Home at last

Home at last - and the family were there complete with signs.......very cool!

We had a good, but long flight home from Hong Kong to Auckland.  Caught up with Errol for lunch in Auckland before catching our flight to Palmerston North.  We were exhausted but very excited to be home. We have certainly missed our family and it feels so nice to be home.

mmmmmm - a couple of our favourites - roast lamb and sauvignon blanc - PERFECT!

The cable car and the Buddha

These changing time zones are a pain.  I seem to go to sleep well and then am awake for hours in the night! Anyway, up and about around 9am; the boys mucked around with their drones and then we all went for a swim.  We then checked out of the hotel at 12 noon, stored our bags and headed off to the cable car to go and see the buddha.  It was a cloudy, foggy day so the views were not going to be amazing but it was dry.  However, it was about the time we hopped onto the cable car that the rain started and got worse and worse.  

When we arrived at the top it was pouring.  We went to a restaurant for some lunch and to wait out the rain - the rain did not stop.  We saw the buddha but decided not to walk up in the pouring rain and so we headed back to the cable car.  

The cable car ride is pretty amazing, it is over 5 kms and goes very high.  The ride back was even more exciting that the ride up with lightning and thunder and increasing winds - was a little scary!  We were all pretty pleased when we were down on the ground - we then explored the citygate outlet stores which were not very impressive and then headed back to the hotel without purchasing. 

We chilled out a little and then walked with Karl over to the airport for him to check in. He was pretty keen to get rid of us and to begin marking the thesis he has to do - so we left him to it and headed back to the hotel to hang out some more before our plane in a couple of hours.

Catching up with Edwin

Once again we were lucky enough to catch up with my friend and ex-work colleague Edwin.  We again slept late and when we woke the boys and Karl went for a swim while I mucked around with the bags.  It was quickly 1pm and time to head into town and meet Edwin.  We were starving and so our first mission was to find some lunch.  Last time we were in HK we did not try one of the local dishes Kimche and so our plan was to try this.  We got two types and it was delicious,  Lachlan thought it was kind of like a seafood chowder while Connor thought it was like creamed rice but not sweet.  We got a couple of other dishes to share also which was great.

We then headed off to do some shopping and Edwin had already scoped out a couple of drone stores rather than getting the market ones.  Yay! First we got some shirts from the market and then headed to the drone store.    Success - with both boys purchasing a drone each!  Kowloon today was packed and there were people everywhere but apparently this is a normal Sunday.  It was hot and crazy!  We then went into a huge mall which has a roller coaster inside - amazing.  It was not running yet, thankfully! But will be very cool!

We then caught the bus back out to our hotel.  This was great.  I love travelling on the double decker buses. …….such great views as you go onto the different islands.  We got to our hotel, picked up the heavy bag of books for Edwin and then went to a restaurant for dinner than Edwin recommended.  It was great.  Lachlan and I got curries, man they were hot! I mixed mine with lots of rice while Lachlan initially started eating lots of the curry with just a little rice - he very quickly “blew out” and was sweating and burning - a bit funny! Connor got Nasi Goreng and while that had a bit of a kick, he is handling the spice well and is getting a little more adventurous. 

 A great dinner to finish off a great catch up with Edwin.  The kids were saying Edwin was our tour guide, translator and our pack horse (as he carried the shirts, drones and poncho that we brought) and then took our books too) and best of all he was FREE.  Connor said he was just like a local and we had to explain that he is actually a local now!!!!! Kids are funny!!!!!!!  Look forward to catching up with Edwin again in November when he is in Palmy.  

Disneyland

We had a great sleep in, woke around 11.30am, got sorted, had some lunch and  headed to Disneyland ready to immerse ourselves in the wonderland and show Karl all our favourites.  The boys loved showing Karl around and telling him and showing him all their favourite rides.  The astro blasters were our first ride and we were then on to the rollercoaster which had been re-themed for the new star wars movie - we travelled into hyper-space, very cool and very fast.  We explored and rode some more before the parade at 3pm and after this we headed to the Grizzly Mountain roller coaster ride which went fast both backwards (which Karl hates) and forwards.  We loved this ride and raced around again for another turn.  We were then off to the Lion King show which was not on last time we visited.  This was very cool however when we were ready to come out it was pouring with rain………..luckily we had our NZ ponchos and so we “rubbish bagged up” and we headed to the river cruise.  What great fun.  Time was flying and we were having a blast exploring the park.  We had signed the boys up for Jedi training and so it was almost time for this to occur and so we headed back to see the boys take on Darth Vader! More rides and more exploring and it was then time for the flights of fantasy light parade and then the fireworks.  What a great day - 9pm and we were heading home and we were ready for dinner as there was no time for stopping to eat at Disney land - it was go, go go! 

 Astro blasters - very cool!

 Parade

 Night parade -

 Jedi training

 Roller coaster time -

 Connor and Jedi training

 Time to fight -

 Taking on Darth Vader -

 looking cool at the 4D movie

 Bit wet!

 Lion king show

Hong Kong

Our flight to Hong Kong went relatively well although I struggle to get any sleep on a plane and Lachlan vomited on arrival which is never a nice way to arrive.  Anyway, we were here safely and quickly got our luggage and through customs.  In Hong Kong we were staying at the Regal Airport Hotel which is attached to the airport and se we just wandered through the walkway and were there in just a couple of minutes.  

Perfect.  The porters took our bags on arrival, we quickly checked in and we were in our room within an hour of touching down! Time for a wee chill before exploring the hotel and getting some dinner.  We were then ready for bed as we wanted a good sleep before heading to Disneyland tomorrow.

A bit too much luggage

A bit too much luggage - ok, here we go! I did not shop that much - honestly, however upon getting to the airport with our 5 bags and thinking that we would be a bit over - we were actually quite a lot over! On Cathay Pacific me and the boys were allowed 30 kilos each (and more than one bag to make this up) however on Air France we were also allowed 30 kilos each, but only one bag of 30kilo each - Karl was only allowed 20 kilos on his ticket booked through his work.

Anyway, the checkout lady decided that our 21 kilo bag, as our lightest bag was our one extra and for 21 extra kilos the price would be 965 Euros - holy crap! No way!  Anyway we said this was crazy and she suggested we go and talk to customer service…………………………they agreed that upon this calculation she was actually correct but they would see what they could do.  If, like Cathay Pacific, we were all allowed 30 kilos (they thought Karl had 30 too) on multiple bags we were actually only 4 kilos over and so they agreed that we could just pay the 4 kilo difference to Hong Kong and then re-negotiate once there.

Phew, this was pretty lucky as two of the bags were between 25 and 26 kilos and she put them through as 23 kilos and so we were actually 9 kilos over and given Karl was actually only meant to have 20 kilos - we were in fact 19 kilos over - oops and we knew our hand-luggage was heavier than it was meant to be!

We were thinking we definitely have to do something in Hong Kong to reduce weight.  When I unpacked the next day I realised that we had a total of about 25 new books, 19 of which were Lachlans, totalling about 14 kilos.  He went through them and decided he could probably give one away but needed the rest!  The joys of having a bookworm in the family and he really does love the books but they might have to go or be sent home.  After much thinking or wondering we began to formulate a bit of a plan.

Karl, from Hong Kong was not flying home with us on Cathay Pacific but on Air New Zealand and he has free upgrades on offer and so we decided to use his free upgrade which entitles him to double luggage allowance.  The problem with this is that you often don’t know if you have an upgrade until you are at the airport. 

My friend Edwin, who lives in Hong Kong, advised that he was coming home for a visit in November and had about 15 kilos free space if we wanted him to bring stuff back.  We eagerly took him up on his offer - thanks Edwin - you are a lifesaver particularly as the kids really wanted to buy drones in Hong Kong and a shirt or two.  Edwin now has about 8 kilos of books to put in his bag!

We also rang Air New Zealand who advised that when you have an upgrade available and request it your baggage allowance doubles immediately whether or not the seat upgrade is ultimately given (which it was by the way!) Wahoo crisis averted and I am not even too upset that Karl gets preferential treatment on his way home as well as being kid free - well maybe just a little!!  But I can shop in duty free!! 

Leaving Marseille

The last few days in Marseille were spent packing and cleaning - the worst part of leaving!  It was also spent making the most of the baguettes, croissants and the restaurants and bars close bye - the best part! 

We all had moments of mixed emotions as while we are all looking forward to getting home and seeing family and friends and getting life back to normal we also realise that this experience was a “once in a lifetime” and a very special moment in time for us.  

As we looked out the windows at the amazing views of this very old and special part of the city we were sad to think we were not going to see this again.  

Apartment living - must say we are all looking forward to a bit more space and two bathrooms………and a lawn for the boys to play on.  As I put the washing on the inside clothes horse I can honestly say I am looking forward to hanging out clothes out on the clothes line and the fresh air drying that this brings.  Not having washing in the lounge will also be a bonus! 

Living so close to the city and bars and restaurants has been awesome, but it is probably best for our wallet and waistline that we head a little further away from the action! The warm weather has been fab, but a little too hot for these Palmy kids more recently - time for a little chill, but not too much! I am looking forward to getting back to work, catching up with everything and interacting with adults more regularly………… and the kids are very excited about getting back to school, their friends and that daily routine that is school although we got an email asking if Lachlan can play in a school rugby tournament on the first Friday back and he was like “great” we were like “no schoolwork only”……..haha!  

 

  

Life experiences have been in abundance and they have learnt so much about travel, cultures, countries and cities and experienced more than many others……………………. check out one of the next post for our top picks.

Our street..............amazing! 

A day at a water park

Today we were heading to a water park - Splash Park - again close to Marseille and only about a 15 minute drive.  The kids were keen to try out the rides and so as soon as we got into the gate they were off! Karl went to explore the park and find us a good spot to settle.

Today was hot, although a bit windy and we knew that Connor, while he is always keen to get straight in the water he gets cold very quickly and often gets out to lie on the hot sand/concrete to warm up, he lips blue! Karl found the main pool (the had a little water slide and a flying fox, with deck chairs surrounding - the chairs could be hired for the day for 5 euros.........we hired one as I figured this could be my spot for the day - I was not so keen today to ride the rides.........and was happy to stay with the bags and be the return spot!

After a play in the main pool Karl and Loks went to ride the main rides.......while Connor stayed with me to warm up! They were away for quite some time and when they got back Karl was keen for a rest! The other boys were back in the pool playing on the flying fox and bombing into the water.

After a while Connor was keen to hit the slides around the park and so the boys were off and I got some quiet chill time - perfect!

We had a fab day and as we left the park we decided to head to Aix en Provence for dinner (well mainly for a guinness as Karl was keen for one and we knew a great little Irish pub there) and so we found our great little pub for drinks and a great pub meal before checking out the markets, getting ice-creams and heading home.

The end of a great weekend and our last here with a vehicle! Karl is a real whiz now driving on the wrong side of the road and finding parks anywhere - he really is a local Marseille "crazy" driver! Watch out Palmy when we return!

The boys with our "racing car" - loving the peugeots........

Exploring around Marseille - A trip to Verdon Gorge

Today we had a hire car - yay - and we were out and about heading to Verdon Gorge to explore.  Karl picked up the car at 9am and then headed home to pick us up.  We got sorted and then we were off.  We had no GPS and so Karl used good ole Google Maps to get our initial direction and town sorted.  

Our first stop was Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, a very gorgeous little town where we stopped for lunch and a wee explore.  There are just so many gorgeous towns in France - and this was another one - just beautiful.

We were then off to see the much anticipated Gorges Du Verdon (in French: Les Gorges du Verdon or Grand canyon du Verdon), in south-eastern France (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence).  It is a river canyon that is often considered to be one of Europe's most beautiful.

It is about 25 kilometres long and up to 700 meters deep. It was formed by the Verdon River, which is named for its startling turquoise-green colour, one of the location's distinguishing characteristics. 

The most impressive part lies between the towns of Castellane and Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, where the river has cut a ravine to a depth of 700 metres through the limestone mass.

We began our drive into the gorge from Mousteirs-Sainte-Marie - spectacular and absolutely not a drive for the faint hearted! 

We did not go all the way to Castellane as we were keen to do a small loop and then head back to the end of the end of the canyon, where the Verdon River flows into the artificial lake of Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon (in French: Lac de Sainte-Croix) where we knew we could swim and hire pedal boats - our plan for the afternoon.

Of course the boys spotted some blackberries on the side of the road and were in........bare feet and no shirt and all - blimey Kiwis.

After spending the afternoon here we go on the road back to Marseille - about 90 minutes drive stopping for delicious ice-cream on the way. 

What a great day.