GamZhou – Scenic, Historic, and Special

GamZhou – Scenic, Historic, and Special

Our trip to scenic, historic, and special GamZhou set off from Austin station at 9am. It was the Easter Holiday, so Big Line organized 4 bus loads of people. There were a lot of people, but everything flowed together smoothly. The high speed rail to GamZhou only took 3 hours and it was comfortable. Tracy and I shared a meal on the train. Actually this was the only meal that Big Line didn't cover for us. Honestly, I am fine with that. They gave us more than enough food to eat and it was all delicious. Food Hong Kong people…
Yes, It’s Crowded But It Could Be The Best Option

Yes, It’s Crowded But It Could Be The Best Option

It's Crowded but, what do you expect it's Easter holiday. Lots of people are traveling all at the same time. On top of that, if you travel in a tour group it might feel even more crowded, but for us it's worth it. Why, exposure and cost. Tracy and I decided to go to Gam Zhou China. As an English teacher here in Hong Kong, I’m pretty much limited to traveling on the holidays. Tour groups’ leaders pick the best sites to see and make all the travel / accommodation arrangements for their clients. As clients, we get exposure to…
Chinese New Year Fun

Chinese New Year Fun

It’s the year of the Dragon. Our Chinese New Year fun started on February 9th, the Lunar New Year ’s Eve, and continued on for the next several days. When I saw my landlord on New Year's Eve, I told her I was cleaning. Her response was, "cleaning?!" I could tell a good Chinese person would have done their cleaning long before then. Oh well. Tracy and I had the day off. We bought some groceries. She worked in the kitchen for a while, while I cleaned. On the 10th we celebrated with Tracy's relatives. We went to a resort…
A Christmas in Snowy Harbin China

A Christmas in Snowy Harbin China

The Christmas holiday in Harbin was special for us. Years ago I lived in the Jilin province and had the opportunity to visit Harbin in the Summer time, but I had never been there in the winter. Tracy and I talked about joining a tour group and traveling somewhere for the Christmas holiday. Awhile later, she suggested going to Harbin. I liked the idea. Being from New York, I am used to cold in the winter time; the thought of having a white Christmas really appealed to me. Well, we had plenty of snow and we also had – 20…
Watoto’s Children’s Choir Sharing From Their Hearts

Watoto’s Children’s Choir Sharing From Their Hearts

Watoto is a ministry to orphans in Uganda Africa. They have around 3800 orphans and more than 1000 staff. Their approach to raising kids is wholistic and worthy of being studied and implemented around the world, but up until 2 months ago Tracy and I knew very little about Watoto. It all started with an advertisement for a children's concert that Tracy had seen. My first impression was the excellence with which they performed. We found their music and testimonies to be very engaging. They were truly sharing from their hearts. Concert Video Clip Hosting After the concert we stopped…
Stan’s Saw Mill

Stan’s Saw Mill

To say I was impressed is an under statement. Stan is a computer security expert, but he has a number of other hobbies and often volunteers his time to help out at the church. I knew he was interested in wood and I had seen pictures of old saw mills, but I really didn't expect a professional modern saw mill. I only brought an old Sony RX100iii. The recording is okay, but yeah if I had of know I would have brought a nicer camera.
Siem Reap Cambodia Stands Out For Amazing Temples

Siem Reap Cambodia Stands Out For Amazing Temples

Getting There and Getting Around Siem Reap, Cambodia is a hot spot for tourist. They used to have direct flights to it to make it easier for people to visit, but then Covid struck and the direct flights were cancelled. It was summer time 2023 when my wife and I visited. As a teacher, I still had summer holiday, but my wife could only get 7 days off. In order to make the most of our time, Tracy and I got off work on Friday, took an evening flight to Bangkok, slept in the airport and then took a short…
ChengChau Island is Chill

ChengChau Island is Chill

Looking for a break from city life. Check out ChengChau island. There are plenty of Hong Kong snacks shops to eat at as you meander around the town. There are no buses or taxis; people go everywhere by foot or by bicycle. So life feels a little bit more chill. You can easily rent a boat, go for a swim, eat BBQ or take a walk around the island. It only costs 21 dollars and takes about an hour to get there by ordinary ferry. Of course, if you are in a hurry you can pay a little more go…
Is Hong Kong a Good Place to Call Home?

Is Hong Kong a Good Place to Call Home?

Home is where the heart is. There are still a lot of things to like about Hong Kong and for now it is my home. I have friends here but I would not say I have a lot of close friends here. I think going deep with people requires the ability to communicate well in their language. There are a lot of foreigners who have lived here for more than 10 years without learning to speak much Cantonese. From my perspective language is essential to feeling at home. Of course, Cantonese is difficult and most foreigners have foreign friends that…