Category: Uncategorized

The rain has arrived. Yesterday morning I was commenting that everyone warned me about Hong Kong rain and Typhones but in 5 days it had not rained which must have called the rain clouds. Starting around 11:30 AM it started pouring for 30-60 minutes then lightly drizzled for the rest of the afternoon.

This time around we have a delivery truck driver Sam and Paco who runs the pallet jack. Both are great to have around they have good joking humors and love to take us around to show us the seights when needing off venu runs. We usually do the deliveries in a group with a couple of KER folks walking out, Sam and Paco take the truck around to the back of the barn. Paco loves doing the heavy lifting when we make deliveries so much so that when we had an over sized pallet stacked 8 feet high he dropped the pallet to block the stable door with himself inside and the rest of us outside unable to unload. Paco then unloaded the whole pallet by himself.

Eventually the rain dropped off and Curli, Elizabeth, Sarah and I went into Kawloon to meet Brooke and her mom for dinner at a pub on the harbor and some night viewing of the Hong Kong skyline. Brooke and her mom took a bus tour to see the Big Budha, which sounds like a great trip.

Today Elizabeth flys back to Australia, it will be Curli, Sarah and myself until Mark from Australia returns sometime next week.

We finished the afternoon deliveries around 2pm and headed to Thai Wai one of the cities usually used to switch train lines. Once there we just wandered around a bit in normal Hong Kong suburb. I was still lots of high rises but not as high or as western as where we are staying. The 4 of us were the only westerners and were kinda getting gawked at by locals. At one point we wandered through a fresh market, mostly vegtables, fruit and fresh meats. At one point on a shelf was cat that wasn’t moving. The propietor then started pushing the cat’s leg, eventually the cat started moving it was just sleeping but they wanted us to know it was alive and not part of the meat department. It was pretty funny because all the shop keepers were watching us and the interaction, everyone started laughing once the cat moved.

We ended up going through an indoor mall and found a sweets shop. I picked up some gummy penguins I’m hoping to bring home. Also had lunch at a Japanese resturant with a manager that spoke excelent english and was a gracious host giving some good suggestions. Ended eating some tempora and seafood noodle soup which were good. Also had my first Sing Tao in Aisa. Sing Tao is an Asian, maybe Hong Kong, beer I have had at some US Asian resturants.

You will have to look at the photos of Thai Wai it was an intresting place.

For supper we headed down the block from the hotel and had Chinese at a very locals kida place. At first we were going to order from the photo menu but they had someone that spoke pretty good english and brought over a couple english menus. I let the others look over the menus first but while they were looking Elizabeth said “Spicy Frogs“. When I looked over the menus the Spicy Frogs was the most intresting looking item. When I ordered Curli, Elizabeth, Sarah and the waitress seemed to think I was crazy. It ended up bring this rather large bowl of frog, noodles, sprouts, very hot peppers and in a very spicy broth. It was excelent. They all said that it smelled good but the frogs turned them off. The frog was a whole frog skinned and gutted then diced length wise bone and all. It was kinda hard to get the meat off the bones but very tasty. One of the best dishes I have had so far. The Australians all joked that we should take the American grooms out to eat for Spicy Frog.

After the frog we had some, well lots of some, drinks at the hotel bar and ended running into an alternate for the British wheelchair ping pong team. She had also been to Athens and loved riding up to the Parthanon in the crain bucket.

All for now hopefully I’ll get some of the Thai Wai and Spicy Frog photos uploades.

We finished the afternoon deliveries around 2pm and headed to Thai Wai one of the cities usually used to switch train lines. Once there we just wandered around a bit in normal Hong Kong suburb. I was still lots of high rises but not as high or as western as where we are staying. The 4 of us were the only westerners and were kinda getting gawked at by locals. At one point we wandered through a fresh market, mostly vegtables, fruit and fresh meats. At one point on a shelf was cat that wasn’t moving. The propietor then started pushing the cat’s leg, eventually the cat started moving it was just sleeping but they wanted us to know it was alive and not part of the meat department. It was pretty funny because all the shop keepers were watching us and the interaction, everyone started laughing once the cat moved.

We ended up going through an indoor mall and found a sweets shop. I picked up some gummy penguins I’m hoping to bring home. Also had lunch at a Japanese resturant with a manager that spoke excelent english and was a gracious host giving some good suggestions. Ended eating some tempora and seafood noodle soup which were good. Also had my first Sing Tao in Aisa. Sing Tao is an Asian, maybe Hong Kong, beer I have had at some US Asian resturants.

You will have to look at the photos of Thai Wai it was an intresting place.

For supper we headed down the block from the hotel and had Chinese at a very locals kida place. At first we were going to order from the photo menu but they had someone that spoke pretty good english and brought over a couple english menus. I let the others look over the menus first but while they were looking Elizabeth said “Spicy Frogs“. When I looked over the menus the Spicy Frogs was the most intresting looking item. When I ordered Curli, Elizabeth, Sarah and the waitress seemed to think I was crazy. It ended up bring this rather large bowl of frog, noodles, sprouts, very hot peppers and in a very spicy broth. It was excelent. They all said that it smelled good but the frogs turned them off. The frog was a whole frog skinned and gutted then diced length wise bone and all. It was kinda hard to get the meat off the bones but very tasty. One of the best dishes I have had so far. The Australians all joked that we should take the American grooms out to eat for Spicy Frog.

After the frog we had some, well lots of some, drinks at the hotel bar and ended running into an alternate for the British wheelchair ping pong team. She had also been to Athens and loved riding up to the Parthanon in the crain bucket.

All for now hopefully I’ll get some of the Thai Wai and Spicy Frog photos uploades.

Yesterday was kinda uneventful. We were done with deliveries by 3pm. I hanged around the office to finish uploading photos and just in case someone really needed something but no one stopped by. The afternoons are declared “Quiet Time” for the horses. We can make deliveries but the grooms and riders are not allowed in the stables to give the horses time to rest.

I was going to meet Sarah and Brooke for dinner for Brooke’s last night working but there was a mixup with the front desk. They were going to a Thai place and said to just ask at the front desk, the place was just across the street, but the guy at the desk sent me to the indoor mall a couple blocks across the river which also had a Thai resturant. It wasn’t all a loss I was able to wander around the electronic stores which was fun.

Not sure about today’s after work plans. We might ride the train to the one of the majorish line change stops and see what is there.

And ended up picking up some snacks for the hotel room from a corner grocery. Picked up some Platters cheese curls and noticed that they were not as cheesy as the American ones.

Yesterday was kinda uneventful. We were done with deliveries by 3pm. I hanged around the office to finish uploading photos and just in case someone really needed something but no one stopped by. The afternoons are declared “Quiet Time” for the horses. We can make deliveries but the grooms and riders are not allowed in the stables to give the horses time to rest.

I was going to meet Sarah and Brooke for dinner for Brooke’s last night working but there was a mixup with the front desk. They were going to a Thai place and said to just ask at the front desk, the place was just across the street, but the guy at the desk sent me to the indoor mall a couple blocks across the river which also had a Thai resturant. It wasn’t all a loss I was able to wander around the electronic stores which was fun.

Not sure about today’s after work plans. We might ride the train to the one of the majorish line change stops and see what is there.

And ended up picking up some snacks for the hotel room from a corner grocery. Picked up some Platters cheese curls and noticed that they were not as cheesy as the American ones.

Found out today that is the neighborhood were the hotel and equestrian compound is located.

Yesterday we were done delifering around 2:30 so headed out for some seight seeing. Curli, Elizabeth and I rode the train into to Hong Kong Island. I totally love there train system and the Octopus Cards, debit cards for the trains and busses. Pretty much there isn’t a train schedule other than it is running because they arrive and depart every 3 minutes.

In Hong Kong we headed up The Peak Tram to the top of one of the mountians and up Sky Terrace. Incrediable view of Hong Kong and Koloowoon across the harbour. Ended up having some fries at the Burger King on the mountian. Did some walking around Hong Kong and took the ferry across the harbor and have some sunset photos of Hong Kong harbor.

We trained back to Shaitan to meet up with Melissa, Brooke and Sarah. It was Melissa’s last night so we went to this multi story mall, kinda like the Sumas mall outside Vancover, and eat at Fish Co. Had a tasty New York Fish and Chips, they added a nice cheese to the fish, and had my first adult beverage here, something blue.

Hopefully by this afternoon I’ll have the laptop with photos on the network again and upload some of the photos.

Found out today that is the neighborhood were the hotel and equestrian compound is located.

Yesterday we were done delifering around 2:30 so headed out for some seight seeing. Curli, Elizabeth and I rode the train into to Hong Kong Island. I totally love there train system and the Octopus Cards, debit cards for the trains and busses. Pretty much there isn’t a train schedule other than it is running because they arrive and depart every 3 minutes.

In Hong Kong we headed up The Peak Tram to the top of one of the mountians and up Sky Terrace. Incrediable view of Hong Kong and Koloowoon across the harbour. Ended up having some fries at the Burger King on the mountian. Did some walking around Hong Kong and took the ferry across the harbor and have some sunset photos of Hong Kong harbor.

We trained back to Shaitan to meet up with Melissa, Brooke and Sarah. It was Melissa’s last night so we went to this multi story mall, kinda like the Sumas mall outside Vancover, and eat at Fish Co. Had a tasty New York Fish and Chips, they added a nice cheese to the fish, and had my first adult beverage here, something blue.

Hopefully by this afternoon I’ll have the laptop with photos on the network again and upload some of the photos.

Made it through the first day of working. Currently KER feed and bedding crew is Curli, who was in Athens but doesn’t work for KER is here and will be for my duration. His significant other Elizabeth who is here til Wednesdayish. Melissa who is from Kentucky and leaving tomorrow. Brooke from the Australian office and leaving Monday I think. Sarah from the Australian office and here till the end. Mark from the Australian office will be here sometime next week I think and staying til the end. We also have 2 locals, Sam in his 50’s I think and Paco a teenager or 20 year old. They actually do most of the manual delivery and driving, both are pros and pretty good at it.

The heat and humidity is pretty intense. My backpack thermoter said it was 100 F in the afternoon and the humitidy was kinda like walking through a wall. While the temperature is about what Athens and Australia were it feels 10x worse out side.

Yesterday had lunch in the Olympic/Paralympic cafertia affectionately refered as “The Cave”. Between it being under some building and the feel of AC it is pretty cave like. The food was ok, had something of the Chinese menu, nothing worth mentioning other than it being cheap, $5 ish US with a pretty good chocolate cake. Breakfast is at the hotel and kinda buffet with western and asian stuff.

By evening I was feeling tired so I had roomservice, udon and mixed seafood in soya and some thai appitizers. Watched a movie, hooked my iPod up to the widscreen LCD TV and was asleep by 9:30. Worke up 5:30 feeling pretty good.

This afternoon after doing all our deliveries we may head up one of the mountians and head out to eat for Melissa’s last night.

Did some wandering around the outside the hotel. Didn’t take photos. I guess like most big cities it seemed like some of the locals could get whatever they wanted with in a couple blocks. Kinda cool.

If i get a chance I’ll upload some more photos on flickr.

Made it through the first day of working. Currently KER feed and bedding crew is Curli, who was in Athens but doesn’t work for KER is here and will be for my duration. His significant other Elizabeth who is here til Wednesdayish. Melissa who is from Kentucky and leaving tomorrow. Brooke from the Australian office and leaving Monday I think. Sarah from the Australian office and here till the end. Mark from the Australian office will be here sometime next week I think and staying til the end. We also have 2 locals, Sam in his 50’s I think and Paco a teenager or 20 year old. They actually do most of the manual delivery and driving, both are pros and pretty good at it.

The heat and humidity is pretty intense. My backpack thermoter said it was 100 F in the afternoon and the humitidy was kinda like walking through a wall. While the temperature is about what Athens and Australia were it feels 10x worse out side.

Yesterday had lunch in the Olympic/Paralympic cafertia affectionately refered as “The Cave”. Between it being under some building and the feel of AC it is pretty cave like. The food was ok, had something of the Chinese menu, nothing worth mentioning other than it being cheap, $5 ish US with a pretty good chocolate cake. Breakfast is at the hotel and kinda buffet with western and asian stuff.

By evening I was feeling tired so I had roomservice, udon and mixed seafood in soya and some thai appitizers. Watched a movie, hooked my iPod up to the widscreen LCD TV and was asleep by 9:30. Worke up 5:30 feeling pretty good.

This afternoon after doing all our deliveries we may head up one of the mountians and head out to eat for Melissa’s last night.

Did some wandering around the outside the hotel. Didn’t take photos. I guess like most big cities it seemed like some of the locals could get whatever they wanted with in a couple blocks. Kinda cool.

If i get a chance I’ll upload some more photos on flickr.

I made it!!! Ended up sleeping most of the flight from Seoul to Hong Kong, 4ish hours in hour spurts. It was probably a good thing I didn’t sleep on the Atlants to Seoul, the Seoul to Hong Kong seemed to be about 1/2 little kids that cried most of the way to HK, but since I was so tired the crying didn’t bother me.

Made it to HK about 10pm local time, out of the Airport to the train by 11pm, taxie from Koloowoo about 11:30 and the hotel around Midnight. Slept well and had a wake up call for 6am. Feeling pretty refreshed now and on the Equine venue with my Paralympic accredation.

The hotel is very nice, gread bed and bath, infinately better than the Greece accomodations.