May and June in Hong Kong

A sleepless night before I leave for Canada/U.S. for eight weeks!  Two big suitcases are packed - loaded with "stuff" for Kyle and his little brother, Shane.  Might as well use my time productively and complete my spring (?) (34 C is not spring in my opinion) blog.

Our friends, Bonnie and Stephen, arrived on May 5th for a short, but sweet, visit.  They had just completed a tour of China, and squeezed in 36 hours in Hong Kong.  Amazing how quickly we caught up with friends we hadn't seen in a few years!  Stephen had been to HK a few times, but this was Bonnie's first visit.  We began the day taking the escalators down to Central, then walking along Queen's Road, up Battery Path to  St. John's Cathedral, and on to the Peak tram.  After admiring the views at the top, we took the tram down and headed to the Lamma ferry pier.  Lamma Island is one of my favourite places in HK, and one of Stephen's, too!  We had lunch and walked around before ferrying back to Central, where we boarded the Star Ferry to take us across the harbour to Kowloon.  I must apologize again to B and S for getting us royally lost before finally finding the jade market and Temple Street.  We were all pooped from the heat and our long walks by the time we met Jeff for dinner at Crystal Jade in IFC Mall.  Then up the escalators once again to the apartment.

Speaking of Lamma Island, Jeff and I were there last month with some friends.  Lunch included the delicious eggplant (left), and lots of Tsingtao beer to keep us hydrated in the heat.  Across the road from the restaurant, we noticed the CanCon signs on the outside wall of a bar - we think the owner must be Canadian.

Lamma is an island of contrasts.  We enjoyed visiting the organic farm run by the two seniors in the photo.  They sell leeks, greens, and other seasonal vegetables.  Alas, the most famous landmark on Lamma is anything but organic or environmentally friendly:  there is a huge power plant with three smokestacks, visible for miles.  I took the photo on the right two weeks ago, when Chloe and I met for our farewell lunch.  Chloe and I have shared some fun adventures this past year, including trips to Sham Shui Po, the New Territories, and art galleries, as well as lots of good lunches.  Best of luck, Chloe, and I hope our paths will cross again soon.  Keep blogging!
We've curtailed much of our outdoor activity with the onset of the extreme heat, yet Ursula and I managed to complete one last Peak hike a few days ago.  Kudos to her for surviving a gruelling 9-day adventure, literally in the centre of Australia.  Jeff and I also went on a delightful walk of North Point and Kowloon with Michael Hansen one Sunday in May.  Unfortunately, my camera was not charged, so no photos of the markets and neighbourhoods.  The group we walked with was friendly and interesting, except for one woman who claimed she was a lawyer, and who drank continuously throughout our four-hour walk.  By the time we sat down to dinner, she was pickled and very depressing.  We meet all types here - reminds me of the t.v. show, The Naked City, which began "There are a million stories in the Naked City; this is one of them".

On yet another hot weekend afternoon, Jeff and I took the bus up to the Peak and walked down the shaded Pok Fu Lam country trail.  I am always running into people I know, and this day was no different - we met Carlyn and Dave, a lovely couple from Texas, who were part of my Harbin trip in January.  I introduced them to Jeff, and told him that they were my inspiration for travelling so much:  they have taken one trip each month in their two-year stay in Asia.  The end of our walk found us in Pok Fu Lam, a residential community on the west side of HK Island.  At the centre of this neighbourhood lies Pok Fu Lam Village, an indigenous village which resembles a shanty town.

Around the corner from the village, we discovered the riding academy, as well as an old mansion that is now part of Hong Kong University.  Douglas Castle was built by a rich Scotsman, Douglas Lapraik, in the 1860s.  It is a Victorian Gothic palace - Hong Kong's answer to Casa Loma?  The building is now a students' residence.

June marked the end of another term of volunteering at King's College.  We had lots of good discussions, but my favourite session was the one where they matched adjectives with nationalities.  We looked at a large globe, and I asked them to find various countries.  Most of them are geographically challenged.  Then again, many of their Canadian counterparts cannot find Libya or Greece (or Hong Kong) on a map!  The boys are now studying non-stop for their end-of-year exams, which begin this week.

 Happy 30th birthday to Monique, one of our Y girls.  Thank you for inviting us seniors to your birthday bash, and congratulations again for becoming engaged to Jay.  As they say in HK, we wish you double happiness!
The Y girls got together one last time before our summer exodus.  We met at the Skylark Lounge in Central (owned by a Canadian - big maple leaf flag in the window!) on World Oceans Day.  Two local experts, Stan Shea and Gary Stokes, gave us scary presentations on overfishing and whaling in Asia.  Sobering, to say the least.

My last AWA outing was to the HK Observatory.  Our guide showed us a video about the history and workings of the Observatory, and then led us around the grounds.  He was very proud of the gizmo on the right - it is a heat sensor for animals that was invented by the HKO for the Beijing Olympics.  The equestrian events at those 2008 Olympics were held in HK.

A few days ago, Jeff and I were walking along Queen's Road, HK's equivalent of Fifth Avenue or Bloor Street.  We looked up and saw two workers prancing along the bamboo scaffolding of the Crocs sign above one of the busiest streets in HK!  One of the workers sat down on a pole, lit up his cigarette, and took a ten-minute break.  Afterwards we watched them dismantle the scaffolding by removing one pole at a time, and tossing them down to the truck below.

And this week's fashionista award goes to the young girl in red and yellow!







Time to catch that plane - future blogs will be from the other side of the world.