Friday the 9th was His Majesty the King’s (yes, I realize I’m saying that as if I were Thai – When in Rome, do as the Romans) sixtieth anniversary on the throne.  In addition to a massive celebration for the public staged at and around the Sanam Luang parade ground across from the Grand Palace, the Royal Thai Navy completed the final dress rehearsal of the Royal Barge Procession that will be performed for His Majesty and visiting dignitaries (including royalty from twenty nations) on Monday the 12th.

Here’s a link to the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s webpage giving a lot more information about the barge processions.  I’ll provide a summary of the information here:

“The Royal Barges of the Kingdom of Thailand are the last of their kind in the world. One of the kingdom’s grandest spectacles, the Royal Barge Procession on the Chao Phraya River, the ‘River of Kings’, is an ancient tradition that was revived by His Majesty King Bhumibol in 1959. This breathtaking water-borne procession is reserved for nationally auspicious occasions and has been held fourteen times during the His Majesty’s reign.”

“On this auspicious occasion of the Sixtieth Anniversary Celebrations of His Majesty the King’s Accession to the Throne in 2006, monarchs and head of states from 29 nations from around the world will be joining Their Majesties the King and Queen as royal guests. The Grand Royal Barge Procession being organised by the Royal Thai Navy on June 12, 2006 to mark the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of His Majesty the King’s Accession to the Throne is set to be the grandest ever held in recent times.”

“The Royal Barge Procession is the ultimate reflection of the Thai fascination with water, the central element in Thailand’s rites of passage, festivals, and religion. …”

“The [52] barges, arrayed across the river in what is traditionally termed a battle formation, create a panorama of rare regal splendour. The blare of conches and trumpets, the songs of the coxswains, and the stentorian chants of the paddlers provide the right cadence for the oar strokes, enhance the spectacle, and mesmerize spectators into respectful silence – much as these same rare sounds have done for hundreds of years.”

“The [three largest] barges Suphannahongse, Anantanagaraj and Anekchatbhuchong are each manned by fifty oarsmen, two helmsmen, two officers and one flagman. The silver and gold paddles are raised high in unison at the end of each stroke, regulated by a rhythm keeper who taps the butt of his silver spear on the deck in time with the chanting of boat songs. [More than] 2,100 navy men manned the 52 barges in the procession.”

“The Narai Song Suban, King Rama IX has a figurehead of the god Narai on his celestial transport, a Garuda. … This new barge is of the same rank as the Royal Barges Anantanagaraj and Anekchatbhuchong. The barge is 44.30 metres long, 3.20 metres at the beam and 1.10 metres deep with a draught of .40 metres. …”

Tickets for the official viewing stands sold out weeks ago, but after a little exploration I found a promising vantage point: there was a small crowd waiting outside the gate for the old Internal Trade Department offices, which are slated for demolition.  Joining the crowd to wait, there were ticket holders who were allowed through the crowd, and there seemed to be the promise that the gates would be opened after all ticket holders had arrived.

A few times while waiting, vehicles pulled up and slowly eased through the crowd, police officers holding back the crowds while the gates were opened just sufficiently to allow the vehicles through.  Finally, though, the momentum of the crowd gathered and the officers were unable to hold us back as we pushed the gates open.  I was filming as this happened, caught up in the tide.  Honestly, I was a little worried because I didn’t know how the officers would react.  There were several seconds of heightened alertness as I waited for shots to be fired.

Thankfully, there was no violence and the officers finally conceeded to the forces of nature, no longer straining to hold back the human tide.

The situation on the banks of the Chao Praya River was quite good: the crowd was large and the land was flat, so views were a little less than ideal.  But we could see the whole river before us, from the ancient spires of Wat Arun (the Temple of Dawn) to the Royal Thai Navy Harbour Department further upriver.  Heavy clouds threatened rain and blocked the sun and the breeze kept us comfortable.

As the first barges slowly moved past the crowd, the air was filled with the haunting echos of the chanting used to keep the rowers synchronised, a reminder that instead of just being a tourist spectacle, this is an ancient and extant tradition rooted in the religion and culture of the Thai people. 

The final barges in this 1.2-kilometer long procession glided past some 45 minutes later as the sun sunk into the western horizon.  Slowly, some of the crowd headed back toward Sanam Luang.  Others stayed by the river, reflecting on what they had witnessed.  It was evident by looking at the crowd, almost all Thai and many of them mature adults, that they had a deep appreciation of the moment and the importance of the occassion.

Below is a large (19mb) video segment that shows highlights from the procession.  It will give you a taste of the experience.

After the procession, some of the sailors were walking back upriver in their full dress costumes.  People in the crowd stopped them, asking to pose with them for pictures.  The sailors, many of whom come from poor families in the countryside, didn’t seem to know what to do with all the attention but gamely posed for the pictures as long as anyone asked.

In addition to the barge procession, there were festivities occurring throughout Rattanakosin Island (old city).  During the day there were displays and activities, including free haircuts as part of a employment program His Majesty had established.  This is one of many different schemes he has set up to assist the least fortunate of his subjects.

In the evening, there was an event at Sanam Luang with three large, rock concert-sized stages.  Frist there were speeches and then a candlelight ceremony at 19:19 (7:19 pm), a auspicious time for the ninth king of the Chakri dynasty.  The King’s Anthem was played and the entire crowd – I would estimate between 300,000 and 500,000 people – sang the anthem as they held the candles high.

The entire length of Thanon Ratchadamnoen – purposefully designed by King Rama V in the style of Les Champs Elysées in Paris – from Sanam Luang past the Democracy Monument to the Metal Palace at Mahakan Fort – was packed with people.  Only a single lane of traffic was able to creep along in most areas.  Along the way, a lone McDonalds was overrun with hungry, yellow-shirted subjects.

After the ceremony at Sanam Luang concluded and before the concerts began, there was a spectacular fireworks display, first launched over the Grand Palace and then launched at the opposite end of Sanam Luang, surrounding the crowds with brilliant colors.

With the Iron Palace and Wat Ratchanatda as a backdrop, a musical and dance performance was conducted for visiting dignitaries.  There were traditional Thai dancers, a flag squad, a 30-meter long Chinese dragon, video images projected on a water screen, live musicians, and a laser light show dancing overhead.

By this point, I had cosumed my camera’s entire memory card and was hot and sweaty from several hours of traipsing around.  Traffic was choked and the number of pedestrians so thick that any chance of finding a taxi or tuk-tuk was nonexistant.  So I started walking, relying mostly on instinct and one glance at the map, weaving past Thip Sa Mai restaurant with its world-famous pad thai, across Khlong Ong Ang, and through Chinatown before finally arrived at the Hualamphong train and subway station.

Sorry for the back-and-forth nature of this week’s entries but I wanted to provide you with both the latest and most up-to-date information on the happenings here in Bangkok, while at the same time delivering a recap of my trip to Hong Kong.

On Tuesday I was scheduled to fly home from Hong Kong to Bangkok at 8:45 in the evening.  Figuring that a late arrival would not be a lot of fun, I called the THAI Airways ticket office in Hong Kong and asked whether I could standby for an earlier flight.  The response I received was a little non-committal and it sounded like the best bet was to go ahead, check in, and see what the agent at the airport said.

Fortunately, Hong Kong has a really nice Airport Express train service that includes check-in services on both Hong Kong Island as well as in Kowloon.  So I took a taxi to the Central Airport Express terminal, which is tied into the new IFC building (the tall building in the center of this picture) and mall complex, and checked in.

Unfortunately, the agent there told me that because of my ticket type (mileage award travel) I could not make changes once I had already started travel.  I think that if the agent had actually been an employee of THAI (this was a Cathay Pacific employee working on their behalf), he or she might have looked at the loads for an earlier flight and said, “okay, there’s a seat we’re not going to have filled so let’s go ahead and put you on that flight.”

Since an earlier flight was not an option and heading back to Chris and Tehlin’s house would have been cumbersome, I went ahead and explored option “D”: Disneyland.

The previous day, Big Michael told me that he, his sister, and her boyfriend would be going out to Disneyland using some free passes from a friend who works there in Human Resources.  He invited me along, but I had declined thinking I would be taking an earlier flight home.  My plans had changed, though, so I called him up to see if the offer was still available.

So after killing some time with rides on the Star Ferry and on the HK Island Tram, stopping at the general post office to mail some postcards, and eating breakfast, I took the MTR out to Sunny Bay on Lantau Island, where I connected to the MTR Disneyland Shuttle.

The Disneyland Shuttle is a spur line that connects from the futuristic Sunny Bay station to a point about a five-minute walk from the front gate of Disneyland.  The Sunny Bay station is also unique in that it is the only MTR station that has open-air platforms, the rest being enclosed with glass walls and doors.

Left: Sunny Bay MTR station

Here are a few shots of the specially-designed Disneyland Shuttle train.  While the same basic design as used on the rest of the MTR, the seats are plusher and laid out into little seating areas that are good for families and groups of people.  The interior has starry skies painted (or actually adhesed as these are stickers) onto the ceiling, and statuettes of various Disney characters.  The most noticeable thing, though, are the Mickey Mouse windows.

I met Michael and his sister and her boyfriend at the Disneyland MTR station and we proceeded to the front gate.  Michael’s friend was there with the tickets and we were soon on our way into the Magic Kingdom.

Above: Big Michael on Main Street USA; Chris at the same point but looking back at the train station.

Since its opening, the Hong Kong press has criticized HK Disneyland for failing to meet attendance expectations.  The crowds were very light on Tuesday, although the weather was not the best so that could explain some of it.  That said, I don’t think we waited more than five minutes for any ride.

Speaking of rides, HK Disneyland has many fewer rides than the other Disney parks to which I’ve been.  They are already in the process of adding two additional rides (including an Autorama) to the park, but each of the three themed areas (only three, no Frontierland) have maybe two or three major attractions along with a few other ones.

For example, there is Space Mountain, a Toy Story inspired Space Blasters ride that uses the ride technology from the Haunted Mansion (a conveyer belt of pods that can be rotated), the Jungle Cruise, the Magic Teacups, and the Dumbo ride.  But there is no Splash Mountain, Matterhorn, or Indiana Jones ride.

Space Mountain is a true recreation of the original with a good queuing system, great music effects, and it is a lot of fun.  While in line a short video shows on overhead flat panel screns providing an introduction to the safety procedures for the ride.  It rotates through Mandarin, Cantonese, and English and has two narrators who take turns speaking: a woman and a man.  They are interesting because their accents are flawless (Big Michael verified the Canto and Mandarin for me) and they both have a pan-Asian sort of look.  A very Disney choice.  Plus they are wearing these cool futuristic jumpsuits.

The Jungle Cruise as very well done with some added fire and water technology that maybe has been included in the original Disneyland and Disneyworld rides but which I had never seen before.  The cruise is integrated into the Tarzan’s Island attraction, which replaced Tom Sawyer’s Island from the original Disneyland.  Left: Jungle Cruise passes Tarzan’s Island.

The video below includes some scenes from the Jungle Cruise.  It also includes the over-use of the word, “cool.”  Sorry that I couldn’t come up with any more original description.

The highlight of the day was the Lion King Festival, an indoor show that basically condensed the entire story of the Lion King into a 25-minute spectacular with a cast of about 30 people.  Situated in a theatre-in-the-round, it looks like nothing so much as a Cirque du Soleil production.  There are even cool fire effects.  It was well put-together and the way that language issues were dealt with was interesting: the songs were in English as was the main narration, but there were two “monkey” characters who served as sort of a chorus to amplify (but not repeat exactly) the narration in Mandarin.  Overhead monitors provided supertitles in simplified Chinese characters for Cantonese speakers.

The most noticable thing about the park was that the castle is very small.  Maybe this is just my faulty memory, but I recall the castle in the original Disneyland as being bigger and, especially, taller.  This castle seemed downright puny, especially when viewed against the backdrops of the mountains on Lantau Island.

The picture above that shows Big Michael on Main Street USA illustrated the point well; the castle looks like it is so far away from him, but it is only about a three-minute walk!

So by six o’clock I had ridden everything, some things twice, had watched a show, had dodged a thundershower, had eaten a Char Siew pork burger, and done battle with a stubborn ketchup packet resulting in stains on my shirt and pants.  It was time to head to the airport.

All in all, Hong Kong Disneyland is a very nice park and upholds the Disney standards of cleanliness and friendliness quite well.  People are a little less perky than their counterparts at other parks, but good overall.  Until it has more attractions, though, the incentive to be a repeat customer is pretty minimal.

Just returned home about midnight after having walked several kilometers from Sanam Luang (in front of the Grand Palace) to Khao San Road then all the way through Chinatown to Hualamphong Station.  I actually filled up my entire memory card (512mb) in a single afternoon and evening shooting pictures and short video segments of the Rama IV’s 60th Anniversary celebrations.

There were hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people at the celebrations.  I’ll write more about it after a good night’s sleep, but here are some preview pictures:

The Thai flag and the Chakri Dynasty flag

Royal Barge Procession (dress rehearsal for Monday’s full state ceremony)

The Grand Palace at dusk as tens of thousands of people walk past from the river side to the grounds at Sanam Luang

Crowds gather along Thanon Ratchadamnoen with the festive gates and lights

There was so much going on and so many things to do while in Hong Kong.  Here are some observations and other parts of the trip that haven’t fit into earlier reports.

Chris and Tehlin, the couple with whom I stay, live in the Bel-Air Residences, a series of towers build right along the coastline on the south side of Hong Kong Island, just about a 5-minute drive west of Aberdeen and a minute east of Cyberport.  They live in the second phase of what I believe will be a four-phase development.  The third phase is being built across the street from them, literlly blasted into the bedrock of the island.

Here is a view from their kitchen window (a very nice kitchen and huge by HK standards) of the construction of phase three.  Notice how the very large backhoe in the lower left of the picture is dwarfed by the enormous size of the hillside. 

Proof that wherever there is land in Hong Kong, there is some money to be made no matter the obstacles.

On Friday evening when I had my two dinners, the first one was at Peking Garden in Central.  I didn’t include this picture with my earlier entry about the dinner, but the chef came out to the dining room and made hand-pulled noodles.  I’ve seen this done before at a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco’s Japantown and it is really neat to watch.  The noodles have a wonderful texture, very toothy, and are so much better than machine-pulled noodles.

I also really liked that the group of diners in the picture were a group of middle-aged women who were having a marvelous time, enjoying each others’ company.  It is always nice when friends get together over a meal and have a good time.

On Monday morning, which I’ll talk about some more in tomrrow’s entry as there was a lot that happened, I had a few hours to kill so I did two of my favourite inexpensive sightseeing activities: riding the cross-harbour Star Ferry and riding the Island Tram.

The Island Tram operates several lines up and down Queensway Road running from Kennedy Town in the west to Shau Kei Wan in the east with a side branch running to Happy Valley.  This 100-year old operation is one of only three tramways still running in the world of this type, and it is the only one to operate exclusively double-deck trams.  Most of them are in traditional, reserved colors but a few have been decked out with advertisements.

For only HKD 2.00 (about US$ 0.25) you can take the 25-minute ride from one end of the line to the other, sitting in breezy comfort in the low-ceiling upper deck.  Unlike all other forms of transportation in Hong Kong, on the tram you pay when exiting.

When rounding corners, it always feels like the tram is top-heavy and will topple over, but it doesn’t.  Especially if you can get a front seat, it is a fun way to take in the city.  Here’s a brief clip that shows the view from the front seats.

While on the tram, I took a series of pictures of a young man who was carrying a bouquet of lilies.  While I’m not certain, I don’t think he was a delivery person. 

So I was thinking about all the interesting stories that would explain why he was carrying that bouquet:

Where was he going?

To whom would he give the flowers?

Why was he giving them?

What do you think his story is?

In addition to riding the Tram, I took a ride across the harbour on the Star Ferry.  These distinctive green and white boats have been plying between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon for more than 100 years and with fares ranging from HKD1.70 for the lower deck to an outrageous HKD 2.20 for the partially air-conditioned upper deck, you’ll likely find this to be the best value for ten minutes you’ll find when visiting Hong Kong.

For those of you using low speed connections (Hi, Grandpa) I’m sorry that I didn’t take any still pictures of the Star Ferry, only video clips.  For those of you with high speed connections, here’s a two-minute video of the Star Ferry complete with narration.  Has anyone else noticed latent filmmaking tendencies beginning to surface in my blog, visible through the increasing use of edited video clips with voice overs?  I figure it is time I make some use of my bachelor’s degree!

Tomorrow: Hong Kong Disneyland

Just an hour ago the banks opened for business and began selling the limited-edition commemorative 60-baht note in celebration of His Majesty the King’s 60th Anniversary on the throne, which is today.

The supplies were quite limited and when I arrived at the branch it seemed unclear whether they actually had any to sell or not.  In characteristic fashion, I was told (or overheard in Thai) that they would check, that they didn’t have any, that they were checking with someone else, and then finally one employee brought one over and told me that she would give me the one she had set aside for her mother because, as she said, “I think you love my King very much.”

From L to R: Cover of the envelope, Inside of envelope, Detail of the bill.

However, I was chastised for not wearing a yellow shirt.  Yellow is the official royal colour in Thailand and there have been a series of official (and knockoff) yellow polo shirts with the royal emblem embroidered on the breast.  People have been encouraged to wear them, or any yellow shirt, to show their respect for the King this weekend.  So on the street today, about 80% of the people are wearing yellow shirts.  I’ll try to get some pictures.

This evening is the final dress rehearsal for the royal barge procession.  I’m going to head down to the river and dry to find a good viewing spot, probably around Thammasat University.  Will post any good pictures that I take.

After a late night at Rice Bar, I was glad that I didn’t have to be at the Aberdeen Marina Club until 10:30 on Sunday morning.  Chris’ company (as with most law firms in Hong Kong) has a junk that employees can make use of as a perk.  Since Chris and Tehlin were going to have several visitors in town this weekend, they reserved the boat and arranged a day trip for us.

Now when I say “junk” you’re probably picturing something like this photo.  A classic Chinese sailing vessel with colourful sails and a family a gnarled-face sea gypsies trading silk, opium, and spices.  Needless to say, that’s a hackneyed stereotype that is best perpetuated by the Hong Kong Tourism Authority. 

Our junk was a much more modern boat, able to seat a few dozen comfortably and perfectly sized for our group of ten or so.  Here’s a photo of a boat similar to ours, that passed us in the harbour.

Instead of cruising around Hong Kong Island, which would have provided a fine view of the skyline but rather a shortage of opportunities to safely swim in the water, we headed east about two hours to along the New Territories’ islands and peninsulas until we reached an inlet near Sai Kung.  We were still in the Hong Kong S.A.R. but were so close to China that our mobile telephones were showing that we had picked up reception on a Chinese network.

The seas were pretty rough as we traveled, especially for the first half of the trip where we were in open waters.  At least a few of our group were a paler shade of green but nobody became ill, thankfully.

When we finally arrived at this particular inlet, we found a nice beach, clean waters, and rugged hills.  We docked for about two hours and about two-thirds of the group went for a swim while the rest of us stayed on the boat.  The original plan was to grill kebabs, which I had spent a few hours assembling on Saturday.  But someone forgot to check if the boat had a grill and, as luck would have it, they don’t.  In fact, the only solution that we had was to remove everything from the skewers and stir-fry it in a large stock pot.

Thankfully, the husband and wife who operate the boat were very helpful and cooked everything up for us. 

After a few hours we headed back home, arriving back about 5:30 in the afternoon, completely exhausted!  Nonetheless, it was a really cool way to see a side of Hong Kong that I think most tourists completely miss.

Here’s a 5.2 mb movie clip with narration that captures the experience.  Take some Dramamine first!

Sunday evening I met up with Big Michael.  Big Michael, who is actually quite skinny, is so named because I met him through Stephanie.  They worked together as managers opening the one AMC Theatre in Hong Kong, where there were two Michaels: Big Michael was the elder of the two, thus the name.

Michael left AMC shortly before I arrived in Hong Kong to begin preparations for the theatre’s opening, so we weren’t introduced until a year later when I was in town during January 2000.

My resource for good local food in Hong Kong, Michael took me to a tasty Shanghainese restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon.  I just love steamed pork dumplings with vinegar sauce. 

After the gorgeous dinner(s!) on Friday evening, I was glad that Saturday was a lower-key day.  Various errands were run in the morning and then I headed to the Renaissance Harbour View Hotel in Wan Chai to check in.  Because Chris and Tehlin had already committed their guest room to a couple who was visiting from Australia (whom I had also met at their wedding) for Saturday night, I cashed in some Marriott Rewards points for a room at this nice hotel, located just behind the convention center.

Chris and Tehlin had arranged for another dinner, this one at JJ’s, a former steakhouse that had become a Thai restaurant.  While still looking very much like its former self, the restaurant, which is located in the Hyatt hotel just next door to the Renaissance, serves very nice and pricey Thai food.  I think I was brought in as the defacto expert on Thai food – a mantle I do not claim – to help guide menu selection.

The restaurant itself is very nice.  Flawlessly attentive staff took care of us and we had secured a private dining room for our party of eight.  This was nice as Sam was able to wander around without disrupting other diners, although he made a break for the door once or twice and was herded back by staff members posted discretely outside.

The cuisine could best be described as palace cooking (I’m not making this up, by the way), some of the more refined dishes in the Thai cuisine canon, in addition to some of the more expected “commoner” dishes such as som tum (green papaya salad).  Portions were small, necessitating double orders of some things so that everyone could have a taste. 

While it was really tasty, well-prepared and with the best quality ingredients, there is a part of me that thinks, “okay, why are we paying this much for Thai food?”  One of the benefits of living here is that you can get really, really tasty Thai food for a much more reasonable price.  But then, the experience and atmosphere and attentive staff were part of the equation and they definitely made for a very nice evening.

After dinner I headed out to meet up with Edward in Central.  When I lived in Hong Kong back in 1998-99, I met Edward at Club 1997 in Lan Kwai Fong just three days before my birthday.  He became a good friend and showed me around Hong Kong, taking me to interesting temples and other off-the-tourist-beaten-path attractions.  Unfortunately, his boyfriend Terry was feeling a bit shy so had headed home already, which was a disappointment as I was excited to meet him.  Next time, perhaps.

Edward played the perfect host, and since I wasn’t sure where to go (how many years has it been since I’ve been out on the town in Hong Kong?) he took me first to Lan Kwai Fong, then up a few blocks to Hollywood Road where the greatest concentration of gay bars is.  Nothing was looking terribly interesting, with LKF packed on the lower blocks with overcrowded straight bars and nothing yet was happening along Hollywood Road.  So he suggested we walk over to Sheung Wan and visit Rice Bar.

Along the way, I think I spotted Ben Chan with whom Tawn worked at the Asian Pacific Islander Wellness Center in San Francisco.  I know that Ben moved to Hong Kong several months ago, but am not sure if it was him.  He was a block down the street, walking in the opposite direction with two gweilo.  Since I wasn’t sure it was him and didn’t feel like hollering out on a crowded street, I just let him continue walking.

Rice Bar is in a quiet section of Sheung Wan that Edward tells me “they” (unsure who they are) are trying to make into a bit of a gay district.  So far, Rice Bar is the only thing there, as all the regular businesses and shops were closed for several hours already.  Rice Bar is notable first and foremost because it is one of the few non-smoking bars in Hong Kong.  The space is small but nicely appointed with lots of mirrors and fashionable lighting.

The bar itself is square in the middle of the room, covered (beneath a glass countertop) with rice – thus the name.  At least on Saturday nights, there is an offer where you can get free well drinks if you are shirtless.  Only a few customers had taken up this offer, but the four bartenders were all participating, I’m sure encouraging the crowd to linger.

While Rice Bar is known primarily as a “sticky” bar (from the term “sticky rice” which refers to Asians who are attracted to other Asians, as opposed to “rice and potato” couples), there was actually a nice mixture of people including several mixed couples and a few lesbians.  Edward and I settled in and were catching up, watching the crowd, and enjoying the scene.

As I’m sitting there looking around, I notice that someone has walked in the front door who looks a lot like… could it be? … Corey from San Francisco.  Sure enough, Corey, the former director of the SF Int’l Asian American Film Festival and now an independent film producer, was with a group of people and heading slowly through the crowd.

Figuring that the tide of people would circulate him past me, I just waited patiently.  Sure enough, a few minutes later he comes up to the bar, turns to order, looks at me and does a double-take.  It was precious.  So it turns out that he’s in town on business and will be around for a few days.  Introductions, chit-chat, etc.

A few minutes later, another familiar person steps up to the bar on my left.  I turn and look and there’s Tim, the symphony director with whom I had dinner just last night.  So I say hello and we chat for a few minutes. 

Add to that Edward’s running into one of his colleagues, and the evening was just chock full of crossed paths.  Which actually makes one wonder just how large (or small) the world is, after all.

As the evening wore on and Edward decided to return home to his boyfriend, I ended up speaking with a pair of friends who were in town from Kuala Lumpur, one Malaysian and the other Singaporean.  They travel to Bangkok frequently and one, Richard, is actually going to be here in July, so we exchanged email addresses.  Tawn and I have talked about visiting KL and it would be nice to have more people who can shed some light on the local scene, where to go, where to eat, etc.

“But wait!” you exclaim, “Isn’t talking to strangers dangerous?  What about your husband?!”

I’ve discovered that there is a very effective litmus test to determine the intentions of other gay men who start chatting with you (and I suppose there is a straight corollary to this, too): I simply mention early in the conversation that I have a husband already.

This is an easy subject to introduce as one of the first questions people ask is, “where are you from?” to which I respond, “Bangkok.”  Which leads to the inevitable, “what are you doing in Bangkok?” which then very neatly arrives at, “I moved there for my husband of six-plus years to whom I’m dearly committed and wouldn’t leave for you no matter what you’re hoping.”  Of course, I don’t usually need to be quite so explicit!  They get the point.

So from there, if they drift away rather quickly, it is apparent where their intentions lie.  If they are still interested in continuing the conversation, all pretense and potential misunderstanding has been cleared away.

As the Rice Bar crowd began to dwindle I decided it was time to call it a night: I had an early day or saililng on Sunday.  So I said goodby to my acquaintences from KL, made plans with Corey to meet for drinks on Monday and then caught a cab back to the hotel, thankful for the inexpensive and plentiful taxis in Hong Kong.

This trip to Hong Kong has been a very exciting one, to say the least.  My trip over was uneventful, getting to Chris and Tehlin’s place in South Horizons (near Aberdeen in the southwestern part of HK island) was pretty easy, and while it was a bit aways from the heart of the action I found transportation in and out of their ocean-front condominium to be easy.

The entire Bel Air Residences faces the ocean and there is a steady stream of ships of all shapes and sizes visible from the balcony.  This is of great enjoyment for their two-year-old son Sam, who is fascinated by transportation of all kinds.  He knows ships, he knows planes, he knows busses.  And this weekend he was very big on taking the red taxi.  “Red taxi?  Red taxi?” he kept asking as we were waiting for the bus.  “No,” his mother replied, “we’re taxing the bus.”  When the bus arrived, Sam said in a voice filled with awe, “biig bus.”

Right: Sam enjoys playing on his balcony where he can watch ships go past and busses and taxis go by on the driveway below.

As with every trip I take, food seems to take center stage.  Friday night found me double-booked for dinner, first at eight o’clock with Chris and Tehlin and another couple whom I had met at their wedding.  Chris made reservations at Peking Garden, a fancy Beijing-style restaurant in Alexandra House, in Central.

The elegant atmosphere complemented the food, which included shrimps in sweet and spicy garlic and shallot chili sauce and a Peking style roast duck with pancakes.  Careful not to eat too much, I limited myself to just a few bites of each dish.

Not finishing until 9:30, I had a quick walk to the MTR and rode two stops under the harbour to Tsim Sha Tsui to meet Dr. Chris and his partner Antony at Aqua.  (I’ll refer to him as “Dr. Chris” just to avoid any confusion with my own name or the name of Tehlin’s husband.)  Aqua is one of the more celebrated places to dine in HK, based on the reviews I read, a Japanese-Italian fusion restaurant that fuses innovative cuisine with a stunning location.

Two blocks away at the corner of Peking Road and Kowloon Park Drive is the recently constructed One Peking building, the latest in a series of buildings that is pushing the TST skyline ever higher.  The entrance was up a nondescript pair of elevators, past a lone security guard, and into a high-speed elevator to the 28^th floor. 

Stepping out of the elevator, you enter a small but elegantly modern room that has a maitre d’hôtel at her podium.  There appears to be no doors exiting the room other than the elevator door through which you entered.

The response I received upon saying the party I was meeting was a bit curious.  The maitre d’ responded, “Oh, you’re with Chris’ party,” in a way that led me to believe that she knew Dr. Chris personally.  Choosing between waiting at the table and the bar, I opted for the bar, and a hostess was instructed to take me to the bar, being told again that I was “with Chris’ party.”

There is another person in this entry room, a lady who is standing in front of a waist-high metal post.  At first appearance she is doing nothing by standing there greeting people.  But when the hostess turns to take you to the bar or to the restaurant, a door reveals itself in the otherwise apparently solid walls, sliding open on the command of the woman at the post like something in Star Trek. 

There are lots of “watch your step, please” moments as there are water features you step across and small flights of steps here and there.  Definite trip hazards.  Up several of those flights is the bar, up on the 29^th and top floor of the building.  It is dark and elegant with small cocktail tables, a mirrored bar, and a DJ at the end of the bar spinning Buddha-bar like grooves.  The bar was also quite crowded with fashionable locals and expats and I began to conclude that Dr. Chris must have some connection at the restaurant when the hostess went to great lengths to create a space for me at the bar.

Enjoying a lychee belini, I took in the view of Hong Kong Island.  The bar overlooks the restaurant, resulting in a two-story glass wall that commands perhaps the best view of the Island and the neon-esque luminescence of glass and steel and light and color against the mountains and clouds and water that is Hong Kong’s signature appearance.

While enjoying the drink and the view, one of the restaurant managers came over and confirmed that I was “with Chris’ party.”  The frequency with which this was being said was making me wonder whether I had not been let in on some elaborate practical joke.  Where’s Alan Funt?

The Party Arrives

The hostess returned about fifteen minutes later and told me two other guests had arrived and asked whether I would like to be seated with them.  While I had not met Antony, Dr. Chris’ partner, before I immediately recognized him just by virtue of knowing Dr. Chris’ taste in men!  A tall, handsome Australian with a shaved head and eyes that contain a perpetual twinkle of good humor, it was a pleasure to finally meet him. 

Antony was joined by Debbie, a fifty-something lady with eighteen years living in Hong Kong who is now the director of the Australian Chamber of Commerce.   He and Debbie had attended the HK Philharmonic Symphony’s performance that evening so it made perfect sense when, as Dr. Chris arrived a few moments later, Antony announced that they had invited a fifth person, the executive director of the symphony, to join us.  Tim, who arrived just a few minutes later, was a tall, thin, goateed Australian who has been at the symphony for just a year now.

As you can imagine, it was an interesting dinner with conversations about things that are within my tastes (travel, music, food) but perhaps still a bit out of my budget in terms of frequency and opulence!

The restaurant manager came over and said hello, obviously familiar with Dr. Chris and Antony, and the chef soon made his appearance as well.  Handshakes and introductions all around, then he asked us what we were in the mood for and Antony, taking the lead, suggested just a variety of things starting with some sort of an appetizer and perhaps a seafood and a meat dish.  The chef promised to prepare some wonderful treats for us and headed to the kitchen with a smile on his face.  This just further fueled my curiosity about which of these people Dr. Chris knew so well.

The curiosity was answered shortly when a sharply-dressed man who was nearly a spitting image of Dr. Chris came walking up, said hello, and was introduced as David who I quickly learned, was not only Dr. Chris’ brother but also the proprietor of the Aqua restaurant group.  That explained everything.  Such a sense of sophistication and connection – I know famous people!

The Meal Itself

The chef, Dick, worked off the menu and created four lovely courses for us followed by dessert.  With each course, he appeared alongside the waiters who delivered the food, explaining what we were about to enjoy and gauging what we would enjoy next.  The courses were (alas with no photos!):

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  Salad of tomato, mozzarella cheese and balsamic jelly served alongside a seared rosemary scallop.  The salad, an artful interpretation of the classic Caprese salad, was served in a dessert wine glass.  The ingredients were in small (1cm) cubes and instead of being dressed with the usual balsamic vinaigrette the chef had made balsamic jelly.  So as you ate it, there were little explosions of the sweet balsamic richness each time you encountered one of the jelly cubes.  Lovely.
  
  
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  The salad was followed by a dish of six raw tuna slices, lightly seared, in yuzu (a Japanese citrus fruit) mayonnaise with rocket and herbed oil.  This fatty richness of the seared tuna was countered by the tartness of the mayonnaise sauce.
  
  
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  Our third dish was a medallion of poached spiny lobster tail, wrapped in spinach leaf and served in a French sarda (type of cous cous-like pasta), lobster and moscato emulsion.  It had the sweet richness of a light curry sauce and complemented the fresh, clean flavor of the lobster.
  
  
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  Getting full as it was late (and I had eaten a previous meal) our tasting menu thankfully concluded with a single Parmesan crumbed lamb rib chop with a compote of Sicilian laponata (type of eggplant), pine nuts and raisins, served with a Alacia lemon honey glaze.

The food was really tasty with lots of interesting flavor combinations.  I was pleasantly surprised to find the 2003 Ridge Vineyards Lytton Springs Zinfandel blend on the wine list, a particular wine that I’ve enjoyed every time I find it.  It paired perfectly with our meal and I remarked at how ironic it is that while this wine is made in the Santa Cruz Mountains, just a twenty minute drive from my childhood home, I’ve mostly found this wine in far-spread places like London (where I was introduced to it by a wine merchant ex of one of Tawn’s friends), Salt Lake City, and Hong Kong.

For dessert, a large platter arrived containing an assortment of all the treats offered by the restaurant.  This one was so spectacular, with the arrangement of roses with a tea candle in the center, that I had to break out the camera to capture it.  Unfortunately, I will be unable to do justice to the amazing flavors that were on the tray.  These included fried mango springrolls, chocolate crème brulée with green tea ice cream, tiramisu, mandarin orange panna cotta, a molten chocolate cake, and the piece de resistance served in the martini glass: diced hearts of palm in a Japanese plum gelatin topped with gold leaf.

Just as the evening was coming to an end, the bill was settled (undoubtedly at a nicely discounted price – thanks David!) when the waiter stopped by with five champagne flutes and opened a bottle of Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial Rose Champagne.  What a plesant way to end the meal.

It was about 12:30 so everyone headed their separate ways.  I caught a cab back to the other side of the harbour, which requires a bit of insider knowledge and a special hand gesture as when the hour gets late the taxi drivers are hesitant to venture across the harbour because they are uncertain to get a fare for the return.  More about that some other time, though.

Lots more to add about the rest of the weekend but it is late.  More upon my return to Bangkok.

It is 1:38 am in Hong Kong and too late to go into all the details so I’ll add them tomorrow.  But this evening I managed to get double booked and had two dinners, one at 7 and another at 10.

Both were really nice dinner, the second turning out to be downright spectacular at a popular restaurant called Aqua, a Japanese/Italian fusion restaurant on the 29th floor of the 1 Peking Road Building in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon.  It has an amazing view of the  HK Island skyline. Their website is in Macromedia Flash so I can download and post a picture (or at least, I don’t know how to) but if you visit the website you’ll get an idea of how incredibly chic and cool the place looks.

I won’t spoil it all now and will add more incredible detail in the morning.

With Tawn now in Italy with his parents, I’ve headed off for a long weekend in Hong Kong  visiting friends.  Tawn set up his phone for international roaming and decided that SMS was the least expensive way to keep in touch.  So upon his arrival in Dubai, where his Emirates flights connect, he sends a message that reads

Arrived in Dubai.  Nice airport but flight was not so good because of seatmate.

No word on whether he was sitting with his parents.

This trip and the planning for it have been full of many funny occurrences.  Talking with Tod over a cup of coffee yesterday, I sketched out my idea for a screenplay based almost entirely on the premise of a gay Thai only son going to Italy with his parents.  Think “The Wedding Banquet” meets “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”.

For my trip to Hong Kong I actually made it a point to arrive at the airport about 3 1/2 hours before departure.  I’m tired of rushing through the airport, hurried and not enjoying the travel experience.  So today I had time for a one-hour foot massage, taking lots of pictures of aiplanes, and snacking in the THAI Airways lounge.

Things are so convenient in Hong Kong.  Short line at the immigration and cleared immediately.  No checked baggage so proceeded right through customs.  Quick stop at the bookstore in the terminal to buy a prepaid SIM card for my phone.  Cashier puts the card in for me and sets it up, taking less than three minutes total.  Stop by the MRT desk and get my three day Octopus card and I’m on my way, as if I never left Hong Kong.  (Background: I lived there in 1998-1999)