Hong Kong Weekend
We went up over Hong Kong for the weekend so that Myles & I could get "chopped." It was a fun time, but I really couldn't believe how happy I was to get on the ferry and get back into China. This was probably due to my being soaking wet because it rained the whole time, but Shekou has become our new familiar, someplace I feel comfortable and safe. I miss my family terribly; don't get me wrong. But in some ways this is feeling more and more home-like.
On Saturday we rode the Peak Tram up Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island. I got some nice enough pictures to commemorate it for us, but the pictures on the website are way better if you want to see what Hong Kong looks like from up there. It was pretty cloudy so we could only see as far as the southern end of Kowloon. We couldn't see the ridges beyond that. Myles loved the tram ride best. For days before our trip he talked about it, as a special train that goes up up up the mountain. That was totally worth it.
At the top of the peak are some walking trails and a mall. We were very happy to find a smallbookstall of English language books, most of them of Asian interest. Randy found some more Chinese history books (though he didn't get all the ones he wanted because he has heard of people getting them confiscated at the border) and I got Maugham's Asia stories. I am so disappointed that no one so far has said that my blog posts from here are in the tradition of Maugham (hahahahaha). Myles also got a few books and some Thomas trains, so we all were pretty happy about that.
The next day we went to Hong Kong Disney. I am not really a go-to-Disney type of person. I think I can die happily without ever setting foot in Orlando. I also think my child will not suffer if we never set foot in Orlando. However, the convenience of HK Disney now, and the possibility that this may, in fact, absolve me from any pressure to go to Orlando ever, made this an attractive outing. We had bought into a tour package, which we wish later we hadn't. It took us almost 2 hours by tour bus (and we had to change buses mid-trip) to get to Disney on Lantau from our hotel in Kowloon. It was a 20-30 minute return trip by cab later that afternoon! We ate brunch there, giving Myles the first of many Mickey-shaped foods of the day. We rode the train that circles the entire park twice. We stood in line for only 40 minutes for the Winnie-the-Pooh ride. The other traditional Disney rides, like the tea cup thing and the Dumbo thing, we felt Myles was too little to enjoy. Space Mountain was also out. So after about 4 hours, we were ready to leave, moreso because we were soaked. Myles is too young to understand the meet-n-greets with the characters (many of which were cancelled due to the rain) and the merchandising, so we escaped with him missing these "essentials" without notice. The park is remarakably small (though the guides will defend that by adding that construction continues until 2010 on new areas of the park). Mainlanders who spend a lot of money to get there rarely fail to note that their amusement parks are larger, more exciting, and cheaper. Compared to regular amusement parks in the US that I have been to, it felt smaller than Kennywood in Pittsburgh (because Kennywood might still be smaller in area but has tons more rides), and it was definitely smaller than any 6 Flags I know. Next time we have to go to Hong Kong, we'll probably go to the aquarium or one of the museums instead.
My favorite part of the Disney experience had nothing to do with Disney, really. The park accepts both Hong Kong Dollars and RMB, and I really enjoyed the strange (second) looks we got when we gave RMB to pay for things. One person even asked Randy where he got RMB, like maybe Randy had been tricked into something on the streets or something.
On Saturday we rode the Peak Tram up Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island. I got some nice enough pictures to commemorate it for us, but the pictures on the website are way better if you want to see what Hong Kong looks like from up there. It was pretty cloudy so we could only see as far as the southern end of Kowloon. We couldn't see the ridges beyond that. Myles loved the tram ride best. For days before our trip he talked about it, as a special train that goes up up up the mountain. That was totally worth it.
At the top of the peak are some walking trails and a mall. We were very happy to find a smallbookstall of English language books, most of them of Asian interest. Randy found some more Chinese history books (though he didn't get all the ones he wanted because he has heard of people getting them confiscated at the border) and I got Maugham's Asia stories. I am so disappointed that no one so far has said that my blog posts from here are in the tradition of Maugham (hahahahaha). Myles also got a few books and some Thomas trains, so we all were pretty happy about that.
The next day we went to Hong Kong Disney. I am not really a go-to-Disney type of person. I think I can die happily without ever setting foot in Orlando. I also think my child will not suffer if we never set foot in Orlando. However, the convenience of HK Disney now, and the possibility that this may, in fact, absolve me from any pressure to go to Orlando ever, made this an attractive outing. We had bought into a tour package, which we wish later we hadn't. It took us almost 2 hours by tour bus (and we had to change buses mid-trip) to get to Disney on Lantau from our hotel in Kowloon. It was a 20-30 minute return trip by cab later that afternoon! We ate brunch there, giving Myles the first of many Mickey-shaped foods of the day. We rode the train that circles the entire park twice. We stood in line for only 40 minutes for the Winnie-the-Pooh ride. The other traditional Disney rides, like the tea cup thing and the Dumbo thing, we felt Myles was too little to enjoy. Space Mountain was also out. So after about 4 hours, we were ready to leave, moreso because we were soaked. Myles is too young to understand the meet-n-greets with the characters (many of which were cancelled due to the rain) and the merchandising, so we escaped with him missing these "essentials" without notice. The park is remarakably small (though the guides will defend that by adding that construction continues until 2010 on new areas of the park). Mainlanders who spend a lot of money to get there rarely fail to note that their amusement parks are larger, more exciting, and cheaper. Compared to regular amusement parks in the US that I have been to, it felt smaller than Kennywood in Pittsburgh (because Kennywood might still be smaller in area but has tons more rides), and it was definitely smaller than any 6 Flags I know. Next time we have to go to Hong Kong, we'll probably go to the aquarium or one of the museums instead.
My favorite part of the Disney experience had nothing to do with Disney, really. The park accepts both Hong Kong Dollars and RMB, and I really enjoyed the strange (second) looks we got when we gave RMB to pay for things. One person even asked Randy where he got RMB, like maybe Randy had been tricked into something on the streets or something.
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