(Haze, haze and more haze.  But no rain!)
Hong Kong
8 April 2004 - 11 April 2004

Day One
Thursday 8 April 2004


SARS and the bird flu are both still big concerns in Hong Kong.  It's not just signs around town, but sanitation stations everywhere with disinfectants and masks for public use.
 
Jonathon finds some of the leading offenders, city pigeons.  These were some of the few pigeons we saw.  I guess most of them have left the city since people stopped feeding them.

But not all birds are bad.  Our first stop after dropping our bags in the hotel was the train station and off to the bird market.  Jonathon made himself at home.
 


Think there's enough to choose from?  The girls insisted that would buy a bird.  Later, they would insist they could buy some goldfish.  No amount of rationalizing got through that animals, fruit or flowers would not be traveling with us.

Aren't the cages lovely?  Yes, we got one.  We couldn't get a bird, but we could get a cage.  It was the leading worry the rest of our time in Hong Kong, how would we get it home?
"Are you sure we can't have one, mom?"

Birds too must eat.
Our next stop was the flower market.  I thought these were charming, so we picked up a few bunches in different colors and kept them in a glass in the hotel.
 

We couldn't resist going into a fish market where the fish was so fresh that these carcasses still had beating hearts.  And the fish heads would move around as the gills opened and closed.

 

Tails aflappin', everything in the market was very much alive and moving.  Most were still in the tanks, but the individuals on the counters were flopping all over as well.

This fisherguy was all too willing to chat up the kids with handsignals and a smile.  Here you can see Katherine's hand inside the mouth of a some sort of large fish.  Why?  Why not.
A bucket of shelled creatures. They were prettier in real life.

And what fish market would be complete without a sack full of stretching, hopping frogs?
So we had a discussion on frogs.  Katherine tried desperately to hold one, but I think her hand was a smidgen too small to hold it firmly above its hind legs.  In case you're wondering, they are for eating. Jonathon preferred petting the fish.

 		 Fish fry?

After the edible fish market, we ambled through the goldfish market that offered a wide variety of goldfish, along with other exotic fish, turtles and pets.  People take their fish very seriously. 
 


Bags and bags of fish.

Katherine was chilly most of the day.  With overcast skies and temperatures in the 70s, I agreed with her.  Remember, we came from temps in the 90s and just as much humidity.  Hong Kong was a refreshing change but I'm so glad I packed sweatshirts.
At our rest stop after the bird market, fish market and goldfish market, we purchased some fruit slushies from some New Zealand chain.  Everyone shared nicely.  Imagine that. They were yummy.

Oddly enough, I have no photos of the jade market.  We arrived shortly before closing time and were busy looking for souvenirs.  Afterwards though we crossed the street and let the kids play for a bit.  They deserved it after the day we had.  There are parks and playgrounds all throughout Hong Kong and while this wasn't the best one, it did in a pinch.


First we had room service and then it was bedtime on day 1.  Both girls wanted to sleep with Nicholas, but Nicholas wanted to sleep with Katherine, so this is how it broke down for the four of them.
DAY TWO