And our word of the day is:
holidazed, adj: a condition arising from bringing baby, mom and sister on holiday outside the country for the first time ever; see also: numb, relieved, can’t believe we survived with cute pictures to boot.
What with mom not getting any younger, Lucien getting bigger almost too fast, and my sister longing for more stamps in her passport, I managed to save enough money to bring us to Hong Kong. We were at first scheduled to go before Chinese New Year, but Luc’s passport didn’t make it in time.
I’d been to HK many times before this, but always on business, with a quick duck into a Causeway Bay shop or two before flying back. This time we were on Kowloon side, in the Imperial Hotel along Nathan Road. Luc’s brand new Winne-the-Pooh shoe fell off while we were walking to the hotel and he remained The Shoeless Wonder the rest of the trip.
The Cliff Notes version of The Vacation:
Day 1:
PAL flight delayed because passenger fainted in the back. Waited more than one hour to take off. Luc fretty. Probably sick of “Plane Always Late” remarks from fellow passengers. Arrive very late in Hong Kong. Airport bus driver chats with Luc in Chinese. Luc’s shoe disappears somewhere in Nathan Road. Hotel room is not as smelly as feared. All collapse.
Day 2:
Take cab to Ocean Park. Roads closed because of International Marathon. Family freezes whilst gawking at sea lion show. Panda pees in front of SRO crowd. Luc smiles. Barbecued squid tentacles and gummy
chicken for lunch. Luc removes bonnet every 5 minutes. Take cab back to hotel. All collapse. Then rise again for Mongkok Night Market.
Day 3:
Take MTR to Disneyland. Bit disallows all rides for Luc for fear of major spit-ups. Luc grins and flashes teeth at roving mascots. Many, many pictures taken. Family freezes but not as horribly as day before. Many, many souvenirs bought. Wizard hat with flashing lights fascinates Bit.
Day 4:
Take Shenzhen tour. Get fleeced at government shops. Family freezes but enjoys Windows of the
World thoroughly. Luc makes new friends on train and MTR, despite drool-darkened jacket.
Day 5:
Check out of hotel. Kowloon Park a pleasant surprise for all. Luc shares sleeping space with pigeons. By now all adults are stroller-handling experts. Shop like mad at airport. Plane leaves on time. Luc screams and cries on landing. Passengers in first class swing fists and hurl lawsuit threats while Luc bawls. Family waits forever for baggage. Finally home, all collapse.