Tai O

Tai O is not some form of martial arts but the oldest fishing village on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. After visiting the Big Buddha, we took the bus to Tai O along with lots of other tourist. One of the reasons this small fishing village is a hot spot for tourist is that the houses are built on stilts called Pang uks.  They are all very close together, almost look like they are interconnected, certainly some looked like in need of some major TLC. Back in 2000 there was a fire which destroyed many of the stilted houses and just recently there was another fire about a week ago.

We went on a boat trip around the bay trying to see some Chinese white dolphins (we did not see any), then up and down looking at these amazing houses. Tai O also has the name of Venice of Hong Kong, for people who like eating fish, this paradise.

The specialities in Tai O are salted fish, which you can see hanging in the first photo, then shrimp paste and also salted egg yolks. We walked up and down the small streets looking at all the vendors and their wares, lots of dried fish on offer.

It is definitely worth a visit and combined with the other big attraction the Big Buddha it is a great day out. Lets hope the village houses are rebuilt and the people there can continue their way of life.

Photo of the Week - Zurich Sunset

The week before I headed off to Scotland I was out in Zurich with my friend Natalie, sitting on the promenade enjoying the sun. As the sun started to go down I quickly got my camera and took some shots of the wonderful sunset. Hope you like it too!

Scarecrows Galore!

It has been a while since I last did a post, having just returned from a trip back to Scotland, I thought I would put up a funny post.

On Saturday we went to Anstruther in the East Neuk to meet up with friends of my parents John and Diana Frew. First we had some lunch in a place called The Boathouse and then we had a look around an art exhibition finally we decided to go for a walk on the beach in Elie.

Once there walking only lasted about 5 mins as it was so, so windy and freezing cold that we had to give up and retreat for a coffee.

As you can see the town was having a scarecrow festival, there were around 40 of them all over the place. The idea being you pick the one you liked the best and whomever made it had the chance to win some money.

It certainly was a great idea and there were some great scarecrows to see, we only saw 9 though. Alessio had lots of fun trying to spot them!

Parisian Life Part 1

In Victor Hugo House

Enjoying a quiet moment!

Amazing old door

Getting ready for a performance

Books galore!

Time flies and already is has been a month since I went to Paris with Aimee, it was great weekend. On the Saturday we did lots of walking and after enjoying breakfast in cool cafe we headed to Place des Vosges. It is the oldest planned square in Paris, we walked around the whole square under the arched walkway. There are lots of shops and galleries, it is here that we visited the house and museum of Victor Hugo. It is really a beautiful square to see!

From there we found yourselves heading to the river Seine and to see Notre Dame Cathedral, even though we had both seen this amazing cathedral a few times.

Then we walked in the direction of the book shop Shakespeare & Company, which seems to be quite well know in Paris. It has a selection of used books as well as normal priced ones. it was very busy as you can see in the photo. Apparently there is a sign that says please do not take photos, but everyone was taking photos and it is a great shop, so why not!

We headed up to the Place de la Sorbonne, stopped for food and drink then continued on our way to the wonderful jardin du Luxembourg which I will tell you about in the next post.

A Visit to a Zoo

The trip to Walter Zoo with Alessio and my friend Aimee and her kids Noah and Lily took place on Good Friday which was 29th March. As you can see from one of the photos it was freezing cold, snowing, something that we are used too even now in the middle of April.

Walter zoo is in Gossau near to St.Gallen, we went there with the train and a bus takes you right to the zoo. There are lots of animals to look at and for me I liked to see the Siberian tigers, the first time they were busy eating and then they were having a nap. Tigers are beautiful animals although not sure if they should be kept in small enclosures.

Alessio and Noah enjoyed stroking the goats, I was quite surprised that Alessio wanted to do this, the kids also loved watching the chimpanzees swinging around and two were have a fight together!

There is also a show which runs for about one hour, sort of like a panto but with some animals. It is free but you are asked to give some money for it.

All in all it is a good day out, especially on a sunny day, there are lots of places for grilling and having a picnic.

Photo of the Week - Big Bug

This big fellow was seen while we were walking around Victoria Park in Hong Kong, I can assure you it was big. Not being a fan of insects, we both screamed a little and walked around it, not knowing what it is, we decided it was a grasshopper. More than likely it is not, but anyway glad I do not see big bugs like that in Switzerland!