Who wants to be a Millionaire?

One of the fun things about living in and visiting foreign countries is the currency. Sad to say, U.S. money is rather boring even though we all would like to have more of it.


While Ken was getting ready for a few recent trips, we had to get some new types of currency for his travels. Boy were we thrilled to walk out of the TraveleX with one million. Of course these were rupia which is the currency of Indonesia and worth about US$120. It still looked great sitting on our table.

While we were photographing it we decided to show some more of the "fun" money we get to use. There is the Malaysian ringget.

The Indian rupee.

The Singapore dollar (also the closest in value to U.S. money).

We even found a few Euros left over from earlier travels. We hope to be using them in June when Ken has a trip to France planned and I am tagging along.

And there is our local currency, the Hong Kong dollar. Each note is a different size and color and there are three versions of each note because each bank licensed to produce notes has its own design.

The most common paper notes are the $10, $20, $50, $100, $500 and $1000. The coins include $.10, $.20, $.50, $1.00, $2.00, $5.00 and $10.00. Since there is no sales tax there is no need for pennies (love it) and except for a few items most prices end in even dollar amounts. The $2.00 and $.20 coins have curly edges so they will not be confused with the $1.00 and $.10 coins which are similar in size. The $.50 coin is darker in color, the $5.00 coin is double thick and the $10.00 coin has a dark center with a silver rim. 


At times can feel like you are using play money. But the real challenge is figuring out what it is all worth in US terms to you know what you are really spending. So when kids balk at learning to multiply and divide in their heads, tell them it is a skill well worth learning.

The Show Outside My Window

We are as settled as we can be for the moment in out new apartment. Our sea container does not arrive for another nine days. So we have set up house with a guest bed, a small table and chairs, a TV and a desk. It is a very spartan existence but also very doable. The biggest problem so far has been seating. With small hard chairs and hardwood floors, it was almost impossible to feel comfortable for more that a few minutes at a time. Enter our friend Janet who lives two floors up. She has loaned us a chair and ottoman to use until our goods arrive. It has been heaven.


Over the weekend there was some bargaining over who got the chair and for how long. But with Ken traveling all but one day between now the the arrival of our things, it is heavenly to have a comfy place to sit whenever I want. And one of my most favorite past times as I sit is watching the weather as it comes in and leaves. Now Shayne and Kyle have been known to call me "Doppler Patti" because of my fascination with the weather. (It also comes from the fact that they never keep up with what is coming and so I often have to let them know of impending snowstorms, hurricanes and severe weather alerts.) 

Well, the view from my window is better than any weather channel you could name. And in Hong Kong the weather changes sometimes minute by minute. A day that starts out sunny can see clouds roll in and obscure the view. It also often works in reverse. The other morning I woke to an interesting set of clouds hanging over small portions of the higher elevations. These wispy little things just seemed to meander in and out of the mid-levels as though looking for the right spot to rest.

Looking off toward the harbor usually gives a clearer view and the advancing weather is easily seen.

Looking up the mountain to the Peak is often an exercise in futility. Although the views from there are spectacular, those living there often see nothing but the insides of the clouds. On this day, the view to the Peak was clear and the flat topped viewing tower is easily spotted in the middle of the photo. It is a "must see" spot for visitors to Hong Kong.

The other day we had perhaps the worst rain storm since our arrival last May. Most of the time there was little or nothing to see through my private viewing "screen." As the storm came and went throughout the day the buildings we are so familiar with came and went as well.

But no matter what the weather, when darkness falls our view turns magical. At times I cannot believe that I get to see this amazing skyline each night. The buildings light up and at 8 PM they put on the daily light show. When it has ended they just sit there and sparkle and make me smile.

The show outside my window is most often the best one in town.

An Interesting Moment

Yesterday I had an interesting moment. Alongside the escalator on the way up to our apartment there is a very old mosque. I have seen it since shortly after our arrival. As I passed by, some gentlemen from the mosque were asking people if they would like a tour. I was wearing shorts and when I indicated my dress they said it was no problem, please enter the grounds. There a gentleman met me and told me that the mosque was erected by the British government after world war two for the Indian Muslim soldiers who were assigned to Hong Kong. The actual foundation stone was set in 1915 with the current mosque dating to 1949.

As I neared the front door a young Chinese Muslim woman came to show me the interior. We removed our shoes and entered. There were men praying, children being taught their lessons and beautiful stained glass windows. The space is wide open and covered with beautiful carpets.

While she was explaining about the various functions that take place in the room she asked me if I was British. I told her I was an American. She then asked me if I hated Muslims. The question made me sad. I told her I judge people by how they behave and how they treat others, not by religion or race or other such qualifiers. In some ways it was a surreal moment. I was in Hong Kong standing inside a mosque dressed in shorts and a T-shirt speaking with a Chinese Muslim woman at the invitation of the Muslim men at the gate. It felt like a very profound moment. We talked a bit more and she then escorted me back to the gate. I thanked her for the tour and thanked the gentlemen at the gate. 

I kept thinking about her for the rest of the day. What an interesting start to a Sunday morning. It is an experience more people should have.

The Move Continues

It is Monday morning and Ken is on his flight back from GR. He will arrive tonight around eight. For him it will be like the kid who went to summer camp and the family moved while he was gone.


For me, however, it is a moment to catch my breath between segments of this three part move. What we have in Hong Kong is all loaded into the apartment. At the moment it is sitting in a lot of piles since the furniture it goes into will not arrive for another two weeks. A few Ikea items are giving us a place to eat and sit for the time being. We purchased a guest bed here and I have been test driving it the past few nights (and for the next few weeks) for all of you who plan to visit. 


Everything has gone quite smoothly with the exception of the cable/wi fi service. Why am I not surprised by this? They set it all up (took two trips) and now the remote will only go down one channel no matter which button you press and the wi fi only covers half of the apartment. I guess cable service is the same the world over.


The adventure in moving continues.

Moving Day

After all of the list making and preplanning, moving day finally arrived. I returned to Grand Rapids on March 6 and woke up on March 7 with no voice (only a faint whisper). With no time to loose, I started piling and sorting what we wanted to bring and met with our move advisor.


On March 8, my voice was even worse. Lucky for me my friend Karen went shopping with me so she could talk to the clerks and interpret my croaks and squeaks. We got most of the things on my lists and then it was back to sorting. 


With lots of help from family and friends I had everything sorted and inventoried by Sunday night. The detailed inventory was the most tedious part, but thanks to Kyle it is in an excel spreadsheet so the return inventory will be much easier.


Monday morning arrived along with Dave, Rosalie and Angie to get everything into boxes. They were friendly and efficient and made everything go smoothly. Rosalie is from the Philippines and lived in Hong Kong for ten years. She knows our building and was even giving me hints on some shopping and such. By the end of the day all of the piles had disappeared into boxes. The only thing missing was my voice. Part of it was back which meant I sounded like a bullfrog instead of a mute swan.


Tuesday saw the container arrive and with all of the advanced preparations it was loaded in about two hours.

The crew worked tirelessly and made sure our belongings were safely stowed.

Once the last of the boxes were on board and everything was tied down, Jerry (the container driver) headed off to the Chicago rail yards. From there it's on to Long Beach by train and then by ship to Hong Kong. Our expected delivery is April 19. Until then we will have just enough in the apartment to get by - it will be like camping! 


So as I said a temporary goodbye to our belongings...

... I now have other details to put into place. Then it's back to Hong Kong to move again from our serviced apartment to our new home. How lucky is Ken to be at meetings this entire time? Some people just know how to schedule. Oh, my normal voice is still among the missing but getting better each day.

Home to Pack

A short update today as I leave for the airport in a few hours. I am heading back to GR to pack up furniture and clothing for the year ahead. 


The apartment is secured, delivery of everything electric is set (with local electric at 220V, it is safest to buy anything that plugs in here).Guest bed ordered so we can sleep somewhere till our container arrives. And IKEA items have been purchased to fill in. All are set to deliver on the 29th. Next day PCCW comes to set up wifi and cable and we will be officially moved by the 31st.


Of course, our container will not arrive till mid April, but we will have enough to get by with till then and Ken will be traveling part of the time - I just may tag along. For a while we moved so often that is was second nature. But it has been over 21 years since our last major move, so I have lists upon lists upon lists. Once things are packed, there are a few more details to iron out. I have decided to sell my car (anyone need a PT Cruiser in good condition?) rather than have it sit any longer. I was ready for a newer one anyway so this makes sense. There are some details for the house like lawn and snow service and then we will be ready for Patti & Ken's Hong Kong Adventure Part II. I hope you continue to come along for the ride.

Home Sweet Apartment

My posts have been a bit sparse lately and that is because we have been very busy with details, details and more details. For those who have not heard, we have been given a one year expat assignment here in Hong Kong through February 2013. 


As you can imagine, this is exciting news for us and it has brought with it lots of things to accomplish in a short amount of time. First up was the process of finding another apartment. We have been living in a serviced apartment for the past 11 month. While I love having daily maid service and not having to buy my own tp and paper towels, I miss cooking and having closet space and drawers. The staff here at the Ovolo is fantastic and we will miss all of the smiling faces, but we are thrilled to have more of a "home" feel rather than "hotel."


So, after one day of looking there was no question as to the property we wanted. And we were very lucky to get it! We will soon be living in the Mid Levels which translates to higher up the mountain from where we are. The property is called Palatial Crest and our flat is on the 35th floor. I can even give you a small tour.


Our living/dining room.

Our amazing views of Central, Admiralty and Victoria Harbor. (It was a very cloudy and rainy day.)

The master bedroom and it's view.

The guest bedroom. When are you coming?

The office.

And the kitchen.

I will repost a tour once we are all settled in and when the sun is shining so you can really see the views.


Another great advantage to this property is that our friend Janet and her daughters Michele and Catie live on the 37th floor. So we already know one set of neighbors.


To get this all in place, I am flying home on Tuesday to sort and pack up what we will be bringing from Grand Rapids. I will also work on getting the house closed up on a more permanent basis. I return to Hong Kong on the 25th and get everything moved from Ovolo to our new home. We move in on April 1st. 


Most likely our belongings from GR will not arrive for a couple of weeks after that, but we are buying a guest bed here and with that and a TV we will make do until our delivery. 


We are very fortunate that all of our family is very positive about our extended stay. Shayne and Kyle are planning their visits and well as some other family and friends. We are especially excited for that. I have even become quite the tour guide by now. 


So our three month adventure has grown and grown and continues to grow. We are truly blessed.