Where will Martin go next????

Sent on July 21st, 2008:

Here in Thailand there was the buddhist lent that recently passed. The bars and stores did not sell
any alcoholic beverages. There was a parade with these high school kids and music on one of the main
streets. I do not know the significance of the Asarna Bucha Day and I could not get an explanation
from any of the locals.

Martin

Sent on July 9th, 2008:

We got to the Huynh Anh hotel in Ho Chi Minh City and they were already fully booked
and sent us to another place. Then this morning, we came back to the one we set up
with and both places were competing for our business. We will stay with the first
place and pay $18/nt. Even though I heard that there is a 25% inflation rate, our
hotel only went up $1 per night. Pretty good deal including free breakfast and free
internet access. Weather is great with not much heat nor humidity. I will try to
look up my friend Tuan who promisses us a great sea food dinner for a great price.
We are having a good time already and last night, I had good garlic sea food pasta for
about $3-4.

MJ

Sent on July 8th, 2008:

Off to HCM City Vietnam. I will start sending more pictures.

MJ

Sent on June 8th, 2008:

Hong Kong is great for shopping both discount and high end and then there lots to eat and some sights.
It's an eating shopping city with other attractions of modern architecture, and cute, and many modes of
transport. My best thing was the view of the nightly fireworks display from the public Kowloon swimming
pool. My second best thing was the lunch buffet for $8 US. The last thing was the discount shopping
area off Jordan where there were several bargains. Good thing that I am out of there, since I heard
that there was a BIG rain that flooded the streets. Sorry, but I did not take many pictures of shopping
and eating.

Off to Bangkok where I will take more pictures and learn more about the medical tourism industry.

Sent on May 27th, 2008:

I started out the day dropping my keys right on the street and walking my merry way. Fortunately, a good
samaritan caught me and told me about my keys. As I picked up my keys from the street, I smiled and said
thanks in Cantonese to her and another witness. Then I was off to Macau to check out the gambling
establishments and to see the old architecture. On my way back I absentmindedly got in the wrong line and
bought a ferry ticket back to the Hong Kong side!! (I live on the Kowloon side of HK harbor!!) When I got
off the hydrofoil, stuff didn't look right and I wandered around looking for familiar streets or landmarks.
I got worried when I saw double decker street cars. I looked for a cop and settled on asking a taxi driver.
I showed him my hotel card that he studied for awhile. Then he said, o.k. let's go. I said, just point
me in the right direction and I'll walk. In Cantonese, he says: "Man, you're on the Hong Kong side, you
can't walk there!"Then I said o.k., o.k., point me to the subway system (MTR). From there I just got on one
line, then transferred to my line and I was back home pretty quick. My hotel manager told me that I
just could have gotten on the HK Ferry back to Kowloon. However, I wandered far enough away
that I didn't really want to walk all the way back to the Ferry terminal. The MTR is well marked
in Chinese and English, so I knew what I was doing. It was a fun adventure and I rewarded myself
with a baked seafood, fried rice dish at my neighborhood Macau restaurant. I could spend more weeks
here working my way through that delicious menu.

Sent on May 25th, 2008:

Not only is there a Todai (California sushi chain) here but and other gem passed up by tourists.
I was the only one on the 10th floor of the Shamrock Hotel just outside of the Tsim Sha Tsui area.
All you can eat buffet for $63HK ($ 7-8 US) for lunch and they also have breakfast and dinner
buffets. Pretty good food with some typical fare but also had pickled pigs feet, good jook
(congee), coffee, ice cream, fruit, other desserts. That meal knocked me out for the day but I
discovered the Temple Street Night Market where I bought swim suits after my nighttime swim.

It's hard to find bargains here in expensive Hong Kong. However, you know me and I did it.
Right around the corner from my hotel. I was hungry for early dinner 4:30 p.m. SF time (breakfast
local time 15 hrs ahead). I got the best of both worlds with Macau restaurant. I had scrambled egg,
pork chops sandwich, salad, coffee for $25HK. I did a "Fred", and ordered another breakfast special
with ham sandwich with a sole fillet and mushroom gravy, coffee for $26HK. (Served btw 6:30 & 11a.m.
only!!) This breakfast is a blend of east & west, like the ABC restaurant on Noriega St., S.F. I am
getting my Asia legs now that I am doing more. It is right around the corner from my guest house room.
Check out the picture. They have eastern and western fare (sp??) and their coffee is not so good.
They serve hot water with your meals and the bill is NOT total and given to you immediately. You have
to memorize the prices to be sure you're not cheated and there is a no tip custom here.

MJ

Taxis are the old Toyota Crown sedans that I guess are well-maintained. They have those double decker
buses that were inspired by the ones in England. I took the A21 City Flyer double decker bus from the
airport to my guest house in "Mirador Mansion" on the left side of the picture. (See me waving on the
14th floor?) As you can guess/see, the place is not a mansion but adequate and safe despite the seedy
crowd that hangs out around the place. There is 24 hour security and video cameras in the elevators.
I have to take a specific elevator to get to my floor. There is always an interesting group of people
going in and out of this place. We got all kinds here with Africans, Indians, China people, Filipinos,
Americans, Europeans, Middle East & all manner of people who walk around until past 2:00 a.m. Very few
get up this early for an 7:00 a.m. breakfast, however. I have not decide what to do yet today. Either
I got to Macau or to see HK from Victoria Peak. I had my dinner (5 p.m. pacific time, 7a.m. local time)
already, so all is downhill from here. I can go swimming until 10 p.m. local time in the Kowloon Park
public pools.

Here's the first picture I took out the window from the 14th floor of my "mansion" room on the morning
after I took the 15 hour airplane ride to Hong Kong. The 1st night here I had a double room with this view
of the street. See attached. This is the south/east corner of Kowloon Park, where I swim. I have never
lived so high up. Yes, that is a Mosque with the domed roof . You can't see the MTR subway entrance to
Tsim Sha Tsui station. However, it is to the left past those stairs in the foreground. Can you see the
laundry hanging out to dry and the old air con units?

One stop for all Hong Kong tourists is the Victoria Peak Tram and then a view of the Hong Kong harbor and
overlooking the expensive condos on HK Island and view of Kowloon side. My pictures of the harbor did not
turn out. I just have pictures of the Peak Tram. It was pretty easy to get over to HK island using the
MTR subway and follow the signs walking up the hill to the tram. The whole trip took less than 2 hours.
Victoria peak is so commercialized with Burger King, Bubba Gump, etc. I got the heck out of there and just
enjoyed the rides on the subway & tram.

M

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