Week of September 16th

(Click on any of the pictures to make them larger)

What to write about this week????

Well - this week was kind of a low key one.  We went to Mong Kok and picked up some supplies for our trip to the Philippines for a mission/service next weekend and we found a thrift store that had some clothes that can get wrecked doing construction work.  We left all of our older clothes at home with our parents.  I found an awesome shirt that is from a Hip Hop Dance Team :)  It was a find that was meant to be!

What else did we do this week?  We did normal things like make dinner, go on walk/runs in preparation for the 10K on Sunday, read the newspaper, watched tv, ran errands to the store to pick up a Christmas gift (and got the last one - yesssss!), went to the library and checked out books, read books, checked out phone stuff, and had a shrimp burger Friday night to finish the school week.

The Mid-Level Escalator System!

The view from the Mid-levels

Saturday we got up early and headed to the island for yoga class.  It was probably one of the harder classes we have attended mentally and physically but also a good motivation to keep working on stretching.  I found a new tank top which was pretty exciting and then we headed to the McCafe (fancy counter at McDonalds) for a egg, tomato and cheese cibatta sandwich, whole wheat bagel and salad for lunch :)  I could eat that McDonalds food every day!!!  We decided to check out Causeway Bay (which is a big shopping area from what we can figure out) and wandered there for quite some time.  The wandering included one of the major department stores here called SoGo that has everything in the universe including cute salt and pepper shakers that are shaped like bunnies :)

Nachos!!!

We then explored the entire mid-level escalator system and found a place with NACHOS!!!!! The one food that I have missed having regularly is Mexican food and it was REALLY EXCITING to have nachos again :)  MMMmmmmm.  It was then back home to get ready for the early morning.

Sunday was a day that was full of physical activity with the end of the day being one of my favorite things that I have ever done in Hong Kong.

The 10k went really well for the two of us.  The only downside is how humid it was.  I think I sweat more that hour and 30ish minutes than I may have in my entire life.  I had rivers of sweat running down my arms and legs.  It was pretty gross.  We got some sweet shopping bags that look like a carrot when they are folded up.  After the 10 K we headed home and changed so that we could go hiking.

(Pause for a moment and think... Saturday morning was the most intense yoga class that I have had in a loooooong time, we walked around all Saturday afternoon, Sunday morning was a tiring 10K and then we decided to go hiking?!?!?!  No wonder I felt like an old lady on Monday! Ok unpause)

The view on the way to the beach!

There was a beach to explore that we had not seen yet and it was supposedly only 40 minutes after taking the MTR (train) to Wu Kai Sha, and then a bus halfway to Sai Kung and then a taxi ride that twists and turns on the one lane road through the Country Park (Equivalent of national park).  I sat in the front seat with the driver while Tim and Co. were in the back.  As we swerved around giant boulders, stopped suddenly when another taxi came at us around a corner, sped over and around speed bumps and hugged the shoulder going over mountains I realized it was the first time that I had sat in the front seat of a car in almost 2 months!  It was quite the view!!!

The beach!!!

When we got to the trail head thunder started rumbling in the distance so not only did we hike, but we hiked with purpose to try and beat the storm to the beach.  The hike was mostly downhill and there were some of the most breath taking sights that I have seen yet here in Hong Kong.  It was so wild and beautiful and the water was all so crystal clear you could see all the way to the bottom of the reservoir.  Thankfully the storm never came our direction so we didn't have to worry about that.  Once we got to the beach that sight just took our breath away.  Some of the rock formations were unreal.  The water at the beach was also so clear you could see straight to the bottom when you were in the water and it wasn't very crowded.  There is a series of 3 beaches at that place (Tai Long Wan).  Tim and I decided to call it quits at the first beach and we read and slept on the beach while waiting for our friends to go find the waterfall and come back.

The view from the speedboat on the way to Sai Kung

Neat rock formations!

We talked to the people at the restaurant and purchased tickets for a speedboat ride back to Sai Kung for a seafood dinner (that was one of the best ever!!!).  There were two places selling tickets for speedboat rides back.  We ended up going with the place with the red boat (they were the same price) and there were only 7 or 8 people on board (compared with the white boat that had about 15-20).  We left just after 5pm and headed towards Sai Kung.  The speedboat goes past the GeoPark which has amazing rock formations and caves and rocky cliffs on the right and smaller islands on the left.  There was a guy who teaches surfing on our boat and he narrated the trip back and said where the GeoPark starts, pointed out the drug rehab center that is on an island, talked about how Hong Kong had the highest consumption of seafood per person in the world (I believe it!), and told us about the boating laws.  While he was doing this the air temperature was perfect, the wind felt so refreshing, the sun was setting ahead of us and created some of the most beautiful scenery that I have ever seen.  It was so serene, so calming and fun and awaking and wonderful all at the same time.  I don't know if there are words to describe it.  If anyone comes to visit - this trip is on the must do list.  From what we have heard, is not the Hong Kong that most visitors experience, but it is a part of Hong Kong that I want to share with everyone.

Sai Kung :)

We all got off of the boat in Sai Kung and the four of us just looked at each other in amazement of what we had just experienced.  It was one of those times that I never want to forget.  I don't want to forget what I saw, the fresh air that I smelled and felt blow past me as the boat sped across the water, the sense of wonder that I felt as the boat kept rounding corners and the scenery became more and more intriguing, all of the other boats and jet skis that were going with us to Sai Kung with people smiling and waving from every deck of the boat.  It was an experience that transcended language.  Everyone was enjoying the wonderful boat ride and scenery on their way back to the fishing village.

The boat we took to Sai Kung - Thank you!!!

We had a wonderful seafood dinner at one of the places in Sai Kung and as we headed back we kept going back to how amazing the boat ride was.  I am really looking forward to going back and exploring all three beaches and more of the park.  I just won't do a 10k in the morning before we start :)



Sorry for the late posting of this one - I was at middle school camp the past three days (it was AWESOME!).  More on that to come.  :)

A lantern for the Mid-Autumn Festival! :)

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival this weekend!!!