The train ride from Kowloon Park in HK was only about 45 minutes to the Shenshez border in mainland China. We sat in first class because sometimes you get screwed and dont get seats in 2nd class. For an hour train ride its only about $3.50. Once we arrived in Shenshez, BAM…CHINA!

Victors uncle and cousin came to pick us up at the train station and I just realized how everything changed. We hit the open road for what once was a rural farm town, Guang Dong. As we arrived Victor had been explaining that we would be staying on his uncles farm, which was partly true. The farm had been converted to a huge complex that the government built after taking some of the farmland from the people. Whats amazing is that now, they still farm, fish, and sell everything to the local markets but live in semi-luxury. Things like not having running water have turned into huge marble baths with water heaters. Flat one floor tin houses have turned into three-story brick and mortar homes.

I was a little upset about not seeing “real rural china” but Vic had a fix for that. We traveled about an hour and a half west to his grandfathers pig, goose, cabbage, and just about anything else you would think is on a farm in China. As we tumbled over the rocky roads in his cousin Ting’s compact, we arrived in front of the small hut where Victor’s 88-year-old grandpa greeted us. As they caught up I walked around and snunk a peak at all the plant and animal life that the family has been living off of for generations.

We left the farm after a few hours to head back to the house. When we arrived a fest of epic proportions was being prepared. Traditionally, the women cook everything and the men stay inside and chat about politics, cars, and the NBA (go figure) We drank a lot of green tea around a specially built marble table that keeps the ancient tradition of tea drinking intact by using a beveled center that will hold any water or tea that needs to be spilled out and to be constantly cleaning all the cups and tea kettles. (sort of hard to explain, and I didnt take any pictures of it…)

We were summoned for dinner at around 6:30pm and as we came down the stairs I was handed a gooses leg that had some spicy kick to it! I have no clue what it was spiced with and didn’t care because when I got to the table there was so much on the menu: goose/chicken feet, goose intestines, snow peas, goose thighs. Did I mention we had goose? It was a culinary experience I will never forgot.

Victors huge family was great and even though I spoke 0% Chinese to them, they still treated me like their own and I thank them for that. There’s so much more I need to write about like our morning DIM SUM breakfast, but Im back in HK right now and going to another family feast…

Once the movie was at its climax though, the pilot had signaled on the intercom that we were about to land. And what a landing it was, we barely felt the plane touchdown and we soared to our exit gate. Upon reaching customs agents we were doomed. The HK resident line was barely a line and the line for every other country was well…a line! There were over one thousand people waiting to get their passports stamped. I felt we were going to be there for a while. I saw an agent on the floor while my friend Victor was on the Chinese nationals line.

“So, do I have to wait, even though my friend is a Chinese national?” Very quickly I pointed to Victor and she said “No, just both of you come on this line”. Which had about four people on it. SUCCESS!

We zoomed by and then zoomed on the train to Yung Xi, which by the way is probably the cleanest, fastest, quietest train I have ever been on. As the cab pulled us up to the house from the station to Victor’s aunts house in Kowloon, Becon Hill, I knew we would be living like kings tonight…The 4 bedroom palace for HK standards wowed me for NY stardards. Mary, Victor’s aunt, even gave me my own room. Sweet!

After showering and decompressing, Victor, my local HK former resident guru, made plans with friends that were already visiting from NY and were out on Wyndam St in the HK Central district. We were escorted to three seperate clubs, met some really cool people, and got to dance to hip hop and house. The only difference between the nightlife here and NYC is that 90% of the men and women are not sloppy drunks, dressed with stripped shirts (I mean some are), and the locals, even the expats are very friendly.

Then at about 5am HK time we went to a restaurant much like that off Wo Hop in Chinatown, NYC and ate some fish skin…yummy! I hope I can try and keep up with all the foods that I am eating while here and write them all down!

Today I leave in about an hour to go to Guang Dong to see Vic’s father’s side of the family in mainland China, only about and hour train ride. I am very excited to see some Chinese village life…

check out my tabblo for more pics! www.tabblo.com/studio/person/waseem

I should be adding more comments, videos, and pics very very soon…