August 6 - Trying to be more Thai

We're flying back to Bangkok tonight so we need to finish check out of the hotel before we have a full Disneyland day. Check out wasn't too bad. We beat the rush (and I mean RUSH!). Of course there were folks who ignored the roped queuing areas. Many had no issue interrupting your conversation with the front desk staff member with whom you're OBVIOUSLY speaking.

We shuttle it over to the park where we enjoy the character breakfast buffet. I load up on the dim sum... yum yum dim sum! (that's the name of a board book in the children's section btw)




OK... so now G is getting the full park flavor today and it's SOOOOO not pretty. Today would've been a good day to be more "Thai" and maybe not made so much of a scene or a big deal during the "trying" times... oh well. There's yelling at people trying to cut/push their way at different ride lines. There's elbowing of folks. The degree of pushing and line jumping is so overwhelming that G and I have lengthy conversations about how the 'line' culture might have evolved into what it is today. I don't think they could pay me enough to be a "cast member" at this park. It's continuous. Cast members denying entry to people who are trying to jump the line by catching up with another member of their party who "got in". Cast members repeatedly announcing the line etiquette rules. Please don't misunderstand. Every OTHER aspect of the experience was wonderful. But MAN! The cultural difference in this ONE aspect was overwhelming. And, when you've got irritated people yelling at each other about it in the line it just kills the magic.








But anyhoo, it was fun. We made it back to the shuttle in a series of swift walks between a series of serious downpours.







At the hotel we get our bags and take two taxis to the airport. Luckily, ONE of the two drivers knew which terminal held Emirates Airlines. The driver of the taxi I was in almost dropped us off at the wrong terminal... at Hong Kong Airport - the largest passenger terminal in the world.

We're almost home... We weather a flight with a REALLY grumpy flight attendant who would snatch the tray of food while you were still holding a forkful to your mouth. HELLOO-OOO!

OK, so we're now at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok and we're going to save time by taking a TAXI. ...where do I even begin? I'll start by saying that there is a designated taxi stand downstairs where you're supposed to pay a fee and get a taxi. You're not supposed to catch a taxi upstairs. If you've already got all your belongings and 4 kids in the taxi you'll have to get out to the sound of irritating, irritated "discussion" with 3 security guards, a taxi driver and a husband who hasn't slept in a few days. You'll have to haul all your bags and kids downstairs through a maze of moving walkways and hallways. Once you get downstairs you can't just catch a taxi; you must pay the fee. If you try to bypass the fee it gets very irritating for the mother and nerve racking to the taxi-van driver. Then to top it off, your oldest child will lose the precious "squishy coin" from the park because she fell asleep while holding it in her hand.

But hey... WE DID IT! We did a Disney thing...

Now we're home... bring on the magic of Baileys!

August 5 - The magic must be on sebatical

OK... G & T-Boy are still at the Hospital so we're going to have a day without them at the park. I'd already prepaid(you get a discount) the buffet breakfast at the hotel restaurant, Chef Mickey, so I take the other 3 kids and they're thrilled to have *waffles*. Extra bonus: They're shaped like Mickey Mouse heads :o)

I'm thinking that G's absence from the park experience is a good thing. G and theme parks don't go together very well. Once we get to the park I realize that I am SOOOOOO glad that G's not with us. I'm not sure if you've all heard, but in preparation for the 2008 Olympics in China they're practicing -standing in lines- on designated queuing days. Apparently pushing, shoving and line jumping is commonplace. Well... today was NOT a practice day at Disneyland. It didn't take too long to realize that I ought to just "let it go"... but not TOTALLY. I had the benefit of a double stroller (good for the diagonal positioning block) and a 6 year old who had NO issue with shoving back at whoever was pushing up on her. Just like any other Disney resort they're quick with the stickers when kids cry and of course there's not too much crying because... they're in Disneyland!


We head back to the hotel to take a break and meet up with G and T-boy. After a buffet dinner at Chef Mickey in the hotel (where I chowed on sashimi BIG TIME) we head back over to the park to ride a couple rides and see the fireworks. T-Boy is MUCH better now. But my poor husband G, he's another story.
As far as Disney parks go... this one was cheaper on the ticket prices but the park is smaller. It was a good fit for us and our 4 small kids. With 2 days we still couldn't finish the park. But if you have the option of choosing ANY international Disney experience I would NOT choose Hong Kong... just because of the line issue alone. You've REALLY got to show up with your own magic to deal with all the shoving.

August 4 - Maybe not so magical of a day

Today's plans for an uneventful day sure ended with a bang, or a wheeze.

Today we just go out to eat for lunch and catch our reserved van to get from Kowloon to Lantau Island where we'll spend 2 nights at Disney's Hollywood Hotel and do 2 days in the park. (They were having a stay 2 nights get a 2nd day in the park for free promotion)

I'd made the reservation on the phone a few weeks ago after several failed online attempts. Well... it turns out that the "park view" rooms I reserved and requested as "connecting" can't be HAD as "connecting" because NONE OF THEM ARE CONNECTED. A SMALL detail that would've been helpful during the reservation process. Oh! and of course, there are no connecting rooms available. So blah, blah, blah.... we'll just cope. We're glad to be in a room where the kids can veg in front of more innocent cartoons in the English language(so that they'll actually stay parked in front of the TV long enough for me & G to take a break/nap).

Now here we go...

T-boy is having a bronchiospasm episode that's not responding to his inhaler. We all go downstairs to try and eat but T-boy's just getting worse. Geoff goes to the front desk to see if there's a doctor. The front desk manager calls him a taxi to go to the Adventist Hospital. I'm at the cafe with 2 trays of food and drink and 3 kids... we need to go to the room. I can't keep them corralled. Wonderfully there's a "cast member" who sees me trying to manipulate 2 trays of food and drink and 3 kids and helps us up to our room. In the elevator I vent some of my stress about Turner... He responds "Oh, you're in room -insert our room # here-." He was one of the staff members helping G get the hospital trip together.

Once I get the kids fed and settled I get a call... I'm hoping its' G but it's the front desk manager. She tells me that if there's anything they can do to help to let her know. She's also asking me if I have any new news. I suppose that when you've got a Disney resort management position you need to know if there's a case of bird-flu at your hotel.

I finally hear from G. They're spending the night and T-boy will have IV medication. I respond, "Wha!? What about a nebulizer?" We're in Hong Kong(China)... they don't do nebulizers because of SARS. G and T-boy have also gotten the quarantine treatment once the staff discovered we'd come from Thailand... bird-flu-fear.

Well... at the least the other kids got to watch the fireworks from the hotel room. The TV read them a few bedtime stories... and we all eventually went to sleep.

... Here's where I wish we could ALL breathe a sigh of relief.

Geoff says to go ahead to the park with the other kids tomorrow. I feel off about it... but it makes sense... certainly no sense in staying cooped up in a hotel room with 3 kids.

Tonight, the luggage gets a treat... its own hotel room with a view of the park.

August 3 - Victoria's Peak and more Good Eats

Today we eventually made it OUT of the hotel room to check out the views at Victoria Peak. We walk out of the hotel to the pier where the ferry would take us from the Kowloon shore to Hong Kong Island.



We walked from the pier on Hong Kong Island to the appropriate bus stop at the terminal. We rode the bus to the cable car that would haul us UP, UP, UP to the gift shop. We trekked through the tangle of souvenirs to the bottom of almost a dozen escalator rides up to the observation deck. We stop at escalator ride 5ish to have a Burger King lunch. After proceeding up escalator rides 6 and 7ish we get to the top and take in some pretty amazing views of Hong Kong.



We do everything in reverse(minus the Burger King stop and with the addition of souvenir purchases) and make it back to Kowloon for more deeeeeelicious eating. Once I dig out all the souvenir receipts and what not I hope I can include the names of more restaurants...




Tomorrow we'll make it more low key to gear up for Disneyland Hong Kong! The kids don't know we're going!(tee-hee) Actually T-boy knows... it's our secret. I've forgotten why he was so frumpy that I shared this secret, but hey it worked and he felt cheerier! Started taking steps bigger than 2 cm!