Sunday, August 19, 2012
Day 3: Dublin
So our intention was to have most of yesterday (Saturday) in dublin, touring around on a hop on hop off bus tour. We did something similar in Singapore last year and it helped get acclimated to the time change, get oriented and get to see the city without expending much energy. Brilliant plan when traveling with kids. That is if the airlines cooperate and you land at a decent hour. So we missed yesterday and slept through the morning. By the time we showered and got everyone out the door (ahhh... No more smell of barf trailing behind me!) it was 1:00 pm and we were hungry. I was counting on getting a good breakfast in us all, as that's my standby- 'when all else fails feed them breakfast'. But we missed that and ended up at a cafe 1 block away. We then proceeded to find the nearest bus stop by Christchurch which is only 2 blocks from the hotel.
The tour and driver were great and did everything we hoped. A quick overview of the city, oriented ourselves, discovered what was truly walking distance with kids, plus the girls enjoyed sitting upstairs on the double decker bus.
Since Scarlett is not a child who can be convinced to try to go pee before leaving somewhere 'just in case' or 'because we are getting on a bus with no bathroom', she of course had to go pee about 20 minutes into the tour. Normally this may be irritating, but she chose the Jameson distillery stop as her time to announce she needed to go.
Perfect.
We were looking for a good excuse to take a tour anyways. We learned a lot about how irish whiskey is made and enjoyed the old distillery, now turned museum/ tour spot. When the guide asked for volunteers to be whiskey tasters, Audrey's hand shot up, "pick me! Pick me!" and Scarlett immediately followed suit. This of course elicited some giggles from the group, but also helped secure joe a spot at the tasting table. He tasted (and the girls smelled) a scotch whiskey, an American whiskey and a 5 year old Jameson Irish whiskey. Joe even got a certificate as an 'official' Jameson taster.
So after 3 trips to Jameson's bathroom and some stiff drinks, we returned to our bus tour. Some of the highlights include Jameson, Christchurch, Guinness, kilmainham prison, st. Patricks cathedral, temple bar.... Hmm... I see why Dublin is so much fun- bars, prisons and churches are among the tourist hot spots.
The bus tour ended on O'Connell street where we found dinner at Flannigans.
Wait. Stop the presses. Yes, yes, you are correct. We did not stop at the Guinness storehouse today. We have tickets for and intentions to stop there tomorrow morning. But just the timing of things today and when things close versus when people needed to be fed, it just didn't make sense. Rest assured, we did indeed order some guinness with dinner. Joe had an amazing Irish stew with what appeared to be an entire leg of lamb in the bowl (still on the bone of course), I had a portabella mushroom burger, Scarlett insisted on ordering spaghetti with chicken (which she then mostly refused to eat until we secured a tiny spoon and Audrey fed her like a bird) and Audrey got a veggie lasagna.
And the Guinness flowed. And with a name like Joe Keeley, the man has a little street credit here even with his American accent.
We then walked down O'Connell street to the River Liffey, walked along it until we got to the Ha'Penny pedestrian bridge and crossed over. I do believe Scarlett has some of her grand dd's love of bridges in her bc every time she sees one she gets so excited. And tonight was no different. "ooo! Ooo! I LOVE bridges!!" we crossed over to the temple bar area, which is where we would probably hangout if we were in college and staying at a hostel. But tonight we just walked through, sightseeing on our way back to the hotel.
So the girls are in bed and we hope they stay that way until morning. Besides sleeping until noon, we were pretty much right on track today. Joe said he felt like a teenager when we woke him up at noon, but I quickly reminded him he was sleeping until noon still when I met him at 29. And I'm pretty sure he would still sleep that late if life allowed him to. Audrey calls him sleeping beauty. ;)
Tomorrow's agenda includes Guinness, the leprechaun museum, hopefully the jail and Christchurch, picking up the car and driving to Kilkenny.
Ireland: Days 1 & 2
Ireland! A long time dream of Joe's has been to go to Ireland. So we decided that we would go for his 40th birthday last summer, but we couldn't find flights using miles. So we watched united's website, and watched and watched until finally seats became available at a time that worked for us. Audrey will miss the first few days of school, but alas, we were going to Ireland!
So we left on Friday, the 17th and should have landed in Dublin around 10:30 am Saturday, flying from Denver to Dulles to Dublin. Triple D. As we were preparing to leave the house on Friday we kept getting messages about our flight from Dulles being delayed 8+ hours. The ticketing agent in Denver fiddled around for like 20 minutes with our itinerary (totally killing our ability to walk casually through the airport and thereby making us the last people to board) but she got us out of Dulles on time (instead of having to spend the night there waiting for the delayed flight to take off at 6:30 am- ouch), but routed us through London. Of course there was some kind of weather that screwed up the take off pattern, causing us to sit on the runway for 1 hour. We were unaware that the flight we were supposed to be on out of heathrow to Dublin left 30 minutes after we were scheduled to land in London. And there was no way to make it from point a to point b in that airport in anything less than 50 minutes. So of course we missed the Dublin flight by a solid hour plus, putting us in Dublin around 3:30 pm. By the time we got to our hotel, it was 5:30, for all intents and purposes our day was dead, and all were beat. It took us about 22 hours door to door, which is somewhat ridiculous. Not to mention, literally as the plane came to a stop in London and the seat belt sign went off, Scarlett proceeded to barf all over herself. Thank goodness she was out of her carseat and most of it landed on the pillow and her pants. I managed to get her wiped off and stripped down to her undies and a coat and she seemed fine. A have a few theories why she barfed out of no where, but my best guess is that she had just slept overnight on the plane, getting about 50% of her normal amount of sleep. The she had some oj and Cheerios (at what would normally be 3:00 am for her)right before landing. I suspect it was just too much for her system; for my little lady who is prone to gagging, choking, spitting up, barfing, etc...
One might think our first stop upon securing lodging would be a nice hot bath for Goo and a shower for mommy (as I obviously had some mystery puke on me that I couldn't locate), but no. We hit the streets and found the nearest pub, o'shea's, with a dinner menu that looked doable for our varied food needs and ordered up a couple of Guinness.
All. Was. Suddenly. Perfect.
Best damn beer ever.
But the girls didn't agree. (we let them lick the foam and they both thought it was 'disgusting.' ( or 'gi-stusting' as Scarlett said)
Joe is the Guinness drinker in our family. I don't mind it, but it's not my beer of choice. Until now. Man they weren't kidding when they say Guinness tastes better in Ireland. It's smooth like butter. Pure as honey. Downright delicious. We plan to have at least 1 every day (probably more like 2 or 3) that we are here. I intend to have one with breakfast tomorrow and joe was just discussing going out to get one before heading to bed.
So we managed to get the kids to bed at a decent hour, but they both woke up around 1:30 and were up for 1 hour, hungry. After feeding the beasties, and switching beds, we all were asleep and accidentally slept until noon! Doh! So we killed our morning, but there was no way I was leaving the hotel without showers and baths as that mystery puke was still lingering.
Speaking of our hotel, I booked a 2 bdrm apt hotel near Christchurch and Guinness. They upgraded us to a 3 bdrm, but the girls wanted to share a room anyways, so 1 room is untouched. It has worked out well, as joe and I can be up doing stuff in the living area and not on lock down like we usually are when we all are in the same room.
So it's our first official full day in Dublin. Let's see what we can accomplish.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Final Thoughts on Our Journey
Looking back on the past few weeks, it’s fun to think about the trip as a whole. It’s hard to see the big picture when you are knee deep in the daily grind of sightseeing, packing, traveling, finding food, navigating maps, getting lost, etc. We learned a lot about what it’s like to travel with 2 kids while trying to keep your sanity. Oh, and of course, having fun as a family! ☺ We are blessed to have been able to do this trip, even if it felt a little crazy at times!
It seemed like it was sometimes challenging to have all 4 of us on the same page with energy levels, hunger, desire to go out and do things, etc. When we went to China in 2008 with Audrey, it was so much easier in so many ways. One thing while traveling with 2 kids, Joe and I were always ‘on.’ At home, we each get sporadic breaks & a chance at alone time. During the trip, this only happened a couple of time for each of us- when we got massages, during our cooking classes, a run for Joe and a swim for me and when I snuck off with Laurel for a bit and when Joe went to the rugby game with Brian. That was it for the entire time. And when we were trying to get certain things done every day, it was almost impossible to make sure we each got some frequent down time.
And I suspect Audrey had similar feelings. She is used to getting time away from us to tend to herself- when she goes to school she gets to run and play with friends and go to ‘work.’ I think this is part of why she had so much fun playing with baby Miles and her friend Chase. Even though we made sure she got to choose activities and that we did kid friendly stuff, it’s just not the same. Plus, Audrey seems to be going through an emotional time lately, so she has been extra fragile and has needed to be handled with care. I just think her brain and her body are growing rapidly right now and she’s trying to process it all.
And poor little Scarlett. She is rounding the corner to being 2 years old and all she wants is freedom to explore and do things all by herself. She wants to walk by herself without holding hands, she wants to jump, run and be hands on. She wants to (and tries to) do everything her big sister does. She needs to be constantly watched because she will just walk off the edge into a swimming pool or run out into traffic- she just doesn’t know any better yet, but we are working on it! And there was A LOT of time that she spent strapped into the Ergo carrier or just being carried. And 98% of the time, the weather was HOT and humid. So being strapped into the carrier was extra hard on her as she gets sweaty very quickly. And when we were moving through very busy airports or in crowded markets, it meant she just couldn’t be down on her own. She is such a free, independent little spirit this was trying on her little soul.
With all of that said, one thing we learned from our China trip that we implemented here was to make sure we took breaks from busy days packed with sightseeing and have some down time in there too. This is where the 5 days on the beach came into play. And that time was indeed special for that very reason. We chilled out, we sat and watched the sun set, we played in the water and we had fun. Ahhh…
We tried not to do TOO much, but it was a busy schedule that we kept. We tried to soak it all in. We learned that even when you have been sitting on the back of an elephant for an hour and it’s a bumpy, hot, steep ride down and you are just ready to be done- it’s important to stop and remember the incredible thing that you are part of at that very moment and soak it all in. When you get home, you won’t have the chance to go outside and say, “Let’s go ride an elephant today.” It’s not an option, so enjoy the moment now.
We had fun. We were challenged. We truly enjoyed everywhere we went, loved seeing our friends and exploring places we’ve never been to before. And yes, we are still suffering from getting over jetlag, but we’d do the trip again in a heartbeat. Where to next??
And of course thanks to my wonderful hubby for making it all possible. ☺ We used the airline miles from all of those years Joe traveled back and forth to Boston to go on the trip. We couldn’t have afforded to go otherwise.
It seemed like it was sometimes challenging to have all 4 of us on the same page with energy levels, hunger, desire to go out and do things, etc. When we went to China in 2008 with Audrey, it was so much easier in so many ways. One thing while traveling with 2 kids, Joe and I were always ‘on.’ At home, we each get sporadic breaks & a chance at alone time. During the trip, this only happened a couple of time for each of us- when we got massages, during our cooking classes, a run for Joe and a swim for me and when I snuck off with Laurel for a bit and when Joe went to the rugby game with Brian. That was it for the entire time. And when we were trying to get certain things done every day, it was almost impossible to make sure we each got some frequent down time.
And I suspect Audrey had similar feelings. She is used to getting time away from us to tend to herself- when she goes to school she gets to run and play with friends and go to ‘work.’ I think this is part of why she had so much fun playing with baby Miles and her friend Chase. Even though we made sure she got to choose activities and that we did kid friendly stuff, it’s just not the same. Plus, Audrey seems to be going through an emotional time lately, so she has been extra fragile and has needed to be handled with care. I just think her brain and her body are growing rapidly right now and she’s trying to process it all.
And poor little Scarlett. She is rounding the corner to being 2 years old and all she wants is freedom to explore and do things all by herself. She wants to walk by herself without holding hands, she wants to jump, run and be hands on. She wants to (and tries to) do everything her big sister does. She needs to be constantly watched because she will just walk off the edge into a swimming pool or run out into traffic- she just doesn’t know any better yet, but we are working on it! And there was A LOT of time that she spent strapped into the Ergo carrier or just being carried. And 98% of the time, the weather was HOT and humid. So being strapped into the carrier was extra hard on her as she gets sweaty very quickly. And when we were moving through very busy airports or in crowded markets, it meant she just couldn’t be down on her own. She is such a free, independent little spirit this was trying on her little soul.
With all of that said, one thing we learned from our China trip that we implemented here was to make sure we took breaks from busy days packed with sightseeing and have some down time in there too. This is where the 5 days on the beach came into play. And that time was indeed special for that very reason. We chilled out, we sat and watched the sun set, we played in the water and we had fun. Ahhh…
We tried not to do TOO much, but it was a busy schedule that we kept. We tried to soak it all in. We learned that even when you have been sitting on the back of an elephant for an hour and it’s a bumpy, hot, steep ride down and you are just ready to be done- it’s important to stop and remember the incredible thing that you are part of at that very moment and soak it all in. When you get home, you won’t have the chance to go outside and say, “Let’s go ride an elephant today.” It’s not an option, so enjoy the moment now.
We had fun. We were challenged. We truly enjoyed everywhere we went, loved seeing our friends and exploring places we’ve never been to before. And yes, we are still suffering from getting over jetlag, but we’d do the trip again in a heartbeat. Where to next??
And of course thanks to my wonderful hubby for making it all possible. ☺ We used the airline miles from all of those years Joe traveled back and forth to Boston to go on the trip. We couldn’t have afforded to go otherwise.
The WORST Line in an Airport EVER Could be Found in HKG Today!
Sunday, May 1: Day 19:
So we got up this morning and had a yummy pancake breakfast with the Allbrittons, said our good byes and hopped in a cab at 8:00 am. Audrey was totally bummed to be leaving Chase- she felt like she didn’t get enough time with her friend and even said in the cab, “I wish this was just the very first day of our trip so we can do it all over again.” Very sweet! Thank you thank you thank you for hosting us B, L, C and M!!
We were at the airport and standing in a medium sized line by 8:50 am for our 11:30 flight. PLENTY of time! We are NEVER this early to the airport. (This is one reason I am looking forward to Scarlett moving up to having her own seat on flights- when you travel with a lap infant, you can’t check in online. You have to do it in the airport, especially when traveling internationally.)
So we are standing in line, then Scarlett wanted milk, so I decided to wander around looking for some for her. We were gone 10-15 minutes & when we got back to Joe and Audrey, they had only moved 1 or 2 spots in line. We left again to go to the bathroom and same thing happened, but now the line was huge. We stood, we stood and stood some more. One hour passed. We probably moved about 3 spots up & still had at least 8 people in front of us. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Now the line reached almost to the exit doors. And now it was 10:30 & we still had a few people in front of us. People were starting to get pissed & official United folks were running around. Part of the problem- yesterday’s San Francisco flight was cancelled, so now those folks were trying to get on our flight. Plus, today’s Chicago flight was cancelled, so those people were scrambling. It wouldn’t have been so bad but it seemed like today was every United employee’s first day on the job. I mean they were clueless! One guy a few spots behind us flagged someone down to ask how worried he should be about missing the flight and they gave him a sticker. A sticker! No explanation about what that sticker meant either, then she just ran off. Audrey was stoked to see that they were handing out stickers so she asked for one too.
Well, long story and a lot of mad people later, we FINALLY made it up to the counter around 11:00 and got checked in. Thankfully we were not checking any bags as they never would have made it! (We do our best to only carry on due to one too many lost bags in the past) Mind you we still had to go through security and customs plus make it out to the proper concourse. We were moving as fast as possible and still had to run to catch the flight. Thankfully (for their sakes really) United held the plane until everyone was onboard. Idiots.
The flight went pretty smooth. The girls settled in and took some decent naps. We played games, colored, watched movies, wandered the aisles and watched the sun set and rise again. I don’t know which is stranger- having it be day time all the way across or watching night move that quickly.
We made it to SFO pretty beat, but still kicking. We had a 2-3 hour layover and thankfully our flight’s gate was right next to the kid’s play area. This kept the monkeys occupied until take off again. If you are ever in SFO with a decent layover and you are traveling with kids, you should seek it out. It’s located near gate 87. (And if you are ever there WITHOUT kids, avoid the area around gate 87 like the plague!) Everyone napped on the flight again which was good, but Audrey and Scarlett got into that deep sleep zone and Scarlett was NOT happy when we landed in Denver. She did her breath holding, kicking, crying thing the whole way off the plane.
And once again, we have to give 2 (or should it be 8??) thumbs up to our neighbors Dave and Sally. Not only did they drop us off at the airport when we left Denver, but they also parked our car at the valet off site parking lot so it would be waiting for us upon landing. (They were out of town this weekend too) So we hopped in and made it home safely by mid afternoon. And what do you know? While we were gone, the Easter Bunny came and left (plastic) eggs in the front yard for the girls to find. AND Easter Baskets on the dining room table! Wasn’t that super of him? Audrey and Scarlett happily ran around the yard collecting eggs and Audrey exclaimed, “This is the BEST Easter day ever!”
We all were about ready to pass out, but wanted the girls to go to bed at a reasonably normal hour. They were down and out by 7:15 and now Joe and I are just relaxing on the couch.
Phew! What a long, yet oddly short, fabulous journey. We are indeed glad to be home though and look forward to processing it all over the next few weeks.
I’ll be adding photos tonight after I get them all downloaded.
Thank you for following us on our journey!
So we got up this morning and had a yummy pancake breakfast with the Allbrittons, said our good byes and hopped in a cab at 8:00 am. Audrey was totally bummed to be leaving Chase- she felt like she didn’t get enough time with her friend and even said in the cab, “I wish this was just the very first day of our trip so we can do it all over again.” Very sweet! Thank you thank you thank you for hosting us B, L, C and M!!
We were at the airport and standing in a medium sized line by 8:50 am for our 11:30 flight. PLENTY of time! We are NEVER this early to the airport. (This is one reason I am looking forward to Scarlett moving up to having her own seat on flights- when you travel with a lap infant, you can’t check in online. You have to do it in the airport, especially when traveling internationally.)
So we are standing in line, then Scarlett wanted milk, so I decided to wander around looking for some for her. We were gone 10-15 minutes & when we got back to Joe and Audrey, they had only moved 1 or 2 spots in line. We left again to go to the bathroom and same thing happened, but now the line was huge. We stood, we stood and stood some more. One hour passed. We probably moved about 3 spots up & still had at least 8 people in front of us. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Now the line reached almost to the exit doors. And now it was 10:30 & we still had a few people in front of us. People were starting to get pissed & official United folks were running around. Part of the problem- yesterday’s San Francisco flight was cancelled, so now those folks were trying to get on our flight. Plus, today’s Chicago flight was cancelled, so those people were scrambling. It wouldn’t have been so bad but it seemed like today was every United employee’s first day on the job. I mean they were clueless! One guy a few spots behind us flagged someone down to ask how worried he should be about missing the flight and they gave him a sticker. A sticker! No explanation about what that sticker meant either, then she just ran off. Audrey was stoked to see that they were handing out stickers so she asked for one too.
Well, long story and a lot of mad people later, we FINALLY made it up to the counter around 11:00 and got checked in. Thankfully we were not checking any bags as they never would have made it! (We do our best to only carry on due to one too many lost bags in the past) Mind you we still had to go through security and customs plus make it out to the proper concourse. We were moving as fast as possible and still had to run to catch the flight. Thankfully (for their sakes really) United held the plane until everyone was onboard. Idiots.
The flight went pretty smooth. The girls settled in and took some decent naps. We played games, colored, watched movies, wandered the aisles and watched the sun set and rise again. I don’t know which is stranger- having it be day time all the way across or watching night move that quickly.
We made it to SFO pretty beat, but still kicking. We had a 2-3 hour layover and thankfully our flight’s gate was right next to the kid’s play area. This kept the monkeys occupied until take off again. If you are ever in SFO with a decent layover and you are traveling with kids, you should seek it out. It’s located near gate 87. (And if you are ever there WITHOUT kids, avoid the area around gate 87 like the plague!) Everyone napped on the flight again which was good, but Audrey and Scarlett got into that deep sleep zone and Scarlett was NOT happy when we landed in Denver. She did her breath holding, kicking, crying thing the whole way off the plane.
And once again, we have to give 2 (or should it be 8??) thumbs up to our neighbors Dave and Sally. Not only did they drop us off at the airport when we left Denver, but they also parked our car at the valet off site parking lot so it would be waiting for us upon landing. (They were out of town this weekend too) So we hopped in and made it home safely by mid afternoon. And what do you know? While we were gone, the Easter Bunny came and left (plastic) eggs in the front yard for the girls to find. AND Easter Baskets on the dining room table! Wasn’t that super of him? Audrey and Scarlett happily ran around the yard collecting eggs and Audrey exclaimed, “This is the BEST Easter day ever!”
We all were about ready to pass out, but wanted the girls to go to bed at a reasonably normal hour. They were down and out by 7:15 and now Joe and I are just relaxing on the couch.
Phew! What a long, yet oddly short, fabulous journey. We are indeed glad to be home though and look forward to processing it all over the next few weeks.
I’ll be adding photos tonight after I get them all downloaded.
Thank you for following us on our journey!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Our One Full Day with the Allbrittons
Saturday, April 30: Day 18:
Since we leave tomorrow, today is our one full day with the Allbrittons in Hong Kong. They wanted to show us around Sai Kung town so we could get a feel for the place they enjoy living in. Sai Kung is part of the New Territories east of Hong Kong. Depending on traffic, they are about 30-60 minutes from Central Hong Kong. Sai Kung town is technically a fishing village with a little walkable downtown. We went into town for dim sum right near the water. The food was pretty tasty, which the girls ate with their new kiddy chopsticks that Langley bought for them. Scarlett enjoyed practicing by picking up her raisins with her chopsticks. It was raining again, so we didn’t really walk around town too much.
The other fun part of today was going to a kids’ fashion show in Central. At the last minute, Chase was invited to participate in it, so they jumped at the chance. We felt like we came rolling into Hong Kong on fumes yesterday, so we welcomed the chance to just do something low key. And since it was again raining and foggy, Victoria Peak was out. Unfortunately, Audrey got the impression that she was also going to get to put on make-up and a pretty dress for the show. When she discovered this was not the case, she was heartbroken and didn’t understand why she just couldn’t do it too. Langley and I tried to explain it to her, but it was a toughy. I realized how bad she felt, so I decided to take Audrey into the city and walk around a bit. She needed some special mommy time to bring her spirits back up. The rest of the gang came later right before the show started. Scarlett was able to get a much needed nap in while Joe and Brian hung out.
The fashion show was a total hoot. Chase did great and even won first place. Audrey enjoyed seeing her friend walk the catwalk and decided she would like to try it someday!
After the show, we went back to Sai Kung with the kids while Joe and Brian stayed behind and went to a rugby match. Hong Kong vs. Japan, with Japan winning. The guys had a great time and were back home for dinner. Once again JoJo made amazing meals for both kids and adults and we all had a great time chatting. Scarlett and Madoc played well together as did Audrey and Chase.
We lost the Allbrittons again tonight to an early bedtime ☺, while Joe and I stayed up so I could get stuff packed for our departure tomorrow morning. It’s so weird that this is our last night! But I feel like we are all ready to head home.
Since we leave tomorrow, today is our one full day with the Allbrittons in Hong Kong. They wanted to show us around Sai Kung town so we could get a feel for the place they enjoy living in. Sai Kung is part of the New Territories east of Hong Kong. Depending on traffic, they are about 30-60 minutes from Central Hong Kong. Sai Kung town is technically a fishing village with a little walkable downtown. We went into town for dim sum right near the water. The food was pretty tasty, which the girls ate with their new kiddy chopsticks that Langley bought for them. Scarlett enjoyed practicing by picking up her raisins with her chopsticks. It was raining again, so we didn’t really walk around town too much.
The other fun part of today was going to a kids’ fashion show in Central. At the last minute, Chase was invited to participate in it, so they jumped at the chance. We felt like we came rolling into Hong Kong on fumes yesterday, so we welcomed the chance to just do something low key. And since it was again raining and foggy, Victoria Peak was out. Unfortunately, Audrey got the impression that she was also going to get to put on make-up and a pretty dress for the show. When she discovered this was not the case, she was heartbroken and didn’t understand why she just couldn’t do it too. Langley and I tried to explain it to her, but it was a toughy. I realized how bad she felt, so I decided to take Audrey into the city and walk around a bit. She needed some special mommy time to bring her spirits back up. The rest of the gang came later right before the show started. Scarlett was able to get a much needed nap in while Joe and Brian hung out.
The fashion show was a total hoot. Chase did great and even won first place. Audrey enjoyed seeing her friend walk the catwalk and decided she would like to try it someday!
After the show, we went back to Sai Kung with the kids while Joe and Brian stayed behind and went to a rugby match. Hong Kong vs. Japan, with Japan winning. The guys had a great time and were back home for dinner. Once again JoJo made amazing meals for both kids and adults and we all had a great time chatting. Scarlett and Madoc played well together as did Audrey and Chase.
We lost the Allbrittons again tonight to an early bedtime ☺, while Joe and I stayed up so I could get stuff packed for our departure tomorrow morning. It’s so weird that this is our last night! But I feel like we are all ready to head home.
Hello Hong Kong! Our Final Leg
Friday, April 29: Day 17:
So we arrived in Hong Kong at 10:15 am. We really just had this morning/ early afternoon in the city because we planned to go to our friends’, the Allbrittons, house in Sai Kung around 4:00 pm. We had to find food somewhere because we only had a small breakfast and everyone needed some sustenance. We also needed to figure out what to do with our bags while we explored. It had to be somewhere that made sense for us.
We took the train to the Kowloon station, which was in the lower level of a large shopping mall. We ate lunch at the mall and left our bags in a locker there. This worked great b/c we planned to go back to the station to catch a train out to Sai Kung.
Before we left on the trip, we got some kid friendly videos of the different cities we were visiting so Audrey could be inspired. One thing she saw on the Hong Kong video was that the world’s longest escalator was there. (see photo- we are at the beginning of the first section of the escalator)
That was her top choice for things to do. One thing we are doing while traveling to keep the kids engaged is making sure we do things they will enjoy. And even more importantly for Audrey is that we give her the power to choose activities (within reason of course). So escalator riding it is! And with the weather the way it was today, Joe’s first choice of Victoria Peak wasn’t possible.
We took the train a few stops across to central Hong Kong. Unfortunately, by the time we got to the escalators it was already 1:30 or so (due to a horribly annoying experience at the restaurant where they brought us the wrong foods, didn’t bring us the one thing I thought the girls would eat, ignored us, were rude, etc… I feel like this time it was more than just a language barrier.)
The escalator is divided into sections. Sometimes it was a block long, sometimes a couple of blocks. Sometimes it was a moving walkway and at others it was a standard escalator. We would have liked to stop along the way, pop off into the neighborhood and check things out. However, we were short on time and it was raining, so we kept riding. It was actually a great activity because most of the escalator route was covered and the weather limited us in what we could do.
The neighborhood was filled with interesting shops, a huge variety of restaurants, tons of people and apartment buildings. We stopped for a bit to take a rest and have a snack. It felt like a real slice of Hong Kong. If we had an extra day here, I would want to spend a little time exploring this neighborhood more.
We got back to the bags by 3:30 and asked the MRT guy how much time a train vs. cab would take to get to Sai Kung. If we just took a cab, we could get there pretty close to our estimated arrival time of 4:00. We got in the cab line, which took us a solid 15-20 minutes just to get a cab! Then once we got in, the cabbie didn’t know how to get to the Allbrittons’ house. The guy managing the cab line helped us help the driver, but it was annoying. We immediately thought maybe we should just take the next cab, but they insisted we stay and figure it out. It took at least another 20+ minutes to start moving! By this time it was 5:00 and rush hour! Argh. We were frustrated and since they didn’t eat much today, the girls were a little nutty.
We finally made it to Brian and Langley’s just before 6:00. We know these guys from Audrey’s class last year at Montview. Their daughter Chase was a friend of Audrey’s. The girls are very similar and hit it off right away when they met. They also have another daughter, Madoc who is 5 months older than Scarlett, so it was fun to see those 2 actually play together. They were just babies when B&L moved from Denver to Hong Kong last year.
Their helper JoJo made some lovely meals for the kids and us. She even hung out upstairs with the kids so the adults could have a relaxing dinner free of interruptions from the kids. Um, hello- how cool was that?! That was AMAZING! I would LOVE to have a JoJo of my very own. Not only for what she does, but how she does it and who she is. We only just met her and can sense what a great person she is. And Scarlett, who is usually very skeptical of anyone who doesn’t live in our house, took to JoJo right away. She even said “Hi JoJo.” And “Thank you JoJo.” ☺
The Allbrittons had just returned from the US 5 days before we arrived, so they were tired and we all went to bed early. We had a great time catching up tonight!
So we arrived in Hong Kong at 10:15 am. We really just had this morning/ early afternoon in the city because we planned to go to our friends’, the Allbrittons, house in Sai Kung around 4:00 pm. We had to find food somewhere because we only had a small breakfast and everyone needed some sustenance. We also needed to figure out what to do with our bags while we explored. It had to be somewhere that made sense for us.
We took the train to the Kowloon station, which was in the lower level of a large shopping mall. We ate lunch at the mall and left our bags in a locker there. This worked great b/c we planned to go back to the station to catch a train out to Sai Kung.
Before we left on the trip, we got some kid friendly videos of the different cities we were visiting so Audrey could be inspired. One thing she saw on the Hong Kong video was that the world’s longest escalator was there. (see photo- we are at the beginning of the first section of the escalator)
That was her top choice for things to do. One thing we are doing while traveling to keep the kids engaged is making sure we do things they will enjoy. And even more importantly for Audrey is that we give her the power to choose activities (within reason of course). So escalator riding it is! And with the weather the way it was today, Joe’s first choice of Victoria Peak wasn’t possible.
We took the train a few stops across to central Hong Kong. Unfortunately, by the time we got to the escalators it was already 1:30 or so (due to a horribly annoying experience at the restaurant where they brought us the wrong foods, didn’t bring us the one thing I thought the girls would eat, ignored us, were rude, etc… I feel like this time it was more than just a language barrier.)
The escalator is divided into sections. Sometimes it was a block long, sometimes a couple of blocks. Sometimes it was a moving walkway and at others it was a standard escalator. We would have liked to stop along the way, pop off into the neighborhood and check things out. However, we were short on time and it was raining, so we kept riding. It was actually a great activity because most of the escalator route was covered and the weather limited us in what we could do.
The neighborhood was filled with interesting shops, a huge variety of restaurants, tons of people and apartment buildings. We stopped for a bit to take a rest and have a snack. It felt like a real slice of Hong Kong. If we had an extra day here, I would want to spend a little time exploring this neighborhood more.We got back to the bags by 3:30 and asked the MRT guy how much time a train vs. cab would take to get to Sai Kung. If we just took a cab, we could get there pretty close to our estimated arrival time of 4:00. We got in the cab line, which took us a solid 15-20 minutes just to get a cab! Then once we got in, the cabbie didn’t know how to get to the Allbrittons’ house. The guy managing the cab line helped us help the driver, but it was annoying. We immediately thought maybe we should just take the next cab, but they insisted we stay and figure it out. It took at least another 20+ minutes to start moving! By this time it was 5:00 and rush hour! Argh. We were frustrated and since they didn’t eat much today, the girls were a little nutty.
We finally made it to Brian and Langley’s just before 6:00. We know these guys from Audrey’s class last year at Montview. Their daughter Chase was a friend of Audrey’s. The girls are very similar and hit it off right away when they met. They also have another daughter, Madoc who is 5 months older than Scarlett, so it was fun to see those 2 actually play together. They were just babies when B&L moved from Denver to Hong Kong last year.
Their helper JoJo made some lovely meals for the kids and us. She even hung out upstairs with the kids so the adults could have a relaxing dinner free of interruptions from the kids. Um, hello- how cool was that?! That was AMAZING! I would LOVE to have a JoJo of my very own. Not only for what she does, but how she does it and who she is. We only just met her and can sense what a great person she is. And Scarlett, who is usually very skeptical of anyone who doesn’t live in our house, took to JoJo right away. She even said “Hi JoJo.” And “Thank you JoJo.” ☺
The Allbrittons had just returned from the US 5 days before we arrived, so they were tired and we all went to bed early. We had a great time catching up tonight!
Final Thoughts on Chiang Mai
We really liked Chiang Mai and feel that we could have spent a couple more days exploring the city and the surrounding area. We recommend going here if you get the chance. There are a couple of big, beautiful temples outside of the city that I really wanted to see, but we just didn’t have time. I have read about some amazing trekking that you can do in the mountains too, but that will have to wait. This just means we’ll have to go back. And while the hotel was nice and had some great features for traveling with kids, it was a bit too far out of town to easily explore the city. And there was really nothing else near the hotel. It will be nice to go back someday when the girls are quite a bit older so we can do more in the evenings and stay at one of the little boutique hotels in town. So many of the neighborhoods we walked through had great little bars, restaurants, hotels, markets, etc, all tucked into alleys and small windy streets, hidden from the busier streets.
Audrey’s favorite part was the elephants. And I think we all agreed!
Audrey’s favorite part was the elephants. And I think we all agreed!
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