WHAT was in the soup?????

Ken's family has been amazing! They welcomed us to Huang Po with open arms, let us stay in their apartments, treated us to fantastic meals... more than we could have ever hoped or wanted!

Back to the meals... Our first evening, we were whisked from the bus stop and taken directly to dinner. The soup was great... until we saw what was in it!!!


Yes, that is a snake & a scorpion! I don't know if its better or worse to find out AFTER we ate it!

Ken's aunt and her husband live in Huang Po with 3 of their sons and their families. Huang Po is a smaller city, sort of a suburb of Guang Zhou. Historically, It was know for its Military Academy, which Sun Yatsen and Mao Zedong both attended.


(Ken & his family at the Military Academy Museum, we couldn't resist turning this into a jumping shot...)

Currently, Huang Po's claim to fame is the port, where Ken's uncle was manager until his retirement. Ken's cousins now own a cargo transportation business, thus the family's connection with the port continues. This port is a massive operation; cargo trucks line up for miles to receive their loads fresh from the tankers - all to build and supply the new China.

Onto Guang Zhou…

Our first real stop in China was Huang Pu, a suburb of Guang Zhou in Guang Dong province. My aunt and uncle live in this port city where their 3 sons are successful in business and raise their own families. The two oldest sons run a shipping company out of a small apartment and the youngest son is an engineer that works with the local government agencies constructing new buildings all over Guang Zhou.

On our first day, we went into Guang Zhou and visited the oldest part of the city where many old neighborhoods will soon be demolished to make room for new highrises. Just walking around these narrow alleyways, gave you a sense of the changing landscape.


My aunt.

The Peak

Jumping Series, The Peak, Hong Kong Island, "Jack the Vac"


Time Lapse shot from The Peak of Hong Kong Island seemed to be a good way to close the Hong Kong portion of our shoot! 360 degree view of the buzzing, electric energy of Hong Kong. Neon reflections, jungle filled hill sides, infinite apartment complexes... Now on to the next adventure!

Halloween Dinner at Lam Tin...

Most people in Hong Kong live in these super giant highrises that have anything you would ever need. There's really no reason to leave if there's supermarkets, dim sum restaurants, and even schools...


My uncle and my dad go shopping for fresh meats...


Dinner at my uncle's...


Would you like to sample my hairy crabs?


After dinner, we went with my cousin, Kin Fay and all his cool Hong Kong friends to Causeway Bay for some Halloween fun...


"It must have been love, but it's over now..."


"More than words, is all I ever needed..."


Kin Fay sings Robbie Williams "Better Man"...


After 30 beers, there was a lot of love in the air...


Happy Halloween!


"One night happy, OK?"

The Hong Kong years...

Wednesday was the day to shoot my dad’s old neighborhood. Sam Shui Po is the district in Hong Kong where he called home during those 5 short years. It’s the place where many Taishanese people usually settled after making the dangerous journey from mainland China.

After wandering around the unrecognizable streets with my father we finally found the exact building where my mom carried me for 8 months before making the journey to America.

Probably the happiest I've seen my dad in years...


Today it’s known as the cheap technology/gadget district. You can pretty much find anything you need there...

Hong Kong Island with Yau King Eng

Yau King Eng was a door to door salesman when he lived in Hong Kong. He spent most of his time on Hong Kong Island, selling during the day, sleeping in the wharehouse at night. The company he worked for provided a place to sleep, meals and shoes. With a salary of 10 Hong Kong dollars per day, he paid for his apartment (where his wife lived and which he was able to visit on holidays), sent money home to his family and saved up to come to America.

We accompanied him to the old neighborhood & many of the places in his memory.

Swimming to Macau...

On Tuesday, we visited Macau, but more specifically the site where my father swam across in 1966. This is the place where many people from Southern China have died, attempting to escape starvation and oppression. Landfill has completely changed the face of the area connecting mainland China and Macau - what was once a 5 hour swim has become a short walk on the beach.



It's never too late to learn a new skill...



A Macau Street...



We finally convinced my dad to jump!