Monday 21 March 2016

Random


Extreme Reading for Book Week at QBS




Beegu and The Tiger Who Came to Tea

A very drizzly Nan Lian Gardens


Chi Lin Nunnery in the mist

Year 1 Athletics Day! Both of the boys got Gold Certificates


Trying on part of their costume for Goldilocks

Our first ride in a Tesla! Thanks Uber


The weather has been so crazy recently that it has actually been raining inside


Exploring Lantau by bike

We took the boys' bikes to Lantau a few weeks ago, but it's a bit of a hassle because if you are taking bikes you can only get the slow (aka ordinary) ferries and you have to get a special ticket from the lady at the counter. It isn't super expensive, but it's just a bit of a pain. So when we went back, we decided to hire bikes for all 4 of us (two adults and two nearly-six-year-olds) from Friendly Bicycle Store. The shop is very close to the ferry pier in Mui Wo, and the staff are knowledgable and helpful. We had a quick lunch at Kitchen, then off on our bikes.


We took a path I haven't been along before, and really saw a different side of Lantau. It reminded me of some of the villages we saw near Yangshuo - a big wide space in front of several houses, that felt much more like a village than some of the places in the NT. It is also very well kept, tidy and clean. We cycled for a while, on a lovely wide flat path which is part of the Islands Nature Heritage Trail. 


Pak Ngan Heung Village



Man Mo Temple at Pak Ngan Heung. This is the oldest Man Mo Temple in Hong Kong and there has been a temple on this site since the Wan Li era of the Ming Dynasty (1573 – 1619). The current building was last restored in 2001. It is dedicated to the Taoist civil and martial gods, Man Cheong and Kwan Kung.  (thanks to HK Outdoors for the info)


Cycling along the path in front of a beautiful, huge villa which I can't find the name of right now. It has pavilions, a very extensive and ancient garden and an empty swimming pool. 



The Pagoda just near the Silvermine Waterfall



From the waterfall we also walked up to the (blocked up) entrance to the silver mine. It's too steep to cycle up there, but you get a good view from the top, and can jump between the stepping stones crossing the stream that feeds the waterfall below. 









Oi Frog by Kes Gray, read by Josh