Sunrise from Stanley House, Hong Kong. © 2014 Jeane Vogel Studios

This is no ordinary journey. This is an artists’ journey to teach, to learn, to expand a studio practice. This is a journey about people.

I landed in Hong Kong on Friday evening, 27 June 2014. The flight was one of the bumpier on record… attendants were in their jump seats for most of the flight. Oy! We’re talking 15 hours!

My dear friend, Renata, met me at the airport. She’s been in China since Monday to attend the graduation of students she had last year when she taught at university here. She and her graduating students have coordinated the lectures and workshops I will give, the family visits, the touring in the second week I’m here. Renata keeps telling me it’s vacation. I tell Renata is work. Wonderful, joyous work. And she is a partner in the work I will create.

We are staying at Maryknoll Stanley House (Google it!) high on a hill overlooking Hong Kong and the sea. I guess everything in Hong Kong is overlooking the sea! It’s a beautiful old retreat house for the Maryknoll priests and brothers. The religious iconography is everywhere. And these men love art. Catholic symbols? Sure. Of course. but also lots of Buddhist and other faith traditions. Like the Buddhists and the Hindus, these seem to be people who understand the many paths to god.

The rooms are spare and the bathroom is down the hall. I was glad to have a large pashmina to toss over my shoulders to cover the rather strappy summer nightgown, when I walked to the bathroom! Didn’t want to scandalize a priest…. really don’t need that kind of karma.

This is real travel, like the pensiones of Italy and the hostels in England and the cabins in Costa Rica. No fancy restaurant or lush hotel room, but a solid hard bed, a fan, and real people to meet and talk to.

Thanks for coming on this journey during the next two weeks. Hope for wifi!