Today was jam-packed full! Again we started the day playing games at Ka Hei’s apartment before we headed out. BUT, today, as we walked to and through MTR stations, Ka Hei was absolutely ok holding Andrew’s hand :). Yay!
We took the train to Tsim Sha Tsui and walked to the Star Ferry. The Star Ferry has been in operation for many, many years and is the most famous ferry in Hong Kong. It’s one of those “must do’s” in Hong Kong. The short ride across the bay offered some fantastic views:
From the Pier, we dove headlong into commercial Hong Kong Island. I have been fortunate enough to walk the streets of London, Paris & NYC, but I really don’t think I have ever seen so many huge stores…more like huge buildings…dedicated to the likes of Vuitton, Armani, Prada, Rolex, etc, etc. This is definitely a different side of Hong Kong than where we are staying. It feels more international, and definitely more rich! And I have to admit….I like where we are staying so much better. Our neighborhood is very working class and it just feels more “real” than all the glitz we were surrounded by when we first entered Hong Kong Island.
We boot scooted past all those shops and found our destination, Hong Kong Park, a true sanctuary in the city. It has a lookout tower with some great views of the city, an open air aviary (a net is around the large area to keep the birds in and a raised walkway winds through it so you can see the birds up close), a playground, a small zoo and, more importantly, space for kids to mess around and just have fun!
I have plenty of bird/monkey pictures too, but I thought I’d spare you :). You’ll have to visit us sometime if you want to see 2 yr old orangutans.
Today, by the way, was a gorgeous day. Yes, it was warm, but the humidity was lower (it may have gotten below 80% humidity) and there was a nice breeze. It was the perfect day for the park! And our kids enjoyed it. They ran around after each other, laughed, mimicked each other – for example, Lucas would point and say “tree” , Ka Hei would repeat…Lucas would point at Andrew and say, “big, hairy man” , Ka Hei would repeat and they would crack up. Aahh, boys.
At 2:30 we met Gladys to ride the tram up to Victoria Peak….another must do in HK.
We immediately saw one significant difference in Ka Hei. He mostly quit speaking English to us and spoke Cantonese to Gladys. Thankfully Gladys believed me when I told her that he is speaking English with us :).
The view from Peak was fantastic:
There are some huge buildings up at the top of this mountain range, but the great majority, obviously, are near the coast. It is truly incredible to view such a huge city at the base of mountains with the ocean at its feet. Again, my pictures don’t do it justice. You just have to come see it for yourself :).
About this time, it seemed like everyone was beginning to wilt, so we headed to McD’s for some icecream cones…we considered stopping elsewhere, but how can you beat less than $3.50 for 8 cones?!?
We ate supper at a Japanese restaurant with Gladys. It was very good. At the end of our supper, she handed us all of Ka Hei’s documentation that we will need for travel to the US. His passport, his HK identity card and the official custody papers. Wow! I felt like I was carrying gold in the bag on my arm as we completed our commute to Ka Hei’s apartment and then our own!
As has become the norm, there was a lot of laughter on our commute :). When we got to Ka Hei’s apartment, Lucas and Alyssa needed to go to the bathroom, so Ka Hei walked them to the bathroom and then came back and sat with us in the family room/lounge as we waited for their return. Then, when we were all ready, he said goodbye to all of us and gave many hugs :). After we walked away from the building I turned to Andrew and said, “Wow. Did you see what just happened there?” He wasn’t sure what I meant, so I continued, “Every time we have brought Ka Hei home, he has walked in the doors and been ready to head off to talk to his ‘Auntie’ or the other kids. Tonight, he stayed with us and then eagerly gave us hugs.” Big smile.
One step at a time.
We took the train to Tsim Sha Tsui and walked to the Star Ferry. The Star Ferry has been in operation for many, many years and is the most famous ferry in Hong Kong. It’s one of those “must do’s” in Hong Kong. The short ride across the bay offered some fantastic views:
From the Pier, we dove headlong into commercial Hong Kong Island. I have been fortunate enough to walk the streets of London, Paris & NYC, but I really don’t think I have ever seen so many huge stores…more like huge buildings…dedicated to the likes of Vuitton, Armani, Prada, Rolex, etc, etc. This is definitely a different side of Hong Kong than where we are staying. It feels more international, and definitely more rich! And I have to admit….I like where we are staying so much better. Our neighborhood is very working class and it just feels more “real” than all the glitz we were surrounded by when we first entered Hong Kong Island.
We boot scooted past all those shops and found our destination, Hong Kong Park, a true sanctuary in the city. It has a lookout tower with some great views of the city, an open air aviary (a net is around the large area to keep the birds in and a raised walkway winds through it so you can see the birds up close), a playground, a small zoo and, more importantly, space for kids to mess around and just have fun!
I have plenty of bird/monkey pictures too, but I thought I’d spare you :). You’ll have to visit us sometime if you want to see 2 yr old orangutans.
Today, by the way, was a gorgeous day. Yes, it was warm, but the humidity was lower (it may have gotten below 80% humidity) and there was a nice breeze. It was the perfect day for the park! And our kids enjoyed it. They ran around after each other, laughed, mimicked each other – for example, Lucas would point and say “tree” , Ka Hei would repeat…Lucas would point at Andrew and say, “big, hairy man” , Ka Hei would repeat and they would crack up. Aahh, boys.
At 2:30 we met Gladys to ride the tram up to Victoria Peak….another must do in HK.
We immediately saw one significant difference in Ka Hei. He mostly quit speaking English to us and spoke Cantonese to Gladys. Thankfully Gladys believed me when I told her that he is speaking English with us :).
The view from Peak was fantastic:
There are some huge buildings up at the top of this mountain range, but the great majority, obviously, are near the coast. It is truly incredible to view such a huge city at the base of mountains with the ocean at its feet. Again, my pictures don’t do it justice. You just have to come see it for yourself :).
About this time, it seemed like everyone was beginning to wilt, so we headed to McD’s for some icecream cones…we considered stopping elsewhere, but how can you beat less than $3.50 for 8 cones?!?
We ate supper at a Japanese restaurant with Gladys. It was very good. At the end of our supper, she handed us all of Ka Hei’s documentation that we will need for travel to the US. His passport, his HK identity card and the official custody papers. Wow! I felt like I was carrying gold in the bag on my arm as we completed our commute to Ka Hei’s apartment and then our own!
As has become the norm, there was a lot of laughter on our commute :). When we got to Ka Hei’s apartment, Lucas and Alyssa needed to go to the bathroom, so Ka Hei walked them to the bathroom and then came back and sat with us in the family room/lounge as we waited for their return. Then, when we were all ready, he said goodbye to all of us and gave many hugs :). After we walked away from the building I turned to Andrew and said, “Wow. Did you see what just happened there?” He wasn’t sure what I meant, so I continued, “Every time we have brought Ka Hei home, he has walked in the doors and been ready to head off to talk to his ‘Auntie’ or the other kids. Tonight, he stayed with us and then eagerly gave us hugs.” Big smile.
One step at a time.
We're praising & thanking God. :) It was great to talk to you all last night. Thanks for calling.
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