Today is not completely formed in our minds but we are confident that BSD folks know exactly what we are doing.
We meet in the lobby at 9am. I should comment here that a 9am meeting time sounds rather leisurely.....at least it does for someone who is usually up and about the house at 5pm each morning. However, that said, when you are still working with the effects of jet lag, you are walking everywhere throughout the entire day and a "sit down" other than lunch time is a rare occurrence you feel the impact of the day long activities when it is time to go to bed....and when it is time to get out of bed. Each day we are confronted with this unknown language, customs that are interesting to us and yet not always easy to understand. There are new foods, smells, and hoards of people at every turn. BSD is organizing this trip down to the minute and we love them for that. That said, it keeps us constantly moving.
All this as a way of saying that our students are amazing. Given their different ways of processing information, one would have predicted that any one or all of these new aspects of any given day would throw them into a tailspin. But I am here to tell you that, so far, they have accepted every direction, every meeting time, every menu, every set of seemingly unending stairs, tight elevators and met each with a smile, an "okay", and a willingness to accept that the group needs may come before their own. I have traveled with students for over 30 years and I am not sure I have ever traveled with a group of students more willing to "jump in" with good will and a positive attitude than these. They recognize that by doing this they have seen more, learned more, and grown more than if they had held back within the confines of their comfort zone. Two of our students are talking about "when they will return" for an internship experience after graduation from Hill Top!
Anyway, breakfast was new for us because we were on our own. A small cafe near the hotel that was scouted out ahead of time provided us with a delightful breakfast with an opportunity to get to know the woman who owns and manages the whole enterprise.
Coffee, tea, hot cocoa were the drinks of choice and everyone had what would be called an American breakfast, but with a slight twist by the chef. It was truly delightful. I think we will try to do the same tomorrow morning.
Our hosts arrive just before the coach at 10:00 and we were off. This morning we are headed to the south side of Hong Kong which looks out onto the South China Sea. Completely different than the city, this is an area of apartment complexes coupled by interesting shoppes, beaches and an open air market called Stanley Market.
Many fewer people and many more families allowed for a relaxed stroll around the whole area in small groups. Being able to explore makes for an interesting adventure. We even saw places where you could tie up your dog. It is a space called a dog park.
Lunch was appreciated as it was thin crust pizza in a small family restaurant overlooking the water. Everyone was able to order their own pizza which also made for added comfort.
Back in the coach to the north side of the island and we were off again to Kowloon and the mainland. We returned to the Ladies Market and the Computer Center from earlier in the week with a considerably increased level of confidence for search and "bartering" for cheaper prices. A
Now, this dinner was unlike I have ever experienced. Hong Kong is actually an archipelago of smaller islands. Lamma Island is one of them and a community of only 1500 people. There are no cars and no real roads on the island. The only mode of transport, other than boat is by foot or bicycle. It is essentially a fishing village that makes its income from selling fish to restaurants in Hong Kong and Kowloon. The other way they make their living is running restaurants right on the shore. This island is reached by boat. We had reservations at the Rainbow Restaurant and they provided us with a 30 minute boat ride in a easterly direction, the length of Hong Kong harbor and back again. This dinner was as rustic and "back to the local sources for food" as you can get. We picked out all of the fish we were to consume. We enjoyed some of the basics like chicken, beef and fried rice.
We had three different kinds of tea. But we had octopus, whole steamed red snapper, razor clams, fresh scallops in their shells, and little balls of ice cream wrapped in gum paste.
One of us is even building a reputation for eating the heads of the steamed fish. Maybe more on him, later. It was truly an amazing dinner.
It had started to rain by the time we were heading back by the boat. The wind had picked up and the surf was quite rough in the harbor. While most of us took shelter down below in the covered area, several of us decided to try and brave the spray and wind up above. It was certainly exciting and there were a few of us who were more than just a bit wet. A loud rock concert and lots of enthusiastic attendees greeted us at the wharf as we disembarked. The rain was coming down a bit harder so Uber cabs were hailed and off we went to avoid the traffic jams and police barricades so we could get back to the hotel. It was an exciting end to a very exciting day.
We meet in the lobby at 9am. I should comment here that a 9am meeting time sounds rather leisurely.....at least it does for someone who is usually up and about the house at 5pm each morning. However, that said, when you are still working with the effects of jet lag, you are walking everywhere throughout the entire day and a "sit down" other than lunch time is a rare occurrence you feel the impact of the day long activities when it is time to go to bed....and when it is time to get out of bed. Each day we are confronted with this unknown language, customs that are interesting to us and yet not always easy to understand. There are new foods, smells, and hoards of people at every turn. BSD is organizing this trip down to the minute and we love them for that. That said, it keeps us constantly moving.
All this as a way of saying that our students are amazing. Given their different ways of processing information, one would have predicted that any one or all of these new aspects of any given day would throw them into a tailspin. But I am here to tell you that, so far, they have accepted every direction, every meeting time, every menu, every set of seemingly unending stairs, tight elevators and met each with a smile, an "okay", and a willingness to accept that the group needs may come before their own. I have traveled with students for over 30 years and I am not sure I have ever traveled with a group of students more willing to "jump in" with good will and a positive attitude than these. They recognize that by doing this they have seen more, learned more, and grown more than if they had held back within the confines of their comfort zone. Two of our students are talking about "when they will return" for an internship experience after graduation from Hill Top!
Anyway, breakfast was new for us because we were on our own. A small cafe near the hotel that was scouted out ahead of time provided us with a delightful breakfast with an opportunity to get to know the woman who owns and manages the whole enterprise.
Our hosts arrive just before the coach at 10:00 and we were off. This morning we are headed to the south side of Hong Kong which looks out onto the South China Sea. Completely different than the city, this is an area of apartment complexes coupled by interesting shoppes, beaches and an open air market called Stanley Market.
Back in the coach to the north side of the island and we were off again to Kowloon and the mainland. We returned to the Ladies Market and the Computer Center from earlier in the week with a considerably increased level of confidence for search and "bartering" for cheaper prices. A
small group of more confident travelers were willing to work out our location at the markets and how to return to the coach for our next destination. A round of applause erupted from everyone when we realized that they had done it.
We then drove down toward the wharf area of Kowloon (the most southern tip of Kowloon) for a proper "sit down" and a soft drink before we took some more group pictures and wandered over to catch our boat for dinner.
Now, this dinner was unlike I have ever experienced. Hong Kong is actually an archipelago of smaller islands. Lamma Island is one of them and a community of only 1500 people. There are no cars and no real roads on the island. The only mode of transport, other than boat is by foot or bicycle. It is essentially a fishing village that makes its income from selling fish to restaurants in Hong Kong and Kowloon. The other way they make their living is running restaurants right on the shore. This island is reached by boat. We had reservations at the Rainbow Restaurant and they provided us with a 30 minute boat ride in a easterly direction, the length of Hong Kong harbor and back again. This dinner was as rustic and "back to the local sources for food" as you can get. We picked out all of the fish we were to consume. We enjoyed some of the basics like chicken, beef and fried rice.
It had started to rain by the time we were heading back by the boat. The wind had picked up and the surf was quite rough in the harbor. While most of us took shelter down below in the covered area, several of us decided to try and brave the spray and wind up above. It was certainly exciting and there were a few of us who were more than just a bit wet. A loud rock concert and lots of enthusiastic attendees greeted us at the wharf as we disembarked. The rain was coming down a bit harder so Uber cabs were hailed and off we went to avoid the traffic jams and police barricades so we could get back to the hotel. It was an exciting end to a very exciting day.
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