Far-out Far-east!

Over October half-term, I convinced Orest to take the family with him on his business trip to the Far East. I'd never been, so for me it would be the trip of a lifetime.

We only had one week, so I had to make sure that we didn't try to fit in too many places at once, but knowing that I wouldn't be back for a while I also had to make sure that we packed in enough to make the long-haul flight worthwhile. We started in Hong Kong, and spent 3 days having a nice mix of sightseeing, shopping and spending time with friends. The minute we arrived, we chilled out by the pool at the Marriott and were able to spend some time getting to know John and Margaret's two children - who we had not met since they had been adopted. Lienne and Vivienne were adorable and it was great to catch up with John and Margaret, who I'm ashamed to say, we hadn't seen in at least 6 years.

We then took the girls up to Victoria Peak for the evening for dinner with John and Margaret and Helen and Steve. The views were breath-taking and it we spent a lot of time trying to get the ultimate photo to try and capture the breadth of skyscrapers that make the view so impressive.

The next day, Orest and I took the girls to Ocean Park, where the highlights were seeing the pandas and dolphins and getting a soaking on a flume ride just when I thought I'd burn up from the heat. We then went down to Stanley Beach to hit the markets and meet with ZoeLynne and her friend for a nice long chat. We topped it off with a visit to John and Margaret's flat for a nice meal and relaxed chat.

The next day Orest took off for his business meetings in Tokyo and Shanghai, while I took the girls to Lantau island, the home of the tallest seated bronze Buddha in the world, Tian Tan Buddha. the bus rides to and from the Buddha were vomit-inducing at best and at worst life-threatening in trying to negotiate the winding narrow roads. But the views, and the vegetarian lunch at the monastery made up for the inadequate transport. That evening we had dinner (sans Orest) with ZoeLynne and Helen and Steve on the dock in Stanley and it was lovely reliving our "Fine Wine Club" days - albeit with a few members missing.

On the last day there, I took the girls over to Kowloon to the Ladies shopping street and it was great being in the midst of it all until Larysa's cheap Stanley Market flip flops bit the biscuit and we tried to find her an adequate replacement. I can't believe how hard it was, especially as Larysa was having to drag one foot behind her for several blocks as the flimsy piece of string holding her flip-flop came away from the bamboo sole. The only silver lining in all this is that I was able to find a lovely silk jacket in a small shop at the Star Ferry terminal - retail therapy rocks!
Don't ask me who that strange woman is behind the girls are....or how I managed not to notice that she would ruin our one and only photo on Ladies Fashion Street.