Cats

Just worked out that Sachi prefers her meat ham, and it must be Parma. Hmmm.

All good things must come to an end

Hard to believe they were here 10 days - the house will be quiet without them.

This morning we agreed to skip church seeing it was their holiday and we did make them go last week :-)

Instead we headed out in the mini again (it really is kind of squashed with four of us!) and meandered our way down to Stanley Market.  Last dollars were burning holes in pockets so shopping was the order of the day.  The suitcases had already been packed (we had to lend them one of ours to get all their stuff home again....) so I was trying hard to keep the purchases small knowing I was going to have to find a place to squeeze them in.  Braden bought himself a remote controlled helicopter and a red paper lantern.  Jordan was taken with the digital alarm clocks in neon colours.  I'm not at all convinced he needs an alarm clock - he seems to wake up quite early enough! - but he is now the proud owner of one.

We came back home to drop off the car and pick up the bags before heading by taxi into the airport express station where we could check in early for the flight.  We used the first class check in line as I had my frequent flyer card with me - the loud announcements the boys were making to the rest of the line 'but we are only travelling economy' probably did not win us any friends, but it saved us a long line up in the economy queue :-).  We checked in the bags and got boarding passes before heading off to Kowloon to prepare for Rugby mania.

Now really I am not convinced we have two rugby lovers.  One for sure.... but the other one cannot sit still for 80 minutes and I am sure he missed most of the highlights both last week and this!  Talk about a wriggle worm!

Waiting for kick off

The big outdoor screen (singing the National Anthem)

There was however much whooping with delight when we managed to hold on to that one point lead - and Jordan was super excited to watch the cup being handed to his illustrious team captain.

We headed out to the airport at about 7pm on the 25 minute express train.  8pm was the designated time for handing our charges over to the nice Cathay Pacific lady so a few minutes of very last minute shopping had the final dollars spent on Lego Miniatures.  There sure is a shared obsession with Lego going on there.... and then they were gone.  Home is very quiet.  The cats don't know what to think.  I'm sure they will quickly adjust!

Sharkey 1 and Sharkey 2 waiting to Board

Bye boys!  Come back soon!

Sonia

Do you think Miyako will miss them?

Saturdays are busy days in Hong Kong.  Most of the population of 7 million people are off work, and as apartments are small, most of them head out to the malls and tourist attractions.   We decided that after a busy week we could take it easy and not join the millions on the street.

We jumped in the car rather than using public transport and ran a couple of errands before heading to Times Square for Dim Sum lunch.  Braden ordered chicken feet.  He did not get very far through them on his own :-).  Jordan is a prawn fan - anything prawn based was his pick.  We made them eat veges.  They thought we were mean.  Oh dear, how sad....

We then did a little bit of shopping at Times Square before heading home.  The boys had a computer game marathon session from 3 until 6 - guess that is their computer time used up for a week!  We bbq'ed on our little deck for dinner and then settled in to watch a movie (Johnny English) while nibbling popcorn.

So not so much to write about today.  But do you think the cats will miss them?

Meow

Meooooow

MEEEEOOOOOWWWWWW

Ngong Ping 360

Today we really needed a slower start after some full on days of fun, so we took it easy and did not leave the house until about 11am.  We headed down the hill to catch the bus into town and connect up with the train to the gondola at Ngong Ping.  Early lunch was a local picnic  (more Cafe de Coral) eaten by the fountain at IFC Mall before heading off on our adventure.

Ngong Ping 360 is a huge 5.7 kilometer cable car that takes about 25 minutes to whip you up to the Monastery and Giant Buddha on Lantau Island.  The ride was spectacular even though today was quite polluted.  On the way back down we were in a glass bottomed gondola - freaky for those of us who aren't so great with heights!

Section down to the mainland

Over the hills and far away...

Believe it or not... that blip under the left hand cable is the
Buddha - it really is huge and dominates the skyline as
you get closed

Giant Buddha

I convinced the boys I was too old to climb the stairs to get a closer look, but they were keen so off they went

At the bottom of the stairs up to the Buddha

We were not finished with out sight seeing, souvenir buying and return cable car trip until about 5pm, so we opted out of visiting the market today (we'll try and fit it in tomorrow).  Instead crazy aunty proved again how crazy she is by putting everyone on a bus heading the wrong way down Nathan Rd (we were trying to get to Harbour Centre by the Star Ferry to buy a new book).  We got a nice sit down on the bus, and great views of Nathan Road, but there were many groans when the boys realised what had happened!  We jumped into a cab to the shopping mall in time to grab a quick dinner and then be out on the Avenue of Stars in time to see the Light Symphony at 8pm.

Night view of HK Island - the people in the photo are just random
passers-by

Then home, so loud laughs on the laptop with some new game Andrew had downloaded and then off to bed.  Hard to believe there are only two more sleeps in Hong Kong!

Sonia

Just call me "Donkey"

I am sure that is the best way to describe the poor soul that gets to carry everyone's stuff up and down hills all day long!   Ocean Park has a ridiculous number of hills.  Some have outside escalators to transport you - the boys estimated it was 4 - 5 stories per escalator, and there were four of them in a row so it was a pretty steep hill.  The rest you have to do by foot.  I learnt that 11 year olds have a dreadful sense of direction which meant we criss-crossed across the park numerous times :-)

The boys learnt that they have an even crazier Aunty than they thought.  After getting home I sent the to have a SECOND shower for the day (something to do with the sweaty wet patches on the back of their shirts!).  They have traded - we've agreed they do not need another one when they wake up in the morning.

We headed out at about 9.30 this morning.  Ocean Park is close by to our apartment so a quick taxi trip had us arriving in plenty of times to get our tickets and be queuing at the entrance five minutes  before it opened at 10.00.  First stop was the shop to buy yet more batteries for Braden's camera.  I am sending the battery bill home with him... we have now been through 14 in his camera alone!  Something to do with the constant clicking of shots and then the review of them afterwards to see how they look :-).  We had decided to them head straight up on the gondola to the second section of the park where most of the rides are as we had read online that they were less busy first thing.  The ride up to the second section is spectacular with great views over the South China Sea

Second section up to the Summit section
of the park

First Section of the Gondola

And the South China Sea off to the left

Eager to start the day

Cute smile :-)

Ocean Park was a blast.  The rides were far better than the HK Disneyland ones, and our planning worked and we stood in very few queues.

There had been a lot of discussion about roller coasters.  There are two at Ocean Park.   One called the Mine Train that has no loops, and a second bigger ride called The Dragon that came complete with a full upside down circle.  The consensus was that we should try the Mine Train first, and if that was not scary enough we would try the Dragon.  All very brave we boarded the train, had our insides turned just about inside out and decided that the Dragon was definitely not a necessary ride!  Braden was brave enough to try to the Mind Train on his own again later in the day - Jordan and I had more sense!

Ready to Ride
(Yep I really was right  behind them...)

And here is where we were headed!

The wet rides were a big hit - The Raging River was visited four times and the Rapids got a couple of tries.  They were targeted at just the right age group - exciting without being ridiculously scary.

Down down down

Splash!!!

Lots of other traditional rides - funny how the oldies are still goodies!

Arghhhhhhh....

Here we go again!

Grilled Korean Squid snacks anyone?

Like Disney, Ocean Park has some shows throughout the day.  We caught the acrobatic one, and then the lights show complete with a light up fountain, a lake that could have fire burning on top of it, fireworks, and a very cool projection of 3-D dragons onto the 'screen' created by the fountain.  Well worth the wait until 7pm to see.

In front of the fountain waiting for the finale

There are also many wildlife exhibitions.  The smallest monkey in the world, the jellyfish and the giant pandas were all hits.

Now that is relaxed!

Lei Lei the Panda

Andrew was home from India by the time we got back and had sorted pizza for dinner.   A quick nibble and then off to bed - all our feet are tired.  A couple of times today the realisation that the end of the holiday is getting close hit the boys.  They will be pleased to get home to see everyone (expect them to talk non-stop when they get back!) but will miss the excitement that has been Hong Kong.  I have been quick to tell them our lives are not normally non-stop entertainment!

Sonia

Oh - and "General Trash" got salutes and much respect all day!

We did it!

For the first time since arriving in Hong Kong we have actually gone 24 hours without leaving a camera or a wallet anywhere!  A record for sure... long may it last :-).  They did try to ride the bus without paying though - in the rush not to miss it they 'forgot' that the cards they were holding in their hands needed to be swiped as they boarded.  So funny how 'forgetful' they can be!

Today we had intended to have a bit of a quieter day in between Disneyland yesterday and Ocean Park tomorrow.  Not quite sure how it happened, but my feet feel like they have walked further today than any other day this week.  So much for my careful planning!!

So, we headed out soon after nine this morning down the steep hill from our place to catch the bus across to the HK Wetlands.  The wetlands are about an hour away by bus on the very top side of the New Territories.  If you look across the ponds at the site you see the skyscrapers of Shenzhen in China.  The boys jumped into the front seat on the top level of the double decker bus and we were away.  The very helpful driver told us where to get off the bus (I guess that other than going to the Wetlands, not many white-faced passengers venture onto this commuter bus - was probably kind of obvious where we were going and that we had not rung the bell to get off!)

At the Wetland Park we got our tickets (another  bargain at less than $10 for the three of us) and the intrepid explorers first navigated the outdoor maze...amazing how long it took them considering you could see right over the top :-)

...and then we headed into the visitors centre and took a wander through the indoor exhibits.  HK is great at making things interactive and Braden and Jordan had great fun testing everything out.  Might even have learned a thing or two along the way.  The second half of the exhibit was a television reporter exercise where they swiped little cards to set themselves up as trainee reporters on various conservation issues around the world.  There were then 5 challenge stations with computer games to play to identify hazards or environmental issues in different situations.  It was really well done and held their attention for a good hour or so.  They sent emails home with their final 'scores' so if you receive something from the HK Wetlands you know what it is :-)

Signing in as 'Trainee Environmental Reporters'

Completing a challenge - I think this one was on the Environmental Effects of Mining

We then got brave (well brave for them anyway!) and tried a local fastfood restaurant called Cafe de Coral for lunch.  Rice, Pork Cutlet and Spicy Curry Gravy for the two of them - and other than a tiny bit of rice left on Braden's plate they demolished the lot declaring it to be delicious.  I will get them off burgers yet!

It was 1.30 by the time we finished lunch, so we headed off to walk the boardwalks and trails around the wetlands.  They had great fun looking for birds, fish, spiders and snakes.  The park had several 'hide' structures fitted out with pretty powerful telescopes to let you search for the wild life in the various water swamp areas.  This one looked out over Shenzhen in the distance - kind of lost in the haze in this photo.  (Not sure how I manage to catch Jordan with his eyes closed so often!)

The "Pond Hide" looking over to Shenzhen in the distance

Pleased to report they did not manage to find any snakes, but the spider was impressive!  It had made a web across the path between two trees.  I made very sure I walked on the 'right' side of the path just in case he decided I looked tasty and dropped in for a bite!

He was HUGE!

Crabs anyone?

Of course the boardwalks were safe - would definitely have passed
NZ Health and Safety rules.... Not!!

We left the park about 3.45 and headed back into Causeway to visit the much discussed lego store.  Purchases were made.... lets just say I figured spending money on lego was better than buying a whole lot of HK junk - and boy they have admired some trashy tourist junk since they got here!  I always thought it was girls who liked to shop, but these two want to stop in to every tourist trap we walk passed :-)

Arrived home soon after 6.30pm and had dinner here.  We have spent the evening playing You Tube videos on our tv and having a good giggle - we have been enjoying Sarah and Allegra's antics in America.  They think it would be pretty cool to get to spend heaps of time on a tour bus with Rapture Ruckus.  I am not so sure...

Andrew is flying back from India overnight.  I assume he'll head straight to the office and we'll see him tomorrow evening when we get back from Ocean Park.   The kids have put in their order for pizza for dinner (they are going to need to eat veges and nothing else for a week when they get back to sort the appalling diet they've had while here!).  We need to work out what to do on Saturday - it is much harder on weekends because there are so many people everywhere.  We've been spoiled this week with no queues anywhere as everyone is off at school and work. 

Sonia

A Whole New World

The Disney theme song 'A Whole New World' is racing around my head and won't leave.  I don't know how the staff ("cast-members") live with the constant noise, hustle and bustle that is Disneyland - I am convinced I would go crazy in no time at all :-)

The boys are shattered - I told them they had dark rings unders their eyes on the way home in the train and they happily informed me 'you do too - actually you have wrinkles as well!'   Guess that will teach me for making comments on their appearance.  I have not heard a peep out of them since they headed to bed - I think they were asleep even faster than after coming back from Macau.  Braden was hungry when he got home - but only until he heard that crackers and cheese was all I was offering.   All thought of  hunger quickly dissipated and he happily headed off down the hall way.   Evidently my selection of three different types of crackers did not make the grade!

So where to start... we headed out the door at 9am this morning to catch a taxi and then a train out to Disney Land.  (We walked back in the door just after 9pm, so it was a loooong day!)  I am learning about the 10am hunger pangs,  so we stopped at the bakery and picked up a pastry to nibble on while we were waiting for Disneyland to open at 10.30.  

Excitement Building on the train with Mickey Mouse shaped windows

Disneyland Hong Kong looks just like Disneyland LA and  Disneyland Tokyo.  They sure have the branding down to perfection.  The Disney Princesses were predominately Asian skin-toned here, but other than that we really could have been anywhere in the world.

Go Jordan Go!!

The boys had sorted a route they wanted to take, and so we quickly moved into Tomorrow World and the Buzz Lightyear 'Astro-Blast" ride.  By the end of the day they would have done this five times (I gave up and left them to it after three!) so I guess you could say it was a hit.  The car driving was next (they drive as badly as you Kyla!) before much deliberation over what to do about Space Mountain.  They had decided the night before that they wanted to give it a try.... but when we arrived there were notices saying it was done out in 'terrifying ghost style" for Halloween.   Braving a scary roller-coaster was one thing.  Doing it with ghosts jumping out at you was quite another!  In the end Braden was keen, Jordan not so much.  We decided to think about it some more - I was not prepared to send Braden in alone, but nor was I prepared to leave Jordan on his own outside so it really needed to be an unanimous decision.  Later in the day sense prevailed and we decided that the roller coasters at Ocean Park will be just as much fun so we skipped Ghostly Space Mountain.

Waiting for Dumbo to take off

Cheeky grins on the tea cups

Winnie the Pooh was an unexpected hit (we visited twice) with a cute story about Poohs 'very windy day' being told as we floated along in Hunny Pots.   Must admit that I had expected to be told that Winnie he Pooh was for little kids - but they were keen to repeat the ride and even talked at one stage about going back again (Astro-Blaster won the toss!).  The Mad-Hatters Tea Party, Flying Dumbo and the River Cruise were also popular.

Burgers for lunch - yes the camera got left on the table as excitement about the next ride kicked in (they would hate to disappoint you by not providing a single camera story on any given day...).  I looked back to check the table - never have to check up on Andrew that way so it is all a bit knew to me - and there is was sitting looking lonely beside Braden's place at the table.  Guess at least it did not make a boat trip :-)

Spin us Braden!

Faster! Faster!

We rounded the day out with a couple of shows (Disney really are great at those as well - both the 3-D presentation and the live show were great), watching the parade, slurping coke slushies (yes we know Braden is not allowed Coke - we made an exception!), checking out the tree-house, riding Astro-blast again and again and again and then settling in to watch the Tinkerbell Illumination and then the Sleeping Beauty fireworks.



All in all a great day - we are still all talking to each other after Day 5, and looking forward to perhaps heading out to the wetlands tomorrow.  The HK weather really has been exceptional - not toooo hot, but lovely blue skies.  Unusual for this time of year (we had T-8 Typhoon warnings up the week before last), so we feel blessed.

Tarzans Island where I sent them when I needed a break :-)

 Sonia

2 Cameras, 2 Drink Bottles, 2 Backpacks, 2 Hats, 2 Boys, Ready to go!

I feel like I have said the 2-2-2-2-2 line so many times today that I might just end up saying it in my sleep.  We had a gorgeous sunny day here in HK today, and even the haze obliged and was not too bad so we got some pretty good views of Hong Kong.

We headed off in a taxi at about 8.45am to buy our tickets for the Big Bus Tour.  The Big Bus Company does great tours in lots of different cities and the English commentary added some real local content to our day.  Again the personalities came out so vividly today.  Jordan spent his day absorbing the commentary, needing to hear every word and taking it all in.  Braden spent his clicking photos of every skyscraper in Hong Kong (sure hope you all like photos of buildings!)  He did enjoy the commentary too - but the buildings were much more interesting!  Can you believe though that amongst the 400 plus photos taken today there is not a single shot of the bus :-)

Let me take a photo of you taking a photo.... they get in each others way a bit!

We jumped of the bus at the Peak Tram stop and took the tram up to the Peak.   The Peak has a bunch of shops (for boys these guys are sure keen to shop - I think they have money burning holes in their pockets!) and fantastic panoramic views of Victoria Harbour and Kowloon.  The binoculars were Octopus Card operated and were a great hit.  The  boys spent ages picking out the various buildings and seeing how many of the signs they could read.

Squinting in the Sun at the Peak.  It was definitely a hat day today

We had lunch at the Peak - New York Fries - I did not realise they had an outlet in Hong Kong - and then headed back to rejoin our bus route and finish the HK Island tour.

The tour included return tickets on the Star Ferry, so we headed off to catch our boat.  These ferries are great - lots of history and old fashioned features.  Braden and Jordan loved it - racing around the boat taking pictures from all angles.  Hope you all like boat photos as well as building ones!  We had 30 minutes to kill in Kowloon so snuck into Toys are Us.  They have some amazing lego models of HK landmarks - all very clever.

On the Ferry on the way back to HK Island - a bit dark sorry

Not a bad shot of the Star Ferry from
Braden's camera

From the Ferry.  A lovely Blue Sky - but typical HK Haze
(that is a politeway of saying pollution)

After heading back on our ferry we joined the Stanley route on the Big Bus tour and took the bus as far as Aberdeen.  We boarded a Sampan for a cruise around the houseboats that moor in the harbour there.  It is a really different side of HK - no high rise buildings, just old fashioned boats either restored and in great condition,  or unrestored and looking like they are on their last legs.  We toured past the Jumbo Floating Seafood Restaurant which Jordan and obviously read about and is keen to visit.  We shall see...no self-respecting HK Resident would set foot into such a tourist trap!

A quick local bus trip home had us walking in the door at about 5.30 and the guys have laughed their way through the evening playing computer games and planning their route around Disneyland for tomorrow  I've just been down to offer the hard word about quietening down and going to sleep (there appears to have been a tickle attempt going on) and told them I would send Andrew next time.  He has no idea what he'll do if they make another noise!

Still having fun, and only one minor camera incident today while sitting having a cold drink.  A helpful man walked past us and them came back to tell me one of the boys had a camera under their chair.  Guess we had not actually left, so maybe it does not count :-).  We also had a little lady stop us worried that a backpack was hanging open at one point - the locals are sure keen to make sure us dumb tourists don't lose things in Hong Kong!

Andrew is off to India tomorrow night so I have a couple of days on my own with the rascals.   Hope he remembers to come back...

Sonia