Tuesday, December 9
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Tuesday started early. Way early. Too early. Oh-my-goodness-what-the-hell-are-we-doing-up early.
Like 1:00am. Yes, my friends, jetlag at it’s finest. Stephanie woke first, but the rest of us weren’t far behind.
Did you know there isn’t much to do in a hotel room at 1:00am with two small kids and very few grocery items? I do. We do. They do.
Luckily we have the kids’ PVR’s with plenty of movies. And some instant noodles that I did think to buy at the grocery, which (by the way) taste mighty fine at 3:00am when you’re hungry and tired. Those, some bottled water, and some coconut buns were the kids’ breakfast. And since most of you know I like dry cereal, I buy Special K and have it here. Only problem is, that pleasant, not-too-crunchy texture that Special K has at home pales in comparison to the super-hard, funky coloured cereal they call Special K here. Tastes ok, though, so that and some instant coffee is it for me.
Danny had instant noodles, coconut buns, and tea, and then headed back to his bed.
The girls and I were scouting the internet for something/anything that was open early in Hong Kong. Luckily, the grocery store opens at 7:00am, so we left the hotel at 6:55. Did I mention that I’ve never had a burning desire to be the first person in a grocery store??
We actually had some fun, though, and I let the girls choose some food items they wanted. We got lots of fresh fruit, some iced tea, and lots of cookies. For some strange reason, they remembered that we bought Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies the last time we were in Hong Kong and now want them. I’ve never ever bought them at home.
When we got back to the hotel (do the math, we’d already been up for 6+ hours and it was still just past 7:00am) the girls watched some more movies, while Danny slept.
Then we decided to head down into the city for some walking/shopping. The weather is fabulous (sorry guys) at about 22 degrees, lots of sunshine, and very low humidity, so it’s perfect for being out and about. Funny, though, the locals find it cold, so while we’re in short sleeved shirts, they’re bundled in jackets!
We headed right downtown and walked around a bit. Then Stephanie wanted to eat (surprised—NOT!) We found a nice congee restaurant and sat for a bite. The girls were apparently still hungry and ate well. Then we walked some more, then headed back up towards the hotel. We were a bit too early to catch the escalator as it was still heading downwards, so we walked much of the way back up the stairs. Stopped at our favourite little market where they sell cut tropical fruits and bought some treats, then back to the hotel.
Danny had an appointment with the government to get his Hong Kong identity card, so he left for the afternoon. The girls and I had already decided we were going to head back down into the city. Emily had made us promise to buy her some new slippers, so that was the mission that the three girls had in mind. We walked down to the city, then into Li Yuen market street for some bargaining. With the economy slowed, the prices are low, and little bargaining to be done, but I still got two pairs of girls’ shiny fancy slippers for about $6.00 cdn. Never say never to me!!
The photos speak to the tired, silly behavior the girls were giving me when we headed down into the city.
On the way back up to the hotel we needed to find some food and the girls were getting really tired (all three of us). We found this funky Australian chicken restaurant and Stephy wanted mashed potatoes for lunch. No, not as a side dish, for lunch. Emily was too tired to care, so wanted nothing, and I found spicy lamb curry. We ate our lunch, then my mission was to get them to sleep.
Success was mine at about 3:00pm and they were both sound asleep, Emily on the couch, and Stephanie on the floor. I let them sleep until about 5:00pm when it was time to head to Danny’s cousin’s house for dinner. We hopped on a taxi for the ride and arrived at about 6:00pm with both girls asleep in the taxi. Just what I wanted. Not.
Danny’s first cousin, now 83 years old, who has been very ill and frail, actually seemed very well. Seeing him up and walking around was a lovely surprise.
The visit started off rough, with both girls crusty (very) and not wanting anyone to talk to them. Try explaining that in English to older Chinese people. Not terribly successful. Luckily no one understood Emily when she kept shouting “tell them to leave me alone, they’re bothering me.” Yikes, sometimes the language barrier is a good thing.
Luckily, Cathy (Pok Hei’s 13 year-old daughter) saved the day, colouring with the girls, and they soon turned into their normal happy selves.
We had a nice hotpot dinner, with many of the relatives and then headed back to the hotel. Sleep was calling to all of us, so the kids were jammied-up and into bed very quickly.
That was the end of a very, very long day that started at 1:00am, ended at 10:00pm, and included many kilometers logged on our feet.
