January 2025 Southern California Fire🙏“Dear Heavenly Father, we come before you in prayer seeking your spirit of comfort for our troubled minds. Lord, we feel overwhelmed and need your aid to calm our thoughts and grant us a sense of clarity and direction. Please fill our hearts with your peace that surpasses all understanding, help us to release our worries and fears to you, trusting in your plan for our lives. We pray for your strength and courage to guide us in facing these challenges. Grace and the Holy Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.” (CREDIT)
3 hours South Korea ICN During my transfer at ICN airport, I inserted the 5ber sim, pre-downloaded with Airalo's 18-country Asialink esim, into my phone. SK Telecom and Airalo showed, but no Internet! With ICN’s free wifi, I text chatted for 2.5 hours with 3 Airalo robots one after another, and then I had to board the next flight. Upon arrival in Hong Kong, the Internet was instantly connected. I gave credit to Airalo’s tech support, that was, until I had no internet again on the return flight stopping in ICN. Luckily the esim worked smoothly in Macau and China. Especially in China, I could access Google!
4 Days Macau The Macau government offered foreign visitors free bus/ferry transportation from HKG airport directly to Macau port. I barely made it to the end of the 2024 deadline and was able to board the free bus at SkyPier Terminal. Once again I crossed the world’s longest sea crossing, the 34 mile HZMB bridge. Upon exiting the Macau port, I bought the Macau Pass for the starting amount of MOP$130 (USD$16.12). MOP$100 was immediately available to tap and ride Bus 101X waiting outside, as well as ride any bus during my visit, and use as acceptable digital payment at most businesses. Unknown to me, I arrived on the same day that China President Xi arrived to celebrate Macau’s 25 years of homecoming since 1999. Festivity was in the air with red banners and celebratory decorations throughout town. From 2006, casinos began to appear on a landfill, which amazingly connected the islands of Coloane and Taipa into one continuous land. CoTai’s casino conglomerates brought designer shops, Michelin restaurants, and world landmarks to Macau. Glamour in grand scale naturally drew lookie-loos and patrons from near and far. The world class casinos had been welcomed spectacles and an economic booster for the locals to enjoy as well. Away from such “Las Vegas of the east,” Senado Square, the town center, was kept beautiful and photogenic. Elsewhere, most buildings and streets had seen better days. If I were in an alley or anywhere, without fail, roaring motorcycles would approach, honking at me to get out of the way. There were few traffic lights. Soon enough I understood that when folks can’t rely on regulatory controls, survival mode would kick in. Organized chaos was necessary and effective to save everyone’s time. As most of Macau aged through time with little renovation, it sustained much historical charm by default.
12 Days Hong Kong After a quiet winter 2023, I craved the festivities in Hong Kong as seen on YouTube. Moreover, I wished to celebrate 2024 into 2025 among good friends there. Indeed, I was warmly welcomed. Special thanks to: 😀Winnie and 阿景 - for Christmas Eve, and New Year Eve! 😀Leo, 維記, Francis - for 南華會食點心打保齡, 大開眼戒! 😀Candy - for the home dinner, 深圳, 聖誕雞翼, and Bombay Sapphire! 😀Sam and Winnie - for 深圳, Patron, and 紅磡晚餐埋單！😀Freddy and 阿忠 - for 牛脷酥 from 天水圍, Johnny Walker Black, 臨別晚餐埋單！😀Tony - for 蜜蘭香 tea! 😀Ivy and 阿明 - for 捧場 😀宏記 - for 難得見面！😀Cousin 明仔一家 & All Other Friends - May we meet again!
4 Days Chaozhou I knew my prior 10-year China entry visa had a few days left before expiration. Therefore, I didn’t mind that the 144 hour-no-visa perk did not apply to me, as I did not fly directly into China.
I pre-bought round trip train tickets at Hong Kong's West Kowloon Station and made a trial run the day before, to avoid being lost in the labyrinth of the Element Mall connected with the station. The best route was to take the metro, Tuen Ma Line to Austin Station, C exit, which was a smooth walk into the ticketing and departure level.
At the train station, I went to a Bank of China ATM that had HKD and RMB. As it turned out, only China debit cards could withdraw RMB. I exchanged USD$100 at an exchanger, which paid out only 90% in RMB. I felt having some RMB cash was necessary. My International Alipay app was tied to my U.S. credit card before leaving home. At first I was apprehensive, but it was absolutely easy, practical, and the exchange rate was the same as using my credit card directly. I pre-set my credit card notification to email me the USD amount of the transaction.
The ride to ChaoShan was only 2.5 hours on high speed 和諧號 (Harmony) at 190+ miles per hour. If not for the moving views outside the window, the train ran like it was not moving.
ChaoShan Station to my hotel, near Chaozhou People's Square, took an hour on Bus K2 for RMB$9 (USD$1.23). Once in town, a bus ride usually costs RMB$2 (USD$0.27). I saved some RMB$1’s for the bus, as I was not proficient with Alipay. One night I was too tired to walk or to find the bus, I took a stray motorcyclist’s offer to ride back to the hotel. The ride was 15 minutes for RMB$20 (USD$2.73). I could not use didi on my Alipay; it required a China phone number to sign up. For the hour trip on return to ChaoShan station, my hotel called me a didi (taxi) for the predetermined price of RMB$60 (USD$8.18). The driver dropped me off inside the train station! Didi or taxi’s were very inexpensive.
Free Wi-Fi in my hotel could not access Google. I was pleasantly surprised that I still had Google Map, Whatsapp and YouTube using my foreign esim. In China, Google map was not as precise as Baidu map navigation, which I relied on to take public transportation and walk about.
I sighed with relief that the city kept most of its rustic charm. The Ancient City area upkept historical houses, streets, temples, gates, bridges, and pagodas existed as far back as the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). The Chaozhou Museum in the People's Square, which I entered by passport identification without prior reservation, housed excellent resources to understand Chaozhou since antiquity and displayed their bravery and sacrifices toward the founding of New China.
Among the Chinese, Chaozhou people’s ambitions and abilities were known to be outstanding. Therefore, I imagined another hyperactive China city with an eyeful of sparkling highrises in a hurry to transform into a grand metropolis. Instead, I saw that their outstandingness was holding fast to their preferred culture and lifestyle, regardless of the busy objectives of everyday life. Their version of “stop and smell the coffee” was stop and smell the tiny cups of gongfu tea. UNESCO had recognized Chaozhou “gongfu tea” on its Cultural Heritage list. On any street, I saw the tiny tea sets ready to entertain outside or inside of shops. Just walking by, I was invited to sit down and had several cups. The shopkeeper and her friend treated me nicely but casually, as if I were a neighbor. The tea was hot and intense, like shots of cognac. Tea houses were mindfully decorated for tranquility. I walked into one that felt like the classical mansion in “Dream of the Red Chamber.” The young proprietor said RMB$98 (USD$13.38) for 2 to 4 people in a private room that included tea and sweets. And then I happened upon Pinyu Tea House ( 品羽茶屋). Hearing my interest, Master Long 龙素芳 served me up an authentic tea experience. Magnanimous Chaozhou hospitality!
