Handsome Haircut

Soren went in for his second-ever haircut and the hairdresser asked whether he wanted a silly haircut (apparently what she thought of the way we've kept his hair for the first 3.5 years of his life) or a handsome haircut.  He went for the latter, and we have to admit, he looks pretty good!

Hong Kong - Buddhas and Cable Car

On our last day in Hong Kong, we visited two very different Buddhist sites:  the Big Buddha on Lantau Island and the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery in Sha Tin.  Amelia and Soren loved the cable car trip up to the Big Buddha, particularly when they managed to get folks in other cable cars to wave back at them.  They also enjoyed choosing their favorite statutes from among the thousands of golden options at the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery.

 

Hong Kong - Disney

We now come to the experience that kept Amelia and Soren excited about our trip for months in advance:  our visit to Hong Kong Disneyland.  Happily, Disney did not disappoint (other than the Winnie the Pooh ride, which was downright weird).  The kids had a blast seeing lots of their favorite characters in the parade, rode lots of rides - favorites included It's a Small World and the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups - and got to eat Mickey Mouse waffles.  Best of all:  the lack of any lines longer than 15 minutes, and no wait at all on several rides.  Just like we're sure to find at California Disneyland when the kids inevitably convince us to go there in a few years, right?

 

 

Hong Kong - Food

Another highlight of our visit to Hong Kong was the food.  We had several great meals with Mommy's former boss, David, including a fantastic Thai meal at his apartment and a traditional Chinese meal that included a dish of "Braised Sea Cucumber and Goose Foot with Abalone Sauce."  Not exactly up Amelia and Soren's alley, but they were adventurous, enjoying not only dumplings and fruit juice, but also Peking Duck and black sesame jellies.

Hong Kong - Dragon's Back Hike

Our first day in Hong Kong was beautiful and we took advantage to do one of Mommy's favorite hikes:  the Dragon's Back trail.  After a long double-decker bus ride into the hills above Central, we began a tough climb up to the trail itself.  As you can see, the trail itself was glorious, with great views of the sea from both sides, and lots of para-gliders taking off and sailing up around us.  Amelia and Soren led the way throughout the hike, and carefully doled out their chocolates to give the rest of us the energy to keep up with them.

Hong Kong - YMCA and Light Show

After a long day of travel - including a fun layover in the Singapore airport that involved visiting the in-airport butterfly garden and the M&M store - we finally landed in Hong Kong, the final stop on our trip.  We stayed at the YMCA Salisbury in Kowloon, and our room had a fantastic view of Hong Kong harbor.  That came in particularly handy, as Amelia and Soren enjoyed watching the nightly light show, which they then tried to recreate with some flashing-light toys Amelia bargained for (and got for a steal) one evening!

Bali Through Amelia's Eyes

Amelia loved looking around all of the shops and stalls we passed in Bali and began taking photos of the artwork, goods and jewelry she liked the best.  Here are a few of her favorites!

  

Bali - Jimbaran Seafood and Swimming

One of the high points of our Bali adventure was our lunch at a seafood warung on Jimbaran beach.  The kids helped pick our seafood from the tanks - including lobster, clams and Yellow Crazy Fish (both kids' favorite) - before we swam and jumped over the waves in the Indian Ocean just a few steps away.  Truly a memorable lunch!