New Years Eve

Last day of the year! Time for our big New Years Eve bash. It took us a while to get set up and the games ready. Elder Smith kept popping down to check out what we were doing and to get a little advance action on the games. We all tried bowling with the toy bowling set, and the ring toss, just to make sure it wasn't too hard! Even Joyce and Joseph, our cleaning people tried their hands at the games, and gave them their okay.

Our party began at 7pm and we started with food, what else? We had three kinds of soup, clam chowder, cheese, and vegetable, then three salads, rolls, chips and dips, and dessert. And miracle of miracles - I threw all the plastic wear away!!!! REALLY!!!

Dinner - before the games

We had the “Glimpse at 2008" DVD, and it lasted about an hour, and then the games began. Everyone seemed to enjoy them, and we tried to mix up the sitting down games with the action games. I think Dew and Elder Hallstrom thought they had a lock on “Round the World Ping Pong”, and both got knocked out early.

We finished up the games and cleaned up and headed upstairs to the Watson’s balcony to watch the fireworks. They were slightly disappointing, not nearly as good as last years, and a real step down from Octobers. I think the economy has hit the fireworks as well as everything else, or else they are saving up for Chinese New Year.

We got home about 1am, and the city was just getting warmed up. For a couple more hours we heard people shouting and horns honking, and motors racing down Hennessy. It was the noisiest I think I’ve ever heard it, and that says a lot.

Times Square was supposed to have about 200,000 people and they must have all walked down Hennessy to get home. And we thought the Chinese were reserve and quiet! Not so!

All in all it was an enjoyable evening, and I couldn’t help but feel regret that we won't be here next year, but it only lasted about 10 seconds!

Sister Woolsey - The Great Bowler

Sister Halversen really got into it

Elder Hallstrom - all around athlete


Adam and Breanna (Hallstrom's daughter and son-in-law)

Big Buddha in the Fog

The Workman’s and Olson’s don’t often get the chance to go with the other couples when we go out, so we asked if we could take them to Big Buddha on their P-day. We rode the MTR out to Tung Chung and rode the gondola up to the Buddha. It’s usually a beautiful ride, but today it was like riding in a marshmallow! It was so foggy that we couldn’t see the water below us. Needless to say, we didn’t get the usual good view as we came up the hill, in fact you couldn’t see much of anything.

Big Buddha fogged in

We walked over to the stairs up and from the bottom of the stairs you couldn’t see the statue on top. It was pretty amazing! Every once in a while the fog would swirl and you would get a glimpse, then it was gone. Even when we got to the top walkway, you could hardly see the head. Actually it was very pretty, except that it didn’t make the view worth much.

Elder Olson, Dew and the Halversens at Big Buddha

We walked over to the monastery, it also was shrouded in fog, which gave it an unreal look.

As we walked down to catch the bus to Tai O, who should we run into, but the Perkins family.

Then we caught the bus to Tai O and first thing we took the boat out to see the pink dolphins. Well when we got to the end of the breakwater the waves were so rough that he turned the boat around and we headed back. I was glad, it looked way too rough to be skimming across the water in that long skinny boat.

Flowers at monastery

After a tour of Tai O, which is always fun, we caught the bus back to Tung Chung. It was quite a ride! The bus drivers that drive over there all think they are cowboys and we had to go up a very steep hill, behind a whole line of slow cars. The bus was shifted down into a VERY low gear to make it up, then at the top it’s no brakes till you hit the bottom. Okay, maybe they hit the brakes a time or two, but the idea is to see just how quickly you can get to the bottom! What a ride!

Elder and Sister Workman at monastery

Happy Valley and Cemeteries

We have lived near Happy Valley Race Track and the many cemeteries that surround it for 15 months and decided it was finally time to take a tour. This may sound really boring, but it was extremely interesting. Happy Valley was one of Hong Kong’s proposed early business districts, but because of the swamps there many people came down with malaria and died, so instead, it became the happy resting place (or graveyards). The swamps were finally drained and it was developed.

Happy Valley race track and sports complex

Happy Valley is away from the hustle bustle of Hong Kong and has a totally different look and feel. The streets are lined with small shops, furniture showrooms, delis, and apartments. We started off following the same route we follow in the early morning to walk, but ventured farther. We came to a staircase going up into the trees and found a Tin Hau temple tucked at the top. We then came down and climbed stairs again up to the Hong Kong Jockey Club. The Jockey Club House is located where the horse stables used to be located when Happy Valley was the main Race Track in Hong Kong. As we were taking pictures of the Christmas decorations, it was one BMW after another entering the car park.

As you come down near the Happy Valley Race track there is one cemetery after another. There is a cemetery for Indians, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and a very large Hong Kong Cemetery for everyone else.

Hiking up to the Jockey Club above Happy Valley

By the time we got home we were both really tired, we must have walked for miles. We took a short break and then went out to Tony Romas for dinner. It was really a nice day.

Tung Lin Kok Yuen Buddhist Temple

Entrance to Jewish Cemetery

One of the many cemeteries

Ping Shan Tang Heritage Trail

What a fun day after Christmas. After Skyping with our family we took off and rode out to Yuen Long to see the Ping Shan Tang Village and hike the heritage trail. The last heritage trail was a disappointment, but this one we enjoyed. It took in a museum, some old clan buildings, and the original wall of a walled village, and the last ancient pagoda in Hong Kong.

Then we caught the Yuen Long light rail out to the Hong Kong Wet Land Park. The only problem is that it was closed because of Avian Flu, but it’s a “go back” for later. It’s out in the Mei Po, estuary area and looks very interesting, and there is a big museum/display/building there. So it’s something we will go back to.

Children fishing at Ping Shan Tang

Then back to Yuen Long and McDonalds. Haven’t been there in about two months, and it was tasty. Then we walked through one of the malls and they had entertainment, a girl that climbed a red fabric and did acrobatics on the fabric and an old guy (and I do mean old - he was about our age) who climbed a metal pole and did acrobatic tricks on the top of this pole. When he stood on top and rocked it back and forth Dew got butterflies for him. It was fun to watch.

Then back home, a full day!

Walled village of Ping Shan Tang

Flowers in Ping Shan Tang village

Poinsettias at Hong Kong Wetlands

Island 2nd Christmas Social

Our branch Christmas party began at 3pm on Christmas day. Each HT group did a dance from a different area in the Philippines. They were fun and it was rather amazing to see just how creative they were. Our group was assigned to do a dance from "Region 1 and 2", which unfortunately, to us meant nothing! But our group came up with a DVD of dances and we found one, and one of the sisters had almost exact replicas of the costumes.

We didn't do the dance, oh no, we were the music! We had one of the finest sets of metal bowl and spoon drums available. And we were able to copy the beat from the DVD. All in all, the dance was very good! We had to admit that Terry and Gails "Tenecialling" dance, done without the benefit of real bamboo poles was probably the most original dance, and who but Terry could trip on an imaginary bamboo pole?

We had some wild games and then ate. The sisters outdid themselves this year. We had ham, chicken, potato salad, green salad, and apples and banana bread for dessert. It was VERY good. No cold mashed potatoes this year.

We took a group photo of the whole branch, and it only took 4 people to get Dew up off the floor!

Home Teaching group after dance practice

Group picture of Island 2nd Branch

Sister Luz dancing with water on head and candles in hand

Terry and Gale Oakes doing Philippino dance

Philippine wedding dance

Christmas in Hong Kong

Christmas in Hong Kong takes on many forms, from angels with drooping halos, to poinsettia to beautiful lights on the buildings reflecting in the harbor, to a huge Christmas tree in Central. The climate is perfect for poinsettias’s to be outside and they are everywhere. And of course our own CAB Christmas tree! It’s a lovely city, with wonderful decorations.

Our favorite - a 30' Christmas tree with the 88 story IFC Building.

Shirley's favorite - little angles with collapsed halo.

Night on Victoria Harbor

Poinsettias in Central

Decorations at Time Square

Yes, the tree in the Church Administration Building

Christmas Party with the Area Presidency

Another Christmas Party. The AP hosted a party for all senior missionaries. We had Kentucky Fried Chicken and baked potatoes provided by the AP and we brought salads, rolls and desserts. It was a great meal. Elder Perkins ate his first piece of chicken and said, “now I remember why I like KFC”, and back he went for more. Most of the missionaries pigged out on the potatoes, since we don’t get potatoes very often here. And the desserts were endless!

Left front - Sister Gibbons, the Oakes, Smiths, and Akis

After dinner we had a Christmas trivia quiz, and then played the Christmas present game, exchanging HK$50 gifts.

KFC and baked potatoes

Then we opend a huge box, then another inside of it, then another etc., down to a box of cookies. It became very clear that we are an old group, we took forever opening the boxes and didn't want to ruin the paper, kids would have had them ripped open in no time.

Elder and Sister Smith

It was a fun evening.

View down Gloucester

Staff Christmas Social

We had our Christmas Staff party, and what a fun day it was. We started off with Sister and Elder Hallstrom giving a short devotional, and then lunch. We had Chinese, Mexican and Italian food with a lot of salad and dessert thrown into the mix. Then we had games, which was great fun. It’s so fun to see the staff really let their hair down and have fun. They are usually very reserve and proper, but get them in a game situation and they really go for it, flat out.

Staff Group Photo

It didn’t take long at all and the mess was cleaned up and it was back to work. But after all the food, most people had a very sleepy look on their face the rest of the day.

Elder Perkins - gift relay

Balloon relay

Macau with Senior Couples

It was our "try again" trip to Macau with the couples. Last time we had a huge group, but many have had experiences in Macau and so we only had four couples go. The Benchs, the Halversens, the Workmans, and the Jacksons. We met the Kaps when we got there, so there were 10 altogether. Elder and Sister Workman usually have to work on Saturdays, so this was a rare chance to go with us as a group.

Preparing for tour. Left to right - Halversens, Us, Workmans, Benches and Kaps.

The day actually went quite well. We left at 7:30am and only waited about a minute for the bus to arrive to take us to the Macau ferry terminal. Then we were able to take an earlier ferry. Of course my thumbs didn’t work on the Hong Kong "easy" identification system, but neither did Sister Bench’s. Seems we don’t have "easily identifiable" thumbs. She blames hers on hot pans, she simply burned off the prints, I can’t say I actually have an excuse, they just don’t work!

Sister Kap and Halversens waiting for bus

We met the Kaps and took taxi’s over to their meeting house to see it. It’s on the ground level and basement of a building, but as with all Church buildings, it’s clean and well cared for. They are working to find another place to move, as it’s getting too small, but property costs are out of sight, as they are in most cities in Asia.

Visiting the Macau meetinghouse.

Then we went to the Venetian for lunch at Fat Burger, and caught the free shuttle back to the terminal just in time for our tour. The tour bus held about 25 to 30 people so we were just about a third of the group. It was a very diverse group and the tour guide had to give her talk in three languages.

View from Macau Tower

We saw some areas that we had not been to before, and some that we had seen already. But all in all it was a good tour. They took us to the Macau Tower and our tour included going to the 58th floor. It’s a circle and parts of the edge is thick glass that you can actually walk on, or at least some people can. It gives you a weird feeling to walk on glass and be able to see the ground so far down below.

St. Paul's Cathedral

Part of the group got to see someone jump from the upper floor, but we were on the other side of the building. You wouldn’t get many takers in our group to jump, we couldn’t even get many takers to walk on the glass. It is a great view from up there.

Then we went to St. Pauls on our last stop. The Halversens and Workmans wanted to keep going down through the squares to the main square. Actually they wanted to shop, so they left the tour at that point and caught a taxi to the terminal. Just the Jackson’s and Bench’s were on the final leg of the trip. They kept threatening that if you weren’t back to the bus on time, they would have to leave you, and on the last leg one lady didn’t return on time and they actually left her. She had left some packages on the bus, and as we left the bus at the ferry terminal the tour guide was taking her packages in to meet her. Luckily she gave us all her phone number, so the lady simply called and told her where she would meet her.

We caught the 7pm ferry back, and had an un-eventful ride back. The best kind. And of course the thumbs didn’t work again, and we held up a large number of very impatient people while they had to come rescue us from the ID booth. We caught the MTR to Causeway Bay and had a late night snack, okay it was only 8:30pm but seemed very late, at the food court before we headed for home. It was a long, but enjoyable day.

Tung Ping Chau Island

It’s the end of November, and you can’t tell it here! Today was an absolutely pristine, blue sky day! Perfect temperatures, blue sky, and the pollution level was down to a tolerable level. A day to be out and about.

Way last June Dew wanted to check out this little island we located on the internet. It’s called Tung Ping Chau and is in the furthest point in Hong Kong that you can get to without a passport. If you went any farther you would be in mainland China. So one very hot muggy day last June the Bench’s and the Jackson’s spent the day trying to locate the ferry pier you use to get to this island. It’s out in Sha Tin, and the ferry only runs on week-ends and only one ferry in the morning and one ferry back in the afternoon. If you miss it you are stuck over night, if you miss it on a Saturday, and if you miss it on a Sunday you are stuck for another week.

We found the pier and got what information we could find there, and then Elder Bench bought a book that had a phone number to call to make ferry reservations. So today was the day we chose to try this adventure.

We left early and bused to Sha Tin, then caught the mini bus #26 out to the pier. And to our surprise we were not along! By the time the ferry left it was full. It was very cool on the pier and on the ferry waiting for time to leave. We wore sweatshirts and sweaters, but still it was cold, and we were all about frozen by the time the hour and one half ferry ride was over. It was an hour and a half ride because this ferry was about the same vintage as the Mayflower andtraveled about as quickly.

We were amazed at the clothing we saw on the people on the ferry. They had on ski parka’s, ski hats, gloves, and scarves. We were seriously underdressed! And there was one group that brought along their dogs, all wearing sweaters to!

At the pier we all got off and the group scattered, and before long we found ourselves totally alone. We couldn’t help but wonder where everyone was. So we rambled along the trails, and took a few dead ends, until we finally got to one end of the island, and there they were! There was a great rock outcropping and they were all out enjoying the sun, almost like a group of seals. By this time the air was warm and it was an amazing day.

This little island was inhabited until about the 60's when everyone moved on to greener pastures, and now only a few people live there and they run the two or three very small restaurants on the island. So as a result there are stone houses everywhere in various stages of decay. Some are so old that trees have grown up inside the walls, and some have just been empty a short time an still have various junk items still strewn around inside. We found dishes in one and a huge collection of old Coke bottles in another. We were tempted to carry a few home with us, but we controlled our urges.

There are two temples on the island as well, that are still in very good shape and look like they are being taken care of. But mostly it’s just a week-end playground for those who are willing to take the slow ferry and spend the entire day.

We had a leisurely lunch, we were warned to bring our own food, and then took off to the other end of the island. We went by the times listed on the direction markers and worried that we wouldn’t get back in time for the ferry. So we got to almost the end of the island and decided that we had best head back, we didn’t want to have to call and report that we wouldn’t be back until tomorrow night.

But to our amazement we made much better time than we thought. We could have taken the whole island walk and had plenty of time, but who knew? So we had a few hours to kill, and we spent them having a cold drink, and sitting on the beach on the huge rocks and soaking up the sun and atmosphere.

At 5:30 the ferry chugged in and we all clamored aboard. As we stood in line we talked to a group of students who had spent the day as a school group and they had a great time trying out their English on us. Their English was about as good as our Chinese, so it was rather a Chinglish session.

On the ferry ride back the sunset was a glorious red and lasted almost our whole trip. When we arrived back at the pier we discovered to our amazement that the mini-bus drivers knew exactly what time to be there and that it was a great place to fill up with willing riders. We jumped on a mini and were back in Sha Tin Town Center in a matter of minutes. By then the only thing on our minds was a good hand washing, and something to eat. Triple-O was the quickest and best choice and we enjoyed it. But we were all so chilled that we asked that they turn off the air conditioning! How amazing for a group that couldn’t live without it just a week or two ago.

We arrived back home at 9:00pm, a long, leisurely and very fun day.