Pandas and the Paparazzi

 There was not a cloud in the sky today as we finally made it to Ocean Park. No clouds also meant no relief from the heat. I was sweating standing still in the shade. Breathing alone made me sweat more, like I just finished a marathon (not that I would know what that feels like. I can only imagine). It was hot! We filled up on liquids and set off to discover the park. Ocean Park is an enormous combination of an aquarium, zoo, carnival, and amusement park. It's so big, that to get from one side of it to the other, you have to take either a train or cable car. Of course, we opted for the cable car which gave us breathtaking views of Repulse Bay. The cable car was a quick respite from the craziness of Ocean Park. We chose to go on a Monday because we were told weekends there are really crowded.  I can't imagine how thy could fit more people in the park than were there today. There were brief moments when the crowds were less noticeable and there was some breathing room, but when it came to seeing the pandas or the aquarium, it was craziness. There are many cultural differences here - the food, the fashion, the markets - and, today, it was confirmed that the way people handle themselves in crowds is unlike anything I have seen. The pushiness goes against my nature and it has been tough to deal with. I have noticed this variance from time to time, especially when I went to the night market and the ladies market - both like flea markets on steroids (blocks and blocks of stalls where you negotiate for the lowest prices on goods to bring back home). I kind of expected it there.  But, this is a family friendly environment. It appears as if no one cares that you are blocking their way, waiting in line, or that you have children with you. We got bumped into, stepped on, and pushed aside more times today than I can count. No one even blinks an eye at the human to human contact. No one said excuse me - in English or in Cantonese. Children need to fend for themselves and make their way through the crowds. We had to teach the girls to be more aggressive. Skye questioned me as to why they weren't being nicer.  That's a tough one since the majority of people we have come in contact with here have been extremely nice and helpful. It's just the crowd behavior that doesn't sit right with us. We won't be here long enough to get used to it, so we will continue being our polite selves and wait our turn respectfully and say excuse me when necessary.

Speaking of cultural differences, taking pictures of other people's children is a major one. People stop and take pictures of Cole ALL the time. I thought it was a one time thing the first instance it happened. Nope! Almost every day, I catch people snapping photos of him. Today, it happened at least six times that we saw. They were men and women, old and young. I have no idea why they would want a picture of a random child. Two people took his picture while he was sleeping in the stroller. One lady even bent down to get in a picture with him.  He consistently gets people waving to him, high fiving him, and trying to engage him.  It is so odd!  I joked that we should move to Asia and start his modeling career. I would never take a picture of a child I did not know. I don't understand it and don't know that I ever will. Cole, however, has taken to the paparazzi quite well. He smiles and says "cheese" for them (he's obviously had a lot of practice doing that with me as his mom. He probably thinks this is normal), he waves back, fist bumps, and says "bye bye". If anyone has any insight into this, I'd love to hear about it!

Other than the hoards of people, Ocean Park was very impressive. We could have spent more than one day there easily! There were many areas and rides we never got to see. Sydney was bummed that we didn't get to ride The Dragon. She got a taste of roller coasters with Space Mountain at Disney and couldn't wait to go on more. Unfortunately, it was pretty late when we got to the roller coaster area - this park is enormous - and the lines were quite long. They did get to go on a water ride and loved it. The pandas were a highlight of the day...seeing them was on Skye's "must do while in China list."

Our Fourth of July was definitely a memorable one and loads of fun.  We miss our friends and family, especially on a day like today. We hope everyone has a fantastic day today!!!  We would love to see a few of your personal fireworks pictures!

I'm looking forward to a quieter day tomorrow. One with less crowds would be great with me!  Good night from Hong Kong...

The entrance to Ocean Park. There were mini hot air balloon rides you could take.

I did my best with pictures in the aquarium. Flashes were not allowed and it was tough getting a good angle with the mobs of people.

The next two are  for Noelle...a spider crab. The girls were insistent that I get a pic of this for her!

It's Mr. Ray!

We could have watched the pandas all day! These were all taken through glass which made it a little tougher to get a decent shot.

Jia Jia.

This is An An. He is described on the notes next to the enclosure as "agile and active."

We loved the red pandas. They were adorable and looked like a cross between a bear and a raccoon with fox-like coloring.

Turtle!

Cole's day was made with a ride on the train!

The kids got to play a few carnival games.

The cable car up to the amusement park section.

The Dragon!

It was so hot and sunny, we had to stop and get Cole a hat. I was not as prepared for the weather as I should have been.

Cole fell asleep while we were waiting for Todd and the girls to ride the rapids. It's okay for me to want a picture of this, but would you? Didn't think so.

These are good amusement park wear. Definitely my top choice of footwear.

We were on a bridge waiting for them to go under it.

These were made out of flowers. The girls loved them...I see an art project in our future.

Random clowns throughout the park.

The ride down...we all looked rightfully worn out!

I think cable car is Cole's new transportation of choice. He absolutely loved it!