Beginning of the end, saying good-bye

How do you say goodbye? If are like me you try to avoid ever having to say it.

 Those few weeks before our departure I found myself saying, "I'm sure I will see you again before I leave, so this isn't good-bye" As the time became shorter and shorter I realized I had to stop saying that and face the reality that there might not be another chance.


 This was the kids last official day of school at The Norwegian International School.

Mr. Eduardo the PE teacher.  

The friendly and caring staff, sent the kids off with momentos and class parties. 

Song Laoshi's gift to the kids was a traditional hat, it came from Beijing where her grandparents live.

My friend Abe Chung who has two kids in NIS,  coordinated a farewell dinner for our family at the Hong Lok Yuen country club.

Abe (in the white blouse) and Lillian (far lef)t are Hong Kong moms that are very active  at the school, without their involvement I am not sure how well it would function.
 They are also generous and lovely women.  This photo was taken  in 2011 at Almarie's birthday celebration. The three of us who are foreigners in the picture (Almarie in the striped and Tanya in the dress) had to leave Hong Kong reluctantly, it is no coincidence we also had the privilege to be friends with Abe and Lillian.

"Western friendly" Chinese dinner.  

Cheers!
I was touched by everyone who took the time to attend and I am thankful for the  opportunity to have been  part of the NIS community.

Final Sunday Part One: The Police Museum

Every year a listing is published of all the museums.  It was a goal for me to visit as many as I could.  I didn't quite make it to all of them, like the food museum (by appointment only) but on the list was the Police Museum.

 What can you find at the museum?
 1. General historical information about the police force.
 2.  Gallery featuring the inside world and paraphernalia about the Triads ( Hong Kong mafia).
 3. Replica of a heroin factory.

 Why did I want to go? As useful as learning how heroin is made, my main reason was of course to gawk at  the head of the last tiger shot in Hong Kong.  I am not sure if this is disputed, but this tiger and a photo to prove it, was shot in the 1950's.
The tiger had been hunted after killing someone.
 Not only are there no more tigers in Hong Kong, the species is dwindling fast in the world.  They are valuable commodities on the black market, making them still sought after by poachers.
I was disappointed by no photos being allowed, and almost rebelled, like any good Chinese person does with their cell phones and flash photography at Disney shows.  But I am not Chinese and did not want to be the arrogant, white American who ignores local laws.
I don't know much about taxidermy, and the life of original teeth. While fake eyes, I always assume are a given, are fake teeth? Maybe they were real.  The fur I will take their word at being real. I am a positive person and I felt a thrill at seeing it and felt the hike up the steps was worth it.

 The naming of where we lived in Hong Kong is Tai Po.
 Tai Po means big steps. It is said, that the name came from when people had to take big steps to get home fast and stay clear of the tigers.
 I am glad we didn't have to worry about being mauled on our way to the MTR, but I do find it sad that the tiger is disappearing in the wild.

The uniforms displayed what an Indian, Chinese and British officer would wear in the early days of British rule. Primarily distinguished by their hats. The Indian would wear a turban, and a  Chinese officer were wear the typical conical shaped hat.

Here is me obeying laws and settling for stock photos and outside pics.

We had to take bus No. 15, this is the bus you take to the Peak, when you don't want to ride the tram.

Overall impression:  You have to ascend some steps to get the museum and it is small, but it does give some nice history that isn't covered in other museums. I especially liked the aerial photo on display of the Kowloon Walled City shortly before it was demolished.

  

Everyone has their "I heart HK" or Starbucks Hong Kong mugs, but I will cherish my Hong Kong police museum cup.   I also got a nice postcard collection with a photograph of the different police officers and the tiger, after it had been captured. 

If you have a weekend in HK, maybe skip it, but if you are going to be here awhile, take the slow way up the Peak sometime and stop by. 

Disney

Yes it is another Disney post, but this time there are new photos due to the opening of Toy Story Land.

I loved the design and thought it must have been fun to come up with different ways to make giant toys. Andy's foot print can also be found as you walk along the pavement.

There are three main rides.
The slinky dog ride, parachute and the RC racer.

The RC ride has a height requirement of 120 CM. Elliot was relieved he wasn't tall enough, however Jane rode it 9 times and declared it was her favorite.
Jane and dad on the back end of the coaster.

Elliot finally rode the parachute and decided that was his favorite.

It was a low number day, we didn't have to wait more than 10 minutes for most rides.

The kids have been saving up allowance and gift money to spend on our final trip to Disney.
They both settled on purchasing stuffed toys for their souvenir.

I was thankful for this one last visit to Disney, before our move back.

last hk disney from outypants on Vimeo.

A Tourist for a day

There is countless of sight seeing opportunities while visiting Hong Kong such as:

1. go to a local church
2. eat Dim Sum
3. visit a tailor to have a suit made
4. ride the Star Ferry
5. visit an outlying island such as Lamma
6. visit a theme restaurant
7. Watch the Symphony of lights and walk along the promenade that views the HK skyline.

On one of our last Sundays in Hong Kong this is exactly what we did.

Our church is Evangelical Christian Community or ECC, it is located at the YMCA Salisbury in Tsim Sha Tsui. Nathan and I have been volunteering in the five year old class. The Children's church leader's Sarah and Sherry, held a farewell celebration for us. It included a delicious dim sums style buffet. Egg tarts, shao mai, fish balls, BBQ pork buns, etc.

Having tailor made clothing has been a long standing tradition in Hong Kong. Everyday on our way to church in TST we pass the men who ask- "copy handbag, copy watch, tailor?" We finally took one of them up on the offer and followed them into their shop.
Here is the tailor, Aves doing a fitting before the final sewing.

The sight of their dad in such formal wear entertained the kids. They were giggling, Jane's comment 'you look ridiculous'  Jane is really a kind, sweet person, I think it was just the first thought that popped into her head.

That Sunday was absolutely gorgeous, the sky was clear and blue (a rarity in HK) after a long cold spell, the temperature had risen to a warm, but not too hot 28 degrees C. We decided to head out to Lamma Island that day. We first rode the Star Ferry to central pier.

Then took the ferry to Lamma on the side of
Yung Shue Wan

Hung Shing Yeah beach

We found this vegetarian restaurant and had delicious noodles and pizza.

The clear day turned into a clear night. Enough for us to witness the historical event of spotting
Venus, Jupiter and Mars.
The symphony of lights might be a bit cheesy and not that exciting, but the crowds still ooh and aah once the lasers start moving.
The Hong Kong skyline has to be one of the most impressive in the world and I have yet to grow tired of viewing it.

We even splurged and purchased the souvenir photo of the family in front of the skyline. By this time we debated to keep going or head home since kids had school the next day, we decided to enjoy the perfect weather and keep going.

We were searching for frozen yogurt and found the Charlie Brown Cafe. We didn't end up eating there, but they sell deli type food and offer coffee, desserts and specialize in cake making. After playing at Snoopy's World in Sha Tin you can get food at Charlie Brown Cafe. Maybe a Lucy and Sally spa will open up next.

We found a yogurt place in Hung Hom

We had a lovely day to make some great last week in Hong Kong memories.



Tai Po > TST > Lamma from outypants on Vimeo.