Author Archives: mathan

The birth of a car

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Everyone knows what a Toyota and, specifically, a Prius fanboy I am.  Scott and I were featured on Toyota’s Facebook just before we switched from our 2009 Prius to the 2012 Prius for Green Week.  I’ve even defended the attacks on masculinity and the Prius as well as Hybrid Technology.  We even visited Toyota City recently on our trip to Japan.  I’ve complained about the price of gasoline, and I admit I’ve been lightly holier than thou about driving cars that sipped gas.

Today, we did something different.  Something bold.

My 2012 Prius lease is up in April and it’s either I spent the money to buy the car out, or buy a new car.  I always said this car would be a keeper, and it mostly has everything I want in such a car. It certainly has everything I need in a car.

  • Moonroof – I wouldn’t have another car without a moon roof
  • Hybrid – Sips gas, what else can I say?
  • Good amount of room – The Prius is spacious for sure – It’s one of my favourite features as people expect it to be smaller
  • Reasonable stereo – This and the navigation system on the 4th Generation Prius are the banes of my existence now

Today, we went almost the complete opposite of the Prius.

MINI

We have a 2016 Mini Cooper 5 Door in Electric Blue coming in January, from Oxford, England.

But, what happened to the love affair with Toyota?  Absolutely nothing!

Three cars have been on my must own before I die list:

  • A Toyota Prius – We’ve owned two in seven years
  • A MINI – They’re adorable
  • A BMW 3-Series – Classic design, great technology

If I achieve two out of three of these, then I’m more than fine and happy.  On top of it, the MINI with how it’s currently designed shares it’s engine with the BMW 1-Series and the platform is from the BMW 2-Series.  1+2 = 3 so I’ve met my must haves.  Okay, not quite a 3-series, but still.  The new MINI is even more BMW than it used to be, and that makes me a happy man.

So what about all those things that are must-haves in a car?

  • The MINI is technically a mild hybrid.  For example the auto-stop feature stops the engine when the car is stopped at a stop sign.
  • It has sport, mid and green modes, and there is a significant difference in the way the car drives for all three modes. It’s like taking the Prius from Eco to Power mode, but more significant.
  • Lighting-wise you can choose from Xenon of LED lights – The only car in it’s class to have LED lights available.  While LED lights will minimally affect fuel economy for the better, none the less, it does affect.  Also given LEDs last an amazingly long time, there is reduced garbage.
  • Moonroof – The MINI goes without saying, it covers a huge amount of the roof, even for folks in the back seat.
  • Room – The 2016 is much bigger, Scott and I have gotten smaller, and we’re not bumping shoulders like we were a year and a half ago.  And we had a lot of fun test driving the MINI.  Where it will be different is how tight it is for our guests riding in the car.  It will be tight, but I can actually sit comfortably behind Scott in the MINI and Scott says he is comfortable.
  • Reasonable Stereo – All I can say is that the stock stereo in the MINI blows the Prius and any Toyota I’ve owned out of the water.  We actually upgraded to the Harmon Kardon that MINI offers.  If you’re not used to a good stereo in a car, this system will blow you away.

It will be the most ridiculous car we’ve ever owned, taking the place of our first most-ridiculous car we ever owned – our first Absolutely Red Toyota Echo.

We chose Electric Blue after knowing that while we had liked blues and reds, we did not want to be conservative with this car.  We both went back and forth between Electric Blue and Volcanic Orange.  White, Brown, Grey and Blacks were off the list.  Done black, and while I would consider white, just not in the MINI.  It’s actually quite common to see Pepper White MINIs on the road here in Canada.

I originally was thinking Deep Blue Metallic, but we’ve had two dark blue cars already.  It’s a good colour, but it is also a hard colour to keep the dust off.

I was originally thinking all Electric Blue, including the top and no other customizations, but again, our eyes kept on going back to Electric Blue and the white cap.  I was thinking no racing stripes but we added them.

For the wheels, we didn’t want to pay extra for custom rims, however one dealer we went to offered up the stock 16in Loop Spoke rims that come with the MINI Cooper S for free as an upgrade.  After hmming and hawing, we chose the 16in Loop Spoke rather than the 16in Victory Spoke rims.  I never thought I’d ever have to pick between rims.  Admittedly, I would have loved the 17in Roulette Spoke or there was one that looked like trees growing form the centre.

Package-wise, this is where the real fun was had.  I’ve speced out cars dreaming about having a bunch of bells and whistles.  Well, we’ve been able to do this.  For, essentially a BMW, the packages are not badly priced, especially relative to what we had before.  In short, we’re getting a lot more car:

  • Essentials Package 
    • Panorama Sunroof – No brainer, we love driving with the roof open
    • Heated Front Seats – I am sure I will appreciate this in winter, it’s not big on my list of needs.
    • Front Fog Lights – I missed having fog lights on our most recent car, good for when we drive up north.
    • Rear Fog Lights – Not something big on my list of needs, but a good thing to have I would say during spring, and for higher visibility in general.  Nice to have.
  • Loaded Package
    • Comfort Access – Essentially, an NFC key with buttons on it.  There are some cool features here though.  When you unlock your car, the windows and moonroof can be opened remotely to vent the car.  When you lock the car, the windows and moonroof can be closed remotely!  Huzzah!  Such a nice feature!
    • Front Center Armrest – I like having somewhere to rest my arm.  As an added bonus, with the MINI Connected system, you can put your phone in here connected to a dock. Most BMWs come with these, but good luck finding the connector for the iPhone 6.  Thankfully, I know of a place in Germany that sells them.  BMW doesn’t.
    • Sport Seats – I’ve always liked the look of sport seats, but found them impractical or couldn’t be good on the back  Well, they do hug around me quite nicely and Scott found them comfortable enough, and when no one is in the back, you can lounge back quite nicely.  Definitely a premium feature.
    • Rain Sensor w/ Auto Headlamps – I like auto lighting and have had it on my two Prii.  The rain sensor, I’m curious about.  That is definitely a premium feature.
    • Automatic Climate Control – Definitely a must have on any car.  It actually helps with fuel efficiency as the car controls when the fan is on, and maintains temperature, using less energy.
    • On-Board Computer – Yes, a speedometer is a requirement LOL!
    • Auto Dimming Interior Mirror – Both of my Prii had these, and they’re great.
    • LED Headlights with Adaptive Headlights – This packaged we hmmmed and hawed on.  Going from Xenon headlights to LED headlights have minimal effect on fuel consumption, but do have some.  Also LED headlights last considerably longer.  The Adaptive Headlights we chose for when we’re night driving in dark places, being able to light up around corners.  Definitely premium but a nice safety feature.
  • Wired Navigation Package –
    • Also includes the Front Centre Armrest– See above
    • Integrated Visual Display
      • Oh god, such a gorgeous high resolution 8.8in screen.  The Navigation System, the menu system, the whole thing is just gorgeous!  This, to me, has been a failing of Toyota in general and in general a large portion of the automative industry until recently, using lower resolution screens.
      • The ring around the visual display is definitely a premium item and something that not everyone likes.  It can change colour dependent on either the colour you choose, or the drive mode, or it can even act as a tachometer flagging when to switch gear.  It makes the car funky, and being able to have mood lighting in my car definitely appeals to me.
    • MINI Connected
      • Something that BMW excels at.  MINI Connected is a more fun and an even better version of BMW Connected Drive which is controlled by iDrive.
      • BMW also offers regular updates and you can use the same website for both BMW and MINI.  Toyota does, too, but you have to go to the dealer to upgrade.
      • You can get stats on your car saved to your phone such as where your car is parked, the remaining fuel level and the range the car is expected to go on that.  It records your last route, how you drove, what the fuel efficiency was.  This is not something a lot of cars do, but most if not the whole BMW line does this.
      • The system also include as 20 Gb hard drive that can be used to save music to.  I am not sure if I will hook up the 120 Gb iPod Classic I use in the Prius to the MINI as I usually play music from my phone anyway.
    • On-Board Navigation (aka Connected XL) – Oh god, such a gorgeous navigation system.  It connects in to Google Maps through your phone.  While MINI took away the “Send to Car” feature of Google Maps, I am hoping they bring this back, so you can setup a route at home on Google Maps and send it to your car.  A neat feature.
    • Bluetooth and USB Audio – Something that any car manufacturer should deliver with all vehicles.  A must.  Two devices are supported. via USB.
  • Visual Package
    • Rear View Camera – After having a rear view camera on the current car, it’s a feature I’m not willing to do without.  Where I use it is to check just before I start reversing and when I’m checking the distance when backing into a parking spot or parallel parking.  I always look out the back window when I’m reversing.
    • Park Distance Control – I’ve never had this feature on a car, and with the Rear View Camera it’s almost overkill.  The other option would have been Park Assistant which auto-parks the car for an extra $500 which we just don’t need.
    • Heads Up Display – Yes I’m going to feel like I’m flying a 787 or a fighter jet.  Okay we can keep dreaming on that, but this is what really caught my eye about this package.  The MINI is the first car Scott and I have purchased that has the speedometer in the standard place – in front of the steering wheel, rather than in the middle of the console which we are used to.  I think this will help make that transition easier, but it’s just cool.  It also means we don’t have to look at the MINI Connected XL screen for navigation or changing music.  This could be a neat safety feature.
  • Harmon Kardon Sound System – This sounds gorgeous.  Just gorgeous.  Now yes, you can probably get better for cheaper, but relative to what I’m used to in a car, it was stunning.  And now my friends can hear the music in the back seat as well!
  • Carbon Black Leatherette – It is a plastic based leather-like product.  So we don’t have leather seats.  It does mean the car could get warmer, and such in the summer and colder in the winter.  Shame we don’t have seat cooling but seat heating in winter may be divine.  We didn’t see a need for Leather, and the cloth seats – in all honestly the Leatherette seats are easy to maintain.
  • 16″ Loop Spoke Wheels – This is considered an upgrade as it’s only available on the MINI Cooper S, typically.  I’ve heard that MINI is having a shortage of the 16″ Victory Spoke wheels.
  • White Turn Signals – This is strictly an aesthetic thing.  I didn’t care either way, really, but the white does blend nicely with the blue of the car and the white roof.
  • Rubber Mats – After using the rubber mats all season in the Prius, the car fared much better and looks much better inside that the carpeting hasn’t been wrecked, etc..  Every car should include these for free!!

And I’m paying around the same price as I did for the Prius in all, with my monthly payments lower.  I couldn’t ask for a better car.  We are living the dream and feel very fortunate that we can do it.

My advice to anyone is, definitely go get quotes, do your homework and don’t be afraid to ask for things.  I probably should have done this with the second Prius I bought and didn’t, given Toyota was willing to negotiate a bit more.

I will be posting more once I get the VIN number.  BMW’s website allows you to track the building of both BMW and MINI cars when they are ordered.  You can also, if you know what you’re doing, track the ship that is carrying your car as well. Thanks to Jalopnik, there is a great article on how to do this.  I promise not to freak out to my sales rep.

There is a great story about MINI Canada and a recall the company had to do with cars that were finally delivered around April this year.  In short, a batch of cars (and not just MINIs, but all european manufactured cars were affected) have, essentially, had to be written off and re-built due to sitting at the Halfix Car Port and the port company trying to “…to free the cars with a salt water mixture resulting in the MINIs ‘sitting in standing pools of salt water for an extended period of time'”.

Those owners are getting their car rebuilt for no charge, getting loaners for no charge.  I sure hope BMW is taking action against the port.

I have no doubt that we will be happy MINI customers just as we’ve been happy Toyota customers.  I have also read other good reports around MINI standing by their product as well.  So I have no doubt we will be in good hands. It’s time for us to get something a little different, more fun.

I still stand by Toyota, and when the time is right we will go back.  Right now, I want something a bit more exciting and this is a car I have always wanted.  Now seems the right time.

It’s been a month…

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It’s actually over a month since Scott and I were in Japan and Hong Kong, and we’ve both been reflecting on the trip as we’ve done photo reviews with friends and family.

There were a few things I wanted to write about but didn’t get a chance to, or I missed them in my blog entries.

2015 is actually shaping up to be the year of Asia.  I knew prior to going to Japan and Hong Kong that I may be headed to the Philippines and/or India for a work project.  We’ll see if it happens.

Weight-wise I maintained my weight over the trip.  However, it seems that after my weight went up 6lbs to 253lbs, mostly water weight!  11lbs up since my low of 242lbs.  I’m back focused on the diet and also back swimming three times a week.  This feels good and I can already see the results of the loss.

Hong Kong

For our first dinner in Hong Kong, Scott and I had asked the concierge at the hotel, “We want something that is definitely local, and good to eat, where should we go” and he point us to this place that had a bit of a diner feel and the food seemed mostly western but with some Chinese and pan-Asian dishes.

The restaurant was Tsui Wah.  Tsui Wah is actually quite the institution in Hong Kong and is probably one of *the* places one can go to for something truly from Hong Kong.  As some people say, this is *the* place for original fusion food.  What do I mean?

Bring a bunch of cultures together, mash their food together and you get fusion.  You see it a lot in Canada with all the various ethnicities that exist here in Canada.  Case in point: Chicken Balls.  Nowhere in China, in Hong Kong or anywhere other than Canada and maybe the US will you see Chicken Balls.  They’re standard fare here in Canada.  The merging of two cultures.

As the linked article states: “…With a menu that was broader than your average cha chaan teng, Tsui Wah could offer everything from condensed milk buns to fried noodles to Swiss-style chicken wings or an admittedly superb Malaysian chicken curry…”

And it does! This is a Hong Kong icon, and we really didn’t know it.  I’d like to go back and give other items on the menu a try.

That is how we feel about Hong Kong.  We kind of got one feel for it, but I’m not sure it’s the right impression.  We really want to go back and experience the “real” Hong Kong, away from the gold, expensive watches, etc…  And that would have taken probably another two days.

Diet Pop in Japan and Hong Kong

I do drink a lot of diet pop, it’s how I’ve been able to maintain my svelte figure over the years.  Seriously though, I don’t drink sugared pop, so what do you drink in Asia where they don’t drink a lot of diet pop?

Firstly, unsweetened green tea is found everywhere, in pop machines, as is bottled water.  So there’s one answer.

It seems Coke Zero is readily available in both Japan and Hong Kong.  Coke Light was the diet variant available in Korea.  Also, Pepsi does have Pepsi Strong Zero available in Japan, and I think in Hong Kong.

Coke Zero in Japan is pretty tasteless relative to the variants in Canada and Hong Kong.  Hong Kong’s seemed to taste light yet still tasty versus Canada’s.

Once again, I preferred the Pepsi offering – Pepsi Strong Zero.  It had a much better flavour – better than Coke Zero and Diet Pepsi in Canada.  It’s new as of June 2015 and it does have more caffeine.

So there are offerings, but keep in mind the tea will probably be more healthier than the diet pop.  It’s nice seeing these options.

Crosswalks in Japan

It’s true.  Nobody walks against the lights, although there were a few times where I did see a rogue Japanese person do so.  May they hang their head in shame.

 

Day 14: 24 hours

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It should be illegal for Mickey Mouse to call you at 4:50am with such  a happy disposition to say it’s time to get up and at-em because we’ve got amazing things to see and do.

If anything, it should be Grumpy calling us. LOL

FVVX3342So we got up at 4:50am to finish packing and showering, for a 5:30am pick up by taxi to take us to the airport for what was supposed to be an 8:05am flight on Air India.

Funny thing is, checking Air India’s website, it showed that AI310 does not fly on September 9th, flying between HKG and ICN.  Checking Hong Kong Airport’s website, it shows it was flying at 10:30am.  Interestingly, Flight Aware’s website shows it arriving at HKG but not flying on to ICN.

Hong Kong’s airport reminds me of a British Airport, a massive and better version of Stanstead, in particular with the way the check-in gates and security are arranged.

The airport continues the Hong Kong experience with high-end shopping everywhere and certainly better choices in the actual Duty Free shops found at Incheon.

I had said to Scott that I didn’t want to spend hours upon hours at Incheon waiting around.  Hong Kong is definitely a nicer airport with the views, and open concept, and simply better lounges.  And I got my wish with our Air India flight being late.

This also gave Scott and I the chance to try a few lounges:

  • Singapore Silverkris was our first stop. I’ve always wanted to visit this lounge, and they nearly stopped us from entering given we were probably flying Air India, but having my Air Canada status card helped.  It’s a nice lounge with some great food options!
  • United – We reluctantly stopped here because Air India were unable to print our Air Canada boarding passes which we had not printed previously and mobile boarding passes were not available for our flight.  After some fun trying to get everything printed, we got our boarding passes printed.
  • Thai Royal Orchid was our last stop.  I think this was our favourite lounge for a few reasons.  Mainly it’s open concept, and the furniture was brightly colourful, a very nice change from the whites, greys  and browns.  They also have a gaming area with an XBox 360, and two Wiis.

One thing that’s clear, all of the lounges at Hong Kong are run by Plaza Premium and they pretty much serve the same foods at breakfast with the exception of things like ice cream, i.e. Hangen Danz at Singapore, Nestle at Thai.

The Air India flight was surprisingly good.  The food was amazing, probably the best scrambled eggs I’ve ever had on a plane, and presentation was better than some flights I’ve had on Air Canada.

We actually got an amenity kit of slippers and socks, which was nice and not expected.  The menus were leather bound and included western and vegetarian indian options.

I do have to say, the Air India Executive Class seats were awesome.  Very comfortable, and way more comfortable than the air mattresses on Air Canada these days, which don’t help my lower back.  Kudos to Air India!

Service-wise, Air India were alright.  As Scott said to me, the difference between Asiana and Air India was stark.  As I said to Scott, you don’t fly Air India for the service, but because they’re cheap.  After the initial service, you won’t see staff offering water on a  regular basis during the flight, but there were other things that Air India staff were great about.

Would I fly Air India again?  I would consider it, but I would not go out of my way to specifically choose them.  I knew what to expect, and I know what to expect from them.  I was pleasantly surprised.  On the other hand, I do question how well maintained their jets are.

With that, we arrived at Incheon, checked in at the Business Class lounge and picked up a few gifts for family at home.

I think I have figured out what drives me nuts about Incheon as an airport.

  • When we were in Japan, we get accustomed to organized chaos.  It works beautifully, people stand on the left of an elevator and walk on the right.  Line ups work efficiently.
  • When you switch from the culture in Japan to a busy airport like Incheon with the melange of cultures that go through that airport, you get people cutting each other off and you have chaos chaos rather than the organized chaos we go used to.
  • On top of that I realized that Incheon in the main terminal with all of the shops doesn’t have many windows that look outside, with natural light coming in.  We realized that in the satellite terminal there is more natural light and also slightly better shopping if that’s you’re thing.

Despite all the talk of shopping, we actually did more window shopping rather than actual shopping.  I like looking at stores because you see different facets of a culture, especially in food halls and grocery stores.  As evidenced in Hong Kong and even to a degree in Japan, you do see the evidence of globalization in that you see the same crap in the same shops everywhere.

We boarded our flight to Vancouver from the satellite terminal.  For the flight from Seoul, Air Canada offers a Korean meal of Galbijjim which is tasty!  I also recommend Air Canada’s World film selection having watched a film from Hong Kong and Chile.

CATSA failed us at Vancouver.  When connecting you have to go through security (I am used to this as I go through this checkpoint all the time).  The problem is, Scott was selected for a second inspection after being selected to go through the millimetre wave scanner.  Of course, if you’re sweaty, and it was very warm at YVR, that detector won’t work.  There were no men available to do the private search.  As a result of CATSA’s ineptness, we ended up missing our flight to Toronto by five minutes.

Thankfully there was another flight in 30 minutes.

We got home to Toronto at 9:30pm.  29 hours after getting up in Hong Kong.

What an amazing journey, and I’m very fortunate to have had the air miles and hotel points to be able to make this holiday happen. Definitely a trip of a lifetime for Scott and me.

Day 13: Hong Kong Disneyland

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Hong Kong Disneyland is 10 years old and has a daily capacity of 34,000 visitors — the fewest of all Disneyland parks.  The park was also constructed very quickly, taking 2 years and opened early, with additional lands such as Mystic Point, Grizzly Gulch and Toy Story Land opening later.

It’s funny looking at the reactions of people who asked if we were going to Hong Kong Disneyland.  Ranging from “Oh cool” to “Don’t go there, only Mainlanders go!”  Funny, given most of the people who visited the day we were there, were mainly people from Hong Kong. I think Hong Kongers are afraid to admit that they actually like something as kawaii as Disney, maintaining the British-influenced stiff upper lip.

To get there, you can easily get to Hong Kong Disneyland via MTR from Sunny Bay.  There is s dedicated line featuring a subway with Mickey Ear windows.  Inside the train has statues of Disney characters.  Seating is very similar to the monorail at Tokyo Disneyland.

Hong Kong Disneyworld is a small park, and it can be done in half a day, especially if the park attendance is lower, which it was.  Scott and I had no problems getting on rides within 5 minutes of joining the queue.

One question we get asked is, “Are the rides big enough for big people?”  We can say, without a doubt, yes.  It’s not like Canada’s Wonderland where Scott and I have problems getting on rides.  Both Hong Kong and Tokyo Disneylands fit big people.

The park is gorgeous, and the lands around the park just add to the stunning scenery – the green hills and mountains.  Local foliage used.

When you arrive at the park, check out the fountain at the entrance, especially the Mickey riding on top of the Whale’s blow spout.

Main Street is uncovered, different from Tokyo and Paris, and refreshingly does not feature a Starbucks! You will notice that Sleeping Beauty’s castle is even smaller than the one at Disneyland.  Funny thing is, the first time I went to any Disney park, which was Disneyland in Anaheim, I thought Sleeping Beauty’s castle was really quite small and I was disappointed.  For the record, Shanghai Disneyland’s castle will be the biggest in the system, bigger than the one at Magic Kingdom at WDW.

We started out in Tomorrowland which seems more futuristic than than it’s retro-futuristic brother at WDW.  Not a criticism, just different and they both have their charms.

Definitely check out Space Mountain and Autotopia.  Space Mountain is definitely different and has some very cool visual effects.  Autotopia features electric vehicles!

I really would love to return for the Iron Man Experience which opens in 2016.  Beyond Stitch, Iron Man is my next favourite Disney, uh, Marvel character.  Yeah, that’s it.

The parades at Hong Kong Disneyland are fantastic- Flights of Fantasy is the 3pm parade, and Paint The Night is the night parade.  During both of the parades, the people actually in the parade REALLY ham it up, getting into their character and interacting with the crowds in a big way.

For Flights of Fantasy, they pull people into the parade to dance at one point.  With Paint the Night, if you have the Hong Kong Disneyland Magic Brush or one of the colour wants from WDW, you can change colours of some of the dancers and a massive electronic wall that’s part of the parade.  It’s quite something. Also if you have the Made with Magic Mickey Glove, Glow Ears or Glow Headband with bow, those will change colour with the parade too.

I’m torn between Tokyo’s or Hong Kong’s night parade being my favourite.  Both have amazing night time photography opportunities, but I think Hong Kong’s wins out for the interactive nature.  If you can’t get to Hong Kong, you can see the Paint the Night Parade at Disneyland in California, so be sure to check it out.

If you don’t have a glow brush to interact with the shows, you can get a package of a glow brush and a glow hand or a glow band for CAD$25.  That’s cheap and a great deal!

It’s fun to have colour change duels with staff selling the brushes at the park. *GRIN*

Admittedly, I’m not one for parades.  The thought of standing in the heat of the sun drives me nuts.  I will say, for both Tokyo and Hong Kong, I’m glad we stuck around for the parades.  They blew me away.

It’s a Small World, always a classic to go on, features characters singing in their native language as well Canada has a significantly bigger presence in the ride than it does in other Small Worlds I’ve been to.  It’s refreshing to see.

Toy Story Land is fantastic!  I am a huge fan of Pixar films and I’ve always wanted to visit Toy Story Land.  Be sure to go on the RC Racer coaster.

Mystic Point is where you’ll find the Mystic Manor which features Disney’s new GPS ride system.  It is AMAZING and a must-do ride!

Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars in Grizzly Gulch is an awesome rollercoaster and almost a combination of Expedition Everest and Big Thunder Mountain. That’s all I will say as I don’t want to ruin any surprises.

Food-wise, Hong Kong Disneyland caters to local tastes.  We found restaurants that offered Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, and Singaporean, in addition to some North American favourites.  We didn’t actually eat at the park due to the huge lunch we had at Crystal Lotus, but did have a snack of curried fish balls which were tasty!

In Tomorrowland you can even get a Mickey lunch box with your meal!

We stayed at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, which is almost a mini version of Grand Floridian.  Such  gorgeous hotel with a great view of Discovery Bay.  If you stay at the hotel, it includes entrance to the park.  Not a bad deal.

Crystal Lotus?  I’ll let the pictures below speak for themselves.

All in all, a nice ending to the holiday.  Tomorrow  we get up at 4:50am to start our 24 hour journey back to Toronto.

Health, wellness & safety in Hong Kong

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To some of us, it’s easy to chuckle at the graphic nature of some of the health and safety posters seen around Hong Kong, but putting yourself in the shoes of someone who has never experienced a big city before, these posters are quite vital to those who simply don’t know better due to life experiences.

When you’re dealing with multiple cultures and different ways of living, and also remembering that Hong Kong dealt with SARS (as did Toronto), and also knowing that there was a recent outbreak of MERS in South Korea, it’s not surprising the Hong Kong and other countries in Asia take health, wellness and safety importantly.

Day 12: Fragrant Harbour

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Originally titled: Day 12: Fragrant Harbour – 香港

Givenchy, Gautier, Darling, names names names!  We even passed by Harvey Nicks, sweetie!  Patsy and Edina would be very happy!

After spending the day away from the central business districts of Hong Kong and Kowloon, we decided to spend time closer to Hong Kong by… going to Hong Kong, the city.  People often think of Hong Kong as the combined entities of Kowloon and Hong Kong themselves, but it’s a much bigger place as evidenced by our visit to Tai O yesterday.  I know I’m guilty of that.

Hong Kong is an autonomous territory, a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.  Previously it was a British Overseas Territory, handed back to China as agreed to after a 99 year lease in 1997.  An area of 7.2 million people.

It is a vibrant, busy place.  It has no taxes, so shopping is relatively cheap relative to some places.  If you’re looking for a new watch, gold, jade or a new suit, this is the place to be.

MTR is an awesome service.  If you’re a traveller, order the airport express pass in advance and you get 3 days of unlimited travel which was perfect for our needs.

One of the things that struck me about MTR, are the advertisements for safety.  They’re quite funny to me at one level because I can be pretty twisted, but these are very important advertisements especially for mainlanders who may not have the big city experiences that some of us do have.  As MTR’s slogan goes, “Caring for life’s journeys”, and it shows.

Getting up, the day was grey, rainy and humid.  Totally unlike our first day which was beautiful.  When in Rome, do as the Romans – Get yourself an umbrella and make the best of it.

We headed to Causeway Bay which was similar to the area our hotel was in, except for the guys hawking “Copy Watches” and suits – There were none, which was very refreshing!

Ah yes, the guys who love to approach you and say, “Friend!  I’ve got beer for you if you come and look at my suits!  I’ve got ice cream, friend!” or the guys that, right in front of a Rolex shop ask if I’m interested in a copy watch which is a fake watch that might last a year if you’re lucky.  Dude, seriously, I’m wearing an Apple Watch, or a Citizen Blue Angels Skyhawk, or a 25th Anniversary Swatch Club watch… Do you really think I’m going to be wanting to buy a copy watch?  I’m going to go to a reputable dealer and buy that Seiko Astron for $2000 (which I did not), not go for a copy watch.

I do like watches, I have to admit and I will say that the pricing was out of my league despite the tax free/duty free pricing.

None the less, I am amazed at the number of shops that sell jewellery in Hong Kong and amazed that theses businesses are sustainable.

It’s amazing seeing bamboo being used for construction.  I’ve heard about this and seen pictures, but never in the flesh.

The rain soon cleared up as did the fog/mist/cloud coverage on Victoria Peak, so we decided to get the cable car up to Victoria Peak.  Yes, another tourist trap mecca, but has to be done. J   The cable car journey is quite something.  You’re easily at a 45 degree incline.  It’s quite something to experience especially as a big guy.

The view from Victoria Peak is stunning.  Such a beautiful view of Hong Kong, Kowloon and environs.  It has to be done at least once, and take it from me, words do not do it justice, nor pictures.

We stopped for lunch at the Hong Kong Day restaurant at the peak.  Don’t bother with the other restaurants there, they’re expensive and somewhat westernized.  The Hong Kong Day, while probably inflated, has good cheap food relatively speaking and it was tasty!

We got the Star Ferry back to Kowloon.  This, again, is something that must be done.  For HK$2, it’s cheap, historic and you get some amazing views of the CBD.

Sadly, for today, I did not have my good camera on me, mainly because of the rain so had to settle for my iPhone camera.

One of the first people I worked with when I started my career 20 years ago at Nortel, lives in Hong Kong along with his wife.  He had arranged dinner at the Peninsula Hotel, specifically at Springmoon, the Chinese Restaurant within the hotel.

Scott and I knew this was quite an upscale hotel without even walking in.  Heck, after walking into our hotel and seeing some choice luxury automobiles, walking into the Peninsula and seeing the cars parked outside, we felt very out of place.  Very out of place.

The lobby of the hotel was out of this world, just beautiful.

Dinner was off the planet!  Peking Duck served two ways, Hot & Sour Soup, Fried rice, Mango pudding, just amazing, and the service was stunning. (Dinner pictures coming)

It was so good seeing Albert after 17 years, and his wife Natalie; where we’ve gone and the things we’ve done.  It’s weird knowing that I have spent just slightly over half my life in the working world, and not in school.  The time flies so quickly.

After we stopped by the Avenue of the Stars featuring many icons in the Hong Kong movie industry, beyond Bruce Lee.

The one thing I wish we could do is spend more time in Hong Kong, checking out places outside the standard tourist areas.  We only scratched the surface.  That said, that is why, on trips like Scott and I just took, that we sometimes like to go to a place for a small ‘teaser’ to make us hungry to come back.  Believe me, I really do want to go back to Hong Kong.

Tomorrow would be our last day in Hong Kong.

Day 11: Hong Kong, Tai O

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Waking up Sunday morning, we went down to the Concierge Desk to ask if they could help us with reservations we had made with Ngong Ping 360 for the cable car ride up to the Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery.  See, we didn’t get an email confirming the reservation and our printer didn’t print out our confirmation properly.  We had forgotten what time the reservations were for.

It was almost 10:00am when we got downstairs, and our reservation was for 11:30am.  It takes about 45 minutes to get to the cable cars and then 25 minutes to get up to the peak.  Aieee!  Scarfing down breakfast (great buffet at the Sheraton here) we rushed and got there well within time.  In fact, our cable car reservation was 11:30am and our tour started at 1:30pm!  Scott also had the time zone wrong on his watch. LOL!

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day.  The first fully sunny day we’ve had on our trip.  Which helped with the absolutely stunning view of everything – the airport, Lantau, just beautiful.  Among the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong, the high density living, you have some amazing greenery and countryside.

Taking the cable car up to the Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery, it can’t be described and pictures just don’t do this area of Hong Kong justice.  It’s stunningly beautiful.  Definitely a must-do.  And beware, kind of like the Itzukashima temple with deer everywhere, there are cows everywhere.

We stopped in at a tea shop and got a lesson in various kinds of teas in China.  Of course, we picked some up. You can’t visit China and Hong Kong without tea.

Face it, Ngong Ping, at least the ‘village’ is like a mini Niagara Falls.  Meaning it’s a ‘tourist village’.  While the shops are fun to go through, the real heart of the area is the Monastery and the Tian Tan Buddha.  That’s where the real culture is.

Scott had arranged a tour which took us to Tai O which is a fishing village on Lantau Island directly across from Macau (which is on a future bucket list).   We took a boat ride out to see Chinese White Dolphins, which sadly there were none to be seen, but again, seeing the countryside was stunning.

Tai O has a great market with all kinds of dried fish which is well worth checking out.  You can also find Egg Waffles here, as well there is a funky knock off shop which is always fun to walk into.

After Tai O we headed back to the Monastery.  We then headed back to Hong Kong.

Getting back to our room, room service had turned down the bed, but they had also arranged all the crap on the desk that I had taken out of my bag!  Now that’s service!

We stopped over by Avenue of the Stars for the nightly light show that happens in the harbour.  Again, worth checking out, and a fun time/place to do night time photography.

One thing that struck me about the area where the hotel is, is the number of jewellery and watch shops there are.  Lots of gold and jade to be found.  It’s like the Vegas of shopping here.

Heading to Tai O, the density of ‘mansions’, what people from Hong Kong call a condo is quite something.

Day 10: Hong Kong Bound

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Hong Kong has always fascinated me as a kid.  It probably has to do with James Bond films and the British influences in my life.  Having worked with a people from Hong Kong and China in general, I figured it’s about time we spent some time in China and specifically Hong Kong.

Shanghai and Beijing were on our short list for this trip when panning, but we figured that Hong Kong should be our first experience.

To get there we have to fly through Incheon which is the airport closest to Seoul, South Korea.  We flew Asiana and the itinerary was chosen specifically because of the 747 from NRT (Narita, Japan) to ICN (Incheon, South Korea) and then to HKG (Hong Kong SAR, China).

We took the N’EX aka Narita Express from Tokyo to the airport.  Getting through Narita, for the most part, was a breeze except that they decided to have me empty out my bags and x-ray everything twice despite going through the Gold lane (for those with Priority privileges on airlines).

The lounge was our next stop.  At Narita, Star Alliance folks have their choice of the United lounge or ANA lounges.  Now, the United Lounge is a Global First lounge and was recently renovated.  Still, I’m not about to spend time in a US-based airline lounge.  I want something with local flavour.

The ANA lounge was our first stop. What a treat!  Sushi, the beer pouring robot (okay, it’s really a machine, still…), Sake Bar and the Noodle Bar!  It was a nice place to chill before our flight.

From there, we headed to our gate and were off to Incheon… on a 777.  *POUTS*  And it was understandable that Asiana downgraded the hardware.  There were only six of us in Business Class.

The service was awesome!  The Ssambap choice was great and the Flight Attendant seemed genuinely pleased that we had made that choice.

The Asiana Samarium Business Class seats on the 777 are comfortable and the cabin was quite pleasant. No amenity kit, and I was not expecting one, but you do get slippers and in the bathroom they offer toothbrushes and combs which you can keep.

Connecting at Incheon, we followed the transit signs, went through security where my bag was torn apart and all my bits x-rayed twice.  Once through, though, we headed to the Asiana Business lounge.

When we took our first flight, Asiana has a massive Duty Free catalogue.  It is full of cosmetics and perfumes as one would expect, but a HUGE array of cosmetics and perfumes, as well health supplements and products related.

Looking at the Duty Free shops at Inchon, it is perceived that South Koreans are obsessed with looking good and they’ll do anything to stay looking young.  At least, that’s how it looks from the outside looking in, as well there is a disturbing statistic that many women have had plastic surgery by the time they’re 21.

For a geek like me, there isn’t much out there in terms of electronics shopping. Interesting given LG and Samsung’s strengths in the country.  There is one small shop that sells Samsung hard drives, bluetooth headphones, rice cookers and hot water dispensers.

If you want Omiyage or sunglasses, you’re in luck.  Lots on offer at Incheon.  If you want Louis Vuitton and other high-end names that bore the crap out of me, it’s there.

The Asiana Business Class lounge is spacious, busy, and offers lockers so you can go and shop until you drop if you want.  Food-wise, someone said to me that it’s weird, and it is a bit odd for mid-day.  They have a salad with chicken, chips, breads and a few biscuits on offer.  Later they actually added a lovely vindaloo, spring rolls and a rice dish.

The people of South Korea are very proud of their heritage and it shows.  There are two cultural centres in the airport where you can see presentations of music, dress, and even participate in activities.  They specifically call out that the activities are free to foreigners.

Beyond the lounge, there does not seem to be much on offer food-wise.  There is a very very small food court that has Korean, Japanese, Quiznos and Taco Bell offerings.

There are some airports that excite the heck out of me – Narita, Hong Kong, Chile, Heathrow.  There are airports that I despise – Chicago, Los Angeles (LAX), any airport in New York City.  Incheon I tolerate.  I actually feel like on the return that I’ll want to poke my eyes out if I have to spend 6 hours at that airport.

Thankfully, they offer layover tours!  You also have the option of taking AREX into Seoul.  So if you’re bored at Incheon, it’s you’re own fault! 🙂

 

After about 3 or 4 hours, we jumped on the A380 from Incheon to Hong Kong.  There are only about 8 of us in Business Class.  There were 3 bridges to the plain – First/Business and Economy on the main floor.  Business/Economy on the second.  We were on the second floor.  By the way the business class bathroom on Asiana’s A380 is huge!

I am amazed that a plane the size of the A380 takes off.  It’s an amazing feat of engineering and it’s so quiet on the second floor.  If Boeing thinks a 787 is quiet, which it is relative to single level planes, the A380 is quieter, inside.

Scott and I opted for the Western meals – We had the Ssambap previously and didn’t want the same meal.  Scott had the steak, I went for the seafood option.  All great choices.

Asiana’s service is top notch.  In fact, I felt a bit out of my element, but it was nice being taken care of by the great service.

The ride was a bit bumpy and you can tell the A380 does get thrown a fair bit in turbulence.  We passed by a big storm system on our way with lightning, so the turbulence was not surprising.

Arriving in Hong Kong, Scott and I unlocked another achievement – Landing on a purpose-built island airport.  The new Hong Kong airport is stunning and easy to get through.  Interestingly, Hong Kong Immigration does not stamp the passport, but opts to give a piece of paper instead.  Ahhh!  But I like having stamps in my passport!  The sticker I received in Japan is awesome with it’s QR code!

Apparently it saves three seconds per passenger, and reduces errors.  That is a significant saving of time.

We picked up our MTR Airport Express passes and we were soon on our way to the Sheraton Hotel and Towers on Nathan Road.  We ended up getting out Suite upgrade, which I think, is the biggest room we’ve had to date, and we are completely spoiled here.

Day 9: Tokyo Disneyland

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I became a reluctant Disneyphile about 12 years ago when I finally visited Disneyland in California with some friends.  Since then, Scott and I have kind of made it part of our thing having gone to Disneyworld during our honeymoon, and last year with Scott’s mum and aunt.

Since we happened to be in Japan and Tokyo, why not, while we’re here, go to Tokyo Disney Resort?

The first thing that went through my mind is why would I really want to go to something so western?  Well, Tokyo Disney Resort does have what people have described as the coolest park in the system, Tokyo Disneysea.

I think Scott and I were both surprised.  Firstly, it wasn’t full of western tourists.  Apparently the Japanese love Disney and it shows, and it’s very Kawaii (かわいい), or cute.  Like, way kawaii.  You think that groups going around in the same t-shirts at WDW or Disneyland is cute?  That’s nothing compared to what you see at Tokyo Disney Resort with people dressing up.  Combine otaku and Disney and, uh… yeah, just wow what you see.

The gift shops are decidedly different for the Japanese market.  Pin collecting is not a thing at the Japanese parks, although you can find pins.  We picked up park pins and Hallowe’en pins, and you can find character pins and packages though they can be hard to find.  It’s definitely not common.

Popcorn is a HUGE thing at the parks, and different flavours like the usual caramel, chocolate and salted.  You also see flavours like curry!  Also collecting popcorn buckets is definitely a thing.  I may or may not have specifically gone to Tokyo Disneyland itself just to get a Stitch bucket. LALALA. 🙂

Actually, it was worth it.  More on that later.

While some park staff speak some degree of English, the language spoken at the park is Japanese most definitely.  It’s not like Disney have transplanted foreign workers to work the park.  Some, yes, but the staff is mostly local.  It is mostly Disney run by the Japanese and they do an amazing job of that.

If you think service is kicked up at Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland kicks it up.

The Monorail system is definitely kicked up, and it’s is actually run by the holding company that runs Tokyo Disney Resort.  Interestingly, it’s a pay system so have a SuICA or Pasmo card handy, and plan your days accordingly.  It’s not like Walt Disney World where you have free access to the busses and monorail.  I can’t rave enough about how clean and modern this monorail system is, relative to WDW.  Also, you can ride at the front, and it’s fully automated – not pilot.

From Shinjuku, it takes about 45 minutes to get to Tokyo Disney on the Maranouchi and Keiyo lines to Maihama station.

The parks are not that expensive.  CAD$69 for one park.  After 6pm, CAD$42.  That’s a bargain relative to the US parks where you’re paying well over $100 for just one park and that’s not with a park hopper.

The hotels are expensive, hence why we stayed on points at the Hilton Tokyo near Shinjuku.  Rooms with points were not available at the Tokyo Bay Hilton and I was not about to pay their prices, especially when I had points to use.

Now about the parks.

The attention to detail as you walk into Tokyo DisneySea is stunning.  I can say, without a doubt, it is probably the best part based on attention to detail in the system.  The Mediterranean Harbour, American Waterfront, Port Discovery, Mermaid Lagoon and Arabian Coast – all stunning, but what really got Scott and I was Mysterious Island with the Journey to the Centre of the Earth ride, which was sadly closed

The rides are big person friendly, so the park is designed for all.  The park is also accessible from what I could tell.  In fact, one thing I could say about Tokyo, at least, is that it is reasonably accessible with elevators, escalators, high visibility lines and markings on walkways with people with sight impairments.  Definitely way more than anything I’ve seen in North America.

Do take the boat ride around the whole park.  It’s worth it, and stunning!  Do see the mountain erupt, there’s nothing like it in the other parks.  Definitely try the Sailing Day Buffet – you won’t eat at any other Disney park, like it!

Duffy the Disney Bear – wait who?  Yes, Duffy the Disneybear.  You’ve seen him at Disneyworld, but he’s not a big phenomenon as he is in Japan. In short, Disneysea is Duffy’s park.  He’s everywhere, along with some of the other characters, and he hails from the Cape Cod region of the park with Sally-Mae, his female cohort.  At least, that’s how I understood it.

In Arabian Coast, I saw the Genie from Aladdin and he practically pounced on me!  I got a great picture with him and various characters from the film!

The pop corn buckets in the park run from about CAD$18.00 to CAD$22.00 depending on the intricacies of the bucket, and we’re not talking a bucket.  We’re talking an honest to goodness awesome souvenir.   Hence why we decided to go to the Tokyo Disneyland park itself.  I wanted a Stitch bucket.

Tokyo Disneyland surprised us.  Firstly, the covered walk way on Main St is a beautiful idea.  It makes the area feel like one of those indoor shopping arcades, which it essentially is.

The park, while it has some similarities to the way WDW and Disneyland are laid out, you still have differences that make the park unique and interesting.  Take Toontown for instance, starting with the traditional Disney characters and progressing to “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”  WHAT?!  Yes, Roger Rabbit!  A staple of my childhood!  Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin is a BLAST!  You must go on it!

Tomorrowland has the original style Starjets which is the original version of Astro Orbitor.  By the way, given JAL sponsors the ride, I’m very surprised they have “USA” written on the side of the ride.  Shouldn’t it be JAXA which is the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency?

We did not make it over to Critter Country, Westernland or Adventureland so I cannot comment on those areas, but one thing is for certain.  Scott and I want to come back and do both parks again and spend a few days.

The highlight was the Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade Dreamlights.  It is a stunning parade, and it totally makes the Main St Electrical Parade look pale in comparison.  I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves, below.  You have to see it, and to think that I didn’t really care to stay and watch the parade, until I saw the start!

We were a hit with the light up ears from WDW and magic wands that I ordered prior to our trip.  You can’t actually get them in Japan (surprising given the land of tech!).  Several kawaii girls stopped us and asked if we could have their pictures taken with us. LOL!

At the end of the night, we headed back to Tokyo DisneySea because Scott wanted a Duffy bear.  Fact: You cannot get Duffy stuff at Tokyo Disneyland!  He’s only available at Tokyo DisneySea, when at the Tokyo park, so keep that in mind, if you become a Duffy fan.

Scott’s photography skills shone through during the trip, and he did an amazing job at the park, and throughout out trip so far.    You’ll see a mix of both of our pictures from the the day below.

All in all, a fascinating experience and one that we really both enjoyed.

It is a bit embarrassing as this is my longest blog on the trip.  That said, I know a lot of people have been asking me about Tokyo Disney Resort.  Do make the trip to Japan, experience Japan, it’s amazing.  If you can include a stop to Tokyo Disney Resort, do it for DisneySea alone.

Day 8: Miyajima & Itsukushima

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Good evening from a Hikari Shinkansen N700A on our way back to Tokyo from Hiroshima via Osaka.  We are currently just arriving at Nagoya Station.

What a day.  Scott and I woke up early to have breakfast and get our selves over to the ferry to the Itsukushima Shrine.

I have to say, I really wish the weather had co-operated more during our trip.  It’s been pretty grey every day with very few breaks in the clouds for blue skies.  That said, the grey has not stopped Scott and I from taking photographs and going up Mount Misen for the spectacular views it offers.

Itsukushima is known for it’s massive Torii.  I wrote a joke earlier that “Disney does’t have anything on this” mainly because the Torii at Epcot, is somewhat of a replica of the one at Itsukushima.  While it’s fun to take photos of the one at Epcot, the real thing is way better and has a much deeper meaning.  The Otorii actually stands on it’s own weight in the bay, with some basic holding down.

Deer are sacred to the area and are everywhere.  You have to watch out because they like eating cloth and paper apparently, and we did witness this as one at the luggage tag off someone’s bag.  They’re also quite friendly and you can actually pet them.

As Scott said on Facebook, we were privileged to see a Shinto wedding.  It is a very neat thing to see, and quite different from what we typically experience in the west.

After walking around the shops and the shrine, we went up to the top of Mt. Missen.  I so wish it were not as cloudy and foggy, as there are some stunning views that can be had from up there.

When we got back down, you could see the effect of the tide on the shrine.  The water, which there had previously been none, was now up to the height of the base of the buildings.

Ferry, commuter rail, feet and then Shinkansen back to Tokyo.  We picked up our Ekiben from Hiroshima station, featuring the local baseball team, the Hiroshima Carp.  Tasty box, I must say!