Assembling a Kite

When we first bought our kite, we thought it would be pretty simple to construct it.  We were totally stumped though and had to have one of the kite sellers help us to assemble our kite.  I thought it might be interesting to share how we put our kite together…

Since it is coming on Fall and the winds will be picking up soon (typhoon season!).

1.  Our kite kit came with our kite and a reel of string.

2.  The actual kite comes with three rods and the kite.  There are two black rods and one smaller white rod.  The black rods connect and span across the wings of our hawk kite.

3.  The kite has to be facing you!  So, when assembling the kite, the black rods (which you can connect to make one long black rod) span from one wing tip to the other. There are three little ribbons that the rod passes through, which you can see in the photo below.

4.  On both ends of the hawk's wings, there are two plastic stoppers for you to insert the ends of the black rod.

 5.  The result of inserting the black rod should be sort of like this (if you do have a kite similar to ours):

6.  The final white rod is meant to stabilize the tail of the hawk kite.  Here is where we flip our kite over to the back side (the side of the kite that faces away from us when we fly it) and insert it through the ribbon and stoppers.

7.  The final step is to connect the string to the front of the kite.  We were taught to just tie it to the center of the black rod.  We just double knotted it three or four times and that was it!

Some tips when flying a kite:
1.  Check the weather report for wind!

2.  Fly in an open area!

3.  If your reel of string has a string guider, use it so that the string doesn't get tangled!

4.  RUN to get the kite going!

5.  If the kite keeps falling…don't worry, that's all apart of the experience!

Happy KITING!

Kite Flying: Tai Tong

Over the weekend, we planned to head out to Tai Tong to have another go at flying our kite.  We checked the weather forecast and it said that the wind would be around 7 - 12 kilometers an hour.  I sort of figured that the winds might be a bit stronger on top of the mountains, which is sort of where Tai Tong is.  So, it seemed like pretty good weather for kite flying.

We caught the K66 bus from Kau Yuk Road and jumped off at the second to last bus stop (the one right before the terminal).

It's a nice little 10 minute walk (with slight incline) to the actual country park.  

Some awesome things we found along the way:

1.  A cluster of busy red ants...

2.  A wandering little green worm…

We just went as far as the BBQ area, to have lunch and also to have a go at flying our kite.

The wind was not at all constant.  I think we got a good 15 minutes of a pretty good breeze, but after that, there was a long period of just no wind.

So, we too the opportunity to sit in one of the gazebos and have lunch.

Another awesome thing that found my lunch whilst in Tai Tong:

3.  A bee who was hungry for some of my McCafe Ciabatta…

The BBQ area wasn't as crowded as it usually was.  I think it is because the weather is still quite hot.  But, usually, during the Fall, there are a lot more people up here having family barbecues or on school trips.

It was nice to have the entire area to ourselves…

There were small groups of dog lovers gathering and a few families dotted here and there…but it was such a nice pleasant day with few crowds!

Most people bring their barbecue things with them:  coal, lighters, sticks, etc….and food.  But, there is a little kiosk with drinks, toys, candies, and ice cream available.  The kiosk is also attached to one of two of the public restrooms that are in the BBQ area.

Popsicles (like the fabulous green bean one we bought below) were only 7 HKD, by the way.

It was a good weekend spent, even though there was only 15 minutes of kite flying...

Hiking Tai Tong Nature Trail

Right in my "backyard" is a huge area called Tai Tong.  There are so many nature trails blazed all over the area.  There are hikes that are for beginners and also some pretty advanced trails (which I have yet to work my way up to).

Over the weekend, we decided on starting it easy.  We selected the Tai Tong Nature Trail as our first trail of the season.

How to get here:

1.  From Long Ping MRT Station, Take Exit B

2.  Walk down to the street level and along the highway

3.  The K66 Bus Stop (going to Tai Tong) is right next to the Pizza Hut Delivery place

4.  Hop onto K66 and get off at Tai Tong Shan Road

5.  Walk up Tai Tong Shan Road and you will hit the hiking trail posts (seen below)

From Long Ping MTR Station, I think it might take a good 30 minutes to get to this sign post (below).

The Tai Tong Nature Trail is actually found right next to the Tai Tong BBQ Area.  The BBQ Area is a great place to use the restroom before heading out.  It is also a great place to stretch, check out the trail on the map, and fill up on water.

Overall, the trail is pretty flat, easy to follow, and has a bunch of informative signs.  It's a great place to take kids and even walk  your dog.

Along this trail, there was also a little stream that we followed for a bit.  It took us across a little stone bridge and also along new terrain.

Another wonderful thing about our hike was finding red ants.  I feel like I haven't seen ants for ages…because I do live in the city.  But, they look angry!

Also, you can tell that Fall has really come to Hong Kong.  The leaves are changing and scattered along the paths.  It's wonderful that the weather is finally cool!

Pretty soon, the RED LEAVES of Tai Tong are going to be in full force (photo below).  I suspect that loads of hikers and plant lovers will be crowding the trails of Tai Tong in the coming weeks!

Photo taken last year!

Hong Kong Harbin Ice Festival 2014

It's still a bit hot during the days.

What better way to cool off than to visit the Harbin Ice Festival out in Tai Tong (Yuen Long)!?

How to get there:

1.  From Long Ping Station, take Exit B1

2.  Walk along the sidewalk that runs along under the MTR station 

3.  You'll pass The Story of Milk Tea and soon spot a Pizza Hut Take Out Delivery 

4.  The bus stop is to the right on the main street

5.  Hop onto bus K66 to Tai Tong

6.  The ride is about 10 - 15 minutes through Yuen Long and onto Tai Tong Road

7.  Get off at the STOP below (right next to a public restroom, which you'll see on your left)

8.  Then you just follow the signs all the way to the Ice Festival

The lines to get in aren't so long right now, which was lucky for us.

When we purchased our tickets, we were given a paper that told us the time that we could enter the main complex.  It looked like people could enter the complex for 30 minutes before the next group of visitors could enter.  That, I thought, was a good idea…to regulate the flow of traffic.

Because the inside of the actual ice sculpture complex is so incredibly cold, we were all given coats to wear.  The ice sculptures were pretty impressive, especially the way that they were lit up.  It really felt like a Winter Wonderland inside.

Like most Hong Kong attractions, there were plenty of sculptures to take photos by.  My favorite was the Tea Cup and Pot Merry-Go-Round sculpture!  It's a shame that it didn't revolve around because that would be such a great ride.

Besides checking out the ice sculptures, which was totally the main draw, there are other activities around the space that people could check out:

1.  The game booths:  The prizes aren't as great as those at Ocean Park, but it is fun to try your luck at.

2.  The snacks and food selection were, as usual, so delicious!  Booths offered popcorn, cotton candy, pizza, HK street food snacks, fresh fruit drinks, bubble tea, and more.

3.  One really great thing about the space was that there were a lot of places to sit and rest.  I think, if there were more things to do at the Ice Festival, I could have stayed longer than just two hours…because I could always rest at one of the benches.

4.  The other really fun thing at the Festival was the go-kart racing area.  Definitely all right for both kids and adults.  I don't drive a lot, mostly because there's no need to drive in Hong Kong.  Public transportation is just so amazing.  Anyhow, when I do get an opportunity to get behind the wheel…I am all for it.  (Yup, I'm also one of those people who have to do the bumper cars every time I head out to Ocean Park!)

5.  This next section of the park was a bit sad…It was sad because there were goats trapped within barricades who nibbled on food that children handed to them.  I think I just didn't like the entire idea of this petting zoo.

If I could go again, I would.  I might even head out in December because there are some special events listed on their website.  Two thumbs up from me for the Harbin Ice Festival!