Gold Coast :: a Hong Kong Staycation

A hop over to Kowloon side (40 minutes by car) to the Gold Coast for a couple of nights is a great way to enjoy vacation without leaving the city! This place is *made* for families with children. Great food options, excellent pool, splash pad, beach, playroom .... we love it here. This is our second stay and likely we'll go again in the future. Plus, the price is right. ;)

view from our room

the hotel

view from the garden walk

view from the pool

That pool, tho!!!!

night swimming
*YES* 2 water slides !! So much fun!

The splash pad is pretty cool too ....

Have you noticed yet?? It's pretty much empty. While the hotel had plenty of guests, many of them weren't at the pool when we were - and many didn't go to the pool at all! So much space to play!

Here's a basic room. You could also up$ for a theme-decorated one.

and the beach .... lots of shells and sea glass treasures to be found here.

dusk is a slightly less hot option for beach wandering ...

life guard on duty

all the rigs in the distance lighting up for the evening work

There is a really sweet garden walk - with hidden gems like Cinderella's coach - diverging paths - and a playground at the end. I'm sorry to say that we did see a rather LONNNNNG snake slither across the path into the bushes. We were all too shell-shocked and terrified to think about snapping a pic. But the playground is pretty fun at night, when the sun isn't beating down.

Thanks again, Gold Coast! Staycations are fabulous.

Hong Kong Science Museum

What to do on a Rainy Day?

A question we ask ourselves much of the summer in Hong Kong. Here, summer means monsoons, typhoons and icky-sticky-hot-days. So off to the Museum we trekked - along with half of the city, it felt like!

Despite the line to get in, we had a wonderful afternoon. 90 minutes well spent - and plenty of science to explore when we go back again as we saw less than half of it.

So much to see and do in the the permanent exhibits alone --- plus there is a special seasonal exhibit for a little extra $$ (which we didn't do this time). Mirrors, optical illusions, magnets, air pressure, logic puzzles, dinosaurs, planes, physics..... the works. Completely interactive and engaging. We had so much fun - I forgot to take pictures for most of our time there!

At appointed times, a GIANT MARBLE ROLL takes action - and what a sight with marble after marble being released into the larger than life maze that fills multiple floors. What fun it must have been to dream that up!

Then - out into the pouring rain to catch the subway to dinner....

they refused umbrellas - hot shower, anyone?

 Dim Sum !!!!!! Our favorite dumplings. Great ending to another rainy old day in Honkey Town.

Almost Summer DAYBOOK

This - my classroom. As I type, this room is sitting empty and covered in half-finished packing boxes, tape and bubble wrap strewn on the floor. Tomorrow I go finish the epic task of moving a classroom, inventory, and signing out for the year. Tonight - I pause to reflect on this brink of summer.

Outside My Window
It's HOT - and humid.

A TYPHOON and 'red rain' to close out the school year... landslides blocking one of the two roads out of our school, keeping children in classrooms on the last day of school well past dismissal until the roads were declared safe for buses.

BEFORE the storm -- just look at it! Stunning day in Hong Kong. That's on my morning walk to school.

I'm Thinking About

changes.

goodbyes.

hellos.

and traveling solo with my 2 girls - 20 hours to DC, bring it on!

I Don't Want To Forget 
The image of my girls sprawling, limb across limb, in my bed on Tuesday morning.
The way friends make me feel whole. And good. And a better me.

hip hop teacher dance crew

I'm Learning

to breathe and remain calm despite not being able to control and organize everything the way my imagination envisions it. And learning to cherish and value the downtime.

I'm Hearing

the hum of the dehumidifier. nothing else.

I'm Reading

The Price of Privilege - by Madeline Levine, PhD

This book. These ideas. This world! These kids. I raise them. And I teach them. And there are certainly specific challenges (and costs) to our rising affluent culture. Any mother or teacher might want to grab this book.

Around The House

So - you know we're moving, right? Yeah... movers come in 3 more sleeps. I'm SO not ready! But again - learning to let go of that a bit to keep eyes on the important things like friends, goodbyes, taking care of myself, and loving on my kids. So - pretty much I'll let the movers do most of the work. And I'll be unpacking some disorganized junk. But it's our junk. And that's ok. That's why I write this instead of packing my suitcase (or maybe I'm just an excellent procrastinator). 

Upper Primary - last day of third grade

traditional POOL JUMP straight from the bus, fully clothed - let summer begin STRAIGHT AWAY!

At Work

Packing boxes. Saying farewells. Always someone moving away, someone moving in. Always changes. International school life - makes 'change' the new normal. 

teachers touring our new campus - still under construction!

Eating Out (confession - I'm never in the kitchen anymore)

tomorrow - a new restaurant with my girlfriends (important things, remember?) ;)

So Very Hong Kong

Finding no crosswalks to get to the other side of the street in downtown.
HK is fabulously equipped with amazing 'lifted sidewalks' all across the city. Many of them run building to building. You could travel miles (I think) without ever actually crossing a street on the ground. But I'll tell you - it's not instinctual when you are from America!

These next photos do not show this.
Rather - an afternoon trip to Sham Shui Po - a market area where we went in search of trinkets, motors, wires, LED bulbs, and other treasures for our 9-year-old-inventor... a dream shopping trip for her!

no, not a junkyard - this is a market stall of wares!

subway home - still crowded...

 Also very Hong Kong - Tai Chi in Stanley on weekend mornings. :)

One Of My Favorite Things

lazy pool days

A Less-Than Favorite Thing
peanuts on airplanes.
I have learned (from embarrassing past experiences) that since I have a peanut allergy, I have to call the airline directly to inform them prior to my flight. It's stressing me out that I haven't done this yet - I SWEAR it's on the high-priority list for tomorrow!! (Along with 264 other important things.)

I'm Thankful

for Nimfa. Our helper. Our nanny. Our all-around go-to gal. She cooks, cleans, watches the kids, reminds me of appointments, manages the kids' library days and show-and-tell days, facilitates playdates, runs errands, grocery shops, translates, and hums and sings and keeps our house feeling calm and happy. She's a wonder. And I've been leaning on her a lot lately. And I am SO GRATEFUL.

I'm Planning

seriously? why are you reminding me of what I'm supposed to be planning?

don't even talk to me - I see our future in this photo - on so many levels!!!!

Picture Thoughts :

SHEK O CLIMB - Ainsley:

get it, girl!

FIRST DANCE RECITAL - Adelaide: