Where's Buddha?

After an uneventful arrival on Friday night to Hong Kong, we headed out on Saturday morning. Luckily we had a daylong itinerary planned, thanks to Jack, a fellow Navy engineer who is from Hong Kong.

First stop was the Big Buddha. Yes, there is a big Buddha in mainland Japan. And China. And many other places in the world. But what makes this Buddha special is its the largest sitting Buddha. This Buddha rests on a lotus and it was the object of my photo essay. In my head, the photo looked wonderful. Nothing could stop me. Except for a dense fog. That completed mask the Buddha. And I had no idea how to shoot photos in the fog.

Regardless I pulled out the camera and pretended to know what I was doing as I took pictures. I pushed buttons and adjusted settings. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

Olivia fell asleep on the crazy bus ride up the hill and continued to snooze in the baby carrier up the 200 plus steps to the top.



She slept as we walked inside the Buddha and Benny read construction details about the giant statue (212 pieces, Michelle). And finally at the top, we stared at the illuminated display where a piece of Buddha lies (too small to see). From the top, we decided to take a family photo (maybe one for the Christmas card) when our first encounter with a Chinese tourist took place.



She looked repeatedly at my camera (and let me point out that she didn't pay extra to visit this part of the Buddha, so she shouldn't have even been in this location) and asked me to snap her picture. I did. And then she asked if she could take our photo. I stupidly hand her this EXTREMELY expensive camera that isn't mine. She takes the photo and then looks at the results on the display.

This is wrong, she says. Do you know how to work this camera? You should learn how to use this camera. This is a very expensive camera. The settings are wrong. This doesn't work. On and on and on.

I explained that I'm a student, studying photography and learning. Yet this tourist continues to ridicule my light settings. I kindly thanked her for her advice and climbed down the steps.



I run into her, near the statues at the bottom of Buddha. She AGAIN explains that I'm misusing my camera.



And this is the first of many times where I silently thank God that I live in Japan instead of China. Because even though the Chinese can speak English, they don't always say the nicest things.

Why Hong Kong?

Before we moved to Okinawa, we asked the few people we knew who had been stationed on this side of the world for their travel recommendations. Any places that we MUST visit while we live in Japan. Again and again, we heard Hong Kong.

In November, we decided that we would try to do Hong Kong in January for the 3-day weekend. But when Benny called the travel agency, they mentioned that there was a package to travel to Hong Kong in February for the Chinese New Year. Heck yes! We delayed our travels and paid an additional $100 in order to visit this international city during its largest festival of the year and the largest holiday for the Chinese. The agent warned us that many shops and restaurants would be closed for the holiday. But there would be special things for the holiday, like the night parade and fireworks. The only thing I can compared it to is Times Square on Dec. 31. Everyone should do it at least once in their life. If they can push through the crowds, master the plastic Chinese chopsticks and keep their good attitude during rain, wind and fog.


This 4-day, 3-night vacation is one that I'll never forget. Of course, we didn't do everything we could have done in Hong Kong. One factor was that my boss asked me to take a fancy Fuji camera with f-stop settings and a Nikon len so that we could produce a photo essay about my experience. Working on a vacation was an added pressure that I didn't expect, but definitely felt. And even though we were only in China for a short time, I felt that I gained a bit of insight into the differences between Japanese and Chinese. And I'm thankful that I live in Japan.

Mardi Gras

I've been homesick for the United States. Mostly after watching the Super Bowl on Monday morning, instead of Sunday night. It's NOT the same. So to counteract that feeling, I researched and made shrimp creole for Mardi Gras. Sure, I'm not from Louisiana and in fact, I've never been to Mardi Gras. But that's doesn't mean I don't dream of attending some day. If I lived in the United States, I would be able to attend a Mardi Gras celebation SOMEWHERE. On Tuesday. Here there are having a celebration at the club on base on Friday. Friday?!?! Lent has set in by Friday (whine).

Besides making shrimp stock for the first time in my life, I also hoped to get Mardi Gras decorations, masks, etc and teach O about this wonderful American holiday. But there wasn't any decorations at the store.

So we were left with spicy shrimp creole and a bottle of French wine purchased duty free at the Hong Kong International Airport.

Drink up stateside readers. Keep the celebration going for me.

Happy Chinese New Year from Hong Kong

Be Mine

A Message from Honest O

Four score and 33 years ago, the elder V-Team welcomed their California girl into this world.

Happy Birthday Aunt Patti and Abe Lincoln!

Hanna joins the fam

We got word today that Benny's sister gave birth to a healthy baby girl on Monday in Minnesota time. Hanna Lynne looks adorable (thanks to the photos from Aunt Patti). I'm happy everything turned out well for the Hoels.

Congratulations!

All Request Blog Tuesday

Andrea requested a photo of Olivia's with a mohawk.



Any other requests?

The first birthday, right around the corner

Today, Olivia is 11 months old. Where did the last year go?

This weekend

This weekend I was hoping to take Olivia to a sunflower festival, but the rainy and windy weather kept us away. Instead she had a stroller ride through the small mall near our house. Definitely not the same.

This weekend was a quiet weekend at the Volkmann household. On Friday night we had a Navy dinner followed by a girls night out for me. One of my co-workers is leaving Okinawa and moving to Hawaii, so I was the DD for the evening.

On Saturday morning, Benny told Olivia to Alligator Steps, followed by long naps for everyone. Then the stroller ride through the mall, I talked about earlier. In the evening, Olivia went to the Give Parents a Break night at the daycare on base while Benny and I celebrated Valentine's Day earlier with dinner and massages. Yes, I feel more relaxed and it was wonderful.

We ate dinner at one of my favorite places, but ordered something new:

The fish of the day. What kind? I have no idea. But this is the small fish and it was cookied in garlic butter and served to you like this. Eyes. Teeth. Head. Everything.

And then you use your chopsticks to tear into this fish's flesh and chow down.

I have PLENTY of Okinawans ordered fish and eat it like this. But I was always kind of nervous to do it myself. Benny and I shared this small mystery fish.



It was easier than I expected. It didn't hurt that the fish was super tasty.
On Sunday it was the usual rountine: church, grocery store, lunch and an afternoon at home talking to family back in the States.

Quiet but fun.

Watch out for that little nose bump

Bad Hair Day