[tragic312]

here is an article about it that i just read off of Yahoo! news:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050912/...NlYwMlJVRPUCUl

[jedijson]

That's so sad. I mean, I can understand some of it (the shark fin soup), but the fireworks? COME ON!

[GrumpyDad]

I don't know, Hong Kong is pretty crowded land wise, how much of a buffer is there between HKDW and the surrounding towns? I was at WDW one year when there was no breeze blowing at all. The smoke from the fireworks just hung in the air and then settled on the crowd. Imagine living right near HKDW and having to deal with that, every night~!

[jedijson]

I must have read it wrong. It sounded like the HKDW was out on an island all by itself...

[GrumpyDad]

Jason,

It is located on Lantau Island, which is an island that is actually larger then Hong Kong island itself. It is probably best know for the Po Lin Monastery which attracts 100s of visitors a week. The Disney area is just one of the bays on the island.

-harry

[CerealBoxQueen]

It would drive me crazy were any Disney land, world or island any less than 50 miles from my house. Think of the crowds, smoke and traffic jams.

[jedijson]

And then there's me, who would live IN Disney world/land/whatever given the chance... *sigh*

We can always dream, can't we?

[pumouse]

Originally Posted by jedijson

That's so sad. I mean, I can understand some of it (the shark fin soup), but the fireworks? COME ON!

Shark fin soup? Yuck!

[jedijson]

Originally Posted by pumouse

Shark fin soup? Yuck!

I'm sure that Disney had probably already figured out a way around the bad publicity of having shark fin soup, but decided to just remove it from the menu anyway. I would imagine that they would probably have ordered whole sharks, and then used the fins for the soup and cut up the portions from which you get shark steak from for another menu item. The teeth could be used for souvenears somehow...

[Kippage]

Originally Posted by pumouse

Shark fin soup? Yuck!

Shark is some seriously good stuff. We used to go shark fishing off the beaches here all the time.

But you would think that people would speak up about issues they have - firework smoke, crowd, etc - BEFORE the place was built. Maybe it's just my logic though.

[jedijson]

Originally Posted by GrumpyDad

Jason,

It is located on Lantau Island, which is an island that is actually larger then Hong Kong island itself. It is probably best know for the Po Lin Monastery which attracts 100s of visitors a week. The Disney area is just one of the bays on the island.

-harry

Just now seeing this. Thanks, Harry! I've only been to Hong Kong once, and that was strictly for an afternoon in 1997. Went to the world's largest Toys R Us and picked up some Hong Kong exclusive Star Wars action figures, as well as some Hot Wheels where the package was written in Mandarin. Of course, I also ate at the Hard Rock.

After that, I don't remember a whole lot about it, other than, when I stepped off the jetboat bus thing, my immediate reaction was "I'M HOME!" because I was in a westernized place--one that everyone knew, spoke, and understood English. After spending the previous three weeks in Beijing, it was really, really nice not having to figure out what someone was saying to me...

Anyway, again, thank you Harry! I didn't realize that the island was so large. I just thought that, when it said 'island,' it was a smaller island, like the private one that--again, this is an assumption--that the Disney Cruise Line dumps you off at when you go on their cruises... I mean, I was actually thinking "they have their own private island! How cool is that!?!?"

[GrumpyDad]

Jason,

Disney does own the island, Castaway Cay, that the cruise ships use. If I am not mistaken it was once a smugglers island. We get a chance to go to see it in January when we try our first Disney cruise, YES!~!

Oops, hit the button too soon.

That is very cool that you have visited the far east! Once my DW and I retire we would very much lite to travel there, the culture is fasinating to say the least. The China exhibit at our Field Museum is a favorite summer outing for us. BTW, which Hot Wheel cars did you collect from there?

[jedijson]

Originally Posted by GrumpyDad

That is very cool that you have visited the far east! Once my DW and I retire we would very much lite to travel there, the culture is fasinating to say the least. The China exhibit at our Field Museum is a favorite summer outing for us. BTW, which Hot Wheel cars did you collect from there?

I wouldn't say "visited" as much as I would say "Worked my way through." I went, because my job sent me there for a month. I did have a great time--when I wasn't at work. The legal stuff you have to go through to just get a computer past the borders is hellacious, but it's relatively easy compared to some of the other hoops an American company has to go through to get anything done there.

Couldn't tell you which HWs I got while I was over there. I know one was a red Camaro, but I don't remember the others. I've packed them away since then...