Hanging with our Favorite Mouse

Oh Baby! After our time hanging out and waiting for the park to open we were ready for Mickey. Just outside the entrance there is this great fountain of Mickey riding the blowhole of a whale on a surfboard. There is a picture of it below. It was pretty cool.

After getting through the gate we had no real plan other than to try and get to everything possible and take as many pictures with characters as possible. Here are a few of the highlights.

• The Jungle Cruise at HKD seemed the same when you got on but without the corny jokes. Asian humor is a little different than Western humor mostly in the sense here is Asia if it isn't physical humor it isn't funny.

• Its a Small World is like the gift that keeps on giving. Just like the one back home the song gets stuck in your head and you wish you had worn earmuffs.
Aside: One thing that I have learned about Asia while I have lived here is the idea that directions whether given orally or on signs are merely suggestions. If you have every been on a flight in Asia you know that the "fasten seat belt sign" means nothing. As soon as the plane touches the runway you hear a chorus of seat belts unbuckling and people trying to grab bags out of the overhead compartment. The Disney connection to this is when the woman in our boat in Small World stands up while going through the ride taking pictures and rocking the boat each time.

• While we were having lunch outside one of the restaurants we noticed that "Merlin" from The Sorcerer and the Stone was performing close by. Kade and Syd went to go check it out while the rest of us finished up lunch.

Merlin was having people from the audience try and pull the sword out of the stone. No one could do it. Then Merlin looked to the crowd and pulled Kade out there with him and had him try. At first Kade had no luck. Merlin gave Kade some of advice and some magic words to say and sent him back for one more try. All the while the crowd was looking on and wondering if Kade was the "chosen one." After Kade spoke the magic words he was able to pull the sword from the stone.

This feat did not go unappreciated. The crowd gave him a great ovation and he was crowned King of all the land by Merlin. Kade had a ball! He loved it and really liked the idea of him being a King. In fact he was ordering his subject, ur, sisters around the rest of the day.

• At around 4 PM there was a parade. Kade and Brooklyn were both pulled from the crowd to be a part of it. They were able to dance with the performers from the Toy Story themed parade.

• Brooklyn was able to spend some time with Snow White and Aurora. The lines are not nearly as long as we are used to so you really have a chance to interact with the characters. That is something you can spend a lot of time waiting for in other parks.

• Later in the day we met up with our friends from Rumbai. They went with Brooklyn to see the princesses and we all rode some of the rides together. We ended the day watching the fireworks again and just enjoying the fact that we were able to have this opportunity.

This is a really cool fountain.

The front gate to Hong Kong Disneyland.

Mickey's smile is made out of pumpkins for Halloween.

To Infinity and Beyond.

This place would spray water out at random times. It was a great place to cool off.

Easy there Stitch!

Anyone home?

It really is a Small World.

Another picture Mom?

Merlin giving Kade instructions.

"Repeat after me."

Kade the conqueror.

King Kade.

Brooklyn and Snow White.

Aurora posing with Brooklyn.

The Parade.

Brooklyn getting to perform in the parade.

Our last shot at Hong Kong Disneyland.

The toiletries at the Disneyland Hotel.

HK Disneyland Hotel

Wednesday morning came to us early as we were booked to have Breakfast with Mickey and Friends. By a stroke of luck we arrived at Disneyland the same time as another family from camp who have two daughters. Both of who are Brooklyn’s buddies. We had not told Brooklyn or her friends that we would be there at the same time and so it was a big surprise when we went down to breakfast and sat down with them to enjoy some quality time with Mickey, Pluto, and Goofy.

If you have ever been to a character meal at Disneyland you know that the young kids just love seeing the characters up close. Getting pictures and hugs pretty much stops the meal in its tracks when they get to your table. The girls had a blast and it was so cute to see.

After breakfast we headed to the back of the hotel to try out their shrubbery maze as well as take in the view of the South China Sea and the ferry dock just beyond the maze. We had to kill some time because the park does not open until 10:30. Like I said before, Disney-Light. We got some great pictures around the hotel which was expertly maintained.

The shrub maze. That killed some time!

The entrance to the Character Breakfast.

Ah, the things that entertain kiddos.

Just goofing around.

Mickey all dressed up for Halloween.

Hey Mickey, where's Pluto?

You are never too old for a picture with Mickey!

The shore of the South China Sea.

Not a bad view.

Watch your step.

The ferry dock made us think of Washington.

Kade climbing rocks. This may have been his favorite part of the morning.

What do we have here?

If you can't tell, that is Moo Shoo from Disney's "Mulan" film.

Christmas Miracle

I am sure you are wondering what in the world these two things have in common? Well, for the Getzinger family a whole lot. This summer John and I were lucky enough to be able to put items into the shipment of a new teaching family here at ISR. Well, we expected it to arrive in September but it has been delayed at least ten times. Here is where the need for a miracle comes in.

Inside of that shipment is Christmas gifts for 200 needy kids. And it's not like I can just run to Target and pick up replacement gifts. The shipment is scheduled to arrive in Singapore on November 15th. That gives it four weeks to get through customs in both Singapore and Indonesia. Sounds like plenty of time but with the corruption in Indonesia it is very possible that it could be held up. It is not uncommon for companies and government agencies to ask for a "donation," or just to take their own sweet time doing things. Our school has a no tolerance policy when it comes to giving "donations" for shipment delivery.

The teacher family will be leaving for Christmas break on December 15th and if the shipment arrives after that date they will not deliver it because they have to be present during the delivery. So please pray that God would allow the shipment to arrive in record speed. We need a "Christmas Miracle". Thanks for praying for us.

The Happiest Place in Southeast Asia

The subway train to Hong Kong Disneyland.

I am so excited!

Hang on, Kade.

Boy it doesn't get any better than that sign right there! After our train ride and subsequent subway journey we ended up at "The Happiest Place in Southeast Asia!" If you didn't already know this, the Getzingers are HUGE Disney Junkies. Disneyland is truly our favorite place in the world so we were very excited to get the opportunity to take in Hong Kong Disney.

When you get to the station that takes you to Disneyland the train has Mickey shaped windows which give the train a really distinctive look. When the kids saw the train that just about sent them over the edge with excitement.

The orphanage visit was so amazing but ultimately it took a lot out of all of us. We were going to spend a short day and a half at HKD to try and relax and have a different kind of enjoyment. This was just what we needed. Disney brings out the kid in all of us and we were ready to play.

When you get off the train you head up an escalator and there is the entrance to the park. If only we weren't carrying our suitcases. Off to the transfer bus we went; to check in at the Disneyland Hotel. After that process we finally headed to the park about 4:30.

Now one thing we had been told about Hong Kong Disneyland is to think of it as Disney-Light. It is not nearly as large as the original and it can pretty much be covered in a full day or day and a half, especially since it doesn't have an adjoining park like California Adventure. Being that it is Disney-Light, from Sunday-Wednesday the park opens at 10:30 and closes at 7:30. Since we spent Tuesday and Wednesday at the park that meant we only had three hours for our first day.

We wanted to waste no time so we went right in and got started. After a quick trip down Main Street U.S.A., as it is named, we headed straight for the only roller coaster ride at the park, Space Mountain.

Aside: That is a pretty funny statement seeing as how we were in H.K. but that is what the main street is called just like the original Disneyland. I often wondered if people in Asia come to HKD and go back home thinking, "Is the US really full of shops that sell trinkets at ridiculous prices along with food that you need to sell a kidney to afford?" Ah, yes, yes it is.

The best thing about HKD is the short lines and much smaller crowds. Our wait to get onto Space Mountain was 5 minutes. That was sweet! The ride was quite fast with lots of turns but no real drops like the original. It was still a lot of fun and all of us loved it.

After that we wandered around and took in two cool shows. The first was a 3-D movie called "Mickey's Philharmagic" which was full of surprises like water spraying at you and the smell of food wafting through the air at the appropriate junctures of the show. The 3-D effects were amazing. The next show was "The Lion King, Live" This one was a half hour live action version of the Lion King reminiscent of Lion King the Musical. Great costumes, fire performers and great singing and dancing. Very impressive!

After that we milled around taking in various rides and waited for the 7:30 fireworks show above Snow White's Castle. The display was ohh and ahh worthy. A great way to end our time there the first night.

After we filed out of the park we climbed back on the bus and took the 5 minute ride to the hotel. Since it was so early we decided we should use the pool. We got ready, headed downstairs and out to the pool. The kids were the only ones in the pool. It was great. There were a lot of people staying at the hotel but no one was using the outdoor pool. We had it all to ourselves.

After that we headed upstairs to shower up and hit the hay. It had been a full day and we were ready for some sleep. We needed our rest because we were spending the entire day at the park tomorrow!

The whole park was dressed up for Halloween.

The kids quite excited at the entrance to Space Mountain.

Tea anyone?

Not quite the Great Pumpkin.

One of Sydney's dance recitals had her playing a dancing mop. This is her reprising the role.

It is the 5 year Anniversary of Hong Kong Disneyland. Snow White's Castle all dressed up.

Getting ready for Mickey's PhilharMagic.

Pool time, Baby!

Train to Hong Kong

Tuesday morning we were up at the crack of dawn for the next leg of our journey. The plan for the day looked something like this (Green Folder) :):

· Wake up call 6:00am

· Breakfast at the hotel @ 7:00am

· Check out 7:30am

· Driver picks us up @ 8:00am and we drive from Foshan to the Guangzhou Train Station

· Catch the train from Guangzhou to Hong Kong at 10:30

· Arrive in Hong Kong around noon

· Catch another train from Hong Kong to the Disneyland Hotel

· Check in and head for the Park

Things went surprisingly easy. Thanks to some great tips from our friends the Smiths who spent the last two years teaching in China. The train station was gigantic. Our guide Ann had instructed the driver to make sure that we got to the right terminal. It wasn’t actually that difficult because all the signs were in both English and Chinese. We arrived early enough to grab a quick drink from Starbucks. If you are ever in Asia the Mango Passion Fruit iced drink is delicious.

The train was really nice and we found a great way to travel. We had purchased first class tickets and let me tell you it was well worth the extra money. The seats were comfortable and the view from the train made the two-hour ride fly by.

We arrived in Hong Kong and grabbed a quick bite to eat. The best thing about the Hong Kong train system is that the Starbucks serves my favorite winter drink, the CHAI TEA LATTE. In three years in South East Asia we have never found a Starbucks that serves them. I was beyond excited and enjoyed every last sip.

The train system in Hong Kong is so well planned out. Both John and I were surprised how easy it was to navigate. It is organized and clean which are two things we’re not used to seeing anymore. I think the most complicated thing the whole day was checking into the hotel. The subway took us all the way to Disneyland. Not having to deal with a Taxi was so nice.

By 4:30, we were ready to hit the park. I will post more on that tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by.