Light Rail/Wetland Park

Tommy loves transportation.  We were counting up all the different modes of transportation we have taken since we got to Hong Kong.  I think we came up with 11 (a double decker bus, shuttle bus, public light bus, and school bus all count as separate items).  One thing we hadn't tried yet was the light rail.  Most of Hong Kong is connected by the MTR, and then you can take a bus to get where the train doesn't go.  There are several areas in the New Territories that have a light rail train instead.  Tommy had also been asking to take a double-decker bus again (we usually just take the train everywhere).  There is a double decker bus that picks up outside our neighborhood that goes to the area with the light rail.  I talked to a friend about where we could go and she suggested Wetland Park.  (I know most people find a place they want to go and then figure out how to get there, instead of picking how you want to get there and then finding somewhere to go.)  The bus stop is about a 15 minute walk from our house.  We rode the bus, MTR train, and then the light rail.  The light rail is very similar to our Metrolink back home.  It is slower than the MTR and has more stops.  The route we took made a loop.  There are 2 trains on the loop, running in opposite directions.  The train had more seats than the MTR, so we got to sit down.

Holding hands on the way to the bus stop

Light rail train

Riding the light rail

About 2 hours later, we were finally at Wetland Park.  Outside, they had a maze in the bushes the  kids wanted to do several times.  Then we ate lunch and went out to the wetlands to explore.

Wetland Park had different areas featuring different animals.  There is a tank that is supposed to hold a crocodile, but it was "under repair" so we didn't get to see it.  They have several lakes to see fish and crabs, great places for bird watching, a butterfly garden (with not many butterflies, apparently this is not the best time of year for butterflies), a discovery center with a display about mudskippers and a stream walk so you could see real mudskippers.

bird watching

mudskipper display

mudskippers

looking for fish

There was a play area inside we did before we left.  You had to turn your admission ticket in for a time to play.  It was nice because that really helped control the crowds.  They also had a minimum and maximum height to play (1 m to 1.5 m).  Usually places have either a minimum or a maximum height, but this made it so the kids were all around the same age and they played together really well.  The kids had a great time.  The play area was built to look like a giant treehouse.