3 Accomplishments and 2 Goals

Happy Friday! I'm jumping into the Friday Five 2.0 Linkup with Lacey and Meranda and Rachel and talking goals and resolutions today.

Before I can set goals for a new year (which I do not always do), I like to reflect on the previous year ---> what did I do? what did I achieve?

1. I ran over 200 miles! Almost all of them on my Wave Sky (affiliate). For someone who had a meniscectomy and has very little cartilage remaining in one knee, this is a BIG deal. And when I see that the previous year (which I will now call the year of the cranky knee) I only ran 29.25 miles, I'm so happy that I figured out a way to bring running back into my life.

2. I ran THREE races (recaps here, here and here)! As soon as I was able to run 5Ks on my own and after joining a night running group, I started seriously looking for races. Finding 5Ks in Hong Kong with a relatively flat, road course was harder than I expected ---> many are on trails with rocky downhill terrain.

I love seeing the smile on my face!

3. I tried new things: SUP racing, archery, GRIT ---> loved them all! Archery was a fun group activity to do. SUP racing was the most exciting and seriously hard work to go just 500 meters out and back. I'd love to do it again. GRIT has become my favorite workout class. I love the cardio and strength combo.

EXTRA:  I'm pretty proud of the variety I kept in my workouts. Running, hiking, yoga, SUP, Bodypump, Bodystep, GRIT, strength training, HIIT workouts, sprints. I have my favorites, but I was open to doing any and all types of workouts in 2017.

So, my goals for 2018 are pretty simple.

4. Be happy where I am. I'm going to continue to do what feels right and good on any given day. I'm going to run when I feel like it, not to meet a schedule. I will accept what I can do today, not worry about what I did in the past.

5. Keep moving. No matter what, I want to stay active. I love getting out and doing things. I will keep doing the things I love, but I will also keep trying new things. Anything that comes my way.

What accomplishment are you most proud of from 2017?
What are your goals and/or resolutions for the new year?

Hiking: Dragon's Back (Family Edition)

I've hiked Dragon's Back, aka Hong Kong Trail stage 8, a few times and it never gets old. This time was my favorite though because it was a family affair. It's been so fun having middleC and littleC in Hong Kong hiking with us. I think I'm going to feel a bit lost when they leave.

Super windy on the top!

Since they have been enjoying the hiking (see previous hikes here and here), we wanted to make sure that they did the most popular hike in Hong Kong. This was my first time acting as hike leader on a big hike. All the other times I tagged along and followed the group. With the kids in town, my knowledge of Hong Kong has really been put to the test and I'm happy to say that I'm doing pretty good so far.

To give you an idea, here's what it took to get to the start of the trail:

We took the ferry from Discovery Bay ( on Lantau Island where we live) to Central (on Hong Kong Island) ---> took the MTR to Shau Kei Wan ---> caught bus #9 toward Shek O to the To Tei Wan stop.

Once we hit the trail head, all we had to do was follow the signs. This meant I had a break from leading until lunch at the end.

This hike was the perfect choice to increase both length and difficulty for our visiting hikers. It has the great views of the trails rated difficult, but with a much more moderate climb. A lot of the hike was on dirt trail which was kind on the legs and feet.

Reaching the 284 meter peak was semi-quick. We did climb a section of pretty steep steps, but with a few breaks they were quite manageable.

And after every section of climbing, we were greeted with amazing views over the Shek O Bay area. These were great spots to take a rest ---> and lots of people had the same idea. The trail was very crowded the day we hiked.

After reaching Shek O Peak, the undulating ridge top that is the trail's namesake begins. Steps have been built in to make the descents as easy as possible.

It felt really good to make it to the end of the trail. This hike was about 8km long and took us just over 2.25 hours to get to Big Wave Bay. The Hong Kong Enjoy Hiking website, rates Dragon's Back as very difficult, but we think that is a bit harsh. Using their own grading reference system, we think it should be labeled moderate. It's definitely a great choice for people who are ready to take on a little more challenging hike.

We checked out the beach at Big Wave Bay and used the convenient facilities there before hopping on the bus to Shek O for lunch.

What activity does your family like to do together?

I'm linking up with Deb for the Wednesday Word - CHOICE!

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Our First Family Christmas in Hong Kong (plus Weekly Wrap)

We were so happy that it wouldn't just be the two of us for Christmas again this year. Having two out of three kids here with us in Hong Kong is just about the best gift ever ---> if only oldestC could have more time off work.

Planning for Christmas in tropical Hong Kong was obviously different than we are used to (like having a tiny tree), but it was fun being able to do things that we probably wouldn't do back home.

We kicked off the festivities with a Christmas Eve hike on the Lookout Loop trail. We thought middleC might be feeling tired on his first morning in Hong Kong, but he looked as if he hadn't traveled 10 time zones at all. And littleC was finally getting over her bad case of jet lag. Lucky for us it was a popular morning to hike and a nice man helped us with a Santa hat photo on the top.

Later, since the weather was just spectacular, the kids took our iSUP boards out for a paddle. The water was cold, but a calm bay was too much to resist. mrC and I took our turn too, and it was really, really nice to be out on the boards in December.

We loved having the kids with us for Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. It was super crowded (that will happen when you normally have four mass times), but we found seats and enjoyed the joyful service.

After opening presents on Christmas morning, we had a big breakfast with pumpkin pancakes ---> I saved the Trader Joe's mix just for this occasion. Wrong season, but totally delicious! We FaceTimed with our family back in the US and enjoyed a lazy afternoon. For dinner, we went with some friends and their kids to Cucina. This restaurant was the perfect place for Christmas dinner. They put party hats on the table (more like New Year's Eve style, but what the heck, it was Christmas!) that added a fun and festive vibe to the evening. Nothing could beat the amazing views of Victoria Harbour though.

mrC and I were thrilled to give the kids a surprise gift to Disneyland Hong Kong! Neither had been to Disneyland before (and often teased their dad about it) and since we live so close to the park, it just seemed like a great time to get them there. Finally! I have to admit, I'm not a big Disney theme park person, but we had a TON of fun. If you're ever in HK, you should definitely go. (We did wait until two days after Christmas though, because the day after Christmas is a public holiday in Hong Kong.)

That's how we celebrated our first family Christmas in Hong Kong!

Here's my Weekly Wrap and I'm linking up with Tricia and Holly:

Monday - Christmas Day!

Tuesday - Took the kids on the tram up to Victoria Peak to catch the views over Hong Kong (evidence below).

Wednesday - Big day at Disneyland.

Thursday - Dragon's Back hike (post coming soon)

Friday - Bodypump and beach time, again!

Saturday - Tiger's Head hike (post coming soon)

Sunday - Church, shopping markets and Pier 3 Bar New Year's Eve Party to watch the fireworks over Victoria Harbour ---> it was cold but super fun!

At the Peak!

For fun, I'm sharing this Never Have I Ever from Run to the Finish! (directions: you get 1 point for each thing you have done)

What was your score? Mine was 11

Happy New Year! 

We're All About Fitmas Here in Hong Kong!

With two of the kids now visiting us in Hong Kong, it's been hard to find time to blog. We've celebrated Christmas and have been filling the days with all the typical tourist stops and tons of fitness activities too.

Before her brother arrived on Christmas Eve eve, we took littleC on a couple of hikes. We started her off on the short but intense Discovery Bay Lookout Loop. She did amazing considering that she and I had actually gone to Bodypump class in the morning, so we were hiking on tired legs. On top of that she was suffering from a bad case of jet lag.

Still we made our way up the 733 steps to enjoy the amazing views of DB. It is so much nicer hiking in the cooler temps this winter. It's basically perfect.

The next day we hiked with one of my DB friends on the South Lantau Country Trail to Mui Wo. This hike was much longer but way easier than the day before. We had fun hunting for waterfalls (we only found a few small trickles) and soaking in the views of the China Sea. In Mui Wo, we met up with another friend and her family for a fun lunch at The Kitchen.

We were back for more Bodypump on Friday morning ---> it's a lot more fun to be there with littleC to chat with between tracks. And I love have someone to walk to and from class with.

We met up with some friends on Friday night and littleC had her first late night in Hong Kong hanging out in Lan Kwai Fong with some other expats. We took her to the Ladie's Market in Mong Kok on Saturday for some shopping. The vendors were a little late getting opened up, but we found some good deals.

I'll end this post with one of my new favorite photos. I think you'll understand why.

I hope to post again soon, but in case I'm late, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery

We picked up littleC at the Hong Kong International Airport on Monday evening. After only 4 hours of sleep, she was ready to take on Hong Kong the next morning. We headed to town to join the AWA group tour of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery.

Finding Buddhas in Hong Kong is not surprising, but seeing more than 10,000 in one place is quite impressive. To get to the monastery (this term is used lightly, as there are no actual monks living here), we had to walk a path known for monkeys hanging around (we didn't see any) and then climb about 430 steps completely lined on both sides with golden buddhas.

These buddhas all had very different facial expressions meant to demonstrate the various states of enlightenment.

The monastery was spread out over two levels. To get all the steps out of the way, we went right to the top level. We saw some of the most beautiful temples (there are five in total). I loved the colors in this one.

The different buddha statues continued. It was fun trying to figure out the significance of what they were holding.

The reclining buddha was a big hit. His toes were so big, I kept counting to make sure there were only ten.

The ivory white Kwun Yam statue riding a dragon was a stunning find in the farthest corner of the upper level. With a waterfall behind her, she seemed to be looking over the other buddhas and the village of Shatin far below.

On the main level of the monastery we found the nine story pagoda that is featured on some $100HKD bills. Rumor has it that you can climb up for great views, but it was closed when we were there.

On this level there were several pavilions, more and more buddhas and the main temple with more than 10,000 buddhas inside (no photos or video were allowed inside).

This place was just so interesting! We might have rushed a bit because winter temperatures have arrived in Hong Kong and we were really cold.