Big Buddha

Despite the forecast, it was not raining when Sarah and I woke up this morning. We decided to take advantage of the weather and, after a workout at the hotel gym, headed over to the Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau Island. This spot is located near the airport so it took us a while to get out there, even with the impeccably efficient Hong Kong metro system. We patiently queued for almost an hour for the cable car up to Ngong Ping Village then set out to see the Buddha.

This cable car ride might have been more impressive if we hadn't done the Jackson Hole (Wyoming) and Sugar Loaf (Rio de Janeiro) cable cars recently. It just didn't compare. The dreary, cloudy weather didn't help but we thought it was too long of a ride considering the views (even on a clear day) don't take 35 uninterrupted minutes to take in.

Approaching the Buddha.

The whole area feels very newly constructed because, frankly, it is. This isn't a historically significant site for Hong Kong - it was constructed as a tourist attraction in 1993. That didn't take away from the awe-inspiring scale of this Buddha, but the whole village felt more like an amusement park than a historic place of worship.

At the base of the Buddha.

Looking down on the harbor.

Offerings to the Buddha.

The Big Buddha himself.

After we said goodbye to Tian Tan, we walked over to the Lo Pin Monastery - another attraction in the same area. We enjoyed the monastery more than the Big Buddha: it was less crowded and had a more authentic feel. The highlight of the day was at the Grand Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas in the monastery - a very cool sight to see!

Outside the Grand Hall...

...and inside. Really spectacular!

After making the long trip back to central Hong Kong, we were both ready for an early dinner. Fortunately, we arrived at Little Bao just as they were opening. We read about this place online and were blown away by the quality of the food - if you are ever in Hong Kong, it is imperative that you dine here! Perhaps our favorite meal of the entire trip (so far)!

Sarah and I split three small appetizers then each tried a different Bao - she had the pork, I had the chicken. Both were fantastic!

Sarah's pork...

...my chicken. Seriously, you should not miss this place!

Full and very content we headed home for an early night. If the weather cooperates tomorrow we're planning to do a hike - fingers crossed!

Culture Clash in Hong Kong

Sarah and I arrived in Hong Kong late last night. Our flight got in on time and we had no trouble with customs, baggage claim or the express train downtown. But when we arrived at the Kowloon Station, we found a LONG line of people waiting for a cab - apparently a concert had just gotten out nearby. Oh well. We were at our hotel by 1am and fell asleep almost instantly.

Today we woke up refreshed and ready to explore Hong Kong. The weather forecast is not looking promising for our time here so we wanted to get out and see the city today because, even though it's pretty cloudy, at least it's not raining. Sarah found a great brunch place, aptly named Brunch Club, and we headed there around mid-day.

When we arrived we were quickly seated outside - it's a lot warmer here than in Seoul but we happily enjoyed the change of climate! Seated next to us was a middle-aged Chinese couple. About 10 minutes after we sat down, the husband (let's call him Joe, for simplicity) started cycling through all the available ringtones on his phone. At maximum volume. Not pleasant-sounding ringtones either - think 50 or so varieties of shrill telephone chords playing loudly at a table placed only inches away from you. The entire outdoor courtyard took notice and many began clearing their throats or looking at Joe hoping he would stop. He did not. I didn't want to be rude and ask him to keep it down, so we just sat at our table silently, making understanding eye-contact with each other and our fellow (non-Joe) diners (the ringtones were too loud to carry on a conversation).

After about five minutes, Joe realized that he had attracted the attention of the entire outdoor courtyard. However, rather than apologize, Joe took out his embarrassment on us, his closest victims and easiest targets. He began staring intensely and me, then Sarah - like less than a foot from her face, glaring at her. I intervened and asked him if there was a problem. This, obviously, did not sit well with him. Joe was furious that I would assume he spoke English (though, to be fair, it wasn't an assumption as I heard him order his food in perfect English to the waiter) and began ranting at me in Chinese. Among the words I couldn't understand, Joe made sure I got his point by infusing a few choice, four-letter English words and giving me the finger. His rant included "Don't I have the right to stare at the wall?!" (which was his crazy excuse for glaring at Sarah) and concluded with "Get out of my country!" (No offense sir, but Hong Kong is the most diverse place we have been so far and includes English as an official language, not to mention we were in an American restaurant, with only English-speaking staff.)

Since there is no reasoning with a person like this, we decided it would be best to relocate inside and enjoy our meal there. The food was great and it's a very Western-friendly place to spend a few hours in if you find yourself in Hong Kong. Joe was an unwelcome addition (he passed us on his way out and we were treated to another finger salute!) but I wouldn't expect him to show his face at Brunch Club any time soon after the manager had a word with him regarding his little outburst.

Anyway...a conflict with a local was inevitable at some point. Just a bit of a jarring experience, especially at a place that attracts so many Westerners. Oh well - thanks for the story, Joe, keep it classy!

When we were done with brunch, we headed to another nearby café to relax (conflict really gets the blood moving!) and do some trip planning. We will be in Australia in less than a week so we wanted to finalize our plans there.

We wandered around for a bit after that, exploring some more of Central Hong Kong, including the aptly named Soho (similar to the trendy NYC and London neighborhoods). Fortunately, we didn't run into any protesters - there was a clash with the police tonight that apparently led to the use of tear gas. Glad we missed that!

We had planned to stay downtown for dinner but found ourselves by the waterfront around the time that the Symphony of Lights was about to begin. We hopped on a ferry across the harbor and secured a good position on the Avenue of the Stars to watch the show. It was cool to see the buildings light up in a coordinated sequence, but the skyline itself is spectacular and we would've enjoyed our time just as much without the show.

View from the ferry ride across Victoria Harbor.

Almost show time. Found another couple to take our picture.

Hard to capture it all in one photo (video might've been better) but it was a great way to wind down our first day in Hong Kong!

After the show, we headed back to our hotel in the Kowloon neighborhood and grabbed some casual sushi for dinner nearby. Tomorrow looks like we'll have another dry day so we're looking forward to seeing some more of the city!

Top Takeaways - Twelve

Sarah and I wrapped up our time in Seoul without much else to report. The weather on Friday was terrible - cold and rainy all day - so we spent our time doing laundry and walking around the War Memorial of Korea. It was good to get some additional perspective on the Korean War (and the other wars the country has endured over the years) and we'd recommend it if you're looking for an afternoon to spend indoors in Seoul. We also got to see my friend Mike again for dinner - and it's always good to catch up with old friends, especially on the other side of the world!

On Saturday we took the metro to the Gangnam district and had lunch at Vatos Urban Tacos. Rather than the Tex-Mex style of tacos we're used to back home, these tacos had some Korean flare - definitely a must-visit if you find yourself in Seoul. Plus we had fun walking around the neighborhood afterward. All in all, a great way to end our time in Seoul!

We flew to Hong Kong Saturday evening and have five days here before heading to Australia. Here are out top takeaways from South Korea.

Looking back at downtown Seoul from Gangnam.

1. A huge expat community lives in Seoul, largely due to the US military presence in South Korea. This has resulted in many Western-style bars and restaurants and is highlighted most in the Itaewon neighborhood. Alex and I weren't complaining though: we had some delicious food and a proper Thanksgiving meal!

2. Despite a larger number of expats here, we noticed far fewer tourists than in Japan. Maybe it's busier when the weather is warmer, but we were a little surprised that we stood out so often as the only tourists around.

3. The city itself is not "modernly beautiful" the way Tokyo or Hong Kong can claim to be. It's clear that much of the city was rebuilt following the Korean War and this made the city feel grey and dreary in some parts.

4. Bibimbap is delicious! We really enjoyed this South Korean specialty, particularly with a side of beef bulgogi and extra kimchi.

5. Women are extremely conscience of their physical appearance. Everyone wears lots of makeup and is always dressed in the most fashionable outfits. There are also plastic surgery ads everywhere and, regrettably, our friends noted that eating disorders are very common in Seoul.

6. There isn't a ton to do when the weather doesn't cooperate. I suppose this could be said about any place but we found our options particularly limited in Seoul.

7. People love to hike! We were by far the youngest and least experienced hikers on the Bukhansan trails and we were impressed by the older people we saw making the difficult trek to the peak.

8. Korea has a sad and troubled past. Spending a day in the War Memorial really helped us understand the country's history and why the international community took such a major interest in preserving democracy here.

9. A heightened sense of smell comes with the territory. People might think NYC has some peculiar scents but it's nothing compared to the wave of sewage / garbage / unidentifiable stench that hits you on the regular while walking around Seoul. Phew!

10. South Koreans love their coffee! There must be thousands of coffee shops in Seoul - we couldn't walk one block without seeing at least two!

Peak: Hanging out with our friend Mike and meeting some of his friends in South Korea - really helped make our first Thanksgiving abroad memorable!

Pit:  Missing the opportunity to visit the DMZ due to poor weather conditions.

Next Stop: Hong Kong

Happy Thanksgiving from South Korea

I had high hopes to use the gym in our hotel - a rare amenity at most of our accommodations - in preparation for our thanksgiving feast Thursday evening but unfortunately we were both too sore from our epic climb on Wednesday. We got cleaned up and headed toward the Changdeokgung Palace for our scheduled tour. On the way we stopped by a Dunkin Donuts and - a thanksgiving miracle! - they actually had regular drip coffee (it's almost entirely espresso in this part of the world).

Properly caffeinated, we spent a couple hours touring the palace gardens with a fantastic English guide. While we didn't see many colorful trees during the previous day so we were happy that the garden was full of lush autumn-tinted foliage.

Standing in front of the entrance to the palace.

This pond was designed to represent the Korean view of the world: square pond for the earth, a circular island for the sky and the pagoda for humans.

Taking in the scenery.

The ceilings throughout the palace were beautifully decorated.

So glad the leaves were still bright and colorful!

Alex, looking straight out of a J.Crew catalogue.

Within the men's quarters.

I loved the purple berry bushes we saw during our tour.

Entrance to the women's quarters.

We wondered why most of the inscriptions appeared to be in Chinese but our host helpfully explained that Koreans previously used Chinese characters to communicate; however, as the language was generally limited to the elite, the Korean language was introduced so that everyone could learn to read and write. We left with a few questions about Korea / Asia relations and are looking forward to visiting the War Museum tomorrow to better understand the country's history.

After our tour we wanted to get a "light snack" to tide us over until our big dinner so we headed down to 5BEY in Itaewon. Enter the most incredible kimchi cheesesteak ever and some craft beers (Korea isn't known for its local beers as we have learned).

They even had Brooklyn lager!

After a few hours catching up on the computer over a few beverages it was time for Thanksgiving dinner! While we only have each other to celebrate, we are still feeling very grateful. We miss our friends and family (and have been salivating over everyone's social media posts) but are thankful for everything, including our delicious American-style meal in Seoul!

Not bad South Korea! Craftworks did a great job - the turkey and apple pie were especially noteworthy.

After dinner we were able to meet up with one of Alex's college friends who is based nearby (he's a lawyer for the army, spending a year over here). It was great catching up with him - and seeing a friendly face on Thanksgiving on the other side of the world made the evening even more special!

Exploring Seoul

Before we get into our last three days in Seoul, we put our favorite pictures from Japan in a gallery here. Hope you like them!

Sarah and I flew from Tokyo to Seoul on Monday morning. Because our flight was at 8:50am and the airports in Tokyo are inconveniently far from downtown, neither of us slept very well knowing we had such an early wake-up time. We made it to the airport with plenty of time though and were able to relax for a bit before boarding.

The flight was smooth and quick (any flight compared to our LA – Tokyo flight will seem short, I suppose) and we were checked into our hotel in Seoul by 1pm. Because we were both pretty tired, we decided to take it easy for the rest of the day on Monday: we walked around for a bit, ending up at Craftworks Taphouse for an American meal (after almost exclusively Japanese food for the last three weeks, we were ready for a break!). (We actually deliberately stopped at Craftworks to pre-pay for our Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, but Sarah will give the full scoop on that later!)

We woke up Tuesday well rested and ready to explore more of the city. We spent a few hours mapping out the rest of our time in Seoul then walked over to Namdaemun and Gwangjang Markets. We were probably spoiled by the nice markets we saw in Japan because neither of these impressed us that much. They were less charming than Tokyo – more like open-air discount rack stores than places of everyday commerce – even though Tsukiji Market reeks of fish!

After we were done exploring the markets we headed down to Hongik University – we heard the neighborhood was very similar to NYU and had lots of good bars and restaurants. Both turned out to be true. We wandered around the streets for a few hours then eventually ate dinner at THE BEASTRO, a new American place. It was amazing. Better than a lot of American meals I’ve had back home. We highly recommend a stop here if you’re ever in Seoul (though you won’t find traditional Korean style dishes here)!

We split the roasted chicken and steak. Delicious!

We woke up this morning to embark on our most physically challenging day in Seoul (and probably Asia so far): exploring Bukhansan National Park. We took a subway and a bus to get there, then checked in at the Information Center to get a map. The hike to Baegundae Peak, the highest point in the park, was described as “difficult” but only about three hours to the top - so we figured it couldn’t be that bad. Well, looking back on it, I agree that “difficult” is an appropriate description, but “climb” is definitely more appropriate than “hike.” This trek turned out to be quite challenging. The easiest parts involved steep accents on jagged staircases; the hard parts can only be described as pulling yourself up the side of a smooth boulder with the wire guardrail provided, all the while keeping in mind that the guardrail is the only thing there to prevent you from falling to your death. All that said, it was an amazing day – we were totally spent (physically and emotionally) by the end of it but very happy that we did it!

Throughout the park you can find sections of the Bukhansan Fortress – essentially a long wall. We stopped to eat lunch at this gate (passage) through the wall.

We’d already made a lot of progress toward the top at this point!

Stopped for a picture at a more elaborate gate further along the trail.

Finally made it to the top! (Didn’t stop to take many pictures along the way because that would’ve meant taking our hands off the guardrail!)

Sarah managed to shake her terrified look off just long enough for this picture. She is full of puns these days and really pushed for "We came, we Seoul, we conquered."

The view from the top.

This is one of the milder inclines, but it helps you get the picture in terms of what the “trails” were like.

We headed straight for dinner when we returned to civilization. Since we hadn’t had any traditional Korean food yet, we both decided it was time for some Bibimbap. We found a place near our hotel and devoured it before slowly walking back to the comfort of our bed. Don’t think either of us will have any trouble sleeping tonight!

Bibimbap for two plus beef bulgogi to share.