Biking with Gary

Hello Most Amazing People,

The weather is cooler now.  Plus 20ish and the Hong Kongers have their parkas on and the poor dogs are wearing boots and coats. Let them be dogs for crying out loud!  I on the other hand meander around outside at my complex in flip flops, shorts, and a tee shirt much to the bemusement and wonder of my Chinese friends.  Plus 21 is Alberta summer weather.  The weather is also great for biking and my friend Gary,( who is well into his 60's yet he can not only keep up with me on a bike, but more often than not passes me) joins me often on my travels in the biker friendly world of Shatin.  Biking I find needs to be done early in the morn because by noon time the trails are filled with , helmetless Chinese bikers, who wobble along at excrutiatingly slow speeds.  Not good for my nerves.  People here also don't seem to have any concept that bike trails are for biking not hiking and I have nearly plowed, many a time, pedestrians suddenly traversing the bike trails oblivious to the dangers of swiftly moving bikes.  Uggggh!  Nevertheless there are some good views along the trails, banyan trees and lovely views of the sea.

The other day Gary and I rode out to a jetty that is popular with several hardy souls who go swimming in the ocean from there (year round!).  Hong Kong has the highest life expectancy rate in the world for women and the men are not too far off.  And it is pretty obvious why.  Old people are constantly exercising and socializing with one another while doing their activities.  Tai Chi, badminton, walking, running, and swimming they are always out and about. So on January 18 Gary and I swam and nearly froze to death due to lack of wet suit with some old timers.  It was great fun once my body numbed to a point where I could not feel the pain of the cold waters.  Afterwards we fortified ourselves with a man's breakfast of eggs, bread and a variety of meat at a quaint and rugged outdoor cafe.  Lovely.  Yeah I think I will try to stay as long as I can in Hong Kong.  Freezing at minus 30 in Canada during January or freezing while swimming in the ocean in January in Hong Kong.  I choose the latter.

God bless you all.  Have a great week.  Love adios and peng on!

Dirk      

End of the bike path.

 An overpass over a busy road with a bike lane.

A few bikes.

 Stay off the bike paths!

 Oblivious to oncoming bikers.  Helmet?

 Under the banyan trees.

 Lovely.

 A styling Chinese biker.

 Gary before plunging in.

 Swim buddy.

 Pugs with their owners enjoying breakfast.

 Arnold Schwarzenegger.

 Gary and I at the quaint, rugged outdoor cafe.

A breakfast for men.