Hong Kong 2008

And on the flight here I turned 80... This was our first visit to Hong Kong since the territory reverted to China from Great Britain in 1997. The only visible differences are even more high-rises and ultra-modern office towers in a city that's always been a booming international trade hub.

This old-style junk sums up modern Hong Kong for me. Despite the nostalgic red sails, it's a power-driven luxury vessel most often hired for business meetings.

Here was another chance for John to meet an old friend of mine. I hadn't seen Pat Mok since she organized a writing workshop for me in Singapore 18 years ago.

Close-up of the seafood display behind John, Pat and me. Besides these giant clams there were horseshoe crabs, sting rays and moray eels temptingly arrayed. I don't believe the Chinese language has a word for "inedible".

Eating our selections from the tank outside. Pat is now Pat Mok Singh; her husband Jaya is another Singaporean.

At the Singhs' home we met their 16-year-old son Nic. Like all dedicated Christians in countries where they make up a tiny minority, Jaya and Pat have a ministry "every day, wherever we are."

Excitement over the Summer Olympics was everywhere. I was captivated by these athletic figures built of Chinese lanterns. Here, tennis...

weight lifting...

sail-boarding...

archery and bowling.

For our final meal (of many!) together, Jaya and Pat took us to the most elegant restaurant of our entire Asia trip. Here the waiter carves Peking Duck.

Pat demonstrates the way to eat it: spread a slice of duck with a traditional dark red sauce, wrap it in a paper-thin pancake...

and enjoy. Glancing through our photos, I notice what a big role meals played throughout the trip! Encountering new foods is a delight of travel for John and me second only to meeting new people.

TO COME NEXT: THAILAND