ASIA 2014 ... FIRST STOP: HONG KONG

And we're off ... yes, it's that time of year where April 15th has come and gone so the hubby and I hit the road for our annual Post-Tax-Season vacation.  First stop? Hong Kong!   And, in answer to your next question, yes ... have been to Hong Kong on a previous trip to Asia in 2004, but not the other cities we will be visiting which will be the subject of future blogs. My cubbie on Cathay Personally I believe it is ideal to board a plane at "bedtime" and arrive early a.m. at your destination, especially if there is sufficient time for sleeping.  In this case, our departure was midnight on Cathay Pacific with a 6 am arrival.  Of course we left Monday and arrived Wednesday, but that time is made up on the return.  Stocking up on OneWorld miles is the key to scoring those business class seats on Cathay.  Indeed, the airline deserves all the kudos accorded .... the "cubbies" in business class allow for fully flat beds with comforter, pillow and non-stop food choices.  Wouldn't say the 14.5 hours "flew" by, but were certainly comfy. Arriving in Hong Kong at a rather ungodly hour is made so civilized by invoking one of life's great privileges:   Pre-arranged transport to the iconic Peninsula Hotel in one of their Rolls Royce Phantoms (they have a fleet of 14, all in "Peninsula Green").  Good morning!  Even before setting foot in the car, two other staff have already greeted us while taking care of the airport details and collected our luggage.   Did it cost more than a cab?  Yes.  But life is short.  Pretty sure the last time I set foot in a car like this was on my last trip here!  I could get used to this ... but rather doubtful in this lifetime so savoring every moment ... Your chariot awaits ... Peninsula pool -- so glad I brought a suit Trying to acclimate time-wise is always a challenge so didn't do alot except browse around the hotel area and visit highly-recommended Sam's Tailor on Nathan Road.  A suit for the hubby and a crisp white shirt for moi -- more to follow if the results are as expected.  It is impossible not to be aggressively "pursued" on the street with offers of fake Rolexes, fake designer purses and the like .. well, folks gotta make a living, but please.  Should just wear a sign that says "No thank-you!"  Another sight was the vast tons of folks from mainland China in the jewelry stores, three deep at seemingly every counter! We were told they come here to buy gold ... First full day we had a fitting at the tailor and then took the hydrofoil to Macau, China's answer to Las Vegas. Macau, like Hong Kong,  is a special administrative region; from the mid-16th century until 1999, it was administered by Portugal.  After a brief 60-minute trip from Kowloon with Passports in hand, we arrived in your basic monsoon!  Off to the Sands Hotel in Cotai central where, quite unlike Vegas, this is all about the gambling.  We were kind of surprised at the lack of food options (VERY unlike Vegas).  However, the Cotai strip has the Venetian, two Mandarin Orientals, a Four Seasons, etc., and the ubiquitous luxury shops.  The casinos are busy 24/7 and packed with mainlanders.   After returning to Kowloon and drying off, it was off to the Hong Kong side for a very elegant and delicious dinner at Man Wah on the 25th floor of the Mandarin Oriental with a gorgeous view ...   Selection of champagnes and whites at Man Wah .. but should have asked how much beforehand.  Ouch. We did our best walking around the streets here on our next day but honestly it feels very much like Bangkok and I did not remember it being so humid.  After browsing around the flower market and open-"air" stalls, get me to an indoor mall!  Your guess is as good as mine! Delish' spring rolls at lunch After a final tailor fitting – the suit would be waiting in our room after dinner but my (now five) shirts will be shipped home – we decided on Italian for dinner as one can only eat so much Chinese food no matter how delicious! Isola is a contemporary and happening restaurant in the gorgeous and very luxe IFC complex of shops, Four Seasons Hotel and office towers in Hong Kong central.    A good choice for the last evening here … and now it is Saturday morning, April 20, a few hours before departing for Beijing.   We are thrilled with the great news from home …

HOUSTON FOR A WEDDING WEEKEND

Celebrating a marriage in the family of great friends was the reason for 2+ days spent in Houston .... and how many of you know that Houston was named numero uno on the Forbes List of the Coolest Cities to Live in the U.S.???   Of course by coolest ..... Forbes obviously was not referring to the weather (can be very hot and humid) nor the prospects for winning the World Series anytime soon.

Having said that, on my 6th (I think) visit there I would concur that Houston has a lot going for it.   Open spaces, great shopping, reasonable housing prices (in certain areas), professional sports teams, close proximity to Austin for UT games, the rodeo and good business opportunities.

We'll start with the accommodations of choice ... the St. Regis (gotta love those Starwood points).  The close proximity to the famed Galleria and the newer Uptown Park, plus the main highway (freeway?) for access to our events, made this hotel a great choice.  We did take issue with one minor detail, and I'm wondering if any of my fellow travelers regard this as a pet peeve.  Upon calling "Private Dining" (Room Service) to request our table be removed after we were done, I was advised I could simply put it in the hallway.  Uh-uh, that is a major no-no.  Not only would I never do that, but (on a different trip) after walking by someone else's table a couple of times over several hours and finding no response to our requests to have it removed, the hubby put the table in the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor while he came back to our room.  Yep, probably won't be returning to the Park Hyatt in Melbourne any time soon ... Seriously, back to discussing our expectations at fine hotels, if I wanted to experience dirty dishes I could just stay home!

The rehearsal dinner (which truthfully should be called "the night before dinner for anyone who came in from out of town plus the bridal party, etc.", 'cuz all the rehearsing has already been done) was at a fun Tex-Mex place called the Cadillac Bar.  Yummy fajitas, margaritas and a chance to wear cowboy boots that mostly gather dust at home made for a great evening.  

Yep, well said.

Saturday lunch was at Houston's famous Kenny & Ziggy's, which has been featured on Triple D with Guy Fieri.  Pretty much anything on the menu is delicious, ample and what one looks forward to at a deli.

Classic roasted chicken (with paprika!)

On to the main reason for the trip, the wedding reception on Saturday night.   With a guest list topping 550, finding a space large enough was no doubt a challenge.  The choice of The Corinthian in Downtown Houston, an historic space built over 100 years ago, was both beautiful and spacious.  Indeed they were able to accommodate the crowd with plenty of room to dance.

Son Sam, me and the hubby at the wedding ...

With beaming Mama of the Groom and BFF Kay

Tough to resist desserts at Pann's

Sunday was spent hanging with our friends and their friends/family before flying Southwest home.  (BTW, their Early-Bird fee for automatic check-in is now $12.50 and if you change your ticket that part is not refundable ... more costs passed on to the customer!)  We landed at dinnertime and unfortunately our fave Mexican place close to LAX (Paco's Tacos) had a long wait.  Having spent my growing up years in nearby Ladera Heights and knowing the area well means only one one thing: eating at Pann's.   This iconic coffee shop always brings back memories of my family's weekly dinners there.  Maybe sometime soon I'll order something other than the Deluxe Dreamburger, but likely not.  All you movie buffs, Pann's has been featured in quite a few films, from Pulp Fiction to Little Miss Sunshine.  And after 60+ years, the food is still really good!

My forever go-to ...

Hasn't changed a bit since the 50's

SANTA BARBARA ORCHID SHOW

Happily a recent journey required neither a lot of cash nor a huge investment of time.  In fact, who wouldn't want to play hooky and, at the same time, indulge in a favorite passion ... anyone who knows me at all can guess this would involve orchids.

Every year, my best re-bloomer, now with 8 spikes

Another beauty in bloom

I have been an active orchid grower for 15 years give or take.  By that I mean several years of regular attendance at orchid meetings, having a greenhouse at home (gone by the wayside in favor of an outdoor kitchen), and operating a "plant hospital" for resurrecting relative's plants as well as all of my own.  I rarely throw a plant out unless it's hopelessly diseased, and am happy to report success at repeat blooming year after year.   

My plant hospital ...

 As shown above, I grow mainly above my kitchen sink in two large shallow trays.   The plants sit inside the trays on a bed of small pebbles.  Once a week I put the plants in the sink, water liberally and put them back in the trays to drain.   The pebble base aids in creating humidity which the plants love (orchids need only 4 things to survive:  water, air circulation, food and indirect light).  My other growing spot is a rack attached to the side of my garage for my cymbidiums (outdoor plants).  The area is shaded which the plants like and need.


The recent journey was a day trip to the Santa Barbara Orchid Show held early March for more than 60 years now.  A huge number of both growers and orchid societies compete for the coveted prize ribbons, all of which have been decided by the time the exhibits open to the public.  But what I really go for (no surprise) is to buy plants.  Get ready to ooh and aah at these remarkable displays!

 




 

Santa Barbara is one of the ideal agricultural locations for growing, not just for orchids but roses and plants too numerous to count.  There is the right combination of agreeable weather and ample space (both in Santa Barbara and neighboring communities such as Carpinteria).  Part of the allure is not only going to the show but visiting local growers:  Cal-Orchid, Santa Barbara Orchid Estate, and, my all-time fave, Gallup & Stribling.  G&S has a number of huge growing spaces with cymbidiums as far as the eye can see!  Now, just how many do I really need???



 

Just one of several enormous greenhouses at Gallup & Stribling

And the kids are safely strapped in for the ride home!

So my advice?  Go buy yourself a plant .. they last much longer than cut flowers and give yourself an "attaboy" when they bloom again!

I recently read one of the myriad travel articles I receive, this one regarding travel sins one can commit.  This got me thinking that there is a lot more useful information that was offered besides the patently obvious, like leaving the plane bathroom in a complete mess or shouting at the flight attendant or even walking off with someone else's bag!  Herewith, a sampling of Travel with Teri B. do's and don't's (by no means all of them!):

Do adhere to the local custom of donning head-covering, covering up bare arms/legs, and/or removing your shoes if you're in a place where that is not only the custom but expected.  After all, you're technically invading someone's turf and the expectation is to respect the custom even if it doesn't make sense to you.  

Don't take a picture of someone without first asking permission. That doesn't mean one can't surreptitiously get one in ... as I did at Buckingham Palace of Kate's dress.  At least it wasn't of a person.  But while visiting the Vienna Zoo last year, we encountered the most precious group of 5-year-olds and we were speaking to some of them about what it is like to live in America, etc..   I asked to take a photo, to which the chaperone nicely said no.  I get it; I could be a stalker and these kids were her responsibility.  It is irrelevant that I know there would be no harm; it wasn't my place to question.

Don't feel that you must re-use your hotel towel.   I am very conscious of the environment at home -- recycling like crazy and even using both sides of copy paper.   But when I am spending my hard-earned cash on a hotel, I'm dumpin' the towels on the floor (in a neat pile). I believe that is what I'm paying for.  Do I necessarily waste?  Absolutely not.  But towels are a luxury and I often evaluate a hotel based on the quality of said towels.  Call me crazy, but that is a big comfort that I have come to expect.

Don't (and this is a big one) put your bag in the overhead space at the front of the plane when your seat is in the back!!  I might add if you can't lift it yourself, it's probably too heavy for carry-on in the first place! The funnyman Adam Carolla recently said he believes the bin over one's seat is sacrosanct territory and everyone should know that.  There is a definite absence of reasonableness and courtesy when some passengers literally lay out their belongings end-to-end and then become incensed when someone invades what they believe to be their space ... the nerve! 

 

Taking it to a whole new level ...

Do go ahead and leave a tip even if it isn't the local custom.  Who among those hard-working folks in the hospitality and tourism industry cannot use a few more shekels?? And what seems like a pittance to many Americans goes a very long way elsewhere.  So be generous and the return is bound to be more than the investment!  

Do make every attempt to keep your voice down in an airplane. 

No need to talk above the din (nonstop sometimes). Seriously, does one not realize that we all must get along in tight quarters and be respectful of that?  Obviously crying babies will forever be in our midst, but must there be the unnecessary additional noise factor?  God bless my family for the wonderful recent birthday gift of noise-cancelling headphones!