Well today was the day we decided that we would go to Hong Kong Disneyland. After picking up our now customary morning mango treat at the bakery across the road (today was Mango pancake), we were able to get to Disneyland by rail, with the last train being Disneyland themed, a nice touch.
Disneyland itself was very good, but a little too similar to the one in California. It was a bit smaller, and in particular there were less of the thrill rides. However, all my (Ari) personal favourites were there, including Space Mountain, It’s a Small World, and the Jungle Cruise. The major advantage this Disneyland had over the in California was the number of people. Now it is a weekday, but when we got there shortly after opening, there were no queues for any rides, and throughout the day we never waited longer than 10 minutes for a ride.
Also two good stage shows, The Lion King (which was our favourite) and Mickey’s Golden Globes, and a water parade during which we both got rather wet. Predictably the food and drinks were very expensive, and drinks were very much needed at regular intervals given the temperature of over 33 degrees (again). Quite opposite from the rest of Hong Kong, but expected, the staff (or “cast” as they are called) of Disneyland were very friendly, often smiling, and always willing to help.
Dinner was at an street restaurant, at which I found out what food in heaven tastes like, that is, the chilli prawns I had tasted like I had died and gone to heaven. Accompanied by a reasonable Hong Kong beer, San Miguel.
We finally gave into a copy handbag vendor, and followed her up a smelly dark staircase up a few levels to an apartment that was rented specifically to display all the imitation branded handbags. While the selection was reasonably impressive, they did not have even close to the same range of copies being sold in Shenzhen, which would have had at least 500 to choose from. The crackdown on such merchandise is obviously working to keep these off the streets, however, it is peculiar that only certain brands fit into this category. A number of big named brands (Gucci, Diesel, Ed Hardy etc) are still sold on the streets.
Despite it being about midnight before we got home, and it being a Tuesday, the streets were still extremely busy with people walking, shopping, and some even having dinner.
No comments:
Post a Comment