Hong Kong - Day 1

My wife and I arrived in Hongkong last night around 9:00 P.M. eastern, after a long but non-stop flight from NJ. I was beat, it made me remember how it feels to be in a cramped seat for 15 hours, and yes jet lag is pretty much true too, I am writing this at 3:00 this morning.

OK enough complaints, in a nutshell, Hongkong is awesome. I love the place! It totally blew my mind, this is one of those places that draws you in and spins you around.

Let's take a walk shall we...

I woke up yesterday at 6 a.m.still feeling a bit tired from the long trip, I just can't sleep anymore and got out of bed. We waited a bit for my wife's dad to start his daily ritual of jogging and we decided, why don't we join him. My mother in law also came with us too. I always loved mornings anyway, especially for traveling and photography. The light is nice has this lovely color tinge to it and the world is just starting to wake up. The park is beautiful and near, it also has a little zoo with exotic birds and monkeys. It really felt like a jungle in the heart of a metropolis.

After our short stroll we decide to have breakfast, Hongkong style. We took the cab to the Causeway bay area for some... Congee! We went to this fast-foody kinda place that serves real food :) Of course I have to order the weirdest Congee (rice porridge) that I could find. Blood Jelly Congee with shredded pork with a side of Yiu Tiaw (it sounded like that anyway, its a sort of unsweetened donut that soaks up the broth and adds texture to the dish). It was great, simple but well done. Kellog's, eat your heart out, this is breakfast at it's finest, hehe.


After breakfast we head back home for a quick shower and to prepare for mass, and of course I'm looking forward to lunch again. One thing I noticed at the mass, a lot of Filipinos. It is a Sunday and it was a day off for a lot of my countrymen working here (OFW's). I'm like ok that's cool, Catholic as we are, there are always Filipinos in churches on sunday, nothing surprising about that. But after the mass, it was a totally different story, we took the tram to the restaurant and I kid you not, I thought there was a rally going on and I was in Edsa for People power 4, there was even a mini "sinulog" festival going on. There were literally hundreds of Filipinos in the streets, eating, talking and just plain hanging out. I thought before that on a Sunday they were you know, having a little picnic in the park, having fun with friends. But no you are talking, newspapers or table cloths to line the sidewalk and cardboard boxes as temporary walls. I was dumbfounded, I didn't know if I was to smile or cry. More to the latter I guess. I am an OFW too and I have read the plight of our country men overseas, but to be reduced to this. I don't know what to say. I am glad that they are with friends, But to be called "tsimay" and eating on the streets on cardboard boxes?! It is something else entirely. I do have an admiration for them though, It shows a lot of the Filipino heart and spirit to find joy in simple things and helping each other, the "bayanihan" lives on. This is not the image of the Filipino that I want to share to the world, I want the world to know my heroes: Rizal, Bonificio, Ninoy. Our Artists: Salonga, Macuja and Licad among others. We are a people proud and capable of excellence.

I am silently praying for the day that we could all go back home and enjoy our time with our families and live the rest of our lives in peace and dignity.

Anyway, for now "Carpe Diem", seize the day and move on.

For lunch we ate at the Peking House, and you know what that first word means. The legendary Peking Duck (3-ways)! We started off with appetizers of jellyfish salad and poached egg whites with dried scallops. Yummy. Subtle but executed perfectly. Then came the main course, the duck. It is carved near our table, served with freshly made thin pancakes, scallions and hoisin sauce. It was extraordinary, best duck I had so far. The skin was crispy but not greasy , well seasoned and just amazing. We had a side of tofu and some stir fry of celery roots to balance the richness of the duck.

This is my impression of real Chinese cooking. The flavors are subtle unlike their greasy American counterparts, but the ingredients fresh and the cooking techniques is superb . I mean if the ingredients are fresh no need to cover it up with a barrage of sauces right?

Still with me? After all that food, we had to burn it out with walking. So that's the signal to go shopping, another one of those things you go to Hongkong for. The stores have a great selection from name brands to the local fare.

After a couple of hours of walking and the jet lag rearing its ugly head. We needed to go home. So after getting food for dinner, we had for take out roasted goose, roasted bbq pork and suckling pig, I had to make a quick stop at a bizarre food stall I passed by where I picked up braised tripe, intestines and beef brisket. My cholesterol counter was probably arguing with me at that point hehe.

My day ended on the couch watching the finals of the Australian open tennis on TV where my idol Nadal won the trophy. It was a great day and the experience was fulfilling. I can't thank enough our parents Papa and Mommy, our gracious host my sister-in-law Pam, her husband Poch and their two darling kids Katrina and Xavier. This is the main reason actually that we went home more than anything, to spend time with our family. Hongkong is just a bonus.

Let's see what tomorrow brings, but I am raring for more!