Highlights from Hong Kong

Thank you all for your kind words and best wishes. I am improving now that the antibiotics are taking effect and I have stopped trying to cough up a lung. I'm catching up on sleep too so will soon be busy with the donation quilts again. If the heavy rain and floods continue in NSW and Qld again then quilts may well be needed very soon.
I'm also busy knitting beanies for adults as there will be a Homeless Connect Day in Melbourne in early March and I know that Sydney and Brisbane are also holding them again. The homeless are encouraged to attend and are able to find out about what services are available as well as being able to receive warm blankets, beanies, gloves, scarves and toiletry bags etc. The numbers required are fairly large so if anyone has time to knit a few beanies it would be a huge help. I'll be making more crocheted blankets to donate as well and I make the squares at every opportunity and can usually finish a blanket a week. I also have some fleece to make into quilts for the homeless and will get started with those very soon.
In the meantime I thought I'd post a few photos from our trip. We spent a day at the Flower Market in Hong Kong and the variety of flowers were amazing and they were so colourful. The orchids were fabulous and so large that they must be in ideal conditions. We also visited the Bird Market but didn't stay there long as we really don't like to see birds in cages. Birds and fish though seem to be popular when there is limited space for pets.
More to come soon.
hugs, Jan Mac

Home Safely

I'm sorry for the long absence on my blog and plan to catch up on all my news and travels over the next few days. Unfortunately I brought home an unwanted souvenir from China- a chest infection. We arrived home Monday and I've spent the past few days just sleeping and waiting for the antibiotics to take effect. I have also been quietly crocheting more squares for blankets for the homeless as well as knitting a baby jacket to donate.
I received a lovely parcel of blocks from an anonymous quilter in Vic and they will make some lovely quilts or gifts to donate. Cat from NZ also sent some more wonderful orphan blocks as well as some more fabric from her clean-out of her sewing room and they will also make some more quilts to donate.
We had a wonderful trip although it was tiring and very cold with temperatures if -7 to -12 and I had a chest infection for the last 2 weeks so it's taking time to get rid of the cough. I plan to start sewing again very soon, hopefully tomorrow so I can get started on this year's donated quilts.
I've really missed my blogging friends and will post more trip photos soon.
It's great to be home again.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Message from Jan's husband Ray

Hi everyone ,Jan asked me to let you all know that she has no facebook or blog access from China ,she is well and is having a good time and will catch up on this blog when she gets home in two weeks.
Cheers everyone
Ray

Last day in Hong Kong

Sadly the internet is very slow and hard to get here at times so I'm not able to post as much as I'd like. I may have to do updates of the trip when I get home again.
We saw the rare pink dolphins, visited Ocean Park, took the cable car to sse the Giant Buddha, saw an old fishing village built on stilts, climbed 400 steps to see the monastery of 10,000 buddhas and used the metro to travel all over HK. It's the last day here today and we're off to China tomorrow.
Having a great time and will update when I can. We loved the Giant Pandas at Ocean Park and also saw a wonderful 30 min live stage show of the Lion King at Disneyland.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Ding Ding Trams and Disneyland

On Monday we took the Star ferry over to Hong Kong island as we are staying on Kowloon. We took the Ding Ding tram and travelled all afternoon for the princely sum of 60 cents AU. It gave us a good chance to see lots of the suburbs and some of the local shopping areas.
Tuesday we spent 12 hours visiting Disneyland and I was brave enough to try the rollercoaster ( in the dark no less) as well as a big drop via parachute ride. After being in line for an hour I was determined to enjoy it despite being afraid of heights.
We had a great day there and a wonderful spectacular firework display ended the day with a bang- very pretty.
Will update again when i get internet service. By the way why is it that everytime I travel someone buys a silly hat? Stephanie bought it as a dressup item as she has lots of school dress up days as she is a teacher.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Walking in Hong Kong

We're having very long 12 hour days with lots of walking but it's the best way to get a feel for a place and see as much as possible. We really enjoyed our afternoon at the Nan Lian Gardens at Diamond Hill -thanks for the info Jenni S. it was well worth the trip out there and a good way to get used to the train system.
So far it's been an easy way to get around Hong Kong and a very fast and efficient service.
The subways are very clean and the streets are swept all day every day so no litter lying around. Our only compliant has been the difficulty with getting internet service.
Will try to update more often when service allows.
Take care, Jan Mac

Happy New Year From Hong Kong

Well New Year's Eve celebrations in Hong Kong are not for the faint-hearted. We had a wonderful time at an Aussie-styled pub, Ned Kelly's Last Stand, in downtown Kowloon and drank Cosmopolitans all night. We met some lovely people who are Hong Kong nationals and also had a jazz band playing. Unfortunately we decided to leave the pub so we could see the fireworks over the Harbour and we were packed like sardines with about 2 million people. The roads were blocked and it took us 2 hours to walk 1.5 kms. A bit scary to be in such a crush of people but a great night anyway. Today we went down to the Harbour again and then took the Metro to Diamond hill to see the Nan Lian Garden. It is a beautiful serene area of lovely manicured gardens and a wonderful way to enjoy a bit of nature while surrounded by high rise buildings.
So far we've managed to buy a few things at the markets and Stephanie is learning all about bargaining. Our hotel is placed near Temple St and very convenient but the beds are as hard as the floor. In fact we tried sleeping on the floor and I think there was more "give" in the concrete floor! It has encouraged us to get out and explore as resting on a soft mattress isn't an option. I believe that "it's all part of the experience" and any other beds we encounter can only be better.
Not a lot of use of the internet here as we haven't been able to use the HK keyboard at the hotel.
Off to explore again so more later.
Hugs, Jan Mac