Ladies Let Go!

It was the girls first day back at school today so everyone started their routines again. Well that is, except me. I slept through the girls fighting, crying, and getting ready for school noise. While Frank got ready for a meeting I did some homework until it was time to meet carry in town. I planned to leave at about 11:30 just to have a little extra time even though he said it would take 5 minutes to get there. So I walked up to the bus stop and it was sooo hot! I waited and waited and waited. Until about 12 when I called Carry to tell her that the bus was taking a while and I’d be a bit late. While I was telling her a bus was driving up so I told her I would be right there and hung up. The bus drove right by me, and then another did the same thing. It made me so mad (they only hold 16 people and drive by if they are full). So finally I just took a taxi which cost me about the equivalent to $5 instead of $0.35 and I was 20 minutes late!

When Carrie and I finally met up we took a bus into central, got lunch, and went to the ladies market. She had to be back to pick up the girls at three for their mandarin lesson, so our plan was for me to just take a bus back at around 4 or 5 and meet them at the end of the lesson. We ate at this place that had noodles with fish balls. It was an off day for me with the chopsticks and was spilling everywhere. I could hardly get any of it in my mouth! Then the waitress told me to move to the bench that Carrie was sitting on so another man could sit there with us. I didn’t want to spill all over him too so we left.

Carrie really wanted some true religion shorts so we went straight to a stand with some. Trying things on at most of the markets is pretty difficult. They hold up a sheet and you just try it on right there with people walking by and all. At this stand they didn’t have a really good place to do that, and so there was no space to move around behind the sheet. Plus there were people on a ladder right across the street. We finally got them down to a good price after they made up lots of excuses as to why last time I was there they were 50 bucks cheaper. After that we walked around trying to find an Ed Hardy sweatshirt with a dragon on it for Alex’s birthday. At the end of the market Carrie had to go and took the bus home. I walked back through getting various gifts and clothes. I think the ladies market and temple street are by far my favorite!

When I was done and had no money left I took the bus to Sai Kung and met Carrie. We went home to change then picked up the girls and drove to central. Everyone was hungry so we went to the North Point Gaisi. As you walked in there was a sign warning to watch for rats! Carrie got chicken liver, pork, fried rice, broccoli, chicken, and, after persuading the girls, some black ink pasta. It is just normal pasta with tons of squid ink and garlic, so when you eat it your teeth and mouth turn black. All of us got pictures after eating it, and on the way out we saw a bunch of old men doing the same thing!

After that Carrie dropped Alex, Catherine and I off to go on the peak tram. . The peak Tram was started in 1888 and has not been modified since. There is a single steel cable and the trams car going down balances and pushes the other car going up the track. It is also very slow but safe. Originally only the British were allowed to live on the peak, and natives would run them up the hill in rickshaws. Victoria peak is spotted with houses worth, at minimum, ten million dollars. The world’s most expensive house is on Victoria Peak. In 1997 an offer of Hong Kong $900 million dollars was made, but the owners refused. Because it was a school night for Alex and Catherine, Carrie met us at the top so that we could leave quickly. The tram was actually pretty cool, but it was also pretty scary. It was surprisingly steep! When we got to the top we met Carrie, got some ice cream, and watched the light show. The girls were exhausted and bored by then and so we drove home.