Stuck In A Hotel--A Typhoon Holiday

 

So our quick trip to Hong Kong to explore was drastically changed by the arrival of a typhoon named Saola. As things shut down the night before, it was clear they were bracing for a huge storm. The government of Hong Kong issued the highest level of warning for a storm that has hit Hong Kong since 1949! And of course it is the weekend that we chose to be there. 

But, it was good that in a series of fortunate events, we were ok stuck in the hotel for several days. Yes, we did not get to see Victoria peak, nor ride the cable car, or climb to the Big Buddha, or ride a traditional Duk boat in Victoria Harbor...BUT we had all kinds of time together. Some of the fortunate events include the fact that our two Muggles are not addicted to screens. We did not even bring screens for them to use. They love to read and do crafts, so that was perfect for all the activities we could do indoors. I just happened to pack several books for them and that was perfect because they had time to read ALL of them. I had debated on which hotel to choose, ultimately went with the Disney hotel. I am so glad that I did that because they had so many activities geared towards children. These two Muggles are not picky eaters, which was another blessing because we were limited to eating the food in the hotels. All three of us tried things we have never had before! 

When I booked the room I paid a bit extra for a sea view. I thought that the Muggles would love to see the ocean as we were in the room. Little did I know that it was going to give us a front row view to the raging storm while we were there This day-bed style window seat was claimed by Lucky Dragon as a reading room. But it found the three of us snuggled up watching the storm in all its fury. 

As the storm loomed closer we watched the map. Then would watch out the windows to see the water going everywhere and the trees leaning sideways or whipping around in a frenzied dance. The hotel would not allow people out--especially as the storm warning increased from 8 to 9 and then to level 10! They locked and chained doors. It was really because the storm was blowing them open, but it added to the ominous feel that we were locked in. 

We had late night snacks and played cards together. I usually always have a deck of cards in my bag. Years ago in Manila I got stuck at work due to flooding and that deck of cards kept me and a few colleagues busy as the time passed. It was such a miracle to have cards when were stuck on Mount Everest last year too. When we went to the store after the doctor yesterday and Lucky Dragon found a Uno deck he wanted to buy, we were so glad we did! It gave us another game to play together. 

These two got really good at chopsticks! I am always amazed at their adaptability and resourcefulness. 

We colored A LOT. Luckily, the Muggles like to color and that there were several stations set up around the hotel to enjoy. As you can see the lobby looks so deserted as people hunkered down in their rooms. I found myself so thankful for thick windows and great construction. We could see how bad the wind was and hear groans, but it was not impacting us beyond that. I made sure we had plenty of water in the room and that the phone was charged. (lessons form living in Hawaii with natural disasters)

At one point I was standing on the front pavilion and they had classical music playing. It was funny to watch the trees dance in the wind and see the storm and the music ebbed and flowed. It looked like the tempest was being choreographed by the music itself. 

There was one indoor pool on property. The outdoor pools were not open, obviously. So we went to swim. Then these two took a spa approach and sat to read for a few hours at the poolside. 

They set up one of the ballrooms as a theater and brought in chairs and bean bags. We went to a few movies during our time locked down. 

We made games out of rubbish bins and bean bags. The level of creativity is fun to see when you are not focused on video games or phones!

We had lunch at a bao restaurant that each dumpling was shaped like Disney characters. We had fun eating them. We all thought the three little pig char-siu dumplings were our favorite. 

They taught us how to make Disney characters out of wash clothes. These two had fun doing that as well. 

On our last day there, the storm had gone past. The warnings were in place until 1600, so as soon as they were lifted we went out. You could tell we had all been in the hotel too long because even the train was amazing. These two used the empty train and the bars as a gym. They perfected their pull ups and climbing skills. 

We found an  amazing Lego store as we ventured out. It fun to see people emerging from their homes. We all had to walk around piles of branches, trees, and trash, but we were just happy to be outside. 

Many of the things we wanted to do were still closed and that was sad. We will just have to come back to Hong Kong for another trip! 

These two both saw the grass pad along the harbor walk. They both, at different times, asked to "just go lay on it." The first time I said no because with all the rain I was sure it was muddy. The second time I realized how much they miss grass (not much of it in Mumbai) and the mud at this point did not matter...So they went and laid down! 

We made a trip to see the Hong Kong Temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I wanted them to see the building they see at church on the walls every day. Glad we made that trip. It too, was closed, but the outside was beautiful. 

We were thankful for American (profit loving) companies that were open when other places were still closed. We ate Shake Shack for dinner! 

This handwashing station was so cool! All restaurants should have one! 

Another activity we did was a cookie decorating activity. That, too, was fun. 

One of the things we love to do as a family in Disney is learn to draw the characters. We took a class with drawing Minnie. We all laughed at the way they turned out. Koala Bear said, "Mine looks hypnotized!" I said, "Mine looks like it ate too many doughnuts."  Lucky Dragon said, "Mine  has weird lines in its eyes." So I present to you: "Hypnotized Minnie" "Chubby Minnie" and "Cataract Minnie" HAHAHA 

It was not the trip we had planned and we will have to go back to enjoy more of what Hong Kong has to offer. But it was a fun trip and we spent lots of quality time together!