still life

The P52 theme this week is still life.  My life has NOT been still lately, so when I thought of the words still life, my mind immediately jumped to the possibility of having life stand still for just a few moments.  The thought of slowing down and stopping life for a while sounds absolutely fabulous right now.  I know that this is not what a still life shoot is about, but for me, the image I have of being able to be outside with everything frozen in time so that I can simply look around and enjoy the moment and appreciate life as it currently stands sounds just right.

Today we went on a hike (ok, so maybe it was more like a walk) with our friends the Frederiksens.  It was wonderful to get outside and be somewhere different.  We headed over to Lamma Island and walked from one side to the other.  It was pretty easy as even I (girl who never exercises) even managed it without dying.  The boys headed out ahead of us and the two of us girls had a fun time catching up and chatting about life.  When it was over, we enjoyed a delicious lunch by the water as a reward and might have ordered too much for us to eat! It was fun and a great way to spend the day.

Here are some pictures from our day out.  Please enjoy!

Hong Kong Island...it was stormy when we left.

Lamma Island...thankfully wasn't raining.  What a different setting from where we left, right?

Contrast between the small house boats and the skyscrapers in the background.

Islands in the distance....

The beach.

Rows of bikes and lanterns.

Roots

Finally a still life for the P52 theme this week!

(Linking up with This or That Thursday, Fabulous Friday Challenge, and Photo Friday.)

dim sum

My mom's visiting us right now and we have been keeping busy.  We've done A LOT of shopping, played a bunch of hands of Shanghai Rummy (sadly I've not won yet), eaten way too much food (thanks to my mom for some delicious home cooking), and have just enjoyed each others company.  

Yesterday we had the day off and enjoyed some Dim Sum.  I love going out and eating Dim Sum and will definitely miss this when we leave Hong Kong.  Luckily we still have 9 weeks left here (not that I'm counting down or anything), and hopefully will have more chances to enjoy Dim Sum.

For those of you who don't know, Dim Sum is a style of Chinese cuisine.  It involves eating a variety of different types of dumplings, steamed foods, and even some deep fried goodness.  The portions are small and are usually served in steamer baskets.  There are all kinds of options for everyone to enjoy!

Dim Sum at City Hall in Central.  I love being served via the carts!

Taro Dumplings - Wu Gok

Shanghai Soup Dumplings - Siu Long Bau

You need to be careful when eating this as there is soup inside the dumpling!

Pan-Fried Radish Paste with Minced Dried Sausage - Law Buck Go

Steamed Vegetable Dumpling - So Fun Gor

Pork/Prawn Dumpling - Siu Mai

BBQ Pork Bun - Char Siu Bau

Fried Sesame Balls with Lotus Seed Paste Filling - Leen Yung Gin Dui

This is a yummy dessert!

We ate a lot!

(Linking up with Sweet Shot Tuesday, Tuesdays Around the World, and Our World Tuesday.)

tin hau temple

On the same day that we went to the Aberdeen Floating Village, we also stopped by the Tin Hau Temple in Rupulse Bay because my mom was super keen to see the big golden fish.  What can I say except that they sold this fish really well on the various tour packets she read through when figuring out what to see while in Hong Kong.  :) 

The Tin Hau Temple is quite small and sits on the far end of the beach.  The temple grounds contains many statues of important gods, goddesses, and other auspicious figures.   There is of course the golden fish with its mouth wide open for folks to toss coins into in hopes that good fortune will follow.  There is also the red bridge of longevity that is supposed to increase the days in your life every time you walk over the bridge.  There were also several animals with blessings written on them that people rubbed for good luck.  

The red bridge of longevity and the many statues.

Kwun Yum, Goddess of Mercy & Tin Hau, the Queen of Heaven and Protectress of Seafarers

Visitors at the temple.

Matt & the different mosaic statues.

Famous fish!

 

Rubbed raw for luck.

 

I love the bold, bright colors.

Animals.

(Linking up with Sweet Shot Tuesday, Tuesdays Around the World, and Our World Tuesday.)

fishing village

I thought I'd have some pictures from the beach to share with you by now, but sadly it has been raining here on Koh Samui (which is an island in southern Thailand).  Hopefully the rain will pass soon as I'm itching to be out in the sun.  That said, we've been enjoying a couple of lazy days just reading and napping and it has felt good!

Since I can't share any pictures from the beach just yet, I thought I'd share some pictures from our trip to the Aberdeen Floating Village in the Aberdeen harbor.  This harbor is full of junks, sampans, and a many other types of boats (some being fancier than others).  Something interesting I learned is that there are still many fishermen who live out on the boats with their families and live a fairly traditional lifestyle with fishing being their livelihood.

This floating village was definitely a neat place to visit.  The most eye-catching thing for me was simply the contrast between all the high rises and the very traditional fishing boats.

Junks

Small boats

The front and back of a famous seafood restaurant.

Our sampan driver.

Lots of fancy boats and working boats.

I just realized that I haven't put pictures up of me (or Matt) in a while.  Oops.  

I will add that to the ever growing list of things to photograph and fix on this lovely blog of mine! 

(Linking up with Sweet Shot Tuesday, Tuesday Around the World, Our World Tuesday.)

bird street

I went to the Bird Street a couple weeks ago to get photos for my P52 post, "the eyes of march" and have a few more pictures to share from my outing.  Bird Street is actually a street full of birds, bird enthusiasts, and the random observers.  Creative name, right? :)

People come to visit this street for a ton of different reasons.   There are those who come to Bird Street to simply buy things.  People can buy birds, bird food, bird cages, and just about anything you'd need to help your bird feel more comfortable.  Others bring their birds on walks to Bird Street and make it a social event.  Yes, you read that right.  People seriously take their birds on walks.  Yes, walks.  Then of course there are the tourists that stop by Bird Street to gawk and take photos of everything (not me at all!).

I sincerely hope you are not scared of birds because  there are a lot of pictures here.  If birds give you the heebie jeebies, which I can understand as I always have to sanitize my hands a few times after I leave Bird Street, then this post is definitely not for you! :) So on that note, please enjoy the pictures!

Pretty bird...

Loving their birds.  A lot.

Making a bird cage.

Birds for sale.

 

So many different types of birds for sale.

 

Lots of old men around.

Beautiful mini jars for holding the food and water.

Taking their birds for a walk in their cages.

Perching.

Chillin'!

So proud of his birds!

Close up

Happy couple.

(Linking up with Sweet Shot Tuesday, Tuesday Around the World, and Our World Tuesday.)