Lamma Island

Lamma is a small island off located south of Honk Kong Island. It has a couple of small villages dedicated to supplying many of the fish and seafood to the large Hong Kong restaurants. Everywhere you looked there was live fish and fresh fruit. Everyone was so friendly and happy Dawn and I walked through the villages on our way to different beaches. We stopped for a while to rest. I decided to take a walk along the beach in the water. It was cold at first but I got used to it. I thought about swimming but it was not that warm.

Stanley Market

Monday morning. Oh what a great feeling. You all have felt it. It's the first Monday of your vacation. When everyone else is going to work and you get to sleep in until 10. Absolute bliss. But not only is it my first day of vacation but it began in Hong Kong. My first adventure was goig to Stanley Market. But first Dawn and I made a few wrong turns on the way the the market. But it was a pretty clear day in the Stanley Market is a shopping area packet full of shops, stores and merchants offering you anything and everything for cheap prices and not so cheap prices.

I shopped around with my friend Dawn for several hours. I don't mind shopping in markets like this when there is something new and fun around every corner. We looked at artwork, clothes, shoes and lots of little knick-knacks. There is so much shistuff here you and it seems to be coming from nowhere.

After our long shopping experience we decided to stop for some food at the Stanley Markey Restaurant. "That was some good food there", my friend Dawn just said as I am typing this update, and she is right. We had won ton soup and some yellow curry with chicken. Served with a nice cold bottle of TsingTao beer, light and refreshingly smooth. Check out the pull tabs. Have not seen those since the late 70's.

Walking out the store we saw this wonderful reminder of SARS. If you are caught spitting it can be up to at $5000HK fine, which is almost $1000USD. So if you chew tobacco when you come to Hong Kong you better make sure you don't spit or it will be an expensive trip for you.

Moscow Layover

Finally made it out of Warsaw. My trip began at 4:00pm on Saturday afternoon then quickly pause for TWELVE HOURS in Moscow. Oh yes, what a wonderful time that was. This was my third visit to the airport but only the first where i was not able to leave. I had to stay for a layover on my way to Hong Kong. Did I tell you it was TWELVE HOURS from 8pm to 8 am. Let me set the scene for you. When you walk out of the tunnel into the entry area you are greeted by two frowning and depressed old ladies. Both look as if they have just stepped out of a oxygen deprived case. With cigarettes in hand and ready to explode they shuttle me off to the duty free zone. Here i meander around for a few minutes trying to find a hot spot or some wi-fi. I was totally not expecting to find anything remotely resembling a hot spot and I was correct. However, I did find a bar that had a plug-in for my laptop. As I hooked up the computer I was ecstatic to discover i had service. So i ordered my beer, for 150 Rubles and began to make some Skype calls.

While sitting and enjoying my time I was interrupted by a young Swedish woman on her way bay from Thailand stuck in the lovely place like myself. (Hello Towa if you are reading.) She yelled to me,"Are you getting wi-fi?" I pulled the headphone plugs out of my ears and said, "What?". She repeated and I told her yes. She came over and she too was very happy to get mentally away from this place. The evening passes with subtle talking and finally time to find a place to sleep. I strolled around the airport looking for a quiet smoke free zone. NOT happening. So i curled up under the bronze colored, smoke filled,asbestos covered ceiling and went to sleep.

Then finally I boarded the flight to Hong Kong and was pleasantly surprised again to have an open seat next to me. Oh it was nice to sleep and wake up in Hong Kong.

Happy Holidays from Hong Kong

Athens

I thought i would catch up on some of my past travels. In this posting you will see some of the many beautiful sites of Athens. I was in there earlier this year for a conference. After I finished my daily presentations I would head out about 1:00 in the afternoon to explore the city. Around every corner you see amazing pieces of architecture and artwork.

The Parthenon sits high above the city watching the modern city below grow and develop. At the birthplace of democracy you will be amazed by the many wonders. Cobble stoned streets with countless of venders selling everything from DVDs and handmade table cloths from Indian ladies to SpongeBob balloons and designer knockoff bags. Make sure when you are there to cut the price in at least half and barter with them. They pay nothing for the stuff cause a lot of it is stolen or copied.

Now the night life. Oh what a place for fun and crazy times. The bartenders free pour and the music is great. This city can easily keep you out to 6 in the morning. Great food too. When you are coming down from the back side of the Parthenon make sure to stop at one of the many great Gyro stands. Fresh fruit and amazing pieces of art. Take it all in and watch the people. Most people are friendly and will talk about anything. Just be smart. Try something different and enjoy the food. And talk about fresh seafood...ooowee is it good.
My advice is to ask the locals at the cafes where they like to eat. They live there and know the best places to go. Plus ask the owners or bartenders what to order. Trust me.

Ok, enough of that. Enjoy Athens when you are there. Talk soon

Murf