1997 While Hong Kong Was Being Handed Over

Recently the press has been raising the issue of the 10th Anniversary of Hong Kong Hanover here in Taiwan. And I suddenly realized that it was 10 years ago that I was in Windhoek, the capital city of Namibia, witnessing this important historic moment.

Alas! The older you get, the faster time seems to pass by. While I was little, a day seemed a year. Young children enjoyed holidays and festivals. I always felt it took forever for the next festival to come. And then when I got older, a day passed by and the next. Later, time passed one week after another. Now for me, it is one month after another. Well, one year is over following its previous. Yeah? Hong Kong was handed over to China in 1997. What? That was 10 years ago?

OK. Enough. You don't want to listen to a middle-aged woman complaining about the lose of her youth. Now I am going to tell you about that day, July 1 of 1997, when I was at a guest house in Windhoeak, Namibia.

Namibia, previous a colony of South Africa, gained its independency in 1990. It was once controlled by Germany so that most travelers we met on the road were German. Here German was also its official language, along with English and Afrikaans. We ran into a lot of elderly people taking long trips, mostly German, too.

Of course, they were not alone. You could see young active travelers everywhere. There was this crazy German guy driving his 500c.c. vehicle, running around all over this beautiful country.

So, the guests in the house we were staying were European, mostly from Germany. Here there was a kitchen for us to buy and cook our own food. The leftover could be stored in the fridge but required the owner’s name on it. Every night after dinner, guests in the living room would go through channels to see what was on on TV. Nothing could really please EVERYBODY. Therefore, we decided to watch the video tapes that were neatly put beside the TV set. Approximately 30 different videos. All about African wildlife. Very professionally shot, exactly like nowadays the ones you can see on Animal Planet channel. (Basically travelers who would choose Africa as their destinations are very interested in wildlife.)

Nick and I now became their consultants. These Europeans had no idea about what was going on in the other side of world, Asia. Thus questions started to be thrown out. For example, why suddenly Hong Kong is now being handed over to China? And the historical background, etc..

As for Taiwan, it was Liang-zhang or who that was interviewed live. Therefore people asked, “ Now who is this guy?” and “Why does this have something to do with Taiwan?”

Alas! Nick was the one who did all the talking. (Having lived in Taiwan for eight years, he always thought he understood my country than I do.) Anyway, I listened carefully. While there was something I needed to add or I disagreed, I interrupted him and made some comments. (I was quite sure people wanted to ask me, not him.)

It was a precious lesson. For we were in a very young country Namibia, which was only 7 years old by then and with a group of Europeans, we witnessed the important moment together. Of course, I seized the opportunity and introduced my lovely and opulent country—free democratic Taiwan. Acer, Giant, these international brands made people all hear the name of Taiwan. As for China, that was another country that was far different from our culture. And it actually was a big bully that did not need me to say anything and no one liked it.

I remembered that I joked around saying Hong Kong Handover as Hong Kong HANGOVER. Now Hong Kong did have a terrible hangover since its freedom of speech was doomed to be cut down. Who would be happy to be taken away these basic human rights, especially when you already knew how wonderful it was to be able to say what you wanted to say?

July 1st, 1997. Hong Kong was being handed over to China. And I was far away from home, in Namibia, southern Africa, viewing this significant instant with a group of young European who really cared about the world. On top of that, I was young, as well.

Traffic in Asia's Big Cities

I met this retired Swedish lady on the bus from the Stockholm airport to Stockholm Central. The bus ride was about one hour and twenty minutes. It was surprising that she knew Taiwan.

She asked carefully, “Is there some kind of problem between you Taiwan and China?” I wanted to avoid unpleasant topics and talk about something fun, so I changed the subject to her tourist trip to China.

"Oh, what scared me the most was the traffic there. When I was in Bejing, I didn't even know how to cross the road," she said.

How come that doesn't surprise me? The traffic in most of the Asian cities are chaotic like that. Traffic in Taipei, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur, it is all the same, classically frantic. You know how my foreigner friends in Taiwan put it? One of them put it this way, "Whenever I try to cross the road, people try to run me over."I told her the story and assured her that she was not alone. She burst into laugh, saying that it is so to the point. I have been telling this joke to people I met in Canada or travelers I met on the road, and so far haven't met anyone who doesn't like it.

The thurth is, I also drive. Here I have a confession to make. Every time when I am behind the steering wheel, I lose my patience just like others. This is embarrassing. But I have to say, there is some kind of chemical that makes drivers crazy. I remember that when I just started to drive, I was too polite. I always gave ways to others. But then I realized I would never go anywhere if I was not aggressive enough.

Now her complaints turned into an understanding to cultural differences after me joking around. Isn't that the reason why we need to travel around and talk to people from different cultures?

Villagers in Aus, Namibia

Aus, a small place in Namibia. There were less than 50 people in the village. But it had an unsmall location mark on Namibia's map, which deserved some place as big as Dan-shie on Taiwan's map.

Unable to get to our destination named Luderitz, so we might as well to stay in the little village for one night. There was still several hours of sunlight. After finding a lodge to stay, we went out to take a wander. Surprisingly I realized that there was a family living in the first house. Well, I didn't know if we could call it a house. There were just walls, no roof, which made me think it was deserted. The kids and the dog were running around happily. But seeing us approaching, the dog stopped playing and started to bark at us, just like any other dog which was very determined to protect his host family. The whole family members all walked out. Nick smiled and explained that we had no bad intention, we were from Taiwan, he is American and I am Taiwanese, and we wanted to take some pictures of them. We would send them the pictures after developing them.



As we could see they didn't speak English at all. But after using body languages to communicate, eventually they understood us. As soon as we raised our cameras, the vicious dog put away his mean attitude and started to posture. It seemed that he didn't want to look bad in the pictures. Funny, wasn't it? I looked at the family and it reminded me of a Chinese idiom “Jia-tu-si-bi”, which means the family is so poor that the only thing they have is four pieces of walls. As I looked over, there was only a bedquilt, not even a bed. Their smiles made me feel sad. This might be their only chance to take pictures in their lives.

Visiting Hawaii Again

The reason I went to Hawaii for the second time was mostly for visiting my friend Hannah. I had only ten days for vacation. It was not enough time for real travel, anyway. So I decided to go to Hawaii for five days and other five for Fit Resort Club in the Fuji Mountain to enjoy being rich.

Oh, annoying Hawaii. The weather was always so perfect. Hannah said that it was so ideal that it made her bored. “Oh, come on. What are you talking about? Do you know how many people are saving money for this paradise?” I laughed.

Yes. A paradise like this should fit all the criteria: white sandy beaches, blue clear skies, and forever bright sunshine, but with some breezes blowing and floating in the air. Cool and comfortable!

More important than that, there was a rainbow hanging up in the sky all the time. Or two, or three……

Although I was going there to visit my friend, I only stayed in her place for two nights. I booked three other nights in a hotel. And the view was quite nice. At the swimming pool of the hotel, I met an elder American lady and heard a touching story. And the narrative has been sitting in my computer for years and hasn't been published. I guess I just haven't figured out how I could put the words together to present the true love behind it.

Since being in such a special spot, of course I had to go to the Pearl Harbor again, and once more, mourned for the soldiers who were buried in the sea with their mother ship.

I also bought what most tourists would buy, the souvenir newspapers of the next day Pearl Harbor was attacked. (Please forgive my amateurism. I only have one inexpensive scanner that can only take the size not more than A 4. Here goes the whole headline: War! Oahu Bombed by Japanese Planes.)

Well, Hawaii was not famous for its sorrow. Let’s change the mood. Waikiki was really……

Alas, crowded and packed. Forget it!

Good thing Hannah rented snorkeling equipment for me. So this trip finally was pretty rewarding. The first time I went to Hawaii was with my roommates from university, so basically all the attractions I visited this time was nothing new but the snorkeling part. As for snorkeling, it was the highlight of the whole trip. Too bad I did not bring my camera because I had to get down to the ocean and had no idea about something called blog back then. So the wonderful memories were all in my mind. Besides, the undersea world was so breathtaking and spectacular that there was nothing my camera could have done, anyway.

The five days in Hawaii was relaxing and fun. I went there and here and waited for Hannah to finish her work so that I would tell her what I had done that day. Then, I flew to Tokyo, Japan to be one of the rich people. And of course, that was another story.

Affectionate Calls From Mexico

In Taiwan, from time to time you see tempting travel commercials: clear oceans, white beaches, hearty seafood, and bright sunshine (Here I have to say, though, this is the least selling point to Taiwanese. We in Taiwan have unbearable heat already. ), and then wow, Australia is beckoning.

In Canada, when it had been snowing for ages, you were watching TV, an entertainment that you didn't really have much choice, and suddenly wow, clear oceans, white beaches, hearty seafood, and bright sunshine(Now this is all too exciting.), and then here came the exotic happy music. You heard Spanish pronouncing Me-hi-go(Mexico). "Wow! I want to go! I want to go!" You heard your heart yelling.

And on top of that, you found going to this romantic country was going to cost much less than going to Vancouver, the other side of the same country. So why wait?

Mexico City, accommodating approximately 19.4 million people by the year 2005, is the third biggest city in the world, following Tokyo and Soul. As you can imagine, the population in mere Mexico City is close to the population in the whole Taiwan.

Zocalo is a massive constitution square with a lot going on here. A lot of the buildings were constructed by Spanish people. So while walking in the streets, you can't help keeping taking photos.

I was very lucky to meet Sylviane, who was actually from France but has lived in London for years. Her Spanish was fantastic. We were roommates for three days.

The day we went to take the metro, she asked me how much Spanish I could speak. I proudly said, “Gracias.” And she waited. I kept smiling. So she asked, “Then?” This time I diffidently answered, “That’s it.” She almost fainted, wondering why I dared to come to Mexico with only one Spanish word.

Therefore she decided to teach me some more Spanish words since we were waiting for the metro. She said “uno” is the Spanish word for one, and dos is two. I mimicked and repeated. Then the metro came. After we got on the train and found ourselves seats, she asked if I still remembered what she had taught. I said out very loudly, “uno, dos.” She seemed satisfied so she continued, “And the number three in Spanish is ….” I interrupted, “That's enough for today.” And it made her laugh. She considered me humorous. However, I really meant it. Just trying to learn those two words made me soaked. (Or it was because of the packed train? )

Thanked her so I got to know that there was an annual celebration at the Basilica de Guadalupe (Church or Our Lady) on December 12. And hence I saw the vital traditional Mexican dances and listened to the vigorous typical Mexican music.

Mexico. Affectionate and romantic country!!!

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_metropolitan_areas_by_population

In Love With Guanajuato

Among all the cities in Mexico, the beauty of colonial Guanajuato is disputable.

It would have been nice to have a cup of coffee at one of the outdoors cafes if it was sunny. However, the day I took the photo, it was quite overcast. After I walked around for a while, it started to get populated, and vendors also came out.

I wandered down the streets and alleys. The charms of the town kept showing and shining at every single turn of the next corner.

Without anticipation, I came to a splendid building and realized that around the corner was the most famous plaza in town.

It was Teatro Juarez. I looked at it, checked out this side and then went back to the other. Wow! Astonishing! I strolled back to the corner and found a bootblack booth under a tree, with local people gathering and chatting.

Enjoying the peace of the relaxing noon, I looked at them. Now the sun showed its face. I smelled the warmth and listened to their Spanish conversation, which I did not understand, not even a word. But I could sense their happiness. The tranquil exotic afternoon soothed me and gave me serenity. I would not mind staying in here for one year if I could. Actually, the guest house I was staying provided several language courses that seemed all nice and the tuitions were quite reasonable. It was just that I had only one month from my winter vacation and I wanted to see the country as much as I could.

The aroma of Guanajuato , the cheerfulness of its townspeople, the characteristics of the buildings, and the music in the air all made me unwilling to leave. I have always wanted to go back since the day I left.

Shopping Malls vs. Traditional Markets & Bazaars

The shopping malls in Singapore are as clean and bright as the ones I see in Canada. Nice environment. Polite attendants. Somehow something is missing.

I find that after the photos are developed, I have a hard time distinguishing which shopping mall is at which metro station. Just like I can never remember which shopping mall my friends and I went together last time. They have the same stores such as Fair Weather, Chapter, etc.. So after living in Ottawa for a while, I got really bored with them. I don't think there is any difference among those beautiful and orderly stores.
When visiting Europe, the outdoors shopping areas are also dazzling. Plus the architectures all over are so amazing. Somehow, I prefer traditional markets. Here you can see the local vitality and features, just like this one in Barcelona, Spain.

In the market, there is a cafe with Gaudi's touch. It is fascinating. Who wouldn't rememer this is in Spain?

And if you are longing for hustling and bustling, or yelling and haggling, this definitely is THE place. Guarantee exhilarating.

This is the Central Market of Budapest. They have gotten everything here.



Don't think markets are just markets. As you can see, they have made a great effort to make it a splandid one.
And some bazaars for some special holidays or events. If you are lucky enough, you'll fall into medieval Europe and see something like this. (Photographed in Toledo, Spain)

While traveling, those wonderful memories do not totally come from those tourist attractions of world class, such as the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty. My favorites are actually these markets and bazaars, for they are much closer to our daily life. On top of that, they keep me thinking back again and again. And I could still smell the joy in the air.