I still can't use chopsticks...

Which you think would keep me from consuming such large amounts of food, but I have managed to overcome my handicap with some creative maneuvering…usually I just spear my food toothpick style.

This weekend was another wonderful one. We were constantly on the lookout for the level 8 typhoon that was supposed to hit, but the most we experienced was a light drizzle. Saturday morning we were taken on a private tour of the Hong Kong container port run by Hutchison Whampoa Limited. The head legal counsel and the CFO of Hutchinson then took us out for a huge Cantonese country-style lunch and impressed us with their stories of body guards, attempted kidnappings, and secret meetings with foreign heads of state. Who knew Hong Kong’s port was so important and busy…it’s the 3rd largest in the world and over 7,000 trucks carrying cargo enter and exit the port every day. I then had a lazy Saturday afternoon, mainly spent digesting, and then were treated to a swanky night on the town by another Columbia alum…all I can say is I didn’t know they made bottles of Moet that big!

Sunday we took a 45 minutes ferry to the island of Lamma, on the southern side of Hong Kong Island. It is mainly populated by “fisherfolk” and famous for its clean(er) beachs, beautiful hikes, and delicious seafood. I really enjoyed the Buddhist temple, hiking through the brush to a rocky beach for the sunset, and picking out the live fish that were cooked for dinner. I did not enjoy the millions of mosquitoes, a re-outbreak of my heat rash, and huge spiders the size of my face. Nature and I have a love-hate relationship. It was really interesting how such a touristy island has maintained so much of its authentic charm—the only way to get between the two towns is walking or biking, the houses are the same run-down traditional Chinese huts, and we witnessed locals fishing, digging for clams, and tending their small farms.

Last night I also had a great dinner at a place that was featured on the Travel Channel show “Anthony Bourdain.” Highlights were the beer drunk out of bowls, the wasabi-covered cold octopus, and the spicy ox tail. Delicious.

Funny sight of the week: a room full of elderly Chinese ladies perfecting their hip thrusts in my “Bollywood fusion” Tuesday yoga/dance class. I would have taken pictures but I think that might have been rude.




Yum. They were alive.


The beach was a relief after our scary hike.


My friend Amy on the beach


I got a pedicure :)

Fishing for dinner

Dinner was looking at me.