My old stomping grounds
I arrived Friday in Hong Kong, and I'm enjoying hanging out with friends and not being a tourist for a bit. It's comfortable being here - I know how everything works, and don't have to think about how to do basic stuff, which is a nice break after the last two months.
I'm staying at my friend Stephanie's apartment. She and her boyfriend Peter are both at a conference in the U.S. this week, so I have the place all to myself. Some of you may remember Stephanie as the person who covered for me during my sabbatical a few years ago.
Saturday night I went out with Faith, Mike, Meera and Claire for drinks and Tapas in Soho, then Sunday I met Faith and Mike for brunch, a walk through the park, and pedicures. In some ways it's like I never left Hong Kong, but in other ways I can't believe how quickly things change here. 
Several of my favorite businesses have moved (some more than once, apparently), and little things have changed - for example, my favorite breakfast at Pacific Coffee (the ham and cheese croissant) no longer exists. One thing definitely hasn't changed though - the smelly cabs!
I'll be in Hong Kong until Friday, then spend one night in Bangkok before flying to New Delhi for my volunteer program on the 10th. We have a few days of training in New Delhi, then we will take an overnight bus to Dharamsala. They sent out the list of volunteers starting on the same date as me, and there's about 20, including one other women from Portland. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone, and to settling into the volunteer house and my new job for six weeks. I've definitely found in the last week that I'm ready to stop traveling and being a tourist for a while, so the timing of my volunteer assignment starting couldn't be better.
Hey Barbara,
I love your asian red top in that one picture of you and your girlfriend. It looks hot! Glad you're liking the familiar surroundings in Hong Kong again.
Posted by: Nicole | February 07, 2007 at 10:40 PM