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North America 8: Happy Reunion & Epilogue

Posted by on September 3, 2018

California August 24 – 27 & Epilogue 

Happy Reunion with my Primary School Friends

George & Isabel (front row); Jackie & I (back row)

While planning my trip in the US, I was keen to meet up with three classmates whom I have known since 1963. Jackie lives in San Francisco while Isabel and George are in Sacramento. Things worked out perfectly as the tour I had joined could drop me off at Sacramento on August 24. After the reunion, I would go to SF airport direct and return to Hong Kong on August 27.

Isabel and George have set up their home in Sacramento since 1976. I visited them in 1980 on my first visit to the US after my stay in Oxford. Time flies. Their son and daughter are now parents themselves and they have four grandchildren ranging from 20- to 3-years-old.

They have downsized and are living in a lovely house in South Sacramento.  We sat in the garden facing a canal and chatted in the afternoon. I need fresh air and enjoy listening to bird singing. We had a BBQ buffet dinner in a popular Korean restaurant where we had to wait half an hour. We had meat and seafood. Though we had not ordered excessively, it’s too much for me. My room was quiet and cozy. I had a wonderful sleep.

On Saturday (August 25), we had a grand reunion when Jackie and her husband Charles arrived. They bought fresh baked bread from SF and we had coffee around the bar. We went into George’s car and went to old Sacramento for lunch. I have never been to this part of the capital and find it charming. While waiting for a table at Joe’s Shack by the Sacramento River, we walked across the bridge, a landmark of Sacramento and strolled along the river side. I could see the Capitol Building from the bridge.

Jackie and I shared a pound of steamed prawns which were fresh and tasty. Close to the river is the preserved train station. The steam train still looks magnificent.

We drove back to the house and spent the afternoon in the garden talking about the bygone days in So Uk Estate North Government Primary School. I entered this school in 1962 but did not meet them till I was in Class 4A. We sat a common secondary school entrance examination in 1966. I passed but did not get a good grade and dropped out. Most of my classmates went to good secondary schools. I ended up working in day time and studying in evening school till I resumed full-time study in 1971. I must be a late developer and have moved on after the set-back in 1966. Finally, I went to the University of Hong Kong in 1975 and started working in 1978. During those years, I had lost touch with my primary school friends.

It is a blessing to meet old friends and be able to spend a leisure day together. It is incredible how much we can still remember our teachers, the name and face of our classmates and some incidents that took place over 55 years ago. We now have contact details of about ten classmates and hope to expand the list.

At 6:30 pm, we were off to dinner in a Japanese restaurant.  I had scallop and chicken and fried rice. The food was good but the portion was too big. Jackie and Charles left after 9:30 pm as they had a long drive back to SF.

Time flied. It’s Sunday (August 26) and I had to leave. Isabel and George are very kind and generous. They insisted to take me to the airport and would visit George’s elderly mom and sister on the way.  We set off after 11 am, bought some dim sum and snacks and had lunch with George’s family at their home. At my age, nothing means more than being welcomed into a house as a friend.

We moved on around 2:30pm and the journey to the airport was supposed to take just over an hour. Alas, traffic was building up fast. It took a while to cross the Oakland Bridge and they did not drop me off my hotel near the airport after 4:30pm. I felt guilty as they had to drive another two hours to get home.

The nearest eatery is a Chinese restaurant across the road. Though I was not hungry, I had a buffet dinner since there were plenty of vegetable and seafood dishes. After an early dinner, I went to bed before 8 pm only to wake up at 10:30pm. After that, I could not sleep. I therefore got up to write travel notes, watch news and read!

I managed to sleep for an hour or two before getting up at 6:30 am on Monday (August 27). I have chosen this hotel because it offers free shuttle to the airport. Everything worked out well: I took the 7 am shuttle; my plane took off before 10 am; I boarded my flight to Hong Kong in Vancouver around 1 pm and landed in Hong Kong before 5:30 pm on August 28 ending my 43-day trip in North America.

Epilogue (written and uploaded on June 2, 2020)

As a result of procrastination, I have not worked on the epilogue till I have to stay put in Hong Kong owing to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The world has turned upside down and the USA is now one of the epicentres with over 100,000 deaths.  As I may not visit this region in years to come, I find it particularly interesting to reflect upon my 43-day trip in North America.

Canada and USA are both expansive with splendid awesome landscape and scenery.  I also love some of their cities with culture and world-class museums. After having lived in the USA for almost five years, I am impressed by the American can-do spirit, energy and diversity. But I do not buy the American dream and find materialism and over – consumerism a vice.  In recent years, most world citizens find President Trump’s words and actions appalling and disgusting. Under his ‘America First’, I do not feel welcomed and see no reason to go.

As I had to make a trip to attend a family reunion at Niagara-on-the-Lake. I decided to visit the Canadian Arctic and make a trip to visit the Yellowstone National Park which have been on my list for decades.

Winnie and Bob celebrated their wedding anniversary and hosted a dinner in a winery on July 21. Thanks to their generosity and hospitality, our extended family comprising four generations and 24 members had a wonderful gathering. On July 22, I joined the 90th birthday party of my third auntie in Toronto.

After the family reunion, I joined two back-to-back expeditions with One Ocean on Loffe from July 24 to August 14. In brief, I had an excellent time on the first expedition and was disappointed with the second one.

Labrador & Torngat Explorer – July 24 to August 3

I had a most enjoyable expedition which started in Sydney, Nova Scotia (NS) and ended in Iqaluit on Baffin Island.  I visited Louisbourg (NS), Bonney Bay in Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland, Battle Harbour, Hopedale, Hebron, Torngat Mountains National Park and Button Islands in Labrador before reaching Charles Hall Bay and Iqaluit on Baffin Island. The weather was generally fine. We therefore were able to follow the itinerary and only missed one landing at L’Anse aux Meadows owing to heavy fog.

I like this expedition for a few reasons. Time went very quickly as I went ashore or had zodiac cruising almost every day. The itinerary was interesting with both splendid scenery, wildlife as well as culture. I visited a couple of small towns and communities.  I had a lesson in Hebron when I learnt how the Canadian government removed 58 indigenous families without prior consultation in 1959. The Canadian government to its credit has formally apologised to those affected and the Inuits have accepted.

There are two highlights on this expedition. The zodiac cruise at Button Island, a hot spot for seabirds and other marine mammals was a great delight.  I saw thousands of birds and five polar bears. The best time I had on this expedition was at the Torngat Mountains National Park. The boat took me to the Saglek Fjord and Nachvak Fjord where I saw plenty of polar and black bears and whales. I had two most enjoyable hikes where one can still find remnant of Inuits’ habitation in the area.

Baffin Island- Jewel of Canadian Arctic – August 3-14

The second expedition which would start at Iqaluit, Baffin Island and end at Resolute, did not go as scheduled.  I had high expectations and looked forward to see the spectacular coast of Baffin Island. Things went well for the first three days when we had a zodiac cruise around the Monumental Island and a visit to the Inuit community in Pangniqtuuq.

Then from Day 4 to 7, the weather and ice condition forced the boat to change course. We could not visit Sunshine Fjord, Auyuittuq National Park, Qikiqtarjuaq, Isabella Bay – Niginganiq National Wildlife Area, Gibb Fjord as per itinerary. At one point, we might be closer to Greenland than to Canada!

I jumped with joy when I was finally able to land at Guy’s Bight and Pond Inlet on Day 8 and Dundas Harbour and Croker Bay on Devon Island on Day 9. Unfortunately, from Day 10 onwards, the itinerary was messed up again owing to ice condition which prevented the boat to sail to Prince Leopold Island and Beechey Island. So instead of heading to Resolute to board our chartered flight to Edmonton, we sailed back to Pond Inlet with one stop at the Maxwell Bay on Devon Island on the way.

I know an expedition is always at the mercy of Mother Nature. I do not mind walking in the rain, fog or mist. But I can’t help feeling disappointed when I can’t land or see the coastline owing to fog and poor weather. C’est la vie!

7-day Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Mt Rushmore & Lake Tahoe – August 18 – 24

The easiest and cheapest way to travel in the USA for a non-driver like me, would be to take a group tour. My 7-day tour run by a Taiwanese company took me to Wyoming, South Dakota, Utah and Nevada. The tour started and ended in San Francisco with stops in Sacramento, Elko, Great Salt Lake, Independence Rock, Casper, Crazy Horse, Mt Rushmore, Devil Tower, Gillette, Salt Lake, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, Madison, Jackson Hole, Reno and Lake Tahoe.

As expected, this tour is at best a taster. For most of the spots, tourists are allowed to spend 10 minutes to two hours at the most. As I had low expectations, I was not disappointed as I knew what I should got for what I paid for.

Then the tour turned out better than expected.  I had time for a climb on the Independence Rock, took a good look at Mt Rushmore (as I skipped lunch) and walked round the base of the Devil Tower. I also managed to have a quick tour of the Mormon Salt Lake City which I have heard a lot and visited the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I also had a quick look at Madison, Jackson Hole and Reno.

The Yellowstone National Park is the reason for joining this tour. The park, the first national park in the world, is a really sublime and a gem living up to its reputation. The three enormous geyser basins, the Mammoth Hot Springs and Grand Prismatic Hot Springs are simply awesome and mesmerising. They are the best and most spectacular geysers and hot springs that I have ever seen. The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and the waterfalls are also outstanding.

I must say the tour company has done a good job as a whole. We have seen the major sights in 7 days. The Yellowstone National Park is so expansive that I plan to return one day. I hope to visit the Grand Teton National Park and stay in Jackson Hole as well.

I am glad I have been able to end my North American trip with a reunion with my primary school mates, Isabel, George and Jackie on August 25 in Sacramento. We have known each other for 55 years! It is incredible that we can still remember our school days when we were innocent kids and our life was simple.

When we get older, we treasure our family as well as old and close friends. Given the pandemic and recent troubles all over the world, the gatherings of 2018 mean even more to me today.  Life is precarious. I pray for world peace and safety and health for ALL!

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