WRAP UP

Here are a few pictures from the end-of-the-semester banquet held on the TST side of the Harbor. It is always a mixture of emotions as the time together draws to a close - glad to go home but realizing that we will not be seeing each other as we have for the past four months.

Andrew & Benyam

Brian, Leann & Kat

Maurice & Jackie

Cindy & Fabi

Rob & Nick

Evelin & Michael

Matt & Sarah

ISLANDS

The Hong Kong SAR includes about 260 islands, with the two major islands being Lantau and Hong Kong. Many of the outlying islands are inhabitated and served by numerous ferries. I was fortunate to hike on three of the islands - Lantau, as previously described in the Sunset Peak entry, Chueng Chau and Lamma. I guess you could also count Hong Kong if walking around Central is 'hiking.' Andy Smith, Shawn Yoon and I visited Chueng Chau, and went on a long hike around half of the island, up some peaks, and as shown below, around a rocky point. I opted out of the rocky point - looked too much like I could die. I visited Lamma with my cousin Steve Heller and Marilyn. On both of the islands, we concluded our outing with a great seafood dinner.

Andy and Shawn on Chueng Chau

The Adventurous Duo

The Village of Sok Kwu Wan on Lamma Island
Steve and Marilyn Strolling a Lamma Beach

CONSTRUCTION

In one of my early blogs on Hong Kong, I mentioned how strange it was to see high-rise construction cranes surrounded by bamboo scaffolding. Recently a construction project was begun to add a tenth floor to the building where my office is located - so I got some photos of the action. The first photo shows the super-sturdy walkway that was built to protect pedestrians. I could hardly believe that it was going to be a temporary structure as I watched it being built - cement with rebar; steel I-beams welded in place; corrugated steel wall; steel plates for roofing. The fellows put up the scaffolding in a couple of days, and one nice thing about using bamboo - if the length is not quite right, just cut it off to fit!!

ALONG THE MACLEHOSE TRAIL

Lion Rock

The prominent peak straight north of the HKBU campus is Lion Rock. Stage 5 of the 100 kilometer [62 mile] MacLehose Trail passes just behind Lion Rock. The MacLehose winds its way along the rugged range that more-or-less separates the Kowloon Peninsula on the south from the New Territories to the north. It undulates with many ups and downs from Pak Tam Chung on the east end to Tuen Mun on the west, and it is comprised of 10 sections. There is an annual Trail run/hike for 700 teams that attempt to complete the trail in less than 48 hours. The leading groups finish in well under 24 hours.

From campus, a 20 minute walk will get you to the trailhead of a stone path that goes from Lion Rock Park to the Trail. Another 20 minutes of fairly steep grade will get you to Kowloon Pass and the intersection with the Trail on Stage 5. Here one has several choices - head west toward Beacon Hill and Sections 4-1; head east toward Sections 6-10; start to the east, and then break off on the trail that goes to the summit of Lion Rock; or go straight on a trail that leads to Amah Rock. Below are some pictures related to each of these choices.

Kowloon Pass Looking Out on Kowloon Tong

This is the decision point - if one needs a bit of time to ponder which way to go, there are a couple of shelters available for contemplation. Let's first head toward Beacon Hill

The path to Beacon Hill

One of the Beacons

The trail toward Amah Rock with Amah in the distance. The legend is that a woman holding her child stood on the ridge, awaiting the husband's return from the sea. He never returned and she and the child turned to stone.


Amah Rock

The trail toward Lion Rock - for those familiar with running in Colorado Springs, this is rather like a hybrid between a Garden trail and the 16 Golden Stairs

The summit of Lion Rock


Just like in the Rockies, wildlife can be seen along the Trail :-)

ACADEMIA

Ahh, the life of a professor - public opinion is often swayed by folks listening to those they would like to believe. When second lady Lynn Cheney releases a report "How Many Ward Churchills?" many shake their heads approvingly with the conclusion that there are Ward Churchills everywhere. David Horowitz, the jerked-over Marxist, has made a second career by pushing his neoconservative academic bill of rights and dogging the "dangerous" left-wing radical elites in academe. Probably bigger than the liberal bogeyman is the public perception that professors really do not work very hard - ten or twelve hours a week in the classroom, summers off, holiday breaks - and once they put in a few years without getting fired, tenure guarantees employment for life. On the other hand, public opinion polls often put university professors ahead of many other professions regarding prestige and confidence. To me this simply demonstrates that most of the public does not really know what a professor does or what goes on in most university classrooms.

And - I am not going to explain what I do or what goes on in my classrooms!! If you really want to know about what professors do, go out to Malibu and spend a few days trying to keep up with my colleagues such as Steve Davis or Jay Brewster just to name a couple out of many exemplary professors. What I am going to write about are the special opportunities that can come your way as a member of the academy. On the lighter side, I am thinking of playing noontime basketball at Pepperdine with the great Lunch Bunch group, which at times would include David Duchovny, Flea, Jefferson Wagner [aka Zuma Jay] and my good friend Scotty Brown. Being able to occassionally play with guys like Robert Turner was special - Robert made us all look good! Although Reggie Miller did not join the Lunch Bunch, I rebounded for him for quite awhile as we talked of 'back home in Indiana." I am also thinking of dozens upon dozens of esteemed colleagues that I also consider friends - Marv Dunphy, renowned mens volleyball coach; Ron Sega, who has flown on two Space Shuttle Missions; Neal Lane, former head of the National Science Foundation and Presidential Science Advisor; Christopher Parkening, preeminent classical guitarst. And, I am also thinking about having the privilege of attending faculty meetings and academic conferences, listening to Jared Diamond share with our science majors, having Ken Starr, Doug Kimec, and Paul Westphal converse with our science faculty, and being able to chat with folks like Chris Matthews, have dinner with the Reverend Dr. John Polkinghorne KBE, and most recently having conversations and, along with three students, going out to dinner with Peter Arnett. These examples are just a few highlights, but they demonstrate one of the blessings of being a university professor.

THE 'HOOD'

SOME MORE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Here are a few pictures taken in the HKBU/NTT neighborhood.

Looking Northwest From My Office - Beacon Peak in the Nine Dragon Range

North of Campus - The Palace Residencies with Lion Rock Peak in the Background.

On one of our Saturday hikes, eleven of us went to the summit of Lion Rock. We went in the late afternoon to avoid the heat, had a picnic dinner, and wended our way down in the dark.

On another of our Saturday afternoon hikes, we went to the nearby Kowloon Walled City Park, mentioned in an earlier blog. Along the way was this "Christian Cemetery."

Across the street is an old British Army Barracks that is now staffed minimally by the People's Republic Army. Roughly translated, the sign proclaims "Be Politically Correct! Behave Properly!Protect Your Country Forcefully, and The Military is Hard." :-)

SUNSET PEAK

SUNSET PEAK - LANTAU ISLAND

On Saturdays, I try to organize a hike, city walk or an outing for any of the students who are not traveling or studying. A couple of weekends ago, Rich Johnson, pastor of the campus chapel, led a hike up Sunset Peak. Near the summit, there are a group of stone cabins that were built before WWII by mission workers. They were used as getaways, particularly during the hot, humid summer months. During the war, the Japanese blew the tops off of the buildings so that they could not be used by resistance forces. Many of the cabins have been restored to rustic functionality - there is no road access, it is over an hour hike, and all supplies have to be packed in, including gas cannisters for cooking. Rain water is collected from the roof and there is a spring not too far from the cabins. The Johnson family has been using their ministry's cabin for many years, ever since their now-adult children were fairly young. Unfortunately it was hazy - otherwise one could see other peaks on Lantau Island, the airport below, and across many of the Hong Kong islands.

KIBC

Kowloon International Baptist Church - Try to visualize an amalgamation of US Baptist Pastor - Anabaptist Minister of Youth - Vineyard Worship - English-Speaking Chinese congregation with a few internationals mixed in - enthusiastically participating in a lively contemporary worship. I guess you would have to be here to fully comprehend a typical Sunday morning service. About 250 folks gather for the Contemporary Praise and Worship service at 9:30, and another 250 participate in the 11:00 Traditional Worship Service. And at 5:00, another 100 or more attend the Evening Worship Service. In the morning, the message and testimonies are the same, but the music is quite different. Early service - band with keyboard, guitars, bass, drums and percussion, amplified but at a level that makes it possible to hear yourself and the others singing songs such as Amazing Grace - My Chains Are Gone, How Great Is Our God, How Great Thou Art, Breathe, All Creatures, Blessed Be Your Name, and Here I Am To Worship. And today's offeratory was a great trio, two guitars and bass, and great vocals on I Can Only Imagine. Second service - organ prelude and postlude, congregational singing of Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee, Glorious Is Thy Name, More About Jesus, Word of God Across The Ages, Wonderful Words Of Life, Teach Me O Lord I Pray, and Go Out And Tell with the choir singing This Is My Word. Congregational worship is a great bit of inspiration to begin the week.

HOOSIERS

HOOSIERS

It is hard imagine that I have been playing basketball for over 50 years, having spent my early years in the long-gone gym at New Paris Grade School. For me it is both a privilege and a blessing to be able to get out on the court and not embarrass myself! Thursday evening is basketball night for me and some of the Pepperdine students. Last night, Maurice, Shawn and Matt all made it over to Junction Road Park where there are nice lighted courts that have been recently resurfaced. The locals play standard playground 21, twos and threes, make-it, take-it. We have been very successful - of course it helps that Maurice and Shawn could both probably play college ball somewhere, and that Matt is 6'8" - it pays to choose your team well! Two of the local fellows that we played with last night were both fairly tall and reasonably talented, but were in awe of the young fellows' play - they even got out their camera to take a group picture! Also, after they played against Maurice for several games [and losing each time], we switched up so that they had the pleasant experience of playing with Maurice - I think that they were very pleased :-)

THE MTR

THE MTR

Some of you may remember the Kingston Trio singing of poor ole Charlie - the man who never returned. Well, did he ever return? No, he never returned and his fate is still unknown. He may ride forever 'neath the streets of Boston. He's the man who never returned. The MTA song comes to mind when one is in the MTR system in Hong Kong - you could live down there!! There is more than enough shopping and dining, nice restrooms for grooming and maybe even a few spots to sleep. Well, maybe not.....but the MTR is very impressive. Think 21st century design, high technology systems, air-conditioned quiet running trains, and fare payment with the ubiquitous Octopus card.

The campus is about equidistant from the Lok Fu Station and the Kowloon Tong Station on the Green Line. There is a minibus that runs the circuit from campus to Kowloon Tong, but one must walk to the Lok Fu Station. The big draw of the Kowloon Tong Station is its proximity to the Festival Walk - be sure to check out the link and browse through the directory - I think you will be amazed at the names of the stores. The ride from Kowloon Tong to Central on the island takes about 20-25 minutes, and you can get most anyplace that you would need to go using the MTR.

THE FREE HAT

One part of the HKBU Orientation Program was a day-long city tour. A couple of the stops were at shopping markets, and since I am not much of a shopper, I wandered the surrounding areas a bit. On a quiet walkway along the bay, I noted a fellow wearing a BHP Billiton hat. I asked him if he worked for BHP, and yes, he was part of the home base office in Australia. This was my lead-in to ask him about BHP in Malibu - and for those of you not familiar with the saga, BHP has proposed an off-shore twenty story-high Liquified Natural Gas terminal that would loom on the ocean horizon off the coast of Malibu/Port Hueneme. He laughed and said that BHP was making enough money around the world that they did not have to bother fighting with the locals in Malibu about the LNG terminal. He gave me the hat, and advised me to invest in BHP!

HK EXCHANGE RATE

7.745

That was the exchange rate at the time of my first conversion of US$ to HK$. It takes some getting used to, seeing such big numbers on things like the Sunday South China Morning Post newspaper for $7.00, but then you remember, "Oh, that's less than a buck." So, I thought I would give a few examples of the cost of things in Hong Kong, in HK$ and approximate US$, starting with some items from the grocery stores Wellcome and Taste

Coca Cola 8-Pack HK$ 20.90 [$2.70]
Large Tub of Margerine - Ditto
Cola in Vending Machine HK$ 5.00 [$0.65]
Banana Bunch of 4-5 HK$ 4.30 [$0.55]
Five Plums HK$ 10.00 [$1.30]
Mickey D's Double Cheeseburger - Ditto
Loaf of Bread - Ditto
Four Oranges HK$ 11.80 [$1.50]
Mickey D's Soft Ice Cream Cone HK$ 2.50 [$0.33]
Big Box of Frosted Flakes HK$ 28.90 [$3.75]
Half Gallon of Soy Milk HK$ 19.90 [$2.55]
Note - Dairy Milk is Very Expensive
Medium Jar of Blackcurrant Jam HK$ 12.90 [$1.65]
Medium Peanut Butter HK$ 13.90 [$1.80]
Can of Potato Chips - Ditto
Large Crab & Crayfish on Rye HK$ 32.00 [$4.15]
Tsingtao 640ml Bottle HK$ 9.80 [$1.25]
Coffee & Tea - Free in the Hotel Room!

I will try to add some restaurant prices, but for now, suffice it to say - the places that serve traditional Chinese and Asian foods are quite reasonable and the Western restaurants are quite expensive. And if you are in the market for a nice car or home:

New Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder HK$ 3,430,000 [$439,000]
1999 Ferrari 360 Modena Coupe HK$ 1,240,000 [$160,000]
2006 Carrera HK$ 1,388,000 [$179,000]
1999 Subaru Legacy $78,000 [$10,000]
New Three Bedroom Apartment Home HK$ 16,000,000 [$2,000,000]
Seaview Lowrise HK$ 24,000,000 [$3,100,000]
Repulse Bay Highrise $31,800,000 [$4,100,000]
Victoria Peak Highrise HK$ 55,000,000 [$7,100,000]
Large Home High on Plantation Road $120,000,000 [$15,500,000]

Thus, most folks rent apartments and do not own cars.

A BIT OF THE CITY

I suggest that you begin by flying around the city on Google Maps. Hopefully, it will be zoomed in on the NTT Guest House, on the south end of the HKBU campus, just south and a bit west of the track. You can zoom out and look around the neighborhood and anywhere in the city you choose. If you zoom out a bit and move to the southeast, past the large park with sports fields, you will see a smaller park-like area. This is the area that was once the infamous Kowloon Walled City. And further to the southeast is the old Hong Kong Airport Kai Tak, which supposedly used to be one of the worst airports for landing commercial jetliners. At a recent international air trade fair, the Airbus A380 made two low passes over Victoria Harbour, and folks were saying that it was reminiscent of the Kai Tak days.

The View of Hong Kong Central from Atop Victoria Peak

Kowloon is Across the Bay

Amazing 360 View

The Beach at Repulse Bay

Some of the Residences at Repulse Bay

East Meets West

On the Boat Ride to the Floating Restaurant

One of the Two Student Residental Towers at HKBU

HONG KONG - FALL - 2007

To slighty change a John Denver lyric - It's a Long Way from LA to Hong Kong!! Thankfully, some favorable winds made our flight closer to 13 hours rather than the scheduled 15. And surprisingly, I did not feel any jet lag even though we are 15 hours "ahead" of Pacific Coast Time, 14 hours with Mountain time, and 12 hours with Indiana and Eastern Time. As some of you know, with the arrival of second grandbaby Noelle Paige, the kids close by in Denver, and a major remodel of our condo getting underway, Rhonda decided to stay in Boulder, but hopefully will make it some time during the semester. Folks are welcome to visit, but be forewarned that unlike Buenos Aires, we do not have any guest rooms to offer you - a discount at the NTT International Guest House on the campus of Hong Kong Baptist University is about all that I can offer. There are 23 Pepperdine students in the program, and they join 164 other international students representing 20 countries in the HKBU International Program. All 187 live in the campus highrise dorms with students from Hong Kong and Mainland China. I teach two classes that are open only to Pepperdine students, and the rest of their courses are regular HKBU classes. You may have recently heard about the 9 year old prodigy who is beginning his mathematics studies at HKBU this fall - haven't seen him around campus yet!

A few first impressions:

An important rule for survival - when you are ready to cross the steet, stop, look the direction you would normally look for traffic, and while still stopped, look the other direction. Otherwise you might get run over by the vehicles driving on the "wrong" side of the road. If you look at the driver to determine what they might be doing, and it looks like he/she might be sleeping - well it's because that person is the passenger! One bit of good news is that many crosswalks have signs painted on the street reminding you which way to look.

The streets and sidewalks are quite clean, and there is no 'dog dew dodging' as in Buenos Aires. I have seen a few stray dogs in the park, and very few being walked on the streets. There are fairly stiff fines for littering, and for jaywalking I believe.

The public transportation is great, with small buses making shorter runs on looping routes, and larger buses and the subway to get all over town. Also "subway" is not the subway, but rather is a pedestrian underpass. The underground train is the MTR, and it is very impressive.

All business and classes at HKBU are in English, and many in Hong Kong speak English, with the 'native' language being Cantonese. Many locals also speak Mandarin/Putonghua, and I have been told that you really only need to know about 2000-3000 characters to be able to read :-)

We were warned that it would be hot and humid, and we were not let down. However, it seems to have already begun to cool down a bit, and by October it is supposed to be pretty nice.

There are numerous basketball courts close by, and all of them have nice nets!

HK is truly one of the places where East meets West - Porsche drivers stopping by the temple to burn incense, high-rise construction cranes surrounded by high-rise bamboo scaffolding, elevators without a 4 button because of the negative connotations of the number four, McDonald's next to hot pot and dim sum, 7-11 and Circle K next to the wet market, vintage Glen Campbell hits playing in the hallways of the Dr. Ng Tor Tai Guesthouse Hotel, and on and on......

Home Away From Home - the NTT Guesthouse Hotel

The Living Room - Nice TV!

The Bedroom and Office

The View from the Hotel

This is looking almost straight south on a nice clear day. The University is on the Kowloon Peninsula, and the high rise buildings in the foreground are on Kowloon, and the buildings and mountains in the distance are on Hong Kong Island. The tallest building in Hong Kong is on the island, and is close to the middle of this picture. Here is a map for "orientation" - the University campus is just south of Beacon Hill.