Dear Friends,

I’m still alive and well here in Hong Kong, having weathered a few rounds of thunderstorms from inside my hotel! There were moments in the early morning when the thunder was so loud it felt like a bomb was going off.  When the storms subsided today, I ventured outdoors to tour the city in the light rain. What a fascinating place! I walked through the colorful street markets, rode the double-decker street carts, and took a trolley up to The Peak, the perch 1,300 above the city that offers a panorama in good weather. Unfortunately, the clouds were so low today that they covered the Peak and the panoramic view. But it was still fun and refreshing to above the city, literally standing in the clouds as I thought about flying back home again.

Life in Hong Kong is fast-paced and people and traffic are everywhere. I enjoyed trying “real” Chinese food and quickly realized that the native foods here are different from what we call Chinese food in the states. For example, among the many fish dishes they serve is the delicacy, shark fin soup; they also serve their famous Peking Duck and many varieties of Dim Sum (snacks) such as steamed barbequed pork buns and rice rolls filled with meat, fish or vegetables.

I’ll explore the city more again tomorrow as I wait for the weather in my flight path to clear!