HKG085: The Caucasian Exhibit

today was mostly low-key. we somehow missed livie's school bus going to school today, so we took a taxi, which gave us the opportunity to play at the school playground for a bit. the school has recently gotten some new play equipment including a play house much like the one the kids had in texas. they had a ball playing in it, and it was a fight to get quinn out of it so we could take sissy to her class.

today also is the start of josh's work week in GZ, so to change things up this evening, i decided to take the kids back to happy valley to see if we could find some old friends to play with.

it started raining shortly after we left the mid-levels, so no one was on the playground when we got to happy valley. this did not prevent the kids from having an absolute ball. they were thrilled to see their old stomping grounds and were far more playful and happy than they ever are on the playground here in our building (when it's empty).

after a long time playing, we went to a pet store to get something for la fu (he is getting spoiled!), and then to a favorite happy valley restaurant called cheung sing. livie is the one that requested we go there for this dish we all like...rice with bbq pork and an over-easy egg on top. well, the dinner was very tasty, but quite uncomfortable. we were the exhibit dus jour.

i think that maybe not many westerners go in there, and probably zero western women toting two kids. whatev. i hope we provided their entertainment for the evening. they certainly provided some of ours. we had a group of three young men standing less than a foot from us watching us eat. one young man kept coming closer to ask us questions...how old is livie, are we american, have we ever been to this restaurant before, and why do we have yellow stickers on our backs (he tried to pull one off). it is hard to explain that the sticker is to ward off mosquitoes when you don't speak the language.

beautiful bug showing off her hair...she requested i do her hair like this (four small braids around her head) because one of her school friends wears her hair like this. she reported that her friend loved her hair today. wow does the girl-y peer acceptance crap start early.

chef q peaking out of the house. he's standing next to a play kitchen inside the house. he made me several breakfasts and lunches and was thrilled each time i pretended to eat them...even more thrilled when i pretended to throw them up ;-p

q on one of his favorite things at the happy valley park. he spent about 20 minutes on this little car ride or a red one just like it.

bug enjoying the playscape in happy valley