My First day at work.

Monday morning.....and like the rest of you, I had to get up and go to work. The First thing I learned about working in Hong Kong is ya gotta reset your alarm clock for Hong Kong time. My alarm clock(my cell phone) was still on Thailand time, so I woke up late. Great start huh? Actually it wasn't such a big deal. The work doesn't start till 9:00 here, and we were still early enough to get to the morning planning meeting on time.

As we took the train out to the site I got to see a lot more of Hong Kong. This city is truly beautiful. It's full of beautiful architecture. On the way we went by I. M. Pei's Bank of China building. It has to be one of the most amazing buildings ever made. From some angles it looks like a rectangle, but as we passed by it the multiple levels divided up by triangles reveals itself. Simply an amazing piece of skyline. Further along we passed a Chinese cemetery carved out of the hillside clinging to the edge of the shore. Beyond that the harbor is spanned by multiple suspension bridges of various designs. I see now why this city gets such raving reviews. It's clever, beautiful, tasteful, and sometimes it just seems impossibly built. The landscape is rarely flat. Often steep lush hillsides dive straight into the ocean.

Then we got to the land of the mouse. It's strange to be building something that is so familiar. The layout of the park is exactly the same as Anaheim. Orienting myself to what is being built and where is just a matter of remembering where it is in California. As I started on this job I was a bit concerned as to whether I could really help, but now I know I can make a big contribution to the project. Coming up with solutions to problems and developing process of construction are things that I just can't help doing. It's a real challenge working with all the different nationalities, and personalities, but that's also part of the fun. Today I worked with people from Hong Kong, China, France, and even some Americans. I think this is gonna be really fun and challenging. I feel like I'm helping to build something that will be a major part of Hong Kong for hundreds of years. They build everything to withstand Typhoon force winds, so it all seems like it will be here forever. Beyond that I found out about all the plans for the near and far future for the other parks throughout the world. Hearing that made feel like I want in. I'm going to try hard to be a part of the plans they have if only just to go to all the cool cities like Tokyo, Shanghai, and Paris. Can ya tell I'm pretty motivated?

Dragon sculpture.

Double decker trolleys

The street in front of my hotel.

Hong Kong

Well here I am. I arrived last night in their brand new airport. It still has that new car smell. It was all really easy. China Air made me sign some document saying that I was on my own if they didn't let me into Hong Kong cuz I was traveling on a one way ticket. When I got to immigration in Hong Kong they said nothing. Just the thumping sound of another stamp in my passport. The hotel recommended that I take Hotel Link, a shuttle bus that would take me to my hotel for $150. That's Hong Kong dollars, so you divide by 7.8, easy huh? Anyway I thought that would be far to easy, so I jumped on their brand new commuter train(again that new car smell). I flew in at 7:30, so I didn't get to see much on the way, but it was aquick trip to Hong Kong station where I caught a taxi to my hotel. I'm staying at the South Pacific Hotel. It's an oval shaped building, so I have a curved window wall in my room. It's kind of a small room with two twin beds(very Ozzie and Harriet). The cool part is I have a high speed connection in here, so I get to put pictures on my blog.

Hong Kong is a lot like San Francisco on streroids. It's really vertical. The buildings are all very tall. Today I went out and did a little shopping. What impressed me the most is there's a ton of people here. No joke this place is packed with people. The cool part is lots of them speak English and there's Chinese food everywhere. I like Chinese food, so I think I'm gonna be OK on the food front. Paul (my boss) gave me Steve's (some of you may remember him from the Friday night fires)mobile phone number, so I gave him a call. He was still working, so we decided to meet after work, and go out. He told me he was at the Charterhouse, so I got in a cab and asked them to take me to the Charterhouse. It was a short trip, and Steve and I went out to a bar where we met some very friendly Chinese girls. Had a few beers listened to some really cheesy music then left. Without the girls. Anyway we walked back to the Charterhouse Steve was done, so I thought I'd take a cab back to my hotel. There were cabs across the street, but I didn't want to jay walk so I walked to the end of the block. As I went I was thinking about trying to walk home. My hotel is pretty unique looking, so I was looking up at all the buildings trying to see an oval shaped one. As I got to the end of the block I looked across the street, and there is my hotel. I took a cab to a hotel that was half a block away. I have a lot to learn about Hong Kong.

Pattaya…

The last week or so in Pattaya has felt much more like living in Thailand than traveling. As I said in my last post Harvey’s house is really comfortable, and we’ve all settled in nicely. It’s a nice change, but not so exciting that it makes a post easy to write. So I’ve decided to just let you all know how things are going and what were doin. Harvey has been spending a lot of time shopping, filling in the empty spots in his house. It’s fully furnished, but some of the Western conveniences were missing. He’s been getting small appliances like microwave, and toaster ovens, and large appliances like a clothes dryer. He got a great deal on a big TV and a DVD player/ stereo. Like I said it’s getting really comfortable with all the comforts of home. I’ve really been enjoying my time here with my Thai girlfriend Paew. I could see how easy it would be to stay. A lot of people told me as I started around the world that I might never get past Thailand, and I see why they said it. I think I’ve been traveling for around three months, and what started out being very strange and unfamiliar now just seems normal. Having a home to stay in really backs that feeling up.

Last night we went to dinner with On’s family at a restaurant called MK. It’s like a Thai version of Denny’s, but the food is 100% Thai. They have a Soup cooker on each table, and you order ingredients, and make you own soup. The food was good, and it was a nice way to spend some time with On’s family. Thai food is good and all, but it’s so seafood oriented that I have a little trouble with it…..oh well. After dinner we dropped On’s Mom off at home and went out to play pool. Usually we go to walking street, which is the main area with all the bars in Pattaya, but last night we went to Soi 7. It’s a little off the beaten track, but still a lively, fun area of town. After walking around looking in all the bars for a pool table we settled in at one that had a fairly nice table, and old country music playing. I’m not that big a fan of country, but it was fun. We met some English guys, a father and son both named Peter who wanted to play pool with us, and we decided to play for 200 Baht per game. They won the first game, and then we started just destroying them. I think in the next two games they only sunk 2 balls. The fourth game they did better but still lost. So we gave them a chance to win their money back…..One game for 600 Baht. They lost again. I have a little eye infection, so I wasn’t drinking cuz I’m taking antibiotics. Pool without drinking isn’t as fun, so I went and hung out with On and Paew. Harvey went on to keep beating up on these guys on the pool table…taking their money away. They kept bringing better and better players trying to get their money back. They eventually did, but by then Harv had like Three thousand baht of theirs and it was getting late. He ended up getting beat a couple times, but in the end we both walked away from the bar with more money than we walked in with.

Meanwhile I’ was playing jackpot with the girls, and every few minutes someone would tap me on the shoulder wanting me to buy their hats, or take a picture, or pet their boa constrictor or buy flowers….. Sheesh It takes a good deal of patience not to get upset with them, but it’s someone new each time. They wouldn’t have any idea why you’re upset if you do get pissed off anyway. So I’m sitting their and I get tapped on the shoulder…again. I turn to give them a miaou krup (no thank you in Thai), and it’s not a person, but an elephant. Not a full sized elephant, but a teenager. His handler sells some kind of veggies for 20 Baht, and the idea is you feed the elephant. Feeding elephants is said to be good luck, and I couldn’t resist. This was also a very persistent elephant. Once he knew I had the bag he was all over me. I could barely get them out of the bag fast enough. It was fun except I got a lot of elephant slobber on me.

Today we went to get visa extensions at the immigration office. Our thirty-day visas expire tomorrow. We pick up the visas tomorrow. If we hadn’t got the extension we would be charged 500 Baht per day over our visa as we leave the country. So the 1900 Baht visa extension is a good deal.

I’m leaving Thailand for Hong Kong on Friday, so we went to Big C (a department store here) to buy some work clothes, and do grocery shopping. Thing are so cheap here. I bought a couple pairs of pants, some dress shirts, a pair of shoes, and some clothes for Paew, all for around 100 dollars. It was a shock that it was all so cheap.

Like I said I’ll be in Hong Kong as of Friday, so my next post will probably be from there. BTW I sent out an email with pictures, and got absolutely no response…I’m feeling a little neglected. What happened to those demanding fans?

So ya want more huh?

Dorri wants more so...OK I'll tell ya a story. This happened about a month ago in Cambodia. I won't tell stories from right now, cuz the people I talk about could be reading this. Anyway....remember the pictures of the monks? Well those guys were really friendly, and studying English, so I was going to the temple fairly regularly. We exchanged phone numbers the day I met them. Usually I'd get a call from them, and they'd ask if I was gonna come over. I spent a lot of nights out partying very late, so sometimes I would make it, and sometimes I wouldn't. My friend/girlfriend in Phenom Pehn knew I was going to the temple a lot, told me I shouldn't lie to the monks, and would actually leave if I was supposed to be going to see the monks. I liked going to the temple because it was a glimpse into a lifestyle that was completely different from anything I knew. It was also very similar they had very little in the way of material goods, but still had cell phones, and a computer in their room. We'd talk about how I lived in America, and how they lived. I learned a lot about the monks lifestyle, and what really goes on at the temple. It's not as peaceful there as you might think. One day I saw a fight that was pretty gnarly inside the temple ground. You see if someone gets into trouble the last place they can go is the temple, so often there are some pretty troubled people at the temple. The fight I saw was someone who I guess was too much trouble even for the temple, and they were regulating on him(with really big sticks!).

I told you that story to tell you this story. One evening I was at my hotel taking a shower. My girlfriend was in the other room, and my phone rang so she answered it. Later I came out of the bathroom and asked her who called. She told me that it was some ladyboy looking for his boyfriend. I got a fair amount of wrong number calls, so I didn't think much of it. Well a couple of hours later I got a call from one of the monks, same as usual asking if I would come to the temple. Then he said I called earlier and a girl answered. He asked me who that was, and I told him that was my girlfriend. He was very surprised that I had a Khmer girlfriend...whatever. I told him I'd come by the temple tomorrow afternoon and hung up. After I got off the phone I told Bohpa (her name) that she was talking to the monks earlier. I had totally forgotten about the "ladyboy looking for his boyfriend" part. At this point she got pretty upset, cuz she thought I was cheating on her with a monk! I couldn't help it I just busted up, which really didn't help. She started talking about going to the temple to kill the monk...(an idle threat she's not really like that). It was a little disturbing that this monk I'd been hanging out with thought of me as more than friends, but it was funny as hell that Bohpa got so jealous and angry. Once again the humor of all this was lost on her. Needless to say I never quite got to the temple the next day, or anytime after that. Who knew that there are gay monks?

Well, there ya go some details about what's been going on with me. Other than that the big news for the last couple day has been that I can count to ten in Cantonese. It's been really nice hanging out here at Harvey's. It really feels like home. Especiially after living in hotels for the last couple months. Hong Kong is close enough to here that I probably will be able to come visit Harv on weekends, so if any of you guys make it here you'll see both of us.

Studying in Paradise........

Well It's on. I start in Hong Kong September First. To get ready I've been learning as much as I can about Chinese culture and business. This will make the fourth language in which I've been struggling to learn just a few words At least I know that I'll be staying long enough to really invest some time in it. I'm not sure where I'll be staying yet, but I'm gonna do my best to have enough room to accommodate visitors. On that note Harvey has been searching all week for a house here. I think he's decided on a really nice place near the beach in Jomtien. It's a three bedroom, so he definitely has room for anyone who visits. Sorry for the short post, but that's all that's going on with me......Well that's all that is fit to publish...;) By the way I've heard how some of you are using our pics as backgrounds on your computer. I'm gonna send out an email with the photo I'm using for my background. It's from fish feeding in Phi Phi.

Your toothbrushes at the beach on Railay.

Stalactites.

A sarong vendor inside caves.

Salctites

Caves

Firedancer.

Sunset at Railay.

Back to the Hard Rock Hotel….

Well I’m back in Pattaya. I’m gonna stay here for a week, and then I think I’ll go back to Phenom Penh. Have I mentioned that I love this hotel. There are only a couple places where I really feel like I’m at home, and this is one of them. I’ve only been here twice, and the staff already calls me by name. It also is the only hotel where I can have a high-speed Internet connection in my room, so this post will have pictures. I’ll also try to get some more pictures out in an email.

I’ve downloaded a book on Chinese business customs and etiquette so I can prepare myself for this job in Hong Kong. So far the news on that front is good. Hopefully I’m going to be living right in the city. If I get the job I’ll be helping to build the castle by the beginning of August. So my long-term holiday has just changed to a vacation before I start work. I know that sounds funny, but it really feels different to me. The best part about it is I’ll be right in Hong Kong. There was a possibility that I might be an hour out of town supervising work at a factory. I emailed my brother Ted who told me that Hong Kong is one of his favorite cities in the world, so now I’m really excited to be going there.

Reading the comments from my last posts teared me up a bit. I love you guys too. . Dorri I’m so sorry that you think you can’t get away, but you never know it may still happen. I do think about all of you often. The only things that I miss about my life in Los Angeles is my family, my friends.....and my cat. I wish I could both travel and be able to see all of you, but short of bringing you all with me, this blog is all I got. Traveling is expensive, but it is possible even for those without much money. There are tons of people I’ve met that are traveling on next to nothing. The most difficult thing is to not have a lot of expenses back home. I know it’s extreme what I did, but if there’s a will there’s a way. There is a book called “Vagabonding” by Rolf Potts that says exactly how to do it. Traveling is about seeing the world, but what you really learn about is yourself. Living in places that are unfamiliar has to be one of the best ways to get to know who you really are.

Phi Phi and Railay

This is the THIRD time I’ve written this post I lost the first two at the beautiful, but lame internet café here. I read all your comments, and it made me really happy. I love the conversation going on among you. It reminds me of my place. My blog has become cyber-mikey’s house.
I still haven’t finalized my work in Hong Kong, but that is supposed to happen in the next few days. I’m not sure what I’m gonna do with the rest of this month. Harv is going back to Bangkok and Pataya. I may go along, or go back to Phi Phi, or maybe a trip to Cambodia. I think I’ll just let it work itself out.
Since my last post, we’ve come to Railay. These are the islands use for the villain Goldfinger’s lair in the James Bond movie. Were staying on an amazingly beautiful white sand beach with blue green water lapping at the shoreline. Off to each side are thousand foot tall limestone cliffs that are colored by the water eroding them. The limestone dissolves in the water, and reforms into stalactites and stalagmites that hang from the sides of the cliffs. There are places where the water runs through the rocks and creates everything from small wholes to huge caverns. At the base of the cliffs is deep green jungle. Picturesque is an understatement. Today it rained most of the day, but after a while it cleared up enough to go out to the beach for a swim. It’s a nice place, but I think I like Koh Phi Phi better.
The day before we left Phi Phi we hired a speedboat to take us out to the other island Phi Phi Don, This is a preserved Island so no one lives on it. Before we went to “The Beach” (from the movie) our guide took us snorkeling. I was blown away, Phi Phi is as beautiful underwater as it is above. Ya know how I said I would find a dirt cheap paradise for everyone to come too? Well this is it. It’s easy to find a hotel room, or cabana for around twenty bucks, and you can eat all day for the same amount. Drinking and snorkeling can be done pretty cheap as well. It has a great night life. It has a very herbal feel, lots of dreadlocks and pictures of Bob Marley. I like it a lot. I’m sure I will visit this island again. Very likely with some of you who are reading this.
Well that’s all for now. It’s time to go out and get some dinner. Then it’s time to let the locals have another shot at beating me and Harv at pool. Last night we were killing them, and today they were asking if we’d be back at The Last Bar again.

Phi Phi Island

It's Phi Phi not pee pee OK. Emphasis on the H.
I'm sorry I haven't posted recently, but I've been having way too much fun. I barely have time to sleep. This is the most beautiful place I've been to so far. Were staying at a really nice hotel, and today we spent the entire day poolside, or at the beach. I'm constantly saying and thinking "wow this place is beautiful".

I don't know what happened to my last post, all that got published was the title. The funny part about it is how many comments just a title got. I'm really happy you all had fun at the river. Dorri actually went for the rafting trip, I think that's a first. I had a moment on Friday of last week where I really wanted to pack my bags and head back, just to go camping. I watched the slide show from 2001, and came very close to just heading to the airport. In fact I flipped a coin heads I stay in Bangkok, tails I jump on a plane. Well, it came out heads. I really would have liked to have joined you all, but there's always next year.

What you guys have not heard, cuz my last post didn't work was that we've come back down to the south. We spent a few days on Patong Beach, then took a ferry ride out to Phi Phi. Our plan is to stay here for a while, then go to Rai Lei. Like I said this place is really beautiful. Steep mountains poking out of beautiful clear water, often with jungle coming right down to the waters edge. The diving is supposed to be incredible, so I may try a dive or two.

OK, as to rumors......I haven't yet got the job, but I'm pretty sure I want it. Hong Kong is supposed to be an amazing city. This job is through Scenario. Paul (the owner) has offered me a position at a factory an hour outside Hong Kong supervising the production of parts for the new Disneyland there. At this point the job will go for two or three months, but if I like it (and if they like my work) it could go on longer. I know from the comments that some of you are shocked that I would decide to stay, but Asia is growing on me. It's all very different, but it's also beginning to feel really comfortable. Sage is right, once I'm settled in Hong Kong you guys are totally welcome to come visit me. I hadn't planned to spend much time there, because from what I've heard it's a very expensive town. So if I'm living there you guys can come and avoid a lot of the costs. Beyond that, it's not like I'm never coming back to the states. I'm sure no matter what I'll at least come back for a visit. There was a fifty fifty chance that I would have seen you all last week. It's not like I don't miss you. Last night I read on the wall of a bar where someone had written "Life is a book, and those who have not travelled only read the first page". I cannot put this book down right now, and I urge you all to turn some pages.

Bhuddist Lent/How was camping?