Hong Kong no Phooey TR (Apr 2012)! The Yee's have it....TR finish #1101, 07/09

[dgbg100106]

congratulations.....

 

[PrincessInOz]

You are really super woman! I don't know how you cook all you do (WFD thread) take the pics you do (photo thread, which I don't even follow, but I know of your involvelemnt) post awesome TRs that you actually complete, and take care of your family while keeping up with all the games on the DIS and still have a job!

You are definitely an awesome over achiever! You go girl!


Me, I better go to bed and sleep for about 10 hours!

30,000 Congratulations!!

Now get some sleep...

congratulations.....

Thanks!!

 

[PrincessInOz]

“You got to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.”…..Orientation time!


“You got to be careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there." Yogi Berra


Yogi Berra, that great baseball catcher is probably equally as famous for his malapropism as he is for his catching. In this case, I’m gonna follow his lead and take a look at the general layout for Hong Kong.

From what I’ve read, Hong Kong is divided in to 3 broad areas:

Hong Kong Island.

• Wan Chai District appears to be the main area that tourists stay in if choosing to stay at Hong Kong Island and broadly stretches from Admiralty to Causeway Bay.
• The Central District is another prime tourist haunt. Central is the main financial center of Hong Kong. It broadly stretches the other side of the Island to Wan Chai, from Admiralty towards Victoria Harbour.

Kowloon Peninsula.

• Kowloon City District includes the Kai Tak Airport, Ma Tau Wai and parts of Hong Hum. If you flew into Hong Kong prior to 1998, you flew into this district.
• Yau Tsim Mong District is the main urban area in Hong Kong. It is an acronym for Yau Ma Tei, Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok. Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok are where you’d find the markets. Tsim Sha Tsui has a dazzling concentration of 5-star hotels and is where you catch the Star Ferries from. It is the major tourist hub in Hong Kong.

The New Territories and outlying islands, including Lantau Island where Disney is located.



If you can see or read the map, we’re staying near the Hong Hum station in Kowloon.

To get around Hong Kong, we’re going to get ourselves an Octopus Card.



Start-up costs will be about HK$150 per adult and HK$70 per child. When first purchasing the Octopus Card, HK$50 is included as refundable deposit, and the remaining value will be stored in the card for normal payments. Given how the MTR or KCR system spreads throughout HK, this will be our primary mode for transportation around HK. My parents and our friendly TA has advised that they have also taken taxi’s from time to time.



It is definitely a case of be flexible to 'catch' public transport. Maybe we'll end up being as good a catcher as Yogi Berra!

 

[stephielela]

I am FINALLY subbing! It would appear you started this PTR while I was heading off to my trip, so I didn't notice it right away and it has taken me a bit to get caught up!

This trip looks amazing. I have to be honest, I have never been interested in travel to Asia, but my dad lived in Hong Kong for several years as a child and has traveled to many Asian countries with work and speaks Chinese (though I believe he speaks Mandarin, not positive...) Anywho, I am interested to read about your trip and see if it sparks a desire to travel to Asia in the future!

 

[usnuzuloose]

So when you go do we get a gps tracker so we know where you are at. I hope you never get lost.

 

[dgbg100106]

So when you go do we get a gps tracker so we know where you are at. I hope you never get lost.

I agree...

 

[PrincessInOz]

I am FINALLY subbing! It would appear you started this PTR while I was heading off to my trip, so I didn't notice it right away and it has taken me a bit to get caught up!

This trip looks amazing. I have to be honest, I have never been interested in travel to Asia, but my dad lived in Hong Kong for several years as a child and has traveled to many Asian countries with work and speaks Chinese (though I believe he speaks Mandarin, not positive...) Anywho, I am interested to read about your trip and see if it sparks a desire to travel to Asia in the future!

YAY!!! You made it over. Thanks for subbing in.

So when you go do we get a gps tracker so we know where you are at. I hope you never get lost.

I agree...

Getting lost on holiday is part of the fun. My philosophy? Always take the left fork.





Sorry for the lack of update folks....life's been one teacup ride spinning revolting revolving door at my place. Decemberitis has struck bigtime!

 

[franandaj]

Hang in there it's almost over, then you can get back to updating us!

 

[usnuzuloose]

Just do what you need to do, dont over do.

 

[dgbg100106]

If you promise to finish. All will be cool with me.

 

[PrincessInOz]

If you promise to finish. All will be cool with me.

On my current track record, I ALWAYS finish what I start.

 

[dgbg100106]

On my current track record, I ALWAYS finish what I start.

Good!!!!

I may be slow but I get it done!

 

[franandaj]

On my current track record, I ALWAYS finish what I start.

Haven't you finished three TRs since Kimmar started hers?

 

[PrincessInOz]

Haven't you finished three TRs since Kimmar started hers?

By my count, it was 2 PTRs and 3 TRs. I don't count the 3rd PTR because I started that before Kimmar started her Trippie with No Name....

 

[dgbg100106]

By my count, it was 2 PTRs and 3 TRs. I don't count the 3rd PTR because I started that before Kimmar started her Trippie with No Name....

My goal is to finish before she does... Maybe I can make it!!!

 

[PrincessInOz]

OT - December in Melbourne and Life's Perspective through a camera lens

It's December over here and nearly Christmas time. To say that life has been a juggling act in the last 6 weeks would be an understatement.

But I thought I'd share with you a bit of my perspective of December through my camera lens. This might take a couple of posts...

Firstly, it was about food preparation.

My cherry tree had an unusually bumper crop this year. The cherries could have done with a couple more weeks on the tree but the birds were having a field day....and it was wet. They were starting to mould...

...so we picked over 10 kilos (more than 20 lbs) from the tree.

We ate them over a course of about 3 - 4 weeks; and then I noticed that the last few of them were going off.

So, I made me...

...a batch of cherry muffins.

YUM!

I also cooked up some Bourbon Fruit cake.

They are all ready to go for Christmas presents!

I also made some Rum Balls to give away as presents...

I plan on making another batch if there ends up being 26 hours in the day over the next couple of days.



Christmas around my place is taking shape. Between the tree and presents, I'm pretty much done. Only food left.

My tree looks like this!

It's a musical theme...

And yes, I do have Disney references on there too..

(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


Life has also been about one merry-go-round of activities, catch ups and events.

Such was life for me that sometimes, I just felt like I was herded along like in school....

...barely keeping up with the swimming...

...waiting for the sharks to go away!

But there is always a light at the end of the tunnel...

And we turned our attention towards an event of starry proportions.

I'm really lucky to be working for an organisation that still holds the annual christmas party.

It was really dark in the venue and I had to push the camera and lens to get some shots.

Our dinner menu:

Starters:

The Taste of Victoria

The Duck

The vegetarian option

Mains:

The lamb

The fish (definitely no longer swimming)

The delicious vegetarian option

Desserts:

My company understands that we all like to eat desserts. So, desserts is always of finger food bite-size and PLENTY of it.

Each table gets served a platter like this and then it just keeps on coming out in the foyer area outside the venue, which is where I went to take these shots. Much.more.light!

I loved the lemon tarts.

The mango sorbets were also amazing.

This was chocolate cake with chocolate mouse on top encased in that dark chocolate shell. It was delicious but a little too rich for me.

(Continued in Next Post)

 

[DisneyFirefly]

The fish (definitely no longer swimming)

This made me literally LOL Anyway, the pictures are gorgeous! I particularly like the one of the guys in suits in the fish tunnel!

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


Christmas is my favourite holiday of year. I just love the decorations and everywhere I walk in the city....there is the colour and glitter of Christmas, albeit in a summer setting.

Every year, one of the departmental stores will decorate the City store windows with a Christmas theme. They get a local celebrity to sing a song and sell the CD in aid of charity.

This year's theme is Santa Claus is coming to town.

These are snapshots of the windows...and really, it is nothing more than mechanical puppets; but its about the tradition of the Myer windows!

I took the above shots in daytime. Just so you know...the people come all day until late. This is outside the Myer windows at 10 pm at night!

Melbourne City decorations are reasonable. They aren't a patch on the ones in Europe; but they do hold their own as a collection of pictures....

The city has a number of arcades...

...and a number of grand old buildings that are just beautiful inside. This is the outside of my favourite building in Melbourne...

Why? Check out the interior!

And that domed roof!

This is walking out the back of the foyer.

This bridge over the Yarra River is supposed to have a large 'mistletoe' hanging....well....kiss my bahookie.....no one is fooled!

Town Hall is decorated with a ribbon this year...

...and some of the squares around town look quite festive.

Take note of the church in the background....

(Continued in the next post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


I went on a little walk the other night round the city. Ended up walking for over 3 hours.

It definitely isn't Vegas....but there is ONE casino in Melbourne. Competition for Vegas it definitely isn't; but they do try to have a Christmas display in the hotel foyer. It's sound and light....

Remember that church from the previous post? The front of the church looks like this from Federation Square...

I took my tripod along that night and staked out a position. These might be repetitive...but hey....between staking out my spot and waiting for the lights to start and then taking the bazillion shots, I figured that if I had to take them, SOMEONE has to see them!

(I think we've decided that if you play connect the dots, you might make out a PIG in this shot.)

The other building that was lit up was the State Library of Victoria. The theme there was the Nutcracker.

DH and I are contemplating heading into the city again tomorrow night. Rumour has it that there might be fireworks at the Docklands. I am so definitely checking it out if this is the case.

Who knows? There might be a follow up posting on life through the camera lens!


If I don't catch you later, I wish you all a Merry Christmas. Thanks for reading along and sharing my PTR with me.