It happened in Buenos Aires and Madrid. People spoke to me in Spanish or handed me a Spanish menu. I expected it – to me, I look Latina. I was raised by a Latina and was around a bunch of Latinos growing up. So, it was soul-crushing to have to say “No habla espanol.” I should know how to speak Spanish. Spanish is my mother’s first language. I know enough to know if someone is talking about me but I definitely cannot read, write, or speak Spanish very well at all. I know some words. I can usually put them together to convey a very simple, common message.

I didn’t think that I’d have this problem in Hong Kong. Wrong! I’ve had people come up to me and start speaking to me in Chinese. I don’t even know enough to say “I don’t speak Chinese.” I just give them this “deer in the headlights” look, shrug my shoulders, and shake my head. I have finally come to the realization that I look Asian. My biological father was half Guamanian (Chamorro) and half Filipino (for those of you who hate math, that makes me 1/4 Chamorro and 1/4 Filipino but I look 100% of both). He passed away when I was very young so I know absolutely nothing about that piece of me (raised in Texas by my mom and stepdad, I never went to Guam or the Philippines where his family lived). But, I inherited pretty much his whole face. Since I wasn’t raised around those cultures, I forget that I look the way I do. If the Chinese think that I’m Asian, it’s about time that I remember that I am too….well, technically, I’m Pacific Islander but why split hairs?

On to our adventures in Hong Kong…

We both feel like new after our rounds of antibiotics. Whew! Still a little gun-shy about eating strange delicacies but we did try Birds Nest Soup. My thoughts – gross. It had a jelly-like texture but a decent flavor. Glad I tried it but probably wouldn’t again.

Friday (Day 3) Highlights:

Took the Star Ferry from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon Island. The ferry takes about 10 minutes and the station is about a 5-minute walk from our hotel. We actually went twice on Friday. Once in the morning to see the Bruce Lee statue and again in the evening to shop at the night market on Temple St.

The weather during the day was very cloudy and overcast but not cold. It was cool and humid. My hair was out of control curly. We went during the day so we could see the Bruce Lee statue. I had to get a picture of the statue for my Aunt Molly and Uncle Joe. They went through a pretty hard-core Bruce Lee phase in the 70’s. I mean, they named their son Bruce Lee, for crying out loud. Besides, who doesn’t love Bruce Lee?

The night ferry to Kowloon was spectacular! We timed it just right to see the laser show around 8 pm. There was a synchronized light show from the tall buildings that cut through the foggy night like light sabers. This view from the water, in addition to the already brilliantly lit up buildings, was like nothing that I’ve ever seen before. These pictures do not do the experience justice. It was hard to get a good pic b/c I was on a boat and it kept moving which made the pic blurry. But, I think that you can get the drift.

The night market on Temple Street was my favorite experience in HK. It was everything that you’d imagine it to be. Vendors cooking in the streets, unrecognizable delicious food smells, people eating on tables in the street with friends and family, and tons of shopping stalls with cheap souvenirs, electronics, t-shirts, and fake designer goods (same same but different). I saw so many things that I wanted to buy for my friends and family but Chris had to keep reigning me in (“We can’t pack that stuff and it’s too expensive to ship”). Sorry, friends and family, but if we weren’t going to three more destinations… (Don’t worry, Mom – I got your magnet)

Saturday (Day 4) Highlights:

We had two missions on Saturday. First, visit the Tian Tan Buddha (a.k.a. The Big Buddha). Second, go on the Peak Tram for city views.

To get to The Big Buddha is quite a journey. We took a taxi to the Hong Kong station (5 mins), took the subway to the Tung Chung station (30 mins), then took a bus (about 30 mins) to the Po Lin monastery on Lantau Island. Normally, there is a tram that takes you from the Tung Chung station to the base of the statue but it wasn’t running. But, the long journey was definitely worth it, even for two non-religious people. I did get a little motion sickness as the bus went up the mountain but I didn’t puke (whew!).

It’s neat to see how Buddhists celebrate their religion. The offerings to Buddha consisted of flowers and fruit. There was a lot of bowing to Buddha and kneeling at the base of the statue. And, right outside of the monastery, there was a lot of incense burning. It smelled like my college apartment did when I knew my parents were coming over. They were selling and burning the biggest sticks of incense that I have ever seen.

After The Big Buddha, we did a little shopping at an outlet mall right outside the Tung Chung station (how convenient) before we caught the subway back to Hong Kong Island.

Our second mission was poo-poo’ed by the concierge at the Grand Lounge at the hotel. He pretty much told us that the Peak Tram was pretty unreliable in the last week and had gotten stuck for two hours while in operation. And, that was enough for us to pass on that activity. It totally sucks b/c this is one of the things on every “Things To Do in Hong Kong” list.

Chris had made a reservation for us at a floating restaurant. The food was terrible. It was the worst that I have had on this trip so far (well, except for whatever we ate that got us sick but at least that tasted good). But, it was fun to experience and see some pretty gaudy décor.

We leave for New Zealand today at 9:30 PM so we are going to Ocean Park (http://www.oceanpark.com.hk/html/en/home) this morning. Let me just say that Chris and I generally are not amusement park people on vacation (too many crowds, too many kids, and too many crowds of kids). But, this particular park has GIANT PANDAS!! Pandas are my second favorite animal in the whole world (cats are #1). Any chance I get to see a real one, I’m gonna take it.

-kb