Airport Nursing Room

Some days, I just wish I could head down to the mall and visit the Daiso!

But, alas, we're back in Hong Kong and the nearest Daiso (Jusco Living Plaza as it is known here) is at the airport.  In Terminal 2, there is a Jusco Living Plaza located on the upper level, where you can find all the lovely 12 HKD things that you need to make your small-house living more convenient!

I made the trip over because I have a special DIY project going on…which I will blog about in a few days!!  Please stay tuned.

Anyhow, this blog isn't going to be about Daiso…or DIY projects.  I actually want to add another nursing room post to this blog because it's always good to see what Hong Kong has to offer in the nursing room department.

Jusco and this nursing room are located in Terminal 2 of the Hong Kong International Airport!

Terminal 2 is packed with shops, restaurants and the IMAX theater.  It also has a few nursing rooms available for people with babies.

Upon first entering the little space, there was a huge bit of wall paper on one side of the room.  It was not as glamourous as some other nursing rooms (Shatin's Ikea!), but it did give me the nice little comfort in knowing that the airport cared to decorate a bit!

There is a private room where mothers can go to nurse, which is awesome because then another person could be out in the main area changing their kid or feeding them a bottle.

Inside the breastfeeding room, there is a comfy chair, sink and trash bin.  It's also nice and quiet (without music blaring).

The main area of the nursing room is for your basic, change and feed.

ONE THING I always wonder about nursing rooms (maybe this is just the ones I have been to in Hong Kong) is why they NEVER HAVE A TOILET in there.  Instead of nursing rooms being specifically just for a change and a feed, it would be nice to be able to also get a "little relief" for yourself sometimes.

There are family rooms, though…which I have yet to actually check out…I suspect that maybe family rooms might have toilets attached to the change and feed areas??  If anyone knows, do let me know!

The main feeding and changing area is equipped with some pretty basic things, like a milk bottle warmer…

I have not used one of these things…but it seemed nice to have the instructions posted right above the warmers!

The basic diaper changing pod was also there.  Equipped with the much needed buckles to strap down a squirming babe!

There is also a sink, TOILET PAPER (without an attached toilet!) for sopping up spills (I believe), soap to wash your hands with and a trash bin for diapers.

There were all the basics and a little touch of comfort.  I think that the airport has a pretty good nursing room.  It's very Hong Kong…as in, the nursing room is all business.  Ha!  It's good to know that it is in Terminal 2, if anyone was stuck in a rut and needed a place to change a dirty diaper!

I had touched on this before, but a few great websites to take a gander at…when in Hong Kong…and when in the need of a nursing room:

1.  BB GAGA

2.  Chatty Brain

3.  Sassy Mama's

BB GAGA is my favorite thus far because it goes by districts!  Like, when I am in Causeway Bay, I always see where I can find a nursing room.  It's a fun way to see the city and also discover new places.

Hopefully, this post gives some of you a good preview of what to expect when you are in Terminal 2 and need a nursing room.

Airport IMAX: Jurassic World

Since Jurassic Park I, II, and III were some of our favorite childhood flicks, my husband and I decided to go all out with the Jurassic World premier.  We bought tickets for the Airport IMAX, which is found in Terminal 2 of the Hong Kong International Airport (on Lantau Island).

The movie was pretty much the summer blockbuster that we thought it was going to be.  It had stunning visuals.  There was action.  The dinosaurs were amazing to look at.  There was a romantic element between the two main characters.  The story line kept going at a good pace.  There were themes of family solidarity and brotherhood….

Overall, it was mostly quite emotional and breathtaking to the see the theme park fully running and functioning.  I just loved the film.  I wouldn't mind seeing it again!

Perks of seeing Jurassic World at the Airport IMAX:

1.  It wasn't as crowded as the regular cinema.  Perhaps the location or the ticket price might have deterred some movie-goers?  We caught the 9 am showing and it was $120 + an online service charge.

2.  There were a few die hard Jurassic Park fans in the audience.  The hardest-of-die hard fans cheered at the end of the film and kept shouting praises.  He made me smile.  It felt great to clap along with them at the credit roll!  It was even better to see that people actually sat to watch the end credits!!  

3.  In the lobby of the IMAX, there is an area that is like a little museum.  There was a mini introduction of the history of the Hong Kong airport, aviation, and evolution of flight, as well as information on the other IMAX shows.

4.  Though we brought our own 3-D glasses, the staff offered us their IMAX 3-D glasses to use.  At first, I thought that the IMAX glasses might have been different, but they weren't.  So, it was thoughtful that they did give us that option.

5.  The last perk of seeing a movie at the Airport IMAX was probably the fact that we just hopped on a bus and headed (a short bus ride away) to the City Gate Outlets.  We had lunch and spent the afternoon browsing what the outlets had to offer.

Today was a great day.  We watched a pretty awesome summer blockbuster and had a nice Sichuan lunch at the mall!  Happy summer days!

Inspiration Lake

I'd heard about Inspiration Lake when I was looking up places for beginner skaters to skate in Hong Kong.  Inspiration Lake is a great little lake-side recreational spot that is right alongside the Hong Kong Disneyland theme park and hotels.

Inspiration Lake Info:
Open daily from 9 am - 7 pm
Free admission

7-Eleven opens from 9:30 am - 6:45 pm

Rentals opens from 10 am - 5 pm


How to get to Inspiration Lake:
1.  From Sunny Bay MTR Station, catch the Disneyland Resort Line to Disneyland

2.  From the Disneyland Station, walk towards the buses/parking lot

3.  You should see a sign that will point you in the direction of Inspiration Lake (pictured below)

4.  You can walk across the parking lot and onto Fantasy Road

5.  Walk along Fantasy Road

6.  You'll see a turnabout after a few minutes of walking

7.  Walk around the turnabout and you'll see the sign for Inspiration lake

NOTE:  It takes about 10 minutes to walk over there from the Disneyland Station

My first impression of the Inspiration Lake:  "Looks like the resort from Dirty Dancing."  I love how Disneyland makes you feel like you are somewhere else…it's really a great feeling.  It really makes me feel like I'm no longer in Hong Kong.

We got to the park at 9 am, so there were only a few people around.  Most of the few morning visitors were bikers who wanted to bike around the park.  At about 11 am is when a lot more people started entering the Lake area.  There were school kids taking graduation photos, families setting up picnic areas, and a lot of tourists who just wanted to relax around the park.

I would totally suggest being an early bird if you do want to avoid crowds.

We had a good hour of skating around before a handful of couples showed up for baby photo shoots.

Inspiration lake has a beautiful arboretum, a path into and around the arboretum, a playground area, a single pathway around the lake, paddle boats, bike rentals, lots of picnic hills to picnic upon, and also a 7-Eleven (for cold drinks, sun screen, and snacks).

This lake sort of reminds me of Greenlake, in Seattle…only much smaller.  It has that man-made feel about it, where the landscape is so perfectly perfect.  It's amazingly tranquil in the mornings and lovely to just stop and enjoy the view.

The actual path is not too long, but, a few times around, makes for good exercise.  The path is smooth and pretty flat.  There is a slight incline when heading over to the arboretum, but that's a great place to practice downhill breaking because it isn't too steep.  

***Around Inspiration Lake***

***Through the Arboretum***

***Back out to Inspiration Lake***

In the afternoon, we decided to test out the paddle boats, which I had never done before.  It's actually a shame that you cannot swim in this lake, but the next best thing is paddling out onto the lake and soaking in some lovely rays.

We had to pack our rollerblades away in the lockers in 7-Eleven.  The lockers, by the way, were small.  I think, next time, I would probably just leave our stuff on the dock before we headed out on the paddle boats.

We were only on the lake for an hour, so we took full opportunity to paddle around the perimeter of Inspiration Lake, try to greet all other paddle boaters, paddle as close to the little island in the center of the lake, and also get as close to the fountain that sits to the side of the lake. 

It's pretty darn hot in Hong Kong these days, so getting a little sprinkling from the fountain felt so amazing.

I'd definitely recommend paddle boating!  It's a good workout for the legs!

We spent most of our morning and part of the afternoon out at Inspiration Lake.  Instead of taking the MTR back to Yuen Long, we decided to catch bus R8, which sits right to the side of Inspiration Lake's entrance.

The ride to the Lantau Link was about 5 minutes.  From the Lantau Link, we caught our E34B back to Yuen Long.  The entire journey back took us about an hour…which is almost the same length of time it took us to catch the MTR from Yuen Long---> Nam Cheong --> Sunny Bay --> Disneyland.

Overall thoughts for Inspiration Lake:
1.  It's a great place for beginner skaters
2.  It's best to go early in the morning when there are no visitors
3.  Try the paddle boating
4.  It's a lovely place to just sit, read, and picnic
5.  It's a great place to take your dog and kids for a walk