Friday, October 30, 2009
Good Golly, Ms. Trolley
The coolest thing the British left behind when they finally sailed back to the U.K in 1997 –well okay, maybe not the coolest thing- but the coolest thing after the hospitals, the universities, the rule of law and the court system, the rigorously protected private property rights, banks and a stock market, and the English language which has allowed Hong Kong to be a leader in international commerce -okay, besides all that, the coolest thing the British left are the trolleys.The island of Hong Kong is one of the few cities in the world that is still running its trolley system from the early twentieth century. The trolleys, rather than being a touristy attraction, are actually an integral part of the public transportation network on the island. The trolley cars are very narrow, much narrower than a modern bus or a subway car. They clatter along the tracks in the middle of the street fed by an overhead electrical line. The wheels of the trolleys are really close to the center of the car so the nose and tail of the car are inclined to bob up and down as you go.
We rode the trolley for the first time Sunday.
It was loud. It was shaky. It was crowded. It was awesome.
-Jack
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Dine and Dash
Don’t ask me why, but when I see one half of a couple taking a picture of the other, I like volunteering to take pictures of the two of them. Maybe, I miss wedding photography, maybe it’s my way of being a good-will ambassador from the States, or maybe it’s my way of doing penance for all the picture I take of strangers on the street. But ironically, it was Julie who had volunteered to take a group photo of the foursome at the table next to us. We were on the island of Cheung Chau and were finishing up a late dinner at the sidewalk tables of an Indian restaurant. This inevitably led to a ten minutes conversation. He was from Britain teaching English. She was his Chinese girlfriend. The other two ladies were his mum and aunt visiting from the U.K. It was a pleasant conversation and we learned that he lived here on the island of Cheung Chau and took the ferry to the Hong Kong island everyday for work.
Speaking of the ferry, we had to get going, otherwise we were going to miss the 8:30 back to Hong Kong. We started to make our way through the crowded boardwalk along the harbor. We’d managed to get about fifty yards from the restaurant, when I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I turned around. That’s weird, I thought, that’s the waitress from the restaurant. I remember her bright blue shirt.
“Mister, you need to pay.”
Julie had joined the conversation. We were both horror-stricken.
If “sorry”s were nickels, we could have paid our bill with apologies by the time we got back to the restaurant. While Julie went in to pay the bill, I chatted with our British friends. They learned an American phrase: dine and dash.
So much for being a good-will ambassador and representing our country well.
We were hoping to visit this island again in the future. I guess we still can, we just can't eat at the Indian restaurant.
-Jack
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Disclaimer
I would like to announce that no artcle of this blog, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means agrees with or is accociated with Annika Elisabeth VanNoord! None whatsoever! Absolutely zero!
-Annika
-Annika
Cheung Chau Island
Cheung Chau is a small, dumb-bell shaped island an hour from Hong Kong by ferry. It has a land mass of just over one square mile. While the ends of the dumbbell are quite hilly; the stretch of land connecting the two is low-lying. On one side of this strip of land is the village and the harbor filled with fishing boats of various sizes and colors. On the other side, a three-minute walk from the village, is the public beach.Cheung Chau has been a fishing village for hundreds of years. The evidence suggest that people have been living on this island for over 2000 years. Like Mackinac Island in Michigan, no cars are allowed on Cheung Chau Island except for a few emergency vehicles, which are abnormally small in order to fit down the narrow streets. The ambulance we saw was so small it looked as if you would have to bend your knees in order to lay down in it.
With the exception of the main avenue, the island is made up of narrow little streets and alleyways that are lined with three-story shops and residences. Some of the streets are so narrow that if you stood on the second story balcony, you could reach across the street and shake hands with your neighbor.
Bethany Mission started twenty-five years ago as a retreat destination for missionaries and full-time Christian workers. Bethany’s desire is to provide a respite for missionaries, pastors, and other Christians who are in need of relaxation and rejuvenation. While they have recommended amounts, they work on a donation basis. Not only do they provide a continental breakfast, but all the guests have dinner together each night. The place is quaint, quiet, and impeccably maintained. Bethany is located in the hills above the village. It is a fairly steep, twenty-five minute climb up the paved path to get from the ferry to Bethany, but definitely worth the effort.
Bethany is only one of many buildings in the hills above Cheung Chau. Most of them appear to have been built in the 1920s and 1930s. Sunday, on our way to the beach, we wandered past a house that had obviously been abandoned for many years. We couldn’t resist the temptation to explore. While not overly big, it was obvious that this building had been the residence of some well-to-do people in its prime. It had multiple bathrooms, a large round window, arched doorways, and mosaic tile floors throughout. The veranda would have overlooked the ocean if the trees weren’t overgrown.
Julie’s paternal grandparents were missionaries to inland China in the 1920s, but they would often come to the coast for rest and relaxation. Julie got nostalgic imagining her grandparents in a place like this.
Back in town, the girls each bought themselves a souvenir after a lot of perusing.
Sunday night, we caught the 8:30 p.m. ferry back to Hong Kong.
-Jack
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
It Only Takes a Spark
Every day, we feel more and more settled in. We now have a printer to go with our computer. We know where there’s a decent hardware store within walking distance. We own a muffin tin. Wednesday, was a red-letter day for our household.
Before we left Illinois, we diligently filled out a dozen or more change-of-address forms. Wednesday, we received our first piece of mail here in Hong Kong: our Christianity Today magazine. The following day the Calvin College alumni magazine, The Spark, showed up.
Actually, its no surprise the Calvin Spark found us. That Calvin alumni office will find you wherever you go. I had a friend who was in the FBI witness protection program who got his Spark shortly after he went deep undercover.
-Jack
Sunday, October 25, 2009
7-Eleven, 24-Seven
We’ve been here for almost three months and the novelty of many things has worn off.But when we go out and about, I am still taken aback by just how many 7-Elevens there are here.
They are everywhere.
It’s not uncommon to stand on a street corner and be able to see two 7-Elevens at the same time. This phenomenon has given rise to 7-Eleven Bingo. As we walk the city, we try to find locations where we can see more than one 7-Eleven. Seeing two at once has become so passé, we don’t even bother to point it out any more. If we really want to impress each other, we need to be able to point out three from one spot.
The girls and I are on a quest to find that location in Hong Kong from which you can see four 7-Elevens.
We are convinced that this mythical location –like Yeti- is actually out there, somewhere waiting for us to find it.
We’ll keep looking and we won’t rest until we’ve found it.
-Jack
Note: On July 11, (get it? seven-eleven), 2006 the company opened its 711th (get it? seven-eleven) store in Hong Kong.
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