Arrival in the big Kahuna was a bit anticlimactic, after five flights and stopping over in five cities. A bit crazy, but that’s the routing life of free travel. From Marrakesh Airport, a lovely new facility, I flew back to Frankfurt via Geneva and Zurich. I managed to buy a stock of Sprungli Truffes du Jour for Gee Kin. Unfortunately, in a moment of weakness, I bought a gigantic bottle of Argan Oil before leaving Marrakesh that was confiscated because it exceeded the 2 oz. liquid limitation.
Marrakesh Airport:
After an overnight stay at the Frankfurt Airport, I flew to Hong Kong via Beijing. A combination of mishaps made the journey less than ideal. My tax-free refund was denied at the Frankfurt Airport due to insufficient documentation. Then Beijing Security delayed me due to the same stupid portable charger that got me into trouble at the US Embassy last month. I ran like the dickens to catch the flight to Hong Kong with only an hour between flights. That included going through Security in Beijing twice–once out, once in again. It was enough drama to remind me that my heart beats within me.
Give Me Your Tired Passengers, Your Bored, Your Hungry
Aside from my luggage being delayed due to Customs inspection scheduled in Beijing rather than in Hong Kong (how was all that supposed to happen in an hour!?!) and a Typhoon Signal #8 in Hong Kong, everything here has been great! After husband Gee Kin joined me on the back end of my travels, we decided to slow live and let the weather dictate our actions. Not all goes smoothly all of the time, so this has been the R&R (Revise and Resubmit) weekend for me. OK, not exactly a MAGIC carpet, but it was a carpet.
Man Mo Temple
Despite the stiflingly oppressive heat and the onset of Tropical Storm Merbok, I did manage to keep up my daily drawing activity. Living in an Air BNB near the Man Mo Temple in Sheung Wan, I drew the temple from a couple of different angles and Ladder Street. Like San Francisco, Hong Kong uses staircases up and down its hilly slopes, only more so.
This area is also part of a burgeoning art scene. The gallery downstairs offers drawing classes at $300HK for two hours, and I was tempted to participate. Huge murals throughout Sheung Wan and on the side of the building where we are staying add to the street art in Hong Kong.
Sheung Wan
The ex-pat community is alive and well, and it looks like Lan Kwai Fong has spilled over into the Hollywood Road Antique area with a rash of foreign culture and food spots like Fusion Supermarkets, Classified Wine and Cheese, and Congee and Milk Tea sets.
It’s been a bit overwhelming to see the huge cultural shift to update the dining experiences in Hong Kong. In addition to infinite choices for traditional Chinese food that offer every Chinese provincial and regional cooking, you can frustrate yourself by deciding whether to sink into the bowels of Western food and desires. Life has always been a multitude of contradictions in Hong Kong, and food is no exception.
After coming down the hill from the Sun Yet Sen Museum, we re-discovered the series of free escalators half-way up a steep incline of Hong Kong Island. It serves as a clever conveyor belt and painless way to scale a mountain. It bustles at lunchtime, when we used it, to navigate a hillside with virtually zero calorie bust. It was even more impressive as we lived in the area it serves. It was more than just a superficial touristic attraction but a necessity. This system preceded the High Line in New York City, but certainly it has the same innovative spark and delight for residents and tourists alike.
To Build or Not to Build?
I’m reminded, after living in this city for seven years out of graduate school, that only 15% of the land is buildable. If you compare the high density living for 6-7 million people as positive space next to the negative or open space, the relative value of open area is immense. That creates some of the awe and beauty of Hong Kong that make a spectacular setting for human existence.
There are hiking trails that one would never expect from such a highly urban environment. Our daughter Melissa was pleasantly surprised when she visited here earlier this year. You can take excursions to the multitude of outlying islands, go to the Beach at Shek-o, or hike to the Peak. The New Territories offer even more camping and backpacking opportunities. Hong Kong is not just about shopping. However, foodwise, it’s just about FOOD…and rightly so. There ain’t nothing like it anywhere but here.
Fallout of Typhoon Merbok
A Camel_s Eyes Saved the World—a short fairy tale by Victoria Fong
More adventures later about Hong Kong and after the typhoon signal is removed…and Guangzhou to come.
Addendum: speaking of magic carpets, here’s one of the two Berber carpets I bought in Essaouira:
Travels with Myself and Others 
Love these sketches…people, camels, architecture
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Thank you! I highly recommend riding a camel somehow somewhere! Anywhere along the Silk Road! You will certainly get a feeling of what it was like thousands of years ago riding one, even for a few minutes!!
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Enjoyed the exotic sights & architecture and the food pictures from Morocco! What little Morrocan food I’ve had here in the states was very delicious and yes, we weren’t given eating utensils. Really admire your
sketches & drawings of people, animals, etc! Never knew you also had that artistic talent besides drawing buildings & structures. Marrakesh Airport is gorgeous. Sorry to hear about the hair-raising transition from Beijing to Hong Kong!
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Glad you liked the Moroccan posts. It was quite an unexpected, and unforgettable adventure. I loved every minute of it, even if it was with a group! They were fun, interesting, and self-motivated. I’m trying to draw everyday so I don’t lose the spirit, but alot had to do with the inspiration and stimulation.
Also glad to hear that you had an opportunity to try Moroccan food. I made some this weekend to extend my travels there. Paula Woolfert and Mourad Lahlou have great cookbooks about Morocco and Moroccan food.
I’ve already gotten over the Beijing transfer, but I would not trust any international transfer these days in an hour or less. I also tried looking up the architect for the Menara Airport but was unsuccessful at identifying him or her. Anyone out there know? By the way, I forgot to post a picture there of the women’s rest room. The unique thing about it was the granite foot bath for washing before prayer.
Thanks so much for following along throughout the trip, and your supportive comments! I really appreciated them. Don’t forget to fill in the survey posted in Day 71-72. It will help me with future posts! Hope the reunion was successful, and let me know when you’d like to get together!!
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