This park is easy to find and has ample parking, we parked in the zoo lot.  There is lots to do in and around the park, including the Desert Botanical Gardens, of course the Zoo and a Municipal Golf Course is nearby. 

There are tons of trails and bike paths here, making it for easy walking and biking.  We were here only for 3 hours and saw only a small portion of this large park.  We saw the hole in the rock, Papago Buttes and sheep perched precariously on the side of steep hills.  I could swear they were watching us just as we were watching them. 

We walked along the canal path for a while and were contemplating going around the golf course, but it would have ended up being little too long of a walk.  Along the way we also partook in one of my favourite past times, Geocaching.  If you are a cacher, there are a lot of them out here.

There are fishing lagoons, all with nice vegetation, a pyramid shaped tomb, and lots of areas to stop and have a picnic.  It was very quiet here today, but I could imagine how busy it would be on a weekend or holiday.    

You could spend a few hours at Papago Park or the whole day, if you wished to do so.  Either way, it is a great place to visit.

We ended this day by having lunch at a little Mexican restaurant called La Barquita, located at 2334 E. McDowell Rd.,  about a 10 min. drive from the park.  The food here is really, really good and very reasonably priced.  If you like authentic Mexican food, this is one of the places to go.  No fancy decor but fresh, home-cooked meals.  A great way to end the day.

I have always enjoyed the desert vegetation and never seem to tire of it, and the hike to the Petroglyphs was no acception.  The Hohokam petroglyphs date back over 1000 years,  well before European settlement, and give you a peek into that magic connection to the ancient dream world of cave drawings and hunting with spears. 

There is a parking lot located at the east end of Cloudview road and the hike begins right behind the main sign.  I would recommend a good pair of hiking boots because there is a lot of loose rock and some sections of the easily followed trail can be a little steep.  Bring lots of water,  even in November it got really hot.  We only hiked to the petroglyphs and back, about 3 miles, which took us about 2 hours, with one stop at the top. 

The scenery along the way was amazing, with views to the east, south and west.  Many types of cholla, lots of the dreaded “jumping cholla”, prickly pear and many large saguaros.   Large rock formations and other vegetation such as ocotillo could also be seen.  Unfortunately I did not see any flowers at this time of the year. 

Once we reached the petroglyphs a number of Hieroglyphic Pools could be found in the smoothened rock, but they appeared quite polluted and hordes of yellow jackets hovered around them.  The drawings are easy to find and interesting to look at.  A rock cave was also nearby, which I’m sure was well used hundreds of years ago. 

After a quick snack we headed back down, which was a lot easier than the hike up.  We passed many hikers on the way up and down,  obviously quite a popular hike.

Great views, great variety of vegetation, and petroglyphys all in one hike.  I would recommend this trail to anyone.

We had checked out of our hotel at noon so we knew we had at least 2 hours to make our way to the airport, just in case we got lost or got on the wrong train.  It was all actually quite easy, the first leg was to get on a train, similar to the C-train in Calgary, and from there transfer to the Airport Express train.  We had to take 2 trains to get to the Airport Express, each was about 50 cents, and then after a long walk, which included some moving walkways, we ended at the Airport TrainTterminal.  We purchased the Express Train tickets, about $9.00 each, booked in for our flight and had our luggage checked in, all at the same time.  The train took about 20 minutes to get to the airport and since we already had our tickets, all we had to do was go through security.  All went very smoothly.

The Cathay Pacific flight was late, filled to capacity, and had lots of small children on board.  I find the food on this airline to be quite good and the flight attendents are more attentive than average.  I watched 3 movies on my little TV screen and did not sleep a wink and neither did Carl.  We had an hour to kill in Vancouver before boarding our flight to Calgary,  unfortunately I was so tired that I slept during this flight and consequently did not sleep my first night at home.  We landed in Calgary around 6:00 PM and Laura picked us up. The temperature that day, Tuesday, had been 13 degrees celcius, thus it was still a pleasant temperature outside.  I was so glad to be home!

Would I do this trip again if I had the opportunity?   The answer is yes, without a doubt.  For us, it is probably a once in a lifetime trip, because there is so much more we want to see and do.  I would probably not travel for this length of time again, 6 weeks would be the maximum I would want to be away from my family and friends.  All in all we met many wonderful people and brought back a lot of unforgettable memories.  I would like to thank everyone who faithfully read this blog because I realize it was sometimes a bit long-winded.  Until my next big trip, cheers!

Statue Square has been around since the 19th century and has gone through many changes since then.  Originally it had statues of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria, Edward Vii, Sir Thomes Jackson and a number of others.  Most have been relocated, except the statue of Sir Thomas Jackson, which sits in the middle of the square today.  The statue of Queen Victoria was placed in Victoria Park.  In the mid 1960′s the park was beautified with plantings and fountains, making it a quiet and peaceful place to enjoy a midday meal or just sit and relax.  As mentioned in my previous blog entry, this place is also known for the Sunday gathering of the Filipino nannies.  HSBC headquarters and the Legislative Council Buildings are also located around the square.

A short walk uphill from Statue Park took us to the the Peak Tram.  The tram was initially built in 1888 to speed the developement of new residences in the hill districts that would connect Murray Barracks with Victoria Gap.  The Peak Tram became the first cable funicular in Asia, extending 1,350 metres and connecting 4 intermediate buildings.  The initial coal-fired steamboiler was replaced by an electric powered system in 1926.  The tram takes 4 minutes to climb to the top and travels 1.4 kms.

The tram was featured in the 1950′s movie “Soldier of Fortune”, starring Clark Gable and was also included in an episode of the Love Boat.  It is one of the most visited and photographed sights in Hong Kong. 

While waiting to board the train you can keep entertained by reading about the history of the tram located along the walls.  We arrived early and the line up was really short.  For the more energetic people there are steps going up to the peak, but I did not notice anyone attemping this as the incline was so steep that buildings appear like they are leaning at a 45 degree angle. 

After disembarking from the tram there are a series of escalators to climb before you actually arrive at the top.  On every floor there are restaurants and shopping areas.  The view from the top is spectacular, if it is a clear day.  We were fortunate as the smog was very light but most days it is so heavy that the view would be very limited.  So if you are planning on taking in this sight, make sure it is a relatively clear day. 

The platform at the top accomodates a great number of people and has an incredible view of the Causeway and of the many skyscrapers located on Hong Kong Island.  If you so wish, eating lunch outdoors at one of the many restaurants and enjoying the view, would be a nice way to spend a few hours. 

As we were leaving the tram I noticed that the line up to enter was a lot longer than when we had boarded, so the earlier, the better. 

Another short walk and we boarded a bus to transport us to a string of elevators going up 792 metres (2,589 ft.), linking all the roads between Queens Rd. and Conduit St.  Up to 60,000 people per day make use of these escalators, which are free to use, and it is a 25 minute ride one way.  This is the best way for pedestrians to get around the steep districts of Central, the Mid Levels and Soho.  These escalators run uphill until midnight, except during rush hour, when it runs downhill.  We did not go to the top, but got off on Hollywood Rd., a mecca for Chinese antiques and curios.

On the walk down we passed restaurants , bars, small shops, and wet markets.  If you went off the main route it was more interesting, as you were in less touristy sections of the city and saw mainly the locals carrying on with everyday activities.

Since this was our last evening in Hong Kong we decided to eat out at one of the many restaurants that this huge city has to offer.  We walked down  Nathan Road, made a right turn, and then ascended a set of stairs to arrive at Knudsen Terrace, a trendy little area with many restaurants.  We really wanted to try some salt and pepper squid because we heard that it is to die for, but alas, not one of the restaurants offered it, so we ended up eating at a little Italian restaurant.  The food and the wine were both very good and, since we knew that the chance of eating outside in Canada was pretty slim at this time of year, we had supper on the patio.

After supper we decided to take in the Night Market, which was within walking distance from the restaurant.  The market is set up right on the streets and, of course, is very crowded.  The first row we walked down had kitchen gadgets, hair accessories, some inexpensive jewellery and food kiosks.  The next row was a little more interesting and had some souvenirs, purses and a line up of booths with fortune tellers.  Carl had deserted me by this time and sat down to rest.  I went down another row, turned a corner and couldn’t believe the size of this market, it sold everything you could possibly think of.  At this point I realized that I was tired of shopping, so I bought a few things and went back to find Carl.  The walk back would have been long, so we grabbed a cab and headed back to the hotel and that was the end of a very busy day.

Our day started off with a ferry trip across the Causeway Bay to Hong Kong Island.  The ferry travels frequently between these two ports during the day, and it was a fast and inexpensive.  After disembarking from the ferry we took a short walk to a bus which would drop us off at Victoria Park.  During our walk to the park entrance we noticed many women sitting along the sidewalks around the park.  Apparently the park has long been one of the gathering places for the 300,00 domestic workers that Hong Kong has and on Sundays, their usual day off, they gather here to socialize.  Since the park was hosting the flower show, they were not able to congregate inside and instead sat on the sidewalk surrounding it.   All of these women, and there were probably hundreds of them, were sitting on blankets, talking and eating.  Since the early 2000′s helpers from Indonesia congregate around the western end of the park and Philipina domestic workers do the same around Statue Square in Central. 

I would imagine that Sunday would be the busiest day to take in the Flower Show, but that was the day we had slotted it for, and believe me, it was busy!  From getting into the park, to navigating through it, it was a challenge.  Some of the displays it had were phenomenal, though.  There were 8 foot or bigger animated animals covered with flowers, many were Easter themed, a series of flower covered arches were particularly beautiful.  Primula was this years theme and the flower could be seen everywhere.  There was also some entertainment, such as dancers and singers, that were quite amateurish. 

A tented area featured plants and arrangements that had been in competition and many had ribbons showing their placement.  Some were very unusual and colorful drinking straws and thin plastic tubes were a frequent focal point.  There was something for everyone to see, from the very young to he very old, a very nice way for a family to spend the day.  My only complaint would be the bathrooms, not only was there always a long line up, but they were also squat toilets and not very clean.  Yuck.

After leaving the park we decided to take a tram in the opposite direction we had initially come from, just to see a bit more of Hong Kong.  Along this route were what seemed like hundreds of high rise buildings, mainly apartments and condos.  We ended up going to the end of the tram route and got off not knowing exactly where we were or where to go next.  We tried asking a bus driver directions, but either he did not know English or did not know where the subway was either.  Fortunately a nice lady nearby heard us talking to him and gave us the directions we needed.  We had a bit of a trek ahead of us, and ended up walking through a small market selling fruits, veggies and meats, kind of interesting and there were mainly locals here.

Eventually we did make it to the subway and back to our hotel.  Carl by this time was exhausted and all he wanted to do was rest.  The Dengue Fever and intestinal problems seemed to have sapped a lot of his energy and he tired easily, plus he still wasn’t eating normally.  I guess I’ll be eating by myself again this evening, oh well.  Hopefully he will feel better tomorrow.

The Golden Mile, and our next destination, Kowloon Park, are located in Tsim Sha Tsui, also known as TST, is a profusion of world-class cultural venues, galleries and museums. 

Kowloon Park can be equated as an oasis in the center of chaos.  From the Golden Mile we climbed a set of stairs and entered the well-shaded and pretty park.  There were numerous swimming pools, most outdoor, the one indoor pool we came across was giving a group of children swimming lessons.   The aviary was circular and divided up much like a pie.  Each slice contained different species of birds, including parrots, cockatoos, parakeets, quail, and my favourite, the Rhinoceros Hornbill.  These birds have a long yellow beak with a horn on top almost the same length as the beak.  Very odd-looking and shy too, they stayed far enough away that we weren’t able to photo them.

The Bird Pond was also a bird lovers paradise.  The landscaping around the pond was amazing and a bridge crossed the pond making it easier to view the birds.  We could see the black-necked swan, geese, many types of ducks, pink flamingos, turtles, koi and many more species of water fowl. 

The Heritage Discovery Center included 2 blocks of buildings constructed circa 1910.  These buildings  served as barracks for the British army and the temporary home of the Hong Kong Museum of History.  It includes a Thematic  Exhibition Gallery, Lecture Hall, Library and Activity Room.

In the center of the park we noticed a totem pool, which looked out of place in this Asian themed park.  The plaque beside it said that in 1991 Prime Minister Brian Mulroney had given the totem pole in a gesture of friendship to the people of Hong Kong.  We found that to be quite interesting.

On our way back we stopped at the Harbour City Mall to grab a bite to eat while gazing out at the Causeway Bay.  The shopping areas are amazing.  Big, ultra modern, and very busy.  The majority of the shoppers appear to be locals and prices are comparable to back home.  These malls are everywhere, and on the streets there are well-dressed men and women trying to entice you into their many shops. 

After lunch we took a walk along the boardwalk, along with much of Hong Kong it seemed, and came across the Avenue of Stars.  Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan were the only names I recognized.  This side of the harbor has the best views of Hong Kong Islands famous skyscrapers, and believe me, there are a lot of them!

We happened to walk past the Science Center and decided to stop in and look around.  We ended up staying and watching a documentary about Arabia in the planetarium.  It was a short film, about 40 minutes, and I fell asleep for a portion of it and Carl had to fill me in later.

We ended up just grabbing some supper at the hotel and later watched the Symphony of Lights from our hotel room.  This is the worlds largest permanent light and sound show.  Over 40 of Hong Kong’s iconic skyscrapers participate in lighting up Victoria Harbor.  It begins at 8:00 and lasts approximately 14 minutes.  As our room was on the 9th floor and faced the harbor, we watched the show every night.  We must have had one of the best views in the hotel, even though a lot of the time it was smoggy.

The flight from Caticlan to Manila took approximately an hour.  We had a 4 hour stopover in Manila, so we had some lunch and did some reading.  The airport in Manila is new and still in the process of being built.  It is very modern and massive in size and eventually will have shopping malls and many restaurants, but they have a lot of work to do yet.

The 2 hour flight from Manila to Hong Kong felt more like 4 because of a very noisy and obviously spoiled little boy sitting in front of us.  If he didn’t get what he wanted he would throw a little tantrum.  We were happy when the flight ended.

It was at this point that the four of us parted ways.  Chris and Holly had a hotel close to the airport because they were only spending 2 nights in Hong Kong and then had an early morning flight.  We were staying for 4 nights and wanted to be more centrally located.  We couldn’t have asked for greater travelling companions and we shared a great experience together.  All the best in your travels back to Thailand, Chris and Holly, and we’ll see you when you return home.

We had decided to take the MTR System from the airport rather than a taxi.  It was a wise decision.  The train was virtually empty of people, we boarded it right from the airport and only took about 20 minutes.  From there we transferred to an express bus, which took another 15 minutes and dropped us right at our hotel door, the YMCA Salisbury. I expected this trip to be a hassle, it was the exact opposite.  The MTR has great signage and everything is in English, this is a great way to travel in Hong Kong and we used it a number of times later on our sight seeing trips.

I am not looking forward to the cold weather but I am definitely ready to go home, but, we could not have picked a better place to spend the last few weeks of our holiday.  We had sun, sand, beautiful weather and great friends all rolled in one.  Even though we have 4 days left, I feel like this is the end of the trip.

The last sight seeing trip we took was to the highest point on Boracay Island.  Chris was feeling under the weather and decided to stay back and rest, Holly, Carl and took a tricycle to the hill.  Since most of the way was uphill we weren’t sure whether we were going to make it, the tricycle was really working hard but the driver didn’t seem to be worried.  We passed quite a few ATV’s on the road, as this was another way to get to the destination.

We finally made it and after paying 100p, we walked up the steps that overlooked Boracay and the water.  What a beautiful sight it was!  We could see most of the island, a golf course and the many condos and hotels that have been built in recent years.  There were also a number of caged animals on the sight, including a bearcat (cute animal), another animal related to the tasmanian devil, birds, and a litter of puppies.  The cages these animals were housed in were rather small and confining, so rather than enjoying them I felt sorry for them.

A kite boarding competition was scheduled for this week, so we decided to take this in.  I’m not sure how organized this all was, but the amount of boarders on the water was unbelievable!  We counted at least 60 at one point, it actually looked crowded out on the water and still we did not see any get tangled up.  Some of the boarders getting gear together to go out on the water were getting frustrated, though.  There were so many kites on the beach, and the wind was so strong that the strings would get tangled up.  Carl actually helped one fellow with his kite, but of course I didn’t get a picture. 

The last evening we spent here was rainy, so we did not get to see another sunset as we were hoping to.  Carl and I had supper at a Swiss Restaurant and because it was pouring at this time we had to have supper indoors.  I had an awesone curry dish with chicken and vegetables and, because Carl still wasn’t feeling great, he had a grilled cheese sandwich.  After supper we took our last walk back to the hotel, and packed up for our trip tomorrow.

Our first stop was at Crystal Cove, an isolated island made of solid rock and occupying 2 hectares of land.  It is located between Caticlan and Boracay and about a 15 minute ride from White Beach.  Since it is privately owned, there was a 100 peso entrance fee.

The island is very impressive and a lot of work had gone into making it look like an island paradise.  It had a paved path from one end of the island to the other and a railing made of wood with cement-like coating.  There are man-made ponds and numerous picnic areas that are under gazebos.  There were about 4 uninhabited cottages and another building which had 4 large private bath tubs and a changing area for each.  All of these looked like they haven’t been used for years.

The island itself is very rocky, with jutting rocks scattered around and everything was built around the rocks, very pretty.  The picnic areas were all built to give a view of the South China Sea.  The only people that were there when we visited were the guides and a few other workers. 

There are 2 caves on the island, for the first one you have to descend a small spiral, rustic stairway to enter it.  In here the rocks are smooth from the constant thrashing of the waves.  If the water was calmer you would be able to swim in here but today the water was very rough and you would be taking your life in your hands. 

The second cave was near the other end of the island and there was a walkway along side of it as well as a small walkway into the cave.  There is also a small crawl cave inside this one which, the guide  told me, actually joins up with the first cave.  Apparently he has crawled through it a number of times.  It is not something I would want to do because it was quite a hike getting from one cave to the other, I can’t imagine doing it underground and on your hands and knees.

We climbed back in the boat and proceeded to Crocodile Island.  Crocodile Island is a very small island which is, of course, shaped like a crocodile.  As the area around this island is known for snorkeling and diving, we did some snorkeling here and,since the water was very choppy, and we ended up wearing lifejackets, which we usually don’t.   The water around Boracay is a beautiful clear green hue, you can easily see the sea bed and the mounds of coral covering sections of it.  Marine life included groupers, clownfish, eels and many other brightly colored fish that I was unfamiliar with.  Once we tired of snorkeling and fighting waves,  we boarded the boat and headed around the west tip of Boracay.  The boat was going up and down like a roller coaster on the waves.  I kept my life jacket on just in case and noted that there were other boats out there.  We only saw one other person snorkeling, hmmm I wonder why.

Eventually we ended up near White Beach and Carl, Chris and Holly did some snorkeling here also.  I just didn’t feel like going in so ended up taking pictures of the three of them instead.  The water was much, much calmer here but the marine life was also lacking, so I guess I really didn’t miss all that much.  Holly did say that she saw a very pretty angel fish, though.   We were hoping to watch the sunset from the boat but it was overcast and the sun went down under cloud cover.

A few days later we rented a very small sailing boat a few hours prior to the sun setting in the hopes of seeing it while on the water.  The boat was just a sliver of a thing, maybe 2 feet at its widest point and on each side it had pontoons with a netting attached from the pontoon to the boat for the tourists to sit on. The boat looked like a giant spider.   There was only the 4 of us on ours but other boats had 6 or even 8 people.  Looked a little crowded to me.  We just had enough time to sail from one side of White Beach to the other and then make a beer stop at Caticlan.  We did end the evening with a beautiful view of the sun setting.

Today White Beach is its main tourist attraction.  The sand is white and flour-like in consistency, the boardwalk is lined with resort hotels, lodging houses, restaurants and small retail shops.  This side of the island is known for its water sports, such as sailing, snorkeling, diving, fishing and sun bathing.

Across from White Beach, on the other side of the island, is Bulabog Beach, where it is windier and the sand is not as nicely groomed.  Here is kite-boarders paradise.  We have counted up to 40 kites in the water at one time and have seen many fall down, kites and all, but have never seen any get tangled up, which is amazing.   The beginners are easy to spot because they have difficulty even getting on the board, while the seasoned kite-boarders do amazing jumps and spins and land so effortlessly on the water.  It looks like it would be a lot of fun to do, but I’m sure you need very strong arms and legs to accomplish this sport.  If you are interested in some great pictures of the kite boarders go to Flickr, Powderhog and then click on Boracay, Kiteboarders.  Chris, who is an amateur photographer, has some amazing pics of them in mid-air.

In the evenings the White Beach side of the island is crawling with both tourists and locals.  Elderly men with 20 year old Filipino girls on their arms is a common sight.  Live music can be found in many of the bars and restaurants, you just have to pick your favorite spot or type of music.  The food, for the main part, is really good.  We have had a few meals that were a disappointment and do not order a Bloody Mary, they are nasty.  Beer is inexpensive and the wine around $4US on the average. 

A few days ago we took a Tricycle to Puka Beach, which is in the northern part of the island.  Here the beach is almost deserted.  There is only 1 bar and no restaurants along the beach.  Carl and I took our sandals off to walk on the beach and somewhere along the way Carl had his sandals stolen, he retraced his steps, but no luck.  We think they were taken when we stopped for a drink at the one and only bar.  It’s a good thing they were only a $5 pair of shoes.  There were many different types of seashells and broken coral along this beach and at the far end was a bat cave.  We had to wade through some water to get to the cave and since Chris was the first one in, he scared away the few bats that were there, so we didn’t get to see any.

We then took another tricycle ride to a small beach on the opposite side of Puka Beach.  Here there were many condos and apartments built up in the rocks, beautiful and expensive-looking and much less busier than White Beach.  If you wanted peace, quiet and luxury, this would be the place to go.  At the end of the beach you could walk  around a jutting rock and you will end up at the westerly end of White Beach.  They built a walkway to get around this rock, otherwise you would have to swim around it, which could be dangerous. 

There are a number of shopping malls here.  The most popular one is D’Mall, which is chock full of retail stores and restaurants. D’Talipapa is another shopping area similar to D’Mall except it has fewer restaurants and also has a fresh fruit and seafood market, many of the seafood still alive. There is no lack of shopping on this island and as you walk down the aisle all you can hear is “Ma’am, Sir good prices”, or” I’ll give you a deal.” It starts to get annoying after hearing this over and over again.

It rains everyday, either at night or during the day, but the rain is short-lived and the sun starts shining soon after.  The weather has been almost perfect.  We try to spend at least a part of each day just lying in the sun and reading.  I think I am on my 6th book, the majority of them being read since Bali.  One of the restaurants has hundreds of books you can either exchange with one of yours, or just take one, read it and return it.  Unfortunately many of their books are written in German.

The sunsets are truly amazing to see.  A few times the sun ducked behind a cloud as it was setting, but for the most part they’ve been picture perfect.  The beach is lined with people starting around 5:30, all just waiting to watch the sun go down.  Other people are out on sailboats or on a sunset cruise to see it from a different perspective.  Either way it is a beautiful sight to witness.