Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Hiking to Tai O

For the last couple of weeks, our outdoor activities have been limited due to intense summer heat and the unpredictable bouts of rain. It seemed like every time we ventured out to play at the park or go for a walk, we got caught in a big downpour.
Although the kids love playing in the rain, it does ruin their soccer and skateboarding plans. After a few weeks of rained out park time, I needed an alternative outdoor activity to maintain my sanity. Hiking sounded like a great way to expend our cooped up energies and thankfully it was a day with very little chance of rainstorms.

The hike from Tung Chung to Tai O seemed like a good idea. According to Kyle and Cade, who hiked this trail a few months ago in 2½ hours, it's a nice hike on a paved path that follows the coastline most of the way. The trail's a little longer (16 km or about 10 miles) than other hikes we've done in Hong Kong but not difficult terrain. I knew it'd be a little challenge for the kids and I but thought it'd be a fun adventure.

With Cade as our guide, we set out with bug repellant, sunscreen, hats, lots of water, snacks, and Skittles power pellets (a must when trying to motivate or energize my crew).
To begin, we walked through a few small villages and along the shoreline. Just as we were entering the wooded area I took this picture because it was a cool contrast. Little did I know what surprises awaited us. From this point on, our hike changed from a fun adventure to a trek of endurance and will power. The wooded areas were covered with gigantic banana spiders, many larger than my wide-open hand. And poor Abby was scared to death! Her high pitched screams and cries probably scared away any other critters we could have encountered. 
Instead of turning around, we were determined to continue on. With the help and support of her brothers Abby calmed down and persevered. She covered her face with a towel, held tightly to Ian's hand, and heeded Cade's counsel of "look down", "stay to the right", "watch your head" as he scouted the eight-legged creatures. The kids' team work was impressive and a highlight of the trek for me.
There were some more pleasant aspects of the hike, like this rest area where we refueled as we watched airplanes take off and barges towed to aid the construction of the Macau-Hong Kong bridge. We also saw some interesting things - a small, delicate bird nest (Leah guessed it was for a hummingbird), a long, green stick bug (it really was hard to tell if it was a stick or not), and a petrified, rock-camouflaged frog (no one saw it move although we almost stepped on it). Unfortunately, in an effort to capture another tender moment along the trail, I dropped the camera and broke it. :(

The following pictures are from Kyle and Cade's hike in March but show much of the unique, beautiful town of Tai O. It's an old fishing town popular with tourists because of the unique stilt houses.
When we arrived, the water level was much lower exposing very tall stilts and lots of barnacles. 
We walked past many of the very small and simple homes built along the water.
Many people had fish and/or fruits out to dry.
Once in town, there are many shops and restaurants including the famous Tai O bakery.
Cade claims this bakery has the best donuts in Hong Kong. A promise to get donuts at the end of our hike was helpful motivation. Despite the line, we waited and watched the cute Chinese woman fry the donuts just so we could try one.
We sat and rested in this small plaza just outside this temple as we ate our yummy treat. A number of elderly Chinese people sat around us, including a cute old man who was trying to joke and play with Ian (smiles and laughs means so much when you can't speak each other's language).

 I only thought to take a picture with my phone at the end of our journey when we were about to board a bus and leave Tai O. 
We survived! It was a long, hot journey but we overcame our fears, worked together and reached our destination in 3¾ hours. Good job Team K!

Here are the rest of the pictures from Kyle and Cade's hike.
They had a great time exploring a new trail,
playing with bamboo,
observing the progress on the bridge construction,
and seeing the many beautiful flowers in bloom
(lucky for them there were no banana spiders on their hike).

They also loved the way Tai O is tightly built together. It's an amazing little community.
The beautiful and intricate artwork on their temples was also fascinating.
Plus, Kyle saw this Chinese drawing on a home that reminded him of some artwork his Grandfather received in China during his business travels over 50 years ago.

Tai O is an interesting place and we'd like to visit and explore some more but we'll have to take a bus. I don't think I ever get the kids to hike there again. Our hike was definitely an adventure that we'll talk about for years but not worth repeating anytime soon.

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Summer Time

Summer time in Hong Kong is extremely hot and humid with intense sunshine, almost suffocating heat, and bursts of heavy rainfall. Sweat, even dripping down your face and soaking your clothes sweat, is a normal part of summer life. The rain is refreshing but the unpredictable monsoon season means a huge downpour can happen anytime. We've been caught unprepared a few times. The rainfall also cleans the air and creates some absolutely beautiful picturesque moments. At Cade's soccer practice last night, I looked up in awe at the gorgeous green hills against the bright blue sky. It was breathtaking - I felt like I was in paradise!

Summer time in Hong Kong also means saying goodbye. For people living abroad, summer is also known as the expat exodus. Whether it's moving or a long, extended vacation to their native land, summer can be an emotional time of partings. Last summer, we said a temporary goodbye for our long vacation not knowing it would turn into a permanent goodbye with our late summer move. Cade, Abby, and Ian felt like they didn't really get to properly say goodbye to many school friends. It was hard!

This summer, Leah experienced how heart wrenching saying goodbye can be. Her best friend took a month long vacation to the United States. Although they had fun exchanging notes and gifts at the airport, 
the Sunday before the girls were in tears knowing it'd be a long time before they saw each other again. They hugged and cried and hugged some more before parting. On the way home another friend quietly grabbed Leah's hand to comfort her. It was adorable! 

Summer time means new activities and fun outings, especially with friends out of school and not on vacation. We recently spent a fun day with some good friends. We made homemade tortellinis and toffee.
Yum Yum
We also took a quick break to cool off at the beach.

Summer time also means celebrating Kyle's birthday and 4th of July.
We had fun making Kyle's day extra special with a delicious chocolate, raspberry cake.

For Independence Day, we went to the most American place in Hong Kong - Disneyland.
We stayed for the nightly fireworks show.
It couldn't compare to the amazing,  annual NSL firework show but it was still fun. 

We're having a good but hot Hong Kong summer and looking forward to more fun.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Junk Boat Trip

A junk is an ancient Chinese sailing ship, often used for fishing. They can still be seen around South East Asia, especially Hong Kong. A few authentic and refurbished junks with red sails, like the one below, have been turned into touring boats. 
We love to watch this boat in Victoria Harbour and often call it "Shen's Boat", from the movie "Kung Fu Panda 2".

When some friends invited us to join them on their annual junk boat trip, we were super excited. I envisioned a boat like the one above, but in reality we spent a beautiful, spring day on a boat like this.  
In Hong Kong today, a junk refers to many kinds of boats.

With a number of friends and their families, we sailed through Victoria Harbour 
dropping anchor in Clearwater Bay
for a couple of hours to hang out, eat lunch, and play in the water.
Ian was in the water the longest. With a life preserver or swim noodle, he was fearless. Even with the number of jellyfish sightings we had, he still loved being in the water.
With a few of his buddies, Cade ventured the farthest from the boat and even jumped from the roof of the boat into the water.
Kyle had to work most of the day so he missed the fun water play. But with company owners who own a sailboat, Kyle convinced them to take an afternoon sail to track down his family. Shortly after we pulled up anchor and began our return journey, Kyle spotted us. As the 2 boats passed in opposite directions, Kyle caught our attention with his hollering, waving arms, and bright orange shirt.
Our boat captain was kind enough to stop to allow the sailboat to catch up and let Kyle jump James-Bond-style onto our boat.
My adventure man!

The junk trip was a big success. We had lots of fun and look forward to another one next year, if we're still around.