Making a splash

Mrs. Blog and I enjoyed a leisurely walk through Victoria Park this afternoon, soaking up some Sunday sunshine on my last day before I start my new job. Our destination was a small pond in a corner of the park--surrounded today by strollers and picnickers--designated for… racing remote-controlled boats.

And not graceful sailboats, either. Souped-up powerboats that zip around the course so fast they toss a spray of water onto giggling passers-by. At one point there were five guys with boats there, but because they were always taking them out to fine tune (or repair), only two craft were ever in the water at the same time.

I told you they were fast. And I told you they had to be fixed a lot… like that boat that suddenly stopped running at the end of the video. That led to this:

Rescue mission.

And while he was fixing his boat, another racer showed up with something a bit slower, but definitely showier. Note the helicopter on the aft deck, complete with spinning rotors:

Note to readers: A remote-controlled aircraft carrier or battleship would make a great birthday present. Just saying'.

Oh, the places I've been

Good morning, Readers of the Blog. You have no doubt noticed yet another gap in my writing in this space. That's because Mrs. Blog and I pulled up stakes (i.e., checked out of our hotel in Abu Dhabi) and left the Big Sand for the Big City.

I'm typing this in Hong Kong. Specifically, in a serviced apartment in a neighborhood called Causeway Bay. Outside is a sea of people and neon, and I love it.

We're going to the sheep restaurant because it has such a great sign.

But it was a winding road to get here, people. From the 'Dhabs, we made a four-day trip to Beirut--an amazing, cosmopolitan place in which bulletholes and RPG-riddled buildings share streets with upscale boutiques and bars. Then it was back on tourist visas to Abu Dhabi for a couple of days. Then it was Doha for a half-day (nice museum, terrible taxi service, frustrating airport), then Hong Kong for the Chinese New Year.

Boom. (photo courtesy Mrs. Blog)

And THEN we went to New Zealand for two weeks for a much-delayed honeymoon. We visited some dear friends, I jumped off a bridge, we cruised through an unspoiled fjord that looked straight out of a Peter Jackson movie, we hiked up to a glacier face, we kayaked in the waters of the Tasman Sea, we rode a jetboat.

For those of you keeping score, the day we arrived in New Zealand we had been to five countries in a week. That's a personal record that I don't think I'll ever break.

Now we're settling down to the business of starting work and finding an apartment. We spent nearly eight hours pounding the pavement with a property agent yesterday, and although we arrived home with achy feet, our heads were also full of plans, dreams and furniture layouts.

We might be staying in one place for a bit, but the adventure continues.