We woke up to a beautiful Wednesday, and it felt warm in the apartment this morning! When it’s 15 degrees overnight, and the building has no heat and no insulation to speak of, it gets chilly on the pristine tile floors. The difference today is noticeable, and we look forward to heading out after the school work is all done. Wednesdays are for English, so the girls both make quick work of their English tasks, as well as the math add-on. Joe decides he’s going down to Temple Mall by the subway to look for some things he still wants for the apartment, and takes Téa with him. Maylin and I have to shower, and then we’ll be on our way, too.
When we finally leave the apartment, Joe and Téa are starving and anxious for us to get down there. Maylin and I hop on the little minibus from our area, and try to be patient as it winds its way down through the neighbourhood. It’s not a long ride, and we are soon dropped off by Wong Tai Sin temple. The New Year preparations are in full force this afternoon, and there are people milling about in all directions. Leading up to next weeks holiday, there are so many tourists here this week. Next week will be chaotic, the following week will be busy, and then maybe something akin to normalcy will return the week thereafter.
Joe and Téa have found a congee restaurant in the south portion of the mall, and Maylin and I soon find our way to them. Congee, a rice porridge with few ingredients, is very gentle on upset stomachs, and feels like the safest bet for Maylin and I today. Joe and I share a fresh fish congee that tastes incredible but has way too many bones, while the girls share a ground beef congee. We also get a dough stick in rice wrapper and a plain dough stick. Nothing will ever compare to yesterday’s dim sum with the shrimp inside the dough stick though, that was incredible. This one is delicious, and adds a nice textural difference to the smooth congee.
Joe doesn’t think he’ll find what he’s looking for at Temple Mall, so we decide to head down to the Mong Kok area. Joe has a specific electronics store in mind, and I have an appointment on Hong Kong Island this afternoon, so the whole family goes exploring at Langham Mall for a bit. This place has one of the longest escalators that we have ever seen, even longer than the one we rode at Terminal 21 in Bangkok! We don’t ride it today though, and when doing some research, I find that it doesn’t even come close to the list of longest escalators of the world… (Interesting rabbit hole though, look up Trampe in Trondheim, Norway!)
The girls and I went up an escalator, and then it malfunctioned, so we couldn’t reunite with Joe for a few minutes. We spent the time apart well, exploring some of the fun photo ops in the mall:
It’s time for me to head to my appointment, a consultation before a hair cut on Friday. It’s over on Hong Kong Island, so I still have about 40 minutes of travel time from where we are. When I get ready to say goodbye to the others, Téa decides she desperately wants to come with Mommy, so we split up for the afternoon.
We take the subway to Central, where we were on Monday after their afternoon at the AIA Carnival, and then try to make sense out of Google Maps from there. Once I realize what’s happening, I just start walking uphill. This island is one big mountain, with a whole bunch of activity by the harbour. The closer to the mountain your destination is, the steeper you will have to climb to get there.
We doubted our direction once, and showed up for the appointment a minute or two later than planned. It was a steep walk! Téa sits down with games on an old phone, and I head in for my consultation. 30 minutes later, we’re back out on the street, and find out that Joe and Maylin are on their way home already. We agree that Téa and I should pick up dinner, just for something different.
When Téa and I get to Wong Tai Sin, we browse the menu at our subway station takeout place, and decide to look a bit further. Over in South Temple Mall, we find another similar place, with more variety. We buy a winter melon and pork soup, and a braised pork belly with preserved vegetables. Both dishes come with rice and vegetables, so that’s perfect for the four of us. The soup will be gentle enough on upset stomachs, and the braised pork belly will satisfy everyone’s tastebuds. Téa also begs for (and gets, because this mom is a pushover, apparently) a BBQ pork bun, because she saw the item on the menu, and couldn’t resist it. It’s almost like her mom and chocolate – if you know me, you know it’s true!
Dinner is a big success, but Maylin is soon full. She has been her usual happy and active self all day, but she is not eating much. There’s Winter Olympics on tv, so the girls are playing and us adults are cheering on Norway in the biathlon, and before we know it, it’s beyond bedtime. We tuck the girls in, and they fall asleep around 11pm.
Half an hour later, Maylin is crying. While I try to soothe her, she vomits all over the bed. It’s almost midnight, she’s in the shower and the washing machine is running. When we finally get her installed in our bed, as her mattress is all disassembled, it’s almost 1am. Joe is waiting for the laundry to be done, and will be sleeping on the living room couch (not ideal in any way). We settle in and try to sleep, Maylin is of course fast asleep. We hope for a good rest and a better day tomorrow.
Poor Maylin and her delicate stomach. I hope she’s feeling better in time for celebrations.
Thanks Sandra. Here’s hoping!!