Saturday/Sunday, May 3/4

Saturday/Sunday, May 3/4

Saturday Nick and I headed up the hill to find the YWCA swimming pool. Tiny pool, but we were happy to splash around for a while. The pool went from 4ft to 5ft, so it was more like Nick hanging on to my neck while I walked back and forth. We neglected to bring a towel, so we were the two wet Americans in the locker room drying off with the hair dryer. Off for some ice cream, which Nick fell asleep halfway through eating. We then met Grammy at the Peak Tram. It’s a tram that takes folks from the base to the Peak (big mountain). Have to say, the tram was a lot scarier than I expected. At one point, we were at a 45 degree angle (no kidding) and I wasn’t quite sure how we were still attached to the mountain. Turns out the tram is connected to two cables that run along the track. It was pretty foggy at the top, so we didn’t get much of a view. We’ll have to try again.

Sunday we had our first bus-ride to Stanley, a section of Hong Kong southeast of the Central area (where we live) known for its Market. We boarded the #6 double decker bus, but had no idea how much it was. Mary was trying to give the driver 50 cents, but he (and everyone else behind her) was pointing elsewhere. There were numbers everywhere, so we had no clue which one the price was. Turns out it’s HK$7.80 (US$1) to get on. Finally Mary just handed me all of her change and said “here, you pay for me”. I’d been warned the bus was a little scary, and it was. It was very clean, structurally sound and air conditioned, but it had to wind up narrow, curvy roads to get to Stanley. A little like driving with my Dad in the mountains of NC. Dizzy. Gorgeous views on either side. Turns out Stanley is not only a tacky, tourist market place, but also an amazing beach destination!! Really beautiful. Sunday was the first day of continuous sunshine since we’ve been here. So we were drinking lots of beverages to stay hydrated, which means we were also visiting every restroom available. Warning – potty story ahead. Nick and I hit the end of the market and he started his little dance. So we found the public restroom. Well, these were not really toilets. More like a porcelain hole in the ground with foot holders on either side. No problem, he’s a boy, this should be easy. Or not. Nick was having none of it. “I want to sit down” “But you’re a boy-you can pee standing up” “I want to sit down”. All the while he’s dancing around barely able to hold it in. We finally compromise on him squatting over the hole, with me yelling “point it down, point it down!”. Nick came out with an empty bladder and a wet shirt. Luckily we’d just bought a Spiderman outfit in one of the stalls. Complete with cotton Spidey mask. So Spiderman and I walked around the market for a bit before meeting Grammy for dinner. Everyone calling out to him “Spiderman” and then pointing their hands like they were shooting webs. Funny thing is that Nick has no idea what/who Spiderman is other than hearing about him from the kids at school. So what must he have thought these web-slinging Chinese were doing to him? Bellies full, we headed back to the bus, which charged us a different fare going home. Go figure. It was dark, so I couldn’t even see what money I was putting in. But I apparently gave enough, because the driver took off, sending me flying. Luckily Grammy and Nick were already upstairs in seats.