The ache in my chest is much better...still a bit sore though. Maybe delayed exhaustion from the heat.
L. and I spent the weekend in Hong Kong. The train transportation between GZ and HK rocks! It was a very comfortable ride, to and from.
Once in, we breezed through customs and took public transportation (another easy mode of transportation around HK) to the JHF office to pick up information about staying at the flat. We shared it with another JHF associate, B., who, with his family, lives in Xiamen. He's lived here since 1988 with his wife and two sons. His sons are teens and speak Chinese fluently. He is very enthusiastic about Xiamen and welcomed us over numerous times.
The first day (i.e. Friday) - we walked to a sandwich shop for dinner. I wasn't too hungry, opting for a bowl of clam chowder (which wasn't that great), and L. for a toasted turkey sandwich. (You don't get turkey on the mainland - well, not cheap anyway).
Saturday - starting early this afternoon, L. and I went through all the places that we went to the first time we met each other over a year ago. It was fun to reminisce about that day. We took a ferry ride to the HK island, went to Taco Loco for lunch, visited Starbucks and HMV, and took the ferry ride back to Kowloon. We rode the moving sidewalks up to Taco Loco and walked back down, like we did last year. We stopped by to buy a few groceries (just a few...very expensive here) before heading back to the transit flat to rest. Hong Kong is a busy, dense, crowded city with a rhythm that tends to drain me as well as intrigue me. L. likes it because it is a change of pace from the mainland. We later went to Yoshinoya's for dinner.
Sunday - the rain really poured this morning! L. and I ran through it to catch a bus for church. After the service, a couple folks, B. L. and I went to a nearby buffet for lunch. We just relaxed in the flat (due to the rain) till dinner and then went to a nearby mall, which served Indian food. It is about a 30-story office building with a pretty amazing mall inside. It contained a high ceiling and the 2 longest escalators I'd ever ridden on. Stairs and stores wound around the escalators in a "spiral" fashion. The whole place was very non-symmetrical, very 21st century. The ceiling was lit up sky-blue with wispy white cloud-like images, like the ceilings in some of the hotel-malls in Las Vegas. Large TV screens played bright commercial images. We bought food at the food court there (L. didn't approve of the "indian" food, so she had some Thai, I got the Indian) and took it home to eat.
Monday - we headed back home today, since I have my class this evening. The train ride took us through a violent rainstorm, which we later learned killed a couple of people in HK. We were served a cool drink on board and slept most of the way. Upon getting to the station, I picked up a few blank entry cards, since it had Chinese and English on it, thinking it'd be a good learning tool for the English class.
On my way to class (L. was feeling a bit out of it, so she stayed home), I dropped by a nearby barber shop to give the promised Bible and Dad's letter to "C". He was there, along with most of his family in their shop. They were very friendly and invited me to sit and chat. I didn't say too much, not knowing what to say. I did notice that 5-6 people gathered intently around the Bible, looking through it and reading Dad's letter. They seemed quite curious about it. I asked if they wanted more copies, but they said it was enough to share. I wish I could follow up with them somehow to see if they had any questions. I left wondering if it'd be a good idea to drop by again.
