Day 4 Hong Kong- Star Ferry

One of my favorite memories from our trip to Hong Kong was the short ferry ride we took from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon on day four. We got to the pier mid-morning on Sunday and bought tickets to cross Victoria Harbor on the Star Ferry. The sun was shinning and the pictures we took of the skyline on both islands are really beautiful. Addie was thrilled to be on a boat. She insisted on her own seat next to Justin and I. She waved and said "bye boat" as we got off on Kowloon.

Day 3 Hong Kong

We needed plenty of rest after our day at Disneyland so we took our time on the morning of the third day. We decided to take a walking tour of the Central district of Hong Kong Island. We wandered through the antique store road and picked up some fragrant jasmine tea and a tea set.

We stopped at the Man Mo temple which was fascinating. Incense plumed out and permeated the entire street. Inside there were prayer cards hanging from huge coils burning from the ceilings. People were lighting incense and placing it in front of the statues of the gods. We quickly learned that lighting incense was a daily ritual for shop owners. Many of the shops had little temples built in the sides of their stores for burning incense. Restaurants set out food for the gods. It was amazing.

We walked a portion of Ladder street (street completely made of stairs). The pregnant lady and the baby made it difficult to enjoy this street! The further we walked west the more hip and trendy the area became. Lots of little art galleries, eateries, coffee shops, and expensive cars lined the roads. We had found SoHo. We found the huge escalator that ran all the way from the lower part of the island at the pier up the hills to the higher portions where the wealthy lived in towering condos. Along the way were side street after side street of international restaurants. Everything from Italian, Mediterranean, Thai, and even Mexican. We were in heaven and truly enjoyed the tacos, burritos, and guacamole we had for lunch that day. Justin and I decided that if we were to live in Hong Kong we'd set up shop in SoHo like all the other gringos in this city. It was so vibrant and hip. All the people were dressed so trendy. It was just plain cool.

Later that day we navigated ourselves through some of the antique markets and picked up a few souvenirs. Addie had a meltdown at dinner time which resulted in two frustrated parents packing boring pizza back to the hotel to eat in a dark room watching the Travel Channel while our daughter passed out in the bed next to us. We lamented plenty about how unfortunate it was that we had found such a cool area to dine in and if only we were able to enjoy it like the other numerous twenty somethings sitting at the bars sipping their wine and munching on tapas. Then we glanced over at the little sleeping beauty in striped pjs who was sucking her finger and most likely dreaming about Disneyland and our anger dissipated quickly. You can't blame an 18 month old for having a few meltdowns here and there. All in all it was an extremely awesome day in a very cool city.

Day 2 Hong Kong Disneyland

One of the major selling points of this trip for me was that we would get to take Adelaide to Disneyland Hong Kong. I have so many great memories at Disneyland in California and couldn't wait to start making new ones with my daughter. Starting out, we hopped on the subway and rode it all the way to Disneyland on Lan Tau island. The subway system was immaculate and organized so well that we had no trouble buying our tickets and finding our way. The sun was shinning and it was a perfect day at the park. First things first, we picked up a few hot dogs to share for lunch. I was very disappointed to find out that all the vendors at the park sold Asian foods and not cinnamon and sugar churros like the parks at home. I just wanted some American food! Anyway, we filled our bellies and headed in to the park.

Fantasyland was first, where we took Addie on the Dumbo ride and the Teacups. Both classic rides. She cried when it was over and had to get off. We stood in line for Dumbo for awhile and as she watched the kids get on the ride she just kept asking "please!" begging to get on. We laughed when she finally let out with a "Pleeeeeeeeese!" in the hopes that we'd take her on the ride sooner. She got her turn and she loved it! We were pleased since her reaction could have quite as easily been the exact opposite which would have made the rest of our visit difficult. She did reject the cotton candy where the texture must have turned her off. Justin and I had no complaints and scarfed it all down like 5 year olds. It's a Small World was by far my favorite ride. I had fond memories of the ride from my younger days but since then it's been totally re-done. The entire ride is new, more colorful, elaborate, and wonderful. Addie was excited to pick Nemo out in the underwater scene. All I can imagine was that the ride was a sensory overload for our daughter, she just watched in awe with her eyes twinkling. We rode the Jungle cruise in Adventureland and Autopia in Tomorrowland. Both rides were a hit for our girl.

We just happened to be at the park when the Disney Christmas displays and shows were starting. The park was decorated beautifully for the holidays. Elves were walking around, the Christmas tree on Main Street was enormous and festive, Christmas carols were playing. After dinner we staked out a good seat for the "Let It Snow" Disney Christmas parade down Main Street. Addie bopped to the music and pointed at all the floats. She wasn't fond of the life-size characters up close but from afar she tolerated them. We tried to get her to take a picture with Pumba from the Lion King and she adamantly said "no". The parade was impressive, Justin and I enjoyed it just as much as Addie. We watched them light Sleeping Beauty's Castle with Christmas lights and fireworks. On Main Street we stood for the periodic "snow" (foam) that spewed from the tops of the buildings. The whole experience put us in the Christmas spirit. Disneyland Hong Kong was a little piece of Americana in Asia that we needed. It was a day we will never forget.

Day 2 Hong Kong (part 1)

We awoke excited about the exploring we had ahead of us. To our excitement the weather forecasted in Hong Kong for our weekend was nice and cool (sunny with highs in the 70s and lows in the high 50s). We happily donned our sweatshirts, jeans, and closed toed shoes. Oh how I missed my Patagonia. The locals were bundled up in full-on winter gear which we had to chuckle about.

First off on our journey was a little bakery around the corner from our hotel which made the most delicious sweet bread raisin twist things. They were hot and buttery and yummy! This bakery became our go-to for the weekend. We decided to explore the streets just surrounding out hotel. We walked the dried seafood street and the ginseng street. Justin navigated us to Western Market which was, of course, closed. We quickly learned that Hong Kong is a city that wakes up late and stays up late (kind of like Paris). Many shops didn't open until 9 or 10 AM. Behind our hotel, a beautiful park with a children's playground was conveniently located. We treated Addie to a little playtime this morning before her nap. Once again she made an international friend, well actually the little boy followed HER around. Addie wanted a little space on her new playground toy but the little boy was pretty excited about our daughter. The park had really neat areas were fan dances were going on and some of the older Chinese men and women were exercising and practicing Tai Chi. The park was clean and the air smelled fresh (luxuries we don't have in Manila). Already, we were in love with Hong Kong. After some fresh air we all went back to our little hotel room and allowed Addie a nap before our big afternoon/evening at Disneyland!