A bunny good time

Easter weekend! Here in Hong Kong, Good Friday (a public holiday here) followed Ching Ming Festival (April 5), so combined with Easter Monday (also a public holiday), HK was treated to a rare 5-day consecutive holiday. As millions flew/trained/bused/ferried out of the SAR, we decided to kick back and explore the places we haven't yet seen here.

On Friday we went on the Hong Kong Pink Dolphin Watch. Our fairly large boat cruised west towards Macau and Zhuhai for 3 hours, as we all strained our eyes towards the horizon to spot these rare creatures. Although it was very hazy and foggy (still don't know if this common HK air is due to the pollution or the intense humidity in the air, must be both), we did manage to spot quite a few dolphins. And pink they are!

According to their website, the reason why they're pink is because they're blushing. "All cetaceans are warm- blooded, meaning they regulate their own body temperatures. When they create excess heat from exercise, such as chasing fish, they flush blood to the outer layers of their skin, to get the heat from their body core out beyond the insulating layer of blubber, so that the heat can disperse to the water. This "blushing" makes them look pink."

Saturday, we took the ferry over to Peng Chau island (translates literally to "flat small island"), just a little over a 10 minute journey. After feasting on Macaunese food and sangria, we staggered up to the highest peak on the tiny island: Finger Hill. All of 95 metres high, it provided a good view of Discovery Bay and HK Island.

We wandered back 'the long way round' through little communities and alleyways. It seems many residents are particularly superstitious and adorn their entrances with statues and incense and other good luck paraphenelia to ensure maximum feng shui vibe.

Back in the plaza at Discovery Bay, all the kiddies were having a great Easter day with face painting, magicians, mini-sumo wrestling (see pic), and the highlight: an easter egg hunt on the beach.

We went to a hot yoga session today at Pure Yoga at the swank Peninsula Hotel. It was a great stretch, but i don't think i'm such a fan of having such copious amounts of smelly sweat pouring out of me. Luckily i'm still unable to breathe properly from my nose due to a mini cold i had earlier in the week; Matt tells me he couldn't, for the life of him, inhale "deep luxurious breaths" like the instructor was saying.

Back to University it is for me tomorrow. I'm ready to get serious and work hard this month... only a few weeks to go before classes are all over, and then only a few assignments and projects to focus on before SCHOOL'S OUT!

FYI: For those who are passing through brilliant Hong Kong, here's a good writeup called 36 Hours in Hong Kong in the New York Times. Click on the "Slideshow" link and you'll see some fantastic shots of the city, taken by a friend of ours, Tim O'Rourke, a freelance photographer and fellow Ultimate Frisbee player.