Hong Kong Travel with Kids

There are so many people out there who absolutely love Hong Kong.  I for one, am not a fan.  I hated it the moment I stepped out of the airport for the first time, almost 10 years ago.  Over the years and several more visits later, my opinion of Hong Kong remained the same : overcrowded, expensive and dusty.  However, for the sake of my children, I braved the country again last week, with Ocean Park and Disneyland in mind.

 

Travelling with two young children in Hong Kong is really not easy.  Hb and I made the decision to bring 2 single, umbrella strollers.  So, the first tip is, to bring the most compact, most lightweight and smallest umbrella stroller you can find.  We brought along our McLaren Quest and the Cosco umbrella stroller (available at Toys R Us for RM149.90).   Every few minutes, hb commented the Cosco is much better and more convenient.  You will need to squeeze in the stroller in MTRs, trams, cable cars (if you are taking all these) and also in the restaurants.  This is really no easy feat considering just how crowded the public transports are and how small most restaurants are in Hong Kong. 

 

 

Cosco Stroller


 

 

Having said that, bringing a stroller is wise though.  People won't be bothered if you carry a child but they will give way if you are pushing a stroller.   The Cosco stroller cannot be reclined.  Many people I know of commented that it is not comfortable for kids to nap in it.  My girls slept soundly in it though.  When kids are tired, they will sleep no matter what the condition is. 

Taking the public transports in Hong Kong with 2 kids and 2 strollers in tow was a bit of challenge.  Buses are ok as they are bigger, but just as crowded.  We attempted the tram, MTR and the mini bus / van.  Children above 4yo need to pay for fares for public transports.  Between my hb and I, we only have an Octopus card (akin to Touch N Go) each.  Passengers are  to touch the panel with the Octopus and the fares will be deducted from the card.  Once there is no more credit in the card, one can easily top it up at Seven Eleven stores.  The system need a few minutes in between before the same card can be touched at the same panel again.  We were supposed to touch the card twice to pay for the girls' fees but the drivers were willing to overlook this and asked us to just go ahead without having to pay the children's fares.  The same goes with the ferry ride between Wan Chai - Tsim Tsa Tsui - Central.  Not sure why but we did not even have to pay for adults' fares when we entered the boarding area pushing the strollers.    Mini bus drivers were more particular where they either requested that the children's fares be paid (no matter the age) for the child to sit on a seat on her own or the parents will have to sit the child on their lap so as not to occupy another seat.  This is understandable as the seats in minibus are limited, only 16, I think.

 

We skipped many of the places popular with tourists such as the Temple Street and Ladies Street.  These places are notorious for the crowd.  Prices of goods there are not cheap either.  Our itineraries in Hong Kong revolved around those suitable for kids :  Ocean Park, Disneyland, Stanley Market, cruise across Victoria Harbour.

 

There have been many cases about children went missing in Ocean Park and Disneyland, and never to be found again.  This was our biggest fear about going to these places.  We equipped ourselves well with safety harness and the strollers also served to 'strap' the kids in place.  We watched the girls like hawk and never let them out of our sights.  I also dressed them out strikingly as little Snow Whites.  They stood out among the crowd and easy to be spotted and recognised if they do run wild.  People were delighted with the 2 little Snow Whites and they attracted attention wherever they go.   If parents keep watch of their children, then the misfortune of losing them can be avoided.  But, I can understand why such thing still happened.  One can easily got 'lost' in Disneyland, mesmerised by those characters, merchandise and buildings that we grew up with.    Plus, some people are not willing to leave the queue when their children needed to go to the washrooms, hence, letting them go on their own, thinking it will be ok.  It is not.  Remember that!

Two little Snow Whites in Disneyland

 

 

There were lots of mosquitoes in Ocean Park and Disneyland.  Be prepared with the mosquitoes repellent.  Bring along plenty of water too as the summer heat in Hong Kong is just unbearable, especially if you spend a lot of time outdoor.   There are lots of water dispenser in Disneyland but none in Ocean Park.  So you may want to bring as many bottled water as possible, unless you are willing to pay escalated price for them.

 

Last thing about travelling to Hong Kong with kids is about the food.  Some food are nice.  But generally, I find them to be too salty and oily for kids.  Be prepared about this.  Food portion is big though.  Just one main dish and I can feed both my girls and myself.    I find the noodles (akin to the wantan noodles here in KL) there is too alkaline.  My girls thrown out after having them.  At first, I thought it was due to the heat and the excitement and exhaustion of the day (we went to Disneyland earlier of the day).  But upon having the noodles myself, I knew the culprit was the alkaline.  We may be isolated case but it would be better to be aware of this.

 

All in, it was a memorable vacation and the girls really enjoyed their time in Hong Kong. 

 

Handmade Tinkerbell's Costume

Sewing costumes is enjoyable.  I like the challenge and love the look and smiles at my little girls' faces when they put it on. 

Having sewn the Snow White and Belle's costumes the other day, I tried my hand in sewing the Tinkerbell's costume.   Made the dress toga style for better hold.  The wings are clipped on and can be removed when not needed / not in use.

I really like it when my girls, adorned in the Tinkerbell's costume, ran free at our garden.  So carefree and happy.  They love that mummy has new and different dresses for them every now and then.   And... it is not something they usually see in stores.  This alone, makes my effort well worth.

Handmade Belle's Costume

For Christmas last year, my girls received the limited edition Tupperware water bottles, featuring the Disney Princesses. The entire set consists of Snow White, Cinderella, Belle and Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. My elder girl got the Snow White while the younger one received Belle.

When I finished sewing the Snow White costume the other day, naturally the girls thought that I am going to sew Belle's costume next, as they were thinking that I was sewing according to the water bottles. They were a bit disappointed when I said no. But after some considerations, I started to think, why not?

So here it is,  my own handmade Belle's gown. A little modification need to be made though. I had to add straps to the gown as unlike adults, kids do not have boobs to keep the bodice in place. 

Tried to take pictures of the girls descending the stairs, just like in the cartoon. However, the models were not that cooperative. Oh well.. next time then.

Handmade Snow White's Costume

It is every little girl's dream to be a princess and dressed in big, princess-y gowns.  The thrill would be doubled if the gown or dress is similar to the ones fairy tales princesses we know of are wearing.

I decided to sew a Snow White's costume for my girls for their upcoming trip to Disneyland.  I like it that the colors are sharp and contrasting.   Imagine their excitement and thrill to see themselves dressed as one of the characters?  The joy would be doubled if they get to meet and take pictures with the 'real' Snow White in Disneyland.

Now.. it seems like I am the one who get all excited to go to Disneyland.

Homemade Edible Paints

Here is the recipe for making edible paints.



Ingredients :

3tbsps    sugar
1/2tsp    salt
1/2 cup  corn starch
2cups     water
Food colorings



Method :


1) Dissolve all ingredients in a pot.

2) Gently heat while stirring till the mixture thickens.

3) Remove from heat and add in desired food colorings.




I made a few colors out of this mixture.  The colors are not very intense, but just nice.   The paints have glue-like texture, which I found to be good as they do not get spilled easily.  Even if they do spill, the paints can be cleaned easily.

Stored each of these colors separately in medicine box, which is perfect as they come in a few small compartments.  The excess are stored in containers, tightly sealed and kept in a cool, dry place.  I would not recommend keeping them in fridge as the starch will hardened.  The sugar and salt act as preservatives. 

Colors from the edible paints

Edible Paints kept in Medicine Boxes

Excess Paints Stored in Containers




 

Picasso in making

DIY Story Board

Attended an English story telling session with the girls last week.  The story teller, Anne, gave me a wonderful idea to make a story board to make story telling or teaching more interesting and interactive.

Anne mentioned that her story board is made of felt, nailed to a frame done by a frame maker.  I, on the other hand, prefer to make it simple and cheaper, since I am not a professional story teller.  Just need something to hold the felt in place. 

Dug out the picture frame that I bought from Ikea sometime ago which I have been using to hold my jigsaw puzzles. Already given up assembling it ever since I have kids as I simply do not have the time and they will just shatter to pieces again when my three little 'jaws' passed by it.  Using the Ikea frame to hold the felt is really convenient as there is no hammering, nailing or pasting needed.  Just need to spread the main piece of felt over the frame and press down the holder to hold it in place. 



Picture Frame from Ikea

 

 

 

 

The scenes can be made up using felt of different colors.  Felt does not hold each other that well, so I glued some Velcro at the back.  Pictures and animations were printed on a piece of A4 paper and glued to 250gsm paper.  A piece of Velcro is then glued at the back of each picture.  Scenes and pictures can be taken down and changed easily with the Velcro. 





Back of Pictures and Felts with Velcro

I have been using the story board a few days now.   So far, I have told them the story of 'Three Little Pigs' and taught them about the habitats of wild animals, things that we do at the beach and giving directions and road safety.  I must say that teaching is much more interesting with interactions rather than learning from books alone.





A Scene from 'Three Little Pigs'



Wild Animals



Things We Do at the Beach



Directions and Road Safety