In Nederland heeft Pa heeft net iets op Youtube gezet - nog van het bezoek van “de oma’s” hier in Hong Kong.

Domino spelen met matthijs…

Waren in het land.

Matthijs heeft zich dus goed vermaakt met oma en tante en zijn nederlands is er weer een stuk op vooruit gegaan.

Hij kent ook weer een aantal nieuwe nederlandse liedjes en verders is hij nu volledig in de ban van ‘chocolade hagelslag’ dat hij voor het eerst op z’n boterhammetje bij z’n ontbijt kreeg.

Toos en Mies hebben zich ook goed vermaakt - buiten het spelen met Matthijs in en rond het huis zijn de dames er bijna elke dag op uit getrokken om Hong Kong te bekijken.

Ook zijn we nog een avond wezen stappen in Lan Kwai Fong met een prima diner in Orange Tree restaurant. Cultureel zijn we ook geweest door eens in het Historisch Museum van Hong Kong te kijken. Daar was ik zelf na bijna acht jaar in Hong Kong ook nog niet eens geweest en ik moet zeggen - een aanrader.

Al met all een leuke twee weken - de tijd vliegt en inmiddels zijn moeders en tante mies alweer ruim een week thuis.

Hieronder wat foto impressies.

Matthijs is doing the old Kai Tak airport approach in the simulator here.

We’re in Skyplaza and this is part of the aviation exhibits there.

By the way - Kung Hei Fat Choi - a prosperous Chinese New Year, we’re entering the year of the Rat.

If I’m not mistaken this is frost on the roofs of the houses across from me.

That would be the first time I see frost here in Discovery Bay, Hong Kong.

The picture was taken yesterday morning, about 8am. It was about 7 to 8 degrees - possibly a little colder at the rooftops due to the wind that sweeps past it.

It sure is mighty cold these last few days - but if we start to get ice here it’s time to “move south”!

It’s a cracking day today. I hiked up the 500 m behind the house and had a brilliant 360 view of Hong Kong.
Including the Airport, Tuen Mun, Central, Lamma Island, Cheng Chau and lots of islands beyond that which i don’t even have the names of.

Unfortunately I didn’t not bring anything with a lens so I just grabbed this webcam image from HK tourism board website.

I spend my lunch with a walk through the Wanchai Computer Centre. Not the bigger one near the Wanchai MTR, but a smaller - more local one on Hennessy Road no. 289

I was out looking for an 8GB Micro SD, but couldn’t find a shop stocking it yet. They are selling 4GB cards at HKD319 right now (abt 40 USD or 28 Euro). I guess I’ll have to wait a few more weeks before I can add 8GB to my phone and finally ditch the IPOD alltogether.

The other thing that struck me is that you can now buy a 22inch LCD monitor for just about 2000 honkies (250 USD or 175 Euro).

Here’s a forecast: devices will come out that include TV tuners, hard-disks and internet connection. They will be Linux based entertainment devices (actually I have one already) that hookup directly to any LCD panel and an HiFi set.

New brands will appear in the entertainment device area while the current TV brands will become commodity panel providers.

There’s a Holland promotion going on in Hong Kong these few days.

In one of the most central areas of Hong Kong a little Dutch village has been put up. You can buy your Bitterballen, Ouwe kaas, broodje garnalen etc. This is to celebrate 150 years of diplomatic presence of the Netherlands in Hong Kong.

Surely the below picture will be a rare one!

Another reason I like living here in DB is the fact the e is free wifi practically everywhere. Including on the beach! I’m sending this entry from Zaks restaurant terrace where I just had lunch with my son.

I love October in Hong Kong.

The heat and humidity of the summer is gone, and the weather is dry and cloudless at a nice 25 to 28 degrees. If we’re lucky this pleasant weather lasts all the way till January which is often the case - we’re in for the best time of the year!

This time of the year Hong Kong is just great and I feel happy to live here and in Discovery Bay. It may be the most un-Hong Kong like place in this little city-territory, but its relaxed atmosphere, green environment and the fact that everything you need is just here makes it one of the most comfortable places to live. It probably helps that this secluded community seems to be oblivious of poverty or low incomes, since everybody here is in a relatively good financial position. I’m not saying that it’s the place where Hong Kong’s wealth lives (i.e. like the Peak, South Island) but certainly people are well off financially.

As I’m writing this I’m sitting in my living room with the sliding windows wide open and a gentle breeze flowing through the air. A glass of cool Chardonnay is nearbye and I’m listening to some funky lounge CD (don’t even know the title and I’m too comfy on the coach to get up and check it). Life’s good!

On a different topic - here below are some pictures of yesterday. Matthijs wanted to go to the beach instead of the pool so we’ve sat there on DB beach for a few hours. He ventured farther and farther into the sea untill he went for a full swim and realized he wasn’t wearing his floaters. Let’s say he now understands that the ocean tastes salty!

It was beatiful weather on Saturday and so we took a trip to Pui Oh beach, on Lantau Island.

It’s only a good couple of hours hiking from Discovery Bay and really the beach is one of the best in Hong Kong.

We spend the whole day sitting in “Ohlala restaurant” and the kids had fun playing in the beach and in the waves.

With this kind of a beach near by there’s no reason at all to travel to Thailand!