Green Tea Post - Writings from Hong Kong and around Asia

I am a teacher at a small school in Northern Hong Kong S.A.R. The things I love the most are learning, people and helping.

[justaguyinhk]

I've been here three years and love it. It's where i found love, and he left. It was hard, and I learned to live again. I met someone new and will get married and buy a house soon. We will leave this place and find a new one. I hope we are forever.

[justaguyinhk]

Most think of the city as full of concrete. There is another side, full of green. There are farms with crops. There are fish farms. All of this will be gone at some point when the "Northern Metropolis" is built - integrating the city with the North. This exists - for now.

[justaguyinhk]

[justaguyinhk]

Hardest thing in the world is - listening

[justaguyinhk]

Mini-bus view

[justaguyinhk]

Colorful Whampoa

[justaguyinhk]

Beautiful day in Hong Kong.

[justaguyinhk]

One of the many mailboxes in HK with the Queen's emblem. The local government may not remember the past and seek to erase it but proof is always around.

[justaguyinhk]

Happy Mid Autumn Festival

[justaguyinhk]

[justaguyinhk]

Up In A Balloon in Turkey

I was up before the wake-up call. It was cold. It was dark. The van would pick us up soon, and we were given food as we were half awake. We were told it would be a perfect day for ballooning, but it was freaking cold, and I loved it.

The Cappadocia region of Turkey has become one of the capitals for ballooning. The rugged flat landscape makes it a perfect place for going up. They only go up when the conditions are ideal for the amount of wind and the view. We were lucky to be at the perfect time but needed to be up before the sun.

The van bumped and winded through the narrow roads of Göreme, the main tourist town in Cappadocia, Turkey. We learned later most of the homes in the town have been turned into hotels or cafes. Most of the residents live on the outskirts in more modern houses.

The van drops us off at the top of a hill. The sun is coming up, and we are told we could stay inside as they put up the balloons. It is January, and it is cold. There aren’t as many tourists and people wanting to go. The busiest time is during the summer.

The area had become famous for ballooning since 1991 when it was opened by Lars-Eric More and Kaili Kinder. More than 25 companies are operating over 200 balloons per day.

Once in, the operator lights the fire, and we are gradually lifted in the air. They are highly trained and need to go through rigorous training. Most are apprenticed, learning from people who have been doing it for years. Our pilot has been doing it for 8 years, he mentioned. All are licenced from the government and need to go through testing and certification to make sure they know what they are doing. There have been accidents in the past, with the last one happening in 2013.

Our flight lasted an hour, and we could see we reached over 3,000 feet. The cost is not cheap at around $100 US (higher in the summertime) but was worth it. When we landed, we were given some sparkling juice and then driven back to town.

[justaguyinhk]

“Where do I see it ending? With me on top, like always.” —Saul Goodman

[justaguyinhk]

Arroyo Seco - My Past

Arroyo Seco (just outside of Taos New Mexico) is a place where I spent two months in 1996. I found it by chance on the recommendation of someone who I met while travelling. It was there, that I met an Artist who taught me to let go of the thousands of thoughts in my head. It was there, that I met some amazing people who helped shaped me and made me who I am today rather than the confused guy I was before going there. Confused about what I wanted to be when I grow up and why I have so many thoughts going through my head. The land, the calmness, the sunsets and sunrises out in the mesa (long flat land of sagebrush) where I saw the most natural beauty I have ever seen.

For a number of years, I would go back and try to recapture those feelings but it was never the same. The place got bigger with newer buildings and more conveniences, as older places fell away. It became busier and far too fru fru. I was only 23 when I lived there, but it began a lot of who I would become. It continues to hold a lot in me.

[justaguyinhk]

[justaguyinhk]

Up Garden Hill

I got to Mei Ho House in Sham Shui Po. It looked closed down. Under standard times it runs as a hostel, but with no one allowed to enter the city – there may be no one around. There is a hill behind the hostel giving good views of Kowloon, and I wanted to check it out. There was a sign and a closed gate. The security guard was nice enough to point me a different way.

The hike up was going up concrete steps in a typical HK hiking style. It is a small ‘hill’ compared to the mountains around but with the steps – it felt like more. Most of the way up was exposed to the sun. There were no trees or brush for the way up. I was sweating a lot and didn’t bring water with me – not thinking and not sure how steep it would be. Spring or fall would have been a better option.

Halfway up there was some shade and needed to stop not wanting to push myself. The hill and it is a hill not a hike – is called ‘The Garden Hill.’ It’s named after the big bakery below. The headquarters and were all the bread in the city lied below. The trees on the way up were small and random placed in the middle of concrete poured to make sure there isn’t a landslip when the rains come. The trees are small and resemble cactus with needles not leaves. Some provide a bit of shelter from the sun. Further up, near the top, there were more trees, more shade and thus more people.

Up on the hill was more shade from the trees. People lounged around on metal chairs shirtless. Most, if not all, were over 65 years old. The hike up and down as part of their daily exercise. Most had transistor radios blaring Cantonese or Mandarin Opera. Some talk or new shows. Not being able to tell the language shows how much I need to improve my Cantonese. Maybe the screams even make it hard for Marco as well. There were random dogs but not sure if anyone owned them. It was a community and I guess I was the intruder.

The views were worth the river of sweat. There were memories of the heat stroke in Japan – the last time. I had sweat as much. I should have brought water or something. There were old men doing stretches, smoking, playing chess. Below is Shek Kip Mei and wondered if coming up here was away to get out of their small, dark apartments and the fear of the virus.

It was time to head down, and not surprising, it was a lot easier. It was still exposed to the scorching sun. More rivers of sweat and a pounding heart. I still snapped some photos of a Banyan Tree with idols around it. Street cleaners were catching the shade under her. Then went down the rest of the way.

[justaguyinhk]

I think some of the best things are in the allies

[justaguyinhk]

On the tram