Pink dolphins and farms

Dear family and friends,

These past few days have been very exciting! I've seen a pink dolphin, explored the small fishing village of Tai O, seen the main agriculture farmlands of Hong Kong, and met up with some wonderful people. Life is good here in Hong Kong, and I can't believe I only have 6 days here until I go to Phuket!!

Tai O is one of my favorite experiences in Hong Kong so far! Fay, our new friend Ian, and I took a bus to Tai O, on the island of Lantau through winding mountains with gorgeous views of the South China Sea. Tai O is famous for its productions of fermented shrimp paste and dried, salted fish. When we arrived, we decided to go on a small boat ride through the stilted, aluminum houses of the villagers and out to the mouth of the sea to spot the famed pink dolphins (only found in the South China Sea, I believe)!! It was only the three of us on the boat with the captain, and off we went! As you will see in the photos, it was AMAZING. We wandered up through what truly felt like an "Asian Venice," or a bit like the riverboats in Thailand. It was strange to see aluminum homes perched atop unstable-looking stilts above the water! Then we went in search of this mythical creature. I was sure this ride would be like those San Francisco "whale-watching" rides in which all you ended up spotting was a fistful of kelp. So we rode out into sea and all four pairs of eyes were scanning the horizon, but I was sure the only one who would spot a dolphin, if anything at all, would be the experienced, beady eyes of our boat captain, an ancient Chinese man. But holy smokes!! Out of the corner of my eye I could see a blur of movement, and I look over just to catch a pink dolphin diving back into the water not 30 feet away!! Of course I shrieked and the chase was on! We slowly manuevered through the calm waters to where the little devil seemed to be going, and soon enough there were several more sightings of the dolphin jumping up and diving back into the water! At one point it was about 5 feet from our boat, swimming around and curious, or perhaps bored, with this boatful (well, three) of peering strangers.

That boat ride was honestly the best $20 HKD (which is less than $3 USD!!!!!) that I have ever spent in my life.

We continued on after the boat ride to explore the village, where rows of dried fish, shrimp paste, live seafood, and dried fish stomach (a delicacy costing around $25,000 HKD, about $3000 USD, for about a pound!) were being sold.

We wandered through the village and along the seashore, and spotted so many vegetable gardens tended by the elderly locals slowly working the rich earth. I find the growth of vegetables to be so beautiful and exciting. Something about those stalky, healthy plants shooting from the soil and becoming a perfect specimen to be eaten and enjoyed! Pretty cool.

Besides my trip to Tai O, I also visited several farms in the Gam Tim area in the New Territories. My new friend Kenneth, the marketing manager for a local vegetable marketing organization, drove me to various sites so I could see my first real farms in Hong Kong. It was a great experience to see first-hand where the local, organic produce was grown and tended to by the real farmers in the city, and I learned a lot. I also saw some huge dogs. Oh, and to say driving in Hong Kong is an insane, death-defying task would be a grave understatement.

I'm officially alone in Hong Kong now, since Fay ended her vacation here and went back to the States. But with my research, we weren't able to spend too much time together anyway, but it was fun while it lasted. I've resumed my solo traveling mode and am going to enjoy this too, I know. Ordering from restaurants with only Chinese menus will prove to be amusing events, I am sure.

I have plans to finally go hiking in Hong Kong! Locals here don't hike a lot, I've learned, even though there are amazing, breath-taking panoramic hikes in the mountains and beaches in Sai Kung, Hong Kong Island, and the islands. I will also be meeting up with a couple more people for some fun, and doing a bit more research. I'll let you know how it goes!







this was the most delicious thing EVER! it's ginger milk custard that is silky, sweet, spicy, and a taste of heaven!







the pink dolphin!! i'm surprised i was lucky enough to catch a photo!


Man's small, insignificant existence compared to the natural world surrounding us.




puts shaved ice in the states to SHAME.


Bride's Pool Falls. I think there is a story of an unwilling bride traveling to wed a man through an arranged marriage. She falls in/commits suicide in these falls, and her ghost can be seen combing her hair....AHHHHHHHHHH!!




The largest, and only, terraced farm I've ever seen. Quite a spectacular site to see terraces on the whole side of the mountain, each terrace filled with different vegetation.

A big pig at Kadoorie Farms. They have 10 pigs, and they are teaching the public how to raise organic, happy livestock.

Foggy Buddha and Lost Pants

sweet tofu. so silky delicious and warm!










there are many neon-lighted brothels with tiny stairways with liaisons sitting there at night to make deals. really sad to see.





Dear family and friends,

It's been a while since I've been back in Hong Kong from Taipei. I've been staying here in Kowloon, near Mongkok and Tsim Sha Tsui. It is very lively here with daily night fairs and markets, all with unique products, such as the popular fish street (bags and bags of golfish hanging from booths), Temple street (with rows and rows of fortune tellers, palm readers, and stands selling tons of "adult" toys (imagine haggling for that!)), bird markets, ladies' market, flower market, and etc. We usually walk through different night markets every day, and although abundant, lacks the nature of my now-beloved Taiwan street fairs and mouth-watering snacks.

I've also been finally performing research here, and have many appointments and tours set up with city officials and local farmers. This weekend was the annual Farmfest with a huge gathering of organic farmers selling their products (dried fish, anyone?) Tomorrow I am going to a big organic farmer's market in Central, and volunteering there to experience the set up and organic farm practices here in Hong Kong.

Today Fay and I went to Lantau Island, where the infamous huge, bronze Buddha sits on top of the mountains. We took a sky-cable-car ride above the hills and trees to a village at the base of the Buddha and Po Lin Monastary. Unbeknownst to us, we arrived there in one of the foggiest days since we've been here! So the entire trip lacked clear views, and I could barely see 15 feet in front of me! But the Buddha and his greatness were still witnessed, and I have foggy photos to prove it!

I have been doing some retail-therapy here as well...and since I forgot two pairs of pants at the Taipei hostel, I had to buy more! The jeans here are tailored to your desired length for free right at the store, so that was super convenient and nice, although I highly doubt I would wear those pants again back in the states. You know how low-rise jeans are common in the U.S. and barely reach your hip bone? Well, here it is the complete opposite and I found the distance between the crotch of the jeans to the end of the zipper to be ridiculously long, but surprisingly comfortable! But like I said, not going to be wearing those back home.

I've been receiving positive news and contacts on some Bogota research opportunities once I'm in Colombia in March, so I am already a bit frazzled by all that I have to do here, and all that I need to plan to do in Colombia! And then there's the in-between trip to Thailand to meet my sister Janny! Ah que loco!!!

Fay is leaving on Thursday, and then I will be here for another week. I will be staying in Kowloon until I leave for Phuket.

I miss family and friends. I love you all and take care.

Taipei: Street Food Galore

Dear family and friends,

Hot, humid greetings from Taipei, the street food capital of the world!! Tonight is my last night in Taipei, and after a few fun-filled days of walking, eating, and exploring, I'm about ready to jump into a fluffy cloud and stare into the stars for a long while.

Fay and I saw some amazing sites- Taipei 101 (the tallest building with 101 floors and a 360 panoramic view on the 88th floor), CPK Memorial Hall (the late president's memorial with tons of art exhibits and his personal artifacts), Longshan Temple (in which I prayed for all of my family and friends, so don't worry, you're included), Shilin Night Market (the biggest night market in Taiwan), and the National Palace Museum (over 8,000 years worth of Chinese treasures). Now doesn't that sound like a full two days? Every night we went to the night markets and tasted the cheapest, best street food ever!! Sticks of delicious, grilled or fried meats, vegetables, noodles in hearty broth, shaved ice filled with fresh fruits piled a mile high, and I even tasted chicken crown! (tastes a bit like licorice!) Alas, I did not have the Taiwanese infamous stinky tofu and blood items. Who can blame me??

Tomorrow I'm heading back to Hong Kong. I'm a bit weary of diving back into that chaotic, intensely busy scene of high-rises at every square inch. Taipei is a lot calmer, with sizable buildings at average height, and with a lot fewer people. I don't speak any Mandarin at all, so it's a bit harder to communicate here than in Hong Kong. Hand motions and crazy pointing only go so far when vendors speak rapidly and assume you can understand them!

My research is about to experience a rapid incline once I get back to Hong Kong, so my days filled with total freedom are over! I'm still going to stick fun in between my studies, of course, but I really hope I can nail this down and get some good results.

Best from Taipei! Cheers.