Hong Kong Park

We took a visit to the Hong Kong Park in Central to visit the bird aviary. It's a pretty nice park to take an afternoon stroll (along route to the aviary there are water fountains, waterfalls, streams with fish, benches to picnic on, and a children's playground) and our little one liked looking at the birds. Okay, he mostly liked racing down the long wooden decks - but who wouldn't? Show him a hill and he has to run up and down it.

Gazing at the fish.

Said fish.

Entering the aviary.

Look of wonderment in E's eyes.

Bird with it's own paparazzi.

I have never seen birds like these before. The feathery heads were kinda scary yet pretty at the same time.

More birds!

It was a fun afternoon. Hong Kong Park is open daily and also free! And if you need some retail therapy, Pacific Place is just behind the park.

Quick Facts:
Address: 19 Cotton Tree Drive, Central, Hong Kong.
How to get there: Take the MTR to Admiralty station exit C1. The park is above the escalators behind the Pacific Place mall.
Hours: The Aviary is open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, while the park itself is open from 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM.
Cost: Free!



Sanya

We went to Sanya for my brother’s wedding (which was amazingly lovely by the way!) and stayed for the weekend. The wedding was held at the Ritz-Carlton which is located in the southernmost tip of Hainan Island. Since we were only there for two days we just stayed at the hotel the whole time – which was not hard to do since it was so beautiful and relaxing!

The view from our balcony.

I forgot to take a picture of our room but it was very nice and spacious. The Ritz provided all amenities needed (including crib and high chair if needed) along with two water bottles daily. The was plenty of room to place the crib with added room for our toddler to run around in.

One of the many different pools that surround the hotel. There is also a nice beach where you can rent a Segway, go snorkeling or just relax and swim.

Along the pools were hammocks to relax in. These were amazingly comfortable and I could have sat in one and read a book for hours.

The Kid's Club was very nice. There were hourly activities scheduled (which are extra, but access to the Kid's Club is free) or you could just hang out and play in the air conditioned club. Plenty of toys, stuffed animals, books and games are provided.

The pool at the Kid's Club. It had a water slide which was a major highlight for Ethan. There is also a nice playground right next to the pool.

Monkeying around at the kid's club. Ethan did his scored first slam dunk. =P

I actually wasn't aware of this at the time we went on the trip (should have researched the hotel website!) but the hotel has a program called 'Uncle Martin's Secret Garden where kids can learn about fruits and vegetables and even pet baby chicks, rabbits and guinea pigs. That sounds so awesome and I really wish we had a chance to do it.

What else can I say? Oh, the food. The breakfast buffet is amazing! There really was a fantastic spread ranging from Chinese to Western food. We didn't get a chance to try other restaurants since we ate catered food with the wedding party (which I'm sure was provided by one of the hotel restaurants) but all the food was really good. All in all we had a great time and I highly recommend this resort if you are visiting Sanya.

Quick Facts:
Address: Yalong Bay National Resort District, Sanya, Hainan, 572000
Phone: +86 (898) 8898 8888
Check in: 2 PM
Check out: 12 PM

Inspiration Lake

Last weekend we went to Inspiration Lake which is part of Disneyland. It's free, open daily, and only a 15 minute walk from the Disney MTR station (although with the actual theme park being right there I guess most people would bypass this outdoor park). I was actually surprised with how big the park was - there is the lake itself where you can rent paddle boats, a kids playground, and lots and lots of green space with actual real grass! that you can picnic in or you can also rent out bikes to ride along the paths with. Fun fact - this lake is the largest artificial lake in Hong Kong.

The Disney train was super cute, and had Mickey Mouse shaped windows/handles and statues of the Disney characters on display:

The playground at the park:

Clowing around around the lake:

Paddle boats and bikes for rental:

Quick Facts:
Address: Penny's Bay, Lantau Island, Hong Kong.
How to get there: Take the MTR to Sunny Bay and switch to the Disneyland Resort Line. Signs will point you toward the lake, which is a bout a 15 minute walk. You can also drive or take a taxi and park directly at the lake itself ($25 HKD/hour parking fee).
Hours: 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
Cost: There is no entrance fee to the lake and park area. Paddle boats and bike rentals are extra.

HK Zoological and Botanical Gardens

This free park is open daily and located in Central. We took went for a visit last week to check out the birds and monkeys. They also have a reptile house but we didn't make it there.

The entrace to the park.

At the fountains.

We saw tons of birds and primates...

but our monkey was way more interested in the construction lights. He wanted to play with each and every one!

Quick Facts:
Address: Albany Road, Central, Hong Kong.
How to get there: Take the MTR to Central and public bus 3B, 12 or 13 to the gardens.
Hours: The park is open from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM daily.
Cost: Free!

Big Buddha

One fun day trip from Hong Kong Island is to visit the Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island. You can either take a ferry to Mui Wo from Central (Pier No. 6)
and then a 50 minute bus ride (Bus No. 2) to Ngong Ping or you can catch the MTR to Tung Chung and then take the Ngong Ping cable car to reach this destination. We opted for the latter even though the gondola has already built up quite a reputation. It was actually a very peaceful and enjoyable ride. At the bottom of the ride is the Ngong Ping Village which contains some tourist shops to buy souvenirs, restaurants, and some attractions such as the Monkey Theater and a tea house. Outside the village lies the Po Lin Monastery and the bronze Big Buddha, which is the world's largest outdoor Buddha statue. A short walk away from the Monastery is the Wisdom Path which is an outdoor replica of the Heart Sutra. The sutra is displayed on wooden pillars that winds around the path in an infinity shape.



Ethan modelling the windblown hair look in the cable car.

We are so high up!

Some funky trees.

A display of cable cars.Ethan trying his best to shimmy his way into a one.

Enjoying some desserts after dinner from Honeymoon Desserts, a popular chain in HK.

Quick Facts:
Address: Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, Hong Kong.
How to get there: Take the MTR to Tung Chung and then either the Ngong Ping Cable Car or public bus 23 to the site. Alternatively you can also take the ferry to Mui Wo (Pier 6) and then public bus 2.
Hours: The monastery is open from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and the Big Buddha is open from 10:00 Am to 6:00PM.
Cost:You can walk outside the surrounding area for free, but there is a slight entrance fee to go inside the Big Buddha.

Orang-Utans!

The Orang-Utan (Malay for ‘man of the forest’) Rehabilitation Centre is situated on the east coast of Sabah. The project is based at two different locations – the Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre (located on the edge of Kabili Sepilok Forest Reserve) and the Nature Reserve (located at the Shangri-la Rasa Ria Resort). On our recent trip to Kota Kinabalu we visited the Nature Reserve in Rasa Ria.

The Nature Reserve encompasses 64 acres and was established in 1996 in collaboration with the Sabah Wildlife Department. Orphaned, injured, and confiscated orang-utans taken from illegal pet trading are sent to the reserve and nursed back to health. The wardens treat the orang-utans and then teach them important survival skills such as foraging for fruit and climbing trees. Once those skills are mastered they and then introduced into the forest reserve at the center. When the wardens feel that an orang-utan is fully rehabilitated they are taken back and released into the wild.

At the nature reserve you have a chance to learn more about the rehabilitation process through a presentation before having a chance to view the orang-utans up close. A boardwalk leads past the nursery/food preparation station and onto the feeding platform where the orang-utans are fed milk and bananas. There are two daily feedings (10 AM and 2 PM) and since each feeding can only accommodate 65 viewers, be sure to book a viewing in advance! The feeding lasts an hour and costs $65 ringgits ($21 USD). At the reserve you can also partake in guided tours, a canopy walkway tour, or opt to be a Ranger for a Day to learn more about the habits, food preparation and temperament of the various animals found at the reserve.

We choose to view a feeding and got to see 4 baby orang-utans! They were really friendly and energetic as they swung from the rope structure to get their bananas. We also got to see lots of fish, turtles, and chickens on the hike up to the orang-utan feeding platform.

Quick Facts:
Address: Nature Reserve at Shangri-La Rasa Ria, Kota Kinabalu.
Hours: Feedings at 10 AM and 2 PM, can book through the hotel
Cost: $65 MYR per person

Shangri-la Rasa Ria

We had a wonderful time on our vacation in Malaysia. It was very relaxing...we basically stayed at the resort the whole time so lots of lounging at the beach and playing in the pool. Oh and eating. We did a lot of eating. I have to say that while I'm not exactly a beach person (before we had a baby I would never think to go to a beach resort for vacation as we would much rather do something more active) it was nice to just do something relaxing as a family for a few days. The weather was fantastic - it was warm (but not too hot) and not humid at all. I used to think San Diego would be the perfect place to live weather wise, but have to say Malaysia has fantastic year round weather also.

We stayed within the Garden Wing. Our room was a bit disappointing since it was slightly musty and bit outdated (I believe the hotel has plans to renovate the Garden Wing), but the room is very large and has a small lounge area that is portioned off which is nice. It was also a bit noisy. The floors are tile and the walls are thin so you can hear people walking by your room or in the room above. The resort grounds and amenities however were all lovely. We stayed on the first floor and so could just step outside to walk along the grounds from our patio doors.

There is a kids club for children ages 4-12 that includes a small outdoor play area. I think the age limitation is only for drop off care since Ethan was only one at the time and we were freely encourage to play at the club together. The children’s pool is shaded and has a slide to keep the little ones entertained. It is located right next to the adult pool. Both have fun rock formations. The beach is visible from the pool area and the resort offers rentals of jet skis, boogie boarding, etc. The kiosk at the pool provides towels, sunblock and even some paperback books if you forgot your beach reading material!

Food was great and there is a kid’s menu offered throughout the day. The staff is welcoming and friendly. One of the main reasons we choose this resort was because the Nature Reserve was located at the hotel. We were excited to learn more about the orang-utan rehabilitation process and see the baby orang-utans.

All in all it was a great beach vacation at a nice resort. We stayed for 4 days and had a blast (and we didn’t even leave the hotel)!

It is hard to tell but this is the extra lounge area. It is sunken and divided from the bed area by a low divider. There was room to fit the porta crib (hotel provided) by the bench seating area.

The first thing we did was head to the beach.

Of course we had to bury Ethan in the nice soft sand.

Later that day we got to meet a friendly Orang-Utan.

Checking out the old fashioned foot washing station.

There were banana trees all around the resort...

Which yielded the cutest smallest bananas perfect for baby sized hands.

Ethan had lots of fun and didn't want to leave!

Quick Facts:
Address: Pantai Dalit Beach, 89208 Tuaran, Sabah, Malaysia
Location: 40 minutes from airport, 35 minutes from city shopping area.
Phone: (60 88)) 792 888
Check in: 2 PM
Check out: 12 PM