Monday, December 29
LinksHome
Before we left home, I (stupidly, I admit) promised Emily that we would do Disney twice while we were in Hong Kong. Seemed like an easy promise, especially as we were to be here so long.
Of course now we are nearly at the end of our trip and I still “owe” her one Disney visit, so guess where we went today!!
We got up reasonably early (by vacation standards) and headed out on the train to DisneyLand. The Disney folks really are smart here in Hong Kong. The dedicated subway line is a fabulous and inexpensive way to get there. You can buy your park tickets right at the subway station, too, so you don’t need to stand in line to buy them when you arrive.
As you can see by the photos, it was reasonably warm (about 21 degrees) again today, but overcast, and, yes, rain was in the forecast. But, remember my promise? Disney in the rain it might be!
Actually we had a great time. The last visit we didn’t get to do the jungle boat ride, nor Tarzan’s treehouse, because the lineups were just too long. The girls are okay to do about 20 minutes in line, but any longer and by the time we’re on the ride they either need to pee so bad their eyes are floating (Emily) or their little legs just “can’t stand any longer” (Stephanie). This time, the lines were not too bad for either ride, so we got to do something different. Emily absolutely loved the jungle boat ride, as did Stephanie.
When we got to the Tarzan treehouse, Stephanie chickened out and she and I stayed back and waited for Emily and Danny to return. As you can see by the photos, my “loves to climb” child had a great time in the treehouse.
We stopped and waited to see Aurora’s Christmas Ball. It was a fantastic show with singing and dancing, but crowded. As you can see by the photos, both Danny and I will have sore shoulders and necks for some time to come.
After that it was the teacup ride again. Yes, it still really is fun, I admit it. Danny and I combine arm strength to spin the cup so fast, we nearly eject Stephanie, but that’s part of the fun, right?
We stopped for some lunch after that, and while we were eating, the rain started. We had expected it, so it wasn’t such a bad surprise, but we still wanted to do the merry go round. We went over and waited in line to do that, then negotiated with the kids that we’d best leave soon. They kindly agreed to leave soon in exchange for my promise that they could shop in the gift shop for ONE item each!
Surprisingly, they almost did buy only one item each. They actually chose a starter set of the Disney collector pins and two additional pins each. I bought a few of the Hong Kong specific pins for us to trade with when we go on the Disney cruise in April.
The parade had been cancelled due to the rain, and while it was only drizzling, it showed no signs of stopping, so we called it a day. It was past 4pm by then anyway, so we’d had enough.
Just before leaving, I saw a little girl with these very cool, Minnie Mouse sunglasses. The sunglass parts open outward, as you can see on Stephanie, so they are neat. When you turn them open, they are just clear glasses, then you can close the sunglasses and wear them like that. Okay, so I bought them without being asked, so they don’t really count in my “you’re only allowed to buy one item rule.” My rules, I can break them!
Back on the train we went. You can see my “loves to climb” child hanging from the handholds in the ceiling. Yes, she climbed up there and was swinging, while the train was in motion. A better mother, concerned for her safety, might have stopped her rather than snap a photo, but I digress!
Tonight we hosted a large family dinner. This is our way of saying thanks to all of Danny’s family for their hospitality while we’ve been here. The dinner was at Little Sheep hot pot and it was really very good. They have set meal combos for large groups and the food was as good as the company. Fortunately, we had enough people for two huge tables. The girls and I specifically chose who we sat with us based on their ability to speak English and actually had a wonderful time. Sunila was there again, so she and Emily giggled and played, and even ate some dinner. Stephanie didn’t eat much, but she behaved quite well, so I wasn’t too worried about it.
Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves and the meal. We likely won’t see most of them again tomorrow, and Wednesday we leave for home on a 4:20pm flight, so it was goodbye for lots of them, ‘til next time.
Check out the smiles on my party-booted, happy children, even after several hours in a restaurant. Awesome, eh?
Back to the hotel in a taxi, and some trouble getting them to sleep, but all is well again.
Tomorrow will likely include some last minute shopping, and some packing/re-arranging, but that’s about it. We’ve had a marvelous time here in Hong Kong, and when someone asked Stephanie tonight if she’s ready to go home she got really mad and said “no, I want to stay in Hong Kong FOREVER, but…” wait for it…..“Emily can go home to Canada.” Yup, my loving child wants to ship her sister home and stay here forever.
Family, eh? Can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em.
