Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category
Happy New Year from Hong Kong!
Thursday, January 1st, 2009
Los Viajeros want to wish you all a very Happy New Year!
Victoria Peak, Hong Kong
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
If you’re walking around Hong Kong, you can take a stroll through Hong Kong Park on the way to the tram that will take you up the hill to Victoria Peak. The tram ride itself is quite steep. If you need help walking or have young children, I recommend waiting until you can get near a tram door when it comes down (or up, as the case may be). That way, you can be sure of getting a seat and not having to worry about falling or getting crushed under the forces of tourists and gravity.
It’s
all
worth
it
at
the
top!
Transportation in Hong Kong
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
Getting around Hong Kong is fast and easy. There are many ways to get you where you’re going, and the tram, train, ferry, and taxi I used got me just where I wanted to be. Hong Kong is also a very walkable city; wear your walking shoes, and take your camera. Since I was based at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, I used the MTR train system to get into town (see the Disney-themed photo above; it’s similar to the train at Tokyo Disneyland Resort).
If you plan to stay awhile and move around the islands, you should think about getting an Octopus card. You pay one price to get the card and just scan it as you enter the wicket (turnstile). The price is deducted from your card, and you can reload the card in HK$50 increments as needed. Besides not having to buy a ticket or worry about having the proper change, using the card gets you discounts on some of the methods of transportation. The card can be used in many stores as well. It’s good for three years, so you can hang on to it if you plan to go back again. Otherwise, you can get a refund on any balance above a modest charge; I hung onto my card, so I am not sure how much you get back.
In the Central area of Hong Kong Island, there is an entire underground area with moving sidewalks and plenty of
shops (here’s a Japanese munchie shop!),
signs, and information areas.
I didn’t take the street car, but if I hadn’t had so much fun walking around, I would have.
If you want to go up to Victoria Peak, the tram may be the way to go. Don’t let the extremely long line discourage you, it moves fairly quickly. If you have an Octopus card, you’ll still have to wait in the long line, but there’s a place for you to skip the ticket line once you get inside. The Peak itself is separate-post-worthy, so hang on for that one.
Another ride you should think about taking is the ferry from Central to Kowloon (or vice versa). Flash your Octopus card, and on you go.
It’s a short ride, but you can get a completely different perspective of Hong Kong, especially if you go to the top of Victoria Peak as well.
The guidebooks mention that Hong Kong is one of the cheapest cities for taxis, so if you need to get somewhere quickly, keep that one as an alternative. I used it for the airport-Hong Kong Disneyland run, and the ride was quick and the price reasonable.
Hong Kong Disneyland: Other impressions
Tuesday, April 15th, 2008 I have to say that English was a really useful language during the trip to Hong Kong. All the signs at HK Disneyland had English and all the workers spoke enough for their jobs.
The menus were easy to understand, and the workers often brought out a menu with pictures of the food. All the restaurants had some kind of barbeque, some kind of stir-fry, and some kind of noodles. There was dim sum (yam cha) to be had, and you could get burgers (served with plastic gloves for your use; a first for me to see!), pasta, sandwiches, and other familiar food. I got the impression that they were going out of their way to make sure there was something for just about everyone.
The pin trading at Walt Disney World is the best, but, surprisingly, HK Disneyland’s pin trading was much better than at Disneyland Resort in California! Most of the workers had pins for trading, and were quick to let you have a look. The workers in California, for the most part, didn’t seem to want to be bothered with it, and that included the pin trading stations!
The landscaping at the Autopia in Tomorrowland was cool and included
a peeled banana.
This boy was cute in that despite not being tall enough to drive his own car, he went back to the “You must be this tall to drive” sign at least 10 times.
Even his parents got in on it trying to convince the worker that he should have his own…
The castle is much smaller than those of the other parks I know, obviously the result of Eisner’s cost-cutting during construction. Perhaps a makeover is in store…
The Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel was great, and the staff was very friendly and helpful. The design is from the Grand Floridian at WDW, which is based on the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego.
The final shot comes from the exit sign as you leave. All-in-all, it was a great place to visit.
The menus were easy to understand, and the workers often brought out a menu with pictures of the food. All the restaurants had some kind of barbeque, some kind of stir-fry, and some kind of noodles. There was dim sum (yam cha) to be had, and you could get burgers (served with plastic gloves for your use; a first for me to see!), pasta, sandwiches, and other familiar food. I got the impression that they were going out of their way to make sure there was something for just about everyone.
The pin trading at Walt Disney World is the best, but, surprisingly, HK Disneyland’s pin trading was much better than at Disneyland Resort in California! Most of the workers had pins for trading, and were quick to let you have a look. The workers in California, for the most part, didn’t seem to want to be bothered with it, and that included the pin trading stations!
The landscaping at the Autopia in Tomorrowland was cool and included
a peeled banana.
This boy was cute in that despite not being tall enough to drive his own car, he went back to the “You must be this tall to drive” sign at least 10 times.
Even his parents got in on it trying to convince the worker that he should have his own…The castle is much smaller than those of the other parks I know, obviously the result of Eisner’s cost-cutting during construction. Perhaps a makeover is in store…
The Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel was great, and the staff was very friendly and helpful. The design is from the Grand Floridian at WDW, which is based on the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego.
The final shot comes from the exit sign as you leave. All-in-all, it was a great place to visit.
Hong Kong Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise
Wednesday, April 9th, 2008
If you veer left after Main Street you’ll cross the bridge into Adventureland at Hong Kong Disneyland. The first ride on the left is the ubiquitous Jungle Cruise. The layout of the area is a bit different than I’m used to. The Jungle Cruises in Tokyo, Anaheim and Orlando are mostly self-contained, meaning your experience is mostly part of that attraction. In Hong Kong, the Cruise heads around Tarzan’s island and his treehouse (there’s no Tom Sawyer to be found here).
As you head around the island, you pass the rafts (same style as Master Sawyer’s, just named for Tarzan characters) and get a chance to wave to the adoring crowds.
Another big difference, and one that I was surprised to see because it could work in some of the other parks, is that you have a choice of three languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, or English. We took the English route. Our guide was very lively and did a great job of telling jokes and pointing out all the sites. I have to say, though, that for all her hard work, I could not understand anything she said. I’ll write more on the language thing later.
As we got on, we noticed that the right front seats were wide open AND there was quite a bit of water around the gunwale (cool nautical word, huh?) As you can see from the shot above, our guide took the brunt of the blast from (I think it was one of the elephants; you have been warned).
The Hong Kong Disneyland Jungle Cruise has to be the best of the four I’ve been on. The robotic animals and natives were a bit more realistic and this fire and steam creature made of stone was an interesting surprise. Take the ride and check it out for yourself.
Hong Kong Disneyland
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008
Spring sprang a couple of weeks ago, and after some careful planning, the family was able to travel to Hong Kong for the first time. Our first stop was the relatively new Hong Kong Disneyland, opened in late 2005. We stayed at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel which is about a 10-minute ride from the park via a Disney shuttle bus. There is also an MTR (more on this system later) station near the entrance, so it’s convenient if you’re staying along one of the many stations along one of the routes.
Visitors are greeting by a surfing Mickey and some other aquatic friends.
If I blinked, the entrance is similar to other Disneyland-based parks that I have visited, with a security check of your bags and the Main Street station. On first glance, the layout of the park is similar as well, with one big difference. There are only four sections to the park: Main Street, Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, and Adventureland. While they have a few of the main rides that you would expect—Autopia, the Jungle Cruise and Space Mountain—the park may be more notable for rides that are missing: Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, among others.
The park can easily be visited in a day, although that might not work if there are any large crowds. We virtually walked up to all the rides and got on. The only exception to that was the Autopia, but even that was reasonable. The sign said 60 minutes, but our wait was under 30 minutes. The second-longest wait was for The Lion King show (around 20 minutes). Although some places, like the entrance, seemed crowded, the park seemed to absorb people well. I read a couple of articles in the local paper noting that attendance was not as high as expected; for those of us visiting now, that is a good thing. Disney stockholders (who own 43% of the park; the Hong Kong government owns the other 57%) might think otherwise. I also read that two more sections are planned for Hong Kong Disneyland. The article’s main topic, however, was that a Shanghai Disneyland is in the works, and that might impact the numbers of visitors to the HK park. Time will tell.
All in all, I would have to say it’s worth the visit, especially if you’re planning to be in the area. We had a good time and plan to visit again. I’ll write more on some of the details. Stay tuned.
Riding Trains or the Subway in Tokyo: A Primer
Thursday, January 24th, 2008
When I was up in Tokyo for the JALTCALL 2007 conference in June, 2007, I had my trusty Panasonic Lumix DX-10 at my side. I thought I would take some shots of my travels around the city. I didn’t have much time for that because I was busy going to presentations, and when I wasn’t doing that, I was lugging my bag around (note to self: take the rolling bag next time).
I did manage to take a few shots. I mostly got shots of the Tokyo Metro System, but I did get one of the the JR system in Tokyo.
I grew up in Southern California, so I was new to subway trains in 1985 when I went to both Mexico City and Japan for the first time. If you’re a subway train veteran, thanks for reading this far. You’re free to go.
Since I walk to work now, I still have to acclimate myself whenever I head into the big city (we do have a street car here in Kumamoto! )
Basically, you want to find your stop on the map above all the ticket machines, look at the price to get there, put your money in, and get your change and ticket.
Follow the crowds to the wicket, go through the section with a green arrow, and remember to take your ticket out as you walk through (you’ll need it again to get out of your station).
Look around and up, and find your train line. Make sure you check the direction and stay on that side (I still have a tendency to move to the side dodging people and forget which side to be on), so you don’t head off the other way or on another line. I almost got on another line on the way home the last day. Hey, it was Shinjuku station, and there are at least 20 tracks!
Head out of the train at your stop, and look for the signs that show you what is near each exit.
It is important to go out the right exit, or you could have a really long walk to get around to the other side of the station. As you leave the station, have your ticket ready. You need it to get back out; it will not come back to you when you exit.
If you get stuck, there are lots of maps in different scales to help you get your bearings.
You can also ask any of the workers on the platform or the windows. Remember, everyone wants to help you get where you want to go. Just smile, and say the name of where you want to go.
One huge difference I noticed this trip (it’s been at least four years since I spent any time in Tokyo) was the change in the signs on the trains. They are all electronic now, so the signs change as the trains move down the line, with the present and next stop in big ol’ letters. That made it harder for me to miss a stop.
Another tip is to not ride during peak times. This worked out for me every ride except Saturday night getting on the Yamanote loop line. I just kept walking until I saw a little space on one of the cars. I exhaled to get as small as I could, and I pushed my way on. Two more people got on after me, so maybe you get the idea of how crowded it can get. I understand some of the train lines use the conductors to push people on during the heaviest times of the day. Fun, fun, fun!
[Editor's Note: This entry was originally written June 14, 2007. It has be redone (now with photos!
)]Nazca Exhibition in Kumamoto
Thursday, January 10th, 2008 Last month we got a chance to go to the Nazca display at the Kumamoto Prefecture Museum of Art (one of my students reminded me about it; thanks Yoko!) I have to say that it was very interesting. The first section moved through a bit of the history and geography of the area, and there’s an illustrative timeline to give some perspective. This site has a good rundown on the details.
The artifacts on display were simply amazing. I guess because of the climate (the area looks awfully dry), many of the items were well preserved. Several items were more than 2,000 years old and were in excellent condition. There is a well-kept mummy that you have to see to believe.
The end of the display is dedicated to the huge line drawings in the desert floor. This area of Peru is a World Heritage site, so it’s on my list of places to visit. Unfortunately, people are doing great harm to the area with cars and motorcyles. I hope that kind of activity is stopped ASAP.
The Nazca display continues until January 27th. Get your tickets and go now!
The artifacts on display were simply amazing. I guess because of the climate (the area looks awfully dry), many of the items were well preserved. Several items were more than 2,000 years old and were in excellent condition. There is a well-kept mummy that you have to see to believe.
The end of the display is dedicated to the huge line drawings in the desert floor. This area of Peru is a World Heritage site, so it’s on my list of places to visit. Unfortunately, people are doing great harm to the area with cars and motorcyles. I hope that kind of activity is stopped ASAP.
The Nazca display continues until January 27th. Get your tickets and go now!
Amakusa Research Project
Friday, September 14th, 2007
There has been a push at work to connect better with the local community. The idea is to share ideas for research with those already doing similar work. I joined in on a trip this week to Amakusa, an island area south of Kumamoto connected by bridges and a system of ferries. The photo above is of the first bridge that connects the island of Kyushu to the first large island of Amakusa. The photo below is a view from that bridge.
We first stopped at a junior high school where there is a group of four or so people who develop and produce foods made from octopus. We learned that they get a supply of 30-40 kgs. a day of octopus, from which they make octopus ‘steak,’ giant ‘takoyaki’ (a kind of savory ball made from dough, vegetables, and seasonings), and other dishes. These products are then sold at the local souvenir shops. We sampled some of the octopus they use, and it was very tasty.
We next went to one of the local offices where the archives of Amakusa are kept. There was a long hallway where photos from various local events of the 20th and 21st centuries were hung on the wall. We then toured some of the rooms where the archives are stored. We did not really get to see any of the materials since they were all in boxes. Another missed opportunity was that the PR materials that were given to us were mainly photos of boxes. I think in the future some examples of the kinds of materials stored there would be enlightening; otherwise, it was a waste of copy paper.
From there we moved to Amakusa Airport where we learned about Amakusa Airlines’ business. Amakusa Airlines has one plane traveling: Amakusa to/from Kumamoto, Amakusa to/from Fukuoka, and Kumamoto to/from Matsuyama. We learned that their business has grown steadily over the years and that most of the passengers are business people.
We then went to Tomioka Castle which was fought over during the Shimabara Rebellion, but was destroyed in 1670 during the Shogunate period. The current site was rebuilt in modern times. The dark rocks below are the original rocks used to build the castle; the lighter ones were shaped for the reconstruction.
Here is a shot of what they found when they dug out the site. You can see that the castle was rebuilt with new walls.
I am a big fan of the coast in Amakusa. I would have to guess that I did about 50 dives at Myoken ga Ura (along the west coast of Amakusa) in the period from the summer of 1994 to the summer of 1998. I did not get many chances for a good shot, but this one is typical of the west coast:
We continued south and went to Oe where many Christians lived (and still live) before, during, and after Japan was closed to the West. Nagasaki’s Shimabara and Amakusa are so close that they share a lot of history. Here’s a shot of Oe Catholic Church:
and one of Sakitsu Catholic Church:
Both were destroyed during the Shogunate period and were rebuilt in the 20th century.
The day finished up at a nice Japanese Inn where the University members were joined by some of the workers of Amakusa City and Kumamoto Prefecture. I got to meet Mayor Yasuda of Amakusa City, a very friendly person. Amakusa City turns out to be a sister-city with Encinitas in San Diego. What a coincidence! Moonlight beach may just be the beach I have visited the most.
If you are planning a trip to the Kumamoto area, make sure you plan some time for an Amakusa trip. You will be glad that you did.
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: Need Some Quiet?
Friday, June 15th, 2007 The New York Times’ David Pogue wrote up a great review of noise canceling headphones. I’ve got a pair of the Bose 2 QuietComfort 2 headphones, and I don’t fly long distances without them. The difference in sound between whatever device you might listen with and the Bose (either with something playing or just the noise canceling feature) is amazing! I enjoyed reading about David’s three-leg trial where he actually put all ten models on and compared them. Read the article, and make your own choice; I’m very happy to see that there are alternatives to the very pricey Bose models.
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