Hong Kong in the Mists

There are so many differences living in Hong Kong, rather than Australia. One of the interesting phenomena that happens  each year is the "white out".  I am sure there is some wonderful meteorological explanation - maybe the cool weather moving down from China and meeting the warm South China Sea-  but I am NOT a meteorologist by a long shot. 

My (not at all scientific ) version goes, early this morning we could looked down on the city below to see the most amazing mist swirling in and out of the high-rises and rolling across the harbour. My mid afternoon we were in almost complete white out! When lived further up the hill, in Aigburth, this day would be a complete white out- looking out the window there would be a literal wall of white cloud.  So to try to give you a feel for this amazing event I have posted a few pictures. 

There is a housing development that sits high on a hill here called Parkview. We actually stayed there the first time we moved to Hong Kong in a serviced apartment whilst waiting for our apartment to be ready. This particular development has (I think !) 7 high rise towers and a hotel and is largely an expat community.  I remember hearing once about the term  "gwailos in the mists ! "(just like Gorillas in the mists but different) being applied to Parkview.  Gwailo is the term given by the local Chinese to foreigners, and particularly westerners, many years ago when they first had contact. the literal translation is something like "white ghosts" and it is  still in use today.