Some Photos from Hong Kong

We've had such a great time in Hong Kong!!  Here are a few photos of our time now we're here in Australia!  We met up with our friend Patrick at a vegan restaurant (not many of them in Hong Kong) at the top of the mid-level escalators on Hong Kong Island.

We journeyed on the Star Ferry every day over to Hong Kong Island from the Kowloon side where we were staying.  This is the view on the journey back to our windowless flat!

We used every mode of transport possible,  the buses were so air conditioned you almost forgot how incredibly hot it was outside.  We went to Aberdeen (below) to see some of the beautiful sampans, junks and jumbos on the way to Stanley Market which wasn't quite as crazy as I remembered it being but the children loved it!

Is this a lotus flower?  We went to the outskirts of Kowloon and went to Lai Chee Kok Park (below) which reminded us of the Olympic Park in Stratford .  It seemed brand new and must make such a difference to the people that live in the surrounding blocks of flats.  We were surprised that so far outside the main bustling city streets people still live in the same small flats.  We were trying to find the Sung Dynasty village (a reconstruction of an old chinese village) that Emelye had been to as a child but we think it had been demolished to make way for the park!

We went into the New Territories and went to a walled village where everyone's surname is still Tang after about 500 years of living there!!  We met these lovely ladies (below)!  Above is the little temple within the walls.  Here people seemed to live a little differently,  there was much more space and far fewer people around.



This was our last meal in Hong Kong in a restaurant we'd stumbled upon on our very first night.  The satayish noodles were just so tasty, grated water chestnut, black bean bean curd and seafood, sweet and sour..... yum!  Back to our own cooking now!!!  Bring on the stubbies and barbies!!!

We went to Lantau Island on our last day to see the monastery at Lo Pin where the Big Buddha sits on top of the mountain.  Sophie was quite taken with the Buddha.

We loved the roof on the temple with the dragon gutters, and it had a vegan cafe - we were all happy!!

We walked all the way up to the top in amongst the clouds, it was so beautiful!!  We really enjoyed the Buddhist temple, seeing so many worshippers with their incense was a real eye opener and everyone was so friendly to us and welcoming.