Scoop from Singapore

I should have known that eating was going to be an experience, since Jeremy and I have two very different takes on fine cuisine. Still, we let him lead and he decided on a tiny, hole in the wall place where the staff did not speak English and they did not have an English menu. Think of a take out place where you wait to pick up your food. That's where we were. Alicia and I pretty much walked out within the first minute, but the man assured us that one of his diners (there were 3) spoke English and could translate for us. I explained to him that I only ate chicken and rice, but Jeremy suggested he picked his favorite food for us to try, so within 2 minutes we had gelatin-like mushroom soup and curry squid. Then came fish balls and some veggies, but I was not impressed. Since Alicia and I hardly ate there, we got to pick another place to try out, where I got a a very nice dish of fried rice with vegetables.

We went to a karaoke bar because it was Jen's birthday, but after such a long day we headed back to they hostel before 10. We watched some television before passing out, but got up early the next morning to head to Disneyland Hong Kong.

I've never been to any Disney before, but as much fun as I had I have to admit that the hype about Disney was a little much. (I'm also nearly 21 and was in Hong Kong, so maybe that had something to do with it.) We were such thrifty moms though, and packed peanut butter, jelly, and a loaf of bread so we didn't have to pay for expensive park food. Thank good, since they served noodles and rice instead of pizza and chicken nuggets. I think my favorite part of the day was seeing all of the different shows and performances. It made me miss dancing a lot, but remember how much I loved performing.

All weekend we took pictures the three girls, and then one of Jeremy, but at some points he went a little picture happy and made us take them in front of silly things. This photo is one example of our joy for this. When I get home you will have to ask me to see the entire trips photos though. There is a fun trend to them.

After watching the fireworks at the end of the night, we headed back to the main strip where out hostel was, and planned to get something to eat. Somehow we returned to that first restaurant Jeremy love and affectionate named "Uncle Bob's." This evening there was a college aged girl who helped us order, and did so a little more effectively. Since it was Friday during Lent I wasn't eating meat, so I asked her to order me rice and mixed vegetables. Unfortunately, that didn't translate perfectly and I ended up with a bowl of rice and a bowl of bean sprouts. Still, it was edible and I dealt with it.

We headed back to our hostel and were disappointed when the television stopped working. To pass the time before bed we passed around a juice box and took turns telling a bedtime story. Very cute, but I think Jeremy was killed in the story about 8 times.

On Saturday we slept until 10 before exploring the city. I am not sure exactly what I was expecting Hong Kong to be like, but it didn't really match my vision. Maybe it's because I've been in South East Asia for so long now and have visited so many different cities. But this one just reminded me of the rest of them, with a little more NYC in it. We even visited Time Square and walked past all of the designer stores. During the day we also walked through some parks, one that had an "Olympic Stadium" in it. I took this as a good sign that the Olympics and China would meet for me again!

The best thing I think we did in Hong Kong was visit Victoria Peak, which overlooks all of Hong Kong. The city, as you may be able to see from the clothes in the pictures, was much colder than Singapore and a big adjustment. I would just like to state again, how happy I am to be missing winter by being hear. On top of the peak was most cold though, and combined with the wind was almost unbearable. We saw the view at both the day and in the evening, and it was much more beautiful at night.

On Sunday we headed back to Macau to explore "the Las Vegas of South East Asia," but were disappointed. I have never been to Vegas, but I am pretty sure if I traveled there 40 years ago, Macau may have resembled it. It was an old looking city, with little to do other than the casinos, I suppose. We went to a market that was disappointingly small, and I was then served my worst meal of the semester. They, again, did not have English menus, but the owner spoke very good English. I asked him for rice and chicken, which I thought was pretty basic. What I got, though, was a chicken, sliced in half, boiled, and his bones removed. It was awful and I was done before the dish even got to the table. Jeremy told me he likes eating around me. We visited some parks and Jeremy made us pose for more pictures, and then we just headed to the airport early.

On another note, I want a Chinese baby. Does anyone think they can help me?! haha. All of the children here are beautiful, so if anyone is thinking of adopting I strongly recommend a Chinese girl.