Lors de mon séjour dernier à HK...j'ai été bien ravie de rencontrer mes grand-parents..

À ma grande surprise, mon dernier souvenir d'eux à ma dernière rencontre à 12 ans, grandma était une ptite femme bien grassette et bien en forme, et mon grand-pere, fumait comme une cheminée et chantonne sans arrêt ses vieux folkclores chinois traditionnels.

Le jour venu....je les ai reconnu du premier coup, mais la vieillesse me laisse un sentiment surette dans le coeur. Grandma a beaucoup maigri, l'alimentation devant être surveillée drastiquement due au diabète...ainsi que les problèmes de yeux...jcrois des cataractes...qui fait qu'elle voit flou...Grandpa est maintenant son 'bâton pour les aveugles', pour lire les mots et indications partout!! Dire qu'il me parait aussi très impossible...de vivre toute une vie jusqu`a 75ans...inalphabète...pas pouvoir lire aucmes un journal dans son propre pays??

Ma mère ressemble à grandma...et Je ressemble a Mom...haha  je sais ce qui m'attend, quand jserai une ptite vieille!!! En espace de quelques heures, j'ai pu explorer différents quartiers résidentiels, aller chez 2 de mes oncles ( grand et ptite frère à MOM ), le plus jeune habite dans un  appart de 1000pieds carrés ...troop spacieux comme résidence en haut d'une caserne de pompier....grand oncle habite en montagne, à deux rues de mes grand-parents, logement typique...propre, étroit, mais bien pour une petite famille!! et celui des grandparents est le plus vieux et petit...dur à croire qu`ils y sont resté des dizaines d'années là à 5 personnes dans 2 petites pièces. C'est juste assez différent la valeur familiale ici...comparemment à la maison...c'est quand même une grosse différence...l'importance au temps passé en famille...ils mangent un déjeuner Dim Sum tous ensemble, ou font un souper maison et soirée MahJong, religieusement les samedis lorsque tous ont congés...bref...je crois que je deviens Parent un jour...je trouverai ca important...de fêter les fêtes de chaque membre de famille, se gâter de cadeaux, ainsi que de manger souvent en grosse famille...l'ambiance est si chaleureuse =)

GZ

Guanzhou..is a nice place to stay..to study or to work??

Since the very first time of my arrival...i have been kept so busy!! Meeting all of Julie's classmates, we are out all the time...barely have time to rest!!

This two weeks' highlights:

- Full house at Julie's: Usually 3 roomates ( Julie, Alvin and Christin )...we are now 6 ( julie & me, Alvin & frd Adrian, Christin & sister Natalia )....everyone has a friend in their beds!! 4 girls and 2 guys...sometimes, conversations are endless in the living room =) It'S also my first time meeting Indonesian origin ppl...but they are so Chinese looking!! The sound of their language is quite fun to hear as I always observe and give this amazement look when I listen to their conversations in between them!

- Street food in Eviann's home area...DAMN delicious...wontons bowls for 3$, desserts for 4$, Pot rice for 20$...and so cheapppp ( currency...divided by 6.5 for CAD$)...i wanna scream why we can't enjoy this homemade cheap delicacies back in MtL...

- Friday night's clubs hopping: 3 clubs in one night (Club Nova, HeiHei & New Era)...opened until 6 AM...I was surprised how late it's opened til...makes ppl go to McDonalds at 5-6-7am...and oblige them to order breakfast instead of a Big Mac?? LoL it was death the next day....

- SHOPPING obsviously..i walked so much i basically ruined 2 pairs of New sandals brought in HK the previous week...i Do not know how stuff is gonna fit in my luggage but i will find a way..But even tho the prices are outrageously cheap...I have not carefully checked the coutures enough...one chemise's front was not well sewed =( will need to get mommy to fix it...so can't wear it here yet BOuuh

-Cantonfair: biggest commercial fair ever in China...felt like real professional, wearing the BUYER badge and representing Julie's family business to wander around the fair with the indonesians roomate!

- Felt my mandarin wasn't that lost after those years as I get to speak to every new ppl i meet...funny to hang around with koreans, japanese and thai student groups....but therefore after greeting them in their language...we speak mandarin together..and broken english XD

- Went to the coolest karaoke today....KARAOKE & BUFFET in the room unlimited for 3 HOURS...only 47$ per pers....huge buffet hall to get food...and we sang until no voice...It was worth skipping afternoon class for Julie & Alvin haha, we are such bad influence...but it was the nicest excuse...for Adrian's farewell since he's going away the next 2 days...but we'll be so busy to be able to gather all the roomates together XD

- Drink SOJU...korean vodka sold in beer size bottles for 15$, taste like diluted vodka...nicely mixed with beer or orange juice...predrink agogo, we get immuned by SOJU =D


More more adventures to come, and pictures to be uploaded...i' kinda hopeless with Julie's laptop ...LoL Takes forever to load FB on the proxy...and even blogspot right now was a miracle!!!



MAY 4TH: HEAD TO MALAYSIA 11.45am flight with crappy Air Asia =)

We love Hong Kong

My new toy of 400 dolla: Nikon P300

I preferred the size, speed, and the cost of this camera... although some art effects are absent compared to the Olympus! The colors even taken at night are still amazing =) Should be a good cam that i will carry until the end of my trip!!!


I'm still so amazed by the crowded streets and tall buildings...old apartments...shops...it really gives me an indescribable feeling....

Apparently...i look like a mix..or a real immigrant...or tourist is written on my fronthead...because hand me English Menus in restaurants; and say 'THIS is new arrival' when i step into any shop!! Funny!!

I was at first hesitant to call up my grandparents, as my mom was saying it might be awkward to meet them if i only saw em once at 12 years old in Canada. But this morning, I woke up with this feeling that Cmon, I'm in HK only once in my life, what if My family choke for coming this summer and if I don't pass back here...HAVE to meet THEM!  So i called...and my grandpa was a bit lost at first...and we give a Rendez vous for next morning Early Dim Sum...he still came all the way to the Hotel while I went out!! lol there was a note at the doorstep and I called back again...to then repeat the same thing to Grandma! She seems like a very cheerful and warm person...so happy to hear from me...it didn't felt that awkward afterall...and they seemed very glad to have something completely sudden coming up!!! haha i can't wait to see them tmr!!

People come and go...la theorie des fils

Why can't we get all the people together in the world that we really like and then just stay together?  I guess that wouldn't work.  Someone would leave.  Someone always leaves.  Then we would have to say good-bye.  I hate good-byes.  I know what I need.  I need more hellos.  ~Charles M. Schulz

Hong Kong, the home our roots belong to

Hong Kong, We love Hong Kong....

I can only express amazement about Hong Kong. After a few months of travelling in Asia, even if ppl look alike myself, I did not understand A WORD of what they would say to me. Now in Hong Kong, i would be able to understand any conversation ppl would bring up in between them, either if it's in the metro, restaurant, shop, it's amazing to distinguish the different subjects in the brouhaha .

It's only once I sit down at those street eateries, that I realize how much i miss real Chinese food: greasy seafood, rice in pot ( Bo tzai fan), and all the tasty desserts Tong Sui. With Eviann, we ate until we explode every night!

M Hotel, at Yau Ma Tei, near Portland street...( took me a while de remember and pronounce the names lol)

View from the 17th floor, there is a nice futon seat next to the window, where we lie down to chillax or just sit to surf on Wifi with the laptop.

Our hotel room is quite cozy & modern designed, the bed and linens are very comfortable, with a plasma HD quality Tv...watching TVB shows and news in cantonese all day....wow it's LUXURY!!! lol On my first day alone, as i got woken up to keep Eviann company for the free breakfast of the hotel before she went to work at 8am. I just stayed in the whole day chilling in the room...so far so good to get some rest from the exhausting  shopping spree!!

Hong Kong highlights up to now: 

- really like the local area of Yau Ma Tei, ppl are casual, we could walk out in our joggings to buy take out and ppl won't give your weird looks! It's the 'night market' i would call, as there are some cheap goods sell outdoors just beside the street eats cantines.

- there's a street full of fortune teller kiosks: go my face trait and hand lines read by a very nice lady. Some stuff were pretty revealing!!! but it's kinda depressing too!! =P

- traveled around the city by subway: so well indicated, too safe and clean wagons, there are English signs under the Chinese characters...You can't really get lost!!! The 'opus' card is so convenient...i love the concept of filling it with money at 7eleven and buy whatever u need at the store without having to carry some change!

- Shopped around at Tsim Sa Tseui..seemed pretty upscale brands for me, but apparently it wasn't the most classy yet! MongKok street..i would name it the Chinese Times Square..with better food at every corner!! wow i got so full of eating curry fish balls, egg waffles ( Gai dan tzai ) & all kinds of shakes on the streets!! and everything is so lively, shops were not even closing at 11pm...spending a day shopping there is simply very dangerous...risk  of bankruptcy!!!

Lazy evenings...our delicious take outs to eat in front of the Tee-Vee!!
There were no bowls to eat the Yeung Chow fried rice...haha used the hotel's tea cup to eat!!
ahh We miss homemade food!!

Materialistic

The next morning of my journey in Hk...spendings are unrolling fast...

- a pair of good RAYBAN...finally!!
- Shu Uemura kit of cream: was in need of intensive skin care... Indeed felt good to pamper ourselves with exfoliation & mask in the evening! The shop gave a free PURPLE hard shell hand carry size suitcase since our purchase altogether went over 5000 hk!!! so happy i dont need to find another suitcase to bring back!!
- Can't wait to buy a new camera..struggling in between the Lumix LX5 or Olympus XZ-1...White cameras are soo pretty!!!!

April 16th: heading to GuanZhou....

i have high expectation for cheap cheap bargains on clothing, shoes & earrings!!! can't wait to see this other side of CHINA

Dans un monde de fourmis, il n'y a rien que des fourmis..( quote de mathieu qui chante)

Felt so happy to be able to make it to Bangkok without any Visa fees (15days free for transit time), to be able to do the 3 places i haven't seen yet in Thailand! Also so glad to finih visiting Laos right on time, to be able to catch up with Jayne, withom i traveled a good 2 months before splitting up, the day she had to catch her flight back to Montreal! Time just passes so fast!!

After a few busy days running around in bangkok ( went around the city by crazy tuktuk drivers, walked Japan town, Chianatown, shopping Siam district, Dusit zoo)... Ouf we finally have some time to rest in koh chang!! I kinda missed the nice calm beach (as the ones in vietnam were very wavy and the wind was cold)! It was also a great time to SLEEp as pat n me went through the most uncomfortable allnighter train From nonghai ( city after the lao border near vientiane) to bangkok (14h, from 7pm..arrival at 10am.. One hour of sleep?)! That was why the tix was only 220 bahts (6$)!?! It was straight seats, two by two, face to face with two strangers!! Our back was in pain hahaha! And we stil havent recoveted from all the lack of sleep!

For a start, We celebrated patsya's 23rd anniversary with 2 desserts by midnight in bangkok: mango tango dessert place and tong sui in chinatown streets!! On her Official day, we arrived in koh chang, ate at a cheerful cantine like resto (cheap food so good), and have some talk by the beach with snacks and red wine ;) ! Both nights, we had different companies!

There arent much to do in Koh Chang, except chilling, eating, napping at the beach whole day ;) ahh its such an good excuse to do nothing when it's dead hot!! Today we rent motobikes to explore the island, four of us! I rode with Mathey, a new frd from switzerland (he could speak spanish/german/croatian/ and lil french??), got my adrenaline rush! There were nice curves but sometimes quite steep, and we reached the end of the road at some point, We still wanted to continue to explore the Treehouse resort located on the beach! off roads were big challenge for our lil wheeled motobike! Better luck.. It even started pouring as we were heading back! A thai guy was maybe showing of to his frds and tried drifting with his motobike on a steep curb.. And he obsviouly slipped off and fell off his bike!! Guys are always more courageous into driving.. I think if i were driving in the complete darkness with heavy rain pouring down on me, i would be freaked out and drive at 20km/h!

Can't wait to go snorkling again!! Big trip tomorrow, doing the four islands around Koh Chang!