Another overdue update…

Wow.

So, I’ve not blogged in ages. I’ve had posts building up but just haven’t gotten around to finishing them and publishing them. Work’s been crazy, plus I’ve been busy trying to explore places in HK that I’ve not been to before.

After working for 21 days in a row, I finally got a day off and went to Lantau Island with Tilly and her friend, Dave, who was in HK for a few hours whilst waiting for a connecting flight. It’s a beautiful, really relaxing place. We sat at a bar on the beach and panicked when a snake slithered past us. Well, I panicked.

For some reason, there was a random cow walking along the beach. Eventually he sat down on the sand and just lay there whilst kids came up and played with him.

After Dave had left to catch his flight – which he very nearly missed ‘cos we struggled to get him a taxi! – we went to eat in one of the beach-side restaurants and got the ferry home. It was a really nice day.

 

Mid Autumn Deserts

The other Tuesday (well, it was over a month ago now) was a public holiday in China – The Mid Autumn Festival – I know I’m supposed to explain cultural things in detail to make my blog informative, but Wikipedia will be able to explain it much more quickly, elegantly and in more depth than I can so click the link!

A couple of days before the festival, my friend took me to choose a lantern. I went for a fish and christened him Frank. He’s pretty cool.

We spent the public holiday looking around Stanley and a few other places that JB hadn’t been to before. It was a really, really hot day.

It was also the day that I had two of the best chocolate-based deserts that I’ve ever eaten. Chocolate-based deserts are notoriously bad in HK and it’s something I’ve really struggled with. All deserts that I consume (and there have been many!) are marked against my two favourite ever deserts – For the record, these are the profitter roles at my Dad’s wedding and the chocolate pots at the Sea Food Cafe in Cornwall – Anyway, I’m not sure if they won, but both of these deserts in HK run them close.

My first desert of the day was a chocolate mousse in Soho. It was at a little boutique clothes shop and, despite it being a bit Northern Quarter (which is never a good thing), it was quite a cool little shop. The mousse was so rich that I couldn’t actually finish it. If Tilly hadn’t have been there to help I would have struggled.

My second desert was from Tony Wong’s Bakery (cool name and even cooler cakes). I dunno what the cake was called but it was a round dome – the same shape as the HK Space Museum… This led Juliana to spend the rest of the day telling everybody that we had eaten an amazing space cake. I tried to explain that she should be weary of doing this, but she’s American so is easily confused.

We went for hotpot in the evening and then went to the Lantern Wonderland in Victoria Park. It was basically a load of lanterns… But it was ace! At the end was the world’s biggest sculpture to be made out of lanterns. It was a fish… It certainly gave Frank a run for his money.In other news, Locko and Lisa have had their baby! Liam was born over two months ago now (time flies!). I can’t wait to see him in January when I’m home for a couple of weeks. Yep, I’m also coming home in January for two weeks! I arrive in MCR on the 13th (I think). The way it’s worked out means that I’ll be leaving HK exactly a year to the day that I arrived. Weird! It doesn’t seem like a year. Anyway, it’ll be ace to catch up with everyone.

In other exciting and music related news, my friend, Gbenga, is playing in HK with his band Metronomy in January! I’m looking forward to seeing him. He’s only here for one night before the band fly off for the next leg of the tour (Australia?) but it’ll be good to see him nonetheless.

I’ve got loads of other stuff, both old and new, to write about but I just don’t seem to be able to find the time to sit down and blog. I will catch up eventually.

Oh, yeah. I’ve discovered an amazing band in HK. They’re called Hungry Ghosts and they’re absolutely fucking incredible. I saw them supporting Tilly’s band, Who Shot Holga? (who are also v.v cool, btw), and they totally blew me away. Check them out.

Spotify is playing up again… I’ve been listening to the following stuff:

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
PJ Harvey – Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
Hungry Ghosts
Metronomy – The English Riviera
REM
Jade & The Stagger Swallows

Laterz

AJG

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