A Father's Disneyland Adventure

I thought that this week I would share my look at our time in Hong Kong (Disneyland).  It was a blast!  What follows are a few of my highlights:

The Buzz Lightyear ride was my favorite.  It was basically a big video game!  Each car had to laser guns and a joystick to rotate the car.  Betsy would hold Aaron so that he could control the spin of the car while I got to shoot the evil emporer Zurg and his minions!  I think I rode this ride about seven times (including by myself a couple of times while Aaron was napping or riding a different ride with Mommy.)

 

Thankfully, on both Tuesday and Wednesday, some of the other ICS staff members were also at Disneyland, so we were able to pass Aaron off to a babysitter so we could ride Space Mountain.  (Incidentally, this was the only ride that Aaron could not ride.)  The best part about this ride was the line.  Note in the picture how many people were in front of us.  There were none behind us!  We typically had a five-minute wait!

  

Of course, I also had a lot of fun with Aaron, I loved watching him watch and study things.  Here he is watching the clock on the "It's a Small World" ride.  He loved watched the face tick-tock back and forth.

  

 We also enjoyed Tarzan's treehouse.

  

And of course, the train.  I was able to ride next to Donald (he is my favorite) for 7 of my 8 rides on the train!

Of course, the trip wasn't all fun and games (for me).  It also included the conference.  I really enjoyed the chance to connect with other Christian math teachers from around Asia and share ideas about curriculum, computer aids, and Biblical integration.  Plus, I enjoy the puzzle of figuring new things out, so the 6 train, hour and a half commute each direction wasn't really that bad!  It meant I got to see some of Hong Kong, I got to people watch, and I got to spend a lot of time reading from the Scriptures.

OK, here is one last picture.  On our last night in Hong Kong the three of us went to a nearby area and road these cable cars over the water and into the hills (I almost called them mountains).  It was wonderful to actually see mountains and hills unlike anything we have seen for a long time.  (I'm pretty sure that the highest elevation in Singapore is one of the banking buildings.)

Now we are back into normal life with 8 more days of school until Christmas vacation!  Love you all!

Trip to Hong Kong

Danny needed to attend a teaching conference in Hong Kong last week. So, we just had to stay at the Disneyland Hollywood Hotel so Betsy and Aaron could visit Disneyland 4 days. Yeah, we got to go to Disneyland 4 days in a row! Danny joined us for the first two days. Then he commuted into the city for his conference. Here is our hotel!

This fountain was just outside the entry into Disneyland. According to the math-brained husband, the fountain did a little show every 12 minutes. What a fun "Hello" from Mickey!

So, what was Aaron's favorite ride? Well it was a toss up, but the carousel won by a nose (no pun intended). He spent most of the rides on the carousel alternating between talking about how fast it was going and watching the mechanics and attempting to figure out how it worked.

After the carousel, Aaron asked, "Can we ride the elephants?" Danny was happy to oblige. We told Aaron that the Elephant's name was Dumbo. He would ask to ride Dumbo from then on. He discovered the joy of being able to control his ride. "Go up and down!" Yeah, that was tons of fun!

Next ride? Teacups please. Mommy said, "If you want to ride the teacups, you better do it today and tomorrow with Daddy. Mommy doesn't ride the teacups. Ever!" So Aaron got to ride with Daddy a couple of times! Mommy happily stood outside and snapped pictures!

The last ride of the first day: The Carousel.

The Small World ride was a cacophony of all things mechanical. Aaron had to study them every time we rode. Smiles and excitement outside the ride quickly faded as he tried to take in all the mechanical dolls and scenery. You can just see his little brain working, usually going on overload.

This Disneyland was perfect for Aaron. All the lands were very close together which made it easier for Aaron to get around. Most of the rides were geared for his age, so he could enjoy them repeatedly! This picture is of Main Street. We enjoyed all the various, spontaneous events. For example: The Disneyland Band, and even some Christmas shows.

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday Danny commuted into the main part of Hong Kong for a teacher's conference. The public train system there is very similar to the trains we use in Singapore. But the first leg of the trip was on a train that only serviced Disneyland. Boy was it a nice train! It made him spoiled to the rest of the packed commuter trains. The windows were Mickey shapes, and statues of the various characters were stationed periodically throughout the cars! Danny's favorite is Donald Duck!

Stay tuned for the next set of pictures. We have many more to share with you!