The Alley Behind Our Apartment Building.

I mentioned that we've lived in Kowloon City for the past two years. While our apartment building was brand new and we were the first people to live in our flat, as soon as you walked out of the front door of our building, you realized that you were not living in a lovely modern bubble anymore, but you were indeed living in a very cultural area of Hong Kong. This alley which is the back of our building, and which we frequently used to cut through to avoid pedestrians on the main sidewalk, depicts how very local Kowloon City and our area actually is. And I love that. 

Moving Out Of Kowloon City.

Today we move out of what has been home for the past two years. We have loved living in Kowloon City and we will miss the relationships we have built with our neighbors and the shop owners in our community. There is the grocery store on the corner with the two friendly ladies that ring us up and bag our groceries for us. The local bakery that gives us free coconut buns and tuna buns and always has a big smile, hugs, and hello for the kids. The spa that I love to go to on a weekly basis for a relaxing massage after walking all over the streets of Hong Kong. We will miss the Thai restaurant on our block that knows our order as soon as we walk through the front door. It has been a fun two years of cultivating these special relationships. 

We chose to live in Kowloon City because it was within walking distance to my husband's place of employment. It's not typically an expat community, and we have loved the local feel we get walking around on the streets. Going from living in a small southern town in the United States to living in a metropolis with sky rises and millions of people crammed into tight spaces, Kowloon City was the perfect spot for us that offered the small town charm of knowing each other. My kids were safe walking around on their own, because everyone looked out for them and knew them. 

Thank you, Kowloon City for giving us such a wonderful home in Hong Kong.

Thai New Year (Songkran Festival).

Unlike last year, when we were surprised by the Songkran Festival in Kowloon City, this year we were prepared. We purchased hefty water guns for the kids and three bottles of baby powder to share with strangers and other festival goers. We watched the parade through the streets and participated in the water throwing and baby powder face painting!!!

Songkran Festival is the traditional Thai New Year and since Kowloon City is known as Little Thailand in Hong Kong, the festival was held in this particular area on a Sunday afternoon.

Searching For Doughnuts.

Still on that search for a perfect doughnut in Hong Kong... anything tasty will do, but we have yet to find what we're looking for. We were eating brunch at Stone Houses Cafe and the server suggested we try A1 Bakery. There we found doughnuts, but they were still not exactly what we had in mind. They were pretty to look at though! 

Pictures In The Kowloon Walled City Park.

I really wanted to take family pictures to commemorate our time here in Hong Kong, but after inquiring what photographers charge to take pictures, I could not bring myself to pay five hundred USD for a product that my husband and I would not be satisfied with. So I decided to take my children to the Kowloon Walled City Park and try my own had at photographing them. 

Sunday Brunch Date.

On a walk to the park, my husband and kids discovered a new Western cafe close to our house in Kowloon Tong and Kowloon City. It is called the Stone Cafe Houses with the cutest atmosphere and scenic setting. On a Sunday that our kids were making up their Taekwondo lesson, my husband and I got to spend some time together staring at each other across from our cups of coffee and eating our eggs.   

A Day Of Coffee Shops.

We had made plans for an exciting Hong Kong weekend adventure and then it rained all weekend, thus causing us to change our plans to accommodate the weather! So I decided it was time to explore Hong Kong's coffee shops on the Kowloon side. 

We started our morning off in Kowloon City at Glady's Estate Coffee. The coffee was decent, the price was high, and when they refused to take my $500 HKD bill for our $200 HKD tab because they didn't have enough change in their register, I wrote them off. I ended up walking two shops down to a bakery and purchasing $14 HKD worth of doughnuts where the shop owner didn't blink twice when I handed her my $500 HKD bill. I then had to go back to Glady's to settle up our bill. 

The second shop we visited was Knockbox Coffee Company in Mong Kok. I had read really good reviews on them, and we were not disappointed. Their pastries were delicious, and the hot chocolate was a hit for all of us. My husband is eating a vegan diet at the moment, and he was able to order something to accommodate his needs as well.  

We ended our coffee shop tour in Jordan, walking down Parke Street looking for Kava. Unfortunately it had closed down already. After calling a friend of ours that lives on that street and confirming that it had been turned into a Korean restaurant, we decided to call our adventure quits. We were wet and tired from walking through the puddles. We opted for a movie at home!!!

Hairy Crab Party.

With the season for hairy crabs coming to an end, we knew we had to seize the moment and go ahead and purchase some crabs to get the full experience. On the street next to the wet market in Kowloon City, there are shops after shops selling the hairy crabs. We randomly picked one shop that had a couple cases of crabs tied up with reeds and had the shop keeper give us specific instructions for how to steam them at home. The shop keeper threw in some fresh ginger, a couple bottles of sweetened vinegar, and a handful of aromatic leaves. The fresh ginger and leaves were deposited into the boiling water, and the crabs placed in the steamer. Twenty minutes later, the crabs had changed to their bright red color, and were ready to be consumed. It was an interesting food experience, and we concluded that it's a lot of work with not much reward. There was not much meet or roe in the crabs we ate. The crabs are pretty pricey, at over $100 HKD or $13 USD a crab.

Congee Fun For Our Family.

The Southerners in the United States have grits, the Northerners in the United States have cream of wheat, those from the Philippines have aroz caldo, and here in Hong Kong the Chinese have congee. While my daughter was in the hospital, every morning she was served this rice cereal and she would enthusiastically wolf it down. 

Congee is a rice porridge or gruel that is pretty bland, unless other flavorings are added to it. As you can tell from the menu in English, pig stomach, kidney, and other interesting animal parts can be added to flavor your congee dish. We chose the sweet corn porridge and the sliced fish dish to which we added spring onions and roasted salted peanuts to. We also ordered some fried dough sticks which the kids dipped into their congee.    

Every member in our family, except for my son, is a fan of this rice porridge. 

Korean BBQ In Kowloon City.

Kowloon City is known for it's Thai restaurants, and Korean barbecue is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. However, my husband discovered a great Korean barbecue restaurant in Kowloon City and while he was away for work this week, the kids and I tried it out. 

Parade In Kowloon City.

We were in Kowloon City on a Saturday morning, when we heard the beat of drums signifying a dragon dance was happening. We figured we would check it out, and to our complete surprise, there was a parade walking down the main road. 

I'm not sure what the occasion of the parade was for, but it was a nice experience for our family. I do know there is something going on where people are burning more sacred paper off of their balconies and in the streets. I'm not sure if this parade was related to this or not.

We watched the people of the parade make a pit stop into the corner 7-11 convenience store for drinks and snacks.  We then followed the parade as it walked up and down the streets of Kowloon City. 

A Random Sunday Morning With Monks.

We were walking through Kowloon City on a Sunday morning, when we came up on this sight. I'm still not sure what it means. 

People were lined up next to the 7-11 convenience store. Everyone was barefoot and they were kneeling on the ground. Mats were laid out in front of them, but they were not leaning on the mats, instead there were plastic baskets placed on the mat with items like soap and shampoo placed in the baskets. 

The monks would come down the line and the people would bow and then stand and place the items from their plastic basket in the pot that the monk was holding. Then the people would bow again and assume the kneeling position with hands still folded in front of them.

Kowloon City Wet Market - Public Library.

Hong Kong has an amazing public library system. On the third level of the Kowloon City wet market is the Kowloon City public library. The library is very similar to the libraries in the United States. They have a great section for children, with special reading nooks. My kids love going to the public library and checking out books. I love that the books come in both English and Chinese.