D-Day

It's over, rover...

Well, almost. Today is D-Day. Departure Day. On one hand I have *just* begun to get homesick, as of yesterday. So great timing really. On the other hand I have had almost 11 days getting to know my Bio-Ma and a little bit of the rest of the Bio-whanau. After 31 years, 11 days doesn't seem like enough time... but hey, reality beckons.

Yesterday (Monday, Feb 23rd) was our last full day here in H to the K, as I now refer to it (jokes. That's way too long) It was a bittersweet day. We started our day mid-morning - erring on the side of lunch-time, really. Excited to be finally seeing where my bio-sis and her whanau lived. I had only seen it once during our first (random) Skype with her and the bio-cuz. She lives in a nice part of town in a fancy building with a doorman. Up 42 (freaking) floors (out of 60) the vertigo hit hard.
Her apartment was modern and slightly larger compared to my B-Ma's. Though the layout was a little unusual going through the first 'bedroom'(which was used as a wardrobe/storage) to the main bedroom. The floors were wood veneer, with white plaster walls. There was no real 'style' aesthetics, as she reminded me most places came with furniture and the fact it's a hassle to move furniture from apartment to apartment.

It's so different from NZ where our style influences are reflected in our homes. It seems we are more concerned with the 'feel' and look of our home, as well as the comfortable functionality - and of course, space. The bigger the home, the better! [winky wink] Whereas, from my short time here, it seems like most Hong Konger's aren't overly concerned with how 'trendy' their home is - plus, it doesn't seem like they like to spend a lot of time at home if they can help it.
The other startling contrast I noticed was that there were no pictures on the walls. No staged smiling-family shots. No wedding photos. There was no artwork to speak of. No floral paintings or blown-up landscape shots of the beach. I guess it's the same dealeo as NZ when ya renting - My bio-sis told me it is almost impossible to buy an apartment unless you have an absurd deposit. Most people give up knowing they will be old by the time they save enough, so they enjoy the 'now', which in some ways sounds better than the never-ending fight to buy in Auckland) but of course, 'Hello Kitty' made a few appearances in the form of duvet covers and toys...

 I have to admit, I love the architectural landscape of Hong Kong. The rainbow of colour. The flashes of greenery. The way each building tries to distinguish themselves from the next. The modern mixed with the aged. There is something exciting about this city. It seems like a nonstop place of reinvention.

 Lunch was awesome. My bio-sis sure can cook! It really seems like everyone in Hong Kong knows how to make a mean feed. BBQ (or Be-Be-Que) king prawns, corn, seafood and avocado salad, marinated fish, and macaroni - we were off to a flying start!
Afterwards we decided to walk it off in her hood. Checking out the scenery and the shops...

 Next thing we know it is time for the BIG 'New Years' whanau dinner at Grandmas. It was pure Madness! Kids running riot in the hallway, Adults laughing, eating, smoking and gambling going from apartment to apartment(Grandma lives across from one uncle) and let's not forget why we all came, food! More food and then oh my goodness, more food! They kept piling more food on our plates after we finished. I really don't know how much weight I've gained... Haha!
We watched several rounds of Mahjong, trying furiously to figure out how it works. Next thing we knew it was 11o'clock. Time to get Ever into bed! she's officially on Hong Kong Time...

Nighty night!

...just kidding! Bio-sis and bio-bro came to pick me up. They decided they had to take me to Mong Kok to witness the (illegal) Night Markets. The Hubband, Ever and Nanabear were in bed, and I was super tired, yet super hyped because it was my last night and part of me never wanted it to end... and the other part wanted to crawl back into the tiny double bed with Hubband and Ever. Fun won out.

 Just after 1am and we were in the heart of Mong Kok, with an 11 year old niece and 9 year old nephew in tow. I seriously couldn't believe that their father let them out this late at night... but to each their own?! Haha! By the time we got to the markets they were mostly packed up. It was awesome to see them deconstruct each tented shop. Scaffolding, roofing, tables and of course, their wares. We watched them tetris everything into small storage sheds lining the street.
We did however, manage to wrangle a couple of little souvenirs (Batman luggage tag for The Hubband! Woot woot!) before we made our way to get second dinner at 2am... yes, ridiculous I know, but the others were hungry. For once in my life, I wasn't keen on eating.

The streets were still filled with people. Mostly loitering or eating. There were buckets of live seafood lined up on the pavement outside some of the eateries. Each one seemed to scream, pick me! (Though I think they were screaming out in agony over living in a little bucket...) We sat down on stools in the street while my Bio-sis ordered. I didn't eat more than a few mouthfuls...
Afterwards we realised that it was over. I was way too tired to make coherent sentences and there wasn't a lot to look at. So we taxi'd our way back, dropping my Bio-bro off on the way. We walked the nephew and niece home, stopping for a corn ice block... yes, with real chunks of corn.

Er, not my cup of tea, thanks. In the bin it went. (Sorry!) 

It was 3am when we dropped the kids home. They basically started playing! One hooked up his newly purchased remote control helicopter; the other went straight onto the computer. My B-Ma was chatting with her bro until the nephews helicopter crash-landed into a tin of biscuits, spilling them onto the floor! Uncle was not happy... Me and bio-sis made a quick exit. We had a pretty coolio chat as she walked me back to my B-Ma's apartment. It was nice... I'm glad I ended up going out with them - even if it was after 4am when I finally laid my head on the pillow.

This morning (Feb 24th) I arose at a brisk 9am. My gosh, I am leaving Hong Kong on a high. A sleep deprived high. Ever woke at 5am and didn't go back to sleep until 6... Thank God for The Hubband!  I was keen to see if I could get some last min presents for the whanau back home. I left Mamabear, The Hubband and Ever behind and hightailed it with B-Ma to meet Jane and bio-sis at the next suburb over. I hadn't been there apart from to catch the MTR.
When we arrived we got a call that they were behind schedule, so me and B-Ma perused the shops together. It was nice...but weird. Haha! (I know I keep saying 'nice', but I don't know exactly how to phrase it?) I kept thinking maybe this would be what it was like if I had grown up with her? I didn't have my NZ husband or Mother, or baby to remind me of where I'd come from. Everywhere I looked were people who looked similar to me... except I couldn't understand them or relate to their culture...  It was an unusual train of thought that I quickly squelched as I was on a mission with only an hour to shop! So speed shopping I went. My B-Ma seemed perplexed as I darted in and out of the tiny shops, talking to myself as I went. If I had a question she would interpret it to the sales assistant. Finally, the crew arrived, with my bio-bro in tow. Their first port of call was lunch. I left them behind... Haha! They found me shortly after and handed me a bowl of noodles. I ate as I walked. Finally, I had found the last present. The pièce de résistance! Stoked with my purchases and the fact that time had run out, we gapped it back to get the NZ crew so we could head to the airport.

My bio-sis, bro and Aunty had all put in for a HUGE green fancy suitcase for us - I had been complaining(naughty me!) that they were giving us too many presents to take back to NZ - So they solved the problem. Haha! Everyone was in a somber dither as we hurriedly squished the new items into the suitcases. Trying to put the fragile things with the soft, ready for the rough ride ahead. We would be gutted if we arrived home and they were broken. Boo...

We taxi-vanned to the airport carpark in record time, as my B-Ma lives about a suburb away... sort of.  Okay, not really. The airport is on an island and her suburb is near a main road that goes to the island. Only problem was none of us knew where the front door was! (and we were a wee bit late for the er, suggested two hour check-in time...) so instead we ran/power-walked until we found our way. The place is confusing. I had no idea where the signage was?! Thankfully, my B-Ma's partner works in the airport so she rang him and he found us in less than 5 mins. He was an older gruff-mannered man. Not big on pleasantries or smiles. But he was cordial enough... and we were off!
We found Check-In and, well, checked in. Then grabbed a bite and a coffee. We were pretty chillaxed until we saw the time.

Saying farewell was hard/easy. I didn't cry. My mama did. My B-Ma did... I feel happy and sad, yet relieved to be going home. As much as I have enjoyed the adventure of this life-changing trip, it has also had it's fair share of challenges - not to mention the emotional roller coaster of it all! I feel thoroughly full. Full of new friends and family, experiences and memories. My eyes are clear. I have seen so much and tried to take in everything I could. The details. The smells. The faces... and if not, I have a ton of photos, and this blog, to remind me of this amazing journey. I can't express how I feel at the moment? I am just preparing for the next step... The plane ride with a toddler!

Mama's Day. When nature calls...

Today (Feb 22nd) after the worst sleep in our Hong Kong life (Ever was awake from 4 - 8:30am! Ugh!) we gathered what remaining energy we could muster and headed off to meet an Uncle and his whanau for brunch. Jane, ever the organiser, was hooking us up with tickets to Ocean Park (friends discount ye-yah!) but due to some serious lack of enthusiasm(not from me...) and time-keeping skills(chur, B-Ma...) we decided to go for a hike up the mountain to the water resevoir cos Mamabear wanted to be eaten by some monkeys. Jokes! - She wanted to get some fresh air - She did try to befriend them even when we all tried to explain to her that they are wild. As in, wild. She didn't get it. (Haha!) That's what I love about her...

We travelled by taxi, winding through tiny one-way streets up the mountain. As per usual there were families of people everywhere you turned. It was a traffic jam of cars and taxis haphazardly parked wherever they could fit. At one point we did an awkward dance with another car who was 10-point turning around to get back down the hill. But it was well worth the wait...

The water resevoir was awesome. Stunning, clear water. Surrounded by beautiful mountainous views, including the infamous 'Lion Rock'

The only downside was that I had chosen to wear red, in honour of New Years and of course, monkeys be loving red... Thank the Lord I had a jacket to tie around me waist. Haha!

One of the coolest parts was the open BBQ areas (they pronounce it, Be. Be. Que...) Those monkeys all hiding in the trees or sneakily going through the garbage... it was pretty trippy. My mama trying to beckon them down from their leafy spy towers. We were clearly warned though that those monkeys won't hesitate to attack...

To be honest, the hike was one of the highlights of the trip. I didn't know it until we did it, that I had craved the peace that only nature could bring.

It's so easy to forget how good we have it in NZ. I am the first to admit that this trip opened my eyes to what could've been. What should've been. What is.
Nature vs Nurture. Would I have still been interested in living simply and organically(as financially viable) as I try to now.  Would my interests still include gardening, hiking and animal welfare if I had grown up in Hong Kong? There are so many variables in this debate, so instead I will just say, it was awesome...

That afternoon we made our way to meet my bio-sis' at the Kowloon Walled City, which was high on my Mama's priority list. Steeped with history and traditional architecture, it was a serious blast from the past; intergrated with these amazing projection screen walls that you could 'touch' to change the slides by swiping across the wall. It was some crazy futuristic shizzle ma nizzle! My Bio-Ma disclosed that she once lived within the walled city. She used to hike down the dirty streets to collect buckets of water, in bare feet. Surreal.

In a city that is populated with over 7 million people, to find a part of the city that wasn't stuffed to the brim was extremely disconcerting. There were people of course, but not many more than a Friday afternoon at a local park. We wandered, while Ever slept in our arms, and just chatted. Mamabear found a little kid with these trippy giant plasticky bubbles! She was literally jumping up and down playing with this giant bubble. We are all just kids inside...

The next thing we know it starts pouring down. Thankfully, my B-Ma is overly prepared and handed us a cute 'Hello Kitty' umbrella. Score! We jetted toward the city, past this awesome bike circuit (which also houses a sweet jogging lane) If I had been prepared I totally would've brought my skateboard... Haha!

Ten minutes later we were refuelling at a pizza joint in a nearby mall. The day had been long and it was great to be off our feet, even for a moment. There was talk about grabbing Thai for dinner, but it seemed like pizza was the easier option since it was already almost 9pm. Next thing I know we are playing in the arcade above. My B-Ma handed each of us a bag of coins, so away we went. I felt super 'Asian'... and I loved it! Haha!
They had an awesome kids play area adjacent to the games arcade. They had a sweet ball-pit, that included airguns! I have to admit, I crawled in there with Ever and started a war with a couple of other kids... yep, doesn't matter how old you are. Straight ballin'...

By 10pm us kiwi's were yawning like nobody's business. We packed up our crew and headed for the exit, only to have a communication breakdown with everyone. They were discussing how to get to the Thai restaurant... yes, you heard right. They wanted to take us for 2nd dinner. At 10pm at night. I lost my shizz...

Half and hour later we were seated at the third Thai restaurant we could find. (The others were either closed or too full for our crew) My poor bebe had fallen asleep in the baby carrier on James back. I had wedged a sweater under one side of her head to keep it from falling...

I have to admit, the food was pretty choice. Lot's of choice... but there was a naggling at the back of my head that wouldn't go away.

I think the benefits of being in Hong Kong, face to face is fairly obvious. The difficult part of this trip has been having (pretty much) no freedom or space to digest. To discuss things or plan anything. To discover Hong Kong for ourselves. Most of the options have been taken out of our hands, and it's hard not be grateful given the generosity in almost every arena. I feel like a dickhead for even mentioning this...

After 8 days, it is of course easier to understand each other, but on the other hand we are still essentially strangers trying to get to know each other. There are awkward times on each side where me and my wee whanau will have quick whispering convos on how we are feeling, and I guess they must too? Well, maybe not whispering... we have learned that Hong Konger's like to yell. There isn't a deep sense of the NZ politeness. When someone bumps into you in the street there is no acknowledgement we have even touched, let alone a, "mmm...goi" (sorry about that)There has been a lot of times where we are just standing there like idiots not knowing what's-what, while they are talking(yelling) to each other and gesturing wildly. We have no blinkin' idea whether we are coming or going sometimes...

In all honesty it can be super frustrating. Especially since I am a planner. I like to be in control or at least take charge. In my mind it makes sense to ask everyone what they want to do then go from there. Instead we are outsiders along for the ride... But I digress.

It's been a crazy ride so far and I knew there were bound to be moments of intense emotions. Good and bad. Happy and Sad... Though right now the only emotion I have left is exhaustion. Nighty night!

Chicken Feet and all that jazz

Yes, my Hubband ate a chicken foot...

Everything in Hong Kong always seems to begin with eating... and of course ends with eating. It's not just the typical have a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Everything is a feast. A table laden with different, mostly savoury, delectable dishes. Me and my wee whanau seem to hoover down meals here in H.K - though of course we got nothing on the locals appetites!

I have begun to take notice of how different the traditional Hong Kong food is to what they serve up in our slice of paradise, Aotearoa. The "Chinese" food from your local is garbage compared to what we have been experiencing here, in the Heart of Hong Kong. Between the home-cooked meals and the many restaurants we have sampled, I have got to say it's (mostly) all delicious. It is rich, yet light. Seafood and meat dominate their palate and it is fairly broth/soup based. There is no rice, like I had envisioned. The closest I came was rice noodles. There is also no real feeling of 'fresh' vegetables. Everything is either hidden in dumplings or as a smattering of garnish. Of course there was the odd side of steamed greens now and then. I will admit, I have craved a salad or a veggie-filled sandwich! But that feeling passes when the food begins to roll out... 

After lunch, and The Hubbands aforementioned foot eating; my B-Ma and our lil gang departed ways with the extended bio-whanau and headed to Hong Kong Island to take a ferry ride.
My Mama was super excited to be getting away from the crowds and catching some sights... until the moment her foot hit the gangplank - granted it was a slightly windy day made more apparent by the uneasy rocking of the boat we had just boarded.

We sat down, shuffled onto long bench seats in the centre of the boat. My Mama's long awaited time-out was unfortunately rewarded with a boatful of people who had the same idea... coupled with the swaying, meant she wanted to get off. NOW. Even though we had already left the dock.

Thank the Lord we were only taking a short trip across the harbour. Twenty minutes later it was all over, rover. Nothing to see here, y'all!

The city was jam-packed as the New Years fireworks display was happening later that night. We had decided earlier on that there was no way in Hong Kong we were getting stuck in this debacle (though secretly, I would've totally stayed but Mom and Ever wouldn't have handled it)
The cops had already begun to limit transport out of the city, and had started cordoning off the streets for the expected swell of people that were arriving en masse - Cue us getting the heck out of there!

Jostling our way out through the crowded ferry terminal we heard a funky musician chick singing indy/pop in english. She had amassed quite a crowd. We were enamoured. Not just because it was one of the few times we encountered english naturally, instead of just when we asked; she was also enigmatic. In a sweet yet edgy way. We left the ferry terminal after her cute rendition of a Katy Perry classique and stepped into the smoggy sunshine only to be ear-bashed by the sounds of a three-piece rock'n'roll band. The chick on the drums was bad-ass! (You go, girl!)

Two hours, two trains and one stinky-nappy-change in the middle of a crowded street later, we were back at my B-Ma's home eating, of course. This time a traditional 'New Years soup'. My B-Ma had been preparing it on and off for the last few days. Staying late at night telling us to go to sleep, but quietly banging - I mean cooking, away in her little kitchen; all for this delightfully rich soup. (Man, we NZ cooks are lazy... haha!) We had just settled in to a cozy night in when more family members randomly decided to visit. The upside of having a movie interrupted - Red Pockets!!! Haha! Their generosity has me dumbfounded. Eyes welling. Mouth agape. I always search around trying to think of things to give back...

Today (Saturday, Feb 21st) We finally got to have down-time with just us kiwi-whanau... and the bio-cuz, Jane, who took us to Mong Kok to do what Hong Konger's do best, shop! We kicked the trip off with another sweet Hong Kong tradition, eating... at McDonalds (- one of my requirements when traveling is to sample McD's in each country. You have to have life goals, right?)
So we finally got to order from a menu! Granted it was only a fast-food joint but we were still a little nervous to see if they would accept the english version of ordering...
McD's is pretty similar but you can order curly fries (yuss!) You can also order corn-kernels for kiddie-winkles (You're welcome, Ever!) The chicken burger isn't processed, but it is super brown! The other delightful surprise was the red bean pie! The best part, NZD$17 for three combos. Winning...

Later that night I finally met my bio-bro two days before I leave. I was seriously wondering if he actually existed! Haha! He came in with a shy demeanour. It was a wee bit awkward as he didn't want to speak in english. He did begin to loosen up, thanks to the magic of Ever! She has been my ice-breaker through most of this nerve-wracking trip!

Most people are smitten with Ever on first sight. Seriously. In New Zealand I get strangers coming up trying to squish her cheeks! Not to mention the never-ending compliments... (Why, thank you. I made her myself! Haha!) It's nice to see in our Hong Kong "Homeland" she is still just as appreciated.
To be honest she has been pretty amazing on this trip. She endures nonstop travelling/shopping and eating, sleeping in our arms, being pass the parceled, not to mention never-ending strangers in her face. Now, if we could just get her to sleep at night, this trip would be pretty close to perfect...

Goodnight from us. xo

Chinese New Yeah-Yeah-Year!

 #IhopeYouAreWearingRedBecause...

HAPPY (CHINESE) NEW YEAR!!!

 Every day has been nonstop and I am running on adrenaline fumes. I want to take in everything I can because I know my time is almost up here. Unfortunately we haven't done half the traditional stuff they wanted us to do. Mostly because we ran out of time. My B-Ma said she needed a lot of time to prepare special meals and some smelly herb water to wash ourselves (and the house) but because we were staying in her home, and she was staying at her little bro's down the road, she couldn't do it in time. I felt stink(not just cos we hadn't washed. Jokes!) because we had kept her busy with our "touristing" and other agendas (like the Orphanage etc) when she would've been cooking and preparing for New Years Day. But I guess spending time with your long-lost daughter takes precedence over traditions, eh?

Yesterday (Feb 18th) we spent half the day at my B-Ma's. Even though I love go-go-going we needed to rest and spend some time together getting to know one another.

Just us.

She told me a lot about her life. Her past, her hopes, her regrets, her thoughts, her desires. She cried, I cried. I even got to see the only baby photo of me on her fridge. Just casually stuck on the fridge - She didn't even tell me! I noticed it and asked who it was. (Boy, was I chubbster! Haha!) I have to admit my heart has always ached over the lack of a little rectangular piece of paper. I have never had any baby photos of me... Something I think a lot of people take for granted.
I have always struggled with a deep sense of loss when I looked through peoples baby albums, and felt awkward and saddened watching other family members compare similarities with their offspring & relatives; so the baby photo on her fridge - My baby photo! Me, as a newborn bubba! - really cemented God's goodness to me. He cares about the little things.

Piece by piece...

Peace.


All systems were go later that afternoon. Since it was the day before Chinese New Year (I guess it's still called 'New Years Eve'? - I never asked) my B-Ma took us by bus back to Sham Shui Po to visit a mall called 'The Dragon Centre' - With a name like that of course we were psyched to go! Unfortunately everyone and their grandmas were out stomping the streets looking for bargains - Like New Zealand the shops are legally required to close tomorrow.
For other H.K newbs: Go to 'The Dragon Centre'! But set aside a few hours as it is H.U.G.E! Floors and floors of shops and eateries. Ranging from chainstores to little arcades of teeny-tiny shops the size of a changing room. Unfortunately for us the prices are roughly the same as in New Zealand. So I have been pinchin' me pennies waiting for that special 'something' that catches my eye! (Knowing me I will just go crazy on the last day! Haha!) What really makes this Mall memorable is the...

Freakin' Rollercoaster!!!

It is situated just under the ceiling on the top floor and twists and turns over the entire floor. It's apparently in the shape of a dragon - hence the name of the centre - Unfortunately due to an accident a while back it is now inactive. (Boo...) but it's still flippy-trippy to look up floors and floors and floors to see a rollercoaster suspended in the air (there is a cargo-net a few floors below just in case...) Ps. There is also an active ice-skating rink on the top floor! 

After spending a couple of hours riding escalators up and down with a pram, we stuck to what we know best... the Streets yo! There are shops everywhere you turn. There is even an area solely dedicated to electronics (Score! says The Hubband) not to mention all the fashion & beauty shops and of course kitschy toys. Things you wouldn't ever think of needing, but find yourself suddenly wanting it.
My B-Ma informed us that the shops along the streets are way cheaper than the malls and the street markets are usually even cheaper - though some are legal, and some are... not around New Years period. The government makes it illegal to be open over the few days of Chinese New Year but the vendors just open up in random places - like the "Adidas" street vendor (just two full clothes racks & a sign drawn with a vivid) I saw underground on the way to the MTR. When I came back through 15 minutes later they were gone! Poof!

For the next two hours we (window)shopped until we almost dropped. Tensions ran high, as we all had different styles of 'shopping'.
My Mama is a leisurely shopper. Going back to the same store several times to see the same bag... Whereas, The Hubband is a "shop for 30 minutes then get the heck out of there" man-shopper. Meanwhile, bebe Ever loves to see everything she can - until she gets cranky and finally goes to sleep. I, on the other hand am what's considered a "Power-Shopper". I go hard, and go fast (and then eventually, go home. Haha!) Cover as much ground as I can in the limited time I have. Yep, tensions were high... Nothing a drink of pure sugarcane juice can't solve... yeah right. (Thanks for trying B-Ma!)


This morning (Feb 19th) all was forgotten... or at least forgiven. We rose leisurely, relishing the free time by ourselves. We tried to stick to some of the traditions my B-Ma had told us. I wore red, The Hubband cooked up a delicious vegetarian meal (last night we ate a special gooey ball in ginger syrup my B-Ma had made us... I didn't like it. (Sorry B-Ma!) After my B-Ma, bio-sis etc arrived we decided to head to the local Thai Buddhist Temple, hidden high up in the rock-faced hills, not far from her apartment. Mongrel guard dogs look out over the cliffside. Huge incense coils hang from everywhere. Complete with a turtle pond. (My Mama kept threatening to smuggle one home... but that's another story!)

After the temple Mamabear and B-Ma headed back to her whare to cook and rest. Us young'uns randomly decided to go to the local Pizza Hutt for (first) dinner - which is so not like NZ! It looks flash az, bro! - A real hipster modern cafe-vibe with their subway tiles, wooden accents, industrial exposed pipes and dangling light fixtures. They also serve coffee, chicken & mushroom soup and custard & fruit jelly-cups! Pizza and pasta was up to standard. 3.5 stars... Haha!

Next up we were off to a birthday (second) dinner party at  an uncle's apartment (which is across the hall from grandma's) his cute wee son turned 4 today!
When we arrived it was already chaos! Just about the whole whanau was there (apart from the Jane's family) The kids were already nuts zooming up and down the walled concrete and tile hallway - since the apartments were packed with adults eating, laughing, and competitively playing Mahjong for moola; there weren't exactly a lot of places they could play. (It's so easy to take for granted having even a strip of grass for a backyard...)
We sung the "Happy Birthday" song in English, and ate a sponge-type cake, with fake cream and delicious slivered mango around the outside. We were given pistachios and special Chinese biscuits as good luck(I think? Lost in translation... Haha!) Most of the 20 or so adults didn't speak any English, but thankfully the intermediate-aged kids spoke pretty well (can anyone say, free translators?! Haha!)

The icing on the already pretty sweet New Years Day cake was the ridiculous amount of 'Red Pockets' we received upon arrival (red envelopes with money in them) - Which is a Chinese tradition over New Years - They are usually given to kiddie-winkles but we were an exception! #feelingsoblessed

I remember about this time last year thinking, "Man, wouldn't it be awesome if we got to meet my birth mother in Hong Kong and celebrate my FIRST Chinese New Year together. New Year, New beginning!"  (Yes, I am that cheesy)

Fast forward 6 months later and I am literally doing what I had dreamed of. God is pretty funny like that... 

Happy Chinese New Year everyone! 

Culture Shock

The first thing I noticed when we arrived in Hong Kong (other than our missing portacot. Boo...) was the Air.

It is humid. Even in winter. Even in an air-conditioned airport. Even with a merino long-sleeve and a woollen cape on whilst carrying a toddler through an airport...

My bio-cuz, Jane*, told me to rug up, and I did; so I was sweating like a Mother, and starting to strip off on our way to Immigration. It didn't help that we were randomly thermometer-tested as we were heading along the travelators either. (There's a mean flu going around that's killing peeps)
It took almost two hours to clear out to the Arrival area - After taking some photos and lending my pen to a bunch of other travellers so they could fill out their immigration forms (come on Hong Kong Airport, you could at least supply one pen!) then dealing with Baggage Reclaim to ask if they found our lost portacot... (cue crying) I was so wound up about almost missing the flight, then the actual flight and arriving in Hong Kong, then Ever's missing bed... which I now realise was just a prelude to my next item of business:

The Hubband ran ahead of us to start filming before we walked through those last Arrival doors. (Unfortunately the 'Director' in me was too preoccupied about him getting the right angle to film the 'First Meet') Surrounded by a sea of Asian faces, I felt like I should be right at home and yet I couldn't make out a familiar face... until Jane started yelling my name while jumping up and down to get my attention. I looked around wildly for the now FB-familiar face of my Birth Mother. I knew she was tiny like me, but in a land where stature is limited I presumed it would be fairly easy... Jane ran over to us, but all I could see was the tiny Asian woman with short dyed-ginger hair a few steps behind her... This was it.

After my epic First Meeting with my Birth Mother (read more here) we headed to her 'Hood. The MTR is amazing. It is as silent as a soothing swoosh of an automatic door, if that; and travels so fast and effortlessly that it seems like we hadn't even left Hong Kong International Airport. The scenery looks like it's stuck in the 80's/early 90's, set to a Hong Kong soundtrack. I tried to take it all in but my mind was elsewhere.
All eyes were on us in the train. A little Asian girl with her parents couldn't help but stare at us. Holding hands. My white-skinned half-Asian toddler sitting on my lap. My NZ mama and Hubband behind us. Our little mismatched version of whanau. It was a rare sight to behold, I suppose.

We arrived around 5:30pm in Kwai Chung which is in the New Territories; and made our way to her apartment which is in one of many tall buildings (I was apprehensive to say the least, to be staying in my Birth Mother's apartment... unfortunately we had no other choice. Accommodation is super expensive around Chinese New Year and we were living on prayers and two weeks grocery/gas money) The buildings literally tower over you in such closed quarters. They seem to be like concrete puzzles or mazes with bridges joining them together. Each has it's own "House" name and communal courtyard. There are no carparks, as most people don't drive, only taxi areas. The sea of grey is only broken up by subtle splashes of colour. From the colour coded design of each building to the smatters of sculptured green garden areas. Every building has an outdoor playground surrounded by colourful plastic and framed by concrete. There is also a designated 'Smoking Area' right next to the outdoor 'gym equipment' - for the adults to keep fit - I took a (blurry) photo of The Hubband trying his hand at one... Haha!
Up we went in the elevator to the 16th floor. (Yes, 16 out of 24) It boggled my mind, and it boggled my body to go up so high and so fast. Vertigo became my almost constant companion in the first few days in Hong Kong.
The inside of my B-Ma's building is cold. Concrete covers the wall and large beige tiles on the floor. It is sparse. Nothing like the hotels or motels we have become accustomed to in New Zealand. My B-Ma unlocked the large metal railed sliding door, then the thick door behind it. She insisted we take off our shoes outside then carry them in, only to place them on a tall shoe rack behind the door.

My B-Ma's place is tiny. 

Yes, I mean smaller than my tiny whare. The first thing I noticed was the smell... A mixture of plastic and those mothy dehydrator balls you put in your cupboard. The smell is intoxicatingly overwhelming (and I say this as someone who barely has a sense of smell) The walls are a shade of yellow concrete. The floors a blue-grey tile. Carpet doesn't seem to exist in Hong Kong. I guess the humidity would render it a waste of money. There are walls of compact Ikea-like shelving, and 'Hello Kitty' and 'Winnie The Pooh' is the staple theme of her decor. Posters, duvets, towels, and A 'Hello Kitty' lamp. She told me later on that childhood is celebrated in the Hong Kong culture.
The other thing I noticed is that she is extremely minimal and clean. Extremely clean. Everything has a place and an order. (Now I know where I must get it from...) We felt like invaders with all our baggage strewn everywhere.

After roughly 2 hours of sleep we were up and getting ready. The bathroom is tiny. A lot like the ones we encountered in the cheap "hotels" in Europe. The door opens right in front of the toilet so you have to sidestep in order to close it, before you can get to the shower. 'Bathroom jandals' are a must and always remember to turn the gas hot water cylinder on and off when we have a shower. The towels were a major shock. Thin as a sheet and not much bigger than a tea towel. I guess with the lack of drying facilities and the humidity it makes sense to not make life harder than you have to. One of the biggest shocks to me was seeing the washing hanging out of every window haphazardly. On plastic coat-hangers dangling on rods no bigger than a safety window rail. There are literally no yards or balconies (well, what we call balconies) in my B-Ma's suburb so everyone dries their undies on lines inside or hanging out their windows. Crazy! I even saw blankets and sheets draped on railings on the side of the street! The paranoia in me was too worried about someone stealing their stuff! Newb...

After our heart-wrenching trip to the Orphanage on Monday (read here) we headed to the insane Chinese New Years Markets in Victoria Park. It was nothing we had experienced before. Crowds and crowds of people jostling each other in an orderly direction. The stalls were filled with mostly students selling their wares. There were even a couple of stalls where they sung a capella to get your attention! My bio-sis had informed me that students get together each holiday with their friends and design, and get manufactured, products especially to sell at the markets to make money for the next study year. Everyone is yelling and brandishing cutesy stuffed or plastic toys in the air; showing what their wares do. We ended up getting some crazy bubble guns that make laser noises amongst a catchy (soon to be annoying) song while it spews out hundreds of bubbles. Hopefully it actually works when we take it home - not that it cost much of course! These markets aren't super expensive compared to the shopping malls but still overpriced for what they were.
After sampling some street food, frozen strawberries doused in sugary syrup on a kebab skewer (too sweet!) and some weird gooey gingery balls that tasted like snot (I have no idea what it was!?) we managed to find the exit. Poor Ever had had no sleep but was managing pretty amazingly! (I guess it also helped that the bio-whanau kept buying her balloons... FYI, She L.O.V.E.S balloons!)

That night we left Mama and the B-Ma behind and taxi'd to Sham Shui Po to meet my dad and his business associate for dinner. It cost roughly $90-120HKD for a 30 minute drive (about $16-22NZD) which highlights the excellent lengths the government goes to make getting a car (or licence) ridiculous. (Come on New Zealand! Haha!)
My dad was outside waiting with his business associate when we pulled up outside his fancy hotel. (Oh, to charge it to a business...sigh.) Since I have been in Hong Kong I have been uber thirsty. Whether it's the smoggy air or the subtle humidity I constantly needed to use the loo, and since all the public toilets are disgusting, I asked if I could use his before we left for dinz... Okay I was also curious to see what the inside looked like (I haven't been in many hotels unfortunately... [sniff, sniff] Haha!) The decor was opulent. As soon as you walk through those huge double sliding doors you are confronted with a giant New Years 'Money Tree' in the centre of the foyer. It is a beautiful array of red and gold. Hundreds of 'Red Pockets' decorate the tree like leaves.

The hotel has a distinct 60's influence. The bathroom in his room had a wall of glass between the room and the bathroom. My dad couldn't figure out how to put the blind down. All good. I found it in less than 30 seconds... No public peeing for me! Haha!

We then taxi'd again to the restaurant 3 mins drive down the road and went upstairs through a small shopping centre to the restaurant, which was just as opulent as the previous restaurant. I honestly don't know how people find these places. Everything is always inside a door of a building, then down the hall, up or down some stairs, through a different room, or hallway... In the end, I was glad that we were almost never alone as we wouldn't be able to find anything by ourselves...

The food came out fast and smelt intoxicatingly delicious. Large platters of lobster and noodles, giant prawns, tofu and broccoli, Asian greens, fish, seafood galore! To be honest, it was the best meal I have had so far! - and that says a lot, as everything has been amazing so far!
My dad's work associate brought his lovely Korean wife and their beautiful one-year old daughter. Even with the language difficulties we found them to be extremely warm, humble and generous.

We are so in awe of everyone's generosity. It is unreal. Nothing like New Zealand. We may have our green pastures, and politeness, our deep affection for whanau and friends, but the generosity they show strangers is unparalleled.


After stuffing our faces to capacity and with an overtired 1 & a half year old playing up, we taxi'd back to dad's hotel with him and then attempted, in vain, to hail another taxi late on a Sunday night (as we stupidly had let the other go) It took about an hour of walking up and down the street, with Ever asleep in The Hubbands arms, until we finally gave up and headed for dad's hotel. We were at the point of asking my dad to let us sleep on his couch when... (After a wee prayer) we saw a taxi with its occupants exiting toward the hotel. We made a dash for it! Thank God we got there just in time. Unfortunately the taxi driver was unfamiliar with my B-Ma's location, as everyone usually stays in the tourist areas not out in the 'Burbs.
After some hair-raising driving we made it to Kwai Chung, but I think that because he knew we were tourists he was charging us a "special" rate. It had cost us HKD$88 going in and we were now at $120 and still hadn't made it there! We decided to just get out instead of risking further expenditure, but we were lost...

After a quick call to the B-Ma to tell her which street we were on, we started walking. She said she would come find us - Booyah! All of a sudden we knew where we were!!! Hallelujah praise the Lord!

12:30am, time to put Ever to bed...

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This Morning (Tuesday, Feb 17th) we woke at 9:30am - Ever only woke once in the night! Woohoo! We got to chill out by ourselves and dawdle round the 'Hood. I have learnt that time-keeping seems to be genetic. I am often late (but have gotten way better!) but my B-Ma is always super late... At least we got to take in everything at our own pace, after two full-on days! The van arrived around 1pm to take us to, wait for it,

DISNEYLAND!!! 

My bio-cuz, Jane* had a friend who could get us free passes. (Seriously, we have been so blessed on this trip. Everywhere we turn we have had miraculous provision. God you are amazing!) The van was trippy with it's padded black vinyl walls. The driver was a chatty-cathy with Jane, which gave us time to scenery-watch and talk excitedly amongst ourselves.

When you drive out of the city toward Disneyland you get to see GREEN! There are still buildings lining the hills but the captivating natural surroundings outweigh the concrete and steel. The bridge over the water was so architecturally beautiful I had to take photos, much to The Hubbands bemusement (Hey, I have a thing for clean lines...) Even though I had known Hong Kong was surrounded by ocean, I forgot until we drove alongside it. The sky even opened up as the clouds parted for most of the day, just for us... It was a pretty choice as day!

Disneyland was what I expected. (Me and The Hubband had been to Euro Disneyland in Paris a few years back) It's a lot of walking, tons of people, cartoon themed EVERYTHING everywhere,  and of course, long-ass waits for rides that last about 2 minutes... Yes, we literally spent about 45 minutes in line for a 2 minute Dumbo ride - but Ever loved it! - Okay, she had a blank look on her face the entire time. But hey, she didn't cry! WIN!

Our first stop was a restaurant. When you think of Disneyland you don't immediately think of eating... but my Bio-sis was hungry (and so were the kiddie winkles) I think the entire time we have been here we haven't perused a single menu. Like seriously, I have no idea what the name of any dishes are, let alone how much they cost! This lunch was no exception. She ordered us these giant beef and noodle broths, which is her favourite dish at this restaurant (I am learning she has a lot of favourites... hehe!) They were so good. I started eating the whole thing until... I saw the table filling up with more and more food. Oh man, I thought this bowl was it!?! Hong Kong dumplings are pretty amazing - well everything was as I was beginning to realise. The cutest edible thing I had seen was the marshmallow bunnies!

Finally we headed to the rides, after my Bio-Sis' kids kept running off in the restaurant. Luckily my Bio-Sis has a lovely Indonesian worker who helps look after her kids (and clean her apartment! Lucky lady!) She told me it is pretty common in Hong Kong. I couldn't believe it!? My Bio-sis doesn't work as her husband earns enough for them to live off, and yet she has a nanny/cleaner almost 24/7! (They do get Sunday's off. If you're ever in Hong Kong you can see them all congregating around town - as they sleep at their employers house, who would want to hang out at "work" on their day off!)

After our Dumbo ride we took Ever to a 3D viewing. She was captivated by the singing and dancing cartoons until something freaked her out and she threw the 3D glasses on the floor! Oh my poor bebe... By the time we finished those two rides, and watched one of the scheduled parades, it was getting late. My bio-sis had taken off home earlier with her tribe, as it was her husbands birthday; and Ever had finally crashed at around 7:30pm so it was the perfect time to sneak off to a more grown-up ride... Space Mountain! Haha!
Even though Jane is a native Hong Konger who worked at Disneyland back in the day, she had only been on Space Mountain once! Scared of heights and roller coasters, you say? Well, somehow we managed to convince her to come with us. [winky wink]  and left a sleeping Ever with Nanabear. After the awesome 4 minute ride with a screaming Jane (She literally clawed The Hubband - He has scratch marks on his neck to prove it!) We tried our best to head to The Exit. Pity the last parade had just finished so now the streets were chockablock filled with people! We thought we were clever following a few people squeezing past a small building only to get stuck at the end with no way out. Crudapples!
After impatiently waiting for about 5 minutes we ended up reversing the heck out of there. "Mm goi"-ing as we backed up. Another attempt at exiting through a tourist-trap of a shop proved fallible. Jane stopping to check out the merch... which of course led to me checking out the over-priced crap too! Haha! We saw a group of American ladies literally sweep the shelves into their baskets. I wonder who they were buying for, as you can probably get all this junk in the US or even online for cheaper. but who am I to judge eh!?
We finally made it out at 9pm and headed for our temporary home. What an awesome day, but I am so very ready for bed. Early night anyone? Not when you're still writing a blog post... Haha!