Asia Trip: Hong Kong

Originally, Hong Kong was planned as a mere stop over on my way back to Vancouver. But the three days that I spent there were amazing, and enough to convince me that I needed to return. One of the key memories that I have of the trip is the time spent in Lan Kwai Fong, or LKF for short. LKF is Hong Kong's bar district, and our night there was filled with bar-hopping while sampling specialties from each establishment we visited, including Vodka shots in the cold room of a Russian bar, to Jello Shot's from Al's Diner, and in fine Hong Kong form, we ended the night with Dim Sum at a nearby restaurant that doesn't open until 4am.

Unfortunately, I wasn't willing to take my camera to LKF, so most of my pictures on this site are of scenery =D

I met up with a childhood friend of mine who lives in Hong Kong, and he showed me a few of the sites. This is a shot of Hong Kong side from Kowloon side, after taking the Star ferry across.

Another shot of Hong Kong side.

An egg tart, from *the* Hong Kong bakery. Yup, the one that the former Governor General of Hong Kong frequented. I think I ate my first egg tart at a dim sum restaurant in Mississauga, and I've loved them ever since, but I don't think anything could have prepared me for how delicious this one would be.

A bit later, we headed up to the peak for some shots of Hong Kong at night.

The weather was extremely fickle - we were at one point caught in a torrential downpour - but fortunately the sky cleared up for long enough to take this, one of my favourite shots ever.

Prior to racing off to the airport to catch a flight back to Vancouver, we went to the Aberdeen Marina Club for dim sum. Again, delicious food, and gorgeous scenery.

I think I could grow to get used to this city.

Asia Trip: Hua Hin

After three days of non-stop touring in and around Bangkok, we headed to Hua Hin to enjoy the four ceremony-filled days of the Indian Wedding.

We stayed at the Sheraton....

...it was adequate....

....yup...just adequate....

...Ok, it was actually a pretty awesome hotel =D

The hotel's pool snaked around the central area. One of the wedding events was held poolside, with little cabanas set up and decorated just for the event.

After one of the late night events, I was able to take a gorgeous shot of the sunrise, reflected in the hotel's infinity pool. Required precarious handling of my camera inches about the pool surface, while significantly inebriated. The shot was worth it.

The actual wedding ceremony was held in a structure constructed and decorated specifically for the event. The event was held at sunset.

Shot of the Bride being carried away after the ceremony was complete.

The four days we spent there were nothing short of amazing. From the food menus at all times of day, to the planned events and after parties, every detail was planned, designed, and executed flawlessly.

Asia Trip: Bangkok

Shortly after our busiest month of the year at work, I flew to Thailand for a destination wedding. While the wedding was in Hua Hin, I made stops in Bangkok and Hong Kong along the way. The trip was my first one to East Asia, and did not disappoint.
After nearly missing my flight (an exaggeration, but only a slight one) due to some tight work deadlines, some desperate last minute packing, and an unfortunately timed demand from CRA to file a tax return, I arrived in Bangkok 19 hours later - tired, hungry, and severely jetlagged... and miserably hot.

I hit the streets soon after arriving, and quickly sampled the authentic Thai cuisine. I generally avoided street food in advance of the wedding, but I did give those spring rolls a try.

Green curry with a fried egg at a nearby restaurant that catered to tourists. Cost? $3, and delicious - except for the peas - I didn't realise at the time, but they were actually "pea eggplants", and quite frankly, tasted awful. I enjoyed green curry in Thailand a lot more after learning to avoid the peas.

I returned to the hotel to try to watch TV and stay awake until night time when my parents and sister were scheduled to land in Thailand.

I woke up 6 hours later to the sound of them banging on my hotel door.

After completely ruining my chances of kicking my jet lag, my sister and I decided to head to a local bar to catch the second semi-final of the World Cup, which kicked off around 2am. As with the rest of the world outside North America, the local Thais were serious about their football.

After a night of no sleep, we left early to hit the usual tourist spots. We visited various temples, including the temple of the emerald Buddha, and the Grand Palace.

Wat Pho, home of the famously large reclining Buddha statue - emblamatic of the Buddha after having reached Nirvanna.

Wat Arun - The temple of the dawn. The original site of the capital before being moved across the river. Note the steep profile, which we climbed for a great view of the city.

Another theme that struck me was the colourful public transportation.

After a rough day of touring, we stopped at an upscale Thai Restaurant across from Wat Arun, where we had a delicious Tom Yum Gai soup.

Unfortunately, my camera charger was a casualty of my poorly planned packing. My camera battery died, and I missed out on taking pictures of among other things, the Thai cultural show, and the floating market. I was able to buy a knock-off version at a Thai mall, in time for the wedding in Hua Hin.

World Cup Quarter Final: Argentina vs. Germany

Went to bed 3:00am... set my alarm for 5:00am... woke up at 6:00am, ironically, to the sound of my phone from friends I was supposed to meet within 10 mins... finally got to Cafe Roma at 7:15am (15 minutes after the game started, and 12 minutes after the first goal), and got my first dose of caffeine at 7:35:am....

...and then the atmosphere started to sink in. The Cafe was snugly packed, and the aromas of coffee and bacon were strong. The mood was tense - most of the patrons were sporting Argentina gear (and sweats), Argentina was down one goal, and the German attack was relentess.

Watching the match it was easy to admire Germany's clinical style - clean defense and pentrating attacks, they made quick work of Maradonna's boys, sealing the deal with a number of goals in the second half.

My lasting impression of the match however was the Cafe itself - the strong sense of football culture was palpable. The jerseys, the vuvuzelas, and the willingness of all these people to wake up at an ungodly hour and cram into this tiny Cafe was impressive.

Define Canada

After the fireworks show was over, and the crowds poured past the re-lit Olympic cauldron, I took a moment to sit down on the now empty stage and just... absorb; the warm air, punctuated by the occasional chilly breeze; the chatter of hundreds of festive (and sometimes, inebriated) revelers; the soft glow of the city lights; and the golden splendor of flames emerging from the cauldron.

I couldn't help but feel a little warm inside over it all; it was as if the cauldron had been re-lit inside of all of us, and just for one day, we stopped, reflected, and celebrated the magnificence of this place we call home.

And just as quickly as these feelings had been rekindled, the flame was extinguished, to the collective sounding of "awwww" from those around.

Tomorrow, Vancouver will return to it's status as a "No-Fun City", with red Canada t-shirts and Canada flag capes replaced by power suits and trench coats, but true Vancouverites will know that deep down, we still wear those colours proudly in our hearts - those cauldrons remain lit.

I can't help but reminded of the poem recited by slam poet Shane Koyczan at the Opening Ceremony for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, "We Are More". The poem follows, along with select pictures taken during the day.

"we are more" by Shane Koyczan

define Canada

you might say the home of the Rockets or the Great One
who inspired little number nines
and little number ninety-nines
but we're more than just hockey and fishing lines
off the rocky coast of the Maritimes
and some say what defines us
is something as simple as please and thank you
and as for you're welcome
well we say that too



 but we are more than
genteel or civilized
we are an idea ie process
of being realized
we are young
we are cultures strung together
then woven into a tapestry
and the design
is what makes us more
than the sum total of our history



we are an experiment going right for a change
with influences arranged from a to zed
and yes, we say zed instead of zee
we are the brightness of Chinatown
and the laughter of Little Italy
we dream so big there are those
who would call our ambition an industry
because we have vineyards of good year after good year



we reforest what we clear
because we believe in generations beyond our own
knowing now that so many of us
have grown past what we used to be
we can stand here today
filled with all the hope people have
when they say things like "someday"



because we are more
than just a laundry list of things to do and places to see
more than hills to ski
and countryside ponds to skate
we are the abandoned hesitation of all those who can't wait



we are first-rate greasy-spoon diners and healthy-living cafes
a country that is all the ways you choose to live
a nation that can give you variety
because we are choices.
we are millions upon millions of voices shouting
"keep exploring... we are more"



we are the surprise the world
has in store for you
it's true
Canada is the "what" in "what's new?"
so don't let your luggage define your travels



each life unravels differently
and experiences are what make up
the color of our tapestry
we are the true north
strong and free



and what's more is that
we didn't just say it
we made it be.

Bonne Fête du Canada, everyone.