Some Fun Facts

1. The traditional Vietnamese conical hat has 16 bamboo rings. When you buy a conical hat, if it is an original it will hav the 16 rings.

2. The conical hat has many uses. If a lady likes a man she will cover her face except for her eyes, if she doesn't like a man she will cover her entire face with the hat which means "go away". The Vietnamese people aslo use it to scoop water, fan themselves, collect fruits and vegetables, and cover their tummy when they are pregnant because they are embarrassed.

3. The Chinese favorite part of the fish is the cheek. (I tried it, it was good!)

4. The Chinese favorite part of the duck or the goose is the left leg. Do you know why? Because it stands on it's left leg to urinate so the muscle is stronger...Not kidding!

5. In Vietnam, if a woman cannot get pregnant, she will send her husband to another lady that has agreed to have a baby for them. They will try to get pregnant for 1 month. If she gets pregnant they will pay her $7000 US dollars, if not she does not get paid. This is all kept very private.

6. In Vietnam, only 2 people are legally allowed to ride on a motorbike, but many ride with 4 or 5 people. Children under the age of 8 are not required by law to wear a helmet when riding!

7. Numbers of good luck in China are 3 which means happiness, 8 which means wealth, and 9 which means long life. People will pay millions to have these numbers on their license plates on their cars.

8. In China, the groom's family pays for EVERYTHING, the wedding, wedding dress, rings...and a dowry to the brides family before they are even married. If she decides not go get married, he is out the dowry.

Fish Dinner

Last night we took a 40 minute boat ride through the choppy channel to a little fishing village for dinner. We had a ten course meal with crab, scallops, lobster tail, grouper, prawns and squid. The dinner was amazing! The boat ride there and back was breathtaking.

Jade and Noodles

We also visited the Jade Market and did some shopping. We then stopped at a local noodle shop for wonton soup. When we arrived there were no tables, so the waitress rushed some men out and fixed-up a table for us. She didn't speak any English so I had to point out the drinks we wanted. The noodles bowl was big and the noodles were long. Each bowl of soup cost $18 Hong Kong Dollar which is $2.50 US. We left the waitress $20 Hong Kong Dollar tip and she tried to give it back. When we told her to keep it she almost cried and was very thankful. Matthew, our guide said that was the biggest tip she has ever gotten and will probably ever get. He said typical tipping is 2%, 3% or 5%.

Wong Tia Sin Temple- The Fortune Teller

We visited Wong Tia Sin Temple yesterday. We were able to experience the process of the fortune telling. We entered the temple and were given a round wooden container with 100 wooden sticks in it. You ask a question you want to know, ususally when worshipers face a decision or a croosroad in life. You then kneel and shake the bamboo cylinder until a flat bamboo stick falls out onto the ground. The stick has a number on it, that is the number that goes with that question. You continue to do this until you have a number for each question. We then went over to the soothsayer and gave him our number and question. If you receive a "good" card it means good things for you and you are to keep it for one year, if it is a "bad" card then the soothsayer will keep it and burn it for you.

Culture Shock

We are in Hong Kong and all are in culture shock from the move from Cambodia to here. The city is beautiful. The skyline is endless with mountian peaks in the background. The population of Hong Kong is 7,008,000 and the primary tongue is Cantonese. The city is so technologically advanced. The subway system is very user friendly and tickets are available via touch screen maps. You just touch where you want to go and how many people are going and it prints your ticket!!! So far, there is more of a language barrier here than in Vietnam or Cambodia. Our dinner was $887.70!! This is the first time we have had to exchange money and the rate is 7.8 Hong Kong Dollar to $1 US dollar. Off to the Jade Market and The Wong Tai Sin temple today.

Headed to Hong Kong

We went to dinner last night with the group and this morning we are headed to Hong Kong. I am sad to leave Cambodia.

Faces of Cambodia

The people of Cambodia and Viet Nam are so open to having their pictures taken. We have been welcomed and feel comfortable hanging out with the locals on the streets. The children are a little shy but warm-up with encourage from their parents.