In China it is not uncommon for a city park to have a few amusement rides, upfront and fancy if the park caters to a well-heeled clientele, but if you go exploring an off part of town, you may part the tall grass and discover the fastest bumper cars you’ve ever seen outside a freeway pileup. I went twice before I dusted the rust off my pants and figured I should stop pushing my luck. In another park my boys, Chase and Porter, discovered some monstrosity that spins on three axes, and the operator said she’d run it if there were at least eight riders. I don’t do spin, so the boys ran through the park recruiting poor souls until they’d collected the necessary number of persons unable to resist two foreign kids speaking Chinese. The operator kept her word, and at the end everyone disembarked a little shaky and green, which is a highly mysterious version of fun. Spinning notwithstanding, I do like amusement parks, maybe too much. In Suzhou we had a good friend who had been in China working as an engineer for years, and he had seen enough corner cutting to forbid his children from ever getting on any amusement park ride. He’s a smart guy, and I really should have listened, but I didn’t so I have stories to tell.

We’re Disneyphiles, so we had annual passes to Hong Kong Disneyland which may be my favorite of all the Disney Parks, in spite of being one of the smallest. It has its own city metro train all decked out with character statues and Mickey handholds. You exit the train onto a beautiful, shady platform and take the escalator up to where you begin the long pleasant walk to the park entrance. We liked to stay at Disney’s Hollywood Hotel with its grand piano shaped pool and the waterslide hidden in a rocky grotto, everything so lovely and enchanting. But this is Hong Kong, don’t get used to it. Read More