Friday, April 11, 2025

I Swam with a Turtle in Christmas Day

A bit late but wanted to share our Christmas Adventure with you.

My Christmas gift from the universe was swimming with a turtle for almost 3 minutes on Christmas Day.




We went as a family to the Cayman Islands for Christmas.

Hotel:  Casa Caribe Condos

The hotel has its own beach and even a reef where you can snorkel. They gave you a detailed map on how to find the reef and it was very far out, so proud of myself for swimming all the way out there on day two. Weren’t much fish, the fish I saw were really neat, but there were not that many. I was just so happy that I made it all the way out there. On the last day.

The hotel said in order to find the reef you have to look for the dark parts, more or less you could see the reefs by marking those. I swam out to the dark part right where we were at the beach and that’s when I saw it! The turtle. It was a little less than a foot wide long And after I followed it for about 30 seconds, I realized it only had three legs. I wondered what happened to the fourth leg.



Often had the beach to ourselves

Our balcony was right on the beach

We stayed at a three bedroom condo so we could relax, spread out and enjoy being right on the beach. The highlight was going to Stingray City. I don’t particularly like stingrays, but we got to swim with them and feed them. It was a really rough day and the baby had to go back to the boat. The stingrays startle you by swimming right against your legs and I squealed with laughter and delight.

Didn't get a lot of Stingray City pix.  Crazy choppy, loved the stingrays


Stingray City

The other highlight was the Bioluminescence tour. Over an hour away from Seven Mile Beach but well worth it. Was nerve-racking driving on the left-hand side of the road with all the roundabouts, but we got there in time for dinner before the big boat. It’s a special two Decker boat where you sit down and put your legs through an open hole on the bottom floor. We got out to the bay and were able to move our legs around and see the bioluminescence organisms come to life around our hands and feet. We got a quickie lesson in constellations and enjoyed seeing so many of them  


This is my hand in the bioluminescence water

The FOOD

One of our best dinners was at Tillies.  We had this beautiful butterflied fish.  

Snapper so memorable

Q: What's the soup of the day?  A: Here's a coke!

We got takeout from Heritage Kitchen two times.  Heritage Kitchen
We enjoyed trying the local conch fritters


View from our balcony.  Brought our own wine to save money

The best part was being with my family. A Christmas we will never forget.





Christmas dinner at Tukka.  Got us ready for Australia




This says it all


Sunday, March 30, 2025

Where Do I Begin?

Some of you may know I took a writing class called "Where do I begin?".  Here's a piece I wrote.

My grandmother, May Quan Tsang, came to America in the early 1920s.  She was born in the year 1900 so she was always the same age as the year.  She died in 1993 when she was 93, an easy way for us to remember how old she was.  How I cherished my grandmother.  Who doesn’t?

When she came to America there were approximately 7,000 Chinese women in the US compared to 55,000 Chinese men.  Just 11%.  My grandmother was one of these 11%.  I can’t believe what kind of life she had. The Page Act of 1875 banned Chinese women from entering the US because they were assumed to be prostitutes.  Oh brother.  The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 banned Chinese people from entering the US.  It was the first federal law restricting immigration based on nationality and lasted until 1943.  That’s sixty-one years.  When my mother was born in New York City this was still a law.  How crazy is that?  It also prevented Chinese residents from becoming U.S. citizens.  No other group of people have been prevented by law from entering the US.  That’s just plain prejudice.

There’s been a history of discrimination and hate again Chinese since America was founded in 1776.  I asked ChatGPT for some examples of Chinese discrimination n the 1880s and here is what ChatGPT replied (in addition to the above on the Chinese Exclusion Act).  What’s most upsetting is the violence against Chinese communities:

  • In the Rock Springs Massacre (1885, Wyoming): White miners killed at least 28 Chinese workers and drove hundreds out of town.
  • During the Tacoma Riot (1885, Washington): Mobs forcibly expelled the entire Chinese population.
  • Hells Canyon Massacre (1887, Oregon): Over 30 Chinese gold miners were killed by armed white men.

In the 1900s the Alien law act prohibited land ownership and incremental immigration.  Chinese people were labelled the “yellow peril” and often negatively depicted in cartoonish slanty-eyed characters.  Congressmen and Senators were quoted with racists statements and my heart sinks when I hear the similar condescending garbage about Latin migrants today.  It was really ugly then and it is really ugly now.

In California and the Pacific Northwest locals were afraid of Chinese people taking their jobs and freely lynched, attacked and drove them out of town.

It was hard for Chinese people to marry & start families given limited immigration for women.   I wonder how my Grandmother did it.  She had five children in NYC.  She was a trailblazer.  As a child she never told us of any tough times.  She really had a good life.  Like they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  To me this seems like it would have been a bad time to be Chinese in the USA.  To her (but who knows), it may have been a golden time.  How I wish I could re-wind the clock and learn more.  I know so little of my Grandmother’s past, her childhood, how she met my Grandfather, how old she was when she married.  Because of the language barrier there are only a handful of memories I recall that she shared with me.  She said when the Japanese soldiers came, they ate dirt.  That’s stuck in my head all these years.  I think she had a wonderful life but that’s because I wear the rose-colored granddaughter’s glasses.  She once told me she never worked.  Who knows if that’s true or not but I imagine her walking down Mott Street in high-collared dresses and dainty shoes with a big coat.  Even if she did have a hard life, I wouldn’t believe it.  She only had love for me so I envision everyone only had love for her.

The reality is she did have a difficult life with five children, a deceased husband and no English language skills.  In the world surrounding her, the Cable Act of 1922 prevented a Chinese woman born in the US marrying a Chinese man for fear citizenship would be taken away.  Japanese Americans were forced into Internment camps during the war and later paid reparations to prove that the act was wrong. Today, birth-right citizenship for some groups are being challenged.  Things have not progressed since my Grandmother left NYC in May of1935 with her five children after her husband died. 

 

In 1982 two Detroit auto-workers murdered Vincent Chin a Chinese-American because they thought he was Japanese and stealing their jobs as more as more Americans bought Japanese cars.

 

Fast forward to today.  During Covid the stupid President used slurs like Kung Flu and Asian virus fueling violence against all Asian Americans.  Unfortunately, this opened the door to outward hate, attacks and scapegoating & normalized this rotten behavior. The FBI recorded a 77% increase in Asian hate crimes from 2019-2020.  “Go back to China” was (+ still is) yelled randomly all over the place.  Amy Tan the famous author says she yells “Go Back to School” when people say this to her.  Go Amy!

In March 2022 a six-year-old boy and his father were stabbed at a Sam’s Club in Midland Texas by Jose Gomez a 19 year old who accused them of spreading Covid.  This breaks my heart.

I recently read about an Asian American marketing executive who carries her passport around.  Why?  Because at any time she could be stopped and her identity questioned just because of the way she looks.  This could happen to me any day too.  It makes me furious for myself, my children and my granddaughter.  The 2024 elections proved that half of the country doesn’t like me just because I look different from them.  The plethora of imbeciles sitting right outside my zip code makes me want to scream.

Why does it seem like the massacres of 1885 could easily happen today?  Because it can.  It hurts me to my core and feels like there is a ticking time-bomb in my brain, ready to shoot straight out of my head and burst all the way to the stars where those poor astronauts are stuck.

How can I get rid of the hate I harbor in my heart for all the stupid people in this country, in this world?  I can’t.  It’s a bigger problem.  But what can one person do?

Write. Write your stories down.  Write the history down.  Go ahead and write your heart out. Write Julie Write. 

If some day history books get banned at least I’ll have a Chinese history book to share with my granddaughter.


Monday, March 10, 2025

Our New Zeland Adventure-Sharing Itinerary

You need a lot of time in New Zealand since it basically takes 3 days to get there (with time change).  Plus its a huge country so to get from point A to point B requires a lot of driving or 2-3 hour flights.  Our itinerary is at the bottom of this post & I included Melbourne Australian Open visit too.  Special thanks to buddy Torie for all her NZ tips.

Doubtful Sound Cruise

Rippon Vineyards

This says it all. 
Public Kitchen right on water after we disembarked TSS Earnslaw from Walter's Peak Sheep Farm visit.  Not shown:  Maharongi oysters which were creamy (not briny) + delicious

Walter's Peak Sheep Farm demo

Great Ocean Road 12 Apostles trip in Melbourne

One of my favs:  Gael Monfils, Australian Open

boating in Doubtful Sound.  We didn't want to kayak

whereas Norman & Betty wanted to kayak and we took pix of each other

overnight on Fjordland Navigator

We wanted this background that's why we aren't centered

Peace

Meat pies! Can't get enough

Hike at Abel Tasman.  Te Pukatea means tree

Discovered my new favorite vineyard Te Whare Ra (pronounced Tay Faira Ra).
Goal was to discover organic wines

Also a bestie fav:  Lawson's Dry Hills.  PINK is the best best best Rose.  

Excellent lunch and self serve tastings.  We were like kids in candy stores

Couldn't get enough of greenshell mussels



Visited No1 bubbly vineyard at 10am before our 1pm flight to Auckland!

So did these bikers, part of their bike package included delivery of any wine they bought.  Look how happy this lady is

walking tour of Auckland included these huge trees.  The largest one in NZ is called Tane Mahuta

Day trip:  ferry to Waikehe island & visited Mudbrick - stunning Auckland views

Best view down below in our makeshift table away from loud Americans

Fish and chips at the beach on Waiheke -->  Onetangi


Place

# Days

Hotel and Restaurants

Comments & Activities

 

 

 

 

Melbourne

7

Royce Hotel

Near Shrine of Remembrance

Australian Open tennis

379 St Kilda Rd Melbourne

25 minute walk to Rod Laver through park

 

 

+61 3 8614 1414

 

 

 

 

Free Walking Tour, Culture Capital Tour

 

 

Secret Kitchen-baby abalone

 

 

 

Miznon-fun Israeli

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 Apostles

3.5-4 hour drive from Melbourne

Be careful if you get car sick

 

 

 

 

Queenstown NZ

3 days 2 nights

Peppers Beacon

34 Lake Esplanade, 9197

Queenstown, New Zealand

Phone: +64 3 441 0890

We had a fantastic 2 bedroom apt, lakefront view

Cooked in kitchen and ate on balcony, request higher floor

Could have used one more night here

 

 

 

Rented a car

 

KJ Boatride nice but not as thrilling as promised.  Walter’s Peak sheep farm – loved this

Made res for Rippon Vineyards tasting, wine ok-property stunning!

Investigate Mt Difficulty-Cromwell

Warning:  drive from Queenstown to Wanaka is very winding.  Stopped in Arrowtown

 

 

 

 

Te Anu

1 night

Lakefront Lodge

Address: 58 Lakefront Drive,

9600 Te Anau, New Zealand

Phone: +64 3 249 7728

Te Anau Glowworm Caves

3:15-5:30

 

 

 

Get burgers at Fergburger and breakfast pastries and meat pies at Fergbaker

The Fat Duck (make res or get lucky & walk in)

Olive Tree Café

Avoid The Ranch Bar Grill

 

2.5 hour drive from Queenstown

1 night

Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruise

 

Highly reco if you like wilderness

Takes a long time to get there (drive, ferry, bus, more boat…)

Drive back to Queenstown & leave

Fly to Nelson

5 days 4 nights

Chelsea Park Motor Lodge, no car needed yet

214 Rutherford Street, 7010 Nelson

 

Very good little motel

 

We used Nelson as a base for two tours so we didn’t have to rent a car here/went to places w tourguide

 

 

 

 

 

Booked 2 tours through this company

https://wineartandwilderness.co.nz/tour/abel-tasman-water-walk-tour/ --

1.      e-bike tour “Great Taste Trail” 1.5 hours

2.      Abel Tasman walk & wine

 

 

Vineyards visited:

Flaxmore (pinot noir)

Heaphy’s (great lunch, pinot noir rose)

Seifried

 

Restaurants

Lambretto’s Café

Hawker House

 

 

Picton

(Queen Charlotte Sound)

2 nights

Rented car and drove from Nelson to Picton (1.45 hours)

Picton Waterfronts Apartments

6 London Quay, Picton

2 bedroom apt-AMAZING w loft bedroom/huge balcony overlooking Queen Charlotte Sound

 

Greenshell Mussel Boat Tour - Seafood Odyssea Cruise

Half day guided sea kayaking tour (4 hours) – wilderness guides NZ.con

Could have stayed another day just to hike, bike, relax, do nothing

 

 

 

 

Blenheim

2 nights

Blenheim is Marlborough

Blenheim airport = Marlborough airport

Blenheim Palms Motel

78 Charles Street, Blenheim,
Marlborough, 7201

 

 

TE WHARE RA WINES (organic) favorite for SB & Gewurztraminer
56 Anglesea Street, Renwick, Marlborough

 

Wairu River fantastic lunch

Number 11 Restaurant at Wairu River

Lunch & tasting

11 Rapaura Road, Blenheim 7273,
https://www.wairauriverwines.com Phone: 6435729800


Allan Scott Bistro excellent lunch & fun self-service tastings

229 Jacksons Road, Rapaura 7273, New Zealand

Clos Henri  https://closhenri.com/?srsltid=AfmBOor1HDkr3JLTFkKSKHg0bSB4aOTzG03k65LDSNr3DWQEYKp30ahg

Fromm Winery

Lawson’s Dry Hills – PINK rose a must have

No1 Family Estate (bubbly) can’t wait for my case to arrive

Fri Jan 31

 

 

 

 

Auckland

2 nights

Barclay Suites

+64 9 916 1888

70-74 Albert St 1010 Auckland

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy lots of Mahuca honey and lanolin face cream

Bring bug spray and beware pesky sand flies