Update 3 - We live in Asia!

It’s been a while since our last blog entry on 14^th October, so here are some of the highlights of the past 3 weeks.

We’ve now agreed to stay in the Mui Wo flat that we’re in for a minimum of 6 months, whilst we travel the region. It’s a great base, being above my brother and family. Additionally, its very affordable, no point in spending a fortune by renting on HK Island and not spending much time there. Plenty of time for that when we decide to work for a living!

We’ve now managed to rent our Crouch End house out for a year. Hard work arranging it all what with inventory, cleaning, form filling and transferring billing over.

We’re still trying to sell the Nissan 350z (last loose end to tie up) – let me know if anyone is interested. It’s travelled less than 10k miles and we’ll accept £14k – what a bargain for a nearly new 155mph black sports car!

We visited one of HK outlying islands during the past few weeks – Peng Chau. A small island that’s seen better times. We met a French shop owner there who provided us with some good wine, cheese and sausage.

Peng Chau still asleep at mid-day
Cheng Chau was another island we visited by boat, a lot more vibrant and we had a great seafood lunch there and 2 Blue Girl beers for £10! 

Don't forget if you click on the pics they expand - may not be worth it for this one ;o)

Had some good trips into Hong Kong and Kowloon to sort out banking, shop and speak to a few recruitment agencies to tell them we don't want to work...

1881 Heritage centre only completed this year in Kowloon

Restaurant at 1881 Heritage - maybe when Ev gets here...

Scaffolding Chinese styley

You can't eat or drink on public transport...unless you're a giant

Taxi!

Honkers at night

We hired a boat out for 4 hours taking family and us from Mui Wo to Repulse Bay on the other side of Hong Kong Island via Aberdeen harbour home of the Jumbo restaurant. We dived off the boat in Repulse Bay and swam in the South Chine Sea – fantastic and even though we were outside of the shark nets we didn’t get bitten once!

My niece protects me from the sharks

My nephew, sister in law, niece and brother dis-own me

Shouldn't you be washing up love?

Me and Steve dis-own Stef

Jumbo famous floating restaurant in Aberdeen - insert your own Scottish joke here..

Mui Wo has waterfalls and fresh streams in its mountains (surprising non?) and we cycled up to one for a picnic with the family.

A typical mountain with a typical waterfall - we bathed in it

Halloween is a massive party in Hong Kong – 1^st my niece got dressed up for school. Then we went to Lan Kwai Fong the main area for nightlife and bumped into some interesting characters…Then on the way home we bumped into about 30 teenagers taking part in a facebook organised ‘Zombie Walk’ from Star Ferry up to LKF and beyond... Great night!

Scared?

Come on Arsenal!

Last weekend we did a medley of Lantau beaches for picnics…

 

Pui O beach - the bar has just opened out of picture

Tong Fuk Beach - the restaurant has just opened out of picture

Some activities we didn't do on Cheung Sha beach



Now don't take this the wrong way but we just got back from a week in Singapore staying with friends and meeting up with ex work colleagues from BNP Paribas. The weather was forecast for ‘heavy rain and thunderstorms’ from Monday to Friday and we arrived in tropical downpours - now that's cheered you up hasn't it - eh? eh?.

1^st night we took our aperitif in the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel – home of the Singapore Sling…well it would be ignorant not to, wouldn’t it…then on for some dinner in Clarke Quay.

  World famous 'Long Bar' Monday night after happy hour..

Green bridge, green bridge!

2^nd day we took a cruise around the various quays and harbour, and out for French cuisine in the evening with friends.

Me and the Merlion - geddit?!

The Merlion - oh done that one already..

War of The Worlds

3^rd day we visited the Museum of Singapore – excellent! And in the evening dinner in Little India with friends.

Me taking a picture of ..me at Museum of Singapore

You are here ---->

Dinner in Little India as good as Brick Lane!

4^th day we went to the Botanical gardens, Chinatown, and then later had a massage for my failing and painful back.

I love the botanical gardens!

China Town

Luckily the weather held out for the week and although we had the odd thunderstorm we largely stayed out of the rain. Great trip and we’ll go back there…

Finally and just to let you know we got tickets to see 'Green Day' at the Asia Arena on 16th January - whooooohhhhaaaaaaaa!

Update 1 - From the home of The Arsenal to Hong Kong

After leaving do’s from Rabobank International in both Utrecht and London, leaving do’s with ‘The Ivey’s’ and our closest friends in London. Let alone the summer bar-b-q at our place. And following 6 months of packing up our house, making our lives ‘portable’, putting the house up for rent, selling the motorbike and car, we were mentally and physically exhausted but ready for our new life in Asia for a few years.
The known world for 19 years…

Cafe Suze, Mayfair

                                                                       

The Bonnie and the 350z

We left North London for Hong Kong on Wednesday 7th October 2009 afternoon in pouring rain.
Myself and Stef’s adventures had just begun…


Arrived in 29c humid HK heat after a 12-hour fight and collected by my brother Steve, sister-in-law Olivia and 2.5 year-old niece Isabella. Our whole future life packed in 4 suitcases and 2 large hand luggage bags incl. the iMAC's.
Settled into the tasks ahead quickly, staying in a flat above my brother in Luk Tei Tong village in Mui Wo on Lantau Island – 30 minutes by boat to Hong Kong - 'Central' and 'Kowloon'.
We brought essentials - food, drink, bedding and towels (we have a flat to live in but no bed!). Cheery, a friend of my sister-in-law cleaned the flat up for us, which had been empty for 12 months and 4 hours later we had something we could start to enjoy. Dog tired after intense previous weeks leaving work in UK and Holland, family and friends for a new life in the next few years. First the easy bit - setting up a new home, winding down and EXITing old life. We know it’s going to work! Why wouldn’t it, we love Asia and we love rice and didn't get much of either in North London!

Silvermine Bay, Mui Wo

RHS of telegraph poles our flat on 1st Floor

From our flat to Mui Wo Pier

Downsides of move - no Arsenal live games anymore, no cats, no 350z sports car, no lovely house of 19 years, no children (no we didn't have any anyway!) no priceless friends and family from either UK, France or Holland!

Upsides of move - AhhhSIA - beloved for 15 + years, climate, food, different people with different outlook on life - traditional values!

Update 2 - A few day trips...

Week 2 began on Thursday 15th October. We have now purchased most of the urgent things we need for our flat incl. a new bed, mattress, bedding, kitchen stuff, LCD TV (its only 22" if you're thinking of burglary!) and HDMI (all singing/all dancing) DVD player cost £40 to watch our beloved films - although only had time for one so far - Treasure Island - haha Jim lad!
Don't have TV channels, but managed to watch The Arsenal beat Birmingham 3-1 on Iraq TV. Its really starting to feel like home now. We will try and rent the flat we're in for 6 months, to use as a base whilst we travel the region.
First destinations will be Singapore and China - no not the whole lot in one go! Maybe Beijing/Xian where the Terracotta army live.

So far we've been up near the border to China - Sheung Shui to pick up the bed.

Sham Shui Po - home of the Golden Shopping Centre (computer emporium/DVDs/gadget central!). Central on HK island many times for eg. new local 'pay as you go' moby's - will email you the numbers if you fancy a text or chat. Cheng Chau - neighbouring island - great seafood and Tei O town built on stilts in another corner of Lantau Island - took a boat trip for £1.50 and saw the local white dolphin of China - which are grey when young and pink when old - the opposite to ourselves it would seem!

For the longer term, we have found a perspective new dwelling to buy in Tai O, granted it needs a new lick of paint and maybe a new bathroom. We think it has a damp problem but the agents tell us otherwise.

Tai O property - quaint but needs of attention

Star Ferry to Central - few passengers will tolerate 20p a ride!

Below a local Ska dwelling in Mui Wo