The Bourne Family's Adventure 2013 - 2014: September 2013

"I'm strapped in with 220,000
horsepower under my butt ...
let's do this thing!"

As I sit here with the rain falling and the month of August almost at an end I realize how long we’ve been away and how long ago we were in China. I have been wanting to start our blog for so long but kept putting it off - wanting it to be just right. But now it’s time just to put it out there. To heck with the words or grammar guffaws. It just doesn’t matter………

So here is our story! Enjoy……..

Sadly, wrong plane...

We didn’t do very much when we first arrived in Shenzhen. We were all very burned out after our move and we have since referred to the Chinese portion of our adventure as our healing time. John and I spent lots of time napping, reading and taking long walks by the water. Brendan spent many wonderful hours becoming better acquainted with his brother Dan and getting to know Lynn and Rookie (their beautiful dog). Daniel has lived away from us for 9 years so to have this opportunity is such a blessing. Dan now works for a high tech company in China (TPLink) and as such puts in long hours so we weren't able to spend as much time with him as we would have liked - however it did give us lots of opportunities to spend with Lynn on our own.

Hong Kong, very old and very new

China is one of those places that everyone should experience at least once in their life. It is a contradiction unto itself. It’s poor shanties sitting nestled into the outskirts of its rich industrial cities with their towering modern condominiums. Farmer fields in competition with concrete and pavement as well as more and more railroad lines, including some of the fastest bullet trains in the world, as the cities expand.

We were in Shenzhen in Southern China and a financial cornerstone of the country, which 20 years ago was just a small village surrounded by farmers’ fields. It is now home to more than ten million people and the building cranes that span a mile high are everywhere as the city continues to grow.

Canadians eating Mexican in China

Our son lives in a suburb of Shenzhen named Shekou. It was our haven while we stayed in China! There is a large foreign influence there and it’s quite easy to find people there who speak English and to find North American style food as well. As a matter of fact, in the 2 months we were there we became quite fond of the local Mexican restaurant that had the yummiest tacos anywhere (and their margaritas were pretty authentic tasting as well – although we had to keep sampling to be sure!!) Our son Brendan decided that he wanted his 14th birthday celebrated there which we happily agreed to!!

We lived in a complex called the Coastal Rose Garden (you can Google it on Google Earth!!). We were in Phrase 3 of the complex. It was a secure building and was quite lovely with lots of foliage and tropical flowers.

The streets of Hong Kong

It can be very isolating when you come to a place like this that is so completely different from everything you're used to. The language is impossible to interpret if you have no basis at all and people are kind but do become frustrated when they don't understand what you need. The money here is yuan and our dollar is about $1 to six of their yuan so it's taken us some time to stop having minor heart attacks every time someone tells us the price of something i.e. that will be 20 yuan for 2L of milk!! One of our first nights here we took our family out for dinner and the bill came to over 900 yuan. WHAT??? Ya it was around $150 and that included 2 bottles of wine with dinner!

Navigator Pooh in the subway labyrinths

My husband and I were here 7 years ago and things have certainly changed for the better since then. There are more food options now and many more foreigners so more people speak English now. But it's still China. We went with Lynn to the market and that was an experience that I'll not want to ever have again!! The fish aisles were especially malodorous and I wasn't looking forward to going down the meat aisles as they prepare, fresh, everything from goat to chicken to dog. They leave the bits, pieces and even heads just lying in a heap. I'm really relieved that we missed out on that!! However the fresh fruit and veggies were very healthy and robust looking and we were very interested in some of the things that are exotic to us but quite common place here like yucca.

Great subway ... partly
courtesy of Bombardier

I will say that it is very much like being an alien here. People stare at you as you walk down the street and, unlike at home, you can't just walk into any store and ask if they have what you need. I would hate to be lost here and because we're obviously not from here they try to take advantage of us when we do buy produce. Lynn has been our saving grace and has protected us from all things to do with bartering and even though she barely stands 5 ft I wouldn't want to mess with her once she begins the bartering process - you're better off just smiling and giving her what she wants!

Chowin' down on Portugese Chicken and curried
chicken from Bert's ... our favourite take-out

The last time we were here I lost weight in the 8 days we were there. This time I'm not sure how much I've gained but I know my "fat" jeans are starting to feel really tight!! Lynn has taken up baking and she is a natural. Given that the Chinese are not known for their desserts, and trust me I have sampled lots, she will make an absolute killing once her name is out there. On top of her baking though there are many options here now and many North American in origin. Last night we ate at Atmosphere which is a North American style restaurant is owned by our son Dan’s friend, Marcus. The food was amazing! It makes a big difference when you can eat like you normally would so you don't feel so lost. Oh and if you want a really good Australian wine don’t go anywhere else!!

Coastal Rose Garden, Phase 3, Shekou

We had an apartment on the floor above our son Dan’s so it was really convenient and yet we weren’t in his way (our version of events, writer’s privilege)! We decided after having Lynn and Dan escort us everywhere that it was time for us to begin to venture out on our own. The subway system there is in English as well as Chinese and is really user friendly, safe and extremely well kept. . I think they must have cleaners there 24 hours a day wiping the floors down. The subways are all glassed in so it's very safe and there are security people in the all stations as well. They can be quite crowded at times (more on that subject when we talk about Beijing!!) but for the most part we travelled during non-business times. Our daughter in law Lynn was so wonderful and assisted us on our first couple of trips away from Shekou into the city. So after a few practiced runs we eventually started to make our own way around and even went to the far southeast side of the city to see an old Russian aircraft carrier which is on display there. To that end John found the schedule for the subway and the route to the Minsk Aircraft Carrier exhibit and that was our first big adventure. I was so worried that we'd end up in some village trying to find anyone who spoke English and having to walk hundreds of miles through rice fields full of snakes and Mushus that I almost bailed!! But we all braved it together and as a result had a wonderful day and found our tourist legs to be quite competent after all!! The Minsk exhibit was really great. We were surprised to see how expansive it was on the inside. The exhibits were a bit scant but it has just been purchased by a group of Chinese business men so it's being refurbished. From then on, while in Shenzhen we did some local touring. For those trips we took subways and taxis. For the taxis john went on line to Google translate, typed in our travel information in English then had the program translate it into Chinese. It worked really well the entire time we were in China. Thank goodness for Google Translate!!

Soviet era aircraft carrier Minsk, now a museum in southern China

Hind D

Oi!! That guys trying to kidnap Pooh

tram to the Tian Tan Budha and monastery

Our only big adventure outwards for the next few weeks after that was to go to Hong Kong. We went to see the Tian Tan Buddha at the top of a mountain. What amazed us the most was how lush and green it was. I always thought that Hong Kong was a jungle of the concrete type but there are mountains and foot hills surrounding the island in many directions. It is also amazing how different it is from China. Even though they are of the same origins Hong Kong is very easy to navigate. The people speak English well and all of the signs are in English as well as Chinese. Since coming back under the umbrella of the Chinese government apparently it hasn't changed very much. They are still self-governed for the most part with the government just stepping in on larger issues of state importance. The border is challenging to navigate but not impossible - you just have to be patient and take lots of deep breaths. No different than being herded like a bunch of cattle through a small gate at a rodeo, or lining up for Boxing Day sales!!

"Does this Budha make Dan's butt look big?"

It was wonderful to be able to spend time with our son and daughter-in-law who at the time were preparing for their wedding. We were able to get to know Lynn better and we were given lots of opportunities to meet and spend time with her parents and brother Ethan. Dan is part owner in a gym in Shekou called Fusion Fitness and Lynn and her family have a smoothie bar there. It became Brendan’s favourite place to go!

John and I spent a great deal of time resting, walking and just being with Dan. It wasn’t an exciting “holiday” type stay. It was better than that. It was wonderful to just enjoy being with him and Lynn and feeling no need to rush.

Thank God for Skype and linking
up with the home buds online

We lived in a complex right by the ocean so it was wonderful to walk everyday and, coming from Victoria Canada, on flat surfaces!! The ocean breeze kept the temperatures tolerable for John and me but still around 22 to 25 degrees - and that's before the humidity kicked in! Soon after arriving we had the privilege of celebrating Chinese New Year there so one of our first Chinese phrases was ... (and I'm sure I'm spelling it incorrectly!) Chin Yin Hou!, which is Happy New Year! It had been an experience to be there during this time as the order of the day and night (every single night to all hours) for a week was fireworks … and lots of them. The first couple of nights were fine but when it goes on and on until the wee hours of the morning for nights and nights it can be a bit overwhelming!

It's official, on St Patrick's Day 2013

The best part of our time with them, of course, was their wedding on St. Patrick’s Day weekend. They had 2 weddings: The Korean traditional service which was “The Blessing” (and our favourite part) and the official wedding in Hong Kong at city hall. Two of our other boys, Ryan and Dusty had travelled from Canada to be there for the wedding. It was wonderful to have so many of our boys together for such a special occasion. They went out the night before the blessing and although we have no photographic evidence of the night, by all accounts it was quite the bachelor party. Dan’s friends had him take off his clothes and put on a Power Rangers outfit for the night!! Apparently quite the sight to see. The boys, although feeling perhaps a wee bit under the weather, were great at the blessing and the wedding. Lynn’s mother Joanna was dressed in a traditional Korean gown for the blessing and she looked so beautiful - very proud momma! Joanna’s congregation

Mom's beautiful gown,
made by the very talented Jacinta

Not quite running it through with a sabre, but a
lovely moment

made the service perfect with song, decoration and a lovely buffet afterwards featuring many Korean dishes that we had never experienced before but really enjoyed.

That evening John and I hosted a meal for our family and Lynn’s at “Captain’s Bar” just down the street for our apartment (which was so important because the wine was definitely free flowing and plentiful!!). It was such a perfect evening and we sat outside right next to the ocean so it was a very romantic setting. We had an absolute blast with all the kids and of course Pooh who was included (as you’ll see in many of our pictures) – as he is in all of our best adventures!

City Hall service, Hong Kong

Proud mama

Sunday was the official wedding day and we had to travel to Hong Kong to city hall. We left in good time on Sunday morning but when we arrived at Customs Hall oh boy……..It was packed, with the line snaking outside. Once inside the actual hall the people were crammed in like sardines. We were 9 people all dressed in our Sunday best and pressed into a tin can, shoulder to shoulder with over a thousand other people heading in the same direction. Dan and Lynn had to be in Hong Kong for 11:00 and by 10 we hadn’t travelled more than a hundred yards. So finally John spoke with the customs officials and eventually was able to take Dan and Lynn through a separate line and they were off. The rest of us made our way through the many lines, made it through the Chinese customs queue and then into the line for Hong Kong customs. We finally made our way to the buses on the far side of the hall and at 1100 were headed for Hong Kong. The kids called Lynn’s brother to let us know that they were able to move back the time of their wedding to 12:30. So we were able to relax and rest as we made our way into the city. Once there we met up with John, Lynn and Dan and together we headed over to city hall. The service was very quick and formal but also a necessity for the couple to be actually married! We took a few pictures in the room and then we went to Starbucks and grabbed a bite to eat and a coffee before heading out to go back across the border. We were on a tight schedule because Dan and Lynn were hosting a wedding dinner at the apartment and the caterer from Captain’s Bar was to meet them there. Once back to China we made it to the flat and the party began. We had a wonderful evening meeting Dan and Lynn’s friends and enjoying the wonderful food and drink provided by the bride and groom! When your child lives so far away from you it’s very much impossible to get to know the people in their lives so this was a wonderful experience for us. Brendan had a blast with his brothers and even wore a St. Patrick’s Day tie provided by Dusty!

Papa and the lads on the loose in Shenzhen

When the boys left it was a difficult day for Dan. He had such a great time with them and sees them so rarely that when they left it created a great void. We felt blessed to be there for him in those days. He and Lynn went to Macao for a honeymoon and we prepared to leave for Beijing.

Before we sign off for now, here are a few more random pics. Our next blog will be about the Beijing part of our adventure.