One of the perks of being in Hong Kong for an extended period this time were the opportunities Bridgette got to cultivate new friendships. She attended 2 sleepover parties and a number of playdates with Brianne’s closest friends from school and really bonded well with them.
Through the Worldschoolers group on Facebook (thank you social media!!), I also got in touch with the Kemps, a worldschooling family that happened to be in Hong Kong the same time as us. We set up a play date during our first week there, and totally hit it off immediately. In fact, by the time we left Hong Kong, Bridgette and Ruby had become the best of friends already. What a blessing! While in Hong Kong, we would meet up about once a week, and did fun things like karaoke, ice skating, hiking, and sleepovers. Alan and I are so inspired by their lifestyle, which you can read about on their blog, and we’re really hoping to be able to become a worldschooling family one day…
Over one of our December weekends in Hong Kong, we packed our bags and had a 2 night staycation in Discovery Bay with our family. Though it was just a 30 minute car ride from my sister’s house, it really felt like we were far, far away from the holiday hustle and bustle of Hong Kong.
EpicLand in Discovery Bay is one place that I would highly recommend for families visiting Hong Kong. They have a really cool obstacle course that’s challenging (and fun) for both adults and children. Because we went on a weekday morning, there were no crowds and the kids spent a good 4 hours playing there. Even my parents tried the rock climbing wall and obstacle course!
There’s a pier in Discovery Bay with lots of waterfront restaurants, but our favorite one was Zaks. There’s also a beach by the pier for those who want some sand and water action, but we decided to go off the beaten path a bit and explored the unattended beach by our hotel. Sadly, that beachfront was full of trash (why can’t people do their own part in caring for this earth?!?!) but the kids found a small lagoon on the side where they played for hours.
Our Christmas was very low-key, which was just what we wanted. We opened gifts on Christmas Eve and had a lovely seafood dinner at our church. On Christmas day, we worshiped at church and watched a wonderful Christmas production that Brianne was a part of. In the evening we had a delicious hotpot dinner with a few of my cousins and their family, at Megan’s Kitchen.
Part III. coming tomorrow!
