Having had 4 fantastic weeks in the UK, we are back! We came back in style having been upgraded to Club World by BA thus ending a super time which incorporated a week in the Lakes, visits to London and Wimbledon and seeing old friends, to lots of pub meals and simply enjoying the glorious sunshine we were blessed with. So, we are back and it is just as hot as when we left but we are coping relatively well. We've been determined to still get out and about and explore and not to let the humidity stop us. There is so much to see here that we are spoiled for choice and we've been getting even more acquainted with the public transport system. We have done some exploration of the islands that form part of Hong Kong, starting with Lamma Island. On our firstweekend back we travelled to this popular island from Aberdeen on the main island of HK. Our taxi driver dropped us as close as possible to the ferry port and we had the joy of walking haphazardly through the hundreds of fishing trucks that had arrived to deliver their catches to the fish market that runs alongside the ferry port. It was a bustle of activity and I have never seen anything quite like it. It was total chaos in my eyes yet everyone seemed to be calm and functioning.After negotiating the trucks we caught our first ferry of the day out of Aberdeen towards Lamma. This part of HK is still very traditional with the old junk boats moored alongside and it was like stepping back in the past as our ferry moved its way towards our destination.
It is a relatively small island but rather popular and we are glad we had made the effort to go early. The streets of the small village were narrow and quaint with a variety of local shops. There are no cars allowed on the island and the population enjoy a very peaceful existence except for Sundays when the masses arrive from the main island for their day trip.
The following weekend we explored two more islands. The first one, called Chung Chau is reached from Central Piers no 5. We had read that it was one most popular of the islands but really didn't know what to expect. It was a hive of activity with the day trippers pouring in. Again a car free island there was lots of places to hire bikes, which we intend to do in the cooler weather and perhaps not on a Sunday. There were rows and rows of narrow streets teamed with independent shops and restaurants. We walked in a circle from one side of the island to the other coming across temples and pretty little coves. We will defiantly be back to explore more.After Chung Chau we caught the inter-island ferry with our destination being Peng Chau. We went via Mai Wu which we have been to a number of times and then finally landed at Peng Chau. We liked it immediately. Not as busy but lots of character too. The Chinese opera was playing loudly in the square which we have learned is all part of the 'Ghost Festival'. Apparently, at this time of the year the ghosts of the ancestors are allowed to roam and so operas take place to entertain them with the front row being left empty for them. Paper fake money is also burned in offering to them and this can be seen happening all over Hong Kong.
The islands are worth seeing overall and not something I expected when I first came to HK. As I have said before and will say again there is more to HK than just tall buildings.
We've been into Central a number of times since we came back, we've discovered new streets and eating places (one particular one called Manu, which sell the most gorgeous wraps, all organic and gluten free)and new supermarkets.I have recently found a place called Olivers that sells new potatoes and even 'Brussel sprouts'.One thing here is that you can generally get any type of food that you want or are used to but you can't always find everything in one place. It makes shopping a real challenge at times. Gone are the days that I would jump in the car and head to Tesco or sit online, order it and wait for it to arrive. We now have at least 4 places or possible 5 that we visit frequently to get what we need. We go armed with an array of bags and you can normally see us hailing down taxis afterwards. Online ordering does exist but I've yet to have a go. That is a challenge for this week.
I alsomet up with a lady I follow on Twitter last week it was the first time she or I had ever met someone blind but she was lovely and we had a super conversation.She had a fascinating background and I enjoyed meeting her.
We have also joined a social group that look at real issues around the world and in HK and attended an excellent talk last Wednesday on human trafficking. It opened our eyes to an issue we knew existed but had really no idea to what extent.
We've been back to our favorite fishing village Sai Kung which is a 10 min journey from us and enjoyed walking around there again, popping into our regular little organic veg shop and not only buying our fruit but having a cat cuddle at the same time. Many of the local shop owners bring their animals to 'work' with them and they happily sit there all day. For us it is great as we go from shop to shop seeing the animals and getting our 'fur kicks'
Today we've been out to TST which is on the Kowloon side (mainland) - we travelled by mini bus to an MTR (tube) then caught a train, to catch another train, to catch another train. We travelled for about 50 min in total and it cost us a WHOLE POUND.Bargain! We had lunch in TST and then headed to the HK History Museum for a bit of culture. I've been once before but it is so full of things you could visit a number of times and still learn something new. It is a good place to go and they have cleverly re-created the old HK streets and villages for you to wander in and get a real feel for Hong Kong's past.
So ends another weekend, another week beginsand soon I will be back at school (next week)and starting my new term. I have a trip to Thailand to look forward to from the 5th to the 11th of October with 25 students in Lower Sixth. I'm looking forward to the challenges ahead and seeing everyone again.
Autumn will soon be here I'm told and I am amused to see the 'winter' clothes appearing in all the shops here. Its still in the 30 s and the thought of even looking at a coat makes me shudder, yet warm winter coats are appearing.
I have now been 'in' Hong Kong for 10 months, time is flying by and we've seen so much but I suspect there is still more to come
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