Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Home Again

In a recent email, a friend said, "Call me when you get settled." Such a simple statement, it made me laugh. My life won't be settled for several months - I don't think he wants me to wait that long before calling.

Anyway, I'm back in Los Angeles. Going back to Hong Kong was the right thing to do. I spent the weekend running around the Island and Kowloon. Friday I took the time to hike up to the to of the Island. Amazing how I took the elevator down from the 18th floor, went out the door and up the road about a 1/2 mile and was suddenly in this jungle. The trees were covered in vines, the bugs were buzzing - very tropical and exotic. Just loved it.

Back to the travel log... Sunday it rained and inhibited my enjoyment of Hong Kong. I couldn't find an umbrella in Sonya's house which made going out a challenge. Aside from a breakfast/brunch run, I wasn't able to do much until the rain let up in the afternoon. Now that I think about it, I could have gone to a museum, but I changed my mind.

Monday was wonderful and fully made up for Sunday's dreariness. I took a morning ferry over to Macau. On the ferry over I got seated next to a Chinese/American business man. He came to the US in 1958 and had a great time giving me advice on love, life and work.

Macau was beautiful, a mix of East and West. Pink palaces, a space needle, tiny little alleyways, scooters and the remains of a church facade. Just unbelievable. I did a walking tour around the southern peninsula and stopped in the Maritime museum. Lunch was in a Macau/Portuguese restaurant. I had an unusual chicken stew with onions and potatoes with my New Yorker for company.

The afternoon I continued the walking tours around the island. Such potent smells: bakeries with cookies and salt cod and dried meats. Like Hong Kong, there were hills and green spaces. I wandered around the British garden and took a minute in the protestant cemetery. Odd how all the gravestones noted who had erected the memorial. On a couple of stones the name of the shipping company, the kind folk who sponsored the marker, was almost as big as the name of the deceased. How's that for corporate sponsorship?

Monday night I treated myself to dinner at a classy Chinese joint. Had Hot and Sour soup with Lobster - but I prefer my old Chinese food joint out on 34th... it has more kick. Oh, it will be so good to go back there and have my favorites: hot and sour soup and green beans with steamed tofu.

The flight home was uneventful. I had sushi on the stop-over in Japan and slept through much of the flight across the pacific. Home is the same, but now I'm focused on getting the move in order.

Sleep tight all.

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