Earthquake!

Two earthquakes hit Japan yesterday. I felt a tremor around 5 PM in Osaka - maybe an aftershock. So I have been exposed to both a typhoon and earthquake now! I only experienced some wind and rain from the typhoon though. It has passed, although it's still very humid here. I'm starting to get a little burnt out on traveling and, frankly, I am starting to run out of money. I think I planned too much time in Japan, especially Osaka. There is not much to do here other than shop and eat, the famous dishes being okonomiyaki and takoyaki (doughy octopus balls). Osaka is popularly associated with the phrase kuidaore, meaning "eat until you drop." Tonight though I will have healthy vegetarian food at a buddhist temple in nearby Koyasan (Mt. Koya). I'll also be staying overnight at the temple. I'm hoping this excursion will give me a second wind and recharge my batteries in preparation for Taipei later this week.

The skyscraper-escalator-shopping-dessert maze

Hong Kong is even bigger and more modern than I expected. The skyscrapers and high-rise apartment buildings extend as far as the eye can see, the metro (MTR) is extremely clean and efficient, and the people have excellent taste in fashion. The guys here actually put effort into the way they look, and they look hot. Even the construction workers sport Pumas and stylish eyeglasses. I can't compete with the beautiful women here (who never seem to sweat). Shopping is a popular pastime, and temptation looms every few feet. In the area where I'm staying (Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon) there are probably hundreds of stores with trendy clothes and shoes (as well as electronics) at reasonable prices on every block, and they stay open late. Unfortunately, almost nothing below the waistline fits me. The largest size for women's clothes is a US 10 (a narrow-hipped 10), and the largest size for women's shoes is US 9. At some of the cheaper places you can't even try the clothes on. It's frustrating. But at least I have delicious food to console me (and make me even fatter), especially desserts such as fresh mango in coconut juice with black sticky rice and - my old friend - bird's nest. Or you can get desserts with aloe jelly or harsmar jelly.
There's lots of fun stuff to try here. I am a little lonely though. Yesterday morning I had dim sum by myself. No one should *ever* go to dim sum by themself. It is depressing! Unlike in Vietnam, not many people here will talk to me. They aren't rude, they're just not outgoing. The only people who will really talk to me are the Indian/Pakistani guys on the street trying to sell me tailoring or "copywatch." (No, I do not want "copywatch.")
Anyway, I've done plenty in HK besides shopping. I took the Star Ferry over to Central, rode the Midlevels escalators (a series of escalators that extends about 10 blocks - downhill in the morning rush hour and uphill afterward), and took the tram up to the Peak, with spectactular views of the skyline. I also visited Lantau Island to see the Big (bronze) Buddha, explored the street markets in Mongkok (one of the most densely populated areas in the world), bargained for jade jewelry at the Jade Market, got a 2-hour foot massage (1 hour each foot), and went to the beach at Shek O (on Hong Kong Island), where I got a nice, uneven, splotchy sunburn. Perhaps I now need to invest in the many "whitening" skin products popular in Asia. I had planned to do some hiking, but it is just too hot and humid now, and I don't think it's wise to go off hiking by myself - I might get eaten by a dragon. Oh yeah, I went to the Wong Tai Sin temple, where I met with a fortune teller/Chinese astrologist. He politely informed me that in the future I am going to get divorced. That's great...
It is very safe and easy to get around here, although the maze of escalators, pedestrian subways, overpasses, alleyways, and layers of signs can be confusing. Don't count on using the 7-11 as a landmark, because there is seriously one on every block.
Sorry for the lack of photos to go with this post, but I am encountering technical difficulties again in that area... but no worries. Tomorrow I fly to Tokyo!!! Waku waku!

The food, etc.

As I've traveled north I've been liking the food better, but it really varies as to where I go. I eat better at the more upmarket places and restaurants geared towards foreigners, because it's more what my stomach is used to, and I have been opting for many tofu dishes, but I did really enjoy the seafood pho pictured above at the Pho 2000 chain in Saigon. Most people eat beef or pork pho, and they eat it for breakfast at street stalls, sitting on plastic chairs or stools at low tables. I can't imagine eating it for breakfast. Most hotels include a Western-style breakfast of baguette, jam, fried egg, fruit, and tea or coffee. Above you can see some of the delicious fruits of Vietnam at a market. The little purple ones at the left are mangosteen. They look and taste like a segmented lychee inside. The bright pink ones are dragonfrut. The inside is white with black seeds. It's actually a bit bland tasting but a good fiber source I suppose. Other popular fruits here are jackfruit, durian, watermelon, pineapple, various types of lychees, bananas, and coconut. Also mangos, rose apples, and custard apples. Sadly, papayas are not in season here now. I have gone an amazingly long time without chocolate, and am eating less dairy than usual (and sweating a lot), so I am losing weight.

There are some strange canned beverages available here... One is "winter melon" tea, which tastes surprisingly like maple syrup candy, and the other is "Bird's Nest," supposedly a nutritional drink, consiting of clear liquid with white jelly bits. The ingredients listed are: water, sugar, white fungus, and bird's nest. Hmmmm. OK. I've tried to figure out what bird's nest is without googling it. I asked 2 people. The first started talking about water in a bird's beak and the other showed me a picture of white stuff on the wall of a cave. I think the white fungus and bird's nest are the same thing but I'm still confused.

I did have some excellent food in Hoi An, where there is more Chinese influence in the food (as well as the architecture). Also in Hoi An our group took a cooking class, where we learned to make pumpkin soup, green papaya salad, veggie spring rolls, morning glory with garlic (it's like spinach, very popular as side dish vegetable), and fish in banana leaf.

There are many locally brewed beers available in Vietnam, and Tiger beer from Thailand is plentiful as well as Heineken. The best local brew I've had so far was Huda, from the Hue area.