Typhoon Lagoon T1

Hong Kong has a number and symbol system for warning of incoming hurricanes. Since last night we have been under a T1 warning which means just wait-and-see. The air felt unsteady for the past day or so and the clouds just rolled over from the mountains this afternoon. Now Hong Kong is misty and damp. Apparently it's going to be like this for the next few days. If the warning gets upgraded to T3 then my little field trip to Sai Kung's Lions Nature Centre gets cancelled tomorrow and I will have to somehow add another day of curriculum. No problem.
After school yesterday I hopped on the MTR and went a couple of stops to Diamond Hill to see the Chi Lin nunnery. On the way there I passed by the Nan Lian Garden and decided to go inside. It is another classical sculpted garden in the style from the Tang Dynasty inside the city with different kinds of trees, rocks, ponds and some buildings. It has a circular pattern and you can only walk in one way and walk out another way! I was struck at how few people there were inside the garden. Visitors were outnumbered by the number of security people. I felt really conspicuous. I don't know why more people don't use it just to hang out or relax. It's not very big, and I don't think it's as nice as the Walled City Park in Kowloon.
Afterwards I went on to the Chi Lin Nunnery and admired the Lotus Pond with lily pads and dragonflies. The nunnery is Buddhist and the part open to visitors was really the main courtyard where you could walk around and peer into the various chambers but could not go inside. I saw some beautiful woodwork and some fantastically scary representations of Buddha's guardians and companions. There was burning incense and piped chanting coming from all around, and offerings of fruits on little glass dishes. A very nice experience.