Our Last Weekend In HK

I am sad to say...we won't have another chance to spend a weekend in Hong Kong...at least for now.  Adam has been working a lot in preparation for leaving so Zachary and I went on Friday afternoon by ourselves and Adam joined us later that night.  We like to stay in Lan Kuai Fong (the Ex-Pat Bar area) because they have the best restaurants. The downside to staying here is the hills with steps (not very stroller friendly).  Zachary and I went to Mexican for dinner and walked around watching the bars open and the local Ex-Pats begin to gather to celebrate the end of the workday.
Saturday we went to the doctors for Zachary's 4 month appointment.  He showed off his standing and talking skills (not to mention his flirting skills with the nurses).  The doctor gave me some breast milk medication (like I mentioned in my Eping post...every medical intervention to do something so natural) and gave Zachary his immunizations.  Z turned red and got silent before SCREAMING...this lasted about 30 seconds before I stuck a bottle in his mouth and he fell asleep.  I am going to have to remember that even though he may be cranky...it wasn't such a bad idea to bring him to the doctor sleepy.
By the time we got back to the hotel he was finished napping (these 20 min cat naps are not the most convenient) and was back to himself. 

We remembered the nightmare from our 2 month appointment and trip to the big Buddha...and decided to spend the day out anyway.  I think the main reason he was so happy was the baby carrier...he hates being strapped in...this time we used the stroller and he was perfectly happy.
We went to a Lebanese restaurant for lunch...

walked on Hollywood rd...

and spent the afternoon in Stanley.  The Stanley markets are the most popular markets for tourists to pick up souvenirs. 

This is also a nice beach/boardwalk area.  We had a wonderful dinner outside on the boardwalk smelling the salty air; plus the breeze felt wonderful. 

Sunday morning we took it easy and slept in...all three of us.  Zachary woke up at 6:30 ate and fell back to sleep until 10:00.  I washed bottles and pumped (this isn't so easy in a hotel).  We traveled on the MTR back to the Chinese border and went through Lo Hu immigration for the last time...

Two Birds…One Stone

…and as someone who is not too fond of birds I am happy to get rid of 2 using only one stone…(mean I know but birds kinda freak me out). 
I DIGRESS…So as I was writing this I had a little déjà vu action going on…than I realized that I actually used a similar title for another blog I wrote and began that entry almost the same way.  Have I really gone full circle…if I didn’t have the baby would I have anything new to say?
 This past weekend we went to Hong Kong for Zack’s doctor’s appointment and turned it into Adam’s birthday trip.  I didn’t feel too bad about jipping Adam on a birthday trip since I let him buy a blue ray disk player for his birthday (when I say that I mean I would have picked out the cheapest lowest grade one because I hate spending money on complicated technology…especially since buying one thing means you have to buy 10 more things to make the first thing work to its full potential and before you buy your 10 new things there is a better, newer cheaper version of the first thing you bought…Ironically we needed to get this blue ray player because we just bought a home server and the only way we can watch downloaded movies and TV shows is through our laptops, so now we need this blue ray player because it has wireless capabilities and can play things from the server onto the TV…I don’t know…I just know that I probably won’t be able to watch TV during the day without calling Adam).
We left Sat. morning for Zack’s 12:00 appointment…we were not too excited about this one because he was getting his first set of immunizations since the ones he got at the hospital right after he was born.  He didn’t cry at all last time, but he screamed when they took blood at his 10 day appointment.  This time they gave him 8 vaccinations in 2 shots and one orally.  I held him on my lap (he likes sitting like a big boy) and held his arms in.  He was taking in the new environment and flirting with the pretty nurses.  He drank the oral medication like a champ and all of a sudden it went from looking around the room to mouth wide open but nothing coming out and whole body turning bright red…this means big scream.  I was able to feed him to calm him down.  Other than that his appointment went well!  He is now 11 lb’s 5 oz (25^th percentile).

2 Doctors, a Lactation Consultant, A Passport, a Visa and a whole lot of planning

This past weekend (starting Thursday) was CRAZY!  After we got to the hotel and got ourselves ready to go we went out to eat a quick bite before going to the US consulate.  It didn’t take us very long at the consulate because we just had to pick up the passport. The security guards were wonderful they let me bring his milk in even though you aren’t allowed to bring liquids and on the way out they asked where my husband was…I said I am an American girl and I need NO man to do what I need to do…haha, they laughed but honestly it would make things so much easier if I had someone with me.  Then we took another taxi to the Chinese Visa office.  They weren’t so nice.  I had one half bottle of breast milk (we had a big spill in the hotel because I didn’t put the lid on tight enough…talk about heartbreak!) I had some bottled water and an empty bottle and some emergency formula.  The guards said I could only take one thing (either a half of a feed, an empty bottle or a bottle of water).  I told them that I needed everything for the baby but they didn’t care.  I figured if we went through the breast milk I would come back to the guard stand and trade see if they would allow me to make a formula bottle in front of them.  It took an hour and a half to apply for the visa and thankfully the half bottle was able to tide him over until we left and he even was able to allow me to pump when we got back to the hotel so I didn’t have to use the formula.  After pumping and feeding we were exhausted and it started to rain so I ordered room service, put on the news and uploaded pictures to facebook.
Friday Zach met my friend Judi (he was smitten) for lunch and went to my doctors appointment.  I was hoping that I could get an appointment on Sat. so I didn’t have to take the baby but no such luck, so I crossed my fingers that he wouldn’t begin to cry as my doctor was doing his thing.  It was really fun bringing my baby to the office where I went so often waiting for him, plus all the pregnant ladies looked at him with jealousy and anticipation.  I got to the office 15 min early but I got to the exam room right away…maybe they were also not going to push their luck with a crying baby.  I was anxious about finding out some details of the complications in my pregnancy and delivery.  Basically Dr. Doo told me to be aware and share this information with the next doctor for my next pregnancy, but not to worry about it.  He said that I would most  likely continue to have small babies and beyond that any other problem may or may not happen again.  We got back to the hotel, pumped, fed, changed etc… and headed out to pick up some dinner to take back to the hotel so we could watch the Royal Wedding.  Adam got in at 8:30ish and we went to the hotel lounge which was fully open to have a drink and unwind. 
Saturday the 3 of us went to Zach’s doctor.  He HATES being naked and he has to be to be weighed and that combined with 3 days of being strapped in did him in.  He screamed and kicked while the poor nurse changed his diaper, weighed and measured him.  We calmed him down before the doctor saw him but I could tell he just wanted to stretch and move.  Dr. Chan was very impressed at his weight gain (almost 3 lb’s, he now weighs 8 lb’s 9 oz…a lot more then the 7-7.5 we were hoping) and said it was a compliment to me and my feeding him.  When he heard that Z still was not nursing he made us an appointment with a different lactation consultant.  She was wonderful to see me after her normal office hours.  Adam Z and I went to clean up the hotel room, pump, feed etc... and get some lunch.  After lunch we went to the Lactation Consultant and Zachary nursed for the first time.  She said that sometimes they wake up ready, I had noticed the past day or two that he was rooting a little more and maybe it is just his time.  We aren’t out of the woods yet but it is a major win for Z and I!

We Made It!

Today Zachary and I had to go to Hong Kong by ourselves.  We both had doctor’s appointments and we had to pick up Zachary’s new passport and Chinese Visa.  Adam was going to meet us Friday after work to join us for Zach’s appointment on Sat.  So 3 nights in a hotel and 4 days in Hong Kong with a baby means a much bigger suitcase then I would normally take…plus I like to leave a little room for some food shopping. 
Our driver took us to the Hong Kong border and from then on it was just the two of us.  I strapped Z in the baby carrier I piled the boppy (our new travel “bed”), our suitcase, the breast pump and the diaper bag in the stroller and took the elevator to the Chinese immigration.  We walked through no mans land and then went through the Hong Kong immigration.  Once you get to the other side there is only an escalator or stairs to get to the train.  I am pretty skilled in taking the stroller on the escalator but not with a baby strapped to my chest and a stroller full of stuff.  Thankfully someone helped me hold on to the stroller while we carefully went on the escalator. 
We took the MTR (subway) all the way to Central from the Hong Kong border, which means we change trains 3 times…this is the same route I took pregnant, however it took me a whole lot longer.  The Central station is huge and has only one elevator…on the opposite side of where I want to exit from the station to get to the hotel.  So we walked until we found a taxi (have you ever folded a stroller in the middle of the street while having a sleeping baby strapped to you?).  Once we got to the hotel I pumped, changed the baby, fed Zachary and let him stretch out a bit before strapping him back in to run our errands. 
I feel like if I did this, I could do just about anything.

2 Weeks Old

2 weeks…WOW!  So much has happened in the past 2 weeks that I can’t even begin to say how wonderful everything is.  We have a wonderful baby boy who hardly ever cries and is very playful.  Our 10 day doctor’s appointment showed that Zachary has gained all his weight back and is up to 6 lb’s!  Dr Chan gave us a goal of 200 grams and Z gained 300!  We also decided to switch to the bottle this week, no more annoying tube (which makes me a very happy woman…however I would be much happier if he would nurse).  The biggest thing we did this week was make the move from Hong Kong to Huizhou.  We finally got to our own home with our own stuff…ahhhhhh…life is good!

Mom Came

Zack and I waited very unpatiently for my mom to come out of the departure hall at the Hong Kong International Airport.  Adam came from work and met us.

We went to the mall and had a dinner/snack.  Mom was already tired of noodles after being served them for each meal on the 18 hour flight.  We took her to a Canadian burger place for some American food and milkshakes.

The next day we waked along the HK harbor.  We stopped again for American food.

After lunch we went to the HK Museum of History.  After walking a whole lot and no naps I was exhausted and spent most of the time at the museum sitting down...apparently you are supposed to take it easy after giving birth.



Even though it was exhausting and it took me a while to recover from the whole day (or should I say the whole week) of not stoping, it was worth showing my mom our HK stomping ground.

“At that moment I knew…I knew like you know about a good melon.”

I stole that quote from one of my favorite movies, When Harry Met Sally.  I love listening to the love stories between scenes.  It makes me wonder what Adam and I are going to look like in 50 years and how we will tell our story.
So far we are 0 for 2 on anniversary celebrations.  Last year our Anniversary fell on the day before the factory in China was scheduled to open meaning Adam would have to work long hours, including the weekend.  Rather than sitting at home hoping he could get an hour off to have dinner with me I took a trip to Singapore to visit my cousin.  We made up for it big time by going to Thailand the next month.  This year before the baby came we had our date nights in Hong Kong and we tried to make them extra special since “any day now” we would have to worry about packing up an infant to go to dinner.  This year our anniversary is special because we get to share it with our 8 day old son and my mom.  Not the most romantic day but special.

Back to the quote…like I wrote on Valentine’s Day…I am not big on showing your love for someone because you feel like you have to…I am all about the little moments that let me know my husband loves me.  Throughout the past year there have been many of these little moments which are more special than any huge celebration.  Sometimes it would take Adam a little longer to get home from work because he stopped off at KFC to pick up a mini ice cream Sunday for me.  When it’s Adam’s turn to pick a movie he tends to pick ones that I like and while I have been pregnant and stocking up on Children’s DVD’s he will even sit through those.  He spent hours downloading corny Christmas movies and even committed to watch them with me just because he knows how much I love Christmas stories.  I recently found out that late in my pregnancy Adam had to go to a business dinner and asked for an extra dessert to bring home to me…he forgot it at the restaurant and felt so bad that he picked up an ice cream on the way home.  He never told me about saving the dessert because he didn’t want me to be disappointed that all I got was an ice cream, but when one of his co-workers let the cat out of the bag I felt like the luckiest lady on earth.  My wonderful husband also makes sure that I always have a full bottle of water…in fact I keep bottles of water by the bed, in the bathroom, by the sofa and in the kitchen…somehow during naps or what not my water bottles magically become full.  I look forward to our daily talks at around 11:30/12:00 when Adam will call to see how my morning was.  I love our lazy Sundays spent in pj’s.  I love our game nights even though Adam usually wins. 
Living in China has truly made it so that we depend on each other and Adam is literally the only person in the world that I can spend 10 days with one on one 24 hours a day on vacation without getting irritated. 
Celebrating our anniversary is not about the fancy trip (although I would happily go to Thailand again) or a fancy dinner…it’s about looking back at the time you have spent together and looking forward to many years to come!

Our First Week

3/29: First day home...well half day.  NOW WHAT?
3/30: The evening was difficult...turns out Zack was more hungry than the babies they write about in the book.  Once the Lactation consultant got there and showed us the tube method of feeding Zack ate 19 mls vs. the 5-6 mils we had been feeding him at a time.  No wonder he cried all night.
We took our first family trip to the US consolate, we decided to walk from the MTR.  Anyone who has ever been to the Midlevels in HK knows it's all hills...FYI it's not a great idea to walk up lots of hills just days after giving birth.  Zack was approved for a US passport and his US Citizenship!  We got an instant/temporary passport so we have to take this trip again, but this means we don't have to wait.  After we went to a mall for a walk and dinner (I can't wait to be back in Huizhou with a kitchen so we can chill).
3/31: Today we picked up Zack's Chinese Visa!  We also went to the pediatrician and Zack is gaining weight really well!

Birth Story

At my doctor’s appointment on Monday Dr. Doo noticed that the baby hadn’t grown since the appointment I had the week before and that the week before that he had only grown a little bit.  Because the baby wasn’t growing (which at this point in pregnancy, is the main reason for the baby to stay inside) he decided we needed to induce labor.  We set up an appointment to have a non stress test and since all looked well we were scheduled to induce on Saturday, March 26.

Thursday night I started having contractions they started at 11 min apart and before bed moved to 6 min apart.  Adam came in from Huizhou just in case this was it.  I had contractions for most of the night but really they made me feel like I had the flu and totally knocked me out.  I woke up and the contractions continued all day.  They were about 5.5 min apart and lasted about 55 seconds for about 4 hours.  The hospital wants you to wait until they are 5 min apart and last for a whole min so we decided to wait it out.  Friday we intended to enjoy our last day as a twosome but it turned into trying to take as many naps as possible (me) and making charts and graphs to keep track of contractions (Adam).  At 7:30 my contractions completely stopped.

We were due to be admitted into the hospital at 10 pm Friday night to get things going.  When we got to the hospital they hooked the baby up to a heart monitor to record movements, heart beat and contractions.  After being hooked up for an hour they saw that Zachary’s heartbeat was a little fast to begin induction (not bad but not ideal), so they delayed treatment for another 2 hours to see if the heartbeat would slow down (the midwife was sure that it was high because I hadn’t settled down yet).  Sure enough his heartbeat slowed and they gave me a drug that would help thin out my cervix.  The midwife told me I would feel some cramping and she unhooked the monitor and told me to sleep.  It didn’t take long for the medicine to kick in and man, were those “cramps” bad!  I didn’t get any sleep because of the cramping.  I was worried that if the cramps were this bad would I be able to handle childbirth!  In the morning Dr. Doo came in and saw that the drugs were working but we had a long way to go.  I was relieved when the doctor said that the cramping was actually contractions and he was surprised I hadn’t opted for the epidural yet.  Adam and I were given breakfast and we watched TV as my contractions got worse and worse.  I got the epidural at 10:00 am at the point where all I wanted to do was drop to the floor every time they came.

The epidural was WONDERFUL!!!!  Espically since I ended up having to wait out the contractions for a while since there happened to be a major baby boom in the hospital that day and women in actual labor trumped a woman who was waiting for someone to put her into labor.  At around 2:00 the doctor came in and broke my water.  The intention was wait a few hours to see if I would go into labor myself, however there was a large amount of blood in the amniotic fluid so he needed me to start on Oxytosin right away and if the baby didn’t come soon I would need a c-section.  This was the first time this week that I was worried that something could be wrong.  Up until this point as long as the heartbeat was good and the baby was moving Dr. Doo was satisfied.  This was the first time during the whole pregnancy that he reacted in a way that made me nervous.  I had prepared myself for a c-section but only if the induction took too long not because there may be another problem.   Thankfully the drug kicked my body into gear and I started feeling some major pain that even the epidural didn’t fix.  I didn’t want to seem like a sissy so I waited it out for about an hour.  Once the “pressure” got really bad I mentioned midwife and she quickly got me to start pushing.  Adam and Angie (the midwife) got me to push until I was ready for the doctor to come in, and at 4:17 the baby was born and on my chest…it was surreal!  They let me hold him for a very short time before taking him to suction his mouth and wrap him in a towel.

It turns out that my placenta was a bit small and had begun to rot, so we are very glad we induced.  Poor guy wasn’t able to get all the nutrients he needed. 

Adam went with Zachary and Angie to get weighed and measured.  Our son was a trooper, Adam said that the baby in front of him cried the whole time and Zachary only cried when he was being dried off after his bath.  Our tough guy didn’t even cry with the shots he needed!  Meanwhile I was in the recovery room wondering what just happened; it was a total out of body experience.  I recall a nurse coming in and asking me questions but other than that I was totally out of it until my husband brought me my baby boy. 

My First Week in HK!!!!

Tuesday – I met a friend from Huizhou and one that used to live in Huizhou but recently moved to Hong Kong…they each had doctor’s appointments so I met Judi for lunch then Yoko for lunch (I love that I had no choice but to eat two meals…I didn’t want to be rude).  We walked 2 malls and stopped at Starbucks for a rest.  After a while we realized it was dinner time so we went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner…I know I said no Chinese food but this was American style Chinese food.  Turns out that the pains/upset stomach that I thought were the first signs of labor were actually from the hot and sour soup we had at dinner…the last time I had hot and sour soup was at a restaurant in China town in Chicago where both Adam and I had food poisoning.  From now on…for the rest of my life…I will only have hot and sour soup from PF Changs (anyone want to join me when we return?).

Wednesday – I met Judi again for lunch…American style hamburgers.  On the way home the day before I walked rather than take the MTR, so today I wanted to take the MTR to see which was faster.  When I got out of the station I walked the wrong direction and ended up at the station where I started…so I took a Taxi (haha…pregnancy brain mixed with Lindsay’s bad sense of direction).  We walked another mall, got our hair and toes done and stopped at Starbucks.  I came back early because I was tired from the day before.

Thursday – Today was Lindsay Day!  I went out on my own to take it easy but also get out of the apartment…plus I felt like I needed to give my babysitters a break from me.  I didn’t go out until 1:00 because I was tired this morning and I even opted to take a taxi because I knew that the weekend would be rough on my feet.  I sat at a café overlooking a skating rink and ate my soup.  I loved it…there was a little boy and a little girl (4 years maybe) getting skating lessons.  Everytime the teacher went to get a prop the little girl would push the little boy down then try to help him up before the teacher got back…meanwhile the little boy realized he needed to stop this somehow and decided to not let the girl help him but cry when the teacher was in earshot.  I started wondering would my boy be the one trying to get the other kid into trouble or will he be (like his mother) the one pushing him down then trying to cover it up?  I walked the mall (there are a ton of malls in HK)…bought some cute shoes (6-9 months old) and a sun hat for Zachary.  I saw a movie (No Strings Attached…it was OK), and had tex-mex for dinner.  I even stopped at the grocery store before I came home. 

My Life as a Single Gal In The Big City

Adam’s co-workers joked with me about giving Adam freedom Monday – Thursday and how he would get to be a bachelor during those times…so I decided if Adam gets to be a single guy then that makes me a single gal.  Adam gets to work and sleep at the dorms near the office with his phone close to him…meanwhile I am living in a loft apartment in Hong Kong with nothing to do but get into trouble…just kidding…I don’t have the energy for trouble.  I do however have the energy to hang out with my friends in Hong Kong, eat amazing food, do some shopping (I do need a nursing bra), see a movie (I bet the seats would be great for my back…not to mention the popcorn), and get pampered (I am going to make a second attempt to get a pregnancy massage). 
All in All I think I get the better end of the deal on this one…sorry Adam!

Nothing Says HAPPY BIRTHDAY Like Disney!

Since Adam and I don’t “need” anything, and we really don’t want more stuff…more stuff means more furniture to put the stuff, which means we need more space and a never ending battle of STUFF!  So we go on trips for our birthdays, anniversary, etc…  Who knows with the little one coming soon this may be our last birthday trip just the two of us (but don’t feel too sorry…we still have 3 more big trips planned through the end of the year).  We may end up turning to the “something we need but don’t buy because we would rather spend money on the baby” gift giving couple (which is totally fine), but for now it’s all about Disney!

Everyone told me not to go in with high expectations (not possible…I but on a calm face but I was totally giddy on the inside); they said it is nothing like Disney Land (or World) in the states.  But Disney is a magical place no matter how lame it may seem.  I figured my friends 4 year old can celebrate his birthday there and have a good time, the for sure I can. 
First of all Disney Hong Kong has its own train on the MTR which truly gets you into the Disney spirit (windows and rings shaped like Mickey, statues of the characters etc…).

We stayed at the Disney Hollywood Hotel (a 1950’s Hollywood themed hotel) and spent all day Saturday at the Park.  There were only 3 rides that “expectant mothers” weren’t allowed on.  I actually went on one that wasn’t a ride but a haunted hotel.  We did everything from see the top shows to riding it’s a small world, to waiting in line to have our picture taken with Mickey, to sitting front and center for the parade and fireworks. 

A really cool part of the trip was this was the first weekend of the Halloween theme so all the characters were dressed for Halloween, the Disney villains were the stars of the parade, and they had special Halloween events.  We left totally satisfied with what we were able to do, and with me just beginning to feel the “pregnancy soreness” after a day in the sun and on my feet.  I can see why people aren’t impressed with HK Disney; honestly we could have done it in a half a day if I wasn’t pregnant (spending time searching for the perfect baby gift, taking snack breaks every couple hours etc…).  But I had an amazing time!

Caught in the rain...

This weekend we went to Hong Kong to hang out with one of Adam’s coworkers from Raleigh who was here on business.  We had a great time just hanging out.  We met another of Adam’s coworkers who lives in Hong Kong and he took us to the pier for dinner.

It was kind of a boardwalk setting with lots of outdoor seafood restaurants looking out into the ocean full of yachts and fishing boats.  You can pick out your own dinner from the variety of live fish and other sea critters out of aquariums. YC picked our dinner and it was delicious.  I have never been a big seafood fan, but I broadened my horizons since living in China and I enjoy seafood every once and a while.  We ate some amazing squid…which according to Adam I will never taste squid that good ever again.   After dinner we went down to the promenade where you can have amazing views of the city skyline at night while enjoying a drink outside.  When we reached the promenade we took a couple pictures before the sky opened up and it rained like I have never seen before.  We were soaking wet with nowhere to go.  We figured we were already wet and decided to walk until we could find somewhere to wait out the rain.  We found an Irish Pub and sat for about an hour before heading back to the hotel. 

Lets back up to Saturday morning when we packed our bag for our overnight trip.  I just packed a clean shirt, underwear and toiletries.  Adam wanted to pack a clean pair of shorts as well as a clean shirt and underwear.  I gave him a hard time about packing so much for just overnight.  FF to Sunday morning…my jeans were soaking wet were Adam had a whole dry outfit.  I sent him out to the mall to find me some pants; I figured yoga pants would be easy for him to pick out.  We happened to be in the only area of Hong Kong that didn’t have an H&M so Adam had to pick out a pair of real pants.  They fit me pretty well (GO ADAM).  Anyway poor Adam had to go shopping for pants for me (I don’t even like doing that) and I was stuck in the hotel room until 11:30 without breakfast.

Date Night On The Road…HONG KONG

For the next few months we will be in and out of town but I want to keep our tradition going…I figure take a week off and then two and then it’s finished for good.  Today we went to Hong Kong, it was supposed to rain so I didn’t bring my nice camera and carried 2 umbrellas all day.  I guess it did the trick and it didn’t rain!  We went to the Peak which gives you a full view of Hong Kong. 

We went to Madam Tussauds Wax Museum, I have been before in different places but the cool thing about the Hong Kong one is Asian people don’t care about the people we care about, so there were no waiting in lines and no waiting to take pictures with exciting people like Madonna.

We stopped off at (lucky us) the Beer fest that we happened to run into.

We went to the book store and the food store (I now have all my baking supplies) and we went for Mexican food and a picture of Mango Margaritas. 

It was the first nice day I have spent in Hong Kong (weather wise) and it was Adam’s first full day in Hong Kong not suffering from Jetlag.

2 Cities in 2 Days

On Tuesday Jodie and I took a trip to Shenzhen.  We have been many times to go to LoHu or IKEA but today we went to the art district.  Part of why I enjoyed this trip was I finally got some catch up time with Jodie, we hadn’t talked about our trip to Thailand, her trip to Hong Kong, updates on her move, updates on when we will get our stuff or anything in a LONG time.  My favorite update…there is a chance she will move to Shenzhen for her husband’s next assignment. 
The art district is full of alleys with independent artists selling their work, framers that can frame anything in less than 2 hours, and art supplies.  We went because Jodie needed to get a couple things framed and to get a photographed copied into a large painting.  The artist we went to will copy any photograph (changing colors, eliminating people, or adding things…according to your request).  On her last trip she had some pages out of J.J.’s (her 5 year old son) favorite story book.  They were adorable and are a great idea to decorate his room.  They were pictures of space and she had them use silver matting and a black frame…for 2 paintings framed and matted within an hour it cost about $25 US.  My plan was to be an observer and see what there was to offer…I came home with 5 paintings and a ton of ideas! 
Monday Judi (not Jodie) called me and said she had to go to Hong Kong to pick up a box that customs wouldn’t mail.  It’s crazy but you can carry just about anything across the border but mailing is another issue.   She wanted to know if I wanted to join…I never pass up a trip!  Judi’s husband is the head chef at a hotel that is opening in Huizhou and he previously was the head chef at a luxury hotel in the pricy part of Hong Kong.  So we decided to spend the night and got a great deal on an executive room right on the harbor in Hong Kong.  Our meals ended up being free because everyone loved Judi’s husband and wanted to take care of his wife and her friend from China.  We picked up her box and did some shopping.  If you haven’t noticed from my postings…it’s hard to find a lot of things at the grocery stores here, so we bought lots of meat, cheese and butter.  We also did some shopping for clothes that would fit…well fit me (Judi is Pilipino and smaller then the Chinese women) and clothes that are not frilly and covered in flowers.  It was nice to be in Hong Kong with someone who knows it well, but it was also nice to learn that in my previous trip (on my own) I went to all the right places.
Adam took the opportunity to work long hours. 

“Your husband let you come here by yourself…lots of pickpockets (pickpockets are mostly from the mainland)”

I had a very exciting trip to Hong Kong!  Monday night after checking in at the hotel I decided to go have a foot massage and a quick dinner in Causeway Bay.  I got myself a metro pass (I figured we would come enough that it would be worth it) and had a lovely evening wondering around.   

Tuesday I set out early to find the fabric market…I got information off a discussion board and guessed from there.  I figured if I left the hotel at 8:00 I could grab a bite to eat and then explore the fabrics and accessories before the crowds.  I found a McDonalds and had pancakes (yum).  An older man sat at the table next to me and saw I had my travel book and my map out.  He asked me where I was going and he said that the fabric markets wouldn’t be opening until at least 11 and even then is early (sigh) and plus yesterday was a holiday so they will be closed (YESTERDAY WAS A HOLIDAY SO THEY WILL BE CLOSED TODAY????). We had a wonderful conversation, he thought I was be Indian but commented that my skin wasn’t dark then he motioned to the henna tattoo on my foot and laughed.  I told him I was living on the Mainland and that Adam was there, he was very concerned (title quote), defended Hong Kong Locals and bashed Chinese citizens all at once.

 I figured for sure he was wrong…but after 2 more trips on the MTR back and forth to another market I realized that Chinese people don’t run like the Dallands.  When someone tells me to be at a shop early I am early (5:00 am on Black Friday…I’ll be there!).  The books say get to the markets early because they get crazy in the afternoons…someone should say that early means after lunch.  Anyway most of the booths were closed but I quickly realized this was not a Lindsay friendly experience.  There were rolls and rolls of fabric all different colors sizes styles makes and patterns piled on top of each other and you really have to dig through literally hundreds of rolls to find what you want (this is at each booth) then there are shops with small samples of any fabric you can imagine floor to ceiling and in narrow aisles.  I was totally overwhelmed but I did enjoy the accessory shops (which were all open).  There was a shop with just zippers, tons of shops with just buttons or ribbon or pins or thread.  I got some ribbon and some really cool buttons for next to nothing.  There is also a Ladies Market which sells bags and silk and souvenirs.  Everything I saw I could get better quality and cheaper on the mainland. I met Jodie and Louie for dinner at an Italian place, which was wonderful!

Wednesday Jodie and Louie dropped off their Visas and we had a wonder around the Arts and Antiques district.  We spent most of the day there then went western grocery shopping and to dinner.  We didn’t get home until 10:00.  Louie was a great sport being strapped in the stroller all day with his rain cover on.

Thursday we crossed our fingers as we picked up Jodie and Louie’s visas (everything was good), we went to breakfast and taxied to the train station.  We went through the border crossing and got through OK (you never know in China) and met the driver on the other side.

Hong Kong

Today our goal: STAY AWAKE!!!
First things first…CAFFINE!

We got to the local shopping area around 9:30 and nothing was open, and it wasn’t too crazy, we went to the top floor (there were 11) and worked our way down.  There were tons of electronic stores (cue Adam with the LED TV)

and lots of designer stores.  It was so cool to see all the Chinese New Year decorations still up.  We went to a place called Happy Face Noodle and it was delicious!  When we left the mall the streets were PACKED!  It was crazy! 

We took some time to stop at a park.  It must have been the place to be because we saw tons of women eating lunch on the ground. They laid out mats and plastic took off their shoes and sat and chatted.  The park had a fair going on and we had a great time.  We took lots of pictures and even tried a snack…it was not fried dough!

Then we took the subway (MTR) to Kowloon, another area of Hong Kong. 

At this point we were exhausted and didn’t want to do anything but sleep, but we kept on truckin’.  There aren’t many pictures from this part of the day…I was too tired to take out the camera.  We tried to stay out until 6:00 eat dinner then head back to the hotel…we thought 8:00 would be an appropriate bed time.  We made it until about 4:30 took the train back and went up to the hotel room (where I posted all the pictures and Adam struggled to stay awake).  We tried to get to a sushi place that we read about in our travel book but couldn’t find it; instead we ate at a Shanghinese restaurant.  It was delicious! 
We were asleep before 9:00!