Cheung Chau

It may have been a month since I came back from Hong Kong, but I still have two more days worth to lay out before approaching the trip to Brazil (coincidentally, we met for our mini “reunion” this past). Sharing and synthesizing my traveling experiences has been quite the task because of how much I saw in such a short period of time, along with the fast-paced life that I have, meaning that I don’t have a lot of downtime to sit and actually reflect.

For my second last day, a friend of mine told me about a small island that had a cave that belonged to a pirate. Although the cave was a small aspect of Cheung Chau (長洲, lit. “Long Island”), it was enough for me to warrant a day’s visit.

Since the island is not accessible by the MTR, I had to take the ferry from Central. There are two options to get to the island – the Fast Ferry or the Regular. As the names suggest, one cuts the travel time in half from one hour to approximately thirty minutes. The price difference isn’t that much, so it boils down more so to the schedule. The Fast Ferry arrived first, so I hopped on board and took a nap for the duration of the ride.

Upon arriving on the island, the first thing that strikes you is the absence of motor vehicles. The only modes of transportation is either bicycle or foot. Walking through the narrow streets, it becomes clear as to why there are no cars or anything of the sort (apart from emergency vehicles).

Since Cheung Chau is known as a fishing village/island, my first mission was to get some curry fish balls. I stopped by a local food stand of sorts, and paid the equivalent of less than a dollar for two of the freshest curry fish balls I’ve ever tasted.

After gobbling my snack, I set out to look for Cheung Po Tsai’s cave. The entrance is a nondescript, as I came across with a rock wall and a narrow entrance by my feet. Sliding down, I entered a small cave that is a pretty short pathway and leads out to a fantastic view of the ocean. That said, it is a pretty fun experience, using my phone as a flashlight and feeling the rocks as a pathway.

Although the walk to the cave took a good hour, I decided to take advantage of the “ferry point,” which was just one of the small motor boats for hire (~10HKD) that traveled back and forth between the ends of the island. Not having to make the long trek, I stopped by a small café, with locals talking to the husband/wife owners and a sleepy cat, for a bowl of fishballs and noodles. The slow-paced afternoon came to an end when I took the ferry back to the main island so as to get ready for dinnr with relatives at 8 Happiness (for whom I brought fresh fish balls from Cheung Chau), where we dined on my favourite dishes (including sea cucumber, fish maw, and chicken feet).

8 Happiness
2/F, W Square,
314 Hennessy Rd,
Wan Chai, Hong Kong
http://www.maxims.com.hk
Phone: 2838-6998

Cheung Chau

Fishing on Cheung Chau

Fish drying outside

Fresh curry fish balls

Boats

Boats

Cheung Chau

Going up the hill

En route to Cheung Po Tsai cave

Cheung Po Tsai cave

Cheung Po Tsai cave

Cheung Chau

Cheung Chau

Fishing at Wan Chai ferry pier

At 8 Happiness with grandparents

Riding the Peak tram

When I first went to Victoria Peak, I had the idea that I would take the bus up and take the tram down so as to experience the “best” of both. But my little detour and pressing need to head to lunch previously made it a little impossible for me to take the tram, as well as in take in the view that was offered. So the Monday morning after New Year’s Day, I left the hotel a tad earlier than usual so as to incur as minimal a wait (read: half an hour) as possible for the tram to take me up and down.

Even though you can purchase separate rides and opt out of Sky Terrace 428 (it’s just a deck where you can overlook the city), it only makes sense to get everything together, since it is, after all, the meager equivalent of $10 USD. The highlight of the tram ride isn’t necessarily the view, but rather, the intense feeling of defying gravity, being slowly pulled up the hill by the tram’s grip on the rails. The experience is all the more amplified if you have the fortunate or unfortunate – depending on how you see it – opportunity of standing for the duration of the ride (about 5 or so minutes).

The view from the terrace is an impressive one. But what makes it “impressive,” at least for me, isn’t the fact that I can see so far, but that I can look and begin to point out buildings that I have familiarized myself with in the past several days. It’s not that I’ve been into each of these buildings, but rather, it is my recognizing of certain constructions and noting them as more remarkable than others. The adjacent mall’s rooftop does not boast the same view, since it is blocked in part by the terrace, but it does have its green space and own air of escape in the modern cityscape.

From there, I embarked on a ridiculous three-transfer trip to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum with an interlude of what would be a time-saving shortcut, which ended up only leading me more astray. With a student ID, the fee was only 5HKD for entry, and it came with what seemed to be a laminated promotional “trading” card for one of the other exhibits, along with a magnet for another. The main intention in coming to the museum was to see the “Fashion Visionaries” exhibit, which I did, and I must say that while I was impressed with the amount of content, I wasn’t particularly enthralled by the talent (or not as much as I had expected to be). That said, that is most certainly a review for another day. Walking through the other exhibits, it becomes quite apparent that the Heritage Museum takes great pride in its strides to bring the cultural history – both recent and past – of Hong Kong to the public, what its diverse themes and well-curated displays.

Hong Kong Heritage Museum
1 Man Lam Road
Sha Tin, Hong Kong
http://www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk

On a side note, the museum finds itself in the much more residential side of Kowloon (in stark comparison to the bustling streets of Tsim Sha Tsui). And I suppose I say this because I noticed a quieter part to Hong Kong. There were no hordes crossing the street or crowded sidewalks. Instead, there was room to stroll and bicycles passing alongside me.

After spending some hours in the museum, I decided to head to the Wong Tai Sin Temple, since I was so close to it. The temple is regarded as one of the most famous in Hong Kong, and it seemed quite so with many at the Temple burning incense and praying at sunset. Not knowing the procedure for praying, I merely watched for some time, before leaving and heading to dinner in the Wanchai district.

Having had my fill of local fare, I opted for Thai cuisine at Chili Club Restaurant. I must say that it was most certainly different from what I’ve tasted before. The Tom Yum Po Tak – spicy and sour seafood soup – was hot on account of the chillies, but was at the same time refreshing with its heat. While sipping my soup, I also had my share of gPoo Phad Phong Ka-Ri – fried crab with curry. The crab was followed by another dish – Pla Ma-Now Pa Sa (steamed fish served on stove tray with lime juice, chili and garlic). In writing my account of what I ate, I’ve noticed that during my stay in Hong Kong is that the food isn’t necessarily always made with better technique, but the seafood’s freshness is the one line of consistency that each restaurant has brought thus far.

Chili Club Restaurant
88 Lockhart Rd., 1/F
Wanchai, Hong Kong
Tel: 2527 2872
Menu: http://www.fbw.hk/restaurant/order/1077/

Myself at Sky Terrace 428, overlooking the Peak

Hong Kong Heritage Museum

Hong Kong Heritage Museum; 'Fashion Visionaries' exhibit

Hong Kong Heritage Museum; 'Fashion Visionaries' exhibit

Hong Kong Heritage Museum; 'Fashion Visionaries' exhibit

Statue at Wong Tai Sin Temple

Wong Tai Sin Temple

Wong Tai Sin Temple

Wong Tai Sin Temple

Wong Tai Sin Temple

Golden Bauhinia Square

Much to my dismay, I woke up to cloudy and overcast skies, which meant that an afternoon expedition to the Peak (since I had accidentally walked down the trail instead of admired the view) or to Lantau Island to check out the Tai O fishing village wasn’t in my favour if I wanted blue skies in my photographs. I took to a more relaxed approach for the day, since I knew that I would have to be at 7PM to catch a ferry to Macau for the weekend.

With the whole day open, I decided that I would go for a much-needed back massage. According to several expat websites, such as GeoExpat and The Rub Down, it was suggested that if I didn’t want to travel too far, Sunny Paradise was the place to go. But first, I took a quick walk to take a look at what was the Golden Bauhinia Square, which turned out to be square surrounded by tour buses and a large flower statue – nothing exciting. Coming back to Sunny Paradise, the place is most certainly a spa (gender separated for those that wonder) where you can spend several hours just watching the television, eating snacks and sipping on tea, along with hanging out in the sauna/steam room; those amenities are all included for 98 HKD. After speaking in some broken Chinese (the staff, for the most part, don’t speak English) found me a masseuse (who dubs herself No. 43) that spoke pretty good English and worked out a lot of the kinks in my back and shoulders. Afterward, I stuck around for another hour or so, snacking on curry fish balls and drinking water, all the while having my ears cleaned. Quite the relaxing afternoon, I must say.

Sunny Paradise
341 Lockhart Road, Wanchai
Hong Kong
Phone: 2831-0123

With a little time to spare before having to head to the ferry station, I took a quick stroll through the Wanchai Computer Centre, which, supposedly, has some great deals. While there were some interesting things to buy, the savings varied depending on what you were looking to buy, and how good your haggling skills were. Since I didn’t have a lot of interest in revealing my lack of language skills, I merely window shopped at computer and cellphone gear.

Before boarding the ferry, I had to go through passport control so as to leave the special administrative region of Hong Kong and enter that of Macau. The ferry ride itself was nothing notable, apart from the facts that the boat rocked more heavily than any one that I’ve ever rode on, and that in first class, a meal (read: bowl of instant ramen) and drinks are served. Nice touch, eh?

Turns out that since there are so many casinos in Macau that there isn’t ever really a need to take public transportation – one could get around by transferring on the free hotel shuttles that run between town and various hotels. That said, I took the Galaxy shuttle bus, which took us to the Galaxy Macau Complex, which is comprised of three hotels – Galaxy, Hotel Okura, and Banyan Tree Resort. As one would presume, the Japanese theme prevailed at Hotel Okura (which was where I stayed) – everything from facilities (that includes the Japanese warm seat toilets) to kimono-dressed staff.

Since I arrived in the evening, there was nothing to do but to eat a rather late dinner at Lugang Café in the hotel complex. Much to my surprise, smoking hasn’t been banned indoors in Macau, which means that there are smoking and non-smoking sections in restaurants, which means a mere separation of ten feet. That said, smoking has been banned indoors as of January 1st, 2012.

The next day was spent walking around the main part of town. The Lisboa and the Grand Lisboa hotels were certainly quite intriguing on account of its artifacts. Numerous large valuables, such as ivory and jade carvings, adorn the lobbies of both these family-owned hotels, creating a museum of sorts.

Afterward, I had a short dessert stop, followed by aimless wandering in the streets of Macau. Finding myself wandering into the quieter streets, I noticed the old houses from when the region was under Portuguese rule. Continuing up the hill, en route to Fortaleza do Monte, I could not help but pause every couple of steps to look down at the cityscape. It’s funny – I’ve seen so many skylines that it almost seems like ritual of sorts. I see people take photos all the time of the cityscape, and cannot help but wonder if they will ever notice one particular monument in their framing that will reveal what city it is, even to the most removed of persons. In any case, it becomes part of my consciousness, and I always look for one particular giveaway so as to solidify some sort of memory in the photograph, more so for myself than anyone else.

Coming back down for the fortress, I stopped for one of my most favourite food categories – street food. Apparently, the line at this particular stall (photographed below) can easily wrap around the corner. With only a few people ahead of me in line, one can surmise that no one wanted to fill their stomachs in expectation of a heavy New Year’s Eve meal. For dinner, I took the shuttle bus to what was dubbed the “village,” steered away from the immediate shops, and ducked into a restaurant known for its steamed fish and crab dishes.

Even though there was a New Year’s celebration being put together downtown, I opted to stay at the hotel and watch the countdown live on television. I’m not one for ever joining the mass countdown on account of the fact that waiting in the large crowd for hours beforehand to “get a good spot” isn’t something that I’m particularly interested in. Instead, I rather celebrate during the day, which I most certainly did with a New Year’s dimsum lunch at Laurel the next day.

After tasting soy sauce braised pigeon at Tai Ping Koon several nights before, I was excited to try the crispy roasted pigeon that this particular restaurant had to offer. Also, add a tray of three different hot sauces and several other dimsum favourites, and it comes as no surprise that I was quite satiated.

Laurel
Macau Galaxy Branch
Tel: (853) 8883-2298
http://laurelgroup.com.cn

On that note, this is also how I probably gained at least 4lbs during this trip. Since I had some more vouchers to use before heading back to Hong Kong, I opted for a second lunch (albeit, lighter than this one) at Myung Ga.

Given that I didn’t have enough time to explore more of Macau (I was told that Coloane would be quite far from where we were), I opted to take an earlier ferry so that I could spend some time exploring IFC. Somehow, in a brief span of a few hours, I managed to work up a light appetite, which was perfect for a small dinner, consisting of Chiu Chow-style congee, cold steamed fish (烏頭 “wu tou”), and pork’s blood, in the west end of Hong Kong Island.

Tak Kee Chiu Chow Restaurant
Ground floor, 3G Belcher’s St, West Point (opposite to West Wood)
Kennedy Town, Hong Kong
Tel: 2819 5568

Ivory carving at the Grand Lisboa

Grand Lisboa Hotel

Artifact at Grand Lisboa

Fortaleza do Monte

Bollywood Dance Flashmob

The streets of Macau

Street food stall between Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro and Traversa do Mastro

Street food stall between Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro and Traversa do Mastro

Galaxy Hotel

Venetian Hotel

View of the casino floor at the Venetian

Hotel Okura's manmade beach

Making rice dumplings and serving sake for New Year's Day

Making rice flour for New Year's Day desserts

Dining room at Laurel Restaurant

The diamond at the Galaxy Hotel

Hong Kong's Central district at night from the night before

While I was preparing to wade through the rest of my photos and adventures in Hong Kong, I actually left to head to Salvador, Brazil for my travel colloquium with Steinhardt. Since the Courtyard Marriott was full for the evening, I had to switch on over to the Renaissance Hong Kong Harbour View Hotel, located in the Wan Chai district.

The new location was rather convenient since I had to drop off my papers for “verification of eligibility for permanent ID card (VEPIC)” at the immigration tower, which was located in the next building over, accessible by the foot path. From what I’ve read online, I thought that I would be waiting in line for my papers to be reviewed and collected; turns out, that it isn’t quite the case. One can have their papers reviewed at the inquiry desk, but after, they’re dropped off in an envelope.

So, what about the requirement that you must be physically present in Hong Kong when you submit your forms? The immigration department only needs a photocopy of the entry stamp that was inked into your passport upon arrival to Hong Kong. A little anti-climatic for an immigration process, no? I suppose that it helps to speed up the process of file collection.

After slipping my envelope in the collection box, I had to decide what to do with most of the afternoon gone. Since I was nearby the ferry, I figured that I would spent the late afternoon and evening in the much talked about Tsim Sha Tsui district. The ferry ride is like any other, nothing remarkable.

With tourist map in hand, I had no particular expectations of what I would see or run into. The first stop, due to proximity, was Heritage 1881, the former headquarters of the Hong Kong Marine Police now turned shopping center. Not attracted to the shopping, there wasn’t much to do after taking a short stroll – apart from the free wifi. Since I hadn’t eaten yet, I was looking for a light snack, and quickly hopped onto Foursquare to see what people were talking about. Of the restaurants and cafés listed in the nearby area, only one actually sounded appetizing and wasn’t too far a walk.

Unbeknownst to me, Din Tai Fung was where I was headed. Actually, let me correct myself – I knew I wanted to go to Din Tai Fung on account of what was said on FourSquare, but I had no idea that it was a decently famous chain until I looked it up on Google later on that evening. The xiao long bao (小籠包), for which they’re incredibly well known, were certainly delicious; I went for the pork and crab roe fillings. To make the meal complete, I ordered the cold jelly fish appetizer and a bowl of beef noodle soup. It was most certainly a treat for myself, and I left a little more stuffed than I had originally planned.

Din Tai Fung
Shop 130 & Restaurant C. 3rd Floor Silvercord
30 Canton Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon, Hong Kong
http://www.dintaifung.com.hk/

Since there was still sun out, it seemed like a great idea to explore the rest of Canton Road, which for the most part was comprised of high-end boutiques and a ferry leading back to mainland China. Amidst some of the stores was a not-so-crowded pathway that led to a remarkable view of the sunset and Hong Kong Island. Down below, was the famed Harbour City – the largest shopping mall in Hong Kong. And one of the observations that struck me was the fact that Hong Kong is much like Toronto in the sense that mall integration into the downtown core is an “all right” thing to do; whereas in some of the US cities that I’ve been to, no such thing exists, or perhaps only one. Blitzing through the many shoppers, I hopped into the first boutique that I saw that looked like they sold jeans, reason being that walking in a pair where the holes are growing larger with every step is rather uncomfortable. Lucky for me that the first pair I picked out fit like a glove and was on sale – good riddance to constant chafing.

I also encountered city’super – a supermarket that sells everything in one go, including kitchen supplies, actual food, liquor, and more – and found myself wandering and shopping for a good half hour. No worries, though, I only came out with a bottle of Hou Hou Shu sparkling sake (I never knew such things were made) and a Groundhog.

Given that I had no dinner plans, I decided that I would check off a couple more things to see in the Tsim Sha Tsui area, which for the most part included Temple Market, Jade Market, Kowloon Park, and Salisbury Road. Needless to say, that tourist maps always hype up things to be more than they actually are. Kowloon Park wasn’t closed when I finally got there, but it was most certainly dark outside, and after all that walking, I wasn’t too inclined to explore greenery without sunlight to better appreciate it. Salisbury Road was a glowing flurry of Christmas lights, overpriced stores, and hustling people. And while the allure of Temple Market echoes in countless guides, it is like any flea market, selling things that you would never use. That said, some of the “charm” of the market, you could say, is the outdoor dining, where you sit on stools and eat a quick meal and enjoy a beer, or two. The food is nothing remarkable, but the atmosphere is certainly what most people come and sit down for. Despite the fact that I was still full from my late lunch, that didn’t quite deter me from ordering a dinner (this might explain my slight weight gain over the holidays) – fried crab and congee. Cracking the crab legs was quite a workout, as the Southern French family commented during our impromptu meeting.

Though Jade Market was closed when I went in search of it, the barred gates revealed nothing warranting a second trip. What I did manage to find in the area (near Yau Ma Tei station, exit C), though, was a much needed foot massage for only 88 HKD – that and the other ladies shared an evening snack of tangerines with me.

Taking the ferry from Wan Chai to Kowloon side

Sight from the ferry, en route to Kowloon side

1881 Heritage

Near Canton Rd on Kowloon side

Looking back at Hong Kong Island

Temple Market

Temple Market

Riding the Ngong Ping 360 cable car

Since realizing that the Peak and the Big Buddha were on separate islands, it would only be appropriate if I also devoted some time to Lantau island and seek out the Big Buddha. Opting for the quicker route, I took the MTR from Hong Kong station to Tung Chung station, as opposed to taking the ferry over to the island. Upon arrival, the line for the cable car becomes rather apparent with wait times of approximately 1.5 hours. The line seemed to move rather quickly for the first half hour, but quickly slowed thereafter, thus rendering the wait time to be closer to two hours.

The ride in the cable car was a delight; traveling 5.4km overhead the island delivers quite an amazing view. Down below, one can see that there is indeed a walking path for the committed (it seem as though once you start walking, you’ll have to finish it since there didn’t seem to be any access to the main roads). Compared to other tram and cable car rides, this was most certainly worth the money (both for view and distance covered), what with it being ~$10 USD for a single trip.

Walking through Ngong Ping village isn’t anything remarkable; it has the air of one of the theme park “villages.” Albeit, the most fun was the snow machine that was spewing man-made snowflakes at passersby. On a limited time frame – I had to get back to Hong Kong island for dinner within the next two hours – I went straight to the Big Buddha. Prior to my visit, I was expecting the larger and fatter Buddha (Budai), but instead was greeted by the Gautama Buddha. In any case, the size of the Buddha is insurmountable, and it really becomes evident after hurrying up the steps.

After spending quite some time marveling at the Buddha, I was ready to head down until I noticed the pathway leading to the Po Lin Monastery. The monastery only reveals one hall open to the public, which already showcases the splendid decor and statues. Many that visit the area recommend having a bite at the vegetarian restaurant next door, but when I arrived at the monastery, kitchen was already closed. Needing a break from all the walking and exploring, I sat down and treated myself to a bowl of to fu fa from the deli café next door.

Not wanting to wait in line for the cable car again, I walked over to the bus terminal for a ride back to the MTR station. The bus driver, who evidently seemed to know the route inside out, barreled his way through the hills and curves with ease, almost as though he was playing his own mental version of Mario Kart time trial edition. The speedy ride dropped me off at the station and off I went to enjoy an evening of hot pot at a local restaurant in Central.

Ngong Ping vilage; fake snow

Ngong Ping village

Ngong Ping village

Leaving Ngong Ping village

En route to see Big Buddha

One of the goddesses

View from the top

Big Buddha

View from the top

Behind Big Buddha

Behind Big Buddha

Big Buddha

Big Buddha

Goddesses

Po Lin Monastery

Inside Po Lin Monastery

Po Lin Monastery

Outside Po Lin Monastery; burning incense

Outside Ngong Ping village is a random calf

Victoria Peak

This winter break, I’m spending approximately two weeks in Hong Kong for vacation. With a hectic schedule of deadlines and life prior to departure, I didn’t put a lot of thought into researching what to do in the city, and decided that I would create my itinerary by the day according to the weather and my mood. That and I never saw much a point to detailed day planning of a city that I’ve never been to.

Instead of opting for a direct flight – which I probably should have – I went for a flight from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) to Chicago O’Hare (ORD), followed by the fifteen hour haul to Hong Kong International (HKG). When I booked the flight, I was under the impression that it would be a Continental flight, but it turned out that both legs were serviced by United. Seats were three per side, as opposed to the usual three, and there were no individual TVs like Air France or Air Canada. Needless to say, I spent much of the flight with my eyes concentrating on a overhead television with no control over programming. I wish I could say that the price befit the flight, but it was only marginally less (about $200 to $400 since I booked rather late) than other airlines that I have flown on beforehand. Not to mention, both flights delayed themselves by over an hour each. Needless to say, the experience of flying with United hasn’t really warranted a second chance (apart from my return flight).

Arriving at the airport at 8PM meant that there was to be no exploring that day, especially since I only arrived at the hotel closer to 10 after the Airport Express and hotel shuttle bus.

Evidently not familiar with the area, I thought that Victoria Peak and the Big Buddha on Lantau island were the same thing; that is, until I looked at the tourist map that I picked up at the airport and realized how far apart they were. With an easy-to-use and incredibly cheap metro system, I hopped on the MTR to get to the bus that would take me to the Peak. The original plan was to take the bus up, and then take the famed tram down, but that didn’t quite happen. I thought it would be a great idea to explore the area and take what I thought to be a circular trail – it turned out that I took a 2.8km walk down the hill. Granted, it was a terrific walk with magnificent views and lots to see in terms of flora and history (there are markings and plaques that detail significant plants and monuments/objects), but it was most certainly tiring with the downhill portion; going downhill is never that easy, especially for extended periods of time since it is quite hard on the joints. Upon reaching the bottom of the hill, I decided that I would try what I believed to be a shortcut back up the hill only to find that it was another trail that led me farther away from the peak. With the post-signs telling me that it would be another 3km back up the hill, I decided that it would be best to call it a day after a couple hours of walking, I headed back down to the bottom of the hill and took one of the mini buses back to the MTR station.

This week (and in the new year), I’ll take the tram up to the Peak so as to visit it again and walk around the actual top, as opposed to meandering back to town.

View from one of Victoria Peak's trails

City boundary marker from when Hong Kong was known as Victoria City

Along Victoria Peak's 2.8km 'Morning Trail'

Along Victoria Peak's 2.8km 'Morning Trail'

My Brazilian tourist visa

After a week of waiting, my passport was ready for pick-up at the Brazilian consulate. Since coming right at the hour of opening resulted in at least thirty or so people ahead of me when applying for the visa, I decided to arrive about fifteen minutes prior to the pick-up hours. That said, there was still a line of at least twenty persons ahead of me, and a room with seats filled with people waiting for passports and visas alike.

The process in itself is quite simple; bring with you the slip that was given to you in exchange for leaving your passport with the consulate. If you don’t bring the slip, things get much more complicated than need be, and the agents will vent their frustration at you. The waiting process goes by rather quickly, with number after number being called in a steady stream. Trading my “receipt,” I receive my passport with no problems and quickly check over the details of my visa so as to ensure everything is correct before making my way out the building.

So in a span of thirty-five minutes, I’ve signed into the building, ridden the elevator 21 floors, obtained my number, waited my turn, and received my passport. It’s more so a drag of having to make the extra trip uptown than anything that can lead to frustration – that and the hours are not exactly the most convenient. The consulate is only open for pick-up between 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM each business day.

Consulado-Geral do Brasil em Nova York
1185 Avenue of the Americas, 21st Floor
New York, NY 10036-2603
http://novayork.itamaraty.gov.br/en-us/

Outside the building that houses the Consulate General of Brazil

With a Canadian passport, the idea of having to obtain a visa so as to enter a country for tourist reasons comes across rarely for me. So it was a rather interesting thing to note, when going through the logistical matters regarding my travel colloquium, that I would have to obtain a tourist visa prior to my trip to Brazil. Although the idea of having to go to a consulate to request for a right to enter seems somewhat daunting, it isn’t really so, and especially not when applying for a tourist visa with the Brazilian consulate.

As a side note, here is the description of my travel colloquium and theme – it is quite some degrees away from what one would normally see me researching, but it is nevertheless rather interesting and quite fascinating to take a look at Brazil and their healthcare system.

Healthy Children, Healthy Families: A Comparison of U.S. and Brazilian Approaches to Improving the Health of Children in Poverty

Salvador, Brazil, January 10-17, 2012
Dean Beth Weitzman, Professor, Health and Public Policy
Dr. Mitchell H. Rubin, MD, Wagner School, Adjunct Professor of Health Policy

We will first look at how the United States, both currently and historically, has chosen to support families, particularly those in poverty and particularly in regard to the health needs of their children. Using New York City as our first learning laboratory, students will explore the kinds of services and institutions that are intended to help families, particularly those of limited means, provide for their children. We will then travel to our second learning laboratory, Salvador, Brazil, to help us understand how another country addresses these same issues. (Brazil provides an interesting case study because recent reforms and economic growth have allowed Brazilians to effectively raise the standard of living and child outcomes for the poorest citizens.)

In Brazil, we will meet with leaders of higher education, health care, and social service organizations to see, first-hand, the kinds of services that have been recently made available to previously unserved and underserved populations. We will have the opportunity to consider how national decisions about service provision relate to issues of class, race, gender and ideology.

Students will be asked to consider whether lessons learned from the Brazilian experience might be useful in the United States.

Coming back to the topic on-hand – Brazilian tourist visa. Perhaps the most important thing to note is that citizens of Canada and the US (and quite possibly also Mexico, though I’m not 100% sure on that) are permitted to apply for a visa at any time (provided they have an itinerary), whereas other countries should apply 90 days prior since that is when they have to make their first entry into Brazil. That is to say if I held a passport from another country that required a visa for entry, I would have to apply within 90 days of my trip or my visa would be rendered null. With my Canadian passport, I can have booked my trip a year in advance and apply for my visa; my first entry would then be marked and from that date on, I would have five years of multiple entry.

The form work was quite easy; I went online to the Brazilian visa application website and entered in my personal details, such as date of birth, address, citizenship, and what note, along with professional (in this case, educational affiliation) notes, and that was it. I was prompted to print out a “receipt,” on which I would have to glue a passport photo (2″ x 2″) and sign with my signature. With my information in the database, I was pretty much set to head on over to the consulate.

The Brazilian consulate in New York has quite an interesting approach towards the whole visa process – there are no appointments. It is basically like going to the DMV, where everyone stands in long cues, receives a ticket, and waits for their number to be called up on the large screen. From the very end of the line to getting my number called, the wait was a little less than an hour. The consulate is only open to receiving visa applications Monday to Friday from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM; that said, be sure to get there early as they can close the lines at their discretion. Arriving at ten minutes after 10, there was already a line of at least thirty to forty persons ahead of me.

Handing in my documentation was a breeze. I was advised to provide documentation supporting my residency in New York (i.e. driver’s license or utility bill), ability to stay in the US (i.e. I-94 card and proof of F-1 status), along with passport, USPS money order (for Canadians, the fee at the New York consulate is $65USD and, for US citizens, it is $140USD) application receipt (from above), and a copy of my itinerary listing flights and accommodation. Do note that everything that is requested for excepting passport and money order, are to be photocopies and not the originals. My itinerary was given a quick glance and then returned to me. Passport, receipt, and money order were taken. That is to say that the rest of my documentation wasn’t even examined. At that point, I receipted a slip of paper with my pick-up number and date.

The only gripe I have with the Brazilian consulate is that it takes at least five business days to process; during which, I am unable to travel since they have possession of my passport. From past experiences, I’ve been issued my visa “stickers” (as I like to call them) within a half hour or less; those experiences being for my long-stay French visas.

So there you have it, quite an easy process that isn’t all that time consuming. Just plan ahead and make sure you don’t have any intent to travel within the week.

Homemade niu rou mian (牛肉麵)

Very rarely do I walk into a Cantonese speaking establishment by myself, let alone with friends. When I do enter, I am always suddenly overcome with a more awkward gait and mannerisms, unsure what to say or how to interact with the store owners or waiters. Physically, I look the part – ethnically, I am Chinese, but culturally, I’m quite far from it.

I grew up speaking only English in my home. The only Cantonese I ever learned were words necessary for ordering food, etiquette, and, of course, mah-jong (no, not the solitaire kind, the real way). My aural comprehension became decent – I could follow along in most conversations, but never saying anything in response, merely nodding and smiling. Whenever I did go to Cantonese-speaking places, I was with my mom, who did all the talking; in which case, I was never left to feel uncomfortable or out of place. There were the few times in which I would head to the Chinese mall by myself, but it itself was filled with so many native English speakers that it seemingly didn’t matter.

Living in France never presented the language barrier or awkwardness that I felt here in New York. Perhaps it was because they were always speaking a dialect that I had not been raised speaking (Mandarin). Or perhaps it was because I was too focused on integrating into the larger community on-hand – the French sphere – that I was therefore too preoccupied and unable to assess the feeling of being a linguistic pariah in France. In any case, I never felt as though I were on the cusp of impinging on a community or niche as an impostor (i.e. merely looking the part).

But I’m not in Paris anymore – I’m now in New York where the Cantonese population is much larger, especially when you head on down to lower Manhattan; the hard-consonant and sharp and poignant chatter is impossible to miss. My ears can easily pick up on the quips of bargains for fruits from the outdoor vendors and pick up on the gossip shared between elderly women running errands. But the minute that I enter through a door frame and into a store, I almost seem to find myself tongue-tied and paralyzed language-wise.

Do I communicate in what is perceived as this niche’s “outsider” language (English), or do I try to integrate into this community by speaking in my [fragmented] Cantonese? By no means am I trying to be racist, but there doesn’t seem to be an easier way to convey this internal conflict, which articulates the notions of community and language as a marker/identifier. There are the instances in which I am able to step foot into the community, only to find myself pulling my body back, as I realize that I cannot go much further; I order something and the waitress poses another question – one that I am unable to properly respond to – and the experience of integration is immediately over. In either case, I am the “other.”

The queue along the store front in early September

When anyone brings up the concept of multiculturalism and diversity in New York, I am always quick to contend that while there is indeed a richness in the availability of culture in the city, it is seemingly more of a sampling than anything else, especially in Manhattan. I make this assertion to argue against the idea that the city is a brewing “melting pot,” which I have found to be description that many use. In order for the city to be a “melting pot,” it essentially necessitates complete and full integration and mixing of cultures. However, that does not exist in any entirety – niches are developed and persons choose to intermingle with the familiar as opposed to openly sharing and blending their culture.

Our exposure comes from the moments that we take as “foreigners” to impede on this created niche. It is because of the accessibility in terms of travel that many have confused the idea of the melting pot with availability. And this brings me to the idea of importing culture.

There are certain tastes that we simply have to acquire abroad either because of reputation or lack of availability. The macaron (not to be confused with the coconut macaroon) has up until now become one of these in the city. Granted, there are patisseries that make them, the consistency or the taste never delivers the same quality with which we associate a trip to Paris.

Earlier this month, however, it doesn’t seem as though our craving for the almond flour-based treat is confined to France anymore; Ladurée made its way to the Upper East Side in a small boutique space along Madison Avenue. By bringing the famed patisserie, we are satisfying this hunger for a culture that would otherwise be inaccessible. And the reception can well be ascertained from the forty minute lines that await entry through the doors.

So what can be said about this? Without extending this entry into something of the likes of an essay, I can say that this example on its own presents an interesting note of importing, as opposed to integrating. The object, in this case Ladurée, stands alone and apart – it signifies a richness and a foreign allure, as opposed to signifying a part of New York culture. With that said, I wonder if it ever will, or are these “objects” meant to retain the meaning of “exoticism.”