Technological Difficulties

Hey guys, I'm having trouble loading my pictures and videos right now. I'll let you know what I've been up to and then post pictures when I can.

This past week was pretty full. I went to Stanley Market, got my visa for China, spent a few hours at a bar with an interesting mix of characters, took Anika to Disneyland, and went bar hopping last night with Heather, Erik, and two of their friends. The night ended at a small Lebonese restuarant around 12 am...the food was delicious! Today Heather, Erik and I are going to Shenzhen, China. It's just across the border from us but apparently it is a stark contrast to the English-friendly Hong Kong. It'll be fun, especially because we plan to spend most of our time at a spa they've been to before.

I'm heading back to the states on Wednesday, so if I can't get pictures up before I leave I promise to load them when I get home. I can't believe I've already been here almost a month...it feels like only a week has gone by. Sadly, I must leave and find a job at home. (anybody want to hire me?)

Katie

Macau

A few pictures from Macau...

Gotta love those Melver girls!

I thought I should put up some more pictures of Anika and Saskia since they are just so darn cute! On this night Anika, Erik and I were playing Killer Bunnies (which I highly recommend) while Saskia 'helped.' After a while the girls got bored and decided to take all of the shoes out of the shoe drawer by the front door.

This was one night when we decided that brownies would taste delicious. Of course the girls wanted to help Lillian make them. And yes, the kitchen is that small...

This was just having fun with Saskia'a hair. Anika tried to give me a 'do as well.

Races

First, I apologize for taking so long to post my new pictures. I really don't have any excuse besides laziness. Hopefully this will make up for my lack of communication with you guys.

I went to the races last Sunday. The Sha Tin racetrack can hold up to 85,000 people and has a digital screen as long as a 747. I wasn't particularly impressed by the races, but I suppose the only thing I have to compare it to is Del Mar, which is amazing. At Del Mar women get dressed up in their dresses and hats and people arrive in limos sometimes. At Sha Tin the women who were 'dressed up' had on dark pants suits. The only other people there besides the owners were old men. It wasn't as much of a family experience as Del Mar is...and they didn't have snow cones!

I decided to take a free tour of the racetrack that they offered to tourists. I was the only one on the tour. I did get to go to the center of the track to the park there that isn't open on race days. They had some memorabilia left from the Olympics and a practice track that wound through it. I got to take a picture on one of the jumps from the Olympics. There were also tons of horse statues throughout the racetrack from the Olympics that were pretty neat. So there I was, being given a tour by two guides who didn't really say anything most of the time. The younger guide did ask me why I was alone...it wouldn't have bothered me except he wasn't the first person that has mentioned that to me on this trip. First, is it any of his business? No. Second, is it unsafe for me to be wandering around Hong Kong by myself? For the most part, not at all. Third, does a person always need a companion to be happy? Sure, at times during my travels I would have liked some company, but it's not the end of the world. Basically, don't ask me why I am alone unless you are offering to join me!

So, now that that's out of the way, on to the pictures. Most races were on the turf and were run clockwise instead of counter clockwise.

Macau

Hey guys, sorry I haven't posted anything in a few days. I'm headed to Macau today but when I get back I'll update you.
Katie

Saturday

I saw Pygmalian at the theatre with Erik and a bunch of people from the school today. Not much else is going on, the girls are being silly.

I need to take a poll though. I've been thinking of going just over the border to China for a day, but the visa costs $100 US dollars. Is it worth it to go so I can say I've been to China? Apparently you can get really cheap massages there too. Let me know what you think!

Cell Phone

So I did it. I've been thinking about it and shopping, and I finally bought myself a new cell phone. The great thing about cell phones in Hong Kong is that they aren't locked, meaning you can use them with any carrier by just putting in a SIM card. I also got a prepaid SIM card that lets me make calls in Hong Kong for less than a penny a minute, and more for international. The other great thing about my new phone is that almost no one in the US will have the same phone as me...sweet!