The Home of Happy Feet?

I dunno; after 16 hours transiting from Honolulu, with a stopover for a Plane transfer‎ in Guam, my Dogs were barking after prowling the backstreets around our Hotel last night.  

Not loud enough however, as I decided to forego the Foot Massage in favor of some late night bites.

Island Respite

‎Just grabbing some early morning grub at "Me's Korean" before heading back out to surf!

A little Island R&R before departing for Hong Kong‎.

"A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step"

千里之行，始於足下 -- So goes the proverb attributed to philosopher Laozi, from the Tao Te Ching; and in that spirit, I got in line at the Chicago branch of the Chinese Consulate, to apply for my travel Visa to the People's Republic.

As it turned out, the "take-a-number" machine was busted (or maybe we were being social-engineered by the Consulate Staff), so rather than sitting comfortably, everyone was forced to stand in line; which on this particularly busy day became something akin to the long serpentine conga-line type parade of Mardi Gras; or the Lion Dance which parades through the main streets of Chinatowns the world over during Lunar New Year celebrations.

All this waiting in line, with the potential that at High Noon, the Consulate Staff Clerks' bulletproof glass windows would close for their midday siesta; and believe me, these civil servants are serious about their lunch break.

But I made it with just a couple of minutes to spare; and to ensure I don't have to go through this anytime soon again, availed myself of the newly initiated 10-year multiple-entry Visa; at the same price of your typical 1-year permit.  Let's see how long that deal lasts before new pricing kicks-in.

So I'm good to go; a Barbarian at the gate!

Back in the PRC -- Version 4.0

So its been a couple of years now since I last set foot in the People's Republic, since then, the Country has not sat idle; becoming not only the largest U.S. creditor (surpassing Japan), but also further leaping into the financial headlines by virtue of home-grown Internet start-up Ali Baba making history as the largest IPO (25 Billion) in U.S. Stock Market history.

But its not all dollars and cents that has grabbed headlines this past year.  While not as evident in the Mainland media, other seismic events have shaken and stirred the Country's ruling Party officials from a source seen previously not as restless.

China's Special Administrative Region (SAR) of Hong Kong, with it's "Umbrella Revolution" became  the most recent focus of news organizations the world over; hungry for the flavor of this mashup of Tiananmen Square and Arab Spring protests; would blood flow and craniums be smashed when militia moved-in on the assembled masses?

In the end, other than some shady goons recruited from local Triads, there was little carnage; and other  than disrupting Hong Kong's "Golden Week", essentially a compressed Christmas shopping season, there was very little trouble to speak of.  Barriers were removed and protestors decamped; only a recent quiet protest march provided any evidence of this once burgeoning democracy push against the central government.

This chronicle will examine what is happening in the once Crown Colony of Hong Kong, as well as China's other SAR -- gambling and entertainment mecca Macao -- the former Portugese colonial outpost; as I explore these unique locales and examine the PRC's "one Country, two systems" approach to these entities.  Finally, I will make my return to the Mainland, once again taking-up temporary quarters in Beijing; much to the delight of my wonderful in-laws.

Stay with me, tune-in; and enjoy the ride as I show no fear of China's elite platoon of Cyber Warriors, breaching their defenses and issue my ongoing communiques from behind the "Great Firewall"!