Hong Kong trip: A Belated Tale

I was away in Hong Kong for two weeks at the end of May and in early June. I must say, I think it was a mistake to bring my big, clunky SLR-like digital camera; I was forever finding excuses not to take it out and about (the main excuse being the rain, which was almost unceasing the entire time I was there), so I don't have very many pictures to show for the time I spent there.

How quickly the body forgets 90-plus degree weather and 99 percent humidity! I lived there for 10 years, but it took some readjusting. It saps the will to be active; my brother was like a wet dishrag for most of our stay, perky only in the presence of air-conditioning.

My family and I had had plans to make a little side-trip somewhere, such as to mainland China, or Vietnam, or even nearby Macau. With the heavy rains, which seemed to blanket the entire region, and the situation in China, however, we decided to stay in Hong Kong.

I did get to meet up with a number of good friends from high school, not the least of whom was Kea. That, in my opinion, made the whole trip worthwhile. And, when I was tired of the dearth of home-cooking (my grandparents, with whom we were staying, never dine in) Kea and her SO invited me to their place and we cooked up a simple but delicious meal. I learned to make Vietnamese meatballs (yum!!!), we had lots of choi sum sauteed with garlic, and we also bought some fresh scallops, which we served steamed in the shell with loads of minced garlic and scallions. We chased that with freshly made lime soda, and lychees and mangosteens for dessert. I think that was one of the best meals I had the entire time I was there.