Happy Hong Kong

With a week off the end of July for term break, I flew to Hong Kong to visit my grandsons and daughter as they had moved from Shanghai, China to Hong Kong on July 1st. Carrie met me at the airport and we took the high speed train into the city where they are living in a fantastic high rise that overlooks the HK Harbor. The next day we spent at a “locals” beach and enjoyed the warm sun, cool water and pleasant breezes, a nice contrast to the busy metropolis that the island is!

Then we were off to HK Disney World on the special Disney express subway train. The biggest difference I noticed upon entering the park was that all the people were holding up umbrellas, not for rain, but to keep the rays of the sun away from their skin.

A super special moment was when out of thousands of theme park visitors, Aidan and Taylor were chosen to be Cinderella’s princes on her once a day merry-go-round carousel ride. Talk about a dream date!




The rest of the rides were fun and exciting, especially Space Mountain. Of course “blue cotton candy” was a must for dessert after corn dogs on a stick and lemon aid... just like home! Then after waiting almost an hour, Taylor got an autograph from his favourite Toy Story character "Woody."

Exhausted but exhilarated and thankful to have spent a marvellous day with my family. I am so blessed!

Temple Tour

 On Sunday July 8th several Thai lady friends organized a day of visiting Temples and markets. When they invited me, I asked if the new teacher from Milwaukee, Wisconsin could come along, as she had only been in Thailand for a few weeks and had not seen much. It would also mean there would be someone for me to talk with. The ladies speak Thai and only a few words in English. What a day... we left Ban Chang at 6am and returned at 6pm with many stops along the way. Of course being in Thailand we stopped first at 7/11 (there is virtually one every few miles). Fortified with fresh coffee and "knomes" (Thai sweets) we got to the first temple around 9am.  So here we are, two blonde Wisconsin gals standing in front of Wat Luang Poe Sotheron. This famous Wat is a light grayish color with gold outlining the many curvy traditional peaks. We checked our shoes and then bought flowers outside to take with us into the wat. Inside sat many golden Buddha statues and monks that had small containers of "take-away" holy water for a small donation.

 I marveled at the intricate inlaid marble floors that felt cool on our bare feet. Every kind of animal was depicted in great detail, tigers, dolphins, snakes, dragons, fish of all sorts and one that seemed to swim right to me, a very large smiling sea turtle.

 Next we went to a food market, and continued our day of eating every couple of hours ... Thai style! Several more temples and just as we were getting tired, we got to my favorite temple of the day... something about save the best for last. Wat Koh Loy sits at the top of a small mountain and we had to climb hundreds of steps to reach it. The welcome breeze and the spectacular view of the ocean eased the pain of the trek.  The golden Buddha faces the ocean and in front of the statue is the big Buddha footprint with marigold flowers laid upon it. I donated Thai baht to help the monks maintain the Wat and received a certificate and an amulet of the blind Buddha. I offered a prayer of thanks for my eye sight and for all the magnificent beauty I had seen that day.

Smiling Buddha says; your smile can change the world, don't let the world change your smile