Taking shelter from the rain in brightly painted hindu temples, with a million gods and goddesses ranging from elephant to monkey look-alike ones, that scattered little india in total serenity during midday humidity, hopping from random chinese to sikh temples with german language lessons and practices along the way, sharing whatever we could about us, Singapore.... Company was good and it was nice to have some german injection. I havnt lost it all.

Little india was always on the to do list but we never got down to doing it till visitors came and we did it with them for the first time. Deepavali was meant for Little india's street lightings and indian crusin but WORK pushed it to 2nd priority. What a shame. Well... late is better than never oder? =)

Colourful bright lights stood out in the dark along the calm river. What a nice place for a stroll but rip-off competitive dinner! The night seemed young, savoring every single bit of it. beauty discovered. The red round lanterns feel like chinese new year, something that i last experienced almost 2 years ago. Turkish ice-cream was again on the agenda, with fun and more intelligence this time round! New chemistry noted between this couple.

Hugs were exchanged and looking forward to the next meeting with great people despite the short acquaintance. smiles in happiness and satisfaction.

Hong Kong

Under the influence of Sami, we found an opportunity to slip away to Hong Kong. We spent the days roaming the streets, those that tourist trudged and those that we stumbled upon, all the while avoiding the puddles made by air-conditioners. The locals were mostly very impolite and impatient despite me speaking in Cantonese. Hong Kong was Orchard Road on a Sunday, everyday. If I closed my eyes, I could visualise people nudged off overcrowded buildings and plummeting onto the streets. We intoxicated ourselves with Hong Kong cuisine, which was seriously vegetable deficient.


"Chinese eat everything with 4 legs except a table, anything with wings except an aeroplane, and everything underwater is fair game." I tried pigeon(above) and roasted goose on this food pilgrimage to HK! I even had a recommendation list of food from my mum=) Meals were planned properly to ensure that there were sufficient opportunities to try the wide array of food! It was crazy!




Lan Kwai Fong-the clubbing bar clark quay area in HK!


The ability to speak Cantonese gave us an advantage to shop and eat without being rip off and we blended in well until nic started speaking in English! When our legs could carry us no further, the MTR snaked us around.



We made a journey to "the enchanted land of Walt Disney" (as said through the train PA), but since we were unwilling to pay the entrance fees, the gates of Disneyland were forbidden to us. So we lazed outside the walls and listened to the magical music in fairyland.







After 3 days, we made exit to Macau, and weathered a raining day on the streets. Egg tarts, nice architecture and milky Taiwanese milk tea were exceptionally memorable! 4 days that seemed like a week. Perfect.




Michael volleyed this question once: Why do people travel when it is such a waste of resources? Would it not be better if we all sat in front of the TV and watched travel programs? Perhaps he is not completely off the mark. I judge, that there are quite a number of "travelers" who fall into this category. In fact, even when you ask me, what did I learn about HK, I dare not type anything for fear that it is not 100% factual. We did not visit any particular place, building, or attraction that I can brag to anyone about, and the brief write-up on the history of HK from the travel guide is already blurring away. What has been (sort of) internalised are the neon infested streets, rough and rowdiness of the crowd, harried expressions on people's face, a sort of distant madness, the stinging taste of salted meat, and the air that ties a nook around one's neck... and there are many many more fragments. Sitting in front of a TV watching local actors doing a Cantonese food tour, I will immediately know that my HK wasn't as rosy as that portrayed in the pixels. That is, of course, not to put a negative connotation on HK. For the HK I am left with is sure to be an outlier against many many other opinions or writings. But so what? Honestly, I don't know. So what if I know a bit more about HK? I just want to ok? Besides, the act of traveling itself is something that I like doing. If I can use what I learn to make the world a better place, then perhaps, from a larger context, my traveling can be justifiable. Put from my own point, if I think it is enriching in a way, then, isn't that a good enough answer Michael?

"Partially adapted from Eternal Pilgrimage"

Heute war es sehr schoen, die Gelegenheit zu haben, mit Erik zu chatten. Es war lange hier, seit das letztes Treffen oder Unterhaltung. Er konnte jetzt ein bisschen Chinesisch und er hat ein bisschen mit mir geuebt=) Ich erinnere mich daran, die Zeit, die wir zusammen in Deutschland verbracht haben. Es war echt toll! Parties! Discos! Essen! Alles!

Ich habe einiges vermisst, die ich in Deutschland hatte. Die Leute, dis Gesellschaft, die Sachen die wir gemeinsam gemacht haben. Machmal finde ich es sehr schade, dass alles schon vorbei ist, obwohl ich damals die Zeit sehr gut genossen habe. Viele Sachen sind nicht mehr die Gleiche und ich kann die auch gar nicht aendern. Tut mir wirklich leid.

Man soll auf die Zukunft freuen und nicht immer ueber die Vergangenheit nachdenken und darueber weinen. Alles laeuft nicht immer bei Plan.

Meine allle Liebe Freunden, treffen wir uns wieder irgendwann im Leben. Machs gut!

Lg,
jackie