Fine Chinese Men

Sorry to degenerate into such blather, but I just wanted to make a brief commentary on the quality of some of the Chinese men here in HK. Now, back home in North America, I never found East Asian men to be particularly attractive. But here, in HK, my head is constantly turning, particularly at the gym that I frequent. Good looking, tall, and muscular Asian men. I never saw East Asian men like this back home...

But here in HK, they are aplenty.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that Asian men on the whole are not attractive. On the contrary. But I, personally, have never been particularly drawn to them. Until now (though, rest assured, I am only looking and not touching, lol. Incidentally, my new beau is German). However, I have never been one to turn a blind eye to anything that is visually appealing.

Because, after all, one can always appreciate a little bit of eye candy, no?

Ouch!

So one of the things to consider when making plans to live or travel abroad is that, depending on where and when you are going, you may or may not have to get vaccinations. For many 1st world countries (or countries with a chilly climate) this is not a consideration, but when travelling to many places in the tropics, or in parts of Latin America, Asia, or Africa, volunteered to get "pricked" is a must.

Such was the case with my trip to Kenya and Tanzania, which is fast approaching. Some research by my lovely travel companion revealed that we would have to get a whole slew of vaccinations. Now, I HATE needles. Despise and abhor them. I find it ridiculous that, in 2009, with all the medical advancements we have made, that we still must subject ourselves to the needles. I mean, why cant they put these things in pill form?? I am no scientist, but I'm thinking that we can surely get it together and put these vaccinations into some sort of gel caplet. But no such luck. Alas, it was with great regret that me and my travel partner trudged our way over to a clinic in Hong Kong and rolled up our sleeves in anticipation/trepidation/abject horror.

I'm the biggest baby I know, and a hypochondriac to boot, so I blanched when the doctor told me that I would have to get THREE vaccinations in order to adequately protect myself over the course of my safari vacation. I got vaccinations for Yellow Fever, Typhoid, and Hepatitis A. I howled as the nurse used my arm as a pin cushion again and again and again, which provided great comedy for my friend (who, at my request, came into the room for moral support), and all the people in the doctor's office (who could surely here me screaming all the way down the hallway). It really hurt!! Particularly the typhoid shot. And all the pain did not come cheap! The vaccinations, plus the anti-malaria pills that I had to purchase, cost me about $300 Canadian. But better safe than sorry, I say!

Taiwan in January!

Just booked my ticket!!! Going to Taiwan for a couple of days at the end of January. Now, just where the heck is Taiwan and just what is there to see there? Believe me, I don't really know either, but I figured that the best way to learn about the place is to go there and see it with my own eyes!

Taiwan is just a short 1.5 hour plane ride from Hong Kong, which makes it very appealing for a weekend trip, and it is relatively inexpensive as well. Other than good night markets loaded with tons of interesting brick-a-brack, I don't know what else there is. Has anyone ever been? Recommendations?

"So what had happened was..."

So, I'm back. I think. Please excuse my absence and slack blog updating skills. I would like to say that my absence is due to the food poisoning/parasite/ameoba thingy that I brought back from Nepal, but alas, it's more to do with my laziness and lack of interest in updating.

I've had TONS of things to say of late, but too little motivation to type them out. But this is my 85th (!) blog post for this year so ultimately I can't really say that my blogging skills as a whole have been too shabby! Never would I have imagined that I could write so much for something that is non-school/work related. I know that I have picked up a few readers who are not family or friends along the way and I'd like to take this opportunity to say that I appreciate you taking the time to read my blatherings/rants/sometimes poorly structured musings! Thanks! It motivates me to write more! I think I might just try to make it to 100 blog posts by the end of the year (which means that I have just a little less than 2 weeks to write 15 more blog posts since I leave for my Africa trip on the December 19th).

I've still got to tell you about:
-Nepal (which was so freaking amazing!)

-My trip to "the real" (read: mainland) China yesterday (on the SUBWAY/METRO! Doesn't get more random than that) where I only saw the inside of a mall and my trip to Macao a month ago

-My latest run-ins with crazy people here in Asia

-My latest shopping deals (including prescription glasses purchased for less than $20 USD in China yesterday that were chosen and made in less than an hour)

-The trip prep for my upcoming trip to Kenya and Tanzania (and the vaccinations and malaria pills that cost me a bajillion dollars $#@#! argh!)

-Any other HK randomness I care to share

So, with all that being said, as Desi (of "I love Lucy" fame) always said to Lucy, "Chica, you gots lots of explainin' to do"! And indeed I do, so I'ma get to stepping (actually, typing) and go write these posts so I can get to 100 posts for this year by the end of 2009. Like in an hour. Or maybe tomorrow or the next day after that.

Nepal...

...was breathtakingly gorgeous and I have a zillion stories to share... But will just have to let pictures do the talking for now. It would seem that I came back to Hong Kong with more than memories and souvenirs- I think I picked up a parasite/amoeba somewhere along the way that has my whole digestive system in shambles... Lovely!

In Nepal...

On day 1 of a 7-day field trip with 30 students and 3 other teachers. We arrived to our hotel in Kathmandu just a short while ago, after having flown from Hong Kong and stopping over in Dhaka, Bangladesh (crazy, eh?). Tomorrow we go white river rafting (oh lord jesus, my non-swimming black butt may just need to sit that one out!) and then start a 3-day trek and camping in the foothills of the Himalayas (which means no shower during that time...gulp!)... This is gonna be awesome.

Thailand

Back to Hong Kong, back to reality...

... with a matching cold/flu to boot. Yuck!

Got back on Saturday evening and promptly went to an Oktoberfest/Halloween party where tons of Germans and copious amounts of alcohol abounded.

Woke up Sunday with a wicked head cold and a strong aversion to going back to work. Vacation was great!

Pics coming soon!

In Thailand where the massages are cheap and the living is easy...

... So you know that I am stoked. After a long week at work, me and my friend stumbled onto the plane and jetted off to Bangkok. The flight was three hours long and I slept the whole way (a first for me, since I always have trouble sleeping)! I was seriously tired. Another first: we took a Royal Jordanian flight (random, I know), which was flying to Amman, Jordan but made a stop in Bangkok to drop us off (and maybe refuel? How far is Jordan)? The service wasn't that great, but as it was the cheapest flight to Bangkok that we found, I wasn't complaining.

Armed with advice on Thai travel from various friends, workmates, and other colleagues, my friend and I arrived in Bangkok at about midnight and, bleary-eyed, thumbed through all the scraps of paper on which all of our "advisors" had written directions, recommendations, and the like. We had been told which places to visit, eat at, and even various scams that locals had come up with to part foreigners like us from our money.

We jumped into a cab and ended up at our hotel (which is a pretty swanky 4-star affair despite the low cost of $65 Canadian a night- Thailand is ridiculously cheap as we are coming to find out) and promptly revelled in the starchy cleanliness, free cable TV, and stacked mini-bar that only a hotel can provide.

The next morning we ate the free, yummy breakfast at the hotel and took off (in the merciless heat) to the Royal Palace and surrounding temples which are sights to behold! This is what I came to Asia for! They were opulent, decadent, and breath-takingly gorgeous. A moment of hilarity ensued when I realized that, despite the painstaking care I took to wear pants (well, leggings) and to bring a scarf to throw over my shoulders, I was still considered to be dressed "immodestly" (I think they were just hating on my black girl booty) and had to borrow clothes to cover up. So I had to put on a large men's dress shirt and wrap my lower half in a sarong... I looked absolutely ridiculous. Always the joker, I wrapped my head in the scarf that had originally been designated to cover my shoulders. I got laughs, stares, and nods of approval (from the Thai guards who had complained of my immodest dress just minutes earlier). But you gotta do what you gotta do, right?

By the end of the day we were pretty "templed" out, so after a tuk-tuk ride (so fun!) and a boat ride we met with another one of our friends from Hong Kong (also in Bangkok for the week) and had a delectable Thai dinner which only cost me the equivalent of $2 Canadian! And then, to top off our spectacular day, we got hour-long full body massages for $6 Canadian!

Me thinks I like Thailand already.

laisse béton...

Je laisse tomber ou je persiste?

Going to Thailand in three days...

...and still haven't reserved any accomodation. Any recommendations?

FYI...

Nearly 3 months in Hong Kong and I still don't know how to use chopsticks. I still have to ask for forks in restaurants (which always elicits a smirk from the waiter). FAIL!