Helen and Lou

The smiles on their faces sums up the vacation!

I don't even know how to begin blogging the most wonderful, special time that Mom and Dad and Jeff and I had together, both in Hong Kong and on our cruise to Vietnam.  I suppose I will start at the very beginning, when Mom and I dreamed up this trip.
In August 2009, when Jeff and I told Mom and Dad that we were planning to move to HK, I said "We're moving to Hong Kong in a few months, and you're coming to visit us."  Mom looked and me and said "OK".  Dad looked like he wanted to crawl under the table - I think the thought of such an ambitious trip was a bit overwhelming!   Once we were all in agreement (Dad notwithstanding), we decided that the best time for them to visit would be late October/early November, when typhoon season is over.  Throughout all of the arrangements - frequent flyer flights, health insurance, cruise details, and what to pack - we all held our collective breath that everything would go smoothly.  In September and early October, there were a couple of setbacks - Dad came down with bronchitis/pneumonia, and then Mom caught a three-week cold.  But by October 25th, they were packed and on their way.

The 24-hour (and 3 calendar day) journey took them from Montreal to Vancouver, and then on to HK.  Since they were scheduled to arrive at 6 a.m., we had arranged for a limousine to fetch them at the airport.  They arrived at our apartment around 7:15 - Mom hopped out of the cab, blue eyes shining, looking like a million bucks!  Dad looked bedraggled and bewildered - a nap was definitely of primary importance.  While he rested, Mom unpacked, and then we scooted around the neighbourhood so that she could get a sense of the city.  I shlepped her to the cleaners, up and down steps, and to one of the local coffee shops for a cappuccino.  Then up the escalators and back home.  We spent the afternoon at the historic Ohel Leah synagogue, and visited an exhibit on the Jews of Shanghai at the Jewish Community Centre.
Mom and Dad also amused themselves watching the construction of a huge apartment building right next door.  As luck would have it, construction had reached our eye-level, so we could even wave to the workers who pranced around like Cirque du Soleil performers, erecting bamboo scaffolding and pouring concrete on the 28th floor of a high-rise.  (btw - the construction has now surpassed 40 stories, with no end in sight)

Day 2:  Clear skies, cool temperatures.  We got to the Peak Tram before the crowds.  The creaky old train crept up the mountain, affording us magnificent views of the skyscrapers along the way.  At the top, we took photos of the harbour, and also the vast country parks that cover most of HK Island.  Dad, of course, spent a lot of time talking to strangers (I've inherited that habit).  Luck was on our side, since the view was clear - unimpeded by the normal pollution and haze.

Our next stop was Stanley Market.  We took the scenic route on the top of the double-decker number 6 bus.  All of our visitors, including Mom and Dad, are amazed at the beautiful vistas just 15 minutes beyond the congestion of downtown.  The Market is colourful, with lots of fun souvenirs.  It was a pleasure for me to spend a weekday afternoon in Stanley, since Jeff and I normally go there on weekends when it's extremely crowded.  On our taxi ride home, I sat in up front with the driver, but kept turning around to make sure Mom and Dad were ok - there are lots of hairpin turns, and the drivers keep up a good pace!  (reminiscent of Chevy Chase and the Japanese tourists in the movie Foul Play).

We ended a great day at Hometown Dumplings, our favourite local eatery (blog Oct. 14).  The waiter gave Mom a lesson in how to use chopsticks - easy!  Dad was not convinced - his sweet and sour fish tasted just fine with a fork!
We walked home (up the escalators), and watched the daily 8 p.m. light show!  Free entertainment at the Biteens'.
Early to bed - tomorrow is WALKING day!



Well rested, and completely un-jetlagged, we started our 2-hour walk the next day at the Man Mo Temple.  Built in 1848 (and renovated several times), this is one of the most well-known Buddhist/Taoist temples in HK.  We managed to arrive before the tour bus onslaught, and were able to walk through the buildings, and smell the strong incense.  From the Temple, we walked east along Hollywood Road, stopping to look at the collections in a few art galleries.  We walked through the wet market (open-air food stalls) on Graham Street and Gage Street, and saw the contrast between the old world and the new. We even walked down Pottinger Street - just about the most difficult, steep, road to walk on in the city!  (In fact, my HK friends were aghast that I would take my "old?" parents on it!)  Pottinger is lined with small kiosks, usually selling seasonal paraphernalia.  Halloween was two days away, so the shops were filled with masks and costumes.  Lots of fun.  We all ran out of steam when we reached Marks and Spencer on Queens Road - time for lunch.  Once refreshed, we shopped in "the lanes" off Queens Road, and headed home up the escalators.

My mission was to show off my parents to as many of my friends as possible, so we had an enjoyable Italian dinner at Vivo with Ed and Hanora.  Ed is in the shmatta business. He and Dad talked shop.
After dinner, we all went back to our apartment, and enjoyed our tea with Mom's mandel bread - I wonder how they stayed so fresh on all of those flights?




On Saturday, we taxied to Ocean Terminal (directly across the harbour in Kowloon), where we boarded the Royal Caribbean Legend of the Seas.  Our 5-day cruise took us to Sanya (on Hainan Island in South China), Da Nang, and Halong Bay.  Although the ship had a tired look about it, it was still very comfortable and relaxing.  We were each able to do our own thing - Jeff found a quiet spot in the library and worked on a report, Mom played the slots in the casino, Dad napped, and I read.

We shared our dining table with two couples from New Zealand (Dunedin - the last post office before the South Pole!), and had a lot of fun.  I discovered a kindred spirit in Shirley (extreme left in the photo) - she's also an avid mystery reader.  (Last week we exchanged book lists.)  The only minor problem was that Mom and Dad had some difficulty understanding the New Zealand accent.  Living in HK, with expats from so many different places plus locals with heavy Chinese-accented English, Jeff and I have become expert at understanding almost everyone who is speaking our language.

Sanya was not an interesting stop.  It is a growing city that China is touting as the next Hawaii.  There are some 5-star resorts along the coast, with many others under construction, but aside from the empty high-end mall that our bus took us to, the rest of the city looked run-down.  The majority of visitors are from the Mainland, but there are also a large number of Russian tourists.  Although the city is moving forward, we still noticed yoked vendors like the one in the photo.

Our two stops in Vietnam were very interesting, and whetted our appetite to spend more time exploring that country in the near future.  Both Hoi An (near the port of Da Nang) and Halong Bay are UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Hoi An is charming: old streets lined with temples, French colonial buildings, and tailor shops.  The highlight of the town is the 16th century Japanese bridge that connected the Japanese and Chinese quarters.  Disputes between the two communities were settled on the bridge.  There were hundreds of bicycles and motorbikes racing through the town, and Mom decided she'd like to try riding a motorcycle!  (Not on my watch, thank you!).  We also did some shopping at a silk embroidery workshop which was very similar to the one we had visited in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Halong Bay is on every list of places to see before you die.  All of the passengers were on deck at 9 a.m. to experience sailing through the most beautiful vista of rock islands in the world (although the New Zealanders claim that there are similar sights in their country, too).  We stood for almost two hours, mesmerized, taking photos, and trying to soak it all into our memories.  The sky was clear and the view was breathtaking.

After the ship anchored near Halong City, Jeff and I took the junk boat tour of the islands.  The tour took us to a recently-discovered cave as well as to a floating fishing village.  People live very primitively.  There is no schooling for the children, and there is no health care for the families.  We were able to disembark at one of the houses, and observed how the people sustain themselves.  The houses are very small, and there were no beds - just hammocks.
Mom and Dad took the tender to Halong City, where they encountered hoards of women and children begging and following them.  They were very unnerved.  They hired a rickshaw to take them to the local market.  Dad tore his pants getting into the rickshaw, which only added to their unease.  The highlight of their visit was buying a pair of "custom-made" sandals for $6US.  Mom chose the soles and the top strap, and watched the woman create a fashionable pair of shoes.

On formal night, we all dressed up for dinner.  The excellent Filipino cover band played in the main atrium, and Mom and Dad danced.  They got applause, especially from the Chinese passengers who also snapped their photos.  Dad's sore hip doesn't seem to affect him when he's dancing or playing golf!

On Thursday morning, we arrived back in HK to rain - a good excuse to laze around, unpack, sort the laundry, and relax.  Later that afternoon, we taxied to IFC mall so that Mom and Dad could experience one of HK's premier high-end shopping malls.  They were impressed (but bought nothing).  After dinner, I led them through the mall, across the elevated covered footbridges, and up the escalators to our apartment.  Lots of walking, lots of new sights.

I finally got to show Mom and Dad my favourite HK building on Friday morning - the Central Library.  We then walked through Causeway Bay in the pouring rain to meet Jeff at Din Tai Fung for dim sum.   Unfortunately, it is impossible to cross the intersections at street level in this area.  We had to climb up and down two steep flights of 30 steps in order to get to the restaurant.  Like Jeff says, HK is a perpetual step class.  Lunch was delicious, and Dad even practised using chopsticks.  That evening, we had yummy Peking duck at Peking Garden in the Pacific Place mall.

Before their trip to HK, Mom kept saying that she wanted to go to Shenzhen, China to shop (blog April 21).  I had to convince her that we should leave Dad at home with Jeff.  Once we arrived at the Lo Wu mall, she understood my warning.  Thousands of tiny shops and many pushy salespeople following us around shouting "Missy, buy a handbag" or Missy, buy a DVD".  We bought gifts and then had a quiet lunch at the Shangri-La Hotel across the street.  After lunch, I showed Mom around the 5th floor of the mall, where all the tiny tailor shops are located.  She was most impressed with the fabric hall in the centre of the shops.  Row after row of every kind of fabric imaginable.
Dad and Jeff had a great day while we were in China.  They went to the Ohel Leah synagogue for services, and then stayed for the kiddush lunch.  Dad met the new Rabbi, who studied at McGill, and who knows Rabbi Steinmetz at Dad's shul in Montreal.  Jeff also introduced him to our friends, Ursula and Stephen, and Howard (from Toronto) who is the director of the HK Jewish Film Festival (next blog!).  We had befriended a couple from Melbourne on the cruise, and they were also at services.
Later that afternoon, Jeff took Dad to the HK Museum of History.

Sunday was another "walk your feet off" day for Mom and me.  We visited the crowded Sunday markets of Kowloon - the flower market, bird market, and ladies' market.  The highlight was definitely the egg tart on Nathan Road!  Unfortunately, Mom was not wearing good walking shoes, so by the time we met up with Jeff and Dad, she was hobbling along.  Dad and Jeff had also done a lot of walking through the Museum of Art.  I think Jeff and I had finally worn them out!



We saved one of HK's best attractions for last:  a trip across the harbour on the Star Ferry.  Mom and Dad left smiling, happy, and full of memories.