On the Move!

The Baumann family evening varies from night to night.  As was told in previous posts, both of us have after school commitments throughout the week that keep us teaching until close to 5pm.  This may seem like an inconvenience, but it is usually pretty rewarding time with students and it helps to punctuate our work week.

A trip anywhere is begun with a reference to any one of the many HK Transit phone apps that we have on the iphone.  Hong Kong, like many major cities in the world, can take all available information sources and plot a course for you using busses, trains, boats, and walking routes.   Routes can be sorted by fare, time, and distance.  Luckily fare does not have to be a great consideration due to the extremely subsidized transportation system.  A one hour trip spanning the city from end to end will often cost 2-3 USD. (16-24 HKD)  That doesn't mean that our "midwestern sensibility" doesn't still contribute to the decision making process:)

All public transit can be paid for on a debit card-like "Octopus Card."  You put money on it and then every time you get on the bus or train, you "dood" that card on the reader.  Yes, the word "dood" is a verb here in Hong Kong.  The word comes from the sound the reader machine makes when it debit's your account.  It is really a very ingenious system, even if the verb makes it sound as though the user should be very embarrassed by themselves :)  Many vendors like convenience stores, fast food restaurants, coffee shops, and bakeries also accept payment with Octopus.  The only downside is that the logo for the Octopus card is not a cute cartoon octopus, but the infinity symbol.

McDonald's "Shake Shake" Fries with Seaweed Seasoning.

Healthy McDonald's?!!!

Once the method of transit is selected, then it is off to the transit terminus.  If we take the bus down to the island (for things like yoga class, cello repairs, or an "I need good chips and salsa now!!!!" run) then we turn right as we leave the school and follow a nice little path that pops out by a bus stop.  It is located right in front of adventure cycling course and across the street from a HUGE Coca-Cola distribution plant (that's a shout out for Paul Kliszcz :)  A turn to the left will take us past the other primary school and university campus next door where we quickly find ourselves waiting for a mini-bus or on the train.

Christine on the rocks at Shek O beach.

Mini-buses are probably my favorite way to travel.  They are cheap, safe (well, there are seatbelts at least) and fast.  They are also independently owned, uniquely decorated, and driven by colorful men who like to drive fast, turn sharp, slam doors, and listen to Korean pop music, Cantonese opera, or Chinese love power ballads from the 80's.  The green roofed mini-buses are overseen by the transit authority, who monitor and organizes their routes, licenses their drivers, and controls their fares.  The red roofed mini-buses are completely lawless and subject to whatever and whoever in driving.  Want to pay three times the rate of the big bus?  Sure!  Want to sit on an old ottoman in the back as your "bus seat"?  Sure! Want to take the curves of the mountain passes at breakneck speeds while playing chicken with other buses and cars and dodging wild cows?  Sure!  We usually take the green mini-bus (don't worry moms) when we go to our local shopping mall and back.

The laser light show at the harbour- it never gets old!

If the destination is more centrally located or right on the train line, then the MTR train is the way to go.  MTR stands for Mass Transit Railway and is it an awesome system.  As with all things Hong Kong, lines matter.  Every train door lines up perfectly at the train door logo painted on the floor, and que directions are painted for all to see.  If you do not que closely to the person in front of you, others will jump in to take the space.  Train rides range from empty to packed depending on the time of the day and day of the week.  If you time it just right you may get the chance to sit next to the awesome guy who was picking his nose like it was going out of style while reading the daily news (Christine got to sit next to him last week :)  Oh, that we should all be so lucky...)  Everyone on the train is plugged into a device of some sort.  I would imagine it is mostly to keep yourself preoccupied while your personal space is invaded by strangers.  But my are they clean and efficient trains.  Chicago, DC, Seattle - Take notes please!

Spring Rolls with orchid flower.

At the end of the evening we retrace our steps and return back to our quiet hamlet in the northern "suburbs" of Hong Kong.  We pass our little corner grocery store that closes and locks it's doors every night at 10:00pm (even when you are sprinting across the street to try to buy milk at 9:59pm yelling "Wait!"...it was awkward) and pass the pass the sports courts of the school next door.  The school security guards welcome us back with a smile on their faces and a huge two-handed wave as we exchange our evening niceties, them in English and us in Cantonese and all of us thinking "How cute."  Up the elevator and down the hallway, where we "dood" our electronic door lock (we are just "dooding" all over the place today!) and into our quiet and quaint home.  They aren't kidding when they say that home is wherever your heart is :)

Scattered throughout the blog are some pictures of the last two weeks.  We hope that you enjoy seeing some fun sights!  Best wishes to friends and family in all of your endeavors.  You are thought of warmly and often from Hong Kong:)

Love,
Tim and Christine

"Oh. My word.  It's Beethoven's Third. Again..."
An evening hearing the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra :)
This was right before we were told to not take pictures... oops!