Last 2 days in Hong Kong

Saturday was Ruth's birthday and Kat had 2 choices of venue for us to visit and have birthday lunch:
1. The Stoep, a South African brai//barbecue restaurant right on a lovely beach
2. Stanley, a popular market with nice restaurants on the waterfront

As we woke to an overcast day, we all voted for Stanley and that turned out to be a very wise choice! We took the ferry to Central and then double decker bus (we sat upstairs of course) to Stanley. We started and ended the day in the market and ate lunch at Seafront, a restaurant mid-way along the row on the waterfront. We chose it as the menu covered all our tastes, it was reasonably priced and they could provide a table for 6 outside. By now the sky was looking very dark grey out to sea and we were pleased to see the awning and umbrellas were very substantial at this restaurant. The food was really good - Sean, Lee and Brian had fish and chips. It was sole with beer battered chips and looked so good we all had to sample them - the best I've tasted in a very long time! While we were eating, the staff started organising the umbrellas so water would run off without wetting tables or people and soon the rain started. It was really heavy and we stretched our meal out with drinks etc waiting for it to end. But it had set in so we went to the candy store in the mall (this was what Lee and Jasmine wanted to go to Stanley for) and then a quick browse through the rest of the market before catching the bus back to Central.

Kat bouight some yummy macaroons at a French chocolatier in the IFC mall on the way home for Ruth's birthday - a very special treat after dinner that evening.

The rain continued on Sunday, our last day in Hong Kong. Kat, Jasmine and Ruth took the ferryto Central and went shopping in Causeway Bay for a few hours in the middle of the day.  We were heading for 2 shops in particular - a shoe shop that sells cute shoes and Ikea for towels, teatowels and shower curtains. Unfortunately, the shoe shop didn't open by the time we left - about 2.30pm - but we had a successful time at Ikea. Brian, Sean and Lee went to the hardware shop on Park Island hoping to buy a puncture repair kit and then fix Lee's bike tyre but all they got was soaking wet!

Kat cooked canneloni while we packed our bags. We had a relaxing afternoon and evening, which was extended by an hour as our flight was delayed. Everyone went with us to catch the 7.30pm bus to the airport and another rather sad parting. We had a lovely holiday and a great time with Kat, Sean, Lee and Jasmine - more relaxed and more time spent just with the children than on our last visit. Although we'd been together for 22 days, the time seemed to go very quickly!

View from the bus window of a building with a hole through the middle - to let dragons pass through

A view of the waterfront from our table

Waiting for the rain to stop

At the sight of rain coming, the big umbrellas were quu ickly pegged together at the sides and cleverly angled so the rain ran off, away from the tables. The building in the background was moved to Stanley from Central and when it was reconstructed there were some pillars left over. No one knew where they should have been, so they just put them in a row out in front.

Making use of the $2 parkas in grandad's backpack - he knew they'd come in handy!