Hong Kong Disney day two

It turned out that we really needed the sleep - we all slept for over twelve hours! We live in a relatively quiet area of Bangalore, but even so, because we have single-glazed windows we are usually woken by the sound of squawking birds, squeaking squirrels, the local mosque's call to prayer, or the little kid next door complaining at his parents. Being in a room with double-glazing makes such a difference! 

The hotel provides several different sizes of bathrobes and slippers

We staggered down for breakfast which was decent enough - with all the efficiency and polish of Disney in evidence pretty much everywhere here the service in the hotel restaurant was surprisingly slap-dash, but it was good enough for us. One thing we learned: if you ask for a glass of water it'll be warm; if you want cold water you have to ask for a bottle. 

We had quite a bumper day at the park today. Unfortunately I forgot my camera so there will be no pics from today, but it was nice to enjoy without thinking about taking photos. In fact because our phones don't work here we've been very technology-free which is really refreshing. We started at Toy Story land, where Dara, Emma and I stood in line for about 45 minutes to ride the Slinky Dog ride, while Toby went off to do the daredevil rides - the soldier parachute drop and the RC car loop, both of which looked too crazy for either of his parents to go on. The staff were great - they let him get to the front of the line really quickly because he was on his own, so by the time we were about to get on our ride he was already done. However when we saw him he was walking along a path looking pretty distressed due to a combination of not being able to find us and not inconsiderable nausea from the rides. However once he saw us he chirped up a bit, and we were set to try more things. Highlights were the It's A Small World ride - a kind of canal boat ride with musical animatronic puppets showing scenes from all round the world; a fun car ride and the African boat river ride. It was a lot of queueing and to be honest although I'm not one for crazy fairground rides they were mostly pretty tame, but it was good fun just to be there with the family, and to enjoy people-watching.

As with yesterday we're really enjoying the food, and being in a place with decent standards of food hygiene. It was great to have safe cut fruit and breakfast, and we had delicious American-style hot dogs and corn dogs for lunch, with no fear of food poisoning (the hot dogs threatened to be less authentic when they were offered with either chili topping (somewhat authentic) or with mushroom sauce (um…) but we just had them plain with onions and relish. For dinner we went to a more Chinese place where we had great soup, rice, sweet and sour pork, and Toby and Dara shared a beef noodle dish - it looked not at all like what Dara would like as it had a lot of sauce but she was a big brave girl and tried it and loved it.

Speaking of Dara she once again got tons of attention from people here. Lots of people waving and saying hello to her and taking photos. She's not totally crazy about it although I think being in India prepared her for it and she's not too bad at ignoring  the attention. 

We decided to stay till closing time to see the firework show, which meant getting pretty chilly after the sun went down. It probably got down to about 10ºC which is the coldest any of us have been in ages, but it was worth it for the great fireworks over the castle - a fun way to end Christmas Eve. Of course it's all a bit saccharine and made up, but it was fun being in the big crowd oohing and aahing at the display, then all heading together for the exits. Now we're back in the hotel room the kids are pretty wiped out and my arms hurt from carrying Dara so much of the day, but I hope that it's been a pretty decent day for us all.

Hong Kong Disney day one

Once I got back from Minneapolis I had to take my first day off work sick since we moved to India (which is pretty good going - over four months without having to take a day off) as I'd picked up a nasty cold. Just needed a day of taking it easy and feeling a bit rubbish. But it was important to get better, as I had one more day in the office before we went on our big family Christmas vacation to Hong Kong.

Back in September I'd booked this trip - it felt that by that time we'd probably need a break from India, and Emma and I wanted to give Toby and Dara (and ourselves) a big Christmas treat, so we figured that Christmas at Disneyland would be pretty awesome. We got a direct flight on Dragonair - just under five hours, but like pretty much all the international flights out of Bangalore it left in the middle of the night - 3am to be precise. Somehow we all got to sleep at 8pm, then up again at 11ish to get to the airport. Having done all my work jet setting lately it felt really strange to be in economy class seats, and I think that Dragonair's seats are also particularly cramped and small. But it was a nice smooth flight with really friendly service, so no problems really. 

When we arrived at Hong Kong airport we just couldn't believe how clean it all was. In fact the first thing Toby did was to get water from a drinking fountain - he was thrilled! There was quite a wait in line for immigration, but it moved pretty well and gave lots of locals the chance to smile at Dara and take pictures of her - there aren't many people here with blue eyes and blonde curly hair, although I'd expected she'd be a bit less of a novelty than in India. We got a cab from the airport to the Disneyland Hotel and were really impressed at how smooth and clear the roads were. 

There are two Disney hotels here - one is the Hollywood Hotel and kind of art deco, and we're staying in the Disneyland hotel which is more Victorian style. Obviously they're both totally fake but really well done at the same time. Immaculately put together, really really clean, and amazing attention to detail. We have one room for the four of us - it's not huge but really comfortable. The bathroom is totally lined with marble, and there are Disney touches everywhere. Even the tissue box has a picture of Sneezy next to it. We hung around the hotel for a couple of hours till it was official check-in time, which meant we got to walk along the waterfront for a bit and enjoy some fresh sea air, and we had an amazing Chinese lunch - totally delicious noodles, shrimp and pork, just what we needed. 

We headed over to the Disney park around 4, and got in right as the parade was going through Main Street. It was pretty amazing to walk right into, and perfect timing for the kids to see all the dancers and the characters right in front of them. It might sound ridiculous but it was kind of overwhelming to have this Americana right in our faces after being away for such a long time - Emma confessed later that she was also a bit emotional. The parade was really well done, and I was really impressed with the performers - they must have done this a million times, but they were all really smiling and into it. 

We spent some time wondering around, and of course the first thing the kids wanted was some food. We found a bakery, where we got some coffee, and a Christmas market food stall where they were doing roasted chestnuts, turkey drumsticks, pizza on a stick and Mickey Mouse waffles. As well as packets of Korean dried squid. The kids shared a waffle and pronounced it to be good. It was certainly great to be able to have iced drinks and cut fruit without being concerned about getting sick, as we've had to do for the last five months. 

An elderly couple prepares to ride a flying saucer

Wearing 3D glasses (they're referred to as opera glasses)

Dara meets Tinkerbell - a dream come true

Once we were refreshed we went off to look at some rides - nothing too crazy but good fun. This first day we wanted to get the lay of the land, so we saw the future world stuff, flew some flying saucers, went through the princess castle and on the carousel. We also found a great 3D musical movie show, Dara met Tinkerbell, and we explored the new Toy Story section. We finished up with some pretty good fish and chips, then got back to the hotel. I wasn't sure if the kids would be totally wired and impossible to get to sleep, but they conked out pretty quickly, as did us grown-ups.

Dara being cool in her new Toy Story hoodie

Some monkeys

Main Street, USA

Going "home"

Well that was a busy week! I've just finished a week in Minneapolis, and am in a lounge in Dallas Fort Worth airport, waiting for a flight to London, then another to Bangalore. As noted in my last post, it's an incredibly long journey from Minneapolis to Bangalore, but at least I'm by myself and don't have the kids being all exhausted - I wouldn't blame them for being cranky on this length of journey.

The week was great, despite being away from Emma and the kids. I think I made the most of it - packed days at the office, and saw a number of friends too and let them know how we're doing. The first couple of days were pure culture shock, it was really strange to be back in a cold, dark place, but also to experience such clean shops and sidewalks. At the risk of sounding like a pure consumer, shopping at Target was frankly a joy. I think we forget to appreciate how difficult it is to run a store so efficiently, but when you're in a place like India and have to deal with even the more modern supermarkets here, they are years away from how well we do it. I might do a retail geek post sometime in the future where I'll write more about it. My bags are totally packed with stuff - I took an empty huge case, and have completely stuffed it with toys, clothes, towels and medical supplies. Fortunately it and my two other bags came in under the 70 pound weight limit, but only just.

Anyway, work was good - it was the primary reason for my trip after all. Lots of time meeting with leaders, my peers and former team, and my calendar was packed every day. I think I learned a lot by talking about my experiences - it was a good way to reflect and find themes in what I've been doing, and to hear other people's ideas. It did make things like time with my boss quite intense - we get on extremely well, but when you don't work in the same place as someone it makes interactions much more focussed than they would be if I could just drop into his office anytime. We had some great chats, and it also gave me the chance to let him know how much I appreciate his support of what I'm doing.

One of the strange things was that I wasn't staying in our house - I was at a hotel downtown. We have great renters in our place, and I didn't want to be nosey by visiting them in what is now their home. It was strange, though, to be at our neighbors' place and to see the house with lights on and other people living there, and to be around the neighborhood. But that's OK, and I'm glad the house is in such great hands.

So now I'm on the way back I'm trying to work out where home really is at the moment (made stranger by the fact that I'm travelling through London, another former home). I have to say that being in Minneapolis for a few days made me really appreciate it and (most of) the people too. And in fact one of my hopes for our time in Bangalore is for us to re-appreciate Minneapolis, and I hope that Emma and the kids will feel this way too. We're certainly really happy in Bangalore, but I'm not totally sure it feels like home, or if it ever truly will, but it is where our stuff is, and we've made a good lot of friends there. I know that I don't feel at home when I'm not with my lovely little family, that's for sure. We'll find out more this weekend - we're off to Hong Kong for just over a week, and we'll see how we feel when we get back to Bangalore.

America

I'm back in Minneapolis for the first time since we moved. It's a bit of a strange feeling, not least because I'm here by myself (just here for a week of pretty intense work) and I'm staying in a hotel (interesting history can be found here). Both of these facts mean that it would be miserable for the kids to be here, plus they have school, so it's just me.

I'd forgotten what a long journey it is to get here; it is almost halfway round the world, but even so it's quite a schlep. Usually I'd go with Air France and Delta, meaning just one stop in Paris, but that flight was all sold out, so I went with BA through London and Chicago. The bonus of this was having the Bangalore-London leg in a 747, and being in the upper deck. BA's business class is pretty nice, and I did appreciate how their seats go totally flat so I got a few hours' sleep in both of the long flights. It was really strange, though, going through Heathrow. Terminal 5 is very nice, but after being in sunny Bangalore for the last few months it was a total culture shock to be in what feels like a shopping mall in London with Christmas decorations all over the place. It was surprising how early it got dark - around 4pm - in Bangalore the sun sets between 6:30 and 7 every evening. Also being there for only a couple of hours and not having the chance to see friends or family made me feel quite rootless, so all in all it was a strange experience. Chicago airport was quiet by the time we arrived, and I had a few hours to hang around. I got some free wifi at the American Airlines Admirals Club. Their literature didn't seem to feature any apostrophes in "Admirals", and there was a noticeable and disappointing lack of admirals, or indeed any seafaring theme - just an obnoxiously loudmouthed guy at the bar.

Anyway, I got into Minneapolis on schedule at around midnight and cabbed to the hotel. It was about 14ºF, quite a shock after not having experienced anything below 60ºF since May. That morning there was  a meeting scheduled for 8am, and I figured if I was going to be totally dazed anyway I might as well attempt to go. I did manage to get up around 6:30, and room service breakfast arrived at 7 - an omelette with hashed browns, which seemed like a good idea when I ordered it the night before. However I think that the tiredness got to me, and the fact that the food was a lot greasier than anything I've eaten in months, so the food only stayed down for five minutes. It seemed ridiculous that I had never been sick in India, but within 12 hours of getting back to America I should be throwing up, but there we are. I went back to bed for a couple of hours after which I felt much better, so went into the office.

Got loads done, really good to see so many old friends and have the chance to chat with my boss and colleagues, and have time to discuss all kinds of stuff, not just a quick half hour phone call. I've got a packed calendar for this coming week, and really looking forward to working out lots of stuff. By the evening I was feeling pretty good, and had a delicious dinner and got to bed around 9pm. I did wake up a bit in the night but slept pretty well. This morning I got to Skype with Emma and Dara, and had a totally great breakfast in the hotel restaurant - Dutch apple pancake and amazing local back bacon. Yum. Now I'm going to nip over to Target to pick up some stuff to take back home, and this afternoon I'm going to visit some really good friends for dinner - really looking forward to it, even though it's probably going to be a bit strange to be there without Emma and the kids.

Beeps

India's a pretty noisy place. Music is played loudly, people speak loudly, and the traffic is loud. People use their car horns instead of turn indicators - one honk to indicate "I'm about to pass you", one to say "don't move - I'm passing you", and another just to say "thanks". Trucks have signs on the back asking people to honk. Then there is the racket when the lights turn from red to green and everyone just wants to get moving. It's incessant.

So as a result this noise has been sneaking its way into our lives, but unexpectedly in Dara's speech. A couple of weeks ago she had to visit the doctor, and when she got back she told me that the doctor had checked her heart beep. Then last night Emma and I told her and Toby about our Christmas holiday plans - we're going to Hong Kong for a week and a half - a few days at Disney, followed by a stay in a hotel by the harbour, which should be awesome for New Year fireworks. We're all really excited and were chatting about it for a while, when I realized there was something odd about how Dara was pronouncing Hong Kong - she thought that we were going to a place called Honk Honk.

Global Kids

Emma and I were thrilled to see this article in Parenting Magazine today: Raising a Global Kid (child). As you can probably tell, it's one of our goals to have Toby and Dara aware of the world and other people and cultures, and it was especially cool to see that the first paragraphs of the story are about Toby's former school in Minneapolis - Whittier Elementary. It's a public school near our house which also happens to follow the International Bacchelauriate program, the same as Toby's new school here. I'm pretty sure that the similarity in syllabus and values have helped his transition, but so also has the progam's focus on being a good global citizen. Either way it was great to see, and to think of our kids as being poster children for this model.

Sibs

I've been intrigued to see how Toby and Dara would take to our move. So far they seem to be doing really well - as I've noted Toby is doing really well at school, as is Dara. His accent has changed a lot less than I expected, but there are days when Dara sounds like a little Indian girl - it's really fun. The move has also brought them closer together (they were already really close) as they're having to rely on each other more, and for the first month we were here they shared a room, which worked out surprisingly well.

A couple of nights ago we tried an experiment - Emma was going out to the pub with some of her friends, while I had a call with work in Minneapolis. These were both scheduled to start at 8, which is bedtime for the kids, so we spoke with them to see if they could handle bedtime by themselves. They promised us that they would be fine, so at 7:30 we started the bedtime routine, and we were pleasantly surprised that when it was story time they sent us away so that Toby could read Dara's stories. They both went into Toby's room while Emma went out and I went up to the office. It wasn't clear how it would turn out, but once my call was done I went downstairs to check on them - Dara had gone through to her room and was fast asleep in her bed, and Toby was reading in his bed. They both slept really well and the next day were just as pleased as we were at how they did. It's not something we plan on doing too much, but it's great to know that they can handle this when it's needed.