Harbors, Hikes and Beaches

I went on a hike the other day and the trail bottoms out to a beach. Perfect ending after you become so hot and sweaty from the hike.

It's crazy how as soon as you hit the trail it's as if someone pushed the mute button on all the city noise. I didn't realize how much I missed complete silence. I think this confirms how much of a country girl I am.

Another view from the trail...no buildings :)

No folks, I did not zoom in on this guy. I almost ran into him along the trail. I think his previous work includes "Arachnophobia" and "Horrors of Spider Island". Glad he took time to make an appearance in HK ..yikes

Some views of the beach...

You can tell it's not very crowded either...such a nice change from the city.

My back is to the beach from this picture. There is just one cafe, so they are expensive, but the owner was kind. The area is pretty remote. The trail cuts through a small village. I wanted to take a picture of an asian scarecrow for you to see, but I was scared the villagers would cook me for dinner or something.

This is a picture of the MTR (subway) when it was almost completely empty. I use this everyday to get anywhere. I hardly have room when it's crowded to even take a picture, but I'll try. Just because I love you all. ;)

This is the MTR station before you actually get on the different subways. They have shops all around...even Mrs.Fields cookies. I just soak up the smell every time I walk by, yummmmmm...

A view of the harbor from the IFC building.

Just trying out different modes with my camera...some are better than others....

That's it for now...hope you enjoyed it! :)

Macau, Ma' School, Ma' Weekend...

So, I promised I would post more of my living area, if I got it to cooperate...

This is part of the view from my room. The tall building in the far back and middle is the third highest edifice in the world. To me a building is just a building, but some of you may enjoy that fact :)
And you know what, I'm going to show you what you've all been waiting for...

 ...my sideways bathroom. That's right folks, yours truly is not tech savvy, so tilt your head, haha! My roommate was telling me about her friend's blog decked out with graphics and such. You don't have to worry about that here! :) (obviously I still can't figure out why it isn't rotating)

This is one of the bathrooms at my school. I just thought it was too adorable not to share. The toilets look like toys! I thought it was very cool that they install different faucets for the kids to explore and learn. I will have more pics of the school in the future, but this is it for now.

This is Macau from a distance. We had to take an hour long ride on a ferry to get there.

I took this picture inside The Venetian Hotel and Casino. Macau is overrun with casinos, and this one is a replica of what you would see in Venice. Standing with me is my boss' helper, Thea. I made her take the picture with me :)

Yes, you can even have a gondola ride in the middle of the shopping area. Some of the men sing, but I thought the idea was a bit awkward. I'm sure kids would love it! I just find it weird that you're sitting in a boat in the middle of a mall and everyone is watching you :)

This is one of the Buddhist temples in Macau. The coils are incense burning. I loved the smell and this photo.

A view as the sun is setting. Anyone with $500 can bungee jump off the tower to the left. It's the highest commercial bungee jump in the world and one of our girls from the UK did it. Yep, it was crazy.

Just love this picture. It doesn't need much said about it.

I saw this bride and was about to take a picture OF her until my boss urged me to jump in the photo with her. I told her she was welcome to be in my bridal portrait someday :) It was neat to see. I felt so bad for her, she must have been so hot underneath all the material!

A panoramic view of Macau from the Tower taken with my fancy, new camera. At least I can figure out that feature!

This is actually a picture of the Hong Kong harbor. I zoomed in so you could see the sunset. So gorgeous. This was my view from The Yacht Club. Pretty nice, right?

I think this is how the old woman who lived in a shoe got started...

So, I have been here in Hong Kong for four days now. I have been able to experience some new things already, which I must add some are better than others. I have never blogged before, so to begin I plan on sharing pictures and adding commentary to them. I want those who view this to feel like they are on a tour of HK through my eyes....

 So, this is a picture of my room. Hopefully now you can have a better understanding of why I titled my post so. Honestly it isn't too bad; takes no time to clean right? Towards the left is my closet, and to the right is a wall I plan on decorating with pictures once I get them printed. I will also have you notice my Texas Rangers calendar. I must keep up with my boys no matter where I'm at in the world!

View 1 of my (and my roommate's) living room and kitchen table...

...and view 2. I think my brother in law (Alex) mentioned how up to date my TV is. :) I get one channel in english, but I probably won't be watching much TV anyways.

 This is the kitchen. Below the stove top is a washer, and to the right is the refrigerator which happens to be a decent size relative to the area. You will not see a dryer in any of these pictures because most people here don't have them. Instead, they hang their clothes outside their windows or use dry cleaners, which happens to be extremely cheap here. I plan on doing a little of both since I don't dry all my clothes, and I'd like to save as much money as possible.
I would show you the bathroom, but I can't seem to get the photo to rotate and post like I want. I will try to post it again later.

View 1 of the apartment pool. It is beautifully landscaped and big enough to swim laps or sunbathe. I don't know the people in these pictures :)

View 2. There was a swim class going on while I was taking these pictures. I noticed one little girl sobbing miserably while she was kicking her legs perfectly with her swim teacher and the rest of the class. I thought to myself, "Boy can I relate that to my own life!".

This is one view of the inside of the clubhouse. To the left is a very nice, fully equipped gym; but, people were working out so I thought I would be courteous. If you continue to the right it leads you to the main area for check-in, lounge, cafe, and children's playhouse. The amenities are great here, and very convenient.
I may add on a second part to this post in the future showing you the shops connected to my living community and places I frequent. I have more pictures, but of other things, so I will wait to post them another time soon.