card one and two

our next door neighbour had these words written on a slip of paper that stayed stuck on her refrigerator for many many years. a frequent visitor to this home, these words had an impact on my life.

the three steps to success:

start strong

keep going

finish well

today, i looked at the pack of WHAT TO DO IN HK WITH KIDS cards, and decided there was no time like the present to begin. and so, i began. (how exciting!) i made plans to take all four kids to the bird market, located in prince edward, kowloon side. this involved a bus ride, the mtr and walking.

the boys quickly determined that they would rather bash each other with their light sabers. the girls however were game, and by this time they had danielle with them. all of them were wearing little headbands. so with my junior flashdancers in tow, we set off.

we stood in line for the 54. at one point, as i was turning to tell carys not to pick up a piece of gum she had dropped, two men jumped the queue. i tapped them and said no, and motioned to behind us, and they laughed. everyone else in line was very cheesed off. anyway, this ended up meaning that the three girls shared the very back seat of the bus (made for two) and i was in the front seat. they were very well behaved and if they occasionally kicked the seat in front of them (conveniently occupied by the queue jumpers) i did not say anything. by the time we got to kennedy town, the bus had thinned out and i had carys on my lap as i sat across from the girls. the driver, thinking that the girls were so easy going at one point wanted to pick up another fare and told her to sit in between the girls! i suggested that was not a good idea.

so, on to the mtr. the girls loved putting the coins in and getting their tickets.

we had six stops until prince edward. it was an uneventful ride. and then we emerged on kowloon side, oriented ourselves, and started walking. the girls were fantastic and focused until we got to the flower markets. and then they were lost. i love it here! let's stay! can we get these flowers? and these ones also? these flowers smell so beautiful!

it took us about 20 minutes to make it to the bird market. our goal was to find a pink bird, and lo and behold, we did find a pink and grey one. there were also toucans, parrots, goldfinches, cockatoos, budgies, and some very pretty birds that i wasn't so familiar with. much to the girl's interest and disgust, bird food - grubs, worms and crickets - was also for sale.

it was fascinating.

the bird market isn't particularly large, and after our stroll, the girls wanted to cross the street and visit the playground. after half an hour there, it was time to head home, via the flower markets.

did i mention that danielle is blonde? of course people thought that i had triplets, and technically, i do. they just don't include her. and, it was too much of a hassle to explain that only two were mine, they weren't twins, so i just went with my familiar, sam-goe. the kids got a lot of attention.

interesting, in the flower markets, the flowers they wanted were roses. for less than $20us we bought 27 beautiful roses of all colours. beautifully scented, tightly wrapped... the girls were thrilled. i made them carry their bundles. they weren't as thrilled with that.

the shops are gearing up for chinese new year, and the girls were impressed with the decorations. we did some window shopping and then, we were at the mtr. once inside, we went to 7-11, where i bought iced lemon teas and mentos for us all, and then we caught the train home.

there was no sitting room, so i told the girls to sit on the floor, and hold on to the pole. they eagerly dropped to the ground, and would have sat with their legs outstretched, propped against the pole if it wasn't so inconvenient for the rest of their fellow riders.

it was a great day and they will sleep well tonight.

and i realised, i have TWO cards down, three actually: goldfish market, flower market and bird market. this deck of cards is diminishing rapidly.

until magnificent posts pix, here is a link to the hktb website:

http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/attractions/kln-bird-flower-goldfish-market.html

Comments

[Charles]

Fantastic and focused... I wonder why... hmmm, could it be the lollies that I spotted in the pictures while posting?

[Dad aka GDad Blake]

Great pictures!
Love to all....Dad

[JoeInVegas]

Please, continue on with the cards, and enjoy more new things with the kids. (and share with us too)

[Mo aka Maureen aka Grandmother aka Mum]

LOVED the blog. Please don't stop. Keep the pictures and stories coming. Thank you!!

Love, M xox

[knobody]

four gorgeous gals in pink (if you count the galah). i'm fairly certain that if i ever go to hk, m won't let me go to the bird market. i think the quarantine laws would keep me safe, but he wouldn't be too sure.

[lyns]

I saw that deck of cards one time and almost bought it and then didn't deciding to wait until the kiddos were a little older and able to enjoy it....then we left HK...I still wish I had bought that deck it sounded like so much fun! Kung Hai Fat Chouy! Missing you! XO LYns

[Boulder]

I'm so glad you got out & explored with your new cards as an impetus! Yay for going to different places!

I cannot believe the orchids, and the birds. I just know I'd be there all day smelling every flower and taking a million pictures.

Love it when you share these HK perspectives!!!