4 in the Pearl: Day Two!

Day two of Chinese New Year: We were up and at 'em skyping the family back home looking forward to the day early in the morning. At about 11:00 am is when I heard the drums and cymbals sounding and I knew there was a Lion Dance going on somewhere. I was not going to have two days in a row of let down so I was on a mission. Following the sound I kept walking and walking. As the sound of the drums got louder I still couldn't see where it was coming from but there was a road leading up the side of a small mountain that seemed promising so I followed. Halfway up the mountain I knew it was only a little further. That's when I came around the corner to find a tall archway supporting two large and rusty gaits wide open daring me to go in. I'm sure the Chinese writing on the two pillars were not "Please, Come in" signs but I did anyway. There, lined nicely in a row, where small buildings holding the shrines of ancestors. The single red light above each shrine and the candles burning slowly below added an eerie touch to the whole atmosphere as the Lion and drums worked to scare away the evil spirits. Quite the cultural experience indeed...Success!...We then decided to spend the afternoon at the Festival Walk Mall in Kowloon Tong. Of course we made our two favorite stops, the bookstore PageOne and number one on the list, The temple. Today we just walked around but the temple is always beautiful...As for the rest of the day, I regret to inform you that we didn't stay to the fireworks show. We made a responsible, adult decision, and got out while we still could. It was hard, but with rain and a tired baby it would have been rough shuffling through thousands of spectators trying to make it back to our quiet village, but as Maleah's friend Strawberry Shortcake says, "It's the journey that makes the trip worth while."