side is mild. Then you get to order whatever you want to put in your "hot pot". Some examples of food items on their menu: Buffalo testicles, fish eyes, and duck tongues. But those were the extremes :) There were some really good items to choose from. Jesse and Gwen ordered for us so we knew we were in good hands.

Here is Jesse putting food in our hot pot. Once it is cooked, you pull it out with chop sticks and eat it with rice. Yum!

Yes, we actually ate these. They are prawn on a stick... aka big shrimp.

The four of us at the hot pot restaurant. You can tell in this picture that Lee and Jesse ate from the spicy side of the pot :)

After dinner, Jesse and Gwen took us to the top of another skyscraper to see the city and have a cocktail.

The view was amazing. You could feel the building sway!

We took a ferry ride across Causeway Bay to get back to their apartment. The tall buiding on the right was used in the movie "The Dark Knight".

Video of Krue and Kiefer's names in Chinese.

Hong Kong ~ Day One!

Lee and I arrived in Hong Kong around 9:45pm on Friday night. Our good friends Jesse, Gwen, and their 4 month old baby, Jack, picked us up from the Hong Kong airport. It was great to see them! We took a taxi back to their apartment and freshened up. They then took us out to see the night life in Hong Kong. Jack stayed back at the apartment with their nanny (called a "helper" in Hong Kong).

First of all, I was not prepared to walk the streets of Hong Kong.. I wore heels! And let me tell you, Hong Kong is HILLY! Needless to say, I got really bad blisters that night. I didn't realize that Hong Kong was EXTREMELY hot and muggy... even at night! We were sweating bullets by the time we got to our first location. I also didn't realize that the nightlife in Hong Kong is VERY happening! There are lots and lots of clubs and the streets are PACKED with people having a grand old time.

Jesse and Gwen first took us to a club at the top of one of the skyscrapers to see the view of Hong Kong. It was air conditioned... which was wonderful... and the view was amazing! Next we went to a Russian bar that actually had an igloo room! Yay, an igloo room! It was so cold and refreshing...

Waiting for our drinks in the igloo room.

For the rest of our night we found a cozy little bar, sat, and caught up. We stayed out until 3am! It was so much fun.

The next day we got up, enjoyed the morning at Jesse and Gwen's adorable apartment and then took off to see some sights.

The following pictures are a little out of order.


Jesse, Gwen and Jack (shaded from the hot sun) guiding us on our walk up to the famous Victoria Peak.

(At the apartment) Cutie Jack on his dad's chest.

One view from Jesse and Gwen's apartment.

The amazing view from Vicotoria Peak! Everything in Hong Kong is mountainous, new, and stacked on top of each other.

I think this picture is cute of Gwen and Jack at lunch.

Walking to an authentic Chinese lunch in Hong Kong Park.

More pictures from Victoria Peak.

Video from Victoria Peak.

The Cliff Temple, The Monkey Dance, and Dinner on The Beach

After our day trip to Ubud, we met up with Dad and Lee and headed to the south side of the island. We saw a very popular temple called "The Cliff Temple" and a traditional Balinese ritual (kind of like the Barong only different) called "The Monkey Dance".

Walking down to see the Cliff Temple. We were going to be seeing "The Monkey Dance" while we were close to the temple, so we all had to wear skirts... including the guys. It's a Balinese custom.
There were monkeys EVERYWHERE you looked surrounding the temple. We were told to take off all of our jewelry because the monkeys would grab at them. We actually saw this happen to the person walking ahead of us. You really had to be on guard.

Each monkey looked different and they were so tame. We could walk right up to them.

Pictures of the Cliff Temple.

Watching the beautiful Balinese sunset, getting ready to see "The Monkey Dance".



The Monkey Dance. This was really cool. To get the full effect... view the video clips at the bottom of this entry.


There was actually a part of the ritual where this guy kicked burning coconut hair towards the crowd. He accidentally kicked too hard and sent a ball of burning hair into the audience! It landed by a little kid and another couple... burning all three. They would be shut down in the United States for this! They told us later that coconut hair doesn't get very hot... that is why they could use it. Well it got hot enough to burn people. Yikes!

After our trip to the Cliff Temple, we went to Kuta Beach and had our last dinner together. We actually ate at tables in the sand. It was a perfect ending to our time in Bali. At our beach dinner we were serenaded by a Balinese band that played songs from whatever country you were from. It was so cute! There is a video clip below. They were pretty good!

The morning Lee and I took off for Hong Kong.

Monkeys!

The beginning of The Monkey Dance.

More of The Monkey Dance.

Serenade on the beach.

A Trip to Ubud ~ Balinese Healing & Palm Reading

On the fourth day Lee and I were in Bali, Mom, Dad, Adam and Natalia joined us at the resort. We made plans to take a road trip up to the city of Ubud ~ located in the center of Bali and known as the cultural hub of the island... the place where traditional Balinese painting, dance, carving, and religious ceremonies thrive. We were going to Ubud, not to see the arts, but on a mission to find two places.

Have you ever read the non-fiction book "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert? (I know I mentioned this book before in a previous blog entry.) If you haven't read this book... you must! It is one of my favorites. Part of the book happens to take place in Bali! More specifically, Ubud! Elizabeth Gilbert goes into great detail about the different places she visits in Ubud and the people she meets. My mom and I have both read this book... so we were very excited to check the people and places out. Adam and Natalia thought it would be cool to see these people and places and then read the book, so they went along, too. Dad stayed back at the resort to relax... and Lee...well you know Lee, always off on a crazy adventure of his own. He went scuba diving at a reef close to Sinuar Beach and then surfing in Kuta :)

The first place we visited in Ubud... you are going to die if you have read the book... The Balinese Traditional Healing Center where Elizabeth's good friend and healer, Wayan Nuriyasih, runs her healing center and restaurant!

The center was just how I had imagined it would look. Wayan, unfortunately, was not there that day because she had a funeral. But, we got some good pictures and ordered the famous "multivitamin lunch".

The sign outside of the healing center/restaurant.

She has fresh herbs and potted plants outside of the shop.

Her massage sign and prices.

Mom, Adam, Me, Natalia standing inside of the Balinese Healing Center.

The food with labels that tell what vitamins and minerals they contain.

More pictures from the healing center.

There was a guest book that we signed. It was amazing to see the places people had traveled from to see the healing center.

The multivitamin lunch! Seaweed, sprouts, rice, veggies, and more.

Next, we ventured over to see ... are you ready for this...

The medicine man from the book ~ Ketut Liyer!

Ketut looked just like what I had imagined (with only one tooth hanging crooked in the front). It was crazy! He read Adam and I's palms and gave us both good reports. We are both going to live for a very long time ;) He told us much more than this... you'll have to ask me what he said the next time you see me. I have to do his cute Balinese accent to give it the full effect.

Here are some pictures of us getting our palms read...

A group picture with Ketut. Such a neat experience!

He gave us his business card when we were leaving and told us to tell all of our friends about him so they would visit and he could read their palms.

This is what his business card reads:

Mr. Ketut Liyer

*Medicine Man *Healing + Meditation *Palm Reading *Balinese Astrology * Painter + Woodcarver * Home Stay

What a fun day it was!!!

Video of The Balinese Healing Center.

Adam getting his palm read. If you listen closely, you can hear Ketut telling Adam that he will live to be 105!