Five days in Hong Kong

Victoria Peak

Before I start I feel I need to warn you that this post in incredibly long! You’ll definitely need a cup of tea or coffee before you get stuck in.

Part of the reason we travelled to Hong Kong was to celebrate my brother in law, Ricky’s 30^th birthday. The part that I have been keeping under wraps is that this was a surprise birthday and that my sister had managed to arrange that his family and friends come out to join us as well. Due to the major logistics involved with such a surprise, it was impossible for all of us to surprise him at once, so it turned into a rolling surprise that went on for the better part of a week!

I have to admit, Hong Kong felt very surreal to me.

I have heard so much about it and have seen so many photos that when I actually got there it almost felt familiar to me. There were quite a few places I felt like I recognized. It left me feeling a little odd.

Our time in Hong Kong felt fast paced and frenetic, just like the city itself. I have never seen so many people in my life! I don’t do well with people in my personal space and at times I felt incredibly claustrophobic. But when I had the time to sit quietly to one side and watch the sea of humanity it was so foreign and startling that I could only marvel at it!

The flight from South Africa to Hong Kong has just about perfect timing. No long-haul flight is going to be perfect or comfortable unless you fly in first class. But the fact that the flight leaves at around 12 noon SA time and lands at 6am Hong Kong time, made it easier to adjust, in my opinion.

I had a pretty good flight there. I adjusted my watch immediately and pretended to be on Hong Kong time from the get-go. This made it much easier for me to deal with the time difference. I watched a movie, ate dinner, then headed to the bathroom to get comfortable and go through my usual night time routine. I then took two natural sleeping aids, put my noise cancelling headphones, my neck pillow and my eye mask on and went to sleep. I won’t say I slept perfectly, but I definitely got more sleep than the rest of my family.

Once we got to Hong Kong, my sister did a stellar job at keeping us going. We rode the train in from the airport, and then got a taxi to my sister’s flat. My mom and dad went with my other sister to her place. At Carmen’s place we got to shower, have a cup of coffee and chill a bit before we popped into the grocery store to buy some supplies for the week.

Once all the admin was done we rode the MTR into Central (I think, I’m still learning all the districts) so we could have lunch with my brother in law close to his office. We were meeting the others in Wan Chai for Peking duck for dinner (which was amazing!) but wanted to do a bit of exploring first.

Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden

Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden

Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden

Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden

My sister had wanted to do a hop on hop off bus tour, but it was pouring with rain. So A, Carmen, my mom and I went to the Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lia, Garden, which was so incredibly beautiful. After that we went to the flower and gold fish markets.

While we were out we found a random little street market. I did buy a few things, but I was trying to pace myself. I have to say, I think I was incredibly restrained on this trip in general and have given myself a huge pat on the back.

We met the others at the Peking duck restaurant (it’s one of Kyla and Dave’s favourite and for good reason.) The food was incredible. I’m not a huge fan of the pancake they put the duck in, but the duck in plum sauce was beyond description! As were all the side dishes that we ordered. I relied on other people to order for me all week and it was simply amazing.

After dinner we headed off to tick an item off my bucket list – Egg Waffles. I had quite a few during our time in Hong Kong, but on this particular night we had egg waffles from a Michelin starred street vendor. They had chocolate chips in them, which melted when they cooked the waffle and they were just amazing!

Day two we had a free morning, which was really nice. Carmen had to go in to work in the morning and A and I got to sleep in a little bit. We then headed off to meet Carmen and my mom and dad so that all of us could go have lunch with Kyla close to her work.

The restaurant they took us too was another Michelin starred restaurant (I think we went to three or four while we were there. One thing is for sure, the food in Hong Kong is out of this world!). This time we had dim sum. The restaurant we went to is the sister of that famous one where you queue for dim sum and they only give you 30 minutes to eat it as they are so busy. This place was in a shopping centre and not nearly so busy. So we had time to really enjoy or food.

It was amazing (you’ll probably hear me say that a lot). We ordered a huge variety and shared them so everyone got to taste the different types. My favourites were the cucumbers with chilli oil and the pork mince and tofu noodles (I’m getting hungry just writing this!). The little chicken dim sum with the soup inside was also a big hit.

After lunch A went with David to this huge electronics market (he ate squid on a stick while he was there and said it was really good. I never got to eat squid on a stick and I’m still upset about it 😉 While Carmen, my parents and I caught a bus and headed to Stanley.

Stanley is a quite, more rural district of Hong Kong, that is right on the beach (it feels like a little seaside town). A lot of expats live there and the Stanley Market is there as well. The Stanley market is really great for those who don’t like crowds or haggling. I loved it. I loved the whole vide in Stanley. It was so chilled and you could really explore the different stalls and find things you really liked. I bought some jewellery from a vendor Carmen highly recommended.

We split up again after that. My folks when to meet Kyla and David and Carmen and I headed back to her place to meet our husbands. We grabbed a slice of pizza and some beers from the 7/11 (there is no law governing drinking in public in Hong Kong and the cheapest beer is at the 7/11). Once we had our men, we went to the Happy Valley Racecourse to see the horse racing. Again, I have never seen so many people. Gambling is illegal in China, so a lot of people from the mainland come to Hong Kong for the races. It was a pretty awesome experience. We placed a few bets, but didn’t really do well. It seems I have zero talent for horse races. After the races we went to a tiny, hole in the wall restaurant in the wet market for dinner. It was simply incredible. It was a real, local restaurant and a great opportunity for people watching.

The next day, we were ushered out of bed pretty early. This is the day that the surprise guests started arriving. We met with two of Ricky’s mates at Times Square. We had the whole day to spend together, before surprising him that evening.

We headed out to Lantau Island to see the big Buddha and explore the temple afterwards. We found the statue representing our Chinese zodiac signs and gave its foot a rub for luck then took in the incredible architecture and art work and then lit some incense.

After another incredible dim sum lunch we went to Mong Kok Ladies market. I found it incredible overwhelming to be honest. I didn’t cope well with having to haggle, even though I left most of that up to Carmen. The vendors are incredibly pushy and kept shouting so I could make a decision about anything. So in the end I left without buying much.

That night we were meant to take part in a quiz night, but plans fell through at the last minute. Instead we had the most incredible Thai dinner of my life and went up the Peak to take in the view. It had been raining all week so far, but it miraculously cleared up for us when we went up the peak. The view was insane. I managed to get some epic photos of it. It was so clear you could even see the Aqua Luna sailing in Victoria Harbour. We were also able to ride the tram down, as it was pretty late and there was no queue.

Even more surprise guests arrived the next day. After greeting everyone and giving them time to check in and grab a quick shower we headed to Lee Tung Avenue to see the lanterns and to stop past this incredible bakery for croissants and coffee. We consumed these in a really beautiful roof top garden. After that we went back to Central where we stopped at the Shangri-La hotel to see where my sister used to work, buy Ricky’s birthday cake and to see the largest silk painting in the world.

After a quick walk through Victoria Gardens we found ourselves in Admiralty (which is the finance district). We had crazy good Ramen for lunch at a restaurant called Ippudo. A and I then got a moment to explore the city by ourselves before we met up with the others again for a tram tour of the city.

The tram tour was made extra fun because my Aunt and Uncle joined us. They flew out from Singapore to surprise my dad (I lost track of how many secrets I was keeping that week). My aunt and uncle also joined us for the ferry to surprise Ricky surprise and dinner in Cheung Chau. My folks, A and I were the distraction. We were waiting for Ricky to get off work and join us at the ferry terminal to escort us on the ferry to the restaurant where we had dinner.

The others were waiting on the ferry with champagne and birthday cake. The surprise went off flawlessly and we had such fun at the seafood restaurant. I left a little earlier with my aunt and uncle, parents and sister. We went to her place, which was great for me, as up until that point I hadn’t seen where she lived, we just drove past it. I stayed for a couple of drinks, then rode a taxi back all by myself #adulting.

The next day was our final day in Hong Kong. We all had breakfast with Ricky at the Football Club, before we got ready for an afternoon on a yacht at Lamma Island. I managed to grab an hour by myself to go to the Sasa – the largest beauty store in Hong Kong. I bought a few things, but to be honest, like everything else, the huge variety available was a little overwhelming. On the way home I stopped at this epic toy store where I bought a gift for Willow.

I met up with the others at Carmen and Ricky’s place to help prep food for the yacht. Then we all headed to the ferry terminals again. The yacht ride was cool because we got to meet a lot of Ricky and Carmen’s friends. We had a great time chilling out. The yacht headed back to shore to drop off my mom and dad and my aunt and uncle and I got off too. We met up with Kyla and headed to the Shangri-La for canapés and champagne (this is very fancy and we felt a little out of place in our super casual yacht clothes. But I’m so glad I got to experience it.) We ended off the night by watching the Lions – Force Super Rugby match at Kyla’s place and eating Vietnamese take out. I then caught eh taxi (again by myself, look at me!) and headed home.

The next day we caught a ridiculously early flight out of Hong Kong to Cebu in the Philippines. It was at the airport that the Ricky’s family joined us adding yet another dimension to the surprise.

Adventures in Adult Braces: May 2017

 

Another orthodontist appointment has come and gone.

It has been quite a while since my last one due to all the public holidays we have here in April. But I must be honest I wasn’t expecting too much in the way of good news this time around.

 

I was a little bit lax in wearing my elastics while we were away. There was so much delicious food to be eaten and the elastics just get in the way! They’re a pretty effective weight loss tool from that perspective because I find them such a faf to take out when I want to eat something, that I generally by pass little snack and stick to standard meals.

 

Anyway, I was not as good about wearing them as I should have been, the tiny little gap next to my right incisor hasn’t closed up yet and no gaps have opened up on the other side of my mouth. I did notice in the days leading up to my appointment that my midline is almost in the right place now. But a tooth in my lower jaw is out of position and I think that’s skewing the results at the moment.

 

Anyway, enough babble, onto the appointment. My Orthodontist was actually really happy with the way things look. He even praised me for my dedication to wearing my elastics. I chickened out on asking him when they will be coming out again. I just don’t want to set myself up for disappointment.

 

This session he really took notice of the tooth that is out of position and focus in on putting it in the right place. The technician gave me a heavier gauge wire and wrapped a wire around the bracket that will help pull it right.

 

That was an incredibly uncomfortable experience. She had to push on the tooth while she did it and I won’t lie, it hurt like the dickens. My Dr made a note to check it next month. I’m pretty sure its all in my head, but the tooth feels a little straighter to me. I have always felt like it was quite pronounced and often worry it with my tongue when I’m bored. But today it feels like it doesn’t stick out as much as before. I’m not sure if i’m imagining it or if it really has moved a little already.

 

In terms of the rest of the teeth, we are continuing to pull them into place, but now the worry is that they will splay outward due to the pressure. So I have had wire wrapped around the brackets on the teeth we have already moved to keep them in place. Again, that was not comfortable and the pressure on my mouth feels quite intense right now. The clear chain elastics were also put back on along the front of my teeth to continue the work of pulling everything along.

 

I no longer have to wear the elastic across the front of my mouth! That makes me so happy. Instead, I have got an intricate configuration on each side that I have to wear day and night. I won’t even try to explain what they’re doing because I don’t really understand their purpose myself.

 

This session has left me feeling very sore and tender. I have almost zero downward force when I bite down at the moment. Normally it’s my front teeth that are the problem, but my molars have been in full working order. This time my molars are under a lot of pressure and feel very sore. So eating is a bit of a problem. I’m taking pain killers when needed so I can at least get something in my system.

 

It is my fervent hope that the increased level of torture I am going through means that we’re reaching the end very soon. I was asked to come back in four weeks instead of my usual six-week wait between appointments. Hopefully, then I will have good new to report

Willow: the night time yo-yo

Willow has been an exhausting combination of adorable and unbearably clingy these past two weeks. I haven’t slept through the night since we got home. Sunday night was particularly trying as she decided to play night time yo-yo from about 1.30 to 4ish.

She has figured out that she can climb out of her bed in the middle of the night. And in true toddler fashion, comes up with all sorts of creative excuses as to why she can’t go to sleep again. First she’s thirsty, then she hungry, then she needs a new nappy, then she wants a song, then she needs a blanket, then she wants you to take the blanket away.

The evolution of her night time adventures was very cute. We could see the whole play out on the video monitor. At first she just got out of bed and stood at the door for ages, mustering up her courage. She reached up to the handle half a dozen times before finally opening the door.

At first she never actually crossed the threshold. But then the next night she repeated the exercise was repeated at our bedroom door. At 6am on Tuesday morning I was woken by soft knocking at my bedroom door.

Every time she comes out of bed I have to get up, take her back to bed, tuck her in again, sing her song, say good night and I love you, before leaving the room. This goes on multiple times before she is convinced that it is, indeed, time to go to sleep.

It has been a long time since I’ve turned to the internet for help and advice. I can deal with the temper tantrums, power plays, and stand offs. And to be honest most days are just wonderful and Willow is this bubbly, happy little girl who is so silly and lovable. But I must admit that this problem has thrown me for a loop. How do I get my child to go back to sleeping through the night? *wails*

I’m worried that in trying to fix this problem I’m creating another one that will need to be addressed down the line.

In the mean time, I’m more than a little sleep deprived and my patience and tolerance is not what it used to be. All I want is one night of unbroken sleep! Yes, I’m whining. I figured I was entitled to a little bit of self pity. Parenting is not for sissies, yoh!

Back to reality

Hello from a cold, dreary Johannesburg. We’re back from our tropical island getaway and I miss it so much already.

It was quite a shock to the system to land in Joburg on Saturday morning. We left Panglao in 35-degree heat, high humidity and sunshine to get to a Joburg that has already taken on that drab winter brown, the trees are already leafless and there is an edge to the air that cut right through our clothing. It made our getaway feel even further away than it was.

That said, I’m really happy to be home with my baby and my cats. We landed really early on Saturday morning, so we had time to go fetch the cats from the cattery, get home, start the laundry (bleugh!) and get settled in before Willow got home. It was really gratifying to see how excited she was to see us. She started shouting ‘Mommy, Daddy!!’ from the gatehouse and we could hear her from inside the car.

My soul feels so full after our time away. It was such a special thing to go away with the whole family. We haven’t done that in years. I’m going to miss my sisters the most. The ability to say I’ll see you later, or meet you at breakfast is something that I don’t get to do anymore. I’m also really going to miss the incredible sunsets. At times I had to pinch myself and remind myself that it wasn’t a movie.

I’m going to have to divide my reminisces up into two posts because I just won’t get everything into one. Until then, we’re settling into normal life again. I was late dropping Willow off at school today and have a mountain of emails in my inbox to wade through. Nothing kills the holiday vibes as effectively as emails…

 

Empties: April 2017

Yay for finishing up products!!! I have a handful of empties that I managed to finish up all at the same time. I always get so proud of myself when I finish products. It feels like such an achievement, especially when it’s a makeup product. I thought I’d share my thoughts on them for you.

DIY Face Oil – this is the third batch of this stuff. I love it. It’s my own concoctions with pumpkin seed, hemp seed, rosehip seed, jojoba and sweet almond oils plus essential oils. It’s quite high in natural vitamins A, C and E. It makes my skin look incredible and it’s helped so much with my pigmentation. I’m using one by Sh’zen right now, but will definitely be making a new batch soon.

L’Oreal EverStrong Texture Spray – I have had this for a while, and have always enjoyed the effect, but I have loved it even more since cutting my hair. It gives a lovely gritty, pieciness to my hair and helps get that messy texture I want. Great stuff, I have another bottle waiting to go.

Justine Gentle Enzyme Exfoliator – I can’t tell you how many of these I have gone through. I just love it. It gives my skin a gorgeous glow and helps keep dry scaly skin at bay. So gentle yet effective. A great dupe for the Nimue one.

Rimmel Fix and Protect Primer – I really liked this primer. I love that it has SPF in it, it gives the skin a subtle glow and does a great job of making your makeup stick to your face all day. I used it throughout the summer. Great stuff, will definitely repurchase.

OGX Coconut Water Weightless Shampoo and conditioner – This is a great shampoo and it does help a lot for volume. I used it for my first shampoo to help lift the product on my hair. It isn’t sulphate free – its low sulphate. I’m not going to repurchase for that reason. I need sulphate free. I quite liked the conditioner. It’s not super hydrating though. So great for those who don’t want their hair weighed down.

Davines Melu Shampoo – This was in my humungous stash of shampoos that I’m determined to use up. It’s technically for long hair prone to breakage. I like it. It smells divine, it’s sulphate free, it leaves my hair feeling soft. It is my second bottle. I won’t actively go out to hunt it down though.

 

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in Ivory – I love this foundation! It lasts all day on my skin (normal to combo) I love the natural finish it gives, it’s a perfect match for my skin tone and it has SPF. It also has a pump applicator. I apply this with a damp sponge.

Garnier BB Eye Cream in Lights – This is my fourth tube and I have another one ready to go. I love it as a corrector for under eye circles. Brilliant stuff, can’t be without it.

Essence Get Picture Ready Concealer in Ivory – I really enjoyed this. It was very brightening under the eyes and it covered under eye circles quite well. I would repurchase, I just have other products to use first.

Justine Baby Tissue Oil and Zwitsal Body Wash – I go through baby tissue oil like crazy. This stuff is a stple in our house. I put it on Willow after every bath. It makes her skin so soft and it smells amazing! This body wash was given to us as a baby shower gift. It comes from Holland and it smells amazing. It also foams and Willow loved using it every night. It added a great element of fun to bath time.

 

Eyelure individual lashes – I used these on the girls for the wedding and they worked brilliantly. I got a box of mediums and a box of mixed length. I didn’t use the longs though as they are super long. The two boxes saw us through two make up trials and the wedding itself. It includes glue, but I suggest you buy a bottle of glue as the little one included is tiny. These are also quite finicky to use, you need a good pair of tweezers and a bit of practice. That said the effect they give is so natural and lovely. I used the mediums on the outer corner and a few short on the inner corner for a flared look.

The Beauty Factory Tissue Oil Body Butter – This is my second tub of this stuff. It leaves your skin super soft and supple. It is a bit of work to get in, but it’s so hydrating. And the effects last for hours. This is a night time product for me as I find it can tend towards greasy in the day. But it lasts so long that I’m not mad at it. It smells gorgeous too.