Highlights of four-week author trip to Asia

From 2/13/16 to 3/11/16, I hopped across Asia to speak at nine schools and a company. Meeting the students and staff at the schools was rewarding on its own, and getting to experience three countries new to me (Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong/China) was a bonus I don't take for granted.

I've blogged extensively about this trip. All nine schools and the company were highlights, and among are the highlights when I was not working:

Malaysia

Thailand (Phuket) 

Thailand (Chiang Mai) 

Thailand (Bangkok; previously unpublished!)

One night in Bangkok—literally. 

It was just a layover. I didn't even get off the plane.

Hong Kong

[NOTE: Most are selfies because I was mostly alone. I prefer travel photos with the traveler in them to show you that were there; otherwise the photos could just as well be from a book or site.]

For details on each photo and more in general on my time in Asia:

• Malaysia
• Thailand
• Hong Kong

Four schools in Hong Kong

After an exploratory first weekend in Hong Kong (my first time), I enjoyed visiting four schools over five days.

(Note: If you notice any shirt repeats, please be aware that my hotel had laundry service.)

Day 1: Bradbury School

Dozens of shrunken heads greeted me—sculptures by the students, cheekily placed on a wall next to the school entrance.

Before I began speaking, the students sang a song about the role of the author and the illustrator…and, to my pleasant surprise, the publisher, too! It's good when kids understand that writing is solitary but making a book is a team effort!

Scenes from Bradbury:

Even before I left the building, photos from my presentations turned up on a feed shown in the library:

I might not have made it to HK if not for former Bradbury librarian Debbie Alvarez, with whom I began corresponding in 2014. She was from Oregon and was planning to move back, so she kindly passed me to her colleague at another HK school, Rosheen Rodwell, who organized my sizable trip with skill and stamina.

I did not know that Debbie was suffering from cancer, which was an impetus for her to return to the States…nor did I know that on 12/21/15, a mere four days after she last emailed me, Debbie passed away. I learned this from a touching display at Bradbury:

Thank you, Debbie, and rest in peace.

Day 2: Kowloon Junior School

A colorful and spacious library, engaged students, and dedicated staff made this another standout school.

Student work done immediately after my talk:

Three favorite comments from kids:

• "Your hair looks like Bill Finger's."
• "Do you know my grandpa?" (when I said I'm from Connecticut, as is his grandpa)
• "What can we do to help?" (in response to my challenge to help spread Bill's story)

Interlude: Two International Finance Centre

In the 2008 film The Dark Knight, Batman came to Hong Kong for some base jumping/thugnapping. To do so, he flew down from Two International Finance Centre (then the tallest building in HK) to One International Finance Centre. You can see both over my shoulders.

Day 3: Harrow International School

A breathtaking building where students both learn and live, with sweeping grounds.
 

Days 4-5: Peak School

So much Book Week bookiness going on here, it was hard to keep up with it all.

A contest to redesign book covers:

A contest to guess which teacher is reading which book:

A contest to photograph yourself "extreme reading":

This school is truly at the peak of motivating students to read using fun.

Special thanks yet again to Rosheen Rodwell at Peak, who tirelessly coordinated all the HK schools with me over the past year. I am grateful for your efforts.

Last stop in Asia: Hong Kong

My month-long school visit trip to Asia (2/13-3/11/16) has been a series of adventures and puddle-jumping flights between them:

• 2/23/16 Kuala Lumpur to Phuket
• 2/29/16 Phuket to Kuala Lumpur
• 3/1/16 Kuala Lumpur to Phuket
• 3/3/16 Phuket to Chiang Mai
• 3/5/16 Chiang Mai to Hong Kong

A day after I walked with elephants in rural Thailand, I was in the middle of the high-rise city of Hong Kong, where I've come to speak at four international schools. I've learned that I prefer learning about a city once I'm in it; prior to being here, my knowledge of Hong Kong was barely even this:

Hong Kong: where airport staff made me take off my baseball hat five minutes before I reached immigration but did not care when I told them that someone left two plastic bags on the floor in line at immigration.

Within hours after arriving, after a nap to compensate for my 3:30 a.m. wake-up to make my 6 a.m. flight from Thailand, I was on the ferry from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon on the mainland.

Other sights from my wanderings:

Hong Kong junk:

Ball in the air:

The following day, I took on the Twin Peaks; at 3,000 steps (though they say 1,000), it's a workout with a view. And it's actually three peaks; the first is called Violet Hill. You start right behind here, a complex that looks cool but doesn't seem in close proximity to rolling hills:

The first part of the climb:

Remember that building I started at?

Pretty but precarious:

Infinity path:

The area between peak 1 and 2:

That's as far as you go, little one:

Twin Peak 1 is the toughest part of the hike. But I made it to the top:

Ready to tackle peak 2 (in the background): 

My ride back to the hotel; it may look like a mild-mannered double decker bus, but the (rather old) driver gunned that thing down the windy mountain road like he was fleeing killer bees.