We were at the park when they opened at 10:30 and left when they closed at 8. It's like an Alternate Universe Disneyland. I was actually a little freaked out walking down Main Street USA, which is pretty much the same, but different enough to feel a little Twilight Zone-y. The street is brick instead of pavement, and the signs are different. That's about it. Once you split into the lands the differences become great enough that you don't keep thinking you're in Southern California, but before that it's a little disorienting.
The kids had a great time. We rode most of the rides and they were happy campers. The Winnie-The-Pooh ride had a lot of changes. There were new scenes added, which was fun and different, since I've been on it so many times. it's a small world was different, too. Again, it's nice to see something different on such a familiar ride. Dalton was enthralled with it. I really loved the Hong Kong scene at the end. Very cool!
We also saw two really great shows, Mickey's PhilharMagic Orchestra and The Festival of the Lion King. The first was a 3D show where Donald steals Mickey's magic hat and is taken through different musical scenes of movies looking for it. The second is an amazing live, musical performance, a quick reenactment of The Lion King. There's dancing, great singing, men twirling fire batons, girls swinging from the ceiling, and, of course, monkeys translating the key points into Chinese.
Hong Kong is awesome. I don't know how much of that is compared to India. Perhaps I would feel inconvenience coming here from the US. As it is, the biggest inconvenience is that I had to do laundry by hand for several days.
The Hong Kong subway system is awesome. All the trains and stations are clean and shiny. The maps light up, letting you know which stop is approaching, which lines you can transfer to, and which side of the door to get out of. Transferring trains is often as simple as walking across the platform - trains running in the same direction share platforms, rather than trains from the same line running in different directions. It is so efficient. The stations have multiple entrances, which means a lot of walking to get to the train, but that the station can easily serve a large area. And there are escalators everywhere. You also buy a ticket based on which stop you are getting off at. And the trains are filled with nice people who give their seats to ladies holding crazy babies.
I tried to go to the temple today, but apparently it was closed for the Public Holiday and is closed tomorrow, too! Sad. There goes my one chance to go to the temple this year. We did have a fun time at a nearby park, at Snoopy's World, and the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. We took it easy today because yesterday was such a long day.
Some more great things about Hong Kong:
Fri Apr 22 2011 06:33 Alternate Universe Disneyland:
Yesterday we finally went to Hong Kong Disneyland. Between Ocean Park, and seeing Pixar characters at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, and Peanuts characters at Snoopy's World, it's no wonder our kids think Hong Kong is Hong Kong Disneyland.
A different selection of imported food (we bought sour gummy worms, wild rice, dried mangoes, two kids of goldfish crackers, and different granola bars to take back with us)
A different selection of imported restaurants (I'm trying to convince John to go to CPK again)
Did I mention the beef hamburgers at McDonald's?
Lots of people-watching
People are very friendly
There is a LOT to see and do
Carbs
Lots of walking and exercise