Peak Hike

The weather has been beautiful recently. Oct-Dec is the best weather in HK, because the humidity drops and the temperatures are mild (high 70s-low 80s). We took advantage of the great weather and hiked up to the Peak for the first time. The Peak is the area on top of the mountain on Hong Kong Island and is a big tourist attraction due to the beautiful views. It is an easy hike since it is all paved but is quite steep. It was a very fun day, and Erik snapped some great pics. This picture is good, because it shows how the trail runs right through the city.A beautiful old colonial home:The Peak tram used to be the only way to get up the mountain and is still in operation and a popular tourist ride.You can see how the city has developed all around the tram pathway:

Sue's B-day

My friend Sue and her husband celebrated their 40th birthdays with a fun party at the Royal Yacht Club in Causeway Bay. The club is in a very cool setting, surrounded by tall buildings. Sue had a DJ, and we danced the night away. Great fun!

Me & Sue:Me & Kukka:Me & Aimee:

Famous Dim Sum

On Friday, Erik and I took off work and went to a new, famous dim sum restaurant. Tim Ho Wan is owned and run by the former dim sum chef of the three-Michelin starred restaurant at the Four Seasons. Since it opened, this place is always packed with long waits. Supposedly, the wait can be as long as two hours on the weekends. It is a small (only 30 seats) hole-in-the-wall restaurant in the local area of Mong Kok. Fortunately, we arrived before it opened and got a seat right away. The food was fabulous, and we were stuffed. We paid only HK$128 (~US$16) and we couldn’t finish all we ordered. I can’t wait to go back.

Mid-Autmn Festival 2009

Mid-Autumn festival was October 3 this year. We went to Victoria Park to check out the displays and see the childeren with their lanterns. On two stages were traditional Chinese opera and other festive entertainment. Many, many families enjoyed the day in the park with a picnic and lit candles and lanterns once the sun set. It was a cozy and peaceful environment.These two pictures are from the area near our apartment which was decorated for the holiday. You can see the full moon shining over our apartment building.

60th Anniversary of the PRC

October 1, National Day, marked the 60th anniversary of the formation of the People’s Republic of China. There are always fireworks on National Day, and this year’s did not disappoint. Of course, we had a party to share the great view from the 67th floor. My friend commented, “This was the first time I ever looked down on fireworks.” Most of you in the US are probably aware of the PRC’s anniversary due to the media coverage of the Empire State Building changing its colors to honor of the day. All the celebrations in Beijing were televised. The holiday was on Thursday and all businesses are closed. Neither of us worked on Friday, so we enjoyed a long, relaxing weekend.