Got my wish!

I guess it pays to complain - even to Mother Nature!  Since the last blog, we've had summer-like (North American summer, that is) weather - warm, sunny, and dry.  We've taken advantage of the blue skies and continued our local weekend excursions.

Cheung Chau is one of the beautiful outlying islands, half an hour ("fast ferry") from Central.  Last Sunday (the 25th), we hustled down to the ferry docks and rushed on to the 11 a.m. ferry.  You know you're in a small town when ... two pairs of hands were waving at us from the crowded lounge.  Joan and Ronnie had the same game plan as we did!  The four of us followed the itinerary from our trusty guidebook and wandered through the back streets of this charming fishing village for a few hours before enjoying an al fresco lunch at one of the fish restaurants on the water.  Cheung Chau is noted for its beautiful public beach and also for its Bun festival (bun festival), which we will try to attend next year (advance booking is a must).  The hidden gems of the island include several temples, an abandoned, crumbling hospital (Joan wants to renovate it and use it as a summer cottage),  some colonial buildings, and an old banyan tree (the buildings around the tree were demolished to allow the island's fire engine to pass!).  There's a picturesque uphill walk on a path that's called the "Mini Great Wall".

Hong Kongers do love their dogs and cats - this pooch was enjoying his Sunday outing along the boardwalk in Cheung Chau.

And the cat was all dressed up!

We also found the perfect snack:  freshly fried potato chips spiralled on a stick:

This past Saturday, we planned to go to Stanley Market (see Jan. 15) to buy some souvenirs and gifts for friends.  When we got to the bus station, there was a huge crowd of helpers waiting for the Stanley bus.  It dawned on us that it was May Day, and all of the helpers had the day off!  In order to avoid the crowded market, we decided to go to Shek O instead.  Shek O is a peninsula on the southeastern part of HK island.  Like Cheung Chau, it has a gorgeous sandy public beach (carefully roped off, with lifeguard stations).  There's a road that passes through some very large, very pricey gated houses leading to a blue bridge that connects you to the islet of Tai Tau Chau.  Once across the bridge, there are steep paths that lead uphill (of course) to a green pagoda at the top.  The view from the top is Northern California-like:  ocean, rocks, and beach.  It is also pure HK:  not too far in the distance are clusters of high-rise apartments, reminding you that you are still in this crowded city!  We're planning to return to the beaches at Cheung Chau and Shek O once the South China Sea warms up.

Jeff has been buying custom-made shirts from Maxwell's Clothiers for over 20 years.  They are a HK-based tailoring company that sends its personnel across North America, taking measurements for shirts, suits and coats.  Base prices are reasonable for Canada, however once the taxes and shipping costs are added the clothing tends to be more expensive.  Jeff was thrilled to discover that the main branch is on Hankow Street in Kowloon (where many of the tailors are located).  After ordering two summer suits, we walked up Nathan Road.  Nathan Road is like Yonge Street, it runs north/south for miles and miles.  Our destination was a new family-style Szechuan restaurant in Mong Kok that had received very positive reviews in one of the weekly papers.   You can order your food in varying degrees of spiciness.   Jeff ordered a number 2 (out of 5) spicy, while I ordered a number 1 (the waiter laughingly said "baby spicy").  The food was so hot that I thought my mouth was bleeding!  I took three bites, and then I passed the dish to Jeff, who polished most of it off after he finished his own plate.  He didn't even break a sweat!  I do feel like a wimp, but I will continue to try spicy food in preparation for travels to India, Hunan and Sichuan at some future time!

My father asked me recently what we watch on T.V.  In addition to some LIVE hockey games (go Habs go), we watch the occasional old movie.  In spite of subscribing to over 100 channels, the nightly routine goes like this:  Jeff turns on the T.V.  Jeff checks the T.V. guide to see what's on between 7-11.  Jeff rechecks the T.V. guide.  Jeff turns on the HBO movies-on-demand menu.  Jeff scrolls through all of the movies.  Jeff scrolls through them again.  Jeff turns off the T.V. and plays freecell on his Itouch!  There is one magic button on our remote control:  it changes the language of the program.  It works well on sports channels, where we switch from Chinese to English!

I have a confession to make: against my Toronto-honed green sense - I've given up on recycling.  The city has paid lip-service to the green whiners by placing bins (plastic, paper, cans) on main streets.  The bins are usually overflowing with all kinds of garbage.  I finally gave up when I saw an old Chinese man walk by the bins across the street and proceed to hawk into one of them!  I promise that we will return to being green when we return to Canada.

Stay tuned next week for a review of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong annual ball. Manulife is the major Canadian company in HK, so it is a sponsor. Jeff feels it is our duty to attend and wave the flag.

Mystery food of the week: