Glimpses of everyday life in HK

Hi friends and family,

We hope these pictures help you visualize our life in Hong Kong a little better!

The National Flower of HK, these orchid trees haven't stopped blooming since we've been here. They're absolutely beautiful, as are so many other interesting plants and flowers that we can't identify. 

The view that greets us as we get out of the MTR station in Central Sunday mornings on the way to church.  

It's amazing how quickly buildings go up here. When you see a building covered in green like this, you know it's under construction.  There's always something new going up here. 

We also see a lot of these trucks that hold the bamboo scaffolding.  Would you trust bamboo to hold you up?  

These guys do. Can you spot them?  In Central, the business district

Shannon's giving me his best fake smile on a weekend train ride.  It can get pretty packed, but for the most part we've all gotten used to it. 

A Hello Kitty car, of course! Cartoon characaters, such as Sponge Bob and Angry Birds are popular and are easily spotted here.

Mmm, dim sum. This actually isn't something we do everyday, but it is delicious and a must do (in my opinion) while in Hong Kong.  It's best to go with someone that knows what they're ordering, or you might end up ordering chicken feet on accident.  The verdict? They're chewy but flavorful. We actually went with friends this weekend and discovered that Josiah and Ava like chicken feet. A LOT. 

The proof.  That's chicken foot number two, by the way.

Our stroller is truly multi-functional.  Mine can hold Ava, groceries, my wallet and phone, an umbrella, Josiah's backpack, and that doesn't even include the basket underneath! When you don't have a car trunk and you walk a lot, you realize just how wonderful umbrella strollers can be. Did you know that strollers and escalators go well together too?

In Hung Hom, Kowloon.  Buses, cars, and trucks get to Hong Kong island using this underwater tunnel, but you can't tell that you're going underwater and I still have a hard time believing it. And by island, I mean all those buildings you see in the background.  This is where the historical, political, and economic center of HK lies.   

A very typical wet market in Heng On, near Josiah's school 

More wet market- I know, those carrots are huge! I buy the majority of my produce here and the prices tend to be cheaper than the grocery stores.  In my opinion, most of the time they're more fresh too!

 Mong Kok

Mong Kok in "Ladies Market". If you want to find something touristy, you'll find rows and rows of seemingly never ending stalls packed with wares to sell. You can find trinkets, clothing, knicknacks, electronics, shoes,and pretty much everything else you can think of.  There's a reason why people associate Hong Kong with shopping. 

Took this picture over one of the various elevated pedestrian walkways on the way to the Central Piers. It amazes me how immaculate the landscaping is here.  Streets are washed and cleaned often, sometimes even on rainy days!  

Also passed by the Apple store.  Look at that line.  Yikes!  People really like their technology and smartphones here. I'm a bit behind the times, and before coming to Hong Kong refused to jump on the texting bandwagon.  I've jumped.  

Gai Daan Tsai, a popular treat you can find anywhere.  Literally translated, it means little chicken eggs. It's basically a waffle and you tear off the little "eggs" to eat them.  The kids could eat these every day.  They're crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and especially good when they're freshly made and hot.

The building at the end of the street is ICS, where Shannon teaches and where we live

By far, my favorite view near home.  The school is a five minute walk from here, so we like to take family walks along the canal and watch fisherman catch tiny, tiny fish with very long fishing poles.


 Winter Break pictures (aka the touristy stuff) coming soon. Miss you all!