[love it] holiday bust

Our first official Chinese New Year in all it’s authenticity is over. A bit of a bust. Crummy weather topped with Hub’s ‘this-is-why-I-try-not-to-breath-on-airplanes’ flu really put a damper on our cultural exploration.

FYI, HK is a ghost town during CNY. Many shops are closed for at least three days, while almost all of China travels to spend time with relatives. “No way,” and “are you kidding,” and “maaan,” were my replies to repeated media reports about the number of travelers and trains crossing China during the ten day holiday. Make no mistake, there are a lot of people in China my friends.

Meanwhile, HK’s Tourist Board lined up all sorts of city-wide festivities. Open-air gift markets–didn’t attend. Traditional lion dance parades–we snoozed and loosed. And an international New Year festival with dance and float entries from all over Asia–maybe next year. Our first and biggest Chinese holiday of the year, and we stayed home watching re-runs of the re-make of Battlestar Galactica.

Frack.

Thankfully our building ended the 10 day holiday with a party. Here’s the breakdown.

Waiting for the Lion Dance to begin (with a friend in the building).

We were thrilled with the traditional Lion Dance!

The building staff grilled Chinese treats for everyone.

Building maintenance helped hang the offering for the Lion.

The Lion dances in your apartment bringing good health and prosperity for the new year. He takes the veggie and Lai See offering and ‘eats’ it, while you’re supposed to catch any vegetables that fall from his mouth for additional good luck.

Drummers helped with the excitement, and then it was time for pics with our friends.

KUNG HAI FAT CHOI!

[again] move no. 1.5

Even the taxi drivers call them “the chopsticks.” Two residential high-rises, side-by-side, sticking straight up from the mountainside. Like two chopsticks in a bowl of rice (which you should only do at funerals). Ours is the one on the left.

We move for the final time on Monday. We’ve been living in convenience-served-on-a-platter-ville for the past three months. Hong Kong Parkview. As you approach, it consumes the space between green mountains. It’s kinda weird. And thousands of people call it home. And hundreds more call it temporary-home.

Our new little rice bowl in Hong Kong is closer to the city without being in the heart of it. The girls are excited that it’s two stories. Who woulda thought a flight of stairs would make them so happy.

My inner interior designer is having a tough time focusing as we try to fill in furniture gaps. Not exactly a blank canvas, the apartment comes equipped with a certain style. Tasteful, but ‘expression’ will take some thoughtful work.

Here are some shots of a similar apartment.

Parkview image via Wikipedia.