A Transporting Day Out

I'm constantly trying to find something interesting outdoors for my son to do. He gets angsty very quickly if he's been cooped up indoors for too long. Once he's exhausted playing with his toys and with nothing much to do except twiddle his thumbs or vacillate between cooing and smacking his baby sister, it's imperative that he gets out of the house.

I've seen a purple open-top bus pass by on our street a lot, and decided we should go for a ride. This purple open-top bus is called the Rickshaw Sightseeing Bus, which is conceptually a rickshaw - you really need to stretch the imagination to see how this huge double-decker bus powered by an engine is in any way remotely a rickshaw.

The rickshaw part is, presumably, how you take in the sights and sounds in an open-air manner, much like a rickshaw. I'm guessing even the bus company realized this was a stretch, so for anyone having difficulty connecting the dots, there's a helpful illustration of a rickshaw, pulled by human strength no less, cheerfully painted across the bus' exterior. 

I wasn't exactly sure where the bus would go, I figured if we came across a place of interest, we'll hop off. And then figure our way home later. Surely that should take up an afternoon. 

We got on the bus on Caine Road, and clamoured to the open-top upper deck to get seats. It was very windy which really tickled my son who could not stop laughing at the wind blowing his hair into disarray.

As the name implies, there's some uh...sightseeing, and we passed by the Hong Kong Museum of Medical Science (?), the High Street Old Mental Hospital (!), The University of Hong Kong (double ?), the Western district (at least famed for dried seafood), and ended up at the Star Ferry terminal (finally, a bona fide attraction).

Taking the Star Ferry is one of my favorite things to do in Hong Kong, I love its rustic feel and how it transports you back in time to a Hong Kong of old, when life was simpler and slower, with (I would imagine) sailors on deck chewing their tobacco to while their time away. There are still sailors on the Star Ferry today, decked out in sailor outfits, lending a certain authenticity to this age-old transportation experience.

We took the Star Ferry across to Kowloon, got off, walked all of 10 steps and bought some 老婆饼 (old wives' cakes - a Chinese pastry filled with winter melon paste), hopped back onto the ferry, and happily tucked into our goodies on the ride back. 

My son thoroughly enjoyed himself, was extraordinarily co-operative the entire time, completely pleasant in every way, with nary a whine or whimper.

A delightful day out that wasn't quite planes, trains and automobiles but a bus, a ferry and an agreeable toddler isn't too shabby.

Comments

[Bob in SF]

Your sightseeing sites made me laugh out loud. Sounded like a very enjoyable afternoon. I take Noah on trips like this. One was to the airport to watch airplanes take off.

[Kwan]

And where is Anneliese in all of this? You could handle BOTH kids on this excursion?! Super SAHM!