Clear Day in Hong Kong

Last week we experienced something new for us in Hong Kong - a clear day. In fact it was almost a full week of clear days. We have wondered where all those blue sky pictures of Hong Kong came from, and now we know. There is a week every summer, and you better not miss it if you want good pictures.

Unfortunately, we missed it! We planned on going to the peak on Saturday to get that "prize winning" shot, and by Saturday the haze was back, and we didn't even bother going.

And this week the haze has turned into full blown smog. It has been in the 90's and the air is so thick you can almost cut it.

It has been a year of extremes. This year we have had one of the longest cold snaps on record, the wettest June ever, and now the air pollution index has hit its highest mark ever.

We can't wait to see whats next!

Couple's Outing - History, Culture and Shopping

Another fun couples day out. We went out to Sha Tin and visited the Che Kung Temple, then to Tsang Tai Uk, which is an unusual village that doesn't match the surrounding area architecture and then to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. It rained as we started out, just enough to frizz/straighten our hair, then stopped and got hot.

The museum was nice and cool however and we enjoyed it. Then over to the Sha Tin town center for lunch. Some went for pizza and some went for burgers. Then we took the MTR two stops away to Tai Po Market and caught the 64K bus over the mountain to Yuen Long. It was a lovely ride. Of course we had to stop at the Brass shop which is conveniently right on the route. We spent quite a while there, there is a lot to see, before heading into Yuen Long where we hit McD’s for ice cream and drinks. We were all hot and tired by then.

Then caught the bus back home. We didn’t get home until almost 7:30pm. It was a long day, but we covered a lot of territory and had a great time.

Family Home Evening with Island 2nd

The first Sunday of each month the Island 2nd branch gets together for entertainment and food. Elder and Sister Jackson's Home Teaching group was responsible for the entertainment this month.

It's lucky that we have a group of sisters (and two brothers) who are talented, and willing to share their dancing and singing abilities. And we are especially happy that they didn't ask us to join in.

Hope you have as much fun watching this video clip of them in action as we had watching them in real life. (And we loved the Bee Gee's music!!)

Senior Couples to Nan Lian Gardens

A Saturday away - we rode the bus out to Diamond Hill and toured the Nan Lian Gardens and the Nunnery. The garden is absolutely beautiful and the nunnery has all been re-done in gorgeous woods. It was a warm rainy day, but everytime it rained hard we seemed to be under cover, how lucky is that?

We then headed to the far eastern end of Kowloon and spent the remainder of the day at Sia Kung, a fishing village. We split up for lunch with part staying at a seafood restaurant and four sisters and Elder J. all going to...you guessed it – McDonalds.

After lunch we hired a sampan for an hour and went out touring the islands. The cost was only $HK60 per couple or about $US7.50 - what a bargain. During our tour we had a few downpours but we never felt a drop. After the sampan ride we caught the bus back home, arriving around 6pm. Another great day.