Friday-Saturday, May 30-31st

Friday-Saturday, May 30-31st

Chris and Nick arrived safely in Chicago Thursday evening. Chris called to tell me they had an uneventful flight, which is sometimes all you can ask for flying with a 3 1/2 yr old. I could hear Nick in the background running around like a crazy kid. He was so excited to see all of his toys and DVDs. Welcome home guys!Apparently they both took early evening naps that night. Nick woke up from his nap wired. Chris fell asleep at midnight and woke up to find Nick still going strong. He assumed Nick would climb into his own bed or in with him when he was ready to go to sleep. Nope – 4am found Nick standing up in his room ready to fall asleep. Not sure if he ever did sleep that night, but he did get some sleep from 4am on. He must have been fun at nap time during school on Friday!

So what’s a gal to do when she’s got the weekend alone in Hong Kong? Apparently lots of walking!

Chris and Nick called early Saturday morning (my time) to tell me how their first day of school/work went. After a chat with the boys, I hopped on the Star Ferry and headed to Kowloon. I walked and walked, shopped and shopped. At one point, I realized that I had no sense of direction whatsoever. So I sat down to find my way. I’d made it all the way to the Jade Market! Which was so far when we first came to Kowloon early in our trip that we had to taxi it there. Feeling proud I’d made it so far (and found myself on a map!) I then realized I was super hungry and would have to get back! After wandering for another hour or so, and not being enticed by any of the food shops, I went to McDonalds. I know. I can’t believe I’m in Hong Kong and eating at McD’s. I don’t even like McD’s. I only go for Nick. But there I was, and thinking I’d get a crispy chicken sandwich, as that had to be safe. I will not be eating at McD’s again. They should have called it deep fried mystery meat. Two bites and I was done. One of the fun things about McD’s here is the music! The one near our apartment always played Christmas music when we were there. Nick loved it! This location was having a children’s bday party and the kids were singing something to the tune of Auld Lang Syne.

For as much as I complain about the rudeness of the crowds, I’ve found one thing enjoyable. When at a lunch spot and searching for a table, it’s acceptable to take any empty seat. In the states, one person would take an entire table and no one would even try to share with them. It’s one example of “sharing personal space” here that I enjoy.

So you know my love of cosmetics. I wandered into a makeup store and was examining some lip gloss. It came with two tubes. One seemed to plump and the other to stain your lips. A woman came over to me and said “lippo”. Ah yes, lip balm. Nope, because then she starts rubbing a circle over her heart and saying “nippo”. Huh? For crying out loud. I’d picked up nipple tint! My face must have turned the color of the “nippo”.

Tailor. I’d read all about how you can buy custom-made clothes here so inexpensively. So I read up on my tailors and made an appt with a reputable one. I went in with a photograph of a cute dress I was hoping he could duplicate. He looked at the photo, said no problem, brought out several books of fabrics for me to choose from and then quoted me a price. 3x as much as the dress retailed for back home. I guess I was supposed to ask for a Chanel suit, and not a copy of a $300 dress. Live and learn.

Tired, hot and ready to go home, I made my way back to the ferry only to see a wonderful site. Mr. Softie! It’s an ice cream truck with a soft serve machine inside. For $7HK (under $1 US), you get a perfect portion cone of whipped goodness. One flavor. I love Mr. Softie!!!