Higher than High in Hong Kong

Tourists and locals alike say if you were to visit Hong Kong and only had one attraction to visit, go to the Victoria Peak. Visitors having a stopover in HK do not even have an excuse not to visit this site as the airport is connected to the central station where one may catch the Peak Tram going to The Peak. Luckily our short trip to HK did not limit us to one attraction as we stayed in three different hotels in different locations letting us experience, Disneyland, Lantau, and Causeway Bay in a short period of time. Our one day stay at Causeway Bay was surprisingly very productive as we got to dine in two Michelin starred restaurants, shop a bit, ride the ding ding tram, and visit the breathtaking Victoria Peak.

We're higher than high, having stood 428 meters above sea level at the Sky Terrace in the beautiful Victoria Peak

DAY 1

We arrived HKIA a little before 7pm and headed straight to Disneyland Hollywood Hotel via taxi (paid around HK$ 120 or Php800) although the MTR was as accessible as the taxi, fare is much higher at HK$60 per adult and child at around HK$ 20-40. Iñigo was asleep during the ride but woke up upon arrival at the hotel. He was mesmerized by all the Mickey Mouse logos he was seeing, the brass statue of Mickey, the Mickey Mouse show on the TV at the lobby, and the talking elevator featuring who else but Mickey and his friends. We stayed in the Garden View room (number 8691). There were two beds which they referred to as single but looked like two queen beds to me. The sheets were very clean and soft. I loved the smell of the whole hotel which we noticed as soon as we stepped in at the lobby. They had a tub which I and the little one enjoyed. The room had subtle Mickey Mouse touches including a brass painting on top of the beds.

All smiles at the hotel room

For dinner we shared a bowl of Ramen and a sandwich. Also had three beers. Total price paid: around HK$ 300 or Php 1500-2000 

We had dinner at Hollywood and Dine and had a quick tour of the hotel grounds. We saw the pool which was full at that time of the night (around 9pm). Iñigo played a quick game of Space Hockey at the Malibu Games and didn't want to leave anymore. We went back to the room so late and he still didn't want to sleep in his own bed. I had to tuck him in with us since it was also way too cold.

Loved the soft sheets at Hollywood Hotel

DAY 2

We woke up to the greenest view I have ever seen. The lush trees in Hollywood Hotel were so refreshing to look at. Our itinerary that day included a swim in the piano pool and character dining at Chef Mickeys.

Morning dip at the Piano Pool, Hollywood Hotel

Picture taking with Chef Mickey

It was also our first day at the Park. Here we are about to enter Disneyland:

We brought everything we needed for the day: water, snacks, change of clothes, umbrella, stroller, and a happy disposition.

Contrary to popular belief, HK Disneyland is not a one-day park, especially if you are Disney-enthusiasts. Some of the attractions like Mystic Manor, Festival of the Lion King, and PhilHar Magic are comparable to the shows in other bigger and more celebrated Disney Parks in the world. If you want to experience all of the attractions in HK Disneyland, you must plan your visit well. Since Iñigo is only 95cm tall, we opted not to ride the Mine Cars and Space Mountain anymore, although I read these two were the best ones. We also avoided most of the characters as we saw them in the Flights of the Fantasy Parade anyway. Falling in line for the characters would easily take away a full hour to our visit. Park hours were very short from 1030am-8pm.

We visited Toy Story Land first. It was so hot.

Walking to Toy Story Land, you will easily spot familiar toys and characters from the movie. Since everything were so big, it looks as if the people are smaller than the actual toys.

Toys were brought to life at Toy Story Land. Some of them like the walkie-talkies even talked. It's among our top favorites in HK Disney.

After watching PhilHar Magic, waiting for his stroller.

Have you seen the stroller parking at HK Disneyland?

We passed by Winnie the Pooh ride to get a fastpass but were informed they have run out for the day. We toured their gift shop instead.

Since it was almost time for the Fantasy Parade, we walked around Main Street to have a snack and look for a nice spot to watch the parade.

We did not have waffles from this stall, we brought our own from the breakfast buffet. Harhar. We also had some egg tarts and Jell-o from Maxim's Bakeshop inside the park.

Before the crowd piled up at Main Street for the Flights of Fantasy Parade.

Here are more pictures from the parade:

Our view while waiting...Not a bad spot

Filipino musicians at Disneyland were aplenty

The first float...Dumbo!

Very festive atmosphere during the parade

Bouncing Tiggers

The Princesses

J-E-S-S-I-E

Woody went to us to give Iñigo a hug but I got too excited to capture the moment.

The space ranger on his float

I think this was when the parade hasn't started yet, hence Iñigo's bored face.

TO BE CONTINUED...

How to Have a Great Summer Vacation with your Toddler

1. Take the time off work (ask your husband to do the same) and schedule your vacation when you don't have a yaya or when she's taking her vacation to her own province in tralala. You'll never ever going to feel you need one and you get the privacy you have waited for so long. Be ready to do your own cleaning up and cooking though.

2. Book your flight tickets ahead and make use of those mileage! For accommodations, the deal sites not only offer discounts but also make it easier to look for quality resorts.

3. Choose a location where the beach is near and accessible (approximately 10 to 15 mins from the airport). That way, you save a lot of travel time and literally be in the beach as soon as your plane lands.

4. Don't hesitate spending a little on newly-opened resorts (ideally, two to three years of operation). This way you get the best facilities and service! We stayed at Crimson Resort and Spa. The entire place was vast, rooms were spacious, very nice ambiance and accommodating staff who spoke like they can qualify to be in the call center industry.

5. Pack just right. You have every excuse to pack a little more since you have a toddler (think floaters, beach toys, and other paraphernalia) but please be considerate of your husband too, who will be carrying your luggage.

6. Breastfeed. Although its not the first time our baby took a plane ride, I was more cautious and worried that he'll get fussy with all the wait in the airport, not to mention the noise in the plane and all that. When my son was about to get upset, he'll just turn to me and ask for "dedey". You avoid getting stared at in the plane with a noisy child because yours will be sleeping peacefully the entire flight.

7. Bring hotdogs*, bread, and an apple for lunch. Our flight was at 12:45 pm and we arrived at the airport two hours early to check-in our baggage. We would have been so hungry and cranky if we didn't eat at the airport despite having a full breakfast at home. Good thing, I was still able to pack us some lunch which we ate during the two hours of wait after check-in. A can of soda at the airport costs 50 pesos. We didn't bother checking how much the other food there costs.

8. Have your iphone or any android gadget ready to take pictures and upload to instagram right away. You'll never know when that Kodak moment may come and when you get started with the pic collage app and start making digital scrapbook real time. It's also always nice to have your family and close friends know where you are at the moment and how much you're having fun.

9. Call your mom. No matter how far you are or how much fun you are having, you never stop needing your mom. I told my Mom how his apo's favorite word at the moment is "sim" for "swim" and how much he giggled when he first heard the crashing of the waves.

10. Relax and seize the moment. It was the best vacation with my family so far. Stress-fee, absolutely relaxing, very nice place and food. We couldn't ask for more. Oh, wait, could we ask for this vacation not to end?

Here are some pictures of our trip. Captions by my husband (based on our favorite, Dr. Seuss)

*havent had hotdogs in a loong, loong time. Oh, and our pact to "no canned goods" has just been broken this week (separate story to follow). 

Here's to our last infant-without-seat booking.

"It's opener there in the wide open air."

He found the sound of waves crashing terrifically funny.

I tried, but I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

Don't worry, I can't swim too.

We belong to the kiddie pool.

Remember this when you grow up a little and go crazy over those gaming consoles.

Beach breastfeeding

A nice view, a lounge chair and a box of Champion raisins.

Obligatory jump shot. This is why I am not a photographer, mum.

"You'll be on your way up! You'll be seeing great sights! You'll join the high fliers who soar to high heights."

"Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left."

What are you up to now, Daddy?

Post-foot spa glow

Alphabet Dad

May I tell you how awesome my husband (a.k.a. Alphabet Dad) is?

He is the amalgamation of all the father figures I have come to know. In some ways, he's like my own father, other times, he reminds me of my brothers-in-law. He's firm yet sweet, serious yet has a good sense of humor, and most of all, he's a great husband and father to our son. You see, I'm never the organized homemaker type. My closet is always a mess. My mail inbox is full of unread mails and I hardly use subfolders for my data library. Imagine so much PNG, Word, Excel, and Acrobat files in one huge folder, waiting to be sorted, classified, and kept in their specific folders. I have collected the planners they give away at coffeeshops on Christmas for the past several years, only to browse over blank pages of daily schedules after each year. I only decided to stop probably after five planners, so yeah, I thought it was a great waste of stickers and money on the coffee I never really liked anyway. I'm digressing. My husband's closet is pristine. He keeps his underwear and socks in separate boxes. He has a space for each of his clothing item. He cleans his shoes every week. I'm envious of his closet that I always ask him to help me organize mine too. He's never helped me in that aspect though. But I'm glad that he's owned the task of keeping all important documents in the family, receipts of our appliances for the warranty, our son's birth and baptismal certificates, passports, check books, passbooks, even our monthly bill statements are clipped together. We're always on time with our monthly utility dues, all thanks to him! I really, really love him for being the organized and responsible husband and father that he is. I know it's a trait that I want him to pass on to our son someday.

I remember when we were just dating, he would pay for all our dates (he does this even now, most of the time, and you're right, we still date). He even paid for my Boracay trip on my 25th birthday. It was just the beginning of years of happy birthdays for me. He's known to be tightfisted with money, but when it comes to me and the things I really like doing, he's quite extravagant, if you know what I mean. Once he was laid off from work. We went on a vacation to Singapore and Malaysia using the lump sum separation pay that was given him. As long as it's for travel to somewhere we both like, he's always game. Anyway, as the head of the family, I can attest that he's a very good provider. He was laid off once but after that episode, the grass became so much greener for his career. I mean, we don't have much but we manage to have a comfortable life, and that's what's important.

As parents, we are still both learning. Our son adores him as much as we adore our son. They'd spend the day reading, playing, talking, and doing lots of learning together while I'm at work. He's the hands-on Dad if you want to call him that. He respects my decisions and supports me in the things that matter to me. Yesterday, we were at the canned goods aisle of the grocery and I told him we need to stop buying and eating processed foods and strive to be healthier. He agreed and this week, our cupboard is canned goods-free (well, except for the canned squid that's to be our yaya's emergency food). Yay! As I've been doing the past weeks, I would prepare healthy lunch for my son and husband before leaving for work and cook healthy dinner again when I get back. This week though, I would also prepare my husband's baon. Well, there's the ever reliable google for recipes on which snack to prepare.



It's tough being a newbie parent. I'm just super lucky and grateful that I have the greatest partner in the whole world.