The Sweeney Family in Hong Kong China

Siem Reap- the rest

2012-01-29T07:11:00.000-08:00

As we traveled around by foot and tuk-tuk we would see buildings under construction. At the same time it appears that other structures were abandon. It gave me the impression that some have tried their business at Angkor, hoping to cash in on the tourist, but couldn't make it.

Where were we on News Year Eve 2011?
At midnight we were asleep, at 12:05 AM I awoke to the sound of fireworks.
Our hotel was not close to this area, so thankfully the fireworks was the only noise we heard that night.

Having the fish massage is a popular business. The fish come and eat the dead skin off your feet. I wasn't interested, but the kids begged us to try it. The cost was $1 for 15 minutes. We saw one sign that said $2 no time limit!

The Acodo Assisting Cambodian Orphans and the Disabled Organization.
According to the director, Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world. The kids here may have parents, but they are unable to take care of them. Most children are supported through sponsorship, I believe adoption from Cambodia is not that stable. This was my first visit to any orphanage.
These kids smiled, played and seemed well taken care of. I fought the lump in my throat as I talked to a few of them. I wanted to take them all home. The older ones English was quite good. I found their names almost impossible to repeat accurately.
One way they generate money is having the kids perform Traditional Khmer dances and songs. And ask for a donation.

This place had pizza and fries and was the kids break from the Khmer dishes. The money from here, according to the information provided, went to support an orphanage in the capitol city of Phnom Penh
"The Haven" (no photo) was another place we ate at. Their slogan "where helping tastes good." That place trains young adults leaving orphanages to cook and manage a restaurant.

We had to check out at noon, our temple tickets were expired and our plane for Hanoi didn't leave until 6pm. Here we are taking an ice cream break to help us pass the time.

I also don't have a photo of the $2.50 half hour body massage I got, while kids had the fish massage. I haven't had a massage before so I am not sure what to compare it with. Sometimes it hurt more than it felt good, maybe that is normal? The girl who did it was about a foot shorter than me and used her whole body to twist and pull on my limbs. If she gets paid the same for massaging some six-foot, 300lb,sweaty foreigner that comes in as she does for someone like me (who wasn't too sweaty thanks to it being winter) I am not sure it would be worth the money.

We needed laundry done during this part of our vacation. Thankfully for us laundry seemed to be every ones side business and the going rate was only a $1 a KG.

Everyone in the family enjoyed Cambodia. Siem Reap was a nice relaxing time for us. The people we encountered seemed genuine and friendly.
I know kids are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse where poverty is rampant. But Siem Reap did appear to have a lot of organizations that are caring for the poor with the money generated from tourism. Organizations that not only meet the needs, but provide skills that will help the poorest create a dignified income.

Our video

Siem Reap -The Temples

2012-01-22T21:48:00.000-08:00

Nathan has wanted to visit Angkor Wat for some time.
It was not on my must see list, as I imagined old ruins in the middle of a hot jungle. In 2009 we visited Window of the World in China. There I saw a scaled down version of the temple site. I was quite impressed and began to think it might be worth a trip to see after all. Here is a photo of the model

It could take me 4-5 post to show photos of the temples. I will just highlight.

Ankor Wat

I knew old buildings might be boring for the kids, so I tried to interest them in sketching what they saw. Elliot liked the etchings with the swords and an apparent beheading. There were a handful of monkeys around.

The classic Ankgor photo, isn't so post card perfect due to scaffolding.

BAYON
My personal favorite temple site.

PHNOM BAHKENG
This is also a popular spot at sunrise and sunset to get photos of Angkor Wat in the distance. It is a short hike up, maybe we are used to walking and Hong Kong but we didn't think it worth the $15 to hire an elephant ride up the hill.
We kept thinking how amazing it must have been to just be walking in the jungle and stumble upon these temples.

Angkor Thom (Terrace of the elephants)

Ta Prohm
This was the busiest temple we visited. It was the temple featured in the movie Tomb Raider
Impressive trees that have overtaken parts of the temple

Chau Say Tevoda and our last day of the temples

Children were often the vendors outside the temples. We learned later that the government tries to discourage tourist from buying from kids. This can keep them out of school, which is offered for free. It is my understanding apart from free education there is not a lot of government assistance, so it is possible some families may feel they have no choice. Buying from a cute 4 year old who counts to 10 in 4 different languages is more tempting than an adult.
At one site we were followed by a large group of kids repeating over and over "one dollar" only one dollar". We were told to bring candy and offer that to the kids. Jane and Elliot enjoyed passing it out.

Siem Reap 2011

2012-01-19T05:17:00.000-08:00

After a few days in Bangkok we were on to our next destination Siem Reap, Cambodia.
We are always hoping to encounter airports with good playgrounds and activities. This airport did not offer much to keep us busy during our two hour delay. The kids watched Cars 2.

As we got off the plane and felt the fantastic breezy warm air, I felt excitement and apprehension. We had to wait in a line with all the other foreigners to get our on the spot visas. Foreigners are also finger printed upon arriving. Our hotel was expecting 4 adults and had brought us two Tuks Tuks. We let our luggage go in one and shared the other to make our way to the city. I hadn't researched much about the demographics of Siem Reap. Nathan informed me that it was a relatively rural and small in population. As we passed rice fields, farms and lots of cows, this became evident. After living in Asia, it isn't uncommon to hear people talk about being from a small town of 5-8 million.
Siem Reap has about 172,000 residents. We would sometimes see people at the temples and later in the town. It was peak season, but compared to China it felt like a small town hosting a fair wherever one comes out to participate and visit.

Our hotel was the Wooden Angkor (Almost everything has the name Angkor attached to it) When we entered the lobby, removing our shoes first, we were greeted with cool towels and some tea. The family suite is two adjoining rooms. The kids had their own beds and bathroom. That night we decided to try the restaurant upstairs. It was situated on a veranda, on the top level of the hotel overlooking the street. The kids immediately took to the two hammocks that were available and claimed them during our entire stay. We soon realized that as our cheap ( dishes ranged from $2-$4) and delicious food arrived on the table, so did the bugs. It is nice to have the openness, feel the breeze, but the bugs at night were too much for us and ate there only for breakfast and lunch after this. Khmer food I found to be relatively mild, with aromatic combinations of ginger, garlic, coconut milk, lemon grass. Possibly a fusion of Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese? I liked everything and the price was great. Siem Reap has no McDonalds. It was nice to tell the kids it wasn't even an option and they both found Khmer dishes they enjoyed.

The hotel staff were friendly to the kids and pleasant to talk to.
They arranged a tuk tuk driver to take us around. He was hired from 7am-7pm and the cost was only $14US.

Banana pancakes for the kids. Breakfast was included in our stay and we could order off the menu.

A Sunday

2012-01-16T23:12:00.000-08:00

We recently took the ferry over to Hong Kong island. This day out found us visiting familiar places and trying something new.
We started out on the Mid-Level escalators. We were going to visit Fat Angelos an italian restaurant, sadly we found that the restaurant had been replaced.

We had to "settle" for one of our favorite Mexican restaurants Carambas. The nachos and burritos were delicious. The kids liked picking out the red and green chips in the basket.

The Dr. Sun Yat Sen Museum

Is a place we decided to visit. Dr. Sun-Yat was a Chinese revolutionary that devoted His life to overthrow the Qing Dynasty. We had free entry with our museum pass.

Photography was not allowed in the majority of the museum. It is housed in a historical Hong Kong building.
The Hall was built in 1914. It was named after the former owner of the Mansion, Ho Kom-tong, who was a younger brother of the prominent philanthropist Sir Robert Ho Tung. The Ho family is the first Chinese family permitted to live in the Mid Levels in the early colonial period.

The interactive computer games for the kids and the cartoon friendly presentation of the Dr. were well done.

We found a frozen yogurt shop and stopped in for a treat.

Nathan was interested in finding the Catholic church. We stopped and took photos in front of the Christmas tree.

The Church is located near the Botanical garden and Zoo. It had been over a year since I last visited with the kids and Nathan had not been back since 2009.

2009

2011

Thailand

2012-01-13T19:04:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Bangkok late at night. Billboards of the King and Queen were along the highway, greeting us. Thailand's motto is Nation, Religion and King. The images of the royal couple are everywhere. They have reigned since the 50's and are loved by the people.

Upon our arrival the hotel staff was friendly. The kids were quickly offered balloons and lollipops. The pool was of course the kids favorite.

a brief note.
I have linked a lot of the main sites to wikipedia entries. I don't want to include a whole lot of historical detail on the blog if people aren't interested. If you are a quick click on the highlighted words should satisfy your questions.

Our first day the Grand Palace was on the agenda. My impression as we walked around was that Bangkok is a popular post-Christmas destination. I was glad we made the decision for the boys to wear long pants and Jane and I to wear skirts and covered shoulders. A strict dress code is enforced on the palace grounds and there was a long line of people who needed to rent extra clothing.

We were warned in the tour book about schemes where people tell you the palace is closed. We were approached by a man that had a badge that said tourism police. He told us the palace is closed until 1pm due to buddha's birthday. He proceeds to ask our plan for the day, looks at our map then begins to suggest a tuk tuk. At this point we stop him, politely refuse and continue our walk. Hoping he is wrong and we are being savvy. We eventually stumble upon the main entrance of the palace. There is a big sign at the main entrance that clearly states the palace is open everyday from these hours. Obviously the tourism police was not positioned there.

Seeing the replica of Angkor Wat, I began to get excited about our next destination

We took a a boat along the Chaya river. It moved a little faster than the Star Ferry here in HK. Elliot snacked on some seaweed flavor chips. Not only do they stink(at least to everyone else in the family but brother) they leave a sticky seaweed mess.

Wat Arun/ Temple of the dawn is an impressive site from the river

Mcdonald's had a delicious chicken and rice set meal, the kids liked it as much as burgers. It was also a novelty to find the soft ice creams dipped in the hardened chocolate shell. Elliot didn't quite mimic the traditional Thai greeting. I assume that could be quite offensive if it was an actual response to the greeting.

Our hotel was located near the Sky train. We were a little frustrated that concessionary tickets( child tickets) could only be purchased from the office counter not machines. But overall it was clean, efficient, safe and a great alternative to the traffic. That being said The Hong Kong MTR system and London Tube still appear to be the best subway systems we have encountered. We also took the local Metro system which is underground.

The most exciting mode of transportation was the Tuk Tuk. Almost inseparable from and idea of Bangkok we only had one tuk tuk ride. We are used to bartering here in HK at markets, so haggling over a ride didn't seem that different. Bangkok is not a very pedestrian friendly city and I was thankful to have the ride to the sky train to avoid the walking. It was fast paced, and a lot of fun.

The Thai people are very strict on preserving their cultural icons. At many places we could only get photos from the outside. Such as the Vimanmek Mansion. The largest golden teakwood structure built without nails. The Throne Hall located on the Dusit palace grounds. Which was built in this grand Italian cathedral design. You could only enter the buildings with wallets. Every thing else purses, water, cell phones were collected and locked up for a small fee. At the mansion we were scanned an additional time before being allowed inside to walk around. Ivory tusk and Elephant feet were some of the more interested room decor we encountered.

We had anticipated the Snake farm being a highlight with the kids and I believe it was. Thailand can boast as being one of the first places where serious devotion to cures for snake bites was cultivated. The royalty even got involved and helped to establish a well-know institution dedicated to the study of snakes and anti-venom making.

Elliot's favorite was the Mexican milk snake. The kids purchased wooden snakes. Jane's made a couple of the guards jump at the Dusit palace.
As we sat to have a refreshing drink, I spotted a brown toad huddled in the corner of a cabinet. Where else can a frog be safe on a snake farm?

Venom demonstration

We found a noodle stall near our hotel and spent $1.33 for a really good lunch.

I mentioned to Jane that we could probably buy two or 3 of our houses (thanks to the current housing market) for the price of the Lamborghini she quickly replied, Its not worth it!

Here is a video highlighting our trip to Bangkok.

December 2011

2012-01-05T21:09:00.000-08:00

A picture of the kids with their Aunts.
December 2007

A year in review September ,October and November 2011

2012-01-05T21:08:00.000-08:00

September

October

July- August

2011-12-26T07:05:00.000-08:00

August

May and June

2011-12-26T07:04:00.000-08:00

June

April 2011

2011-12-25T09:53:00.001-08:00

March

2011-12-25T09:53:00.000-08:00

February

2011-12-25T09:52:00.001-08:00

A year in photos

2011-12-25T09:52:00.000-08:00

January

Down the Rabbit Hole

2011-12-25T06:58:00.000-08:00

Jane attended ballet at the Sonia Herron Academy of Jazz in Ma On Shan. The whole academy put together a performance based around Alice in Wonderland. "Down the Rabbit Hole"

The primary Ballet class girls were the flowers in the story.

Jezrielle is part of the drama class and played the caterpillar.

Tai Mei Tuk and Sai Kung with the parents

2011-12-13T04:31:00.000-08:00

We enjoy Hong Kong and have made wonderful memories and have met some of the loveliest people. Being able to share it with visitors from home is such a blessing to us. Nathan's parents came for a visit in November.

We took the parents out to Tai Mei Tuk, we rode the bikes and had Thai food.

A tour of the New Territories isn't complete without a visit to Sai Kung.

Stop off at Paisanos

We hired a Sampan that took us out for an hour.

One gets the impression he takes this route quite a bit. It amused Nathan that although he had an ash tray next to him and attempted to use it the ashes never quite made it in. The ban on smoking is in full effect in Hong Kong, in buildings, pubic transport,parks etc. So it was almost shocking to us when he lit up. These boats are privately owned and operated, so of course it doesn't really apply to them.

Lavender Garden

2011-11-19T02:48:00.000-08:00

The kids school went to Lavender Garden in Fanling. I let Jane take the camera with her.
Classmates

She and Elliot's class were kept apart so she didn't snap any photos of him.

The chocolate mint was her favorite plant.

She also fed a goat and named him Billy. The class was memorizing a play of the three billy goats gruff at the time.
Seeing a praying mantis and playing on the see-saw were some other highlights.

The most fun activity offered was making the candle.

The candle Jane made was later given to me as a surprise birthday gift.
The kids said they had fun and we might go back as a family sometime.

Ma on Shan Tsuen again and again

2011-10-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

Fall has come to Hong Kong. In our family we refer to it as a Michigan Summer. We took advantage of the lower humidity and cooler temps and ventured to Ma on Shan Tsuen again.

Differences from last Hike
Jane one year older
Elliot with one less tooth.

I wanted to explore Sai Kung some more and invited Jennifer and Jodie to come along. Nathan suggested we do the hike as a way to get to there.
I said Ma on Shan Tsuen about 4 times to the taxi driver, who eventually called a woman over to help translate. As usual when it is repeated back to me, I hear exactly what I said. The challenges of a tonal language continue to plague me.

Overlooking Sai Kung, making our way down.

Jane turns 8!

2011-10-03T05:09:00.000-07:00

Jane turned 8 years old. This year on her birthday September 29th, there was also the first T8 Signal
of the typhoon season.

All of us parents say the same thing over and over; it goes by fast, and it so true.
I know I can't make time slow down and keep my kids little and cute forever, but it is tempting to want to do just that.

I asked Jane 8 questions about herself.

Where would you go right now if you could go anywhere
Disneyland

What do you like
Jewelry

What do you like to do at school
Jump Rope

Favorite subject
IPC ( it is a curriculum at their school that centers around a theme based learning)

Favorite restaurant
Dan Ryan's

Favorite Song
Veggie Tales "God is bigger than the boogie man"

Favorite Movie
Tangled

What do you want to be when you grow up
Actress

I love the part in this video where Jane gets a hole in one during putt putt golf.

We love you Jane!

Mid- Autumn Festival

2011-09-14T23:32:00.000-07:00

Moon cakes and lanterns, must mean it is Mid-Autumn time again. Looking for lanterns on what could be considered the last day of the festivities, results in slim pickins. Elliot's Angry Bird lantern not only had a rattling ball inside, it played music. Who thinks of these things? Certainly not parents. I was thankful Jane found a more traditional style lantern.

We met up with the Annis Family and headed over to the Sha Tin Carnival. Origami crafts and live performances kept us entertained between walking around to see all the displays. Jane loves peacocks so she was particularly excited with those lanterns.
Some of the live performances featured acrobatic strengths, contortionist and breaking poles over backs and heads.
We actually got a good view of the moon as well.

Nathan gets free moon cakes from work. I tried again this year, thinking maybe I would have developed a taste for the super sweet, dense lotus seed paste and egg yolk. It has not happened. I however have discovered I can eat the "Snowy" moon cakes that are less traditional and taste like fruits and don't have yolk oozing out of the middle.
I do love the collector tins and find uses for them around the house.

Hong Kong Fashion

2011-08-29T07:07:00.000-07:00

Hong Kong has been called a Fashion Capital. Often compared to the likes of New York City, London and Paris. It is common to see a long line of people outside Louis Vuitton, waiting, even when it rains, to get inside.

"Copy hand bag,copy watch" can be heard night and day on the streets of Kowloon. This is the vendors attempt to try to sell you the more reasonably priced Gucci, Prada and Rolex. It is a safe assumption that a majority of people in Hong Kong, care about what they look like.

The fashion I see on a day to day basis reflects more of an eclectic look. Neon striped print top with an orange and black plaid mini skirt. What I like is the monochromatic approach, such as leopard print top, with the leopard print tights and Leopard print shoes. This outfit is made complete with the matching iphone cover.

This picture reminds me of Nesting in skyscrapers a regular post called "Have you ever seen?"
I am not as clever as Renee but here it goes.

Have you ever seen pants that could fly?

See a recent a fashion related post on the site
here

The kids cannot help but be influenced by HK fashion.

Jane wasn't quick enough to escape the camera.

That really was just them be silly.
This on the other hand was a battle I lost one morning before school. In spite of his really sad face, I didn't argue with him too long. I suggested he change and he said no. He was pouting because he didn't want his picture taken.

I think when I make my case for the Norwegian International School to have uniforms, I will simply bring in this photo.

This is how Jane tries to go to school.

This was actually taken from her last modeling shoot in Shenzhen. At least she got paid to look like that.

Aside from the fact that there are so many people in Hong Kong to look at, fashion is why people watching in HK for me, never grows dull.
Personally it frees me to wear whatever is clean on the days when the laundry has been neglected. I can grab whatever is left in my closet regardless of what it looks like and boldly go out in public. Who knows? maybe one of these days, it will get me on a blog.

Jemilla's Birthday

2011-08-21T04:59:00.000-07:00

Jane's friend, Jemilla Harvey turned 9 and the Sweeney family was invited to the house to join the celebration.

Renee brought back these terrific mosaic crafts from their recent trip to Australia. It proved to be too long of a task for Elliot, but Jane finished it and was glad to bring it home.

These beautifully decorated cupcakes were a hit with the kids.

Thanks for a fun time Harvey family!

Happy Birthday Jemilla

Hoi Ha Sai Kung

2011-08-19T22:12:00.000-07:00

We decided to head out to Hoi Ha to do some kayaking. We took a taxi from University to get there and took a red mini bus from Hoi Ha to Sai Kung bus terminus. There are a handful of locals renting out equipment selling snacks and drinks along the way down to the beach. We decided upon a two person kayak which cost 280HKD snorkel equipment 50HKD. This was only my second time in a kayak. Pictures taken with the Gopro. It has a fish eye lens so they can look a little distorted.

We kept having bees fly around us, here I caught one in the camera near Nathan's head.

Also spotted sea urchins and a jellyfish. Nathan was able to get a video of the jellyfish.

Seoul The End

2011-08-13T09:37:00.000-07:00

KOREAN
BASEBALL
My love for Seoul was more than kimchi, donuts,coffee shops and free things to do. It is quite possible that The Koreans love of baseball really endeared the people and city to me. In the past 10 years I have come to really enjoy the sport and I was glad we made this part of our short trip to Korea. My friend Kate, who is from Seoul helped me navigate a Korean website and look at maps to determine if this is something we could do on our own. It was really simple once we got there and a lot of fun. The night before a big rival game went on between two teams. We heard that game might sell out and chose to visit the next day.
The Bears and Eagles were playing the day we arrived.

A player during practice gave the kids a baseball. They picked the Eagles as the team to root for shortly after that.

We only paid about $16USD and the kids were free. Again something else in Seoul we found inexpensive and a lot of fun.
Cheerleaders and chants made the game really entertaining. The songs were in Korean but we could hear the words Doosun(Bears) or Eagles being shouted out once in awhile.

The only downside was our ignorance of the food. Most American baseball stadiums forbid outside food and drink, we had that mindset and went in expecting to be able to find some delicious snacks from stadium vendors. We soon realized as we watched people bringing in KFC and Pizza that it was different in Korea. The vendors inside were selling only ramen and a few chips and soda.
Kate told me she remembers popcorn and hot dogs when she went to the game as a kid, maybe that is available on the busier nights? Next Time we will know to bring in our own food.

Stadium from the 1988 Summer games is near the ballpark.

This tea shop had notes and letters stuck all over the walls. Jane found a card and put her own note up. I don't know the names of the snacks we ordered with our tea. They were primarily sweet and had chewy,dense textures to them. One item reminded me of a mooncake. The tea I ordered had a strong cinnamon like flavor to it.

I hope to get back for a visit someday.

Seoul #4 Palaces etc.

2011-08-13T01:49:00.000-07:00

Gyeongbokgung Palace was originally constructed in the 1300's and has been under ongoing reconstruction and rebuilding since the Japanese occupation in 1911. The two palaces we visited were sprawling and beautifully landscaped. They were inexpensive to enter and the other palace we visited didn't even charge us for Elliot.

The Children's Grand Park
There were playgrounds, and performances, but we spent most of our time looking at the animals. It had animals found in any world class zoo, I was surprised there wasn't any fee for the attractions or park.

Cheonggycheon
This river had been covered by concrete in 1968 for roads. A 900 million dollar project had it restored to a flowing stream in the heart of Seoul in 2005. It really is a nice oasis in the middle of the city, the kids enjoyed playing up and down it.

Subway
Seoul Metro system appeared to me safe and clean. We didn't find it as efficient and simple as Hong Kong, but I am beginning to think not many subway systems are as excellent as the HK MTR, and the Tube. The most confusing part was duplicate names of transfers or stations assigned a different number. Nathan being the good navigator always figured it out. It was sufficient and got us around. We did not take a single taxi or bus (aside from airport bus) during our time.

Summer Vacation Part 2

2011-08-09T22:12:00.000-07:00

Greg and Garrett Sweeney and their families.
Nathan's cousin Scott, his wife and two daughters live in Grand Rapids. We arranged for our families to meet up at the hotel for a reunion. The kids were in the pool from 12 to 9. Cousins Megan and Ashley (11&14) are Gold swimmers on their school teams. This was good motivation for Elliot and Jane to practice and attempt to mimic the skills of their cousins. Here they are in the deep end.

Nathan's family- mom and dad all 5 kids and Grandkids.

The kids have been attending the VBS program put on by our church here in Hong Kong ECC the past two years. We found out this summer we would be in the States during almost all of the Sundays. This was a disappointment since the kids have enjoyed the experience and love the songs. We soon found out that my home church in Traverse City was doing Pandamania. The same vacation Bible school as ECC. It was a nice surprise and the fact they got to attend with Abby and Isaiah made it really special.

Living Hope Assembly of God

Attic Finds

Nathan's dad, when he was a kid would always find Star Wars toys at garage sales. As a result Nathan has a good size collection of action figures and accessories such as C3PO and Darth Vadar cases that overflow with the figures, The Millenium Falcon, several Ewoks and parts that make up the village. Elliot knew these toys were in the attic on the first day we arrived, he wanted to get them out and play.

Jane found the record player and our small record collection. Some records were purchased because Nathan remembers them as a kid. Nathaniel the grublet and Music Machine. Music Machine was acquired in an ebay bidding war, in mint condition with a CD too. I have a few Keith Green and my favorite one is The Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack. Jane started with Mary Poppins and Bullfrogs and Butterflies. She learned how to put the records on and set the needle. The one she played over and over was sir Oliver's song It is about the 10 commandments.

Jane,Aunt Shanda and Ben attended the 11th Annual Resurrection Life car show. They feature classic cars and have games, and food for every one. Carissa works at the church and was in charge of serving the food. I didn't attend, but let Jane take the camera, there were a lot of photos of her cousin Benjamin.

What I did on my summer vacation part 1

2011-07-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

Goals for US trip home 2011
#1 eat,eat and eat
My extra 6 lbs proves I have not denied myself much this past month. My first Meijer outing was reverse culture shock. I found myself in a snack aisle where I could choose from, at least 15 different varieties of Tortilla chips! After about 20 minutes of standing there attempting to make a decision, I narrowed it down to only 2 bags. I am sure that all varities were fresh and had not a stale bag in the bunch, which is not always the case in HK. Other treats include: Oreos that taste like Oreos, the cream taste different in Hong Kong. Cherry Coke, available every where and at a reasonable price, BBQ, Mexican food; at home, at Friend's houses, at Taco Bell ( that kind of counts), Chips and dip, and of course Ice cream from the local places. This is a short list, lets just say if has been put in front of me, so far I haven't turned it down.

Goals for return trip to Hong Kong:#1 only drink our filtered Bonaqua mineral water and consider developing a taste for dry seaweed to replace the chips and dip habit.

Aside from eating my other goal was to do as many American/Michigan activities as we could. I already posted about the 4th and Cherry Fest here are a few more.
Miniature Golf (Putt Putt)

Second time around Elliot got bored and Jane's dangerous back swing, made me think we will wait another year before we attempt this again.

A visit to the water
Michigan is the Great Lakes State, you have to swim some time. Thankfully for Michiganders, at least us in the Lower peninsula it gets warm enough in summer to do just that.
We were able to go with our friends the Krohn's a few times.

My good friend Rachel invited us on her raft to go down the Boardman river. It was so relaxing, and peaceful. She is an excellent navigator and the kids got to get out a few times and enjoy a swim with Rachel's son Dylan.

Holland beach with Benjamin and Carissa

Meijer Gardens
We were able to go with our usual Meijer Garden pals, the Joslins. ( Just to clarify the Meijer mentioned above is a grocery store chain, Fredrik Meijer the same person also created a Botanical garden and sculpture park here in Grand Rapids.) Before we left Both of our families have had passes to the gardens, so we could often schedule play dates and have outings there together. It felt like old times being there again with Kim and the twins Emma and Elyse.

Last year I bought Jane this travel diary. It has pre-made pages to journal an entire trip.
There is one page that says " A Poem about My Trip" I was surprised to find that Jane decided to fill this section out on her own and even more surprised to find that my daughter, who so far has not shown a love of writing, wrote a very creative piece. Her first attempt ever that I can recall.
It is about our time spent at the Krohn's in Traverse City.

I went to my BFF's house, just her and me.
We liked playing games on the Wii.
We jumped on the Trampoline just her and me
We read books like Junie B.
We had fun just her and Me
and I will see her in two weeks.

By Jane Autum Sweeney
age 7

The Peninsula Tea - Almarie's Birthday

2011-05-23T03:55:00.001-07:00

My friend Almarie recently celebrated her birthday, I heard the number 29 and I won't argue that number in this post. Almarie leaves Hong Kong in June. On her list of things to do was high tea at
The Peninsula hotel Graciously she invited NIS moms and other related friends to join her in celebrating the big day in style. We gladly accepted the chance to dress up, and have time to get together without the kids. I bravely wore my heels, unheard of for me in HK. The walking, steps and endless concrete have kept me in flats for 2 years. It was nice to have a chance to put them on and be a little taller for a few hours.

The evening began by dropping the kids off at Constellation Cove clubhouse~natural alliteration, how fun to say that~ with babysitters and dinner provided, we could enjoy our afternoon/evening out in peace.
Jane and Hannah ( Almarie's oldest daughter) sang an impromptu Happy Birthday song to her.

Sally kindly drove us from Constellation Cove to Kowloon. It was fun to pull up next to The Rolls-Royce, Peninsula standard issue vehicles as the valet opened the door and ushered us out, it added to the excitement of the event.

The paparazzi shot of Tanya

The Peninsula no longer has a view on the harbor as a result of land reclamation but it is still arguably the most prestigious Hotel in Hong Kong. The website and everyone will tell you that you cannot reserve a table for high tea, yet Tanya with her Aussie charm managed to get a reservation so we did not have stand in a line.

Sally, Birthday girl, Linda and Abe

The sandwiches were delicious, The desserts, especially the raspberry filled tarts were splendid.
The cost $498HKD for the "tea for two" We stretched 3 of the tea for two among 8 of us and we had plenty.

Kendra arrived before us and held the table.

Afterwards we walked upstairs, and took a look around. It seemed there was a small restaurant, bar or cafe tucked away in one corner or another. The Swiss restaurant was decorated, woodwork included, like a chalet in the alps. The bathroom has an attendant that hands you a cloth towel.
Lillian, Sally, Almarie, Abe, me and Tanya back at CC

The wonderful women Almarie gathered together, made it a great time, and I am thankful to have been part of her special day shared with friends.

Australia

2011-05-01T17:50:00.000-07:00

We made the trip to the "Land Down Under" during the kids Easter break from school. Consequently that song would not leave my head the entire time. We had come to the conclusion that visiting Australia while living in Hong Kong would be easier than while living in the States. The time difference is only 2 hours and the plane ride if you go direct is about 9 hours.

We chose Brisbane for our destination. One of our main reasons for choosing Brisbane was that we knew people who lived there. We met The Hooper family Stephen, Jenny, Owen and Toby here in Hong Kong. We were disappointed when we found out they had planned their vacation to visit their families in the UK at the same time as we were coming to Brisbane. The Hoopers generously offered us not only their house as a place to stay but the use of their car!
One of the possible side effects of raising kids in HK is the sterile environment, concrete paths and cushioned playgrounds. Kids don't often get opportunities to be barefoot, get their hands dirty etc. We spend a good amount of our time hiking and out in nature here in Hong Kong and still the kids were hesitant to be barefoot and play freely in the back yard. Geckos were to be seen everywhere and the trampoline was a hit.

Nathan took to driving on the "wrong" side of the road very quickly. He did often turn on the windshield wiper when he meant to turn on the blinker, but as it rained on and off while we were there it worked out most of the time. With the help of the GPS system we managed to get around quite well. The kids were quoting the GPS all week.
The voice was a loud, deep throaty-what we called -Australian pirate voice. " Come Along Ginger turn right, pip pip! "

Corinda is a suburb of Brisbane and we were about a 8 minute walk from the train station. We only took the train one day, the cost is not quite as economical as the Hong Kong MTR so we didn't use it very much.
This bridge, we were told by a local, actually has people live in it. It is government housing and there is a waiting list to get a spot. He remembered a classmate living there and said it was really loud.

ANZAC DAY
our trip was over Easter Holiday and the Australian Holiday of ANZAC. Australian and New Zealand army corp. I think it is safe to compare it to the US Memorial day. What we thought was really patriotic and interesting was that service men and women from young and old wore their uniforms. They got to ride free on the train that day. The ANZAC parade features different military units. There weren't floats or clowns, just people marching, or in vehicles. We purchased Aussie flags and waved them as the people passed. Unlike living in China we could blend into Australia - until we opened our mouths of course.

Thankfully the other family that we knew lived in Brisbane were around during our trip.
Our friends the De La Portes are leaders at the YWAM base in Brisbane and have been in Australia over a decade. I met Darcie when we were teenagers at an outreach that was for all Michigan Youth. We have stayed in touch ever since. Gary and Darcie showed us all around and took time from their schedules to be with us, it helped make the time really fun and special.

A visit to Australia would not be complete without seeing the kangaroos and koalas. We visited Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary which provided us with an opportunity to feed kangaroos, and other farm animals. Jane named the goat she fed cuddles. We also saw a tasmanian devil and a platypus.

We drove up to the Glass House mountains and while there we spotted a wallaby with a joey. To see one in the wild was exciting. The baby kept popping out of the pouch.
Jane commented," I thought they had pockets they kept the babies in, not holes." It is true the drawings and animation of kangaroos all depict a pocket like front part for the babies and it doesn't quite look the same in person.

A beautiful drive to Springbrook National Park and the Natural Bridge led us to the cave that is home to glow worms They look like tiny LED lights, It was loud because it was so close to the waterfall.

AROUND BRiSBANE
The maritime museum featured the boat of Jessica Watson the youngest person to sail around the world

We had a BBQ at the YWAM base where we tried Kangaroo. Jane tried it as well. I thought it was really good and would have it again.

There was so much more to see and do. The rain or threat of rain kept us away from the coast. We needed more time and better weather. It was a really beautiful country and it was a nice break to be in a place where everyone speaks your language, well relatively. I would like to go back to visit the Great Barrier Reef and to actually spot the Southern Cross in the sky. We didn't really attempt to find it until our last night.

highlights of the trip from the kids..
Jane--seeing the Wallaby in the wild- having a TV in the house

Elliot- feeding the Kangaroos- having a TV in the house.

Mom- The wallaby, and when the De La Portes took us out for "Devonshire tea" there was a kookaburra (pictured above) that sneaked a fry from the table next to us. He amused everybody walking around having this big fry sideways in his beak.

Featuring Jane

2011-04-17T22:06:00.000-07:00

In a previous post I mentioned Jane had received Star Student of the month for February. The students receive a certificate and a pin. I was surprised when Jane got off the bus a few weeks ago and pulled out a pin from her bag that read, March star student. Two months in a row! What really makes me proud of Jane, is the award is not all academic based, I know the kids get "points" for participation and how they treat their fellow students, and teacher.

After school activities or ASA are available to NIS students throughout the year. Jane has participated in paper flower craft and cartoon drawing.

Well done Janie!

Sheung Yiu Folk Museum

2011-04-15T22:05:00.000-07:00

We made a recent trip to the Sheung Yiu Folk Museum in Sai Kung. We begin our journey at University Station and took a taxi to the Sai Kung Park visitors center. The museum was less than a half hour hike from this point.

Jennifer and the older Whitford girls Brookelyn and Savanah joined us.

Beautiful Turtles on display at the visitors center.

The kids next to the old lime kiln

Rooms inside the building are filled with artifacts from traditional Hakka people.

The hike back to the bus stop

Hong Kongers love their pets. We saw this poster with a $30,000 reward for finding this lost dog.

We then we were to take bus#94 to Sai Kung. We were not happy to find after 20 minutes of waiting the #94 was full. We were able to get a taxi to take us all to Sai Kung, we paid a little extra.

Walk by the sea front and then dinner at Paisanos

Cover Model

2011-04-13T07:13:00.000-07:00

Elliot had a modeling shoot for the first time here in Hong Kong a couple of months ago. Here is the result. He is on the cover of Milk B and on page 38. I am not sure why they picked that photo for the cover. I remember there being much cuter and happier shots with the kids, but I don't sell magazines.

My friend spotted this display right here in Tai Po. Elliot didn't have to try too hard to mimic the cover of the magazine, he wasn't too excited to pose for me.

2011-03-24T10:05:00.000-07:00

March 25th 2005 "Good Friday" was the day Elliot Daniel Sweeney was born.

Daddy was sure during the entire pregnancy that it was going to be a boy, he just knew. Mom on the other hand had to wait for him to tell her after baby came out that she had a son.

Daniel at the Memphis Zoo October 2006

2007

Around his 2 year birthday on a visit to Grandpa and Grandma Sweeneys in Tennessee playing basketball with Uncle Aaron

2008 This photo shows what we were just beginning to realize when brother was 3 years old, That he liked being funny.

2009

We move our 3 going on 4 year old from his home country the USA to Hong Kong China. He calls the MTR stop University - Universary and his favorite place to eat is basghetti house. (Spaghetti House)
He likes Star Wars and calls the droid army robots- "Roger rogers" He not only says cute words. He also "hates" walking and cries every time we walk from our Apartment to our shuttle ( 3 minutes walk) I think he cries because he knows that means a day or at least a good hour or more walking, possibly standing on a MTR train or bus. I believe it was 4 months after we lived in Hong Kong that he finally stopped whining or crying about having to walk. A typical American kid at 3 years old is in a stroller or car when in transit, so we empathized with his discomfort. But we still made him walk.

2010
He says goodbye to the closest friend he ever had. He asks everyday for months to see his friend ( who had returned to the States) this loss which is common in Hong Kong, is hard for mom to see him experience.

He becomes enrolled at the Norwegian International school in Tai Po
He is a K3 student which is equivalent to US kindergarten.
He develops what mom calls his Hong Kong- English as a second language accent. The term Pan Pacific accent was mentioned.
He says Ai Ya ( a common expression in Chinese when something Minor wrong/accidentally happens) His inflection in words starts to go up . The teacher says Elliot is often pulled in several directions because all the boys want to play with him

2011
Spider Man
He is all boy. loves wrestling with daddy and 'fighting" will make a shooting sound effect out of anything you put in his hand. Wants to be with dad a lot but is sensitive to Mom and shows great concern for her when she hurts herself or seems upset.

at a modeling shoot in Hong Kong.

Elliot Daniel you make us laugh because you try so hard to be funny. But you make us smile because we see your heart that loves your family. Hearing you sing This is the day the Lord has made and Praise Him, is not only cute but also brings us great joy. Your favorite books are Daniel in the Lions den and Jesus and the passover. We are thankful for your humor and like you showing us how fast you can run and how strong you are, but what bring us greater joy is seeing you learn about a God who loves you more than us and who has great plans for your life.
Happy Birthday Dan!

Highlights

2011-03-15T06:26:00.000-07:00

The Spring has brought us some exciting events.

This cute 5 year old (soon to be 6) pulled his first wiggly tooth out on our shuttle bus. $20 in his bank. ( Hong Kong dollars)

We are proud to be the parents of the NIS Grade 2 February Star student of the month. Good job Jane Autumn!

2 Years

2011-03-01T05:34:00.001-08:00

This was March 2009. Our first couple of weeks in Hong Kong. I can't believe how little the kids look. They are seen here showing off their newly acquired octopus cards and lanyards.
The time has gone by so fast and our remaining days here seem to be coming up even faster.

I remember it was during our first week here and I was feeling the common emotions of isolation, and loneliness. My jet lagged mind was overwhelmed by the unfamiliar sights and smells of the foreign land that my family had decided to call home.
It was on the day I was feeling the lowest, that we happened to be invited to dinner with Nathan's boss. He was picking us up in his van to go to Tsim Sha Tsui. I was quite drowsy and had not notice much of the sights along the way. We parked the car and began walking toward the restaurant, we turned a corner and there in front of me for the first time was Victoria Harbor and the Hong Kong skyline. If it is possible to silently gasp, I would describe my action at that moment as an inward gasp. I found the vast array of skyscrapers and their lights reflecting in the water, dazzling. The shadows of the mountains hidden behind the spectacle of glistening buildings was such a fascinating contrast to me.
I felt a renewed excitement about being here. At that moment I wanted to see Hong Kong, to explore all of it and get to know it well.

In two years we have explored and have learned a lot about Hong Kong's landscape and the people. There is much more to see and to experience. I look forward to every new day that God will give us in this "Fragrant Harbor"

Kung Hey Fat Choy!

2011-02-13T04:30:00.000-08:00

That is the New Year greeting in Cantonese, Xin Nin Kuai le! is one way to say it in Mandarin. Chinese New Year began on February 3rd this year. We celebrated the first day of the Year of the Rabbit with a family hike to
Lai Chi Wo. The old Hakka village gets it name from the Lychee fruit which is native to this region.
We began our journey at Wu Kau tang and it took us about 2 hours to reach the village.

This cluster of houses didn't appear to be lived in, but people were having a party outside on the porches.

On a previous hikes dad had demonstrated how tough bamboo is by snapping a stick against the little trees quickly cleaning it of its leaves. Elliot remembering this asked for dad to get him his own bamboo stick. He then spent some time attempting to clean the smaller trees and shrubs of their leaves.
We found this big one and put his name on it. It was fragrant and had a light and nutty scent to it inside. I know food is sometimes prepared inside bamboo and I can understand how that would add to the flavor of the dish.

The landscape changed along the way and the variety provided us with a fun walk. Mangroves were found along the water, similar to Yim Tin Tsai. The kids had reached a count of 90 piles of "evidence" that cows were around by the time we found the actual cows. They stopped counting piles after 134. Then we came upon a beach with rocks and shells.

We stopped to have lunch here next to a sign that read Lai Chi Wo indicating we had made it but we still had a little walk to reach the village.

Across the water is China. You need a special permit to take the ferry in this area, foreigners are not usually allowed permits.

Between the houses (most are empty) we saw thousands of scraps of red paper. Remnants of the Chinese firecrackers that are used in tradition and some in superstition to scare away the demons.
The kids swung on a vine of a tree called the Derris. This can be seen in the video.

This big tree I believe is an Autumn Pine, there is a whole in it large enough to fit a person.

We had left late in the day and were running short on time so we didn't get to explore more of the woods and trails behind the village. To beat the sunset the kids really had to travel fast. They did so well and kept up the pace even over steeper hills and rocks. On our return trip we spotted a wild boar in the distance. We didn't get the camera out in time to catch it. I am thankful it was far away, I have heard they can be quite aggressive.
It was a pleasant New Years and we enjoyed greeting everyone we met along the way with Kung Hey fat choy.

HEERC in TST

2011-02-08T04:49:00.000-08:00

On our way to Kowloon Park one Sunday, we happened to notice this building that looked kind of like a museum. We decided to venture in and see what it was about.
The Health Education Exhibition and Resource Center is what we had found.
A place where you can learn all about how disease can spread through dirty water, garbage, and unsanitary practices in the market. Cartoon displays, interactive games, stuffed rats and giant cockroaches to help make the learning more fun.
Their was a giant Popsicle and you lit it up by pushing the buttons that said what it was made of. Such as artificial flavor, colorings, sugar etc. I think one button indicated vitamins or something healthy and that didn't light it up.
It was an interesting place to visit, the kids were entertained for quite some time. My first thought, only in Hong Kong would such a place exist and not only that but be so colorful and made for kids. It does not label itself as a museum, but as a resource center. I guess it won't show up in tour books. If you are near the TST MTR outside the park and have some time to waste, I would say take a walk through it.

Lunch with Friends

2011-01-30T02:49:00.000-08:00

We were invited by Choi Lin (Engilsh name -Greenie) for a lunch. Eunice her daughter attends NIS with Elliot. They are in Phase 2 of Parc Versailles. We often take the same mini bus to get school.
Also in attendance were two other NIS moms and their daughters.
I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty everything was. I haven't enjoyed many Hong Kong style meals or dishes, and I wasn't sure what to expect.
On the menu; Choi sum, beef balls, dumplings, and wings. Every thing had a distinct flavor that was savory and not overpowering.
I liked the flavor the chestnuts gave the beef balls. Her neighbor makes a home made chili paste, which I was eager to put on my noodles and it was delicious.

4 Countries represented, Hong Kong, US, Spain and Guatemala
The Mom's- Choi Lin, Me, Noelia, Almarie

The kids
Marina,(Noelia) Mia,(Almarie) Eunice, Elliot
I think he was beginning to feel a little out of place, in the room full of girls.

Ma On Shan Tsuen

2011-01-18T19:28:00.000-08:00

ma on shan tsuen from outypants on Vimeo.

We spent a warm December day hiking along Ma On Shan. We took a taxi to the BBQ area and took us about 3 hours to reach Sai Kung. There is a plateau with tall grass that the kids enjoyed playing hide and seek in. There were people paragliding on the spot as well. A clear view of Sai Kung and surrounding islands is seen from the top. The way we took down was a little rocky and steep. We made our way to Sai Kung to get pizza from Paisanos. A great end to a great hike.

Ma On Shan Country Park

India

2011-01-18T05:52:00.000-08:00

Nathan was able to travel to Chennai India for work.

St. Thomas is the apostle credited with introducing Christianity to India. Chennai claims to be the city where he spent the last year of his life

I did not know crocodiles could jump, This sign tells you not to sit on the ledge or else a crocodile might get you. A sign not needed in Michigan.

Chennai from outypants on Vimeo.

Disney On Ice

2011-01-14T10:04:00.000-08:00

On January 2nd Jane and I went to Macau to watch Disney On Ice. We were invited along by Renee and Jemilla Harvey. We travelled by the Ferry and took a shuttle to the Venetian Hotel.

There is an actual canal in the hotel with gondolas and trained gondoliers who sing Italian ballads while you float along the water. The sky inside gives you the feeling of being outside.
I wasn't impressed with the lack of restrictions on smoking, even at the food court there were no signs posted and no one stopping anyone from doing it.

Featuring Cars, Lion King, The Little Mermaid and Tinker Bell

We had good seats. I was impressed by the skater who had to wear the Ursula costume and skate around.

Can you spot the drivers cleverly hidden inside the vehicles?

A great day out for the moms and daughters.

Christmas Eve Celebration

2010-12-27T07:26:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve 2010 from outypants on Vimeo.

We were able to celebrate Christmas with our friends. In attendance: The hosts The Harveys, their friend Natalie, and the Wang family.

lots of food!

I was able to find Christmas Crackers in the store and was excited to try them out. As an American they were never part of any tradition in our house.
Renee told me about the tradition of having them on Christmas day in Australia. I have seen and heard of them referred to in British stories or television .

Traditional cracker prizes: Hats, a joke and a toy.

Crafts: gingerbread cookie decoration, wreath making, and Christmas cards.

Elliot hasn't quite learned about the spirit of giving..
The kids listening to the Christmas story read by Craig.

The kids had a gift exchange and received wonderful gifts.

Having a bit of fun. Albert was the brave dad who tried it on.

A lovely time with our Hong Kong family !

Christmas Happenings

2010-12-27T07:05:00.001-08:00

Christmas cookie decorating at Pings. My friend Noelia is spending her first Christmas in Hong Kong this year. She has a son and daughter. Marina is in the same school as Elliot. She was able to come to help make some cookies. She did a perfect job at kneading the dough. Ping had these great cookie cutters that made for some fun shapes.

A visit to Disney during the Holiday will help you get in the Christmas mood. Jane gets a kiss by Minnie and the band poses with the kids.

Our Christmas tree this year decorated by the kids. A new ornament thanks to our summer trip to Bronners. We walk through a village on the way to Jane's school one of the houses had decorated all the trees outside. Parc Versailles has lights on almost every plant and post this year it looks quite festive. A look at Elliot's red nose you get the feeling it might actually snow.

Ghibli in Hong Kong

2010-12-27T06:05:00.000-08:00

Studio Ghibli a Japanese animation studio has produced some movie's that we like. My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo, Spirited Away and many more. Totoro is featured in Toy Story 3, he is the fat stuffed animal that looks like a bunny, and doesn't talk. A new Ghibli movie is coming out "The Borrower Arriety" and a display is up at Grand Century Place. The kids are used to watching the cartoons in Japanese without being able to read subtitles ( although Jane is now to the point where she can keep up a little) so it is something we could do as a family, if we find the movie suitable for their age. Whether we watch the new movie in the theater or not we had fun snapping photos at the display.

Birthdays

2010-12-27T05:29:00.000-08:00

Here is a post highlighting 4 Birthday parties that we were invited to share in the past two months.
Joseph turned 9 Back in November. The kids played catch the balloon, pop the balloons and a mini soccer game. Even the dads had a turn at it.

Picus is Jane's classmate and Pio is another K3 in Elliot's school. The boys had a shared birthday party at the Zebedee International school here in Tai Po. Food catered by Fairwoods and a show with some magic and funny tricks. Jane was able to try her hand at spinning a plate.

Savanah's Birthday was at the bowling alley located on the premises of The Palazzo. Jane came out as the winner with a high of 50. I didn't have my good camera so I failed to take more pictures once inside the apartment, that featured a delicious chocolate cake for dessert.

Ailee is in Jane's class at NIS. She had a Barbie Birthday party. Games featured a Barbie story, make your own bracelet, Barbie Bingo and a memory game with a tray of all of Barbie's favorite things. I liked the Barbie punch ( Sprite dyed with a pink food coloring)
The whole family was invited so the boys were amused by a showing of " Clutch Powers" Lego movie.

We are thankful for all the friends God has blessed us with here in Hong Kong and enjoy every celebration we are able to share with them.

Cloudy Hill

2010-12-06T07:44:00.000-08:00

Hiking in Hong Kong has been Nathan's favorite past time since our arrival. Many Saturdays he has gotten up early to explore a new trail and see new heights. I recently have been able to join him on some of the smaller hikes during the day while the kids are in school.

Cloudy Hill is located at the base of Tai Po Tau village, which is a short walk from our estate.

The hike is well travelled, pavilions and places to rest are found along the way.

The lantern fly was spotted on one of Nathan's first hikes.

What I found to be the most challenging part of the hike was I could climb up 50 steps only to find I had to go down 20. It isn't this easy, gradual climb up, after about 40 minutes my legs were feeling the pain of climbing back up.
Walking in Hong Kong has helped me to stay relatively fit, but I wouldn't say that I was in shape. I wanted to be done a few times, and practically crawled my way up a few of the steps. I knew it wasn't really that far or long to the top and I knew I could make it.

I only had the ipod to take the photos. Over 400 meters was a good workout for me. My hiking partner was quick to point out that Mt. Everest is closer to 10,000M. One hill at a time...

Yim Tin Tsai

2010-11-18T08:25:00.001-08:00

It was a day before my 33rd birthday
I went to Sai Kung with my friends Jodie and Lori and caught a boat ride to Yim Tin Tsai, Meaning "little salt field."

A mission was founded on the island and St. John's Chapel's was built in 1890.

When we walked around we saw that there were volunteers cleaning up around the church.

We needed to have scheduled a visit to enter in the church. So we could only walk around. People visit it at least once a year on St John's day.

Salt mining was the sustainable living for the villagers, but the fields are abandon now.

As a result of the Mission founded on the island it has a Christian heritage. It isn't common in China to find graves marked with crosses.

We ideally wanted to walk the full length of Kau Sai Chau. The Jockey Club spent millions of dollars to build a golf course on part of the island. The only public golf course in Hong Kong.

This is the gate keeping us from walking to the other side of the island. We called to see if we really couldn't get across. Lori is fabulous at getting information and results. But we were told it was not possible to hike along the island.

Something about safety as a result of flying golf balls, I suppose it was legitimate.

Mangroves

I had heard there were mangroves to be found on the island, but being unsure of what exactly was a mangrove I was afraid I would leave the place never knowing. We kept pointing at various flora saying maybe that is a mangrove, or is it that? Finally a sign with an arrow lead us to this place. We safely deduced we had found the mangroves.

We stopped at Honeymoon Dessert, just to take pictures. Honeymoon Dessert is a chain of restaurants that specialize in Asian style desserts. The first one was opened in Sai Kung.

This photo shows the sign Durian district. Durian is a strong smelling fruit, loved or hated by many. Due to its pungent aroma a special section is allocated to where it will be served.

I have yet to try it, but I am very familiar with the smell.

San Mun Tsai second time around

2010-10-29T22:36:00.000-07:00

We visited San Mun Tsai again, but this time taking the path we had planned for the first trip. We took the 20K minibus that terminates there.

We stopped and visited the historical gallery. It had a unicorn head, we just had read on the Internet about the unicorn dance, not as popular or widely used as the traditional dragon and lion dances.

When we arrived at the beach we walked around and explored the protected area. Ma Shi Chau

The kids liked these mini glasses dad found and there was an argument over who would get to play with them first. I am always amazed at the things kids choose to fight about.

It was part of our plan this time to take the boat to Tai Mei Tuk. We approached the Sampan lady and began to discuss cost. We would give her a number in Mandarin and she would reply in Cantonese. I say all the time I need to learn the numbers in Cantonese and have yet to do it. The bartering required hand gestures and her at least acknowledging our Mandarin figure for us to final settle. We had paid 20HKD per person for the boat when we went to Sai Kung, and we felt we should pay no more this. Locals if they even bother taking the boat, maybe get a better deal then we did, but we were comfortable paying that amount and boarded.

It was a fast paced ride, we noticed the lack of life jackets as we were zig zagging through the other boats. We arrived to find what seemed to be an even busier than usual Saturday in TMT. It wasn't until we were standing in a long bus line to return home that it occurred to me it was a public holiday. Chung Yeung Festival part of the tradition is the colorful papers placed at graves as seen in the top photo.

Thankfully we ate earlier than everyone else did and got into a restaurant no problem.

It was good food. I had a beef dish with a black pepper sauce and Nathan got a curry dish.

Sam Mun Tsai -The First Trip

2010-10-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

Sam Mun Tsai is an old fishing village located here in the New Territories. Our first excursion was eventful to say the least. Nathan had not explored this area yet but believed it to be straightforward from the information he received and the map he had. We were accompanied by our friends the Annis family. We took the 74K with no problem, but that was about the only event that went without any problems. Once we arrived it was not clear which path to take. We asked a local man, who spoke a Little English and told us we had to walk along the beach to reach the island we wanted and he warned us it was going to be difficult.
Nathan was sure this was not what the map indicated or what he had read. It was later in the afternoon already and we were racing against the sun and a tide coming in. We didn't see a better option, aside from quitting the whole thing altogether, so we ventured down to the beach.
Originally the plan was to take a well traveled trail and end up at a beach as a result most of us were wearing sandals. The crabs were fun to watch and some interesting shells were discovered, but the bloodied feet by a few of the kids were proof that overall it was not an enjoyable hike. Once we reached the island and walked around we saw immediately the path that we should have taken. Sandals would have been OK on that trail. The shore was not a nice sandy beach, but made up of countless sea shells broken into pieces. I have never seen anything like it and found it fascinating. A village woman approached us and pointed to a boat offering us a ride. We understood it would take us to Tai Mei Tuk. After discussing the cost for the lot of us primarily using a calculator, hand gestures and Mandarin Chinese numbers,we decided we would pass this time on the boat ride. We thought we should take the trail we were originally to come down, to see what it was like and where it ended up.

The view in Hong Kong can make almost anything worth the trouble.

The beach with it's mine field of broken glass and barnacles.

Taking a snack break I think it was maybe 15 minutes into the walk when feet began to get cut. The kids here in this photo keeping things light, the eldest child was having her wound tended to. A discussion of move ahead or turn back was had and we decided to keep going on.

The crabs offered a welcome distraction for the kids along the arduous journey.

The snake we believe to be not poisonous

Our trek back did have a few inclines but it seemed relatively easy after the shoreline walk. The reward for the kids making it was a little play ground right next to the village.

For Jane- a Belated Post

2010-10-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

On September 29 2003 Jane Autumn Sweeney was welcomed into the world.

It is exciting and humbling to watch a child grow and change under your care and direction. We are blessed with a sweet and tender hearted daughter that proves on daily basis she is getting smarter than her parents.

Facts about Jane

Human compass!- She has a great sense of direction she can often recall which way to go after only one visit to a place. She amazes us all the time with this gift- inherited from dad.

She likes to draw, her art often reflects real life places and people - I often prefer that kind over abstract.

A loyal friend, fast at making friends, and tries to show her kindness with notes and little gifts when ever she can.

likes listening to Adventures in Odyssey, eating olives, the color blue, singing, coloring.

7 years has gone by too fast as it always does when watching kids grow. We are thankful and honored to be her parents.
Love you Janie!

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Singapore #3 All the rest

2010-10-11T01:50:00.000-07:00

singapore slide from outypants on Vimeo.

The Jurong Bird park had fun shows. The bird that sang songs in three languages was impressive.

Mom had to go to the Philatelic museum to see the first postage stamp ever and dragged the whole family along.
It turned out to be a great time. There were lots of interactive displays and the kids enjoyed it, Jane at the time said it was more fun than the zoo. She changed her mind on that but really a kid friendly museum.

No Wendys in Hong Kong- excited to see one in SP

Singapore has a Train system -The MRT- easy to use clean and safe just like Hong Kong, we used it a couple of times but found that taxis were more convenient and the best choice for us on our short trip. While using the MRT I was impressed that people did stay out of the way to let others alight first before getting on themselves. I think the mascot that encourages everyone to be nice must have done a good job.

Little India

The barefoot restaurant was a place Nathan had ate at during his first visit to Singapore( this was his second) No shoes when you ate upstairs, sit on the floor and get your own water. He had tried on his first visit a hot dish, that got his name put on a clothespin along a wall of fame. He was level 3, I believe there were about 9 levels of hotness. We took note this was the 3rd restaurant the kids ate at that required you removed your shoes. They provided slippers for the bathroom.

It was easy to get around as English is the main language spoken. I think I could live in Singapore for a little while, very western friendly yet a melting pot of cultures. I do prefer Hong Kong.

Elliot's Favorite memory of Singapore- The King Cobra
Jane said she too enjoyed the zoo. Feeding Elephants can be a hard experience to compete with when talking about highlights.
Favorite places we ate Elliot says- Wendy's
Jane says- the Zoo cafe we ate at. It did have great iced tea.
Mom says- the Mexican food was excellent in quality and taste, the service was off a bit, but we got a free dessert and even that was delicious.

Singapore #1- The Zoo

2010-10-04T15:33:00.000-07:00

Singapore is a small island country with about 5 million people on it. A little over 3 hours via air from Hong Kong. . Known for its strict rules on keeping the place clean, some may remember a few years ago when a foreigner was caned for graffiti, I appreciated the high standards as a visitor.
We could chew gum but could not find it for sale in the convenience stores. Malays, Indians and Chinese make their home here but English is the shared language that is primarily spoken. This made our time much easier taking taxis and ordering in restaurants.

We left for Singapore on Jane's Birthday September 29th. We stayed at the

The Zoo highlights:
Jane got to feed the elephants ( brother chose not too)
Elliot and Dad liked the Rhinos
Mom liked the "free" roaming lemurs

Video updates and some pictures

2010-09-18T00:38:00.000-07:00

It was a big deal when dad finally said yes the kids could get ice cream from the truck. They have asked every time we have passed one since we first arrived in HK.

We bought a pass to Disney this day, Hopefully we visit enough to make it worth it. This trip was fun, Jane got to ride the teacups with Alice ( her favorite character) Elliot was picked out during the Stitch Experience and talked to by Stitch

Plover Cover- Tai Mei Tuk

Plover Cove from outypants on Vimeo.

Disney

Disney 2 from outypants on Vimeo.

Beginnings

2010-09-06T22:10:00.000-07:00

I have had at least one kid home with me everyday since September 29 2003.
This year we decided to send the kids to an International School here in Tai Po called NIS. It stands for Norwegian International School.
There are various reasons I am not home schooling anymore. I enjoy choosing what the kids are taught, I love being right there when they learn something new and the flexibility it provides.

I might one day do it again, but I know for now this is the right decision.

7:45 we get on our estate shuttle bus and drive 4 minutes to MTR. We take the train one stop to Tai Po Market, walk about 12 minutes to Elliot's campus. 8:30 Jane gets on a school bus that takes her across town to the primary campus.

The Kindergarten campus sits on top of a good size hill and is called the Bungalow. It was built before the 2ND world war and has belonged to various people and used for military purposes at one point. The cannon seen in the photograph is a real one.

These first days of school in Hong Kong does not allow for sweaters and new warm leggings to be worn. Temps are still in the high 80's early 90's and extremely humid. I have found myself ready for the A/C and a nap, by the time I get to the top of the hill at the Bungalow.

The First Day
Jane's campus is just across the bridge behind our place, so we walked that first morning. On the way, we saw a girl we met the day before at registration who was in Jane's class. In order to get Elliot to his school on time, I had to leave Jane almost immediately, I was worried she might not want me to go so soon, but when she saw her new friends were playing on the soccer field she gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and ran off.

We arrive at Elliot's campus.

8:45 the teacher rings a hand held bell and children began lining up ready to go inside. Elliot had this dazed look about him as he was being herded and told where to go. I follow the kids inside, helping brother get his shoes off and slippers on, they don't wear their outside shoes at the Bungalow. Kids are putting backpacks away, taking out lunches, a lot of commotion is going on and the teacher gets the kids into the classroom and closes the door.
When I had said goodbye, I was unsure Elliot heard me as he didn't reply. Now I am faced with the situation did he really understand I was leaving? Should I go into the classroom so I can give him a hug and kiss?
I took into consideration he is 5 not 2 and decided entering the classroom would be more disruptive and I left. At first I was a little sad thinking my children could have made some fuss about me going, but over all my kids being content and not sad, kept my emotions even.

The crying that happened that day was when I picked Elliot up early, so we could get Jane. He was upset he had to leave before it was time to go because he wanted to play with a toy.

My First day of school experience
I felt dazed. I imagine I must have had a similar expression on my face as Elliot did that morning. Here I was among these crowds going along, shops and street markets not really sure what to do.
The kids got placed in a structured day, being told where to go, when to eat, time to clean up. I felt I now needed someone to tell me what to do. OK Sarah time to clean, stop and go get lunch, now you need to grocery shop etc.
My 9-5 day for 7 years revolved around creating structure, and education for someone else, and I found myself at a loss where to begin this for myself.

Observations and reflections of a day without kids
No more McDonalds- I can eat spicy ramen, sushi, kimchi and rice for lunch. I can also choose to eat lunch at 11 or 2pm.
Sounds of Silence
Even when kids are in the house sleeping, you know they are there. It is a different quiet from an empty house.
I go back to the flat and sometimes I listen to an audio drama, or a radio program, and sometimes I choose to have no background noise and enjoy the silence.
Did I forget something?
In HK we travel by foot, bus or train, as a result I am in a habit of taking a hand, always looking back, and being aware in general of the kids location. Their absence from my day to day is new to me, but my mother instincts are still heightened.
I go to grab to a hand that is not there, or look back and no kid

The funniest one to me is when I panic for a second after hopping off the train- thinking I left one of them behind.
I know this feeling will go away soon.

It is a new journey, a process and I will have to ease myself into a week that I can call fruitful and meaningful.

Suzhou the final post.

2010-09-06T20:53:00.000-07:00

Shanghi / Suzhou from outypants on Vimeo.

It was so interesting to see how people still live alongside the canals. This boat ride was more of a sampan style not a gondola.

Suzhou is known for pearls and silk. Shops had these on display, you could also choose oysters kept in tanks.

Our dinner at the Japanese restaurant. The adults enjoyed the kids 'brain box" game. The object is to memorize the photo, then you are asked questions about what you saw. It was a great party game. The cards had Chinese and English written on it, so everyone could take turns reading and guessing.
Lisa ( in the green) came to the U.S a couple of years ago along with Candy and Jesse. I remember her daughter was going to school to be a doctor and I asked her -in Chinese- about it her.
How nice it was to communicate something without help.

it isn't uncommon to see 3- 4 people on a scooter. I cringed at all the kids I saw riding without helmets.
Is that Fred Macmurray on that scooter?

Elliot and Queenie playing paper scissors rock at the Sichuan restaurant.
Scooters are a major mode of transportation in Suzhou. Crossing the street or walking on the side walk can be a bit scary with the kids. Some scooter drivers zip through lights and they tend to travel wherever people can walk.

This is potty training in China.

Shanghai

2010-09-02T06:28:00.001-07:00

The Bund

The one full day we had in Shanghai it was 40 degrees C (104˚ F). Visiting during the World's fair ( Expo) and not attending may sound like a waste, but we had been warned of the conditions and decided against it. Waiting 1-3 hours in line to visit a pavilion is hard as adults, but with kids it is almost near impossible. The heat alone I think would have changed our minds if the crowds did not.

I felt I needed one picture commemorating the expo even though we didn't go.

The Maglev
The Magnetic levitation train reaches speed of 300 KMH.

It isn't China without the occasional strangely grotesque statue and a sign in English not quite right.

People lined up to view the skyline along the Bund.
Shanghai has about 20 million people residing in it. It felt like 20 million people to me almost every where we went. We are use to people asking for the kids pictures either posing with them or just of them, but to be asked as an entire family was new for us, I kept thinking who really wants a picture of me with my face red and hot and my sweaty hair pulled back?

Tiger Hill Suzhou (part two)

2010-09-01T19:42:00.000-07:00

No visit to Suzhou should exclude the famous Tiger Hill. According to the Historical Records, the Wu King Helu was buried on the hill, called then "the Hill Emerging from the Sea". The legend goes that three days after his burial a white tiger appeared squatting on the hill. Hence the name.

Although we are prone to take crooked photos this is not bad photography. The Yunan pagoda is actually leaning. It is older than the other famous leaning landmark in Pisa.

Doing my best to keep it up.

Jane got to lower a bucket into the well to get out water.

They were featuring a bonsai exhibit in the gardens. The most impressive bonsai I have ever seen.

I feel I should insert something witty about Mr. Miyagi here but since he was fictional and Japanese I won't.

We visited Tiger Hill with Jesse, another person who use to work with Nathan, his daughter (English name) Wendy and his mom.

Lunch
Jesse took us to a local place. The crushed cigarette and dirt under out table did cause me to worry. No one was in a hurry to clean it up, probably because the place was packed and no one else seem to mind. It is just a different standard over there especially in regards to public smoking and what is acceptable. The dishes and chopsticks were clean so I decided to put aside my "western" way of standards and ate my food.

Elliot posing with his chili paste that did not make its way onto any of his food.

The dumplings in broth were delicious, even the kids ate them up. I believe pronounced (dwo tee in)

Suzhou part one

2010-08-30T06:51:00.000-07:00

The Family got the opportunity to be all together in Suzhou China for a couple of weeks. Nathan has been visiting Suzhou since we lived in the States, so it was great to finally be able to see all the places I have only heard about.

A little history on the region.
Located in the Jiangsu province, Suzhou is known for its gardens and canals.
Since the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Suzhou has been an important center for China's silk industry. The city is part of the Yangtze River Delta region.
It is sometimes known as the Venice of the East or the Venice of China, as a result of the canals.

This was our visit to Panmen. One of the main attractions is the gate, it is the only well preserved water-and-land city gate in the world now. It is believed to be over 2000 years old.

One of the highlights for me was being able to climb the Pagoda. The Ruiguang Pagoda was built in 241 originally 13 storeys tall. In 1100 B.C it went into disrepair and the man who funded the reconstruction made it only seven. The kids kept wanting to go higher and higher, I started to get nervous around the 4th level. The stairs were narrow and there was only one set, so if any one was coming up or down you had to make way for them. We were surprised at the graffiti scratched on the walls. I imagine in the States a plastic barrier would be built to keep that from happening. The ledge was not that high when we walked outside, in the States artificial railing would be in place to make up for this. In China I find myself approaching ancient structures charmed by them being in their original construction but with some trepidation. I was a little disappointed and a little relieved when we discovered that at the upper levels you were not allowed to walk outside.

Queenie ( her English name) works with Nathan and was very kind and helpful to us. She accompanied us to Pan Men it was her first time there as well. She bought the kids these souvenirs.

We were given a boat ride. The man was singing as we went. Queenie said part of what he was singing was simply about rowing the boat.

Modern Toilet

2010-08-09T22:45:00.000-07:00

The title might suggest a post about DIY bathrooms or a newly remodeled toilet in our flat, but it is in fact a restaurant.

Why a toilet restaurant? Wikipedia information:
Owner Wang Zi-Wei, an ex-banker, stated that his inspiration for the bathroom themed restaurant came from a Japanese robot cartoon character, Jichiwawa, who loved to "play with poop and swirl it on a stick." From this cartoon inspiration, he started a successful ice cream shop selling swirled chocolate ice cream on top of paper squat toilets. The chain of Modern Toilets started in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and now has 12 restaurants.

We are so fortunate to have one of those restaurants right here in Hong Kong (sarcasm).
The whole idea of soft ice cream resembling poo and menu items put in a ceramic squatty potty, is not my ideal dining out experience.

However Nathan and Mike were in Mong Kok one Saturday and took the opportunity to find a toilet seat and order some food.

An example of a dessert

Mike ready to dive in.

Nathan's dish was served in a tub, doesn't rate that high on the gross out factor.

The food isn't spectacular but the prices are not that outrageous either. I would believe it is understood you are coming here for the atmosphere and not a 5 star gourmet meal.
Modern Toilet is at least an impressionable first date. It could possibly the one and only date or maybe part of a funny story to tell future kids.

Asia snacks and such

2010-08-01T01:06:00.000-07:00

You can't read this blog or follow me on Facebook very long without hearing me talk about living in Asia as it relates to food. I decided to make a mini post about some fruits and snacks we get here in HK. I could probably blog several times about this subject. Maybe I will do one soon about real food for all my foodie friends.

This window display might not be very exciting to some people. If you find yourself living without familiar food items for awhile as a result of being in a foreign land you would possibly get excited at the site of a jar of peanut butter or a box of cereal. Living in Hong Kong we can find almost anything, our friends who live in more remote places across the globe do not have the option to purchase a majority of these items. I don't really feel deprived- many items that are from America we are better off without due to high sugar content. I find it interesting how much we are identified by our food taste. After being here for about 6 months I remember getting very excited when I spotted a can of Cherry Coke. Yes- you could only buy it in single cans and it cost almost $1 USD to purchase. That is more of the case here in HK -we don't have to make our own cheese, or anything like that- it all comes at a price. Finding Cereal under $4USD in a decent size box is a bargain.
My friend from the Philipines talked bout being excited to return home to eat some kind of salty fish.
We have missed Mexican food (at least cheap mexican food) most since being here.
I would be interested in any comments regarding what you look forward to eating when you go home - if you are an expat reading this.

Here are some fruits we don't necessarily see that often in the US

Durian- very popular fruit sold here in the markets. It is possibly more known for its very strong odor than its flavor. I believe it has the smell of a bitter-rotten fruit. Some people say it doesn't taste that bad, I haven't had an occasion offered to me to try it and don't have any real desire.

Lychees - were just in season around June- July. We saw the trees full of them in Lam Tsuen. They are very sweet and juicy. They have a pit, and for the small amount of fruit you get- you may find them a pain to peel and eat.

Mangosteens- these are not native to China but you can find them here. Known for their health benefits. These to me are similar to Lychees. The shell is harder but once inside the white fruit is sweet and juicy.

The 7-11 symbol a welcomed sign when you are dying of thirst in the hot summer, when the kids are crying out for a snack.
Not only on every corner but sometimes within a few of feet of a different one. They are so convenient made more convenient with the use of our Octopus card.
One of my go to snacks found at most 7-11. Yummy flavored "pretz" tomato and pizza are the best flavors in my opinion.

We had a sleepover with the girls - I had let them go to the clubhouse to get some drinks from the vending machine. After a few minutes of drinking the Sprite they complain that it taste funny. We quickly noticed it was green tea flavored. Green tea is a popular flavor here. Ice cream is one of the many food items you can get in green tea flavor.

This is a picture of the kids inside Celadon a local tea shop here in Tai Po. The couple that own it are Chinese but lived in Canada for awhile so they are easy to talk to. You can taste the teas before you buy them.

To me one of the great benefits of being here is for the tea. It is part of the culture and history not just a beverage. I have been blessed to get to try some of the best Green tea the country makes. called BiluoChun . You can start to understand why people would pay hundreds of dollars for good tea once you have had a taste of how good it could be.

We love Ramen. Elliot now eats his with bok choy in it, so thankfully we can add some nutrition for him. This ad was in one of the MTR stations dedicated to Nissin Ramen. You can buy ramen in the states, what is different here is the variety. A whole ramen aisle in the stores, not just a small shelf with a choice of two brand and beef and chicken. We are hooked on Nong shing Korean clay pot.

Pocari Sweat-
a Japanese drink. With the word sweat in it you wonder why anyone would ever drink it?
Nathan likes it, this is his photo from Korea. It has been described as tasting a little like sweat. After a good workout and a lot of sweating maybe your body needs to be replenished with "its" sweat?

Another item that is popular here is aloe. Not only for your skin, but in your food. Minute Maid makes a drink with Aloe chunks in it. This green colored bottle with chunks floating around in it doesn't look good to me. The kids and Nathan say it isn't all that bad. Yogurt with aloe in it is something else on the shelves here.

The list really does go on and on but I think highlighting a few is enough information. If anyone would like to send me a case of Cherry Coke feel free to attempt to it ;-)

Farewell Friends

2010-07-29T17:55:00.000-07:00

Relocating to a foreign country can be exciting. You get to travel to new places, learn different cultures, language customs etc.
It also can be overwhelming, isolating and make one homesick.
When we first arrived in Hong Kong we were blessed to have the Krohn family living 6 bus stops away. I remember when the kids met for the first time, Bethany said, I'm sorry, if your kids aren't familiar with Star Wars and Transformers- they will be.
It was at that moment I knew the kids would be good friends.
Bethany's knowledge of the area on shopping and where to buy stuff was so helpful in the beginning for me. But it wasn't just her sharing her information that helped me not to be overwhelmed, homesick or feel isolated, it was her warmth and welcoming me as a friend.
Not many people get to have someone from their home country to be friends with when living overseas let alone someone from the same area, with mutual friends. After a day of trying to communicate, trying to find clothes, food, household items that were so easy to find at home-that have become like a scavenger hunt- there is great comfort in picking up the phone or stopping by and sharing these experiences with someone who understands exactly how you feel.
16 months has come and gone very quickly and in that time it has seems we have been friends for years.
Thank you Jason, Bethany, Abigail, Isaiah and Sammy for making us a part of your life. You will forever hold a special place in our hearts.

Kam Sheung Road from outypants on Vimeo.

Ping Shan Heritage Trail from outypants on Vimeo.

A Wedding from outypants on Vimeo.

Jane singing from outypants on Vimeo.

party time from outypants on Vimeo.