Vacation Planning: A Clash of Expectations
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| Hong Kong Night Skyline, via |
As you know, the Asia Vu family is planning a short trip to Hong Kong during the Lunar New Year Holiday, and MsCaroline has been busily planning the itinerary
Last night, however, I learned that my vision of the ideal trip and the vision shared by MrL and Son#2 are somewhat different. And by 'somewhat different,' I mean 'on a different planet.'
Now, I will be the first person to say that you can't take your 15-year-old son to Hong Kong without making some allowances for varying ages, tastes, and interests. But when I saw what he was showing his father on the internet (damn you, YouTube), I realized just how wide the gap was going to be.
While I was envisioning something along the lines of this:
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| Touring Hong Kong Harbour, via |
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| Afternoon Tea At the Peninsula, via |
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| Afternoon Tea at the Peninsula via |
Here's what MrL and his offspring have in mind:
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| Bungy jumping off the Macau Tower |
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| skywalking off the Macau Tower |
I imagine we'll end up compromising, but God only knows what that's going to look like.
Comments
TurboJET - For enquiries please call Hong Kong (852) 2859 3333, Macau (853) 8790 7039. E-mail: reservation@turbojet.com.hk Website: http://www.turbojet.com.hk
The Cotai Strip CotaiJet™ -Enquiries for schedule and booking please call Hong Kong (852) 2359 9990, Macau (853) 2885 0595, or visit the website: http://www.cotaijet.com.mo
Here is a website about Macau attractions: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/macau/
And here is the official Macau website, packed with lots of useful information: http://cn.macautourism.gov.mo/en/
And finally, the Macau Tower has a viewing deck which feels nice and safe with comfy seats where you can sit and have a drink while your menfolk go out on the ledge and do crazy things. On a clear day you can see so much... all the way to Hong Kong and right over the border into mainland China. I am absolutely petrified of heights but did it anyway and I'm so glad I did (the viewing deck, not the jumping off part)! If you do nothing else, stop in at the Senado Square/St. Paul's Ruins/Monte Fort which will give you a lovely image of the days when Macau was a Portuguese colony.
Taxis are easy to use if you have a printed location to give them (iPhone map, paper map) as the drivers do not speak English. Free wifi is available throughout Macau (a major plus in my book!).
There is no need to exchange your Hong Kong dollars for Macau Patacas (MOP), as HK$ are fully acceptable throughout Macau on a 1:1 basis, but MOP is not accepted anywhere else. If you pay in HK$, they will generally give you change in the same.
Enjoy your trip, and as always, be on the lookout for pickpockets, especially over the holidays. Anything that's easy access for you will be easy access for them! It's a very safe place as far as your physical well being, but I can't count the number of friends who lost wallets and phones to thieves in both Macau and the crowded areas of HK, and with the intense crowds over CNY you'll be doing a lot of bumping into people so just beware.
Can't wait to hear about your exploits! Enjoy the warmth! Tomorrow we'll be feeling the fabulous warm California sun on our pasty white skin and enjoying bare hands and bare necks and even bare feet! Woo hoo!
Trish - Oh, trust me, that afternoon tea WILL be happening, and it will be the poshest, primmest, lace-doiliest, pinky-raising-est, Jane-Austenesque tea any of us have ever experienced! I feel that's only fair if I have to tag along and watch them hurl themselves off of towers!
Oh, and no need to apologize - I appreciated every juicy detail! Say hi to the coasts for me and enjoy the trip!
Incidentally, the picture with the junk must have been taken around the same time, judging by the buildings that look "tall" in the photos...
Oh, and the junk photo was one of the only non-copyrighted photos I could find online....figures it would be an 'older' one!