Park Island, Ma Wan, Hong Kong

There was a strong typhoon that hit Hong Kong today. It was very windy on Park Island, and the typhoon weather in Hong Kong caused damage across the city. On Park Island the damage was relatively minor. I captured some photos of Hong Kong during a typhoon below: Some minor damage to a plant. Typhoon damage in Kong Kong A tree was blown over at the Ma Wan beach on Park Island. The smell of a freshly collapsed tree is really nice by the way!  A man swimming during a typhoon  A Ma Wan resident decides to go swimming during the typhoon. Probably not such a good idea... Various potted plant were blown over. Heavy rain gets blown across the Park Island estate. The palm trees seem to survive the gale fore winds though :) Waves crash up against the Park Island surf club-house. Not a single lifeguard in sight by the way, despite one brave (stupid?) soul swimming. The effect of a typhoon on beaches Some parts of the beach on Ma Wan were washed away. If you look clo...

Its been a nice summer for people living on Park Island, but I noticed today that when I got into the outdoor pool at Blue Blue, rather than being a nice "Ahhhhhhhh" kind of feeling due to the water having been nicely warmed by the sun, it was more like an "Arrrgggggg" feeling as I realized it was actually a little chilly! Well, maybe chilly is an exaggeration, but you know what I mean. The benefit though was that I did enjoy having a nice steamy sauna afterwards :)

The restaurants on Park Island seem to be doing really well. I noticed that all the popular ones along the beach, both at beach level, and the new Japanese one at the level above the beach have been packed lately. Having spoken to a few of the owners, all are pleasently suprised as the "average spend". Pacific Coffee is also almost always full too. Good to see everyone doing so well. Let's hope Sun Hun Kai do not put up the rent on them all too much when renewals come up!

Where to live in HK? Its a question that is asked by any expat moving to Hong Kong, and indeed also by people already living in HK. When you are first moving HK, you will find everyone has an "opinion". Some will tell you Mid Levels is best, others will tell you Happy Valley is best, and others love Discovery Bay. Park Island, is not as well known as these locations, but as I was having my morning swim today, under the warm sun as it was rising, I thought to myself - "I am SO HAPPY I live here!". As I was swimming, I made a mental list of the top 10 things I like about Park Island: - Good air quality. - Peaceful at night. - No traffic noise. - Great fitness facilities. - Nice clean lobbies, lifts, common areas, and high quality apartment buildings. - Dog friendly (as I like dogs). - Child friendly (great if you have active boys that need outdoors to run around and play). - Surrounded by beaches (I am a "beach person". I love morning and evening beach w...

Some photos below: Mid Aurmn Festival

It was a wonderful weekend on Park Island. I spent it swimming, lying on the beach, and eating and drinking! The weather is just great right now. I ate at the Japanese restaurant on Park Island on Saturday night. I sat at one of the outdoor tables, as the weather was just right, and also because I had two small kids with me who can sometimes make a bit of noise and run around. My ratings are as follows: Service - 6/10. Friendly, and food came quite quickly, but the staff were clearly quite new, got a dish wrong, and some of them spoke poor English. No great problems though, and I think they will improve. Decor - 6/10. Clean, tidy, but not particularly Japanese looking. But not bad either. The owners told me they will be doing some further renovation to improve the look of the restaurant. Food - 8.5/10. I was pleasantly surprised. Much better than I expected, and I will be going back again primarily becaue of the food. Value for money - 7/10. Cost came to $425 for two adults a...

There seem to be more French people moving to Park Island. Has anyone else noticed that? Also more Korean air hostesses are moving here, it seems. If you want to meet some of them, they can be often be seen poolside at Chic Chic on weekends. So, if you want to practice your Korean, or are looking for a Korean friend, girlfriend, or wife, that might be a good place to meet them! Has the gwailo who has joined the old folks doing tai chi in the piazza started a trend? Apparently a second gwailo was spotted joining them last week.  Maybe I should give it a try? The luxury villas are apparently having their current kitchens ripped out and a newer modern kitchen installed. Word is that Sun Hung Kai are going to position these as even more upmarket than they had initially planned, so are now putting in top of the line European kitchens. Around 20 workmen and engineering-looking types were recently seen thoroughly inspecting the structure right next to the new villas. What w...