Our last full day in Hong Kong...started with noodle bowls. :) Just posting these pictures makes me want a noodle bowl...
Then later we rode the top level of a double decker bus across town to have lunch with some family. Oh my goodness, writing this post so far after the fact makes me miss Hong Kong so much!!! Even the pictures of Hong Kong streets! Wahhhhhhh!
That night was my Grandma's 91st birthday party, which is kind of a big deal. Apparently odd numbered birthdays are more important for women, while even numbered birthdays are more important for men. I still haven't figured out why.
Unfortunately, the party didn't even begin until 9 pm, so Copeland wasn't able to attend, which also meant Ryan wasn't able to attend. That was a real bummer but the party was amazing. We
started the party with dessert! I think the Chinese character cake says long life, but I'm not positive. There is something about Chinese cakes that I love. They're more airy and less sweet than what we're used to and the taste is amazing. They also oftentimes have fruit in them - yum.
It was Wendy's birthday too so there was a cake there for her to cut.
Then we sat down for our EIGHT course meal. And then after the EIGHT courses, they brought out rice and noodles. And THEN they brought out two types of dessert! I got pictures of everything except the rice/noodles and desserts. I was in a food coma by that point.
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| Pork |
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| Shrimp |
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| Magical seafood with broccoli |
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| Magical seafood roll-up things |
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| Magical seafood soup |
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| Abalone |
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| Fish |
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| Chicken |
Here are some other fun photos of family that night.
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| Cousin Lok Yan and Aunts Siu Ye and Miu Ye |
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| Tea Ceremony. Mom had to tell me what to say. |
Here is a shot of most of the people there. Notice how tall everyone is? I get questions a lot about how can I possibly be half Chinese when I'm so tall (I'm 5'9")? Well, not all Chinese people are short! In fact, most of my Chinese family is tall. It depends on where your family comes from. In general, northern Chinese are taller than Southern Chinese. I'm in the back on my tiptoes and you can barely see me!
Oh man I can't wait to go back. I think it might be awhile, though, as I think it would be better for Copeland to be a little older. I am so super thankful that we were able to take this trip, even with the challenges of world travel with a toddler. I think it will be so cool to show him pictures when he's older. I hope that someday he can continue to visit family in Hong Kong and make his own fond memories.
Oh, one last thing: Lindsay asked about the protests and what people had to say. Really no one talked about it to us at all! I made mention a couple times but no one really engaged in discussion. I don't know if that means it isn't as big of a deal to them as it seems to us (kind of like how the Occupy Movement in the US really didn't disrupt a huge portion of cities - at least it didn't disrupt my life at all - but there was so much news coverage) or if it is an even bigger deal and a bit too scary to discuss.
