It Was Forty Years Ago Today...

...Sergeant Pepper taught the band to play.

Today (June 1) marks the 40th anniversary of the release of the Beatles' landmark album "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," which is still considered a milestone of popular culture and rock and roll. It consistently ranks at or near the top of numerous "Best Albums of All Time" lists. So take an hour out of your day to listen to it and remind yourself all over again why this is still a mindblowing album 40 years later.

We now return to our regularly scheduled Hong Kong blogging.

UPDATE: See this op-ed from today's Washington Post. I wonder where the author got the title...?

Also - see this special section on the Rolling Stone website asking readers to contribute their reviews of Sergeant Pepper for the 40th anniversary, and Rolling Stone's commentary on its selection of Sergeant Pepper as the top pick on their 500 greatest albums of all time list.

Last but not least - see this video of Jimi Hendrix doing a live cover of "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."



More information about the performance here and here. The key detail:

Jimi Hendrix played the song live three days after it was released. McCartney was in the audience and later said he was honoured. A live version recorded at the Isle of Wight was included on a postumous live album, Hendrix in the West.

Facelift

After receiving some feedback from readers, I tweaked the look of the site to make it easier to read from a visual perspective. Expect a few minor changes here and there as it gets fine-tuned before settling on a final look.

Monastic Beach

Picking up where I left off in the previous post, we headed to the Po Lin monastery at the bottom of the hill from the Buddha statue. One of the first things we came across on the grounds was a courtyard-type area where people were buying and lighting incense, and leaving it in a series of large pots as offerings.





After that, we continued on inside to another courtyard where the main hall was located. At the bottom of the steps were several fountains with small statues of Buddha. Adherents would take a spoon-like device, fill it with water from the fountain, and symbolically and literally bathe Buddha.







At the top of the steps was a porch area extending along both sides of the main entrance doors. The balcony was lined with flowers I couldn't identify, and a series of columns featuring dragon motifs were on the outside wall.







Although signs didn't say so, we got the impression that photography was prohibited inside the main hall and some of the other buildings that were open to the public, so there are no shots of any of the altars or Buddha statues or paintings we saw, which were pretty spectacular.

We wrapped up our visit of the monastery and asked for directions to Chang Sha, a local beach where a friend of Joe's recommended we eat lunch at a restaurant called the Stoep, which specializes in (oddly enough) Mediterranean and South African cuisine.

We got on the bus and during the course of the ride, a downpour of near-Biblical proportions began. UPDATE: I forgot to mention before the fact that a few rows in front of where we were sitting, an old woman was practically hacking up a lung or kidney or some other internal organ very loud for pretty much the entire ride. Natasha smartly plugged into her I Pod and turned it up to 11 for a (somewhat) blissful ride to try and phase out the racket up front. Joe and I just tried to focus on other things and ignore what was going on, pretty unsuccessfully I should add.

We got to the stop and made a mad dash for shelter of the roofed outdoor dining area of the restaurant. After waiting several minutes for a table to clear, we sat down for lunch. The food was amazing, and every few minutes, one of the local dogs would make his/her way between the tables and occasionally make a racket. There were several tourists in bathing suits there, probably crashing at one of the several local resorts. We were there for about 2 hours eating and waiting for the rain to calm down so we could head back up to the main road and wait for the bus to make our way back to Hong Kong.

Big Buddha

Yesterday (Sunday), our intrepid heroes (Natasha, Joe, and myself) ventured out to Lantau Island, which is one of the neighboring islands to Hong Kong which most people are familiar with because that is where the airport is located. We were there to see the Po Lin Monastery and the 26-foot bronze statue of the sitting Buddha, the largest of its kind in the world.

We decided to take the scenic route - a 25-minute ride on a cable car - to get to Ngong Ping, the small town that is the launching pad for tourists visiting the monastery and the Buddha. Here is a sampling of photos from the cable car ride:











I want to point out that although none of the photos show it, while we were riding the cable car we could see a path leading from the cable car boarding point up to the town, where a few valiant hikers here and there were making the trek the old-fashioned way. I tip my hat to them because I don't think there's any way in hell I would have made it.

Once we got on the ground, Natasha and I made a pit stop in the town square for some Italian gelato. This was probably the last place on earth I expected to find any, and it was a perfect quick fix for the hot and humid day.

We made our way to the bottom of the hill where the statue is located and began climbing up the seemingly endless steps to the top, pausing for a few pictures along the way:







We eventually made it up to the top of the hill. The Buddha is built on a circular platform where visitors have a 360-degree view of the local landscape (walking around the statue of course). The statue is also surrounded by a series of smaller statues that are about 7 feet high. Underneath the statue, visitors can walk in and the walls were lined with plaques or etchings honoring hundreds, if not thousands of people, and there was also a gift shop. I found it strange that they have a problem with photography in a room to honor the people who I got the impression were dead, but not a cash cow to rip off tourists.

There were two higher levels up on the base of the statue we could go, but to do that we would have been required to buy a meal ticket for the local vegetarian restaurant, which Joe's intelligence sources said wasn't very good.

We took a few pictures at the base of the statue, then headed back down to see the monastery:







More details about the monastery and our trip to the beach at Chang Sha to be continued...

Political Insiders and Wardrobe Malfunctions

Luckily, these are two separate stories.

On Wednesday, I followed an AP photographer and the Hong Kong AP Bureau Chief to an interview with Hong Kong Democratic Party leader Martin Lee. Before I forget all of what was said, let me recap (this is also for my own records so I can include this in my paper about the tenth anniversary of the handover.)

The topic was the tenth anniversary and universal suffrage in HK. Lee stressed that without full democracy, the whole way of life in Hong Kong is threatened. He's still banned in China for his pro-democracy views. When asked what Beijing's real fear was, he said he doesn't know. He said the fear was probably that with full democracy in Hong Kong, the elected executive would not be one to cooperate with Beijing.

He's kind of a funny looking man, but the kind whom you know - behind those spectacles - has seen and done it all. I almost held my breath through the entire half hour because a) it was being video-taped and I didn't want to be the only one of the four people in the room making noise and b) I wanted to take in every word he said.

On Wednesday night, we joined Jessica and her boss at the Lotus Bar to celebrate its one-year anniversary. As you can tell from the pictures, the mixologist made the most exquisit cocktails we'd ever had. Expertly mixed so you can't taste the alcohol - and the flavors ranged from Asian-lychee-type things to foam salt Margaritas. Plus the food was amazing. And to make it that much better, we were there as VIP guests courtesy of Jessica's BC Magazine, the arts and culture publication here in Hong Kong. All of it was FREE.



On Thursday, Camille and I went to Ladies' Market in Mong Kok. That's on the Kowloon side. It's a huge market with stalls selling everything - knockoff purses, clothing, shoes, watches, toys, gadgets...but you have to haggle for everything. I was really glad to use my Mandarin and get good deals. You have 1) make a face when they say the price, and say "that's too expensive, 2) pretend like you aren't THAT interested, 3) name a price that's really low, 4) say you don't want it when they refuse your price, 5) if they name a lower price that's still not as low as you want it, then you start to walk away. Count three seconds, and they'll come after you and accept your price. We got lots of goodies.

On Thursday night we went to see the new Pirates. Of course in recent months I've become a pirate princess myself ;) My cousin Tory and I have collected quite the "Pirate Princess" clothing and accessories collection from Disneyland...and hey, we have ancestors who were Portugese, so who knows. They may have been pirates landing in Macao for all we know. And then I played Edith, who married a pirate king in Pirates of Penzance in Oxford. So there. I wore my pirate princess pants and my medallion to the movie.

It was great - highly enjoyable, and all you'd expect of a Pirates movie. Swashbuckling, deception, and love. Love above all. Terrible love, beautiful love, painful love. It's heartbreakingly great. The film itself, well, it's no masterpiece of all time. But a satisfying end to the trilogy.

Saturday, we went out to Lan Kwai Fong at night. It's the few blocks of severe partying. And I wore one of the tops I bought from Ladies' Market. One with just strings tying the back. Of course the cheap piece of crap that it is, one string came off. And when one string comes off, there's not much else holding it together. I used tape, needle and thread, staples...I think that was the debut and the finale of that top. So not worth the trouble. I hardly wanted to move for fear of being exposed. Thus the "wardrobe malfunction."

Oh, and the picture reminds me...I got a haircut. And I have to pin it up, otherwise I look like an anime cartoon. I shouldn't complain - it's not a terrible cut, and it was really really cheap.

Today, Joe, David and I went to Lantau Island (southeast of Hong Kong Island) to see the Po Lin Monastery and the Big Buddha (made of bronze, 26 ft. tall I believe?). It was nice to step out of the city and see the beautiful mist float along the mountain tops like you see in all those Chinese water colors.




And with all this exploring, who wants to go back to work tomorrow morning? Not unless there are some interviews or press conferences to shoot...

The Most Expensive Smoothie Ever

So we went out on Saturday night to explore the famed Lan Kwai Fong district of Hong Kong, which is known for its bars and night clubs. Good idea, bad execution.

Our evening started at a place called the Hong Kong Brew House, an American-style bar, if you use the term loosely. I'm looking at the drinks menu, and I decide to order a mango daiquiri. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, here's the recipe:

ingredients
3 oz (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) amber rum
1 1/2 cups (1-inch) cubes of firm-ripe mango (from two 1-lb mangoes), frozen
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 oz (2 tablespoons) triple sec
4 teaspoons superfine granulated sugar
2 cups ice cubes

preparation
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

The problem? I took one sip of it and it felt strange, so I took another and then I had a friend try it to confirm my suspicions. There was NO alcohol in the drink whatsoever. I ordered a mango daiquiri and I got a mango smoothie.

The kicker? When it came time to pay the tab, I find out it cost me about HK$60 (that's between $7-8 in the United States). Compare that to Natasha, who got her drink with alcohol in it for about HK$40 and the fact that the cab ride to Lan Kwai Fong cost me about HK$30. I got ripped off - badly.

On our way out, there was a group of about a dozen or so middle-aged women wearing cowboy hats who sounded like they were from Australia. They ambushed Joe and me as we were walking out after hearing us talk and asked if we were Americans. I denied it, and Joe said he was Canadian. As I recall, they wanted us to either sing the U.S. national anthem for them or lead them in singing it. Either way - we were not up for it and got the hell out of there as fast as we could.

For those of you who might ever find yourselves in Hong Kong, avoid this bar like the plague.

Lotus, Buns, Pirates and Monkeys

No, these aren't ingredients for some evil recipe.

Earlier this week, we went out to a bar/lounge called Lotus, which was throwing itself a 1-year anniversary party. The food, drinks, and music were amazing the whole night. The most interesting thing we had there was a plate consisting of several small appetizers made of trout, eel, vegetables, and assorted spices, served on a leaf (lotus perhaps?). They were VERY good, and a fun night was had by all.







Yesterday was the annual Bun Festival on Cheung Chau Island, which is about a 1-hour ferry ride from Hong Kong. I went with a cameraman to cover it for Reuters. We walked into one of the bakeries to interview the owner. There were about a dozen or so people working there, making the dough, cooking the buns, and then selling them to customers and tourists, which I took several photos [see below]. The space was a bit claustrophobic but at least they had fans to help alleviate from the blazing heat and humidity outside and the throngs of crowds.





After the interview, we made our way to this designated pen for the media to film the parade processions as they passed by. We got a good spot first, then went to a local shop to get cold drinks and a quick break. The parades included guys in dragon costumes, musicians playing traditional Chinese instruments and songs, and floats with small children (my guess is 6 and younger) who were standing/propped on a beam while dressed in some costume or other. We stayed for the first hour or so of the parade before calling it a day. A small sampling of photos:









Later that night, a group of us from USC went out and saw "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." It's long, clocks in at about 2 hours and 45 minutes, so be prepared for the long haul. Without giving away specific details about the plot, I will say that the movie requires an attention span of steel because there is so much dealing and double crossing going on, it becomes very difficult to keep track of whose side everyone is on. Even I, a longtime observer of politics and the negotiating process it entails, was completely lost during some points of the movie. By the end of the movie, I think Jack the Monkey is pretty much the only one who hasn't been on the giving or receiving end of a doublecross! The action sequences and special effects are, like the previous movies, first rate. All in all - I recommend it.

Interesting observation: Buying tickets to a movie in Hong Kong is like buying plane or opera tickets because you buy them for specific reserved seats, not on a first-come, first-serve basis as in most other movie theaters I've been to.

Finally -- I picked up a copy of the new Arctic Monkeys album. Excellent stuff, I highly recommend it.