The Lankfords Down Under: We're Back...

Phil and I arrived back in Australia early Monday morning after an overnight flight from Tokyo. Sorry for the lack of posts in June (is it seriously July already?), but you, my loyal readers know we were back in the States for awhile. Had a fabulous time...miss family, friends, my bed, and just the best dog in the world, Sox. Back to the world of iceless Diet Coke. Sigh. But first...I must catch you up on our travels. Phil left to come back to Australia a few weeks before I did because he had to make a whirlwind Asia tour. He left for Hong Kong, then Shanghai, and then finally Tokyo. I tranferred all of his pictures from his trip on to the computer, but because I wasn't there, I'm really not sure where or what they are. So...this could be fun. My version of Phil's Asia trip.

Here we are in the city of Hong Kong. I think. Is Phil on a boat? Hanging out of his hotel window?Dangling from a dock pier?

PL- This is Phil standing on a rather solid dock pier taking a picture from the center of Hong Kong over to Tsim Sha Tsui- a shopping/dining/cruise terminal area of Hong Kong that's just across the Bay. Of note in the picture is the Star Ferry to TST on the right side. You'll note it's strong lack of apparent structural integrity. Add to that the boats general lack of appropriate power for it's size. The next day I boarded one of those boats to TST to survey the area. It's probably less than 1 mile across to TST which made for a 5 minute trip across, and a 30 minute trip back while fighting a current that the boat could barely overcome...

Hong Kong at night.

PL- This area is known as Lan Kwai Fong and is a popular night spot in Hong Kong. Interestingly there is a strong shortage of Chinese/Hong Kong faces in the crowds at LKF and a lot of british and american looking white people...

Here, Phil is at the entrance of Hong Kong Disney. Notice the mid-stride run. Impressive camera work.

PL- and strangely, they're running AWAY from the entrance.

At the entrance of the park.

Not Cinderella's castle and not Snow White's castle, but Sleeping Beauty's castle. And notice the lack of crowds. Phil made it through the entire park in 3 or 4 hours. As you will see in a few days...not the case when we went to Tokyo Disney.

PL- and 4 hours included a lunch break!! Don't blink or you'll miss the castle.

That classic ride...It's A Small World.

PL- and now that I've been to Disney in every location it exists, it really does seem like a small world after all!!

Apparently, Phil left Hong Kong Disney and took some cable car ride up to the top of some mountain (while getting a great view of the city) in order to gain some wisdom from the man at the top of the mountain. That wise sage...you know him as...

PL- the proper local term is "the peak" and coincidentally this is known as "the peak tram".

Michael Jackson. "Oww...whoooo hooooo" (my Michael Jackson impersonation.) Thank you, thank you very much. Seriously, Phil found a Madame Tussaud's wax museum and went through.