Cape D'Aguilar - January 2021

 

Cape D’Aguilar lies at the southernmost tip of Hong Kong Island.  We take the ferry to the island, then the MTR train to an eastern stop, then board the bus for the cape.  The trail is paved and easy until the coast is in view.  The crowd then splits into several directions to explore this wonderful location.

             Walking along the trail we see a beautiful view of Stanley across the bay.

The whale skeleton rests in a unique spot.  The background construction project will be a marine biology research center.

                                            The rocky coast is a favorite climbing spot.

                                                Rick reaches the top of the rocky hill climb.

                                    I must watch every step as the rocks can be slippery.

Thunder Cave attracts huge crowds.  I must admit that watching the waves crash through this slit in the rocks is an amazing site.

We enjoyed the crashing waves on this beautiful January day.  It reminded me of La Bufadoro near Ensenada, Mexico.  We talked frequently of our children as they would enjoy such an ocean view.  They would have delighted in climbing and playing everywhere on the cape.  We share wonderful memories of times we’ve visited oceans with our family.  Suddenly, we wanted to share all of this with them.  After a few waves of nostalgic homesickness we carried on with our hike

Crab Cave was equally impressive with massive waves filling the cave and then reseeding to the pleasure of all onlookers.  It’s hard to beat nature’s entertainment.

                               The lighthouse stands splendidly against the clear blue sky.

      I found the lone mailbox behind the lighthouse.  I have no idea of its purpose or strange location.

We waited behind several others to take our picture at the door of the lighthouse.  We acted just like tourists.

From atop the coastal rocks Lohas Park is visible in the distance.  Yes, the water was really that blue the day we visited.

Rick captures this splashing wave perfectly.  Later, we noticed the Chinese woman posing on top of the rock.  We laugh constantly at their desire for photos EVERYWHERE!!!  The otherwise quiet and reserved Asians go all out when a camera is in view.

Someone volunteered to snap a photo as we stand on the peak in the strong wind.  What a glorious afternoon we spent at Cape D’Aguilar.

Celebrating Rick's BIG Birthday - December 2020

 Rick's "Birthday Party" included mini celebrations on several different days during the last week of December.  I'm listing a few of these events.

Rick’s first fitting for a tailored suit.  I could call it his "Birthday Suit".  The proprietors were particularly concerned about a superb fit.   

Cheung Hing Tailor – They were thrilled with the final product.  Their English was difficult to understand but we did capture the phrase, “Not too big, not too small, just right fit.”  Rick now owns a beautiful suit from Hong Kong.  The price for a perfect fit was unbelievably low.

It’s Saturday morning at Victoria Harbor.  The woman in pink begins her morning swim by testing the cold water with her toes.

            Others follow, as this morning ritual attracts the fittest of Hong Kong’s elderly population.

Rick joins in for a refreshing and challenging morning dip.  I insist he uses the bright buoy.  It gives me some assurance of his safety.  A whistle attaches to the floatation in case of real danger.

                              Rick emerges from the harbor after an invigorating swim.

A fellow athlete awaits his return with thumbs up and asks Rick’s age.  He wasn’t impressed with the number as most of these senior athletes are much older.

They all support each other in exercise ventures.  The talkative group gladly embraces Rick as a fellow athlete.

We've watched multiple ways to warm-up before a swim.  He stands on his head and then extends to his hands.  Impressive!

He’s not yet finished his stretching.  We stare in amazement at the extreme stretching we see from all athletes in this city.  Their flexing skills are amazing.

        This man stretches before entering the harbor.    I haven’t tried the splits since high school.

I love to hear this woman singing while she swims.  Her voice sounds operatic in ability and volume.  Then she finishes her routine with a long stretch.  Unbelievable! 

We celebrated Rick’s birthday after staff meeting.  The traditional cake was replaced with delicious fresh fruit.  Every piece was rapidly devoured in minutes.   Following a month of holiday treats, this was a welcome change.   Sorry, this is all that remains of three platters filled with sliced melon, pineapple, persimmons, kiwi, and blueberries.   He was honored with the birthday song in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese.

Later in the week we enjoyed the OGC “Root Beer Float Day”.  That event provided one more good reason to celebrate Rick’s day with fruit instead of sweets.  Steve enjoys the tradition from home quarantine.  We love Zoom!  

The entire staff looks forward to this monthly social.  No doubt, we serve with marvelous individuals.

A senior couple serving with YSA mentioned the easy office hours they keep.  They commented on the 10^th floor (legal) as serving above and beyond a senior missionary daily schedule.  Yes, the legal office works long and hard and these attorneys earn every break received.

Holiday Week - December 2020

Winter Solstice (afternoon), Christmas, Boxing Day, and New Year's Day were holidays away from the office.  As much as we enjoy serving, a break from our labors provides a refreshing rest.  We always wear our nametags and carry pass-along cards and pamphlets.  It's easy to start a conversation wherever we go and we try to be happy and upbeat, which is easy with the friendly people in Hong Kong.

Christmas Day is a holiday for most domestic workers.  They leave their employer’s home and seek a public location to enjoy the day.  We traveled to Lohas Park and saw countless tents set up for their day of relaxation.

 

                 Thankfully, Christmas was a beautiful, warm, and sunny day.

These women unpack their bags of food and entertainment.  Most will spend the entire day here as they have nowhere else to go.

          I asked permission to photograph this happy group dressed for the Christmas celebration.

           Poinsettias!  These plants delight the eye in nearly every landscape setting in Hong Kong.

                                The white poinsettias were especially beautiful this year. 

The Pizza Pig – crowds await entrance to this restaurant.  Once again, I must question the wisdom of such a name for the establishment.

Disneyland is still closed.  But, the park MTR train still serves the area.  We boarded to see Inspiration Lake.  The windows always make me smile.

I like the themed rings that replace the usual hand-hold devices.  Note the interior window of the MTR train.

Inspiration Lake borders the Disneyland property.  Boxing Day brought many families to this serene and scenic spot to enjoy picnics and time to play with new bikes, scooters, drones, etc.

 Ludmilla directs a handful of missionaries and employees in storing and marking all Christmas decoration bins.  The entire process gave me some good ideas to use at home.

                                Sister Gardner and I place wreaths in individual storage bags.   

Note Marco Lee at the work table.  He used his phone (attached to his laptop) to photograph the contents of every storage bin, then printed color photos for easy identification.  My job was “runner” so I headed to floor 9 to retrieve the photos and proceed to laminate them.  Actually, Ludmilla wanted two photos for every storage bin – one for the side and one for the top.  Marco and I finally caught up to the bin fillers.   With an organized schedule and a fabulous work crew the entire process took less than three hours.  Next year’s decoration committee will benefit from our labors.

Hong Kong Christmas 2020

 Christmas weather in warm Hong Kong is much like Southern Utah except our family couldn't be here.  We missed our children and loved ones but embraced this opportunity to experience a different holiday.  The highlights of the season are too numerous to mention -  I’ll touch on just a few from our second Christmas as missionaries.

Masks are required.  Why not find attractive holiday wear?  Rick thought Hans would enjoy seeing his penguins and snowflakes.  Hans did smile at the sight of Grandpa’s face covering.

                                            I opted for the disposable holly mask.

Christmas Eve!!  Sister Latimer spent hours organizing an appropriate, socially distanced party.  She utilized an empty apartment by scheduling  5 minute time slots for each senior couple to bring one inexpensive gift and another item from our apartment we don’t need or want (white elephant).  Both wrapped gifts were placed in one gift bag.

We also prepared a snack item for each couple’s treat bag.  One sister made small cheese balls with crackers.  Another couple prepared a bag of veggie sticks with a small container of dip.  I baked bread sticks.  Someone else mixed a variety of nut packages with a honey-type dip.  There were cookies and chocolate treats.  (Ten days later we are still snacking on what was inside the bag)

Then, 30 minutes later, each couple returned to the empty apartment to retrieve two gift bags and the treat bag. 

We tuned into the Zoom sight and began our games.  We laughed and laughed as we played and nibbled on a variety of snacks.  One by one we opened gifts so all could enjoy the unwrapped treasures.  That entire process was hilarious.  We gladly joined in caroling “together”.  Sister Latimer ended the evening with the Christmas story from Luke.  We all took a part and enjoyed the pictures and music that accompanied her presentation.  In this unusual Covid year the celebration was a welcome gift and poignant reminder of how blessed we really are.

Rick opened the best white elephant gift of the night – disposable briefs for men.   We roared with laughter.  I suggested the group check with us at the end of our mission to see if the package has been opened.

Christmas evening we hosted the Sister Missionaries that serve in our branch.  I’m preparing dragon fruit for the salad.  This is a view of the whole fruit.

Tada!! Inside is a polka dot like fruit.  It doesn’t have much flavor but the dotted chunks are an attractive addition to any fruit salad.  Apparently, it is loaded with fiber.  We served mashed potatoes with shredded chicken, coleslaw, and bread sticks.  I was trying for an American type meal.  

Sister Pang is a native of Hong Kong.  Sister Santos was born in the Philippines and raised in Hong Kong.  Both are delightful missionaries and we greatly enjoyed our evening with these energetic youth.

The Mission President gave the missionaries an extra 30 minutes for Christmas dinner.  We walked the promenade to Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) to see the decorations.  The crowds were unbelievable and the décor was nothing like last year.  The TST train station made their journey home very easy. 

Rick stands in the ‘Dragon’s Hole’ of this Musea 11 mall.  The lighted tree is brilliant from this level but appears so small from harbor side.

The old Peninsula hotel always presents lights, stars, birds, snowflakes, and other suspended beauties in a wonderland display.

                      The Church Office Building always presents a pleasing Christmas atmosphere.

All senior missionaries are together for one moment.  Fear not, we removed our masks for a quick photo and replaced them immediately.

 The nativity display can be seen from the street through the glass doors.  Countless people stop to adore the site.  I encourage those staring to please enter for a closer view.  Most do not, but they know the door is open and they are welcome to enter.  Isn’t that the message of Christmas – the Savior’s door is open if we will but choose to enter.