Lamma Island: how i almost lost an eye

Dear Family and Friends,

With every trip that I take for research, I find that the first few days are always the hardest. I wonder if I made the right decision in coming to this particular city, or if I will find what I want and need. In Vancouver, it was the moment when I saw my first community garden on a very busy intersection. Seeing the blooming lettuce, cherry tomatoes, brussel sprouts, and other greens bursting through the rich soil up towards the sun made my moment stand still. I knew then that this was fascinating, and I was eager to soak up all that I could.

In Hong Kong, the past couple of days have been spent orienting myself around the city and getting my bearings on my surroundings. However, today proved to be my big "aha!" moment that aligned some of my puzzle pieces, and that form of confirmation disguised itself as an island--specifically, Lamma Island.

Fay and I met with my sister Janny's friend and old roommate from Yale. We went for drinks up on the IFC building (tallest so far in Hong Kong, but about to be surpassed by a taller one in construction in Kowloon). Afterward, Flora suggested we go to Lamma Island, a small island south of Hong Kong Island (but still part of Hong Kong) to explore a quieter, fishing-oriented side of Hong Kong. We took a ferry over and hiked across the island on a trail through the mountainous terrain and was able to see the beautiful sunset and walk through the rural communities on Lamma. I was amazed at the complete 180 degree turn from the city-risers and concrete jungle that I had been walking through since I arrived. I fell in love with the island, even though by the end of our hike it was almost pitch black and we were trying to make our way up and down around the bay to the seafood restaurants and ferry landing. We passed by local shacks and small farm plots all along the trail. In that moment I knew I had come to the right place.

Lamma is a huge tourist destination for people who love seafood and want a different feel of Hong Kong. We dined at a delicious seafood restaurant right on the water. To order, we had to walk up to the huge array of tanks filled with local seafood delights, such as pissing shrimp, crayfish, variety of fish, razor clams, abalone, a big variety of shrimp, and a lot more. When the food arrived, it was soo good! I especially loved the garlic pissing shrimp, which was succulent and sweet. So here's the story: as I was enjoying the last piece of shrimp, I had to use the special scissors to cut through the thick skin to fork out the juicy meat. As I was cutting the skin, a cubed piece of red hot jalepeno pepper flew straight into my right eye. Before I even felt the burning sensation, I braced myself for it. Then--BAM! my eye was stinging like there was no tomorrow. My eye turned bright red (so I was later told), and I was going insane trying to get it out or blink it away and was rubbing/dabbing/flailing like a madman. My company had to help me remove it with issue infused with tea as I squirmed and was cursing like a sailor. That hurt!! I guess that needs to happen at least once in everyone's life, ay? That and being shat on by a flying seagull. But no need to fly straight to Hong Kong to check if my eye is doing okay...thank God for my contacts or else I think the oils would have absorbed faster into my eye and made it more painful.

I feel extremely motivated and eager to continue my research and continue to explore Hong Kong. I am heading to Taipei, Taiwan tomorrow for several days, but when I get back, it's me+farms+food+locals+my pathetic Cantonese= A somewhat adequate research process.

I feel as if I am in a bubble here in Hong Kong. The news of the earthquake in Haiti sounds a million miles away, but seeing bits of the news really is sobering and heartbreaking. I hope that not only are my loved ones safe and happy around the world, but that communities, cities, countries, and the world can cooperate to aid those in need and do what they can to lend a helping hand.

Peace.



the delicious, yet lethal, culprit