Life in Hong Kong: "Monkey Mountain" and other things

Hello Friends!

I have been looking forward to writing another update for you! I have been sick for the better part of this week, so I'm finally getting to it now. I still feel a little under the weather - cold, headache, sinus congestion and sinus pressure - but I'm getting better. Unfortunately, being sick has caused me to miss quite a few things, including a cooking party with some friends making an American Thanksgiving dinner, church service yesterday, and a lecture this evening at Hong Kong University given by pianist Evengy Kissin. SADNESS! I am really bummed out having to stay home, but I have needed the rest. Hopefully Kissin will come to Hong Kong again soon!

Our apartment feels more like home now. We have an oven and our boxes finally came! After five weeks, it feels nice to have my school books and more clothes! I apologize that you've had to see me in the same couple shirts in all of my past pictures! We were told to pack for a week, but it turns out, we should have packed for five weeks since our boxes were sent by boat! Oh well, we made it! At least we have them now.

Our new oven!

Our boxes: safe and sound after sailing here from the U.S.

Clothes, books, extra bags for carrying things, and even Christmas presents from Mom and Dad!

All of the boxes are unpacked and put away now. It feels great!

Since I last wrote, John Paul and I have done an awful lot of things, but I'll try and give you the highlights! (And JP is planning on writing a post soon with some of the neat experiences that he's had without me while working. He has some great pictures, too, so be on the lookout for that!)

Speaking of John Paul, here is a picture of him after flying his first trip as Captain John Paul Clough!

His uniform includes a tie, but apparently he had already removed it.

John Paul and I went to hear Mary Wu play a concert with violinist James Cuddeford. The concert was wonderful! Since we were out on Hong Kong Island, we decided to have dinner there. We found a little local place which only had a Chinese menu. The waiter spoke some English, so we had him explain things to us and ended up with some really delicious food! Here's a picture:

We drank tea with our meal, of course! It's funny because sometimes one of us will ask for cold water, and often the answer will be "No. Hot only." Also, if you want to order some other drink, often you do this at the end of the meal. You drink the tea, and then have lemon tea, milk tea, soy milk, or some other drink once you have finished your meal. We're getting used to it! (Although we do keep some water in our bags and take them with us just about everywhere! My family gave us each a platypus hydration pack as an early Christmas present and we are SO thankful! We use them all the time!)

"Monkey Mountain" - Sum, Jesse, Elijah and Evangeline took us to see the monkeys after church last Sunday. Monkeys - loose - ALL over the place! It was like being in a huge monkey zoo, except that the monkeys weren't in cages! Sum said that local people don't get excited about them. Seeing a monkey for a local is like someone in Alabama seeing a squirrel. She laughed at us as we took pictures and got all excited about seeing them! Sum took pictures of us taking pictures of the monkeys!

Don't feed the monkeys! There are signs in the park, yet some people still feed them. They can be aggressive and attack people. People who take plastic grocery bags into the park with them often get attacked because the monkeys recognize the bags as being grocery bags and think that the bags contain food. Here are just a few of the many pictures John Paul and I took of the monkeys:

Don't feed the monkeys!

People feeding the monkeys in front of the "don't feed the monkeys" sign

I was a little nervous...

Standing in front of a reservoir in the park.

Last week, we finally got our visas! To activate our visas, we needed to leave Hong Kong and come back in. We decided to go up to Went to ShenZhen in mainland China and have dinner. We had an absolutely delicious dinner:

Pumpkin dumplings, Sweet and Sour Pork, and Pork BBQ (Chinese style)

I enjoyed getting a mani/pedi and doing some shopping (and JP got a shoulder, neck, head and foot massage too!) but after constantly being asked for money and "look at this/buy this (fake) iphone/watch/bag" ect. and being followed around all over, it was so nice to be HOME back to Hong Kong! As we went through customs returning to Hong Kong, we were greeted so warmly! The security officer had been to Mobile, Alabama as well as Charleston, South Carolina. He was very friendly and made us feel like we were returning home.

I wanted to take John Paul to a restaurant that I had eaten at with Erica. I found the restaurant, but nobody at the restaurant spoke English, and the menu was in Chinese. I called Erica and told her what I wanted and put her on the phone with the owner. We ordered french toast and fish and chips! A Brittish Chinese restaurant! :)

We were trying to get the store in the background, but the light outside was too bright. It is just a little hole in the wall and you walk towards the back and find tables to eat at.