Another Gig at the Wanch

11/29 --- My band, GroGoGuy, has been playing consistently every Monday night at the Wanch in Wan Chai open jam.  We got our second paid gig last night.  A bunch of friends from the University came out to watch too.  It was so much fun.  Its sad that this band is temporary because we're actually becoming pretty good and popular.  Renee, another exchange student from Canada joined in on some backup vocals as well.  Another great night in HK!

 

Cheung Chau Island

11/25 --- The next day, Sunday, I woke up to go with my local friends who live across the hall from me to Cheung Chau Island, one of HK's smaller islands.  We took the star ferry from TST to Wan Chai, then took a tram to the Cheung Chau Ferry dock.

 My local friends Philip and Joe

 People in Hong Kong are always protesting about something.

 

 Passed by the motorcycle show and got to pose on a police bike

 The Filipino domestic helpers crowd the streets on their day off, Sunday

 Biggest apple store, and only apple store in HK right now

 Cheung Chau was a pretty cool island.  There are no cars on the island, and everyone either walks or uses bicycles.  My local friends were very intent on having me try new foods, so they kept buying me different things.  All of it was very yummy haha.  We rented bicycles and biked around for a bit.  We then stopped at a Buddhist temple, and I was able to participate in some sort of fortune telling ritual with Philip.  First we each burned 3 incense candles.  I then had to hold this cup of sticks with different numbers on them.  I then had to bow my head 3 times, kneel on a pedestal with my eyes closed, and then shake the cup until a stick fell out, thinking about whatever aspect of life I wanted, fortune, love, happiness, etc.  The number on the stick corresponded to my fortune in a book.  They had to translate it for me. 

yi zhi mao

 translating my fortune

 

Afterwards, we headed to the beach, and had some more snacks, red bean cakes and giant fish balls, also fried icecream.  We then caught the 7:30 ferry back to the city.



We then met up with Leon, another friend from next door, in Mong Kok for dinner.

 Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Lantau Island (Tai O, Big Buddha)

11/24 --- On Saturday, I planned a trip with Rong and Sonny to Lantau Island.  Lantau Island is the largest island in Hong Kong, which also contains Hong Kong airport.  We took the MTR all the way there which took about 1.5 hours.  Our first stop was Tai O, an old fishing village on the northwestern coast.  It took us another hour bus ride to get there.  The fishing community was pretty cool.  We stopped for some lunch, haixian chaofan, seafood stirfry rice, and then also tried some other snacks which were delicious.