A Week of Celebrations!

The Mid-Autumn festival is one of the four biggest holidays during the year. At Victoria Park, less than two miles from our apartment, we enjoyed seeing the many lanterns, lights, and attractions.

Notice the full moon! The lunar calendar determines the date for many celebrations in China, so each year the dates can vary widely.

Everywhere we looked there were . . .

happy families, young and older, carried small lanterns -- in all shapes and varieties.

A wonderful exhibit of children's art, depicting the 60th anniversary of the Peoples' Republic of China, featured very talented "budding" artists.

Dragons, dragons, everywhere!

The fire dragon parade was most interesting -- with an extremely long (approximately 250 feet) "man-carried" dragon winding its way through the streets. The base of the dragon had thousands of incense sticks that were actually lighted.

A parade was staged on Hennessy Road (our apartment address) that lasted for several hours in celebration of the PRC anniversary. No parade would be complete without Chinese traditions -- and that means dragons . . .

and more dragons!

A City of Contrast!

Coming home from the hairdresser the other evening, the rain was excessive! As I stepped off the ding-ding (tram), I couldn't resist stopping to take a photo which is evidence that umbrellas are an essential companion in Hong Kong at all times! The challenge is navigating the busy sidewalks with heaps of umbrellas coming toward you!

Fa Yuen Street is crowded, especially late on a Saturday afternoon. Stalls and stores abound, and there are some bargains to be found, if you are patient and lucky! I found two Eddie Bauer wrinkle-free shirts for HK$48 (the equivalent of about US$6) as I just happened to look in the right place at the right time! The street, a few blocks long, was filled with Chinese customers -- not westerners!

We discovered "Nan Lian" gardens as we decided to do some "scouting of the area" before Blake and Becky arrive. These impressive gardens are relatively new, having been designed and planted in the last five years. Previously the land was a portion of old Hong Kong and was deteriorating. The land was reclaimed, and the result is a pristine, beautiful, peaceful oasis in the midst of a bustling city. The nunnery, pictured above, is an impressive complex.

Pagodas, waterfalls, bridges and lush green landscape provide a stark contrast to the high rises in the background.

We decided the gardens are certainly a place we will visit again and again.

Missionaries who served in Hong Kong from 1974-80 met in Hong Kong and connected via video conferencing to others in Provo, Utah; Los Angeles; Vancouver; Melbourne, Australia and Laie, Hawaii. Private funds were used (and there were huge bills, for certain); Ned provided the liaison as they used the facilities in our building. We were invited to participate in some of the activities and enjoyed hearing their former president (one is deceased) and meeting many who traveled from the USA and other locations to attend. Lunch was catered and heaps of Chinese food was consumed. They had another evening event and invited members in the area who would have know the missionaries to attend. We understand another feast was enjoyed. It was so good to see the many strong Chinese members who were missionaries at that time and have grown to be incredible, capable and wonderful leaders in today's Hong Kong.

Andrew Lai and Edward Lai (no relation -- just a common Chinese name) were the key people for the event. Edward's organizational skills amazed us -- he didn't forget a single detail, as everything for the event was thought of. Combined with Andrew's "deep pockets," a memorable and very historic event was enjoyed by several hundred people.

A clear day provided a perfect opportunity to view the magnificent city from the 62nd floor of the Hopewell Center. Six couples walked the 15 minute walk from our office to this round office tower where a restaurant revolves and allows for spectacular panoramas.

The office staff were treated to fresh fruit and moon cakes as the Mid-Autumn Festival was being celebrated in Hong Kong. The fruits were delicious, but the moon cakes must need an "acquired taste," because most of the non-Chinese didn't "love" the sweet treat.

Our 16-week Family and Marriage Relations Sunday School class was completed. These women finished the course and seemed appreciative of the things they learned. We celebrated with fresh fruit and cookies, which they enjoyed.

Our "group" at church, of which there are 15-20 members, was assigned to prepare the monthly dinner (five groups means we don't have to do it too often). I went early to help, but these women are so capable that I learned much from them about preparing in quantities. They know how to efficiently and effectively cook for a crowd -- on a shoestring!

The view from the ferry as we crossed the harbor back home is always magical. This particular evening was no exception.

The month of September began with a couples' activity at the Hong Kong Space Museum. We viewed two excellent movies -- the best being the history of space travel beginning with the Russian launching in the late '50s. The presentation was interesting, informative and seemed to be accurate. The next movie was about the "extreme planets," and was produced by the Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City! The newly renovated museum and theatre was beautiful!