Hockey Afternoon in Shenzhen

Hello My Dear Great Ones,

Never in a million years would I have thought that my Calgary Flames would come to Shenzhen, CHINA and play a game against the Boston Bruins.  Before Shenzhen I had seen the Flames play live in only two other rinks.  The old Stampede Corral, remember that, and the Saddledome.  Now I can say I have also seem them at the Universiade rink in Shenzhen.  Although it was just a preseason game it was still fun to see my heros live.  It was also fun to watch the game with Celia, who I have slowly indoctrinated into becoming a Flames fan, and also several guys from my ball hockey league plus colleagues from school.  The game itself was a promotion to inspire the Chinese to play the great game of hockey, but oh boy, based on the fact that 90 percent of the fans at Shenzhen were Canadian expats who came over from neighboring Hong Kong this may take a while.  Better idea is to build some rinks up in north China, provide cheap skates, and get kids playing, coached by Canadian expats.  As for the game between the Flames and Bruins my team totally dominated the guys from Boston.  Yet their goalie was amazing and held them in.  The Bruins went up three nothing early and the Flames spent the rest of the game trying to tie it.  And finally they did in the last minute of the third after the Bruins got two penalties and were shorthanded two men.  The Flames pulled their goalie and so it was a six on three man advantage.  Never seen that before.  Wow.  The game went into overtime and a shootout.  Sadly my heros lost in the shootout.  Dang.   Anyway here are a few impressions of a great day:

 It was super hot outside of the funky looking arena where the game took place.

 Some hockey icons were on display near the arena:  The Stanley Cup....

 ... and Lanny Mcdonld!

 Lanny was busy signing a million autographs.

 Gretzky jerseys were everywhere.  Boo...

 Flames warming up...

 The budding new Flames fan!

 Not Gretzky...ugh

 The Hanson brothers showed up too.

And just to remind us that we were still in China, there was a heavy military presence and the food and concessions were abysmal.  No beer and nachos?  Are you serious?  And they ran out of what little food they had and their outrageous luke warm, diluted, flavored soda water by the first intermission.  Laughable!!!!

Still was a great time and hockey is the best sport in the world!

These guys succumbed to the heat.

Taking a few shots near the rink.

Have a great week everyone!

Love adios and ping on!

Dirk

Super Typhoon Mangkhut

Typhoon Mangkhut,^{[nb 1]} known in the Philippines as Typhoon Ompong, was the strongest typhoon to strike Luzon since Typhoon Megi in 2010, and the strongest typhoon to make landfall in the Philippines since Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013.^[2] In addition, Mangkhut was also the strongest typhoon to strike Hong Kong since Typhoon Ellen in 1983.^[3] The thirty-first tropical depression, twenty-second tropical storm, and ninth typhoon of the 2018 Pacific typhoon season, Mangkhut made landfall in the Philippine province of Cagayanon September 14 as a Category 5-equivalent super typhoon, and subsequently impacted Hong Kong and southern China.^[4] As of September 2018, Mangkhut was also the strongest tropical cyclone worldwide in 2018.

As of September 20, at least 93 fatalities have been attributed to Mangkhut, including 88 in the Philippines,^[5] 4 in mainland China,^[6][7] and 1 in Taiwan.^[8]

Hong Kong[edit]

Shattered windows at the Two Harbourfront in Hung Hom, Hong Kong

Mangkhut is regarded as the strongest typhoon to strike Hong Kong since Typhoon Ellen in 1983.^[3][51] Mangkhut caused flooding, especially in low-lying and coastal areas, and many trees were knocked over. Sustained winds of up to 180 kilometres per hour (110 mph) and gusts of up to 228 kilometres per hour (142 mph)^[3][52][8]caused the territory's many high-rises to sway and some roofs to be torn off. Glass windows of many buildings were shattered, and the curtain walls of the Harbour Grand Kowloon were blown out. A structure on a high-rise under construction in Tai Kok Tsui collapsed onto an adjacent building, which had to be evacuated by police.^[53]Many roads were blocked, and service on the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) was halted on all above-ground sections of track.^[54]

People climb over trees to go to work the morning after Typhoon Mangkhut near Immigration Tower inWan Chai

Some buildings around the Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and New Territories area suffered broken windows and water damage. Blinking lights were reported in a lot of residential buildings as well. Serious flooding was reported in many seaside housing areas such as Heng Fa Chuen, Tseung Kwan O South, Shek O, Lei Yue Mun, villages in Tuen Mun, and Tai O.^[55] About 1,219 people sought refuge in emergency shelters opened by the Home Affairs Department.^[56] The Hong Kong International Airport cancelled and delayed a total of 889 international flights. More than 200 people were injured, but no fatalities have been reported.^[57][58] Due to the substantial damage caused, theEducation Bureau announced that all schools would be closed on September 17 and 18.^[54]

The day after the storm had passed, massive crowds filled the territory's MTR system, which operated at a reduced level of service on some lines, due to blocked sections of track.^[59] Most of the city's 600 bus routes were also out of service due to roads blocked by debris.^[60]

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My Dear Great Ones,
I have lived through some bad storms in my lifetime and have driven through countless blizzards, and been outside in minus 20 C with a windchill of minus 40.  I have dug out driveways and piled up snow in piles taller than myself.  So I have become pretty cavalier to bad weather.  Whatever!  But Super Typhoon Mangkhut was something else.  It wasn't really how hard and fast the rain was coming down or how obviously strong the wind was, but it was the sound of the wind that made me a tad uneasy.  A constant, unabated howling that was both angry and scary at the same time.  Thankfully most structures in Hong Kong are pretty solid, but check out the video of a high rise swaying.  Wow!  As for Celia and myself we were snug and safe on the top floor of a third story village home made of cement and brick.  Being up high surrounded by a thick jungle also helped.  It was a great day to catch up on sleep and netflix.  Anyway, check out the pictures and video.  Super Typhoon Mangkhut was pretty super in a way that is not good.

This was taken from the balcony of my home.  Listen to the wind.

This video and the following ones were sent to me and Celia and went viral in Hong Kong.

This is crazy.  The building is swaying!

The day after.  It was a mess.  The following six pictures are of our road:  Shing Mun Road.  Needless to say Celia and I had a day off from school as an army of people equipped with chain saws went to work.

 Pictures that I took on my travels after the Typhoon Mangkhut.

Hong Kong humour.  Ha ha.  The video is of a guy who is using the top of a trash can as rain protection.

Praise God that despite nature's fury no one died in Hong Kong.  Like after a major blizzard the remnants of thousands of trees are being cut up, gathered up, and collected in huge piles. Things are good.  

Thanks for your prayers.

Have a great week!

Love adios and ping on!

Dirk

Faces

Hello My Dear Great Ones,
During our travels this year we have seen some great faces.  Here is a small sample:

Art is amazing.  Artists are amazing!

Have a great week.  Love adios and ping on!

Dirk

Buskers

busk¹

bʌsk/

verb

gerund or present participle: busking

1. 1.

   play music in the street or other public place for voluntary donations.

   "the group began by busking on Philadelphia sidewalks"
2. 2.

   informal

   improvise.

Hello My Dear Great Ones,

One of the pleasures of summer travel is to be regaled  by buskers.  Berlin in particular is a great  location to catch some busking.  But we saw some great ones in Seattle as well.  And of course there are plenty in Hong Kong.

The first three videos are from Berlin:

This opera singer sang in a tunnel with great acoustics.

These guys were rippin it on the horns.

This guy strummed a fine tune by the Spree River.

In Seattle this guy has been wheeling his piano to the same spot for years.

Some southern bluegrass in Seattle.

Blowing out a tune to an appreciative audience of one in Hong Kong.

Great music, great times!

Have a great week!

Love adios and ping on!

Dirk

Tacoma/Seattle with Elsie and Josh

Hello My Dear Great Ones,

Celia and I spent 4 wonderful days with Elsie and Josh in Tacoma, Washington, USA.  Our sixth country in four weeks.  The Tacoma/Seattle area is beautiful, interesting, and full of coffee lovers. Here are a few impressions:

Lots of water, lots of trees, lots of dramatic mountains.  Tacoma/Seattle is very scenic.

We checked out some interesting museums in Tacoma.

 It was great....

The glass museum was interesting.

A model train was very interesting.

This was an art display.  A fancy bee hive.

For a break we checked out why many Americans have a weight issue....

Americans love their pastries....

...and hamburger!

We also spent a few days on nearby Vachon Island....

At a lighthouse.

Our place had a few chickens.

Some scenes from the island...

After Vachon we headed to Seattle...

We also spent some time in Seattle at the famous Public Market Center.  Famous for...

Its fish market....

buskers....

and the site of the first Starbucks!

Coffee culture is alive and well in Seattle.

A tourist attraction that you don't want to go to is an alleyway where people paste their chewed gum on the walls.

DISGUSTING!!!!

Finally a stop at the Starbucks Roastery restaurant where you can see coffee beans being roasted and try different coffees like at a winery is a must see...

Tacoma/Seattle area has great people and wonderful sites to see!

Have a great week!

Love adios and ping on!

Dirk