The Game of Frogger

So, as I made my way once again to run a few errands today I had a revelation as to what walking in Hong Kong reminds me of and thought I'd share a piece of our everyday life. If you know the video game Frogger, you can get a better picture of what it is like. I don't enter this blog to say negative things about Hong Kong, because I truly am liking it here, but I've learned there is an art of getting where you to need to go, on foot - SAFELY.

There are side walks the entire way to whatever destination you should choose. The problem is that they are not continuously on both sides of the street. So, you must devise a plan to move back and forth across the road in order to get to your final destination. However, sometimes there are railings along the sidewalk so you must choose to cross before/after in order to get across quickly. And that is truly a key - QUICKLY. The cars DO NOT SLOW DOWN if you are in the street - because you shouldn't be there! And the roads are so narrow that there is not one foot of space for a pedestrian to be in the road. There are no stop signs, no natural pauses in traffic and there are many, many curves to the road. So, the traffic comes around the corner very fast.

The other little caveat for us coming from the states is that it takes some getting used to looking the appropriate way for the oncoming traffic. I still have to remind myself which way the cars will be coming. Trey has become a master at helping me scout for the exact moment to cross. Trust me, we've stepped out at the WRONG time and they just honk at you and expect you to get out of the way - QUICKLY. :)

Another thing I've learned is that there are many ways to get to the same place. Now that may sound quite obvious, but believe me, the optional routes are anything but obvious. Unless you know someone who knows someone who knows someone...ok, that might be getting a little carried away, but basically you do need something that knows the way to show you. There are sets of stairs (100+ steps) hidden between buildings that we have recently discovered.

I've been carrying the stroller down very steep cement steps to go to the beach each time we've gone. Yesterday, a woman tells me there is a way to avoid steps altogether. I didn't believe her, because I've taken at least three different routes there and they all involve very steep steps. Well, I was wrong... I'm ok with being wrong if it helps me out.

FISH UPDATE
Well, so far so good, all the fish are still with us. The kids keep a pretty close watch on them as they are very worried that something is going to happen to them.