HKG006: First Solo Mission

today was josh's first day in the HK office. while i didn't have a formal plan for our first solo mission, i knew i wanted to keep us busy today.

the kids and i packed it up and headed out to the park about a half hour before josh was to leave for work. as soon as we arrived at the park, we saw livie's friend and her aiyah waiting for us. this was a special treat! watching my social butterfly spread her wings in our new home is very rewarding! the two girls ran and climbed and played for a long time, and they even included quinn in some of their games.

we spent about an hour or so at the park and then took off to get a snack and explore. we tried to find a library that is somewhere near us, but didn't manage that. we also stopped at a fruit stand to get some stuff for the kids. i mostly stuck with what i know...grapes and oranges, but i also just HAD to get this fruit that looks very intriguing. i don't know what it's called, but it kinda looks like a pear and a bell pepper had a love child. we have not cut it open yet. i can't wait until we do...it'll be like christmas, only the food version ;-p

i had planned for us to have big adventures and investigations heading into the wan chai area today, but after we got the fruit, both kids seemed to be fading fast. it has been a crazy week of going hither and yon with little to no quality napping (and JET LAG), so i figured i had better be a good mommy and get them back to the apartment for lunch and a nap. livie has not napped regularly since she was just shy of three years old...today, she didn't argue for even a minute about napping. quinn was shaking his head no and trying to push me away as i carried him to his bed, but his eyes were closing at the same time. i think they REALLY needed that nap!

after nap, i packed up the kiddos to go find a bus to get us over to wan chai. the plan was to meet up with josh to open a local bank account, go to his office (it's in wan chai), and then go to dinner with his boss and officemates. getting on the bus was both easier and harder than i anticipated. it was harder b/c quinn flat out refused to get into the stroller or the backpack. so, we had some serious discussions about the options (stay with mommy and hold hands or get confined). surprisingly, he did GREAT. he did squirm a lot on the bus, but overall, he was THRILLED to ride in a bus seat like a big boy (and like sissy). becoming familiar with the bus routes and schedules and getting on the bus was also easier b/c i am getting more comfortable with it. getting off of the bus, though...still a big fat hairy deal between not having a good idea of where i am and dealing with all people and stuff i am carrying. random aside : it turns out that since i'm a country bumpkin who's never ridden a bus before that i might have benefited from a course in bus 101. there are these nifty buttons on the bus that one can push to ask the driver to stop...that includes asking the driver to STAY stopped as you try to get your two squirmy kids, yourself, and your gear off the bus. a nice lady saw me struggling with all of the above and pushed the button for us as we were trying to exit..

wan chai...i had planned for the kids and i to head to wan chai earlier today to kinda wander around and check it out before we sign on the dotted line for living in the midlevels, but that didn't happen b/c it was more important that the kids rest. well, once we got off the bus in wan chai, it took me only a few minutes to determine that this is not the place for our family. it is bustling and lively and busy, but there also is a different vibe to the area. there were many, many cops out patrolling on foot and the crowd just had a different feel. talking to one of josh's officemates that lives in wan chai, i became aware that this area is a little on the iffier side with higher crime rates.

tonight, we had dinner with josh's boss and officemates in an area called stanley bay. this area was absolutely beautiful and had also been on our list to look at . i am glad we got this opportunity tonight. though the area is beautiful, it is a long way from josh's HK office and it is expensive. like lantau island, it will be someplace we visit on the weekend, but not someplace we will call home.

today was a pretty fantastic and surprisingly relaxing day. tomorrow begins our first real weekend in hong kong, and i am really looking forward to it. my head is swimming with all the possibilities of the things we can see and do...i am looking forward to sharing those adventurers. josh found our USB cable, so i will have pics up this weekend, too.