Having Zak and Tori together in China for a family reunion was the best thing about our trip to Wuhan.  Wuhan does not offer as much culture as Beijing but we did visit the Yellow Crane Tower and the Hubei Provincial Museum. The real highlights for me were listening to Tori and Zak’s never ending excerpts from the Simpson’s – seems there is an appropriate Simpson’s episode for every situation, the food – we ate 2 really good meals there – evidenced by the pics of the carnage left on the table and my first Karaoke experience with the kids and Zak’s friend, Eric and his girlfriend.  It was a lot of fun and yes, Stacy, I did sing Keith Urban’s “Wanna Love Somebody”, everyone helped me belt it out.  So, I am ready to KTV with you Brett!

T and I headed south to Shenzhen on the overnight “soft” sleeper – very fancy.  Arriving the next morning to a warmer, much greener world than the one I left in the north made me feel as if Beijing in winter is much like being in a black and white movie.  The vibe is different, here. The people warmer and yes, Zak, I can hear the difference in spoken language.  Not so much slurring and harsh punctuations.  But the number of people and the endless energy continues as in most Chinese cities.  I really like Tori’s school.  It is a well-kept campus and the people are very welcoming.  I met two of Tori’s classes and told the classic Tori childhood story about her eating cat food.  The kids loved it and Tori seemed a natural in front of the class.   I enjoyed a night out with her western posse with some very authentic food and spirits.

We are just back from 2 days in Hong Kong.  This city also has its own vibe and I must say I very much appreciated the break from being a laowai, nobody stares at you in HK for being western.   HK feels like New York to me with upscale shopping and transportation and the people seem much more sophisticated both in dress and demeanor,  No spitting on the streets here.  We packed a lot into our time.  Visiting Temple St mkt. the jade market, riding the ferry to Lantau Island to take the cable car up to view Tian Tan Buddha – the largest seated buddha in the world and very ancient,- built all the way back in 1993…,  multiple rides on the Star ferry,  mid level escalator rides to the antique shopping and HK Botanical Gardens and Zoo (FYI they no longer have Pandas at this zoo),  Avenue of Stars (where Amazing race was filmed last season!!),Nathan Road amble, Symphony of Light at the Harbor one night – my, we were busy.