Fun Signs Galore

And here is another installment of FUN SIGNS!

On the mid-level escalators. Surprisingly it kind of makes sense.

Excreta: great word. Helpful illustration.

Good message, great illustration

On the log ride at Ocean Park

No tic-tac-toe or visual depictions of happiness?

Very large spit

And here I always wondered what to drink during sweating occasions

On the open deck of the DB ferry

At the Wan Chai boardwalk

Durian, the dangerous fruit (and stinky too)

Curves HK flyer. These ladies starting weights are North Americans goal weights. Nancy Lu went from 117lbs to 105lbs.

Supremely unfortunate business name

DO NOT BAREFOOT! DO NOT CHANGE IN PUBLIC AREA!

Ocean Park

I must admit I'm not a theme park kind of person. They can be fun, but standing in a line for an hour or so to go on a two minute ride just isn't terribly appealing to me. The last time I was on rides must have been the summer after grade 9 when I went to the West Edmonton Mall.

Hong Kong has two theme parks, Hong Kong Disney and Ocean Park. My parents actually live very close to Disney, from the upper deck of their place you can even see the nightly fireworks show. Apparently though unless you have small kids, Disney isn't worth the trip because there are no big rides and it is quite expensive. Ocean Park on the other hand is better for people of all ages because it is both an amusement park and an oceanarium/zoo all rolled up into one.

My friend Bec's one big thing that she wanted to see while she was in China was pandas so we all went off to Ocean Park for the day. It wasn't too expensive, about $35 Canadian dollars which is $15-$20 less than theme parks in North America like Wonderland or Disney World.

The Dragon

Ocean Park is located on the south side of Hong Kong Island. It actually has two sites (The Waterfront and The Summit), one on either side of a mountain, which are connected by cable car and tram. The Waterfront has most of the animals and the kiddies rides while The Summit has all of the thrill rides, including three roller-coasters that are built on the side of the mountain.

I hadn't been on a roller-coaster since riding the kids Ghoster Coaster at Canada's Wonderland back before the millennium, so Bec and Meg had to do a bit of cajoling to get me on but I really did enjoy them. It was fun to see the South China Sea while upside down on the edge of a mountain, even if it was all blurry because I wasn't allowed to wear my glasses. 

Giant Panda

We went on all three roller-coasters, as well as the log ride, a lazy river, merry-go-round (with sea creatures instead of horses), the high flying swings, a Ferris wheel and an extremely nauseating ride called the Eagle. The lines were about 20 minutes long in the morning but by the afternoon the crowds thinned considerably and we were able to just walk straight onto several rides.

Red Panda

Since it was such a hot day it was really nice to cool off by stepping into the air conditioned animal exhibits. We saw jelly fish, otters, goldfish, sharks, napoleon fish, giant turtles, red pandas and giant pandas. The giant pandas were incredibly cute, the first time we saw them they were sleeping but later we went back and they were busy mowing down on bamboo shoots. The red pandas (a.k.a. firefox) were not what I was expecting at all. They are actually like a big red raccoon. 

Bulgy-eyed goldfish

One thing that we just as amusing as the rides was looking at what other Ocean Park visitors were wearing. There were some seriously crazy outfits. Dozens of women were wearing heels, many of them platforms. One woman had bejewelled shoes with spiky heels at least 4 inches high. Some ladies were dress in a way that seemed more appropriate for nightclubs than roller-coasters. Several people were wearing jeans or other heavy pants and one lady even had a fleece sweater wrapped around her wait. The temperature yesterday? 32, feels 41 with the humidity. The three of us (clad in shorts, t-shirts and comfy shoes) realized that our criteria for what to wear to an amusement park differs significantly from that of the Chinese. Maybe next time we will don our miniskirts and highest heels to try and blend in with the crowd. 

By Asian standards, our footwear was much too practical for a day at Ocean Park

Ferries

I like boats. And Hong Kong has a lot of them. Since Hong Kong has so many islands, ferries are a popular way to travel around the SAR. In my five weeks here I have travelled on 5 different ferry routes and loved them all because they all offer unique views of Hong Kong. 

The Star Ferry (Central-Tsim Sha Tsui-Wan Chai) runs short trips across Victoria Harbour. It has been in operation since the 1880's, is crazy cheap ($3HKD) and offers spectacular views of the Hong Kong and Kowloon skylines. I have taken it countless times because it is a convenient way to hop between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui. The ferries have two classes, the lower deck which is more industrial and smells of diesel, and the upper deck which had wood floors and is much more spacious and quiet. 

Star Ferry. Hong Kong skyline in background.

The Discovery Bay-Central Ferry is the one we take most often because it runs between the town my parents live in and the Central District in Hong Kong. Along the way you get to see Hong Kong Disney, humungous cargo ships, and great views of the Hong Kong and Kowloon skylines. Most of the ferries have closed decks but once and a while you can get lucky and get on one that is open at the top. 

Bec and Tim on the Discovery Bay-Central ferry open deck. Kowloon in the background.

The Discovery Bay-Mui Wo Ferry runs between these two towns on Lantau Island. It is a short ride but you get views of many of the outlying islands including Peng Chau and Cheung Chau. The ferry has open upper and lower decks and is the most convenient way to get between the two towns since there is no connecting road. 

The Hong Kong-Macau Ferry is the best way to travel between China's two Special Administrative Regions. The ferries are very recognizable because they are either bright red or bright blue. The red ones are actually hydrofoils. This is the only ferry that I have taken that doesn't have an outdoors observation deck. I like taking this ferry after dark because you can see the skylines of Macau and Hong Kong all lit up. 

The Tai O-Tung Chung Ferry was my favourite ferry ride of them all. The ferry sails close to the northern coast of Lantau Island so you can see all of the mountains right up close. From this ferry you can also sometimes see Hong Kong's famous pink dolphins. As the ferry nears Tung Chung there are great views of the Hong Kong airport where you can watch the planes land as the you go by. The ferry also goes under the Ngong Ping cable car and through an area where hundreds of people fish and dig for clams at low tide. 

Plane landing at Hong Kong airport. Spotted from Tai O ferry.

Under the Ngong Ping cable cars

High Tea at the Peninsula Hotel

In a nod to my British ancestors, I had high tea the Peninsula Hotel in Kowloon with my friends Meg and Bec. I had heard mixed reviews about this activity but I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. High tea is served in the lobby of this very historic hotel that just exudes classiness. The atmosphere was enhanced by a quartet performing Disney and Beatles songs on a balcony in the corner of the lobby. All three of us unconsciously sat straighter in our chairs and did our best to be ladylike in order to fit in with our surroundings. 

High Tea Delicacies

The whole tea was served with real silver cutlery and real china dishes. We got the classic afternoon tea for two which had delicacies such as scones, clotted cream, mini quiche, crust-less cucumber sandwiches, and scrumptious mini desserts. Even though the three of us were sharing a tea meant for two we were barely able to finish off all of the food because it was so rich and filling.

If I ever become a Tai Tai wife I can certainly see myself indulging in this British tradition more often, I felt so elegant and refined having high tea at the Peninsula with some of my closest friends. Definitely a meal to remember. 

Lobby roof in the Peninsula Hotel

Avenue of the Stars

My hands are almost the size of Jackie Chan's. Seriously, take a look for yourself.

How did I get to compare my hand size to Jackie Chan you may ask? Well Tim and I ventured to the Avenue of the Stars along the Kowloon waterfront. The Avenue is similar to the Hollywood Walk of Fame in that it pays tribute to people in the film industry. Given that I don't watch Cantonese films I was not surprised that I didn't know most of the people with stars, however I did recognize Bruce Lee, Jet Li and of course good old Jackie Chan.

The most famous thing about the Avenue of the Stars is a life sized bronze statue of Bruce Lee. The amount of Chinese tourists surrounding the statue was incredible, more interesting than the statue itself. I never realized he was such an icon.

I can't say that the Avenue of the Stars in and of itself was a super thrilling thing to do but it was a gorgeous walk along the Kowloon waterfront, especially after all of the rain in the days previous. Meandering down the promenade and watching the boats in the harbour was a really nice way to pass the time. And now my hand has been where Jackie Chan's hand was. Beat that!

Tai Koo

Before I came to Hong Kong this time I started reading people's blogs about the city so that I learn new fun things to do and see that are not the typical tourist haunts. My favourite Hong Kong blogs are Being Dutch in Asia, Adventures of a Big White Guy, Miss Fong in Hong Kong and Batgung. One of the posts of Adventures of a Big White Guy had a link to a fantastic old documentary on the history of the Hong Kong subway system (known in HK as the MTR). Check it out!

When Tim and I watched it we learned that Tai Koo station on the Island Line is (or was at one time) the largest man-made cavern in Asia. Now how could we possibly pass up an opportunity to see that????? My newly arrived friends Meg and Bec, along with Tim and I took the Island Line to Tai Koo after a delicious lunch at Din Tai Fung (Taiwanese food) in Causeway Bay. We sure weren't disappointed. As Meghan described it, "Tai Koo was EPIC, high tea was just good". As an added bonus, we even saw the plaque that is unveiled in the documentary. Definitely one of the high points of my trip.