In China
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Thursday, April 30, 2009 Hi everyone! What a phenomenal day. It really is beautiful here. To see the China Sea and the mountainous islands s at every turn – it is stunning. Hong Kong Disneyland is lovely. First, the hotel is stellar (given it’s a family hotel), and many of you know that my type A personality rarely gives out such a rating. It is spotless (very appealing to said Type A personality). The room is beautiful – very large with a sitting room and a whole curved wall with windows to see outside to …..(sigh) the sea and the mountains. The service is outstanding. No matter who we meet or speak to, that person has been extremely friendly and helpful; as I said yesterday, English is spoken regularly, and in many cases is preferred over Mandarin (Cantonese is the true language of choice). All signs are in English, Cantonese and Mandarin, and I’m told this is the norm throughout the city. Our driver, Alex, yesterday, spent almost an extra 30 minutes with us during check in (which included currency exchange, some details about Emma’s birthday, reservations at different places), just so he could not only show me things on the map, but he wrote out literally a step by step set of what to do to get from Point A to Point B to Point C – again, my Type A personality and process oriented brain were reeling with gratitude. Also, lastnight, a little after 11pm local time, we had an issue with our power adapter, and though I was willing to buy one, the service staff went all over looking for an adapter for US standard plugs that they would just let us use and brought several options to our room– they were amazing. The staff also took a photo of us in the hotel lobby for a specialized birthday card for Emma, and throughout our trip, they have a special sign in the lobby saying Happy Birthday Emma Grace. Today had the perfect start. I was up at 4am, Emma at 5am. By 7am we were out walking along the waterfront promenade along the China Sea, taking in the view. They have a hedge maze at the base of the hotel, so we had some fun with that. Then off to an amazing breakfast buffet– as my dear friend Michelle would say, “fabulous in every way.” They had foods from the different Asian regions, as well as American fare. Emma ate a ton (thank goodness) and she was pretty brave – she even tried congee. It was a first and last for her, but I was happy she tried it. I had the typical American breakfast along with some terrific dim sum, and we both had miso soup and loaded up on the tofu and seaweed. It’s a good way to fuel up for the day! [Yesterday, the food was a little tough for Emma to get used to; Chinese food here has a stronger flavor – whatever that flavor may be (I’m reminded why all our nannies used to think American food is bland.) Thankfully, though, they have a myriad of options for her to try; we’re just figuring out what she can be adventurous with, and what we should be more cautious about.] We went to Disneyland for the day – which was good. I know this sounds completely ridiculous, but it was a very relaxing day, and we needed it since we were really tired. Our schedules are still getting in synch with the time difference, plus we had some catching up to do. HK Disneyland is so much smaller than what we know. Earlier in the day, thanks to the hotel staff, she was given a TON of stickers. She proceeded to put all of them on – all over her shirt front, down her legs, and some on her back. The great thing was that this caused so many people to stop and talk to her at the park – older people, children, staff members and visitors, some spoke English, some didn’t (I said earlier, people here are very friendly) – it was actually nice and made it more fun. We spent about 4 hours, then we headed back to the hotel from some swimming. The weather is beautiful - 70’s, slightly overcast, a light breeze. This is great for the park, but a little cold for the outdoor pool, so we went to the indoor pool – which is absolutely lovely with beautiful tile work and they played soft music in the background – it was like a spa. Emma was the only one in the pool. It took every ounce of control not to fall asleep listening to the water and music. So off we went back to the room, where we showered and then promptly fell fast asleep……Emma’s still sleeping, thankfully. So the short of it is: so far, LOVING our experience, am a huge fan of Hong Kong Disneyland, and would highly recommend if you do make a trip (or you’re looking for a great trip), think of coming here.

Hotel Garden Maze and View – what a way to start the day Emma on seawall Welcome to Hong Kong Disneyland Dawn and Emma at Welcome sign The Castle with mountains in the background Emma is Sticker Girl! (at HKD entrance)

Can you believe its only 2-1/2 days until Ethan????!!!!! In the hotel shop lastnight, Emma was playing with a little boy who looked slightly under 2. He was absolutely adorable….. but loved to run – in circles, outside the store, in to the fancy restaurant….. we’re really in for it….. and can’t wait! More adventures tomorrow! Love, Dawn and Emma   Emma’s Corner From Mom: Sorry everyone – tonight Emma is fast asleep. Our time difference is 12 hours – so when it is morning here, it is night-time there. Letting her sleep gives her a chance to not only catch up since we didn’t sleep much during our flight or first night here, it also allows her to get more used to the time difference. She had a great time at Disneyland though, and check out her picture with all the stickers – everyone in the park wanted to talk to her – even if they didn’t speak English! She gets to meet her brother this weekend on Sunday. She’ll definitely write tomorrow. And thank you from me also for all her terrific cards – they are beautiful and fun and a great keepsake for her!!! Have a great day!

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