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.
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Cosco Stroller
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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!
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| 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.
