Happy Birthday Buddha

Once again, last week was another holiday in Hong Kong. These public holidays are starting to spoil me because I'm getting used to having D around during the week. It seems like he's been working more 4 day weeks the past few months than 5 day weeks. You won't hear me complaining about this one!

What were were celebrating this time? Buddha's birthday! Buddha has become part of my every day life in Hong Kong. I see him in the store windows, at the tourist sites, in the markets, and in a few of my favorite restaurants.

Since D had the day off from work, we decided to go for a long leisurly walk along our favorite walking path (despite the weather being 87 degrees feeling like 93 with the humidity). As we strolled along the walking path we managed to spot:

Buddha #1



Buddha #2



Buddha #3

The week before, P and I planned our entire day around visiting the Buddha at his home on Lantau Island. To see him we traveled...



through the air...

over mountains...

over water...


and up hundreds of stairs!

I may not follow the teachings of Buddha, pray to the statues, or know much about the Buddhist religion, but since he seems to be everywhere, I might as well celebrate his birthday...especially if that means I get to spend more time with my hubby and friends!

Belly Laughs

When I was five, my mom enrolled me in dance school. I was never the most coordinated when it came to gracefully moving my body but that didn't seem to bother me. I went on to become a cheerleader and even preformed in show choir (where they made me the narrator due to my poor singing and dancing skills).

Throughout the years I attended schools dances, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, and even took some dancing lessons for our wedding (my husband is an amazing dancer so I had to have some training to keep up with him!)

So, when I read that they were offering a Belly Dancing class at my yoga studio (another thing, I'm not so good at) I said, "Why not give it a try!"

I showed up at class in my gym shorts and tank top. There were only two other woman there, both instructors at the studio. They were wearing what looked like sports bra/bikini top and harem pants. The instructor had a jeweled belt around her hips and sparkly blue eye shadow.

Both women looked at me and one woman said, "Is this your first time?" I wonder what gave it away! Probably the fact that I left my hip scarf at home. "Yes," I replied. "Good," she said. "We are starting a new routine today." Routine? I just wanted to tighten up my stomach muscles.

All of a sudden Indian music came on over the speaker and the instructor said "Let's begin."Thankfully two other woman entered the room so I wasn't all alone in the class. One of the women was a belly dancing professional (belly button ring and all) while the other, made my dancing skills look quite good. :)

Although I had a lot of fun, I don't see myself Belly Dancing again in the near future.
I may not be sore tomorrow morning from the actual belly dancing that took place but my stomach muscles sure got a work out... from me laughing the entire hour.

The Wonder Fish

When most people come to visit Hong Kong I take them to the typical tourist attractions:
1. The Peak
2. The Markets in Mong Kok
3. High Tea at the Peninsula or Four Seasons
4. A Trip to Stanley Market and the surrounding beaches
5. A stroll through the different neighborhoods like Central, Soho, and the Mid-levels via the worlds longest escalator.

And the list goes on......

When my friend P told me she was coming to visit me (2 weeks before she hopped on the 16 hour plane ride) I knew she would be up for deviating from the "typical" tourist activities.

P is one of my more adventurous friends. I know many of my friends would be up for a massage and a pedicure at a spa any day. P's spa day, however, was on a totally different level.

Last week we took a trip to a spa called Wonderfish. When we arrived at the spa the assistant first prepped P for her pedicure.


Now this wasn't your typical pedicure preformed by a trained technician. This pedicure....was preformed by hundreds of Garra Rufa fish.


Garra Rufa Fish, also called doctor fish, nibble fish, and little dermatologists, suck at the hard, dry skin on your feet. They leave your feet feeling soft and smooth. I was told it feels like hundreds of fish giving you a foot massage. P would beg to differ. If you happen to be ticklish on the bottoms of your feet, like P, this may not be your thing.

After a few minutes of squealing and a few tight squeezes of my hand, P looked like she was in paradise. Actually, she looked like she was ready to kill me for telling her this was a great way to spend 20 minutes.

Never the less, P stepped out of the pool with silky heels, toes, and calves. Now that was some healthy looking skin!

My next visitors are arriving later this week. The spa day is has already been added to the itinerary.

Spring Cleaning

Last Tuesday was a holiday here in Hong Kong. D and I were thrilled because we both were off from work that day. (Yes, I work on Tuesdays!)

So the question was, what holiday were we all celebrating? The Qingming Festival of course. Qingming Festival is also known as All Soul's Day or The Grave Sweeping Holiday. On this day Chinese families visit the tombstones of their ancestors. First they pray and the sweep the tombs clean. Then people pick out the weeds that have grown up near the stones. D and I are expert weed pullers. Every year we plant flowers in my mother's garden for Mother's Day. I'm not quite sure however that we would have blended in with the others in the cemetery.

Families then offer the deceased food, tea, wine, chopsticks, and paper accessories. They burn the food and paper accessories (money) so that their loved ones with have everything they need in the afterlife. I must say I've actually witnessed this paper accessory burning first hand at my friends grandmothers wake. I folded lots of gold paper so that J and V's grandmother would be very wealthy in her next life.


Many children bring flowers to the graveside, especially Chrysanthemums. I was told by some of my students that the holiday also symbolizes Spring and nature. Many modern families have picnics, fly kites and enjoy other outdoor activities.

This holiday really gives a new meaning to the phrase "Spring Cleaning!"

The Chinese Wedding...A 10 Course Meal

Last night D and I attended out first official Chinese Wedding Banquet. When I told people I would be attending this event, friends gave me some advice.

Those who didn't know my eating habits told me to:
1. Wear a dress with an elastic band
2. Skip lunch
3. Bring home my leftovers!

Those who knew my eating habits told me to:
1. Eat dinner before I went to the celebration

When we arrived at the hotel check in, we didn't even have to say our names. "Welcome Mr and Mrs. Fishman" the lady behind the table announced. I guess it wasn't hard to pick me out of the 400 guests who were attending the dinner celebration, since I was the only Caucasian female there.

We walked in to the Lego themed room which was filled with large round tables. There were large screens on every wall of the room flashing photos of the bride and groom. We had entered the dining room of the King and Queen.



When we reached our table, I took a quick glace at the menu. We really were going to be served 10 courses! When I eat out at a restaurant, I can usually only eat half my main and a little dessert. When I do start with an appetizer I usually complain I'm full before my main course even appears in front of me. How was I going to eat 10 courses?

I know most of you are thinking, Marisa won't eat half of the things on that menu. True True. But I must say I had to take each dish from the Lazy Susan in front of me so most things did make it to my place mat...or at least into D's dish. The lady sitting across the table from me was watching me and laughing at my every move. I kept sneaking things onto D's plate. One of my dumplings accidentally popped into D's bowl and then onto the table. D put it back in his bowl. The lady was laughing and explaining what had happened in Chinese to the other guests at the table. At least we provided good entertainment!


Everyone tells me that Shark Fin Soup is a must at a Chinese Wedding, so I got the courage to try a few sips. It actually tasted pretty good, in a sharky kind of way.
By the time dessert rolled around, I had my fair share of traditional Chinese cuisine. Then my hot sweetened red rice and sweet corn cream arrived so I just had to have a few sips. It was actually quite good although a piece of chocolate cake would win out any day.


Overall, our first Chinese Wedding banquet was a great experience. We left with full stomachs and doggie bags of oranges and chocolates. The bride and groom had several outfit changes during the course of the night. We too were ready to change...into something with a little more breathing room!

Polly want a city tour?

As we were walking through Soho one day (the area they called South Of Hollywood Road), my friend J and I noticed a woman a few feet in front of us with a colorful accessory on her left shoulder. Now I've seen some strange fashion accessory choices out here but this one had to be the strangest.

I had to get a closer look so I crept up behind the lady. Did this woman have a live parrot on her shoulder? She sure did. The woman walked through the crowded city streets and the bird stayed propped up on her shoulder. People passed her on the streets and didn't even look twice.

Pet birds are extremely popular here in Hong Kong. There are lots of stores where you can purchase or even adopt them. In Mongkok, there is an entire market dedicated to birds. As you walk through the market you can see a variety of colorful birds, cages and bird paraphernalia.

I heard that some people take their birds to the Yuen Po St. Bird Garden where they "walk" their birds. Elderly local men bring their birds in cages to the garden and walk around with them to get fresh air.

Birds aren't only used for pets here. Ducks and pigeons are specialties in many of the local Chinese restaurants. Apparently so are eggs!


Yes, this dish was served to us at a Chinese restaurant here in Hong Kong.
No, we didn't eat it!
Would you?

A Room With A View

On our recent travels to Shanghai, China, we visited the Shanghai World Financial Center Observatory. We made our way up to the 100th floor Sky Walk, the world's highest observatory. When we got off the elevator we stepped foot on to "the bridge across the sky".

The views were really quite amazing, despite the thick layer of pollution that covered the city. As you walked across the floor of the deck you could look down and see the city directly beneath you. This made me quite dizzy but moving over to the slanted windowed walls only made the room spin more.

The World Financial Center makes up an important piece of the Shanghai city skyline. Many people think the building resembles are giant bottle opener.



Data from: http://www.swfc-shanghai.com

Although the views (and air quality) were "breath taking" from the observatory, I preferred the Sky Arena on the 94th Floor. This floor housed the true room with a view.