Rugby Seven's

It was a big weekend here in Hong Kong. Since August, we've been hearing about the infamous "Seven's"... Did we have our tickets, will we dress up? We were told it was a little bit like Mardi Gras meets the Super Bowl, meets Halloween. And, let me tell you, it didn't disappoint.

The Seven's is a Rugby tourney held all over the world: Scotland, England, New Zealand, Las Vegas, Dubai, South Africa, and Hong Kong. The tournament orginated in Hong Kong, and they say it's the biggest one in the world. The Seven's is a cut-down version of traditional rugby: seven players on either side for two seven minute halves. The men are buff, the shorts are short, and there are no pads.

We got to the stadium at 8:15 am to secure our seats in the South Stands. I was told you have to sit up high, as the lower you are, the sloppier it gets...lots of things may be thrown on you (I'll leave it at that). The first game started at 10:30, and by 3:00pm it was time for the Phipps to call it a day. The stands were out of control, and everyone had been drinking since the wee hours, if not continuing from the Friday night before.

As you can tell, we were "Team USA".  We had them made in China, and they really turned out great! The costumes at the event were incredible...some hilarous, others inappropriate. There was quite a bit of Tiger Woods mockery going on.

It was a fun day. Saturday was enough for me, but Michael went back Sunday for a couple hours. He avoided the South Stands this time.

I'm not posting the front of this costume...use your imagination!

We all LOVED the Avatar guy. If you need an amazing Halloween costume, this is it. He even had the ears and feet.

Hope everyone had a great weekend. We're off to Vietnam on Wednesday, so I wont' be posting for a week or so. Have a wonderful Easter weekend. Thinking of all of you!

xx,

Lauren

A little culture...

My friend KC has some visitors in town, so we took the chance to head out to the new territories on Tuesday. We hiked around Sai Kung and down to the beach. It was gorgeous and the views were amazing, despite the weather. The pollution in Hong Kong has been TERRIBLE this week. Check out this article to read more about it. They grey skies in these pictures are part weather/part pollution. Pretty nasty, huh? 

I'm excited to check out Sai Kung again, once the weather is a bit nicer. The beach was beautiful! After our hike we took a sampan (boat) back to town. We walked around the small fishing village. The fish were huge. You can pick your delicacy and the restaurants will cook it for you...fish, lobster, squid, crab, etc. 

Look at this guy!

Everyone says the restaurants are great, but we haven't ventured out there yet. That evening, we got a reservation at the China Club for dinner. It's atop the Bank of China Building, and very reminiscient of a 1930's tea house. The artwork is contemporary, yet the ambiance is very old China. It's beautiful inside.

There is a tea show and noodle show every night. 

I'm sorry the pictures aren't the best, but you get the idea. Pretty crazy, huh? I loved watching the noodle man.

As if I didn't have enough culture for one week, Michael and I went to the ballet last night. We saw Don Quixote, and it was so good! The last ballet I saw was the Nutcracker, so I didn't know exactly what to expect. I think I've decided I now want to be a ballerina. Is it too late? The theater was in Kowloon, so I had to snap some pictures of the skyline on our way back to the ferry. I never get tired of seeing this magnificent city.

The picture above is the Cultural Center.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

xx,

Lauren

Phuket!

We have arrived in Phuket, and it's 93 degrees and sunny. We were glad to leave the grey skies of Hong Kong behind us. Michael was able to join us, and we had a great time lounging by the beach, snorkling, and working on our tans.

We all loved Phuket and are excited to take our friends in May. My mom kept saying that they are in for a treat. I hope they'll think so too! 

I couldn't have asked for a better visit. Thank you mom, dad, and Adam for making the time and effort to come visit us and see our new home. I hope you were able to see how beautiful this part of the world is and why we are loving Hong Kong. Start saving your pennies for a second visit. Cielo, this means you too! 

xx,

Lauren

Vater Kong Adventure: Part 3

Monday we were off to the Big Buddha. Again, a very cloudy day, but at least it wasn't raining. We took the cable car up the mountain.

Adam layed on the glass bottom floor of the "Crystal Cabin". 

We admired the Buddha from below.

Mom finally made it to the top of the stairs, but needed a bit of fanning after the climb.

We went to see the buddhist monestary.

And then it was time for tea!

High Tea was Mom's favorite activity in Hong Kong. Today we went to the Grand Hyatt, but she loved it so much we went to the Four Seasons two days later to experience it again. 

After a very sophisticated afternoon, we went up to the Peak as the weather was clear.

We ended our day at the Peak and then went out for a Thai dinner that night.

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It's Tuesday morning, and Adam's last day in Hong Kong. The weather has been grey all week, but we're off to Stanley for our last afternoon. Stanley is one of my favorite places, but it didn't look as pretty today as it usually does.

After Stanley, we went back to the tailor for another fitting, and then headed home to get cleaned up for the junk that evening. Every night in Hong Kong, about 25 buildings put on a light show from 8:00-8:15. Watching it from the water is amazing, and one of the highlights of the trip.

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We said goodbye to Adam the next morning.
 He had to get home for work, but we were all pretty bummed he couldn't join us in Thailand. We went home to pack.

Dudley was sad and didn't want us to go.

We went to tea that afternoon at the Four Seasons, and then we were off to Thailand!
See you in Sunny Phuket!
xx,
Lauren