Speed racers of a different kind!

OK, so turn back the clock a little here, Beijing, October 2008, just wanted to share the boys fun and games with you all. 

Speed racing of an entirely different kind. 

The journalling reads.......

Risky ?? Maybe

Lots of fun?? Definitely

OK, so every now and then we are faced with decisions , in this increasingly "cautious" world. Play it safe or take a chance and enjoy the moment.

This was one of those moments when I decided to let boys be boys!

Riley and Callum had the very best time playing catch with the rickshaw driver behind them, racing through the streets of a Hutong in old Beijing. He loved playing cat and mouse, speeding up and encouraging them to reach out to him. We weren't going fast although I guess the potential was there for a nasty spill. Still, the looks on those faces, the joy, living life.......so worth the chance !!!

Rickshaw Ride

We packed so much into our few days in Beijing. One of the really fun things to do, which I would recommend to anyone who travels to this beautiful city , is to experience a rickshaw ride (or pedicab...) through the old hutongs. The kids had an absolute blast and even got to try to pedal each rickshaw before we set out. Riley and Callum particularly had the best time trying to catch the driver behind them( the little guy driving my rickshaw, lucky me from the photo point of view) who was playing cat and mouse with them  the whole time. The late afternoon was a lovely peaceful time to be pedalling around, wandering the narrow winding shopping streets and seeing the beautiful lake .

Mutianyu Great Wall

This section of the Great Wall  is very beautiful . I have tried to concentrate my pages on the photos rather than the journalling but the beauty and scale of the whole experience is indeed difficult to capture and convey. We are so blessed to get to travel to these amazing places with our young family....

Beijing pages

OK, so my new e-class is written and underway and I have some time to get a start on my Beijing pages (alright so I am sure the weekend will end up an Album all to itself- too many photos LOL)

here is one of my pages

OK , it's subtle, can you see the change?

Alrighty, I know even though we see him every day the change is amazing in just a few weeks, but I wanted to share a little  Jasper growth.  Longer legs, richer colour, he is almost a teenager. He had his first puppy playdate today with a walk up the peak with his new labradoodle buddy Max. Should have taken the camera ! I am sure Mum and Dad will see the difference from the little puppy that embarked on his world journey just weeks back. He also went to school (not even puppy pre-school but real KID school) for show and tell on Tuesday morning. He coped admirably with some 75 children  adoring him in a 30 minute space.  

Now you see it..........

Just to give you an idea of what this beautiful city usually looks like.........

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.