Thank you, Asia "Red Pepper" (82 days left)

 March 10, 2021

The restaurant that Brent and I have returned to the most in Hong Kong is the Red Pepper.  This is a restaurant in Causeway Bay, near Times Square, which has served Sichuan Chinese food since the 1960's.  They are known for their sizzling prawns (the diameter of an egg!) The prawns in chilli pepper and garlic sauce are poured onto a sizzling platter and kick up quite the strong aroma.  Hold your napkin over your clothes and mouth!  We also always order the dried fried string beans with minced pork.  Brent also loves the dish of kimchi that they serve prior to the meal, often asking for two or three refills. 

Sizzling shrimp on the table as we reunite with Dave Wood. 

What I always love is the service.  The wait staff are always there and always the same.  They are clearly long-time professional waiters and waitresses (like you might see in France).  

Peking Duck being served by a pro

The orange and red Chinese decor with big round tables made for sharing many dishes with your family or friends is also iconic.  

We love this place so much that we celebrated my 50 birthday party there.  We have also brought visitors and new employees here.

50th birthday party pics (What is that?)

So, we were greatly saddened when Red Pepper announced they were closing "until further notice" due to Covid-19's economic impact on their business about three months ago.  We can only hope they may reopen within the next 81 days for one final farewell dinner.  Thank you, Red Pepper, for the memories.

Photos by © Brenda Brayko. All rights reserved. 

Thank you, Asia series "Jjimjilbangs" (83 days left)

 March 9, 2021

Before we left Wisconsin, Brent and I owned a hottub for most of our married life.  When we landed in Korea we learned about the jjimjilbangs - public baths.  It took a bit of adjusting, but once we were used to them we loved it.  

There was a jjimjilbang only a five minute walk away, so once or twice a week we could wander over with our toiletries to hang out in the public baths and relax.  In case you are unaware, these baths are organized by gender.  Males go to one area and females to another.  There you strip down naked, shower off or scrub really well and then can enter any number of hot to cold tubs.  There are also saunas, manicures, pedicures, and a scrubbing station where you can hire someone else to scrub your whole body - and I mean whole body in view of everyone else.  I never got brave enough to do it, but it was entertaining to watch a woman in her panties and bra scrub another woman until she shone and then slide off the table like a fish flopping off of a counter. 

The path to the jjimjilbang

The public baths have another floor too.  This one is more social and family oriented.  Here both genders can reunite in the "gym clothes" issued by the establishment.  You can get snacks or bring your own picnic for the open area or head off to side rooms of various temperatures from very cold to very hot, some with stones to lay on. 

For less that $10 you can hang out as long as you like, even all day or all night.  For us this was money well-spent for the relaxation and stress-reduction it afforded.  Thank you, Korea, for all the great baths. 

Thank you, Asia "Rigby" (84 days left)

 March 8, 2021

I grew up with a family dog.  Through the years we had three dogs as the Brayko family, prior to coming to Hong Kong.  Here, we found our fourth!  Rigby, formerly known as Bill.

The following are excerpts from a post originally posted Nov. 20, 2016.  Rigby was re-homed in December 2020 in anticipation of our move.  He is doing great, although we still miss him.

"We adopted him a year ago [2015] from Hong Kong dog rescue where he had been a resident for three years.  We could tell he was a sweetheart with a gentle disposition, so that and a high recommendation for him as an adoptee who could easily adjust to a cat were enough for us.

"He doesn't bark.  He doesn't enter rooms that he shouldn't enter.  He doesn't jump up on beds or couches.  He doesn't steal food off the counter.  He doesn't snap at anyone or get upset when you are near his dish.  He doesn't wake you up in the middle of the night needing to go out.  (Although he does snore.)  He also doesn't lick you, though that part I wish he would do.  He's just an all around great companion.

"It took him quite awhile to play with Jigs our cat, but now he chases or bats playfully at Jigs almost every day.  At first he didn't know what to do with a kong, but he has now figured out it is fun to try to get the treat out.  He still doesn't have a clue about what to do with a ball.

"Somehow - and I still have not witnessed this in person - he manages to pull the handle down and in just enough to wiggle the door open and escape.  From there he pushes a second door and takes the flight of steps leading to either outside or more flights of stairs which take him to the apartment of a dog-friend of his."

Thank you, Hong Kong Dog rescue, for our fluffy companion of five+ years, Rigby. 

Thank you, Asia. "Public transportation" (85 days left)

March 7, 2021

"Taxi!"  By now we have hailed more taxis than I can count.  And we have taken public buses and  subway rides too.  Both Korea and Hong Kong have incredible public transportation systems.  And cheap!

In Seoul our closest way to get around without a car was by first getting on a bus (the No. 11) and then going to Migeum Station where we would use the subway system.  Seoul has one of the best subway systems in the world.  It is quick, cheap, always on time, not overcrowded and clean. See link for video. For buses, subway system, and taxis we used the T-money card (see link).  We could also use the prepaid card for purchases at convenience stores.  Aside from weird things like subway entrances with an escalator going down and a long staircase going up, it was awesome.  

There were always plenty of taxis, but the taxi system was a bit strange.  There were not necessarily organized lines to stand in and certain taxis would only go to certain areas.  So there were times when we simply wanted to hop in a taxi and go a few kilometers to get home, but no taxi would take us. 

In Hong Kong there are also taxis, buses and subways (called MTR) a-plenty.  Here the taxi system is more organized than Korea.  At taxi stands everyone gets into a line.  You must take the taxi at the front of the line. Believe it or not, a taxi driver farther back in a line won't take you.  Here too we have a prepaid card system for paying for buses and MTR called an Octopus Card.  Most taxis don't accept them, however, but convenience stores do.  

The MTR system is cheap, clean, on time, and frequent.  People are reminded over the intercom system to "mind your step", "wear your mask: together we fight the virus", and "don't look only at your phone when approaching escalators" or "do not eat or drink in paid areas of the station".  

On the MTR in Hong Kong

Thank you, Asia, for the cheap and convenient public transportation. 

At a nearly empty station in HK during Covid-19

Brent and Alec in HK during Covid.  No one else?

Thank you, Asia "Rice " (86 days left)

March 6, 2021

When Brent and I were first talking about the possibility of teaching abroad I remember approaching our kids.  "If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?"  Adam, all of 8 years old responded, "Somewhere with rice."  Perfect!  Korea it is.

One year prior, we were hosting Sein, an exchange student from Korea.  One night she was going to make dinner for us, "Do you have a rice cooker?" she asked.  I didn't even know there was such a thing as a rice cooker!  Within days she took us to Walmart and helped us purchase our first rice cooker.  She then proceeded to teach us the secrets to cooking rice in the rice cooker.  First you rinse the rice several times until the water runs clear, using the water to feed your plants.  Then you check the water level by placing your hand on top of the rice until it reaches a particular level on your hand. This leads to perfect rice.  Little did I know how much rice I would consume in the next decade or so. 

Coconut Rice at Veggie SF in Central, Hong Kong

Of course for both Korea and Hong Kong rice is a staple.  There are many different types of rice available in small to huge bags of it.  When Covid-19 hit us first in Hong Kong, the run on toilet paper was soon followed by a run on rice.  At the time, I bought a huge 25 pound bag of it.  It has since been used.

It turns out that living in Asia for most of his life means that Alec much prefers rice more than potatoes with a meal.  He actually doesn't even like potatoes that much.  For me, it is about even, although I do get a hankering for good mashed potatoes now and then.  And, as you may expect, I have learned how to make fried rice from left over rice. 

Living in Asia has expanded our palate quite a bit, and amongst that is an appreciation for rice. Thank you, Asia. 

Uncooked sticky Rice which became. . . 

Mango Sticky Rice at cooking school in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Enjoy the menu at Chinese New Year 

. . . and here is the stir fried glutinous rice with preserved meat!

Photos by © Brenda Brayko. All rights reserved.

Thank you, Asia "Sand" (87 days left)

I didn't know there were so many different types of sand until we began travelling to beach locations such as those around Asia.  I hope to bring my sand collection home to Wisconsin, but I don't know if it will make it intact.  Here we have sand samples from our travels these past 11 years.  Perhaps you can spot the black sand from Bali, Malaysia. 

Our first beach trip was to Boracay island in the Philippines our first Christmas abroad (2010). This is still my favorite sand in the world!  Until vacationing here I didn't know that sand could come so white and so fine and soft.  The local children in Boracay can even pack sand balls the size of large snow balls to play a local game.  Thus began my collection of sand. 

The kids on the beach in Boracay. 

The Braykos have a long-standing tradition of taking pictures of our writing in the sand.  Hanging out with kids on a beach is an easy day.  Sun +  sand + kids = fun.  In 2015 we headed to the Sabah region in Malaysia, staying at a resort in near Kota Kinabalu.  The water was warm and the sand hard packed. 

Alec at Sabah

In 2015 I reunited with an old friend in Phuket, Thailand.  Alexandra had survived the 2004 Tsunami at the very resort we stayed at.  

Another Christmas with sand was in 2014 where we vacationed with friends from our time in Korea, the Cabalunas.  Phu Quoc, Vietnam had an amazing beach that wasn't too overcrowded, as the area was newly open to tourism. 

Closer to home, in 2012, I attended a women's retreat with ladies from my church in Hong Kong, Church of All Nations. We spent a few days in a lovely Airbnb enjoying the sand and water on our breaks.  And of course there are a myriad of other beaches in Hong Kong closer to home where I have spent a good amount of time with friends and family or all alone. 

Repulse Bay Beach - end of year celebration

Repulse Bay Beach during Covid beach shutdown

Hong Hom Beach

St. Stephen's Beach, Stanley

Repulse Bay Beach

Brent at Turtle Cove, our closest beach

Thank you, Asia, for all the beach time!

Thank you, Asia series "The Value of Space" (89 days left)

The last home we owned, our home on Summer Place in Green Bay, was 1600 sq. ft. with a basement, a good size front and back yard and a 2 car garage.  

Our apartment in "Goodmorning Hill" in Dongcheon-dong was 900 sq. ft. with three bedrooms and 2 baths on the 15th floor of a 25 story apartment.  No basement.  No yard.  Parking garage. 

our first Goodmorning Hill apartment building

The view from the 15th floor

Our apartment in "Scenic View" in Tai Tam now is about 1100 sq. ft. with three bedrooms and 3 baths on the 7th of 8 floors.  No basement. No yard. Parking garage.   Many Hong Kongers live in apartments of only 300 sq. ft. (Thankfully, that is not our story.)

Our Scenic View apartment is pictured in the video 

It was probably after living three years in a suburb of Seoul that it hit me why I could simply walk out of my apartment and get to everything I needed  - economical use of space.  Living in high rise apartments means all the people are stacked on top of one another which means that the surrounding land can be made into businesses right there out of your door.  We had a stationery store, a grocery, clothing shops, dry cleaners, convenience stores, and lots of restaurants within about a five minute walk of us.

In Green Bay our home was a lot bigger but any services we need we need to drive to, the nearest being Walmart about 5 minutes driving.  

Learning to live in an apartment in Seoul took about a year.  We were "on top" of one another. But over time having the family so close to one another became less annoying, and even tolerable.  Could we be a "closer" family because of it?  Maybe.

Of course the population density of Seoul at nearly 16,000 people/kilometer squared and of HK at 6300 people/kilometer squared far exceeds that of Green Bay at 884 people/kilometer squared.  This explains why, pre-Covid I once stood at Times Square in Hong Kong and counted 100 people walking past me in 50 seconds.  It explains why we have gotten used to being bumped into without needing anyone to say "I'm sorry." 

Overlooking apartment buildings in Hong Kong

Now I believe I think of space differently.  I don't mind what some may consider a small apartment.  We have successfully hosted parties with 30 - 40 people in our small spaces.  I don't mind that we can't accumulate so much "stuff" (somehow we seem to still have accumulated plenty).  

Pictured is a party of about 16 in our HK flat. 

However, I certainly love our present home in Green Bay and the extra space it affords.  It feels a bit luxurious to have 1100 sq. ft plus a basement, front and back yard, and a garage again.  

Our home in Green Bay.  See you 89 day!

Perhaps there is still much to explore about the value of space.  But I am fairly certain I would never have concerned myself with the value of space and use of space without living in Asia.  

© Photos by Brenda Brayko.  All rights reserved.