Travelog for: Mister_Right

MY TRAVEL LIST so far...

1.Miami - tarepanda
2.Hong-Kong-tarepanda
3.Macau-tarepanda
4.Miami- ppagano
5.Miami-LadyxSky
AND...In August I started my USATVT!
6 California-magickzzl
7.New York-Michele_one_L
8.Virginia! - wmphimu
9.Germany! -olgamaus - I'm here currently and that's one of the best places I've ever seen, thanks for my host! I've had a bit of surgery there too, and I highly recommend Germany for all my buddy toyvoyagers
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THANKS ALL THE HOSTS FOR MAKING MY JOURNEY!

So far, so good! I'll be happy to accept your invitations and specially meet other teddies- TVs!!!!

Lots of love,

Mister_Right


Hi there! Here is my first note! Actually everything has been so hectic! All of a sudden I got the idea of seeing the world! And hop hop hop... I received a kind invitation from my new friend Romeo to Miami! I was pretty intrigued and just jumped into the first possible envelope. Without any bye to my wonderful sweet family! I've got almost 38 brothers and sisters, you know. Not all happened to be at home, while we made our family picture. But I am the most curious of all! So...sorry, you, guys, but  I hate long byes

The Departure day my mom was also in a big rush and I think she was also a bit worried. So she scribbled my destination on the envelope, washed the ink out with some tears...and we kissed and then....I hardly remember what happened next as I think I got a bit sea-sick while crossing the ocean...

My family....I miss you! Specially when Christmas is coming...But my trip is so worth it! I'll keep u up-to-date!

[usr]

Time flies sooooo quick! I am a bit dizzy after a trip. I haven't got used to the jetlag and...OMG!!! ROMEO!  Wouah! You are quite a tall boy I might say! I am so happy to know you!  I think we have so much in common. Really, this big heart...I think it's a real catch!

Actually, the other day you mentioned in your diary that I don't speak English much...I just can be kind of English-shy personality sometimes...Yeah...There are days when I am, you know, like being terrified to show my English tongue and everything...But your sweet and hospitable HI has broken all our borders! Thanks again, Romeo for the invitation and for paying me a trip to Hong-Kong! That was quite a surprise!  I really enjoyed my flight on that huge trip to China! I am happy to meet so cute stuffy friends!

Wow the last few days are like a whirlwind.  And I found that I have done an around-the-world-in-ten-days stint!

Well, when I arrived in my host family, I thought I will just stretch a bit, relax for a bit before I get to do some sight-seeing.  But when I started to unpack, my TV friends told me not to bother, because we will be leaving in a few hours!! Turned out our host is going on a trip to visit her family in Hong Kong.  I feel really lucky that I arrived just in time.

So, before I know it, I am on the airplane again!  But this trip is much better because I get to sit inside the cabin, chat with my new friends, and even eat a snack of pizza and ice cream!
 






Yay, we finally arrived!  Welcome to Hong Kong!  First, let's pick up some tourist guide.



Don't forget our lugguages!

Today we went to Central, the downtwon financial distinct of Hong Kong.  They have a lot of pretty tall buildings.





To the left is the Bank of China building.  And on the right side is the Headquarters of HSBC bank.


Landmark is a famous shopping arcade.  Seeing the Christmas tree makes me miss all my brothers and sisters back in Moscow.  I hope you are all doing well!

I just got the news from my family! They are all happy I arrived to my host!  My brother Lavando is an artist, you know. And for I didn't have time to make a photo-bye to my guys, he was so kind to paint me "by memory"... So here you can see my Big brown brother Jamesie, sending me for a trip. He is quite handsome on this portrait I think...and I am of course  not  that obvious....But hey!!! Here I am!  - right there in a tiny white envelope Jamesie is holding!..Gosh! I even couldnt imagine that my little legs will lead me that far....

Stay in touch!

Departure portrait

In Hong Kong I have tried some new food I have never seen before.  Not that I have tasted a lot of cuisine.

This thing here looks like a worm cocoon, but actually is a tasty candy stuffed with peanuts, coconut, sesame and sugar, and wrapped in finely spun flour.  It's called dragon beard candy.



This dumpling is very famous from Shanghai.  Called Xiao Lung Bao, it takes a lot of craft to make a good one - the wrapper has to be thin but not too thin, or it will burst and the juicy stuffing and soup inside will spill.



  Today we went for dim sum.  The soup in the front is made with shark's fin.  It's considered a delicacy here.  But Tarepanda told us it's bad because it causes the sharks to become endangered.



Tonight we went to a place called Mongkok.  It is, according to the Guiness Record, the crowdest place on earth.



The shops here are open till 11pm or so and the streets don't get quiet till after midnight.  We went to a street nicknamed Women's Street, for it sells a lot of things like accessories and clothes for a low price.



They even have fake name brand stuff, like Rolex watches  and Gucci handbags.

Today I saw everybdoy packing again.  I asked if we are heading back to Miami already, but Mocha told me that we are going to Macau. 

"But I am still having jet lags coming over here!" I exclaimed.

However, when Mara-Joy suggested that I just stay home and rest, I hurriedly jumped into the lugguage bag.  But I think they were teasing me because I am a small bear.



So here we are on the jetfoil.  We passed by lots of little islands.  I wonder if we are the first TVs to visit Macau?



This is the most famous landmark of Macau, ruins of the St Paul Cathedral (Ruínas de São Paulo).  It was built in the 16th century but destroyed in a fire in 1835 but was burnt down.  Only the front entrance and the foundation remained.  It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.



See, this is the back!! It's almost like a movie set.



Macau was a Portuguese colony for over 400 years so it has an interesting mix of Chinese and Portuguese culture.  Like the decoration in this little teashop here.



These are the canons at the fort, Fortaleza do Monte, that overlooks the Cathedral  (or what's left of it).  It was built also in the 16th century and another UNESCO World Heritage Site.



This is St. Dominic's Church (Igreja de São Domingos) on Senado Square.



We get a little hungry, so it's time for some Macanese snacks.  This is the Pastel de nata, a sweet egg tart with a very flaky crust.  Yummy!!!



We went to a pastry shop where we watched them make egg rolls.  In Asia, the egg rolls are really made with egg and flour and is a light, flute-like pastry.



They make them right there in the shop and then pack them in boxes to sell.



And here they are making peanut candies. They roll the peanut with sugar into long tubes, then cut them into bite size pieces and toss in more peanuts.



They also have many varieties of pork and beef jerkies.



These looks like brown furry balls but are meat shreds.



Hmm, I want to buy some of everything!!

Today we visited a tourist attraction called Fisherman's Wharf.  Its various sections are modeled after different cities, so it felt like we were on a mini tour of the world.

Behind us is the jetfoil we took to come to Macau.



The bridge connects Macau to the Taipa island.



Now we really feel like we are in China!



And now we are in Potala Palace in Tibet!



We have crossed the continent!



This is Amsterdam Street.



And here we are in New Orleans!



Mocha told me we are back in Miami and I almost believed him!



I must say seeing all these places make my head dizzy!  I don't even know where I am anymore!

Today we had a great time at the Museum of Macau.

First, we see this terra cotta warrior at the entrance.  The real warriors are in Xian guarding the tomb of the First Emperor, but I want a photo with him anyway!!



This tablet shows how letters like moon, field and water evolved from pictographs into characters. 



These are some coins from hundreds of years ago.



These are how typical Portuguese style buildings look in Macau.



And a little mailbox!



This is the set up of a traditional tea house in the olden days. 



And this is a shop where they make little god statues so people can put in their homes.



A traditional medicine shop.  There is a big chopper for chopping up herbal roots and a grinder for grounding the herbs.



Afterwards we enjoyed some Macanese lunch of chicken and bacalhua.

Today we went to a place called Venetian.  It's the largest casino in the world and just opened a few months ago. 



What a beautiful place it is!





They even have canals and a boat called gondola inside the resort.  The steer sings while he steers the boat down the canal. 

Wow it was a fun trip in Macau but now we are back in Hong Kong.  We are very excited when we find a box waiting for us.  Seems like we have some TVs friends joining us.

I go closer to the box, and hear a scream, "Hurry up and open the box!" and when we finally get it opened, a really wild cat jumps out at us and really startles MaraJoy.  Turns out it's Budd, a really wild cat.  And a monkey calls SaruMaru, and Trapito



We are really happy that all of us gather together.  We share our travel stories.  The latecomers are a bit jealous.  They are also very hungry too and finish all the cookies we bought in Macau.  I was hoping to save some for my mommy but oh well... I am really scared of that cat...

Tonight I went to a music concert!

This is Mongkok, where we take the bus to the concert hall.  It is one of the crowdest place on earth.



We buy some flashlights so we can wave them at the concert. There are a lot of people!



Yeah, light is off!  The girls start screaming "Andy", which is the star's name.







It is a lot of fun.  I don't know the songs but I wave the light as everybody sings along. 

Ouhla! I think I look mega cool on this picture with flashlights! ThANKS WITH ALL THE BIG HEART in my tiny little hands to wonderful tarepanda, who brought us at that concert! I LOVE HONG KOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!

Sadly our travel in Hong Kong is coming to an end.  Today as our last stop we visited a Buddhist nunnery.  Tarepanda's mom was worried that the nunnery may be closed for the holiday but Tarepanda said that she can't imagine a Buddhist temple closing for a Christian holiday.  Indeed it was not. 

While the Chilan Nunnery is a relatively new building, it used architectural technique from the Tang Dynasty, around the 7th century.  It is an all wooden structure built without using one nail.  As Tang Dynasty is the period with heavy cultural exchange between China and Japan, this style of architecture is commonly found in Japanese Zen Buddhism temples.

This is the entrance (West Gate).





A watermill useful for grinding flour, though they are not really using it now.






This is a really beautiful lake with a lot of koi fishes in it.

Well, we are back in Miami, with its nice, warm weather.  Now I really get to take a good look of the place.  Today we go to a U-Pick field. 



Look!  A big scarecrow!



I am determined to help Tarepanda pick the best tomato.



Now on to some grape tomatoes for our salad.



After picking enough tomatoes, we go on to pick some strawberries. 



They are not easy to find as they are often hiding under the leaves.  Also we have to be sure to pick the ones that are big, ripe but not overly so.  Romeo teaches me how to find the best ones.



Strawberry flowers are pretty too.





See how I find this big bunch of strawberries!


Look how many tomatoes we pick!



And the red, plump strawberries.  We eat a lot and make smoothie out of the rest.





Next week, I will go to visit Romeo's home.  He also lives in Miami.