Orienting to the Far East...: Confucius Says: Man who slings mud loses ground

Today rocked! I finally ventured out of walking distance. I don’t know why I was so afraid of the public transit here. Well, actually, I do know why I was afraid... Hong Kong has light rail, MTR (subway), regular buses, double decker buses , 3 colour coded cab companies (depending on the region), and ferries. The reason for my fear was simple... I was afraid of getting lost! However, it turns out that everything is very clearly labelled in both Chinese and English so now there are no more worries.

Where did I go? I went to Hong Kong Wetland Park. It was SO amazing! Tin Shui Wai used to be completely marshland so there were tonnes of wonderful little swampy animals. There was one area where there were butterflies EVERYWHERE; they must have been attracted to some sort of plant. I saw two snails whose shells alone would fit in the palm of my hand... I realize that is an expression commonly used to denote a very tiny size, but for snails, that’s massive. There were crabs, fish galore, a crocodile (in an enclosure), and even a giant water snake swimming along the mangroves (I emailed the park to find out what kind it is).

Ok, I’ve saved the best for last. When I was in grade 4, I did a project on fish. It’s funny because I’m fairly sure we picked our subject animal out of a hat at random. As fate would have it, I became hooked on fish... and it wasn’t just “guppy love”. In fact, my fish research touched me so much that it prompted 9 year old me to beg my parents to let me be a vegetarian so I wouldn’t have to eat fish. They let me drop fish from my diet but sadly wouldn’t let me off the hook with other animals until much later in my teens. But, I digress.... a few types of fish became my favourites: my own little pets, catfish, sharks (as anyone who had the pleasure of being around me during shark week would know) and mudskippers. (Wow, this was a long intro to a short story... Sorry, but it is important you understand just how amazing today was for me.) Mudskippers are a fish in the goby family that breathe through their skin so that as long as their body stays wet, they can stay out of the water. They walk along (and jump, dig, run, and roll) on land using their front fins. Today, I got to see mudskippers in their natural habitat!!!!!!!!!! They were so cute and hilarious. They were actually playing right in among the crabs.... I seriously could have watched them for hours. I’m in love!

Also, I definitely became the very height of Chinese fashion today. I used a sunbrella. Around here, all the women walk around with an open umbrella no matter what the weather. At first, it really caught me off guard, but now I see it’s quite practical (especially with my fair skin). I still want to tan though, while the Chinese women wish to stay as pale as possible... but it’s nice that after I’ve had enough sun I can just put my umbrella up under a blue sky and not look silly at all. It’s a very trendy sunbrella too... bright pink with cherries and flowers.

And the biggest news of all: I cooked a delicious meal (with leftovers) and the hotel is still standing in one piece. I made a bit of a stir fry with egg noodles and vegetables galore (for those who care: broccoli, celery, onion, mushroom, cherry tomatoes, baby corn, snap peas, butter beans, and tofu) then I seasoned it using only fresh garlic and ginger. It’s so healthy and I can’t believe it turned out so well! I think I shall make more for Harold when he comes... he’ll be so impressed that I might be able to pass for a good housewife after all.... all the responsibility shouldn’t lay on my wonderful househusband.

Speaking of Harold, we booked his flight!!!!!!!! He’s coming sooner than we’d originally planned because everything is pretty much done at home. He’s been working so hard he deserves to come here early, escape the rain, and relax by the pool. He’ll be flying out of Victoria this Saturday and arriving here Sunday night. I’m soooooooooooo happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Be sure to check Facebook soon for some new albums. Tonight, I will try to put up Harold’s mom’s visit to Nanaimo and also the first HK album.