Lego Delight at In’s Point Mall, Hong Kong

B and I actually happened upon Lego paradise at In's Point Mall in Hong Kong by accident… We headed to the mall specifically to buy Daddy a souvenir at the Bruce Lee Club store on the second floor (http://www.bruceleeclub.com/) and found ourselves surrounded by the most amazing selection of Lego sets and figurines.

Having fun with our purchases

Unfortunately our visit was in the early afternoon and only a handful of shops were open.  But even with only a limited number of stores, the selection was amazing.  We found plenty of mini-figures and harder-to-find sets - at very reasonable prices, and many of the newer, easy-to-find sets were less expensive than sets we priced out at Toys R Us at Harbour City.  In addition to Lego, the shops were also full of new and vintage superhero action figures and other collectibles.

In’s Point Mall is located at 530-538 Nathan Road in Mong Kok.  If using the MTR, go to Yau Ma Tei Station and take exit A2.  Take the escalator or elevator up to the 1st and 2nd floors (if using a stroller, be aware the elevators are quite compact!).  The shops we visited accepted cash only.  From a cursory scan of shop hours, the ideal time to visit is after 4 pm on weekends or after 6 pm on weekdays when most of the shops open.  Many of the shops sold similar sets/figures so it is a good idea to bring a pen and paper and do a bit of price comparison between vendors.  I was so busy window shopping, I forgot to take pictures but this image from http://thebrickblogger.com/2012/05/lego-hong-kong/ gives a sense of the place.

A peaceful morning at the Hong Kong Zoo

The Hong Kong Zoo and Botanical Gardens is the 5.6 hectare home to more than 1,000 species of plants and over 500 animals including orangutans, lemurs and pythons.

Visiting at 7 am on New Year’s Day meant we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves with the exception of a few locals getting in their morning exercises.

If you are looking for a expansive Singapore Zoo-type experience, this is not it.  But with a children’s playground, aviaries, green house and gardens, and lots of animals to see, it’s a quaint and fun destination for little kids.  The zoo is clean and well-kept, and is so serene and quiet, it’s hard to believe it’s in the middle of Hong Kong.

Our taxi dropped us off at the Albany Road entrance of the zoo at about the mid-way point.  In hindsight, a better place to start would have been at one of the northwest entrances off of Glenealy Rd, since the zoo slopes steeply southwards, and wind our way down.

The green house and education centre opens at 9 am and the zoo and gardens open at 6 am every day.  Admission is free!  We were welcomed at the entrance by a large flight of stairs, so be aware there may be spots where you have to carry a stroller.

New Year's Day Dragon and Lion Dance Parade

On January 1st, Hong Kong kicked off the New Year by hosting the annual Lion and Dragon Dance Parade in Kowloon.  To top off the hundreds of lions and dragons, this year over 1,000 parade participants were decked out with happy Buddha masks.

The Parade started at Canton Road, ran along the Avenue of Stars and finished at the UC Centenary Garden in East Tsim Sha Tsui (next to the Intercontinental Grand Stanford Hotel).

B and I headed out to the Avenue of Stars about half an hour before the parade was expected to pass in order to find ourselves a good vantage point to watch the festivities, and near the Hong Kong Cultural Centre so we'd be close to washrooms.  I'm not a big fan of crowds but the length of the parade route meant there was a comfortable number of people along the way, so the parade was easy to see and it was easy to navigate the route even with a stroller.

Visiting the Big Buddha in Hong Kong

B had read about the Big Buddha (the Tian Tan Buddha statue) in his book Sasha Visits Hong Kong and had specifically requested we visit on our recent trip to Hong Kong.  

The most convenient way to access the Big Buddha is via the MTR then the Ngong Ping 360 cable car, a 5.7 km, 25-minute cable car journey from the Tung Chung MTR station to Ngong Ping village at the base of the steps leading up to the Buddha. If your little ones are fans of airports, the cable car affords a bird's eye view of Hong Kong's international airport.

I arranged cable car tickets in advance via http://www.np360.com.hk/en/ which got us into a shorter ticket line on a busy day.  Since our visit, the website has enabled online ticket sales allowing you to purchase and print tickets in advance and skip the ticketing line altogether.  I chose to purchase 1+1 tickets, which involved riding in a Crystal Cabin (with see-through floor) on the way to the Buddha, and riding a Standard Cabin on the return journey.  Taking the Crystal Cabin at least one way is a must-do for anyone who isn't terrified of heights and the views were fantastic.

When you get off the cable car, you need to walk through the Ngong Ping 'village' to get to the base of the Big Buddha.  The village is full of souvenir shops, restaurants, tidy washrooms, plus a 7-11 which is handy for picking up water and/or snacks.  I wondered whether or not to bring along a stroller, but am I ever glad I did.  It is a bit of a walk from the cable car to the base of the steps up to the Big Buddha, and with B's 4 yr old little legs and hot sun, I would have ended up having to carry him on the return journey otherwise.  Our handy Uppa Baby G-Luxe stroller fit nicely under the seat in the cable car and we parked it at the base of the steps before proceeding up.  

Although it sounds like a lot, it wasn't a big deal for B to climb the 268 steps to the top, though he did ask to stop a couple of times to drink water.  He felt so proud to make it to the top on his own!  I should add he was also highly motivated by the promise of ice cream when we got back down to the village :)

HOW TO GET THERE
Take the MTR to the end of the orange Tung Chung line, and from there, the easiest way to access the Buddha is via the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car. 

TICKETS
You can buy them Ngong Ping 360 cable car lower terminus or online in advance at http://www.np360.com.hk/en/.  1+1 tickets (Crystal cabin to the Buddha, return journey via Standard cabin) are $210 HK per adult, $135 HK for kids aged 3-11 and $165 HK for seniors.

RESOURCES:
Official Ngong Ping 360 cable car site http://www.np360.com.hk/en/
Hong Kong Tourism http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/see-do/highlight-attractions/top-10/the-big-buddha-po-lin-monastery.jsp

For more reading about this scenic spot, check out http://www.dangerous-business.com/2014/02/lantau-island-green-escape-hong-kong/.