Here are two videos taken at our Hong Kong home.
Many people think of HK as just high-rise, but there is so much that is stunning, once out of the main city.
The first video is a view from our balcony. The second shows a view in the other direction, from the roof.
Please give them time to load...
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Making friends and meeting wildlife
We've made good friends in the village. Basically there are 3 small villages along the road, spread out. It is about a 10 minute walk from one end to the other up (or down) a hill. There are lots of expat kids in the area and the girls made friends straight away.
Last night I walked the girls over to a good friend's place and all the kids went to the rockpools. This is a place off the main road where the river widens and flattens out and there is a swimming pool in the rocks. We had a glass of wine and chatted before walking out to get the girls as it was getting dark.
As we walked home we saw a mummy boar crossing the road followed by 6 boarlets. She peeked her head out of the cover, grunted a bit and went across. We waited til they were well away as mummy boars are grumpy and likely to charge.
In the past week we have seen boars, monkeys, snakes and huge spiders; these things are bigger than a dinner plate. At least I take comfort in the amount of mozzies they can eat. They do just stay in the trees out of the way. There are also lots of crickets which sing in the trees at night. There is herd of cows too, which wander up and down the road stopping traffic.
Last night I walked the girls over to a good friend's place and all the kids went to the rockpools. This is a place off the main road where the river widens and flattens out and there is a swimming pool in the rocks. We had a glass of wine and chatted before walking out to get the girls as it was getting dark.
As we walked home we saw a mummy boar crossing the road followed by 6 boarlets. She peeked her head out of the cover, grunted a bit and went across. We waited til they were well away as mummy boars are grumpy and likely to charge.
In the past week we have seen boars, monkeys, snakes and huge spiders; these things are bigger than a dinner plate. At least I take comfort in the amount of mozzies they can eat. They do just stay in the trees out of the way. There are also lots of crickets which sing in the trees at night. There is herd of cows too, which wander up and down the road stopping traffic.
T9 gone
The T9 came and went.
Though we lost branches from trees (one hit a neighbour's car) there was very little damage.
We had a wet weekend, but as we all had colds it didn't hurt to be stuck inside.
Though we lost branches from trees (one hit a neighbour's car) there was very little damage.
We had a wet weekend, but as we all had colds it didn't hurt to be stuck inside.
Friday, August 22, 2008
T8 and T9
A T1 was still called last night with a T3 not being called until nearly 9pm.
Therefore it seemed unlikely that theT8 warnings would go up overnight.
This morning our alarm was set for 6am and we woke to a T3 warning still in place - boohoo. That means work.
However, by 6.30am the pre-8 warning was issued. That means that a T8 will be hoisted within 2 hours. (Warning was traditionally, and is still given, with flag patterns of white and green, hence the "hoisted", luckily we have TV and internet as well now!)
A pre-8 means school will be closed. T8 went up at 8am and we went back to bed!
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Afternoon
A few minutes ago the T9 signal was raised.
http://www.hko.gov.hk/wxinfo/currwx/tce20080822134526.htm
Therefore it seemed unlikely that theT8 warnings would go up overnight.
This morning our alarm was set for 6am and we woke to a T3 warning still in place - boohoo. That means work.
However, by 6.30am the pre-8 warning was issued. That means that a T8 will be hoisted within 2 hours. (Warning was traditionally, and is still given, with flag patterns of white and green, hence the "hoisted", luckily we have TV and internet as well now!)
A pre-8 means school will be closed. T8 went up at 8am and we went back to bed!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon
A few minutes ago the T9 signal was raised.
This means that winds are expected to increase
significantly as Nuri moves closer to Hong KongThis is the link to the info...http://www.hko.gov.hk/wxinfo/currwx/tce20080822134526.htm
Thursday, August 21, 2008
8.40pm T3 posted
A T3 warning means that "This means that winds with mean speeds of 41 to 62 kilometres per hour are expected."
Government Typhoon tracking states that " Nuri continues to
move closer to Hong Kong steadily. Strong winds are
beginning to affect offshore waters.
"According to the present forecast track, Nuri will be
rather close to Hong Kong tomorrow. The chance of
the Gale or Storm Signal No. 8 cannot be ruled out."
Serious hiding under duvets needed I feel.
A bit about fridges
Our school is famous for its fridges.
"What is so exciting about fridges?" I hear you ask. Well, there are 4 main fridges.
You can put your food in 1. One has chockie. One has soft drinks cans.
One has wine and beer!!
We were advised not to drink in school hours!! Teehee.
However it is helpful if there are parties or when in desperate need!!
"What is so exciting about fridges?" I hear you ask. Well, there are 4 main fridges.
You can put your food in 1. One has chockie. One has soft drinks cans.
One has wine and beer!!
We were advised not to drink in school hours!! Teehee.
However it is helpful if there are parties or when in desperate need!!
Eh up!
So there have been no typhoons in HK for many years.
All of a sudden there were 2 in 6 weeks, just before the summer and again in August.
Guess what!!
Another T1 warning has gone up - the typhoon is expected to make land in the early hours.
We are battening down the hatches.
Best case scenario, a T8 warning gets called before we leave for work in the morning. Then we can go back to bed.
Worst case scenario, a T8 gets called while we are at work and we have to keep the kids at school 'til it lowers. This has been overnight in some rare cases. Yuk! Soggy teenagers on Friday night.
We shall see...
Here is the predicted path - that orange cross is Hong Kong.
All of a sudden there were 2 in 6 weeks, just before the summer and again in August.
Guess what!!
Another T1 warning has gone up - the typhoon is expected to make land in the early hours.
We are battening down the hatches.
Best case scenario, a T8 warning gets called before we leave for work in the morning. Then we can go back to bed.
Worst case scenario, a T8 gets called while we are at work and we have to keep the kids at school 'til it lowers. This has been overnight in some rare cases. Yuk! Soggy teenagers on Friday night.
We shall see...
Here is the predicted path - that orange cross is Hong Kong.
Monday, August 11, 2008
House location
Hi, I'd like to share a Google Maps link with you.
Link:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=104105653126419139327.0004538f8f1320574b651&ll=22.430091,114.327174&spn=0.00962,0.019312&t=h&z=16
This link takes you to the map reference for our new house.
You can see that it is a long way off, but also in just a glorious place that the extra travelling is worthwhile.
===================================================================
Link:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=104105653126419139327.0004538f8f1320574b651&ll=22.430091,114.327174&spn=0.00962,0.019312&t=h&z=16
This link takes you to the map reference for our new house.
You can see that it is a long way off, but also in just a glorious place that the extra travelling is worthwhile.
===================================================================
Sunday, August 10, 2008
New things we did today
Today was my first go on the MTR, the Hong Kong equivalent of the tube, but efficient and clean.
We used the MTR to travel to and from the Island for cat visiting.
On the way there we took a taxi to see the catties, but on the way back we were brave and hopped on a bus. It said it was going to central station, which is where we wanted to be.
The Octopus card came into its own. You just charge it up and use it for your public transport. That meant we could get on the bus without concern.
It all worked out well and we did find the Central MTR station without difficulty.
We used the MTR to travel to and from the Island for cat visiting.
On the way there we took a taxi to see the catties, but on the way back we were brave and hopped on a bus. It said it was going to central station, which is where we wanted to be.
The Octopus card came into its own. You just charge it up and use it for your public transport. That meant we could get on the bus without concern.
It all worked out well and we did find the Central MTR station without difficulty.
Cats!!
We went to see our cats today.
They are in quarantine for 120 days, their release date is 9th October.
I was worried about what I would find, but they seem well and playful. The kennel was immaculate.
It is reassuring to see that they are coping so well as it was a tough decision to send them over.
The girls and I were VERY pleased to see them.
They are in quarantine for 120 days, their release date is 9th October.
I was worried about what I would find, but they seem well and playful. The kennel was immaculate.
It is reassuring to see that they are coping so well as it was a tough decision to send them over.
The girls and I were VERY pleased to see them.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Weather update
The weather has abated to tropical storm level. We can now go out and about - phew.
It is still very yucky out though.
It is still very yucky out though.
1st level 8 Typhoon
Today we have our first ever Level 8 Tropical Cyclone! Also called a typhoon.We knew they existed but hadn't expected such excitement so soon.
Two days ago the level 1 warning went out which means the storm is centered within 800km of Hong Kong and heading this way. Taxi drivers warned us it would rain the next day. It did rain yesterday, but it was warm rain and not blowy.
We didn't see the level 3 raised (strong winds), but in the night last night it blowy and wet, often loudly so!!
This morning we woke to gale force winds and big rain. It is fabulous to watch in comfort.
The Level 8 warning looks like this:
This one means the storm is coming from the SE, which means it is still coming this way.
Very exciting!!
Winds from 80 - 130 km/h have been recorded. So as we have been told to stay inside and keep the curtain closed (reduces the chances of flying glass)...
... guess who went for a walk to take pictures??
Left is the island from Kowloon, 
see the fab clouds.
And here is the Island during the rain...
As Ian made his way the the Star Ferry Pier - (warning issued specified "don't go to the pier as it is dangerous") the only other idiots out were camera crews.
This poor reporter had to wait for the bigger gusts and most rain to do her piece to camera.More info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Tropical_Cyclone_Warning_Signals
====================================================================
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Sai Kung Country Park
First impressions of the area are that Sai Kung town is not unlike Bedford. There are about 30,000 people, with a town centre and suburb areas. SK town has everything you might need - supermarkets, swimming pool, library etc. The road to SK from Kowloon is a bit like the A5 in Wales, windy, green and mountainous.
Here is a HK map which shows the location of the main island, Kowloon, where I will work and Sai Kung in the east.
Once through SK you go further out to the country park. This road is windy and there were cows on the roads when I visited. In fact, my ears popped as we went up and down the side of a mountain. It is hard to explain how stunningly beautiful the area is. If you can imagine a warm Snowdonia that might cover it. It is surrounded by trees and the road is cut through.
This map ^ shows the country park in Sai Kung, you can see the large area to the east. The house I saw is close to the "Hike 4" on the picture.
================================================================
Here is a HK map which shows the location of the main island, Kowloon, where I will work and Sai Kung in the east.
Once through SK you go further out to the country park. This road is windy and there were cows on the roads when I visited. In fact, my ears popped as we went up and down the side of a mountain. It is hard to explain how stunningly beautiful the area is. If you can imagine a warm Snowdonia that might cover it. It is surrounded by trees and the road is cut through.
This map ^ shows the country park in Sai Kung, you can see the large area to the east. The house I saw is close to the "Hike 4" on the picture.================================================================
Housing Success
One of the houses Ian had found by himself is in the Sai Kung Country Park.
This was an area that I had been recommended. It is further out, but house prices are lower and it is very rural.
I could tell Ian was keen on the house, so started to make enquiries about the price and arrangements before going to see it myself.
In fact there was another offer on it, but being an ESF teacher really helps when booking housing it seems. Landlords are happier to dealPwith ESF teachers as there is guaranteed rent payment!! So all was ready for me to visit the house.
We landed on Saturday and on Tuesday Heather and I were doing the 2nd viewing.
Here is Heather in her first HK taxi ride... (pic to follow)
The agent was eager to show us and make the deal. The other offer was from a different agency. In fact I had seen the house online, with the other agent, but they hadn't replied to my emails.
Well I saw the house and was smitten, as was Heather. It will take extra time to school and work, but a great house at a great price is worth the compromise.
Returning to the office, the paperwork was completed, the deposit (how much?) handed over. The landlady also came to sign up so we have met her and her daughter.
Moving date is provisionally the 15th August.
Here are two pictures of the house from the website. Will post my own soon...
<--- Front garden
This was an area that I had been recommended. It is further out, but house prices are lower and it is very rural.
I could tell Ian was keen on the house, so started to make enquiries about the price and arrangements before going to see it myself.
In fact there was another offer on it, but being an ESF teacher really helps when booking housing it seems. Landlords are happier to dealPwith ESF teachers as there is guaranteed rent payment!! So all was ready for me to visit the house.
We landed on Saturday and on Tuesday Heather and I were doing the 2nd viewing.
Here is Heather in her first HK taxi ride... (pic to follow)
The agent was eager to show us and make the deal. The other offer was from a different agency. In fact I had seen the house online, with the other agent, but they hadn't replied to my emails.
Well I saw the house and was smitten, as was Heather. It will take extra time to school and work, but a great house at a great price is worth the compromise.
Returning to the office, the paperwork was completed, the deposit (how much?) handed over. The landlady also came to sign up so we have met her and her daughter.
Moving date is provisionally the 15th August.
Here are two pictures of the house from the website. Will post my own soon...
<--- Front garden View from the roof --->
=================================================================House hunting
House hunting was our priority on arrival. We knew that we had just 2 weeks in the hotel, in which time we had to find something.
Before arriving we had been warned that it may be difficult to find something in the time, but we had spent a lot of time fact-finding before arriving. So, we knew which village we would be moving into and had made appointments to visit houses as soon as we arrived.
Actually it was Ian who did all the legwork over the first 2 days, seeing 12 houses. He also found estate agents in the same street and went to other places too.
Estate agents here are the same as the world over. We specified a max of $22k and min of 1400s.f. We are a family and needed suitable housing. Ian was shown flats over the price limit, under the size limit and one property with 3 bedrooms, which was actually 2 adjoining flats where you had to hope over the balcony if you wanted to check on the kids.
(Actually that has its advantages thinking about it).
I had been warned about the sizes of places, we were coming out of 2400s.f. and were looking at 1400s.f flats / duplexes. Ian had a bit of a shock though as many of the flats wouldn't have fitted our king size bed.
He short-listed 2 properties that he liked in the end.
====================================================================
Before arriving we had been warned that it may be difficult to find something in the time, but we had spent a lot of time fact-finding before arriving. So, we knew which village we would be moving into and had made appointments to visit houses as soon as we arrived.
Actually it was Ian who did all the legwork over the first 2 days, seeing 12 houses. He also found estate agents in the same street and went to other places too.
Estate agents here are the same as the world over. We specified a max of $22k and min of 1400s.f. We are a family and needed suitable housing. Ian was shown flats over the price limit, under the size limit and one property with 3 bedrooms, which was actually 2 adjoining flats where you had to hope over the balcony if you wanted to check on the kids.
(Actually that has its advantages thinking about it).
I had been warned about the sizes of places, we were coming out of 2400s.f. and were looking at 1400s.f flats / duplexes. Ian had a bit of a shock though as many of the flats wouldn't have fitted our king size bed.
He short-listed 2 properties that he liked in the end.
====================================================================
Sunday, August 3, 2008
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