Butterflies

When March arrives and the butterflies show up at Meijer Gardens, I get in touch with some of my favorite people and make plans to visit. It’s one of my favorite outings, and as my birthday falls smack in the middle of the exhibit, I always feel justified in making a trip (you know, because that’s how all the coolest thirtysomethings celebrate their birthdays).

When all the social distancing requirements came to Michigan and nonessential businesses shut down, I didn’t have the heart to delete my calendar reminder for March 27. And so yesterday my phone dutifully reminded me that, in a parallel universe untouched by a public health crisis, it was time go see the butterflies.

I grieve with the people who are experiencing large, acute losses: becoming suddenly unemployed, facing economic insecurity, fearing for the health and safety of their loved ones amidst scarce resources and great uncertainty. I’m struggling to envision just exactly how or when everything feels normal again, but I trust that day will come eventually.

Maybe you need a little dose of beauty today. I’m looking forward to all the future butterflies.

Hong Kong Part V

For anyone who has endured my endless parade of Hong Kong photos, I heartily applaud you. We’ve almost reached the end of my adventure, and this day might have been the most colorful. Krystle and I photographed two different public housing estates on the Kowlooon side—Choi Hung (which means “rainbow”) and Nam Shan. The use of color in these buildings is so beautiful, and I loved seeing these vast buildings in person. We also visited the Sham Shui Po district, which is filled with a variety of different crafting supply stores. (You can find any kind of bead, ribbon, or fabric in Sham Shui Po, I promise you.)

Our day ended by watching night fall over Hong Kong island from the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and then taking the very inexpensive Star Ferry across the harbour. That view was one the sights I remembered so vividly from my 2007 Calvin interim trip, and seeing it again ten years later was beyond spectacular. I don’t know when or if I’ll have the chance to return, but I hope in my heart that it’s sooner rather than later.

You can check out Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV here.

Hong Kong Part IV

Still with me on this digital Hong Kong journey?! You’ve reached a slightly more quiet day, one that started with insanely delicious dim sum at Tim Ho Wan, took us to the PMQ to check out fun creations from local artists and to the Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road to smell all the incense coils, and ended on Kowloon at the Temple Street night market. (My bargaining skills at the night market were a little rusty, but that didn’t stop me from hunting down a few good deals.)

You can check out Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part V here.

Hong Kong Part III

Bless you if you’re still following along with my Hong Kong travelogue. This day was jam-packed with exploring all over Hong Kong Island and riding the double-decker trams back and forth for $.29. Krystle and I also purchased tickets to visit the top of Victoria Peak in the afternoon. When I visited Hong Kong in 2007, it was far too cloudy and hazy to justify making the trip up the mountain, and I was so hopeful that I’d get to see a sunny view of the harbour this time around. Overcast skies most of the day had me feeling pretty worried, but by the time we made it to the top, the sun had broken through the clouds, and the view was everything I had hoped it would be.

You can check out Part I, Part II, Part IV, and Part V here.

Hong Kong Part II

There are so many reasons to love Hong Kong, and their public transportation has to be a big one. Their subways are incredibly clean, run frequently, and are very easy to navigate. (Have no fear—English is one of three official languages in Hong Kong, and English signage is abundant!) We hopped aboard the train for a ride out to Lantau Island so that we could take a glass-bottomed gondola up to Ngong Ping and see the giant Buddha. (Fun fact: we ran into two couples who were also traveling from Michigan!)

After the Buddha (and a ride back down the mountain wherein we had our own private gondola…yes, we had an international dance party), we found a bus and rode out to the historic Tai O fishing village with its amazing seafood and stilt houses. It was an amazing day, and I had to keep pinching myself to make sure it wasn’t all just a beautiful dream.

You can check out Part I, Part III, Part IV, and Part V here.