A Day Devoted to Hello Kitty

Today began with the grandest of intentions. At first, we planned to get up, eat breakfast, and take a shuttle boat across the harbor to catch a bus at Central Station that would take us to the Big Buddha. Then, we decided that that would be a lot of traveling just to see one thing, nod at it for about 5 minutes, and then head back. So, after a lengthy discussion, during which we weighed all the pros and cons of every option available to us, we decided that our time would be better spent taking the shuttle boat across the harbor and catching the 260 bus out to Stanley Market, about 30 minutes away once on the bus. Confident in our carefully developed plan, we set out for the ferry stop.

It was not 30 seconds before we both agreed that we weren't feeling as ambitious as we had only an hour before. It was hot, humid, and, to be honest, we just felt like having a relaxing day more than being super tourists. With this new game plan established, we headed into the nearest Starbucks for a cool one and to discuss how we would now spend our day (photo of Colleen enjoying herself included).

Before we left the States, we asked our daughter, Emma, what she'd like us to bring her from China. She had two requests: a baby sister and, perhaps more importantly to her, a pair of Hello Kitty flip-flops. Well, how can you say no to Hello Kitty flip-flops???? So, we decided that, if we did nothing else today, we would have to find Emma some Hello Kitty flip-flops. The last drop of Starbucks having been slurped down, we headed out on our search. The next 4 hours were spent going in and out of high end malls throughout this area of Kowloon. Unfortunately, no flip-flops...lots of other Hello Kitty stuff, but no flip-flops. Finally, we came across a store that sold nothing BUT Hello Kitty stuff and, sure enough, were able to grab a pair of these prized flip-flops...along with some Hello Kitty hair clippies (see photo above for proof). Why do all this? Because we are missing the hell out of Emma. It literally hurts the heart when we think about how much we miss her. Personally, I'd pay $1,000 (U.S., not HK!!!) right now to have a 5 second hug from her.

A break was needed, so we went into a very nice Chinese restaurant in one of the malls (this mall, by the way, was the size of Rhode Island). Quickly, we realized that we were the only non-Asians in there; it must, according to our logic, be a good spot. We ordered pork and vegetable dim sum, spring rolls and chicken with cashews and ate a well-deserved meal. The old maitre'd asked humorously me if I could deal with chop sticks and, humorously, I assured him that I was an expert at his craft.

By now, we knew we had to get back to the hotel where Elton Ho, owner of A Timeless Tailor (see photo above), was waiting to fit me for a custom-made suit and 3 shirts (fabrics had been chosen and measurements taken yesterday evening). The fitting went well and I expect to have all my stuff tomorrow. I also decided to get 3 pairs of pants made...the prices are just too good to pass up! For her part, Colleen got two very "kicky" pairs of shoes. It's good to have her "on the board." If anyone reading this blog is ever in Hong Kong, drop in on Elton and let him make you some stuff. A Timeless Tailor is in the retail mall attached to the Sheraton. Great guy, if not a bit chatty.

So it's now 5:25 PM, and we're hanging out in our room. We'll probably head down to the waterfront in about 5 minutes to see some exhibitions that are going on down there. Then, we'll have dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. Touristy, I know, but so what? Any place that has KISS stuff on the walls is worth my dinner dollar! My wife is shaking her head at me for that last sentence.

It's now 8:50 and we're back from the Hard Rock Cafe. Kind of a lame place compared to other Hard Rocks...don't bother going there if you're tempted. I wasn't hungry at all and ate nothing, so there might be room service in my future tonight.

So, tomorrow we WILL be off to Stanley Market, maybe the Big Buddha, and I'm looking forward to picking up all my stuff at Elton's place. Looming over all of this, though, is the fact that in less than 72 hours we'll be the parents of TWO beautiful girls from China, one from the Wuhan area (Emma) and one from the Nanning area (Annie). It's almost impossible not to make this the constant topic of conversation. And, the fact that we see so many gorgeous little girls with their parents all over HK makes it even harder to talk about anything else. What a fantastic feeling to know that your family is about to grow and evolve in such an amazing way. We're so grateful.

At any rate, it's the end of relatively uneventful day. That's okay, the days to come will be VERY eventful...and wonderful! More tomorrow! See ya'!