Some travelers may have only one day to explore Iguaçu Falls. After spending a day in Argentina and another day in Brazil, we asked ourselves the question “which side would we go if we only had a day to spare?”
We arranged a one-day driver service for about $100 USD. The service includes picking us up from the Airbnb, helps us to cross the border to Brazil, drop us off at the Iguaçu National Park, and take us back to the Airbnb. It relieved us from the logistic distractions.
Across Iguaçu National Park, there is a bird park Parque das Aves. The bird park is among the best places for us to enjoy the exotic and colorful birds, not commonly seen in North America. Unlike its unassuming entrance, the park is well maintained showing great care to the birds. There are large aviaries and lots of spaces for the birds. There are restaurants and rest places for the travellers. The park is designed very well with beautiful flora, lots of educational signage along the trail and secure entrances/exits from one aviary to another. We ended up spending almost three hours in the park, appreciating the stylish Owls, the graceful Flamingoes, the beautiful Scarlet Ibis, the colorful Toucans, and many many more. We can spend more time there if not for the reserved admission time of Iguaçu National Park.
The logistics of Iguaçu National Park of Brazil are different from that of Argentina. In Argentina, helicopter service is prohibited due to environmental concerns such as noise level, impact to the animals. The Iguazu Falls National Park on the Argentina side is connected by trains and trails. In Brazil, there are helicopter services to see the falls and there are buses, with long queues, at the entrance to take you to a fixed number of stops in the park. We got off at the arguably most popular stop right across the Belmond Hotel das Cataratas inside the park. From there, there is an easy stroll full of photo opportunities of the Falls. This Brazilian side offers sweeping panoramic views of roughly 80% of the waterfalls located in Argentina and the staircase character of the falls. There are boardwalks to take you close to some individual falls to experience the waterfall mists and the winds. It was fun and wet.
So “where (which side) would we go if we only had a day to spare?” We think the Brazilian side has the edge with the amazing panoramic views to see its scale and the grandeur. For boat rides, Argentina has the edge. Our recommendation: It takes quite some logistics to visit Iguazu Falls. Why not spend more days in the biggest waterfall systems of the world?
The Iguazu Falls (Argentina) or Iguaçu Falls (Brazil) are major tourist attractions in South America. Upon seeing Iguazu, the United States First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly exclaimed, “Poor Niagara!”. In November, we visited Iguazu and spent two full days there.
Spanning across 1.7 miles, Iguazu Falls are arranged in a massive, semicircular “horseshoe” shape and composed of over 200 individual falls. In comparison, Victoria Falls in Africa are 1.1 miles wide and Niagara Falls in Canada are 0.6 miles wide. The river of the Iguazu Falls is the Iguazu River, which flows from Brazil, forms the border between Argentina and Brazil, and then empties into the Paraná River, creating one of the world’s largest waterfall systems, if not the. About half of the river’s flow falls into a long and narrow chasm called the Devil’s Throat, along the Argentina–Brazil border. On the right bank is the Brazilian territory, which is home to more than 95% of the Iguazu River basin but has just over 20% of the jumps of these falls, and the left side jumps are Argentine, which make up almost 80% of the falls. From the Argentine territory, you have the chance to boat up close or hike up close to hear its thunder and experience its power. From the Brazilian territory, it is easier to take more impressive panoramic pictures of the 80% of the falls in Argentina.
A day in Argentina
It is a two hour flight from AEP (Buenos Aires) to IGR (Iguazu). Uber is not as consistently available in Argentina outside of Buenos Aires. At IGR, we met the taxi driver Ada who spoke bits and pieces of English phrases on the ride to our Airbnb. We understood each other well enough that Ada became our driver for another few rides. The ride from IGR airport to our Airbnb was very scenic with forest along the way and lots of butterflies hovering above the flowers paving the road. We were pleasantly reminded that November is Spring time in South America. The Airbnb is very spacious, modern and comfortable and it has a water dispenser which saves us the effort of buying bottles of water. There are restaurants and grocery markets within easy walking distances. The neighborhood seems more for locals than for tourists and lacks the camaraderie of fellow travelers.
The Iguazu Falls, on the side of Argentina, reside in the Argentine province of Misiones, and make up close to 80% of the falls. We had a reservation for a 3-hour boat ride, including jungle transport to the river. The open-top jungle transport was a comfortable ride. There were birds chirping, we saw colorful Toucans and enjoyed the forest as we rode through the jungle with fellow travellers. The tourist guide explained everything in both English and Spanish.
After hundreds of stairs going down, we arrived at the river, were given life vests and a big waterproof bag, to put everything in, and were reminded that no raingear would save us from getting soaking wet. Then began the boat ride. The first leg was on a quiet river flow. Soon, there were individual waterfalls and more waterfalls. As the boat approached the waterfalls up close, it felt more like a roller coaster ride, except this ride, we were under the waterfalls. At times, it was like being in a shower. At other times, it was like being “hit” by powerful water jets. We got soaking wet and the boat kept going back to be under the waterfalls. When we had enough, the boat was back to the quiet river again and we headed back to the jungle. It was cold, fun and exciting. If you go for the boat ride, just remember to bring a spare set of clothes, unless you want to spend the remainder of the day in wet apparels.
In the afternoon, we took the slow moving and comfortable train ride in the park, and did the popular hikes : the Devil’s Throat trail first, and then the Upper Circuit, Lower Circuit. The Devil’s Throat trail leads to the most powerful section of the falls with well paved suspended walkways. At the Devil’s Throat, we were level with the waterfall, hearing its thunder and feeling its mist as the water jumped down the 200 feet canyon. The Upper Circuit allows us to see the waterfalls from above. The lower circuit allows relaxing stroll on boardwalk over the river, and gets us close-up views from below. There were many many individual waterfalls we visited along these hikes. These hikes, some with stairs, are overall friendly to travellers of different degrees of fitness.
The boat ride, the trains and the hikes offer stunning and varied perspectives of the falls.
Weekdays in Buenos Aires are spent working, and weekends are for discovering the city. It still offers me plenty of opportunities to get to know the capital city in my three-week stay. Buenos Aires feels like a Spanish-speaking New York city look alike with visible Italian influences from Tango, music, pizza and pasta. Like New York, it takes time to discover and appreciate what the city offers.
Buenos Aires has vastly distinct neighborhoods.
As the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires does not have much Asian presence. We hardly run into Asians, and hardly hear anyone speaking Mandarin or Cantonese (or Japanese or Korean or Vietnamese or even English) on the street. Buenos Aires has a sizable Chinatown, in the Belgrano neighborhood, that feels more like an Asian town with varieties of Asian eateries, and shops. It is very pleasant to visit over a weekend. It is probably the place in Buenos Aires that I have run into the most Asian restaurants. Even though Chinese cuisines are popular worldwide, Chinese restaurants are also rare other than the buffet style Chinese dishes, served as fast food and sold by the kilos with an unappealing look and equally unappealing tastes. The only dim sum restaurant we discover is the one in Chinatown and it is good.
Cemetery and Beauty do not naturally come together, the Recoleta neighborhood has the famous Recoleta cemetery highly regarded in its beauty. If you are in the area, don’t miss Floralis Genérica, the iconic “flora garden” next to Recoleta. Floralis Genérica is home to a massive, mechanized aluminum flower sculpture in the Plaza de las Naciones Unidas (United Nations Square) that opens its petals during the day and closes them at night, representing all flowers in the world. I can be there all day appreciating the simple beauty and grandeur of the flower sculpture.
The San Nicolás neighborhood has the Opera house, the Obelisk as the landmark. The historic Monserrat neighborhood has the Casa Rosada, the Pink House equivalent of the White House. The Puerto Madero area has another landmark of the Woman’s Bridge, Puente de la Mujer, and the surrounding eateries have attracted crowds of locals and tourists. The San Nicolás, Monserrat, Puerto Madero neighborhoods are more reminiscent of the European colonial times. They are mostly upscale with some neighborhoods that feel like miles and miles of parks full of greeneries.
The Palermo neighborhood, where our Airbnb is, is a vibrant area, with markets and shops. There is a 10-lane road that takes a minute to walk across. Airbnb made my home office during my stay, so we picked the more pricey unit. We got a 2-story unit on the 27th floor in the center of Palermo, with a home office and a big bed upstairs, a kitchen and living space downstairs with floor-to-ceiling windows. Every morning, we were greeted with an expansive city view and lots of birds chirping. In the evening a beautiful sunset created a glow to the city. There is a well-equipped gym at the top floor, overseeing the plane taking off from the AEP airport from afar and the view of the Rio de la Plata. There is also a sauna room below the gym, and every time we used it, there was no-one else, making it a private sauna. There is also a long outdoor pool, open during the summer months. When I need to take a break from work, I can get a coffee, an orange juice, a slice of pizza and an empanada within a few minutes of walking. We paid ~$120 per night, which is a stark reminder of the differences in cost of living of different cities.
Just about a 10 to 15 minute walk, there are a variety of restaurants on the clusters of streets, each named after a Latin American country. Argentines have very late dinner hours. We kept our early dinner hours, and often were treated to have a restaurant all for ourselves, well not for the world-famous Don Julio restaurant. Don Julio is a popular Michelin Star restaurant located on Guatemala street. It is considered as the #1 restaurant in the Latin American region. Every evening, there are lines formed by steak-loving diners, who have made reservations, waiting for the opening of Don Julio restaurant. We went there for dinner one evening and it lived up to its reputation.
San Telmo is among the oldest neighborhoods in Buenos Aires, well preserved with colorful houses, and is worth a stroll during the day time. The nearby neighborhood like La Boca, famous for its soccer stadium and the immortal Argentine Maradona, is a rundown neighborhood to avoid after dark and maybe even during the day. These neighborhoods are where Tango originated as a blend of European, African, and criollo rhythms in the late 19th century.
Just like major cities, we always need to be mindful of the surroundings. In Buenos Aires, there are often bar-protected shops, and it is not uncommon to find gun-carrying police or security personnel on the streets. It constantly reminds us to be mindful of safety in major cities like Buenos Aires or New York City. There are “land mines” in the city, as a result of the many dogs and their dog owners. Not all dog owners clean up the waste so there are “land mines” to keep you paying attention all the time. I just hope that the city does something about it, be it by penalizing the dog owners or other smarter alternatives.
The Argentines have the best use case of WhatsApp. Airbnb, hotels, delivery and many teams use WhatsApp for communication, and over time, we get used to connecting with “these service teams” over WhatsApp and often get real-time if not even 7*24 support. We also feel more confident in connecting with fellow travellers over WhatsApp to share travel tips. These use cases confirm Messaging Apps, like WhatsApp, lives up to its promises of connecting people. We are very thankful for these Messaging Apps.
Considered as one of the ten best opera houses in the world by National Geographic, the Teatro Colón Opera House is a historic opera house in Buenos Aires. Leading international opera directors claim that it has the room with the best acoustics for opera. We decided to catch the opera Salome by Richard Strauss to experience the coziness and grandeur of the Opera House, and the Opera performance.
Tango shows often start at 10pm. It is in line with the late dinner hours of the Argentines. The late start is prohibitive to us early sleepers. Instead, my spouse and I experienced some Tango dancing street performance, and we signed up for a one-time Tango lesson. It is not only Tango dancing. The lesson is a mix of Tango music appreciation and learning simple Tango steps. I would remember this experience for a long time and definitely recommend the lessons to fellow travellers.
Soccer is the love of Argentines. What better to experience Argentina and the love of soccer than watching a soccer game at the River Plate Estadio Monumental stadium. This stadium houses 85000 spectators and it is hard to get tickets. For the full soccer fan experience, we joined a local tour with a guide who took care of the tickets, arranged a pre-game beer social get together with the group, and took care of us before and after the game. A WhatsApp group was set up for communication. Hours before the game time, we met up and a bus took us to a restobar. We bonded with other travellers over the beer, and shared our travel experiences. It was very fun. The restobar is within walking distance of the Stadium. After an hour or so of social time, we headed towards the Stadium. There were food booths along the way, and the crowd grew as we got closer to the stadium and the game time. The fans behave respectfully, are loyal and disciplined. I still remember the first impression of the Stadium – the vastness, the non-stopping chanting of fans creating peak decibels (dB) like in a sold-out rock concert, the flying flags and the energy of the crowd that filled the stadium.
The game was meant to be an easy win for the River Plate home team. The opponent Gimnasia is a team which the home team has not lost against for the last two decades. In that evening, the River Plate home team put up an unimpressive performance, even failing to convert the penalty kick gifted to the team in the last minute and ended up losing 0-1. In spite of the dramatic upset, the fans were obviously super loyal as they continued to chant for their home team to the last minutes and after the game. The loyalty and behaviors of the fans set a great model for the other soccer fans across the world.
A week after, the River Plate team and the Boca Juniors team met in the Superclásico, considered as one of the “top 50 sporting things you must do before you die”. The ill fortune of the River Plate team continued and they lost against their all-time rivalry. It was quite an experience to run into their fans and their bus on the streets before and after the game. The fans, wearing the team jerseys were everywhere on the day. The city experience of Superclásico made one of our most memorable experiences in the city. If you ever visit the city, watching a soccer game is a must, and we recommend the more upscale Estadio Monumental, more so than the La Bocca stadium due to the neighborhood.
It is hard to believe that Colonia del Sacramento of Uruguay is only a ferry ride from Buenos Aires. Colonia del Sacramento is a beautiful historic town, a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site that has the remnants of both the Portuguese and Spanish influence. The old town, made up of a myriad of cobblestoned streets, makes a lovely stroll for half of the day, with as frequent stops as you wish at the variety of restaurants. As we ventured outside of the old town to the less touristy area, we saw many small groups of friends and families carrying gourds, bombillas, and thermoses of warm water, quietly chatting and enjoying Mate as much as each other’s company. Colonia del Sacramento makes a good day-trip from Buenos Aires.
My company offers “work from anywhere for 4 weeks every year” as a perk. Inspired by my son’s lavish praise of Argentina after his recent trip and as an escape from the winter weeks in CaliforniaI, I used this perk to visit Argentina.
Established in 1536, Argentina is the 8th largest country in the world by total area. It covers about 2.78 million square kilometers, making it the second-largest in South America after Brazil. Among the many countries I have visited, Argentina is not an easy destination in terms of the effort taken to plan a trip there. These 6 weeks in Argentina make for the longest trip away from home.
It has been my very first time visiting South America. America with two continents of South America and North America, is a vast piece of land. The map may have disguised that it was a short distance down from North to South America. It took us two 7 hours plus flights to fly from San Francisco to Buenos Aires via Panama City. For travellers in Asia, it takes over a day or over 40+ hours from Asia to get to Buenos Aires, making it pretty prohibitive except for the very determined. Staying in Argentina for almost six weeks, we stood out with our lack of Spanish speaking ability, our Chinese appearances, we were recognized by airlines staff – we lost a piece of our luggages in the domestic flight from Buenos Aires to Iguazu, the airline staff helping us to track our luggage recognized us a few days later when we checked in at the airport for another flight.
Currency is another discovery. Argentine Peso is among the very few currencies I cannot order from the US banks. Why? The guess is that some form of currency control is in place, to control the inflation whose monthly inflation dwarfs the annual US inflation rate that our Fed has worked very hard to keep within 2 % annual rate. Argentina’s monthly inflation can be 3% or higher month over month. The way to get some Argentina Peso is to go through currency exchange shops or to go through West Union Bank. The exchange rates vary. Having some Argentine Pesos is useful as some local shops can give discounts if paid in cash or ask for surcharge if paid in credit card. For the same token that one cannot get Argentine Peso outside of Argentina, there is little reason to keep the Argentina Peso outside of the country. With such a vast piece of land, and the population seemingly working hard, and there are no major wars for the country, what causes the economy in such a dire state is not something I can understand in our weeks of stay. For those who have watched the movie “Evita” or love the song “Don’t cry for me Argentina”, there maybe something to do with the Peronism, the Argentinian movement, centered on social justice, economic independence, and political sovereignty, advocating for pro-labor policies, state intervention in the economy, and national autonomy. After close to eight decades, that ideal seems to be just as far away. In spite of this, we still see the remembrance of Evita Peron quite often, and the cemetery of Evita Peron remains the most visited in the famous Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires. The current government tilts towards US-style capitalism more, leaving some claim that there is only rich and poor in the country, and there is no more middle class. Whether the labor-friendly Peronism or the current radical “shock therapy” program aimed at dismantling Argentina’s interventionist economic model, the country has substantial economic challenges.
The cost of living is not particularly cheap. It is possible to spend 2 to 4 USD for a comfort food meal. The coffee shop is 20% to 30% cheaper than that of the US. The steakhouse, serving very good steak, can be 30% to 50% cheaper. The Don Julio restaurant, #1 in Latin America with Michelin star, is also cheaper than the US fine dining. It still feels like a challenging country for the locals to live in with the relative income and the high inflation. We do not however observe unhappiness. In fact, Argentina’s happiness ranking places it well in South America, with recent data ranking around 42nd globally, not bad for the economic challenges the country is in. There was an election during our stay, the citizens still support the current radical reform. (We also learned that during election day, the restaurants cannot sell alcohol).
Argentina is part of Latin America in terms of culture (note that Latin America is not a continent) and geographically part of America. Culture wise, it is very different from North America English speaking culture. Even in Buenos Aires, the capital, it is common to get a clear “No” response when asking ¿hablas inglés? (Do you speak English?). The place with the best spoken English is the airport and the staff doing the check-in. And for the few lucky chances we run into someone who speaks English well, it comes across that these few are gifted in languages. It is clear to us, living in this part of the world, speaking Spanish is more than sufficient.
Google Translate and Google Lens are amazing innovations for travellers like us. I must admit that using a translator all the time takes effort in every conversation and shopping, not to mention when the technology can decide to stop working when you need it. I feel like becoming mute in expressing beyond basic needs. There was one time that we wanted to tell the Uber driver that he was on the wrong route and it was just hard to communicate without him getting off the highway and stopping on the roadside after quite some effort. Even with more technology, the ability to communicate naturally with each other remains an important part of human-to-human connections. I have learned some Spanish, probably enough to figure out roughly what is on the menu. It becomes obvious an extensive immersive experience, way beyond 6 weeks, is necessary to acquire a foreign language.
We visited Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls, El Calafate, El Chaten and Bariloche in Argentina; one day on the Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay, one day on the Brazilian side of the gigantic Iguazu falls. These cities/towns are very different from one another. Still the Parrillo/Asado (BBQ meat) together with Spanish cuisines like choripan, empanada, alfajor and Italian cuisines like pizza, pasta, gelato are found everywhere. Argentina is a place for meat lovers and dessert lovers. Of course, it is a country of soccer lovers too where Messi and Maradona have been immortalized with countless murals in every city.
Argentine immortals: Diego Maradona, Eva Perón (Evita), Che Guevara, Mafalda, Carlos Gardel, Pope Francis, Lionel Messi
Lately AI has amazed us what is possible with technology. It reminds constantly how much technology can evolve in a human lifetime. Technology products, like the internet, cell phone Apps, whatsApp, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok were not around five decades ago. At that time, we were living on a slow network, computer memory was in units of megabytes, and CPU was a million times slower, and the turn around time of email would be at least a day if not a few days. Computers were big and scarcely available.
Now it is very hard to imagine life without the internet, cell phone, social media, and videos.
We sometimes overlook these as miracles that have made our lives much better. Some may feel that our technology is poised in taking us further to making life even more enriching. It is up to us how we use technology for more miracles.
The miracles are not limited to the progress we made in technology, there are bigger miracles around us that we also overlook. Here are just a few examples:
Every time I get on a highway, I am amazed at how orderly the drivers are. That often gives me a chill that the overwhelming majority of humans, around us, is intrinsically good and safe.
Most of us have a poor understanding of so many things in the world. Our human brains, after all the years of evolution, are nothing compared to the AI models in terms of our ability to handle the zillions of information around us. With the little we know, we function pretty well as an individual and in society. Many of us may not even know where Ukraine, Gaza, Syria are on the map. These are all sad places where human suffering is happening. Many are ignorant about the histories of the world at the times of the Mesopotamia civilization, the Persian civilization, the Roman Empire times, the Ottoman Empire Times, the Tang Dynasty, the Sung Dynasty, the Europe colonization and more. Still we develop strong opinions of the rights and wrongs of the current happenings based on our modern and limited knowledge. For all the limitations and ignorances, we generally live better and definitely more comfortably than hundreds of years ago. If that is not a miracle, I don’t know what can be considered as miraculous.
Not only do we have poor understanding of many things, we actually can be quite off, and have a lot of misunderstanding. We may think everyone on earth has access to the internet, yet the global internet penetration is about 71%. For all the negative press about the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, China, the population there has grown from 4 millions to over 11 millions in the last five decades. Our minds are just so easily influenced by a few news coverage.
Above all, Nature is the biggest miracle. It has stored in itself billions of years of stories on this planet. It stores the short history of human evolution but also the histories before humans. If you truly love Nature, you will find both miracles and beauties everywhere.
Much has been said FIRE (Financial Independence and Retire Early). There is a difference between retiring early from the corporate workplace and retiring early from life when you become financially independent. I hope most are interested in the former, and no-one is interested in retiring early from life.
Corporate workplace may be where we spend more time than anything else, in our career years. The corporate career is not the totality of life. The dream of retiring early comes across as more the desire to retire from the corporate workplace.
In a way, corporate workspace is a new and luxurious form of modern slavery, quite full of shackles. The modern workplace shackles take on familiar forms.
We need to live with the bi-annual or annual performance evaluation system. It is the game to play along for survival, for good compensation and promotion.
When the job market is bad, no one would risk their careers to counter their boss’ ideas. The one-liner asks of the company executives become the gospel and you cannot apply critical thinking about the asks. You cannot doubt the organizational strategy, product directions and OKRs.
When your coworkers kiss up, it is still better to play along. If your ideas become the boss’ idea, it is the great idea of the boss. If your boss has bad ideas, it is an effort to shut up.
Career freedom means at least
You can speak what you have in mind without worrying about the subtle but legitimate implications.
You can apply critical thinking to what your job is about, what your boss is asking, where the company is going.
You can leave your job the next day and not be stressed about it.
Earning career freedom in corporate workplace requires hard work. What can you do to earn it?
Start early to save and invest, work hard towards financial independence.
Learn new skills that the world needs all the time.
Stay open to new opportunities. Even if you are happy with your company, you need to know what the markets are for you.
With career freedom, you choose to work in a corporate workplace, you choose to stay or retire from it. The choice brings more job satisfaction and you can bring more meaningful impact. And if corporate workplace is not your cup of tea, you can create a career your way.
May all the salaried workers find their path to career freedom.
2025 marks the beginning that I have been in the California Bay Area longer than Hong Kong , a city where I was born and raised. To which city am I supposed to be homecoming?
Every trip to Hong Kong reminds me that happiness is tied to human connections. Trips in Hong Kong are less about sightseeing, more about connections with families and friends. There is the delight to find families and friends doing well. Special events often play a role in firming up our travel plan. This year, the special event turned out to be the 125th anniversary of my secondary school.
When I was still studying in secondary school, we celebrated the 80th anniversary of school. This year is the 125th anniversary of my secondary school, 45 years since the 80th anniversary. I made the trip to join the anniversary dinner with over a thousand other graduates in Hong Kong. How amazing is that!
Despite many complaints about the demanding nature of Hong Kong education systems, the Hong Kong system appears to offer a better environment for students to build lasting friendships. I personally experienced the life-long friendship deeply again with the multiple reunions with the secondary school classmates on this trip.
The Hong Kong pre-college education consists of kindergarten years, 6 primary school years and 6 secondary school years. In my days, the students have just a few subjects we can choose: art vs science, geography vs history, etc. Due to the limited varieties, I had many classmates taking the same curricula with me. That created so many shared memories. The classmates may drift apart for years. Some of us may move to different places of the world. Often when someone, like me, comes back to Hong Kong for a short trip, we get together, the bonding revives so naturally and so quickly. It is a life-long friendship with a class of friends.
Comparatively, the Bay Area education consists of pre-school years, 6 elementary school years, 2 middle school schools, then four high school years. There is less continuity when the kids grow up in their teen years. The rich choice of subjects mean most kids hardly are on the same curricula or with the same teachers. After graduation, the classmates would settle in different parts of the US if not of the world, far away from each other. Sometimes, I am concerned about the few friendships one can sustain after graduation especially for those who may not be a social butterfly in their teen years. In spite of its heavy homework and strenuous studies, the Hong Kong system is better in terms of life-long friendship.
The school celebrated the 80th anniversary of school when I was still a teenager. The school did not jump from the 80th anniversary to the 125th anniversary. I skipped many, if not all, the between, and jumped 45 years for a special anniversary dinner.
The 125 anniversary dinner was held in the 5-star Hopewell hotel in Hong Kong, with 125 tables, 10 per table. When I arrived at the hotel, many current students in the CheongSam school uniform were there at the building entry, showing us the ways to the Grand Ballroom on the 16/F floor. They bridged all the years, and brought back so many memories of my own school days. They just looked to be the refined and upgraded versions of our generations. When I got to the Grand Ballroom, it became immediately apparent that the organizers had put in tons of thoughts in setting up the venue. It certainly felt star-studded an Oscar experience with classmates, students, teachers and principles. I immediately felt at ease and it was easy to find my table among the 125 tables. A couple of my classmates were already there. One also flew in from California. We had not seen each other for years. Just seeing her made my trip to Hong Kong worthwhile. Soon the tables were filled. The conversations bridged all the gaps of the years. My school is a Girls’ Christian school. We were busy chatting, and did not notice the noise level of a thousand of us catching up with each other in the Grand Ballroom. It took some effort for the MC to kick off the evenings with school songs and prayers. The school song has a phrase that tells our hearts to stay together even if we will be far apart. I certainly felt that I had not lived up to that phrase after drifting away for many of the years. The performance of the current students has been impressive, and the farewell set up for the current school principal has been thoughtful and heartwarming. What I like the most is the opportunities to catch up with each other, reminisce about our school days, see our teachers, and other familiar faces. We took a bunch of photos together.
It was an evening that I would remember for a very long time. I am thankful that after all these years, we can rekindle our friendship and are still young enough to have some remaining years together. We met again shortly after the anniversary dinner and look forward to more happy times in the years to come.
If you graduated from high school this year, and your school continues another 45 years, you will join your school anniversary dinner in the year 2070. How special will that be for you?
The books I read during the holiday, transported me to new places, and new experiences. The Worlds I See had been on my to-read list for ages, and I finally checked it off. It’s a memoir, an immigrant story, a personal journey, and an AI journey all wrapped into one. It doesn’t get better than this. The other books were serendipitous finds, with The Little Books offering delightful reads for everyone.
The worlds I see By Dr. Fei-Fei Li
If you search “Godmother of AI”, Google search results will list “Dr. Fei-Fei Li” at the top.
Dr.Fei-Fei Li is a through-and-through trailblazer. In the tech world, Dr. Fei-Fei Li has chased after Data, when algorithms and complex logic have been the unparalleled kings and queens in the computer kingdom. The resulting ImageNet has contributed to AlexNet and Neural Network. In the world where technology is the hype, Dr. Fei-Fei Li established the human-centered AI institute (HAI) in Stanford.
Her research and accomplishments are numerous. Her resilience, her commitment, her passion and her value stands out more in this world where the rich and the powerful get it all. It is touching to read about how she achieves, while caring deeply for her family, her parents, her spouse and her children, her students and the people around.
Her personal journey from China to America, New Jersey to Palo Alto will inspire you. The world will be better, if more of us see it through her lens.
Please add this to your to-read list.
The Little Book of Hygge: Danish secrets to happy living By Meik Wiking
I love these little books. The first chapter of light, about candles and lamps, is almost a bore. That is the whole point that many found all the normal things around us become a bore.
If you can pass through the first chapter of very normal things around us, you will be rewarded with a real sense of Hyggeligt. If you get through the last page, you don’t need to be in Denmark to discover the secrets of Happy Living.
The whole point of Hygge (contentment, comfort, coziness, and so much more) is about making the most of what we have in abundance : the everyday.
I love this little book. I am deeply grateful to the author Meik Wiking, CEOof Happiness Research Institute, Copenhagen. The world will be a better place if more people see and enjoy the common things around them.
Hippie By Paulo Coelho
I love his book “The Alchemist”. This is an autobiography of the author, travelling with a newly known Dutch woman from Amsterdam to Kathmandu. It has a bit of everything in life, the spectrum of people (real characters) they met and their experiences, the personal discoveries as they journeyed together from Amsterdam to Kathmandu. Just like many things in life, when we are seeing it as it is, there is some weirdness that cannot be comprehended or making sense of it. That weirdness stays with me long after reading the book.
The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean beauty secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin By Charlotte Cho
This book transforms how I think of the skin care routine from a chore to really enjoying it. It has real good tips if you want to have a dewy look. I recommend the book to readers of all ages.
I have been to New York City (NYC) quite a few times. I went there many years ago. In my first visit, I had the visceral reaction to compare it with Hong Kong, both world-class cities. I was already biased, but objectively, the city was dirty, old, chaotic. I could find all kinds of New Yorkers, including homeless people, others with a questionable state of mind. Most people keep it to themselves, and if you asked locals for directions, you would be lucky to have one who got you an answer. There were many varieties of people in the subway. Sometimes, I had to tone down my already limited senses to avoid discovering rodents or real shit. All in all, it was not comfortable nor visually striking to be in. Most visits I left unimpressed with an unresolved mystery why it was widely considered as the top of the world. Undeniably NYC has a lot to offer with city charm, and energy in the city. Is it overrated?
My spouse and I stayed for 3 weeks, for the simple reason that our children are now New Yorkers. This time, we really enjoyed our stay. A big part is parental bias to like the city that our children are in. There are other reasons too, including the studio we stayed in, the holiday spirit, and that we experienced living in the city rather than sight-seeing in the city.
We stayed at a studio near Union Square, like a New Yorker. The studio is a few minutes walk to many subway lines, and a few minutes of walk to Union Square markets. It is within easy walking distance to the Greenwich area, the SOHO, the Chelsea markets and the China Town. It makes one of the best locations to experience Manhattan.
We shopped at the just opened Christmas markets. On the first weekend when the Christmas market was open, it was jam packed on the weekend at Bryant Square. Since then, we have been to the Union Square Market and Bryant Square market multiple times. They carried similar merchandise. We like the Union Square market better. Bryant Square market was just too crowded.
Our energy sets the ceiling on the places to shop and to explore. The city finally makes some effort to improve the subway. Most subway stations look a touch cleaner. Many times I got on, a survey would pop up on my cell phone to ask about my wait time, and my experience. I still ran into some “diverse and unpredictable riders” but I accepted it more as a by-product of freedom and diversity.
The weather made a difference too. It was comfortable and sunny in mid November when we first arrived. Other than a bit dry, the weather was almost perfect and made the best season to be in the city. Most days were sunny. We experienced how the city went from autumn with fading fall color to the windy winter after some rain.
There are such a variety of cuisines within walking distance or a subway ride. To name just a few, we enjoyed a French breakfast, signature tea set at Prince Tea House, many lunches at rustic Chinese restaurants, authentic Hong Kong cafe, Mediterranean snack, Korean food, NY bagel, Shake-Shack burger, hot pot dinner, and Schmackary’s cookies after dinner. Our stomach sets the limit to the many foods we would love to try.
We took advantage of the cultural side of the city too. We went to see the “Tosca” Opera at the MET. The cast was so wonderful, the slanted stage setting was so well done, that I did not need to be much of an Opera audience to feel connected to the show. We enjoyed it a lot. We were lucky this year to watch Opera at the Budapest Opera House, and a few months later at the MET.
There were some waves about the new “Sunset Blvd” musical with its use of technology and how the male singer shows up on the street to sing after the interlude. After watching the original movie, I really like the plot and look forward to catching the musical on Broadway. The show was sold out. Maybe I was expecting Hollywood glamor in the cast, costumes and stage. I was expecting a bring back of Hollywood before our generations. It was none of the above. There were no glamorous costumes to wow. The main performers were bare feet. The others wore everyday clothing. The stage was unstaged in a minimalist style. The cast was made up of a diverse set of performers. It was refreshing for the first half hour with some good singing. As the musical went, there were no reflections of what Hollywood was like then. The effort to be different, to be modern stood out. The live camera broadcast with the singer singing in the street caused a stir. All in all, it was a budget production that displays unique creativity but not quite the spirit of the plot. I don’t need to be a seasoned critic to recognize the brilliance of this A-grade production. We experienced that brilliance as we watched the just released “Wicked” movie a few days later.
I commuted to different offices like a New Yorker on many days. I paid $10 for a cup of overpriced but incredibly palate-pleasing specialty coffee and appreciated the warmth in holding the cup. I strolled in Central Park. I walked blocks after blocks at the pace of New Yorkers. We spent a relaxing afternoon in SoJo Spa in New Jersey. We didn’t need to plan our days—there was always something to do, places to explore, and restaurants to try.
I’m finally starting to understand why NYC is the, not one of, city that draws people from all over the world. It’s becoming clear why NYC is a must-visit destination.
I was single. I brought my tennis racket when I went on business trips to the US. That was the Ivan Lendl era. That was a long time ago. Many things have changed including having two children in their twenties. The Roger Federer era has come. The next generation of Alcaraz and Sinner rivalry is just at the beginning. What has not changed is I still enjoy tennis. I cannot catch up on the years lost during the years of child rearing. I have not given hope. I hope I can get back to the game and play more.
This year, my spouse and I signed up for a Nike Tennis Camp at Pebble Beach. We were very looking forward to it, until it created a conflict for the WAVE hike. We finally made the Tennis Camp the last weekend in October. The camp is for intermediate level, for people at or above 3.0 in the play scale. The few weeks before the camp, we played once or twice a week in practice, so as not to embarrass ourselves. I enjoyed the practice, clearly my shoulder and my tennis elbow both gave some whisper that it could become noisy with more playing.
The Pebble Beach Lodge is pricey and can be over $1000 per night. Considering the little time we would stay inside, we found a nearby Airbnb in the Carmel area.
The Airbnb host gave us permission to check in an hour early before we checked in to the Tennis Camp on Thursday. This Airbnb check-in turned out to be the simplest ever, there was no passcode, no key, we passed two garden gates, and walked in. The host left a guidebook on the table, giving us everything to know about restaurants, spas, markets. We could tell the unit has some years on it, but it was well maintained inside and outside. There was a small backyard, which made a great small BBQ party during the warmer season. In autumn, the inside of the unit looked more inviting. We did not have much time before checking into the Tennis Camp in the afternoon. Little did we know the simple check-in turned out to have a catch. More on this later.
We need to go through the scenic 17-mile drive, a toll road, to get to the Tennis Camp. The codeword to drive on the 17-mile scenic drive for free is “Tennis Camp”. The Tennis Camp area has many well groomed courts, including a couple of clay courts, and a tennis store with friendly staff. The tennis area is right next to the beautiful Pebble Beach golf course, along the Pacific Ocean. The you-know-what-number hole is right next to the parking lot of the Tennis Camp. For the weekend, we felt at home in the Carmel and Pebble Beach neighborhood. We experienced the feeling of living in the beautiful area.
The camp goes from Thursday afternoon to Sunday morning, giving us a 2-hour play on Thursday, a full-day 9 to 4 play both Friday and Saturday. If that is still not enough, it includes a Sunday free play too. We checked in the Tennis Camp and met other fellow players. Many gave subtle messages that they came to play tennis not for social reasons. We were among the few who were rookies to Tennis Camps. These Tennis Campers were not particularly enthused in making friends, except for a few that came in singles, who may have a different agenda. All-in-all, all the campers love playing tennis and can play hours of tennis.
We were sent to a court to join another 2 players to play doubles. After a few rotations on the courts in the afternoon, we got a sense of the playing levels. Most other players had better double techniques, played regularly, and often played in some forms of ladder. My serving skill and ground stroke is not too scrappy either. Most campers are from the Bay Area. There was one group from Canada. Most came with friends. There was one 20-something who came on his own. He was the best in class. On the last day of the camp, he beat one of the younger coaches. My spouse and I were arguably the most obvious recreational players. We hardly played doubles. We hardly play for the past years, other than in the few weeks prior to the Tennis Camp. We never play in a club. Yet we can play. Tennis players were famous for their competitiveness on court. We observed a few. I was both anxious and excited. My major anxiety is whether my shoulder and elbow could hold up throughout the camp. I would later find out.
When we returned Friday morning, each of us were set up to rotate over a number of coaches. Each coach focuses their 30-minute sessions on different techniques, from serving, ground strokes, rally, overhead, to strategies. After about three hours, we went to the Pebble Beach clubhouse for lunch. It is about a 10-minute scenic walk besides the famous golf course. The Pebble Beach clubhouse is usually reserved for members. The Tennis Camp has made special arrangements to get us in. Lunch is good. The view of the Pacific Ocean and the 18th hole is memorable. We took as many photos as possible while respecting the privacy of other diners.
Out of the blue, I got a call from our Airbnb host while enjoying the delicious lunch at the Pebble Beach Clubhouse. I was informed that we checked in the wrong Airbnb unit. Could there be a bigger OMG moment? We checked in the unit next to our assigned unit. It was a better one. We were embarrassed yet relieved to find out “our” unit was available, and the host gave us a “free upgrade”. After a few days, I gained enough courage to find out whether it was our mistake or it was an instructional error. It turned out to be the latter. Despite this gaffe, both the host and I gave 5-star ratings to each other.
After the scenic lunch, we were back for our afternoon. The afternoon started with coaches playing in doubles with each other, to walk us through double skills and tactics. It was particularly insightful for us, non double players. There were three choices afterwards: a single group, a clay court group and some other groups. We decided to check out the unusual combination of clay courts, California and Pebble Beach. We enjoyed the experience. My shoulder and elbow held up barely, and that got me anxious about Saturday.
The Tennis Camp ended each day before sunset, leaving us the evening to enjoy. Carmel-by-the-sea and the Pebble Beach area are great places for great restaurants. We had one of the best Italian food at the La Bicyclette restaurant.
Saturday started about an hour late, due to the rain. The morning was similar to the day before, and we were sent to a number of 30-minute sessions. The rotations were such a great setup, I could come back to the camp, just to pick the brains of the different coaches. We had a shorter lunch to make up for the late start. Everyone brought their own lunches. The afternoon was competitive, where we matched with different doubles partners and played different opponents. We played 10 games each. Every game we won would count towards our score. The one with the highest scores got the bragging right. We did not play every single person. The camp organizer was thoughtful to match us with people of similar levels, to make the matches competitive. My hands hardly held up. Every server was a doubt and almost a struggle. I did not want to disappoint my double partners. As such, I ended up serving the best in my own life, despite the situation. I scored some games, but far from the winner of the contest. It was a beautiful moment in that group picture. My body somewhat held up. I learned so much about the doubles positioning, and so many other tips we could put in our single play. As a tennis lover, it was just a treat to have a chance to play tennis and only tennis for the last three days.
We were treated to a group dinner at the Inn at Spanish Bay. The dinner tab was included in the Tennis Camp fee, yet the menu and the wine provision were generous. After watching the beautiful sunset, we arrived at Roy’s at the beautiful The Inn at Spanish Bay. We settled in one of the tables. Most campers took some time to change to their dining dress code. They looked so put together that it took us a while to recognize each other! The food was so good. The ambience was memorable, the conversations flew. We spent so much time on tennis courts for the last three days. After the dinner, we were on different paths again.
My spouse and I are enthused to put the tips in practice, play more. We would love to be back in another tennis camp, likely in another beautiful venue.
Truth is the first few weeks after the camp, my shoulder was giving me fits. I had to patiently wait for its recovery. After a few more weeks of slow-as-nail improvements, I decided to check it out. I was suggested to do a few therapy sessions to strengthen my shoulder muscles. Luckily, there was no injury. Rather, I overused the shoulder muscle.
Tennis Camp at Pebble Beach is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Few things are more rewarding than spending time doing something you love for hours and days.
I enjoy playing tennis. I am patiently waiting to play more and more.
oliviatamccue 