A gallery of photos from Hong Kong, Chiangmai, Mayon and more. Click on each photo to see the full size image and the caption.
Hongkong building. I do not know what the signs mean. I do not think they are Chinese characters.
Scaffoldings in China, including Hongkong, are usually made from bamboo, not steel.
That’s a Taoist deity with the Pa Kua symbol. But I was not able to verify who it was.
Those are Taoist deities. I did not bother to count them.
Lanterns in the same temple where the deities were located.
There are all sorts of incense in different shapes, scents and sizes, many of the round ones hanging from the ceiling. It is not obligatory to light incense, but they are available to whoever desires to pay respect to the deities. There are other services available in the temple: you can get your fortune in two or three different ways, you can get blessings of a priest.
Get a ticket or pass in advance because there is always a long queue for Victoria Peak. It’s gives you a good view of Hongkong as the tram climbs to the Peak. There are restaurants and stores at the top.
You can take a sampan, called a junk, around the HK harbor. Often the tour will include lunch or dinner at the Jumbo Restaurant (in the background).
Dinner at Dynasty Classic Restaurant in HK with Roger, Aishuan and children Nunu and Anne. We met this Taiwanese family in HK. We attended their wedding in Taiwan some 6/7 years ago. Aishuan is our “adopted daughter.”
Anne, 5, having a bite of a deep fried pigeon, a Chinese delicacy.
Nunu apparently enjoyed the chicken feet, a usual part of dim sum experience.
Outside Tao Garden in Doi Saket, Chiangmai, Thailand with Pilat, an old friend who runs a noodle shop in the village. Many visitors to the Tao Garden often go to her restaurant.
My good friend Mikael, the Tao Garden herbalist, who I had not seen for 10 years. He has an herbal shop in the Tao Garden. He prepared an herbal decoction for me. If you are in Chiangmai, please see him. He is a great guy.
With Grandmaster Mantak Chia and James McConnell, an old friend and a disciple of Taoist master Wang Liping. Thanks to GM Chia for inviting us to join him at his table for dinner.
Mount Mayon, an active volcano, did not appear during this visit. It was hidden behind thick clouds during the 4 days we were in the area.Our driver said that Mayon is like a coy woman: she would show her “breast” only when it pleases her. He said the name Mayon came from Daragang Magayon or Beautiful Lady, a goddess in ancient times.
Mount Mayon, an active volcano, did not appear during this visit. It was hidden behind thick clouds during the 4 days we were in the area.Our driver said that Mayon is like a coy woman: she would show her “breast” only when it pleases her. He said the name Mayon came from Daragang Magayon or Beautiful Lady, a goddess in ancient times. This photo was taken in 1995 when my friends and I visited Bicol south of Manila.
INAM Tai chi chuan seminar on Traditional Yang Family Tai chi chuan (first section).
I have taught this section at least 5 times in Manila.
INAM Tai chi chuan seminar on Traditional Yang Family Tai chi chuan (first section).
I have taught this section at least 5 times in Manila.
INAM Tai chi chuan seminar on Traditional Yang Family Tai chi chuan (first section).
I have taught this section at least 5 times in Manila.
Pilat just outside her noodle shop in Doi Saket, Chiangmai, Thailand. Photo was taken back in 2004. A few of us would descend on the village and have our noodle fix. Compare her two photos: one taken in 2004 and the other taken in 2018.
Ava with the medalists in NYC tournament.
I shipped 12, perhaps 13, big boxes, containing a total of about 600 to 700 books to Estipona, Pura, Tarlac, the Philippines. last year. Last January 350 of the books were donated to the Carlos P. Romulo Memorial Library and Museum.
Carlos P. Romulo was the president of the United Nations General Assembly in its early days. He was also a Pulitzer Prize winner in Journalism. He was the president of the University of the Philippines when I was a student of law there. Incidentally, I received the Carlos P. Romulo Gold Medal at an Impromptu Speech contest in 1964.
There are 7 more “balikbayan” (literally, coming home) boxes at the ylang-ylang farm in Estipona containing about 300-400 books. These will also be donated to the CPRMLM. I have assigned the job to my brother Florante who lives in the Philippines. When I was in high school in my hometown in the early 50s, I used to get my reading materials from the Manuel Roxas Library. It was renamed after Carlos P. Romulo, a native of the province, when it moved to bigger accommodations nearby.
Posing for photo op with the librarians headed by Edna Quiballo. She and her staff wrapped the books in plastic and posed for photographs in front of the shelves in the library. I am now packing more books from my collection. Eventually some 2,000 to 3,000 of them will be donated to the library in my hometown. Many of these books were purchased from or (thanks to librarian Maryanne Horvath) donated by The Easton Public Library which holds a book sale 2 to 3 times a year.
