HONG KONG, China – Details of Sarah Palin's trip to Hong Kong - in what is being billed as her first speech outside North America - have been kept under wraps.

When I interviewed a spokeswoman for the event she will speak at, the 16th CLSA Investors' Forum, she said she didn't know when Palin would land in Hong Kong or when she would leave, and the former Republican vice presidential candidate's keynote address would be closed to the media.

Contacts put me in touch with people attending the speech, and I asked if I could interview them afterward about what Palin said: They both declined, though one was open to it if it was off the record.

CLSA head of communications Simone Wheeler told me: "She (Palin) has chosen to come here to speak to our clients on the condition that it would be closed to media so she could therefore have a candid conversation with investors as opposed to using this as a PR trip to promote herself globally."

She had earlier said: “She is coming to present to our investors, not to seek publicity. I think she really understands the value of presenting to a room of 1,000 global fund managers who really can influence the markets. We are really glad that she sees the value of that and that she’s not using this as a publicity-seeking exercise.”

I wondered, “Why the secrecy?” What do you think?

HONG KONG, China – Ten years ago, I experienced a total solar eclipse in northern France. It was as if someone had turned off the lights on a Hollywood set and we were in the blackest of nights. The sky turned purple and I saw some stars. It became cooler and a breeze picked up, though it was late morning.

A girl peers through a telescope Wednesday in Hong Kong to witness the solar eclipse.

When I was heading out on the train to the rural area where I watched the eclipse, I met people who had traveled from across the world to see it. I did not know then what the appeal was, but afterward, I vowed to make it to any other eclipses that I could.

Fast forward to one week ago when I learned I was living in the path of another total solar eclipse. It reminded me of that feeling of witnessing the power of Mother Nature - to turn day into night, then back into day – and in the process play a little game with humans and animals with the sudden switching on and off of the lights.

Today, I went out to a primary school in Hong Kong, where sky gazers gathered in droves. They were armed with sun goggles, telescopes, binoculars, a large solar filter and even a homemade eclipse viewer.

The air was charged with enthusiasm, and I was swept along with it. I knew we were only getting a partial eclipse of 75 percent, and so it would not equal my earlier experience, but the skies were unusually sunny for what has been a very rainy typhoon season in the southern Chinese enclave.

Hong Kong is a typically busy financial hub, cluttered with skyscrapers and block after block of apartment buildings. Even if it had not been raining, the city could have been covered in an all-too-frequent haze that blocks out the sun.

At the school, I spoke with parents who made their daughter a homemade eclipse viewer, a woman who brought her family and her housekeeper, a 13-year-old astronomy enthusiast who asked his teacher to join him, among others.

The astronomy enthusiast, Louis Chung, told me: "City folks wouldn't usually be able to see this."

"Nature is wonderful. It is awesome to know that nature can provide such spectacular sights," said Chung, a member of the Hong Kong Astronomical Society.

Yolanda Yip, 12, came with her parents to the school. Her father, Frankie Yip, fashioned a homemade way to see the eclipse: He took a shoe box and put aluminum foil at one end - with a small hole poked in it - and cooking paper on the other. He said he wanted Yolanda to learn more about the solar system.

"We love the Earth, we want to know more about it. The sun eclipse is one of the rare phenomenons about the sun, the Earth," said mother Sammie Chan, noting that she thought the eclipse was "gorgeous."

As the moon slowly passed over the sun, I grabbed my own solar viewer to watch. Even though the sky did not darken - it was though the lights had been dimmed - I still marveled at the show that Mother Nature had to offer us on this day.

There are many things we can try and control in life, but this is one of those moments that we need to step back and watch nature conducting a grand performance for us.

(CNN) – He has all the hallmarks of the real Michael: The slim frame, well-powdered face hidden under a cocked hat, dark glasses, and the delicate swagger. He's a little shy too. 

WJ performs his MJ routine to members of the public.

"I'm grateful that my parents gave me this face," he says quietly.

29-year-old Wang Jie is China's most famous Michael Jackson impersonator. He told us to just call him "WJ."

WJ says he discovered MJ when he was a teenager and fell in love with his dance moves.

"I realized I looked like my idol by accident," says Wang. "So step by step, with a lot of hard work and study, I made it on stage. Now he's a part of my life."

Wang had no idea he would someday make a living from his looks. He has since appeared on Chinese TV shows and won contests.

I first saw Wang as he sauntered in with his "agent" to meet our crew. WJ quickly drew perplexed but fascinated Chinese crowds. If the real Michael Jackson hadn't just passed away, they might have thought it was really him.

It's when he started dancing that I really had to do a double take. Wang strutted and snapped his hips as if he'd learned from Jackson himself.

The real Michael Jackson never performed in China, but he's loved here nonetheless. Members of the official Michael Jackson Fan Club (yes, there is one in China) even rented a hotel room so they can watch his funeral broadcast live on CNN.

"I miss Michael Jackson even more. I adore him even more," said one die-hard fan.

"There are impersonators of Michael Jackson everywhere but I think they can only try to imitate him, never overtake him."

Jackson's music was some of the first Western music widely available in China. His rise to stardom coincided with China's opening up to the world. So, to the Chinese, he symbolized what was out there.

To this day, he still has a huge Chinese following. Clearly, through WJ and MJ fans throughout China, Jackson's music lives on.

HONG KONG, China - When Michael Jackson first announced he would be doing 10 shows in July – his “This Is It” concerts – in London starting on July 8, I thought the opportunity to see him live was too good to pass up.

In this photo provided by AEG/Concerts West, Jackson rehearses for the “This Is It” tour on May 6 in California.

OK, so he was 50 years old and maybe not at his prime - and suppose he cancels?

But I’d like to think I would have tried to see Elvis if he were giving what was billed as his “last concert” back in the 1970s. That wouldn’t have been possible for me, since I was three when the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll died.

So this was my chance to see the King of Pop.

I registered for the Michael Jackson presale in March, and when the sale window arrived a week later I tried to get four – then three – then two – then, OK, one, just one ticket – please!  I played a Michael Jackson CD hoping it could help my purchase sail through, given that my previous attempts had crashed because of the system overload.

As if trying to alleviate the frustration for many Michael Jackson fans, an email arrived from AEG with the subject line: “Michael Jackson Presale – Keep Trying!” And try I did until I got through with a single ticket for Sunday July 12, the third concert.

I was going!

My seat was Section BK 417, Row Q, Seat 850 at The O2.

I even bought a ticket to the “This is It! Michael Jackson: The Aftershow” party.

(Total cost, with service charges: 88 British pounds or US $145.)

By the next day, 40 shows had been added through next year, with special hospitality packages offered to include champagne and red carpet VIP check-in on arrival, DJ and entertainment, goody bag and souvenir tour laminate, parking and Thames Clipper tickets and pre-show and after-show parties.

In May, two months after purchasing the concert ticket and one week after buying my plane ticket from Hong Kong to London, I got a “Dear Customer” letter from Ticketmaster/AEG Live that the opening four shows, including July 12, were rescheduled. The first concert on July 8 would be bumped to July 13, while the others, including mine, were bumped to the end of his concert engagement – next March.

The reason given, along with apologies, was to “meet the challenges presented by such a large and technically complex concert.” The rescheduling coincided with rumors that week that Jackson was being treated for skin cancer.

Last Monday, I got another email from AEG Live, with the subject line, “Michael Jackson – Urgent Reminder,” that the July 12 concert has been rescheduled to March 3.

No email from AEG Live came on the day of his death three days later, however. That would not come until Saturday, with subject line, “Michael Jackson – The O2 – Cancellation Information (Please Do Not Reply).” It offered AEG’s condolences to Jackson’s family and friends and noted that full ticket refund information would be given soon.

My plane is still taking off this Friday. And I’m still going to be on it.

I haven’t gotten official information from AEG, but if it’s a choice between a refund or a commemorative ticket, I’ll take something tangible to remember Jackson by. I had wanted to see his last concert.

HONG KONG, China - The H1N1 virus hits home - figuratively.

With her preschool classes cancelled, Mandy Yuen's daughter enjoys a day at Disneyland.

This time in the form of an unexpected forced vacation for all kids in Hong Kong under the age of 12. The kids are ecstatic. The parents ... not so much. On Thursday parents were told all nursery, kindergarten and primary schools are closed for at least two weeks. The reason: 12 students at St. Paul Convent School in Causeway Bay district came down with confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus.

"Help!!!"

That was the collective cry from parents all over Hong Kong as more than 500,000 children found themselves with free time. The school year normally doesn't end until July, and suddenly here is a two-week hole to fill. On Monday I decided to hit the streets to find out how parents are getting along. My crew and I headed to the street markets in Quarry Bay at lunchtime. We found mothers towing their kids behind, as they shopped for fresh vegetables.

Ann Chan was wearing a face mask (very common in polluted Hong Kong) as she picked through a bin of yams. Her 6-year-old young daughter Nivia stood next to her in a pink dress and pigtails, also wearing a mask. When asked about the school closure, Amy Chan said, "Yes, it's inconvenient. I have to use all my time to take care of her and have her tag along whenever I go out."

Daughter Nivia said sweetly through her mask, " I feel really happy, I can stay home and play. I'm going to do some drawings." We talked to a few parents who said they had taken time off from work to take care of their kids.

Then we headed to Hong Kong Disneyland. In a brilliant PR but debatable public safety move, Disneyland jumped on the school closures as a business opportunity. Immediately after the closures were announced, Hong Kong Disneyland offered a promotion targeting the children of the affected schools. For 250 Hong Kong dollars ($32 US), kids can come to Disneyland as many times as they want for the month of June. The children need to show their school ID, proving they attend one of the closed schools, and parents pay the regular entrance fee. Disneyland was heavily criticized by the Hong Kong government which charged that the promotion defeats the purpose of the school closures. The whole point was to discourage big gatherings of children to prevent possible contamination.

Disneyland responded with this statement:

"Hong Kong Disneyland is a family destination and it is up to parents to decide the best time for their children to visit the Park. The safety and security of our Guests and Cast Members is our top priority and we will continue to uphold stringent hygiene levels throughout the Resort, including the addition of extra-thorough and frequent cleaning and the sterilization of our facilities."

On a Monday afternoon, we found a good amount of Hong Kong parents with their energetic kids. Most parents said they were not too worried about the crowds because Disneyland's layout has more open space than the city. One mom said, "I think Disneyland is quite a good place to go compared to just staying in the shopping malls where the air is always trapped inside. Here it's more open and spacious." Nonetheless, many parents made sure their little Mickey Mouse fans were wearing face masks even in the stifling humidity.

The kids are breezing through this two-week homework assignment.

Let's see what grade the parents get!

Watch my story of children tagging along with their parents due to the closure or schools.

HONG KONG, China - Last week, I found myself lying in a coffin watching video images of my supposed demise. No, I am not entranced by the macabre. I was just one of the lucky few to get a sneak peak at the attractions of Hong Kong's newest theme park: a life-size Noah's Ark.

The claustrophobic should probably skip the coffin adventure.

So what does a coffin have to do with a Biblical boat full of animals?

Organizers told us both are supposed to get visitors to reflect on their lives. Spencer Lu, the project director, said, in the story of Noah, a father (Noah) saves his family from pending doom (massive floods). He says his 450-foot long wooden replica aims to remind tourists of the importance of family values. Marketing family or "positive" values, as Lu likes to call them, helps to distinguish his park from others.

The coffin is the most obvious attraction geared to visitors unsure of the afterlife. Before climbing into the box, I was asked to think for 20 minutes about my life and draft my goals over the next five years. Once I had sorted out my life's plan, I was shut into the casket where a computer monitor flashed scenes of doctors hovering over me, darkness, pallbearers carrying my body to a cemetery, human skeletons, a piece of paper fluttering in the wind at, presumably, my grave.

For me, the experience was eerie but not life-altering (though it did make me think about changing my life insurance plan). Lu told me the ride is only for people ages 16 and up - no young children are allowed. I would suggest the claustrophobic skip the coffin adventure as well.

Lu insists that, despite the Judaeo-Christian origins of the story, the ark is not meant to be religious. He says visitors can have fun taking photos with the various animals (male and female) or take a spin around the learning centers for children (where they can marvel at the not-so-Biblical dinosaur skulls).

The park was funded by the Hong Kong government but is run by Sun Hung Kai Properties, a local developer whose leadership includes Christian evangelical billionaire Thomas Kwok.

The park hopes to attract half a million people a year and is targeting the Chinese. Visitors to the ark will bring profits to its creators and, perhaps, also bring them closer to their Creator.

Noah's Ark opened on May 25, 2009, in Hong Kong.

HONG KONG, China - There I was: An ark on my right, giraffes in the distance and a gaggle of animals beating a path out of the vessel in what appeared to be the merriest of moods.

The glass-reinforced concrete ark abuts a roadway. Organizers are aiming to attract underprivileged groups to the site.

No, I was not at the zoo, nor was it a theme party or a festivity of any sort. Rather, it was one of Hong Kong's latest attractions: A massive five-story Noah's Ark that its creators said was built to proportions detailed in the Bible.

It was surreal. Sounds of music mixed in with the growls of cougars wafted through the park where the ark was perched in the shadow of a bridge and towering apartment buildings in a corner of the city.

Theme park it is not, the organizers said. They wanted it to be "edutainment," noting the signs under the ark's inhabitants (67 pairs of animals in all, designed by a British artist) that describe their habitat, survival skills and if they are endangered. The vessel houses a children's education center that includes information on the solar system, fossils and dinosaurs, as well as a little theater area.

Organizers also said the ark was not meant to be viewed in a religious light, they just wanted to remind people - through a story known around the world - about the worth of certain values, such as loving thy neighbor, respecting the environment and to have a little hope (as these animals seemed to be feeling when they emerged after the floods) in these troubled financial times.

They also noted the venture, which received $103 million, was a private-government-nonprofit endeavor and this made it a unique project in this financial center.

Hong Kong is a city of extremes; lush, mountainous islands bursting with nature and populous, concrete skyscraper districts. Ma Wan Park, which houses the ark, is not immune from this. With planes zooming overhead (the international airport is not far), workers using drills to do maintenance on the ark and the noise from a passing freighter, it was difficult to fully appreciate the calm world the creators envisaged.

I spoke to a few visitors, some who said they were drawn to the ark because it was something new and different. My only fear is that, like all other things "new," the ark would soon become old - thus squelching the enthusiasm in this little corner of the world.

And though I appreciated the efforts of the organizers, especially the educational aspects, I also could not help but wonder why we humans have to go about recreating nature rather than preserving what we already have.

HONG KONG, China - Most people would welcome an extended vacation. Sounds like a bonus, right? Not here at the Metropark Hotel in Hong Kong's Wanchai district. More than 300 guests and staff have been under forced quarantine since last Friday - a full 7 days.

A guest peers through a lobby window of the quarantined Metropark Hotel in Hong Kong on Wednesday.

This is because a Mexican tourist who was later found to have the contagious H1N1flu virus had checked into that hotel. Suddenly plans change. Flights need to be canceled. Shopping trips never happen. Business meetings get missed.

Sure, it's a nice 4-star hotel in the middle of bustling Hong Kong. But the tables are turned: These guests are on the inside longingly looking out.

Today, they finally made it to Day 7.

I am standing outside the hotel, taking in the scene from the sidewalk. On the fourth floor, a man and a woman hang a banner (I'm assuming a hotel bed sheet) that reads: "Greetings to Germany. Hours left: 8, 7, 6, 5 ..." The number 8 has been crossed off.

Less than 8 hours before they can walk out of this building and back to their regular lives.

It's interesting to hear about the different levels of tolerance, and I suppose the anecdotes say something about people's thresholds for sudden change.

This week I spoke with different quarantined guests via Skype. One British citizen complained of the sorry gifts his consulate sent him to pass the time (e.g. worn-out books and magazines from 2007). Meanwhile, a Frenchman who celebrated his 43rd birthday this week under quarantine received a nice bottle of champagne from the French consulate. He had a party on his floor.

A man from Singapore told me he was getting a lot of work done on his laptop and was using his time productively. He did point out that everyone was given a daily supply of Tamiflu, but no health officials checked to see if each guest actually took the Tamiflu.

I personally don't know what I would do if I were quarantined for 7 days. I would surely want my laptop, internet service and some sort of reading. As our producer, Tim Schwarz, says, "It would be a great opportunity to catch up on sleep." But that's coming from those of us on the outside looking in.

HONG KONG, China — We have all had our share of fake food - Twinkies, Tang, Jell-O. But what about a totally man-made appetizer devised by one of the world's top chefs? It is a first. And I tasted it here in Hong Kong.

The Note à Note has notes of lemon drops, toffee and green apple, according to CNN's Kristie Lu Stout.

It is called "Note à Note," and has been billed in the press as "the world's first entirely synthetic gourmet dish."

It is the latest creation of Pierre Gagnaire, the world-famous French chef with three Michelin stars. He created it with chemist Hervé. This who is the founder of "molecular gastronomy" - a scientific approach to cuisine that exploits the physical and chemical reactions of cooking.

Both chef and chemist fervently stress that the dish is not synthetic, but rather built "compound by compound."

But still, take a look at the recipe: Melt 100g of glucose and 20g of tartaric acid in 20cl of water. Add 2g of polyphenol. Boil and add sodium chloride and piperine. Bind the sauce with amylose. Take off the heat and stir in 50g of triacylglycerol, according to a recipe published by The Times.

Already, I have been receiving a slew of Twitter responses to my "faux cuisine" experience (which can be found at http://twitter.com/klustout). Surprisingly, most of the reaction has been negative with questions about the safety or integrity of the food.

I have been assured that the dish is 100% safe and made of compounds that can be sourced from natural products.

So, cut to the chase - what did it taste like? It had notes of lemon drops, toffee and green apple - all served up ice-cold in crunchy bits and jelly balls. I liked it, and can see how it could be used as a way to "open the palate" with a variety of dishes.

"Note à Note" is being served all month at the Mandarin Oriental's Pierre restaurant. Be sure to pay a pretty penny, though - it is "haute gastronomie" after all.

BEIJING, China - I don't know if I've ever seen so many people in one place, even in China. There must have been thousands, if not tens of thousands, at the Beijing East train station alone, all going home for the Chinese New Year holiday.

Thousands wait for their train at Beijing Railway Station

Officially, the Ministry of Railways predicts 188 million people will make the long journey home - at least. That's more than the population of countries as big as Russia and Japan. Some think the actual number will be much higher. Travel is already up 8% compared to last year.

Last year was a bad year. Vicious snowstorms battered China just about the time this mass migration was taking place. Transportation was crippled. People were stuck for days with no way to get home.

The state has upgraded the system since then. This year, things seem to be going more smoothly, aside from scalpers and counterfeiters. But, more people are traveling no thanks to the global economic crisis.

Millions of those going home are migrant workers who moved to China's cities in more prosperous times. In Beijing, they could make three times as much as they could in the country.  But China's economic engine has slowed down so fast jobs have dried up. The migrants leaving now may never come back. In more practical terms, they've spent the last of their savings on the trip home.

It struck me that many of the migrants at the Beijing East station were carrying their lives on their backs, or sleeping on them - resting their heads against giant packs as they waited for their train to depart. Ironically they're going home to celebrate the New Year, though it may be the most uncertain and difficult year of their lives.