Our ability to get to town and back has given us freedom and comfort. We push the boundaries and venture off of Hong Kong Island first to Kowloon then on to Mong Kok for the market areas. The aromas change by the second. First we visit the goldfish market and in a moment of strangeness I support a motion for fish for our apartment. I don't want the kids to have me pegged as always the voice of reason- I am breaking out. Surely one of the hotel staff will take them when we go? Compared to Oceania things are so cheap here (other than housing). We get a bag of 15 fish and a small aquarium with gravel, food and a shipwreck for like $15 USD. The girls totally enchant the Chinese. It seems to be focused around their eyes and coloring and there are daily requests for photos shoots. The kids get a big kick out of it. The Chinese are SO polite and SO nice. The elderly have the flat affect of Mao days but it turns in an instant to a soft warmness when you meet their eyes. The younger generation is animated and western-ish. There are conversations on TV and print about how the newer generation here in Hong Kong is moving from tradition and causing a bit of a stir.

We are starting to gain a trust in our environment. When we are lost or unclear there is always someone supernice and willing to help. If an elder does not understand us someone younger jumps in and intervenes. The Chinese kids are SO well behaved- they just stand in one place on the MTR and walk with their parents. My kids have ants in their pants and are so taken with the fact that the MTR overhead handles are hung low enough to be accessed that they swing on them like monkey bars. No one seems to be annoyed but rather glow with a kind of admiration for their spirit. The Chinese remind me of the Spanish with their respect for the kids. If I can solve my bed/back problem I will be 100%.