Happy New Year!! Xin Nian Kauile!!

As promised, I am writing you this blog from the ever hospitable Maryknoll House in Hong Kong. The flight down was fine, but we had an unexpected layover in Changshan, which was a pain. They literaly ushered us off the plane, took us in a complete circle through the terminal, then put us back on the same plane. What a waste. The only excitement came when both Cletus and I got wanded simultaneously by the security guards for setting off the metal detectors. I guess that what you get for having abs of steel. Cletus' guard was a woman, and she was not shy at all about making sure he was absolutely clean. The Unintentional Comedy Scale rating on this thing would have been through the roof. Of course this whole ordeal was a huge hit with all of the Chinese passengers on the plane. Thy all crowded around and laughed and pointed and took pictures as Cletus and I were searched. It was pretty fun.

Now that we're here, we're both just trying to take it easy. The first morning here we both woke up just in time for... lunch. It was great. Other than sleeping, reading, movie watching, and net surfing, not much has gone on. For one thing, we're on vacation, so being lazy is expected. But also, HK is the most expensive city in China, so we're both trying to save as much dough as possible. Here's an example of how expensive HK is: last night Cletus and were walking around Stanley and as we came to a driveway for a condo, a BMW pulled up. This BMW was being driven by a kid who couldn't have been older than seventeen. As the garage door opened, we saw the other three cars in the garage (yes, four cars total). They were: a Bentley, a Ferrari, and a Lamborghini. Yes folks, the contents of that garage were worth more money than I will ever see in my life. The moral of the story: You know you're in a rich neighborhood when the car you give your teenager is the BMW.

But aside from the cost, Stanley is pretty sweet. It used to be a small fishing village on the far side of the island, but it's developed into a very nice (and very rich) community, with a heavy emphasis on tourism. It's got a great beach, which I stroll along each night before I go to bed, and great city center.

But I assure you, Cletus and I have not been complete bums this trip. In fact, just this morning we actaully made a real effort and got up early. I even set my alarm. What was the big occasion you may ask? Why football of course.

Yup, by far the best part about HK is the satelite TV, which allowed us to view the USC Trojans get branded (pun intended) by the Texas Longhorns. I'm sure the Eckhardt's are a very happy clan right now. Say all you want about Reggie Bush and the Heisman; I guarantee Vince Young sleeps better tonight. What a great game to watch. Truly the "Grandaddy of them all." I can't begin to describe what it felt like to finally be able to watch some American football again. Mainstreet U.S.A., you and your big-screen TV saved the day!

Tomorrow Cletus is leaving for Zhangjiang and I'm leaving to spend the weekend in Zhongshan. We both plan to stay with other Maryknollers who are still teaching (haha, suckas!). After that, Cletus will head into the heart of China, spending most of January traveling from city to city, visiting some of his students. I, however, will head back to the Maryknoll House after the weekend to await the arrival of Robert Knapp, St. Cloud resident, Johnnie at heart, Shenyang shaman, and my travel buddy for the next two months. He should be flying down the 12th or the 13th. We'll chill here at the house for a few days, then it's off to the Mainland.

In case you're interested, here's my somwhat solidified itinerary: (If you're not interested, well you probably shouldn't be reading my blog then.)

• Robert and I will make our way through Guandong province, heading south. The plan is to take our time, and save money wherever and whenever possible. We might visit some other teachers on our way down, if they're still around.
• Our eventual destination is Hainan Dao, located at the southernmost tip of China, and referred to as "the Hawaii of China." Once there, we will be staying with Raymond, a student at Beihua University and a friend of mine, and his family. His parents own a winter home in Haikou (the capital city), and they have been gracious enough to open up their home to us.
• We will spend the rest of January on Hainan, and part of February. Most of our time will be spent exploring the island, including the beaches of Sanya, which are supposedly as beautiful as any in Aisia. There are also a couple ethnic villages that will be worth checking out, and some mountains to climb as well. Not to mention there are a bunch of smaller islands off the coast where you can go and play with monkeys and stuff. That should be pretty sweet.
• We will also be on the island for the Lunar New Year, which is bascially like the Chinese Christmas. This is the one they go all out for, a week full of revelry. I expect to eat way too much food, and shoot off way too many fireworks. It's going to be every 5-105 year old boy's dream. Raymond's grandparents are coming down to celebrate, and he's told me they are thrilled to have foriegners in their home for the New Year. It's a real honor for them.
• Sometime during the first week of February, Robert and I will leave our tropical paradise and head back into the Mainland. We're looking at traveling through Guanxi Province, which boasts some of the oldest and most diverse ethnic groups in China. After that we will make the long journey back to HK, maybe around the 20th of Feb., where we will catch a plane back to the frozen tundra of home, Jilin. We start classes on the 27th, so that will give us a week to recover and prepare for the new semester.

Overall I think it will be an amazing experience. Definitely one of the most memorable of my time in China.

So, while running around creating havok in the Far East, internet access will be fairly limited. Pease be understanding. As the saying goes, "No news is good news," right Mom? Unless of course my arms get ripped off by howler monkeys on Hainan, in which case, "No news is bad news, bad news in the form of not being able to type for lack of proper typing appendages." But if that happens I'm sure I can hold a pencil in my teeth and shoot out an update.

Well, that all for now folks. I hear the dinner bell.

Laterz!