A Visit from George

Another week, more work and volunteering. More importantly, George arrived on Thursday night to draw his travelling to a close as Hong Kong was his last destination. Matt met him after work and they travelled into Hong Kong together, George spending most of the journey looking up at the views around him. See below for his favourite building!

 

On Friday Matt and George attended a ‘Symphony Under The Stars’ thanks to some free tickets from a colleague. A very sophisticated start to Hong Kong. Katie met up with friends and was later joined by George and Matt. We showed George LKF (night life district) and had a great view of the city from a bar a few stories high.

Saturday was much more action packed. We started off by going to the Peak by tram. We had a lovely peaceful walk around and took in the views across the city.  After we showed George the Wet Markets (not for the feint hearted!) and went across to Kowloon which is much more crowded (and according to the film Contagion is one of the most densely populated area in the world) and a huge contrast to the Peak.

We went for dinner in Kowloon at a different Michelin starred restaurant to normal. One Dim Sum is known as the cheapest and best value Michelin stared restaurants in the world. Indeed, for 3 of us the bill came to a total of 80 HKD (a few pence short of £7). After this we headed to the night market which has everything and anything you could ever want.

After the market we met up with Jack and headed to the Ozone bar, the tallest bar in the world. We travelled up the 118 floors to the top. Although it was very impressive and very high up, Matt and I thought that the rooftop bar in Bangkok was hard to beat. However, the toilets in this bar were completely constructed out of marble which impressed me more!

On Sunday we had a lie in and later headed out to Lamma Island, an island not far off of Hong Kong Island. The boat trip took around 40 minutes and cost us HK$ 45 return.  It seems a very popular route with tourists and locals on a Sunday but we diverted off the main route to a more secluded spot overlooking the sea. The view was lovely, only slightly spoilt by the huge power station attached to the Island.

Upon returning to Hong Kong Island we went out for dinner at Din Tai Fung which is a much tastier Dim Sum restaurant. Having 3 of us meant we could try out more dishes between us so we branched out from our usual dishes.

It was soon Monday morning and George headed off to the airport in the hope that his bag wasn’t over the limit and Matt headed out to work. I travelled across to Ap Lei Chau to volunteer at the Hong Kong Dog Rescue Centre. Upon walking into the centre I was greeted by about 15 very excited dogs. There are two centres, one on Hong Kong Island and another in the New Territories which is more spacious and green. At this centre there are around 20 small dogs. 15 are allowed to roam the ‘shop’ floor and 5 are kept in separate cages due to being bullied by the other dogs (not sure how that really works...). Anyway, it was a fun experience being able to play with the dogs and take them for walks. If I could adopt one, I would choose this one – very cute with a good temperament. 

Tuesday and Wedneday passed with little to mention other than Katie’s trip to the Space museum and an Art Gallery. On Thursday Katie continued her volunteering work and Matt managed to get on an observation flight (Leaving at 4.30 pm I managed to get the seat in the jumpseat (that’s the 3^rd seat in the cockpit) for flights to and from Vietnam). Needless to say he was happy when he got back!

It was Friday again before we knew it and we had officialy been in Hong Kong 8 weeks. Less than a third to go now. Katie did some teaching which was good experience and the highest hourly rate she will ever receive in her life!

 

The Half Way Mark

So, the week after Bangkok was a relatively quiet one. Katie was busy volunteering at various places around the city including a school and a soup kitchen. Work was good and we enjoyed a few evenings sitting watching Dexter (which we have subsequently finished) eating Ikea popcorn. Katie visited a museum and Matt had a dose of man flu thanks to Graham and Roseanna!

Here in Hong Kong you have to wear a face mask when you get ill - even Trevor!

On Friday night Katie was out partying on LKF and I had recovered enough to celebrate Halloween by attending the annual bierfest courtesy of Airbus. Many beers and a pork knuckle were consumed and after 4 hours of dancing on tables I met Katie clutching my new beer mug! This is now the pint of tea mug for Katie.

Saturday was a day of exploring as we travelled to the end of the tram line to a new district. We bought ourselves some new bowls and spoons (which will be used at many dinner parties I am sure) and nursed some sore heads. Katie began to catch what I suppose we should now call lady-flu. On the way home we saw lots of interesting things!

It was Halloween after all! (Poor Dog!)

Another dinner out at Din Tai Fung was a good Saturday night treat.

On Sunday we took the opportunity to visit my Mum's old neighbourhood in Repulse Bay, had a lie down on the beach a cheeky ice cream. Next we visited Stanley which is a town further south, with a popular market. Here we bought some post cards so get excited next time you hear the postman. Sunday night was another chance to relax and watch some more Dexter!

Monday morning came around quickly and soon enough Matt was off to work. I am more fortunate that I can have lie ins but Monday is a day of cleaning and washing (well, dropping off and collecting). I am able to volunteer nearly everyday at different schools and the soup kitchen but on Wednesdays I take advantage of the free entry to museums.

This week I started at a new primary school in a different area. It is a mixture of working and middle class families but I was shocked at the attitude towards the children who struggle. Here it is a case of sink or swim. Helping at the after school homework club I was paired with a 10 year old boy who is unable to read or write. I asked whether he received any additional support to improve his situation however at this school everyone is treated the same and must follow the set curriculum for a certain level. I talked to the other volunteers who told me that they had brought up the issue with the school a year ago and offered extra lessons to help him catch up however the school declined. It makes me value the British education system and also our hard work!

 School grounds

 Some examples of work

One meal that is worth mentioning was a rather random Indonesian restaurant round the corner from our flat. We had noticed it on the previous Sunday when we saw that it was jam packed with people - we decided it must be good. However, it seems that Wednesdays are not popular for eating out and we were the only ones in the restaurant except the owner and her daughter. We had no reason to worry as the food was delicious (satay chicken and beef curry).

For Matt, Friday evening was spent in the bar at work. I spent my evening waiting for Matt to come home and treat me to dinner - McDo! We decided to have a casual weekend and spent Saturday back at Repulse Bay. However, bus loads of tourists visiting the beach (quite possibly for the first time) and taking pictures of us sunbathing was not overly relaxing. When Matt was asked for a photo he gave a resolute "no" at which point the man in question focused his attention on a isolated white child whose parent was not close enough to object. We did notice that some did walk past us and take some sly pictures "click".

That evening we attended a BBQ on the roof of our friend Jack's flat (Apologies for the missed celebrations Afy, we owe you a meal out!) We met some lovely people and spent the evening drinking some lovely wine and eating good food. We returned home laden with goodies - a roll up mattress and teaching resources!

Sunday was also relaxing and we went for a walk around Happy Valley. Not much else to report!

Sorry for the tardiness of the post - we really don't do a lot