my asia

I just ate two original style Krispy Kreme doughnuts. They were divine. I never understood what the big fuss was about them in the States. And I don't think I will when I return. But they are just so delicious here. We also ate at a Mexican restaurant tonight not unlike my Cafe Rio which pretty much made my tastebuds do cartwheels followed by a round off, front flip. And to top it off, I had my hair done and down, ALL DAY. The weather - with its sporadic rain bursts (and when I say sporadic, I mean that every night we have at least one clap of thunder that literally shakes my bed and prompts me to jump in Jess' like a little girl) - has been "relatively" cool.

But most importantly, our time here is half over. When I look at it that way, I realize how easy it will be to only do my laundry a few more times in the sink (by the way, white and blacks do not mix, even in the sink), that I'll only have to truck my groceries up Mount Everest a few more times, that I'll be able to drink water out of the tap before I know it.

And at the same time, I realize I only have a few weeks of lazy HK naps with Jess, just days of exploring a backwards world where the cars drive on the wrong side of the road and their signs tick off intelligible symbols. I realize - and not with a little sadness - that our Asian adventure is rapidly coming to a close.

I thought it would be the longest summer ever, I thought I might never survive in such a strange world. Instead, I've grown to love it. I still miss Tokyo every day, I'm learning to appreciate Hong Kong, and mostly I'm treasuring these moments, never to be experienced again, even the nomadic days of wandering through dirty streets, foul smells escaping the grated underground, my hair tied in a knot on the top of my head. Because no matter how tired I might get, at the end of the day, it's all a part of the wonderful experience this summer has been, never to be repeated, always to be remembered. I'm glad I have these moments, especially that I've captured them here with pictures and words so that when I find myself aching to hit the Imperial Palace trail, longing for just a little bit of incense to waft my way, I have the memories here.

So thanks for sharing them with me. Its been such a blessing to keep these memories all corralled in one place. Even now I look back at the Tokyo posts to remember. And I have no doubt that I'll just keep looking back, always remembering.

PHOTO: We're not sure what this beautiful flower is. There's a little lily pond of them in the middle of campus. We noticed them because a bunch of Hong Kongians were gathered round the first one that bloomed with their tripods and cameras. Now there are a few more, all in varying stages of bloom. They're about the size of a cereal bowl, and stand a couple feet tall. Click on it for a better view - they really are quite spectacular.