A visit to the giant Buddha!

We took off to visit the famous giant Buddha on Lantau Island.On the way, Finn continued to prove that he is the most popular baby in Hong Kong!
We were literally surrounded by admirers - it's like we're always travelling with a mini-celebrity!
We then got off the subway and climbed into a cable car to get to the top of the mountain...it was pouring rain and windy, so we had to hold on tight!
We arrived to the Buddha, and after posing for pictures...
Other tourists asked if they could pose with Finn, too! Funny...and very, very odd. Our celebrity strikes again!
He wasn't done yet - everyone wants to hold him!
Finally the throngs of admirers dissipated and we started our trek to the top to see the Buddha.
Surrounded by clouds and mist, as we climbed to the top he began to show himself...
It was pretty incredible...a giant bronze statue at the top of a peak.Then the clouds parted and we could see the sea below!
A spectacular vista around every side...
And other statues surrounded the base of the Buddha.

All that Buddha-watching (Finn called him "buddha-la") made us hungry, so we ate a vegetarian feast at the monastery.
Luckily, Finn has discovered a love for rice - he picked a good place to love that!
We toured the monastery afterwards...
Filled with beautiful flowers, statues and offerings...
Even the ceiling was incredible, painted elaborately, with beautiful hanging lamps...
We passed the Buddha once more for a final photo...
Where bulls wandered around the site, doing whatever they wanted!
We took a bus to a nearby fishing village, and surprise, surprise - more dragon boat racing was taking place!
Dozens of teams flew their flags...
And prepared for a post-race festival.
And we capped off our wonderful day with a stroll through the local markets, filled with dried fish and shark fin...and each drank an ice cold beer! Yum.
Finn also enjoyed a little ice cream bar - so everyone got tasty treats!

That's the end of a great weekend! We've got big plans for next weekend...you'll have to tune in next week to see where we're going!
Love,
A&E

Dinner in the City

We journeyed out for a night on the town, and had a rare Hong Kong delicacy...Tex-Mex! We were craving some Mexican, so we found a cool place in SoHo.Afterwards, we all shared a frozen yogurt! (Chocolate flavor, not Shark Fin)
It's Erin and her matching yellow-shirted men...We couldn't resist taking a picture of this Irish Bar, showing Rugby and serving pints...Uncle Tommy, they've got a seat warming up for you!
Finn gets up speed to jump back over the Harbor!
Hope everyone is doing well, we miss you all!
Love,
A&E

Rainy days...

So, what is there to do on a rainy day in Hong Kong?
A) Play in the curtains!


B) Go to the HK History Museum!
This is the HK governor that first outlawed Opium. He wasn't very popular.
Here are festival statues! If you look very hard, you might see Andy and Finn amongst the colors...And here is a reproduction of a HK opera stage...
But the best part of the trip to the museum was during the brief movie chronicling HK's history. When a picture of Mao came up on the screen, Finn yelled out "POPPA!" and smiled proudly. Mao would be so proud...
Love,
A&E

A day in the city...

Another day, another adventure for Finn and Mommy! They were off to the races...well, off to Central for a fun playdate with his new friend Sasha.After a quick run through the park, they boarded the Star Ferry and zipped across the harbor.
Had a quick bite at a Chinese restaurant and continued to sharpen those chopstick skills!
It's not easy, but Finn's determined to learn!
Luckily, he's got the spoon skills down pat!
Yummy dumplings...
Finally, the main event. Finn was clearly excited, and was a little...um...forward with Sasha. He's got some good moves, that old cad!

Tomorrow's Friday and another fun weekend approaches...
Love,
A&E

Three weeks!

Well, today is our 3 week anniversary in Hong Kong! It's hard to believe, and in some ways it almost feels like we've been here longer than that since we've had so many great adventures so far...Finn and Mommy get ready for a play date with some other kids...Since it is the rainy season, we do see a lot of overcast days...luckily, it's only rained on weekdays so far.
Boats in the harbor...and green hills in the distance.
Tomorrow's the REAL anniversary, Erin and I celebrate our 4 year wedding anniversary.
Love,
A&E

Father's Day...part two

So after our busy morning at the peak (see below) we headed out for an early dinner at a local Chinese restaurant...and took a stroll down the avenue of the stars.
"Hello! I'm a star! Why isn't my name on this pavement?"
Well, look at this beautiful star! She's the brightest of them all...
Love,
Andy (Dad!)

Happy Father's Day from Bakertown!

It was a very Happy Father's Day indeed...we went down to Central to take a Tram ride to the top of the "Peak", the best view of the entire city...It was quite a ride to the top, straight up!
Once at the top we went to an amazing restaurant with views of the Sea...and delicious French Toast! (we know how much Dad loves his French Toast) Finn liked the fountain best of all.Sitting down to eat...
And Finn tried his hand at chopsticks. It's amazing how much harder it is with only one chopstick!Then we went hiking around the peak and took in the view...
It was quite spectacular. Photos don't really do it justice, it's quite amazing to see this city on the harbor...
Then we took a hike around the top for a while in the woods surrounding the Peak.
Here's what it looked like going up...

And here's what it looked like going down! (Much scarier...going in reverse at what seems like a 90 degree angle!)

All in all, it was a wonderful Father's Day morning in HK.
Love,
A&E