Megan in Hong Kong

Wednesday 11th August 2010

2010-08-15T12:18:00.001+08:00

Today, we played tennis for the penultimate time. We only have one more lesson - I will miss Ron and Victoria Park.

In the afternoon, the weather wasn't great so after working out at the gym, she and I went to IFC mall in Central to have a girly shopping trip. Dad stayed in the apartment and snoozed mostly! Our shopping trip was fun. I bought a skirt from Zara and some books from Dymocks.

In the evening, we went to the watch the Symphony of Lights show at Tsim Sha Tsui. It was as good as we remembered. The buildings take turns at lighting up at the beginning when they are introduced and then there is a music and lights show. Bank of China Tower always looks the best I think - maybe my view is a bit biased though!

After the Symphony of Lights show we had a drink and some nachos at the waterfront and played Uno.

Speak soon

Love Meganxxx

Tuesday 10th August 2010

2010-08-15T12:03:00.000+08:00

Today was a relaxing day by the pool because the wather was gorgeous. We also ate by the pool too because we planned to go to Temple Street Night Market in the evening to buy some gifts.

Later in the afternoon Dad decided to go to the Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lean Gardens. Mum and I didn't want to go so we stayed up by the pool!

When he came back he said it was a very pleasant walk around. He had taken four photographs as evidence that he did actually go!

I talked to my Japanese friend today and she is called Stephanie and she is 10 years old. She is really nice.

Before Temple Street we went to a big Chinese department store (Yue Hwa) and bought a lazy Susan and some bowls, spoons and plates which we arranged to have shipped home. We haven't room to put it in our luggage because I've bought so many souvenirs!

Temple Street was the usual tat, tat and a bit more tat! We managed to buy some really nice stuff though.

Speak soon

Love Meganxxx

PS. Answers to the final quiz are as follows:

1. Sapporo - Japan
2. Seoul - South Korea
3. Tokyo or Kyoto - Japan
4. Beijing - China
5. Pyongyang - North Korea
6. Shanghai - China
7. Hanoi - Vietnam
8. Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia
9. Chengdu - China
10. Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam
11. Manila - Phillipines
12. Bangkok - Thailand

Hope you enjoyed my quiz.

Monday 9th August 2010

2010-08-15T11:56:00.004+08:00

I can't believe that one week from today, I will be home. It seems like only 5 minutes ago that we arrived here. I suppose - 'time flies if you're having fun!'

Today is another tennis day followed by lunch from Great and a relaxing afternoon. I am really enjoying our tennis lessons with Ron. I wish we could have more lessons because after today we only have 2 more. Booo hooo!!

I am writing about my top five buildings on Hong Kong Island today. I will write a small fact file about each one.

5. Central Plaza

Constructed: 1989 - 1992
Architect: Dennis Lau & Ng Chun Man Architects & Engineers Ltd
Floor count: 78 above ground and 3 below ground.
Use: Office space
Height: 374 metres or 1,272 ft
It is the third tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong. It is home to the world's highest church - Hong Kong City Church.
Shape: triangular
I like this building because it is very prominent in the skyline and it is a different shape to most of the other buildings.

4. The Center

Constructed: 1995-1998
Architect: Dennis Lau Ng Chun Man Architects & Engineers Ltd
Floor Count: 80 floors
Use: Office space
Height: 346 metres or 1,135 ft
It is the fifth tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong. It is known for hundreds of horizontal neon bars arranged towards the top of the building. They scroll through the colour spectrum at night. Even though it is called The Center it is near the boundary between Central and Sheung Wan.
I like this building because of the multi-coloured lights at night and it is a very irregular shape.

3. The Lippo Centre

Constructed: 1987-1998
Architect: Paul Rudolph
Floor Count: 48 in each tower block
Use: Office Space
Height: Lippo One - 172 metres or 564.3 ft; Lippo Two - 186 metres or 610.2 ft
They are twin tower office blocks and are built to resemble koalas climbing a tree. I like this building because of the koala shaped design. It is very distinctive.

2. 2IFC or International Finance Centre

Constructed: 1997-2003
Architect: Rocco Design Ltd
Floor Count: 88
Use: Office space, parking garage and retail
Height: 415.9 metres or 1,364.2 ft
Directly beneath 2IFC is the Airport Express/Hong Kong Station. It is the second tallest building in Hong Kong, behind the International Commerce Centre (ICC) in West Kowloon. It is the fourth tallest building in the Greater China region and the eigth tallest office building in the world. I like it because it dominants the skyline and it has a claw at the top.

1. Bank of China Tower

Constructed: 1985-1990
Architect: I M Pei & Partners
Floor Count: 72 above ground and 4 below ground
Use: Office space
Height: 367.4 metres or 1,205.4 ft
It was the first building outside the USA to break the 305 metres/1,000 ft point. The location is Murray House's former home before it was moved to Stanley. It is the fourth tallest building in Hong Kong. I like it partly because Dad worked there but also because it is a really strange shape and the lighting at night is really cool. (see photograph of Bank of China Tower).

Speak soon

Love Meganxxx

Sunday 9th August 2010

2010-08-13T23:31:00.002+08:00

Today we caught the fast ferry from China Ferry Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui to Macau! On the ferry at 11.30 am, straight after we had had breakfast, Dad ordered Imperial Big Meal Spicy Beef Noodles: the equivalent of a giant pot noodle! According to him it was reasonably nice!

Once in Macau and after queuing for ages in passport control, we walked out of the ferry terminal to find a bus to the main area in Macau. Dad accidentally kicked an orange fruit that was laying on the floor, the juice squirted on him. It looked like someone had been sick on his trainers (white trainers might I add!).

On the watefront of Macau are wacky casinos (it is the Las Vegas of Asia) - a volcano, a Chinese temple and an Egyptian town. They are all fake of course.

We had a little stroll round and we came to a ruined church/monastery. Dad and I climbed up to the first floor and Mum took a photo of us! It was really high up and a bit scary because the floor had tiny holes in so you could see through it. There were a lot of mainland Chinese in Macau and like last year when we went to Beijing they were all looking at us. While Dad and I were climbing up to the first floor of the ruined church, a Chinese lady asked if she could have a photo taken with Mum! Later on some Chinese girls were looking at Mum and I and smiling. They eventually plucked up the courage and went up to Dad to ask if they could have their photographs taken with Mum and I, but Dad misunderstood and thought they wanted a photograph with him. They looked slightly disappointed as they walked off with their camera!

Afterwards we all bought freshly baked Macanese egg tarts. They were really nice. We then got the same bus which we thought would take us back to the ferry terminal. We felt quite proud of ourselves that we had managed on public transport. However, as the journey went on and we went deeper and deeper into unknown territories we didn't feel as proud of ourselves. We eventually had to get off the bus at the Chinese border and find a taxi to take us back to the ferry terminal!

In the evening, we went to a bar in TST to watch Sheffield United v Cardiff. The bar - Delaneys - had a really relaxing atmosphere. I had a roast dinner which was very nice. We drew the footy game which was ok.

Speak soon

Love Meganxxx

Saturday 7th August 2010

2010-08-12T22:10:00.000+08:00

Tonight, we went to the Palace cinema in IFC to watch Toy Story 3 in 3D. We ordered paninis and drinks to be delivered to our seats during the film. They were delicious.

Toy Story 3 was really good! Slinky was a toy dog with a slinky for his body. He was my favourite character because he made a few jokes and he is funny to look at.

There was also an evil purple strawberry smelling bear called Lots-o-hugs - lotso for short. I didn't like his character because he was a bully but I still thought he was cute!

On the way back from the film we stopped at a Circle K to buy some water. We spent 47 HK dollars and received 2 coupons. The coupons have either 5, 10, 20 or 25 points written on them. If you collect 100 points, you can retrieve a pen with different Toy Story characters on. I really want to shop at Circle K now to try and collect 100 points!

Speak soon

Love Meganxxx

Speak soon

Love Meganxxx

Friday 6th August 2010

2010-08-10T10:35:00.003+08:00

Today was another tennis day. We were playing on different courts today because we couldn't get on a court at Victoria Park. However, the courts we did play on were on the opposite side of the road - Causeway Bay tennis courts. We all really enjoyed the lesson today! Fortunately it wasn't as hot as previous days.

You will recall on Wednesday I told you about Queen Victoria's bronze statue in Victoria Park and that she used to be living in Statue Square near the Cenotaph. This time, I will talk about the Cenotaph. At the end of this post, I will add my next and final quiz!

The Cenotaph is Hong Kong's war memorial situated opposite Statue Square, Central. It is almost an exact replica of the memorial in Whitehall, London. At first it was built to commemorate the dead of the First World War. Then the dates 1939-45 were included to remember those that fought and died in the Second World War. Also, words were added to show that the Japanese conflict had been a Chinese war too.

In the early to mid-1900s the Cenotaph was visible as you approached Hong Kong harbour as it was right next to the Star Ferry Pier but now you can no longer see it from the harbour. This is a result of land reclamation - the ferry pier has been moved several times. Buildings have since surrounded the Cenotaph. It seems lost among the many skyscrapers and busy roads whilst still being immaculately kept (see photograph - Cenotaph in the background). But since the 1997 handover it is no longer used.

Speak soon

Love Meganxxx

P.S. The final quiz:-)

The final quiz of this holiday is KNOWLEDGE CONUNDRUMS. You will need to unscramble the city from Asia and then tell me which country it is in (Hong Kong isn't in it because that would be WAY, WAY too easy!!!) You get one mark for unscrambling the name and then an extra mark for telling me the country. Here it is, enjoy:

1. PRSPOAO

2. USLOE

3. KOYTO (with this one there are two possible answers - for one and the country you get two marks but if you get both of them and the country they are in then you get three!)

4. JBIIGNE

5. YAYGPGNON

6. GIHAHSNA

7. OHANI

8. LAUKA PURLMU

9. NUHEDCG (for all you BLADES out there!!! GIANT CLUE)

10. OH HIC MNHI TCYI

11. NAIAML

12. GBKAKNO

Good luck!!!

Thursday 5th August 2010

2010-08-09T19:56:00.000+08:00

Today it was very hot and so we decided to do some swimming, reading, etc before going out later when it had cooled down.

When we were getting ready to go out, an horrific storm broke out. This confined us to the lobby of the hotel for quarter of an hour until it eased off. Even then we managed to get wet through just walking to the star ferry pier in Hung Hom. We all dried pretty quickly though.

Once in Central, we went up the escalator to Hollywood Road. We had read that there were some nice antique shops there. Unfortunately when we arrived they were all closed. Probably because of the weather!

So we carried on up the escalator to look for a tapas bar. After 15 mins trudging about in heavy rain, we stopped looking and went for a return trip to Rick's - the lovely Greek restaurant. We all really enjoyed the meal and atmosphere again and hope that we have time to go back again before we leave.

I can't believe we only have one week and a half left. I am looking forward to comijng home though and seeing my friends and family.

Speak soon

Love Meganxxx

PS. Tennis tomorrow!!!

Wednesday 4th August 2010

2010-08-08T00:02:00.003+08:00

Today was another tennis lesson day at Victoria Park with Ron. It wasn't too hot today so we weren't as exhausted as on Monday. After the lesson we went to Great in Pacific Place. Mum and Dad bought some noodles, a salad and a vegetable samosa for me. It was all very nice.

For the rest of the day we chillaxed by the pool. It was such a nice way to spend the afternoon. In the evening we decided to cook in the apartment rather than go out.

As Monday, Wednesday and Friday of this week and next week we are having tennis lessons at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, I thought it would be nice to give you some information about Victoria Park. Fronting onto Causeway Road, Victoria Park is one of Hong Kong's most popular open areas. It has numerous sporting facilities including: tennis courts (obviously), a jogging track, a swimming pool (a new one is currently under construction), areas to play football and other sports. A bronze statue of Queen Victoria looking unamused sits guarding the entrance to the park. I am sure that you would look unamused too if you had been through what she has: starting life in London, she was then erected in Statue Square in Central Hong Kong. During the Japanese occupation, she was taken to Japan to be melted down along with other statues from the square. After the Second World War she was placed where she stands today. However, that wasn't the end of her troubles - she suffered a blow to the nose by vandals. Now she is fully restored and sits looking unamused (as I'm sure you understand now) at the Causeway Road entrance to her own park.

It is a pleasure to play tennis under Queen Victoria's watchful eye but I wonder how many of the people using the park know who she is!

Speak soon

Love Meganxxx

Tuesday 3rd August 2010

2010-08-07T22:38:00.005+08:00

Today is a non-tennis day so we caught the East Rail line from Hung Hom station to Tai Po Market in New Territories. Our destination was Plover Cove. From Tai Po Market we caught the 75k bus to get there.

We rented bikes and cycled along the 2km dam wall which had the reservoir on one side and the sea on the other. It was a scorching hot day with not even a breath of wind so we all had to drink plenty of water.

During the cycle ride we stopped at a cafe to have a drink. I had an ice-cream too!

Once we had finished our drinks Dad led us halfway up a steep hill which had beautiful views of the reservoir. We were all hot and bothered and out of breath by the time we stopped. We enjoyed a 5 minute break before pushing our bikes back down the hill. We then sat by the sea in a bbq area and had our picnic lunch and played Old Maid. It was very relaxing. There were lots of Chinese teenagers and families barbecuing and playing games.

As we cycled towards the rental shop, we passed a group of teenagers taking part in a summer boot camp. It was fun to watch. Because we had travelled a lot to get to Plover Cove we decided just to have a relaxing night at the Waterfront cafe outside the hotel. It is a lovely place to sit and watch the boats pass. Lots of cruise ships were going past as we ate our meal. I had fish and chips and it was gorgeous. After the meal we played Uno.

Speak soon.

Love Meganxxx

PS. The answers to the previous quiz are:-

1. Typhoon
2. South China Sea
3. Macau
4. Star Ferry
5. Japan

Well done everyone who got them all right. The last quiz will be posted this week before I return to the UK.

Monday 2nd August 2010

2010-08-06T09:07:00.011+08:00

Today we had to get up at 7.30 am because all three of us are having two weeks of tennis lessons with Ron. Mum and I are really excited because we were taught by Ron last year so we know him. Dad, however, is nervous because he has only been playing for two months and has only been coached by Natalie in the UK.

We caught the 8.21 am ferry fro Hung Hom to Wan Chai. Then the 8P bus to Victoria Park tennis courts. When we saw Ron he said that I had grown quite a bit but other than that Mum and I hadn't changed. We had one hour of our two hour lesson and then we had to stop because it rained really heavily. I was really disappointed because I was enjoying the lesson.

After tennis we got the MTR from Tin Hau to Admiralty and went into a shopping mall called Pacific Place. Mum and Dad sat me down on some seats outside a shop whilst they went to a really awesome supermarket called Great to buy some lunch. We walked with lunch and an iced coffee from Starbucks down to the cenotaph garden. It is really nice to sit there and watch the fountains.

In the evening, aftger a couple of hours by the pool, we went over to Wan Chai to an English style pub for tea. It was a typical stone/colonial British building that was really nice to sit in. The food was delicious! Dad had an incident with a cockroach while we were sat outside on the balcony. All of a sudden he looked down and there was a cockroach crawling up his leg. After that we went to sit inside!

There was a live band singing as well which was really cool. They played Angels by Robbie Williams (one of my favourite songs). Afterwards we caught the tram back to Central which was a really interesting journey at night. The streets were lined with crazy neon lights flashing on and off.

A really nice but tiring day.

Speak soon

Love Meganzzz

Sunday 1st August 2010

2010-08-06T08:41:00.001+08:00

Today we caught a ferry from Central to an outlying island called Lamma Island. I enjoyed the ferry ride because it was a fast ferry and we saw lots of giant container ships passing through Hong Kong.

When we arrived in Lamma we found that it was a real contrast to Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. Along the water's edge were ramshackle houses and huts, a bit like Cheung Chau last year, and in the bay were lots of fishing boats. As we walked along the main street of the town, we browsed through lots of craft shops. They all had beautiful trinkets inside as well as jewellery and other things.

For lunch we stopped at a lovely cafe called the Bookworm Cafe. It is an all vegetarian cafe with a collection of second-hand books. We sat outside and had a great time playing games and drinking LOTS of water - it is very hot here at the moment.

In the evening we all collapsed after tea because tomorrow is our first tennis lesson with Ron Doctrove, our tennis coach from last year. I am so excited!!!

Speak soon

Love Meganxxx

Saturday 31st July 2010

2010-08-04T14:22:00.002+08:00

Today was yet another lovely, relaxing day by the pool. I welcomed a lie in after having to get up early three out of the last five days! Mum and Dad made pancakes for breakfast/brunch. They were delicious.

In the evening, Dad took us to a bar called Sevva, on top of the Prince's Building in Central for drinks. We arrived at around 6.30 pm so that we could watch the sun set over the city. The lights on the surrounnding buildings started to come on as the late sunlight melted away. From the Sevva balcony it was a fabulous view of both Central, Wan Chai and Kowloon side.

After about an hour at Sevva we got a taxi to Lockhart Road. On Lockhart Road there is a Chinese restaurant called the American Peking. Because we had reserved a table our name was written on the board downstairs. I had the best stir fried chilli beef, lemon chicken, egg fried rice and Peking duck and pancakes I have ever had in my whole life. They only cooked whole ducks so we had to have one to ourselves! A waiter brought the whole duck to the table to show us and then carved it! Dad ate most of it. It was one of the best nights out.

Speak soon

Love Meganxxx

Friday 30th July 2010

2010-08-02T22:36:00.000+08:00

Today we had to wake up early because we were going on dolphin watching trip Part 3! We caught the free shuttle bus from the hotel to Hankow Road and then a coach from there to Lantau Island. From Lantau we boarded a boat that would take us to look for the Chinese White Dolphins (they have pink bellies).

On the boat we met some really nice people - there was quite a mixed crowd of Japanese, Hong Kongers, Americans and Germans. One of the women we met worked for the SCMP (South China Morning Post) newspaper. Talking to her was really interesting.

After about one hour we found some dolphins. There was a mother and baby pair that were so cute. We saw lots of them following fishing boats trying to catch some escaping fish. It was really cool. (website if you are interested in the Chinese White Dolphins http://www.hkdolphinwatch.com/).

In the afternoon we did nothing. In other words we vegetated by the pool. The evening was also very relaxing. Dad cooked whilst I had a shower and mum went to the gym.

Overall a great day - it wasn't the same without you though Lesley & Ash.

Speak soon.

Love Meganxxx

Thursday 29th July 2010

2010-08-01T20:21:00.000+08:00

Today Susheela (one of Dad's work colleagues) invited me to spend the day with her kids: Izzy, James, Gabriella and Georgia, at their house in Discovery Bay. I was really looking forward to having some other kids to play with.

Dad took me over on the ferry from Central (25 mins) and Izzy and Susheela met us from the ferry pier. Dad and Susheela went back on the ferry whilst Izzy took me on a bus to their house.

When I got there I found out that later we would be going ten pin bowling, then swimming at Club Sienna. It is a really nice club with delicious food and loads of different swimming pools. We played two bowling games: Izzy won one and I won the other. Our reward was to push the others into the swimming pool afterwards! It was really fun. Izzy and James tried to teach me to dive, but I was hopeless!

In the evening when my day at Discovery Bay had ended, Mum met Dad and I off the ferry and we went to a restaurant called Isola. They had really nice food. We sat on the balcony overlooking Kowloon at first but we had to go inside because an horrific storm began.

I really enjoyed my day!

Speak soon

Love Meganxxx

Wednesday 28th July 2010

2010-07-31T10:47:00.000+08:00

Today we took a shopping trip out to Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui. We didn't go for anything in particular but just browsed around all of the shops. I bought a Nintendo DS game from Hong Kong Records.

For lunch we stopped at a Japanese cafe/bakery called Panash. I had macaroni cheese and it was very nice. Once we finished shopping we planned to go to Hong Kong Space Museum. Unfortunately, when we stepped out of the door we found that an horrific thunderstorm was passing over. I heard the loudest crack of thunder I have ever heard in my life during that storm. It scared me so much that it made me jump!

Eventually we did arrive at the Space Museum, somewhat wet and soggy! The Space Museum was good although I preferred the Hong Kong Museum of History. But it was still great. I went on a ride involving the power of a gyroscope which was really good.

Tonight Mum cooked us Normandy Chicken which is delicious chicken in a creamy sauce. It is my favourite meal of all time.

I am still tired from yesterday so I am going to bed now.

Speak soon.

Love Meganxxx

Tuesday 27th July 2010

2010-07-30T21:55:00.000+08:00

Today it's Ocean Park day! Woooo! I have been looking forward to today all holiday. If you don't know, Ocean Park is a theme park/zoo where you can go on cable cars, see pandas, watch dolphins (with pink tummies) and sea lions in a spectacular show!! In other words it's fab.

We had to get up early to take the ferry from Hung Hom to Central and then we waited for the bus through the Aberdeen tunnel to Ocean Park. It was a good day to go as the weather wasn't too hot. I think Dad was quite excited as he didn't get to go to Ocean Park with us last year.

The first thing we did on arrival was watch the summer special splash show. It was really good. There were five divers, diving into a small round pool from great heights. It was amazing to watch - an excellent show and Dad really enjoyed it.

After that we walked toward the Giant Panda enclosure. Jia Jia (the female) and An An (the male) were really funny to watch because they walked around their enclosures (one each - pandas lead solitary lives) and ate bamboo! We stood watching and trying to catch them on camera for more than half an hour. Below is our best effort. It is my favourite attraction at Ocean Park.

Then we took the cable car ride over the mountain. It was spectacular. There were beautiful views of Repulse Bay and huge container ships out at sea.

My other favourites included: the sea lion and dolphin show, and the sea life carousel where I sat on a sea horse (not a real one!).

Overall Ocean Park was a tiring but fun day out. When we arrived back at the hotel we all relaxed and went to bed earlier than usual.

Love Megan xxx

P.S. The answers to COUNTDOWN CONUNDRUMS are as follows:

PROGRESSIVE
ARTICULATE
HERITAGE
SKYSCRAPER
RETRIEVAL

This week's quiz has more of an Asian theme. You may need to do some research. Good luck:

In Hong Kong, what is another name for a hurricane or cyclone?
Which sea surrounds Hong Kong?
What is the name of the city that used to be under Portuguese rule, that is close to Hong Kong?
What is the name of the ferry company which has run a regular ferry service across the harbour since 1898?
Which country occupied Hong Kong during World War II?

Monday 26th July 2010

2010-07-27T21:09:00.000+08:00

Today we slept in late because we were so tired from the full day out yesterday. We were going to make a trip to Ocean Park today, but from looking at the weather forecast (http://www.hko.gov.hk/contente.htm) we decided that it would be too hot. Instead we went on the tram from Central to North Point and back. It was a really interesting journey.

On the way back we got off at Admiralty and went shopping in a western shop called GREAT. We bought lunch and walked up to Hong Kong Park to eat it. The fountain was working in the park today so I walked under it and got quite wet (see photograph at the top of the page!).

After lunch we all felt exhausted from our trip so we trudged back to the hotel. Guess what we did next - relaxed bythe pool!!! It was a really cool day.

In the evening we caught the shuttle bus into Tsim Sha Tsui and went to a restaurant called La Villa. We remembered that the food was brilliant from last year and we all ordered the same meal. My fish and chips were delicious! I really enjoyed today. Ocean Park tomorrow!!

Speak soon

Lots of love Meganxxx

Sunday 25th July 2010

2010-07-27T21:02:00.000+08:00

Today we were invited to one of Dad's work colleague's houses, Mabel, who lives in Tai Po up in New Territories for a poolside bbq. To get there we had to get up early and catch a train to Tai Po Market from Hung Hom. It was a really enjoyable ride even though I wasn't properly awake!

When we arrived at Mabel and Edward's house, there was the sound of barking dogs. Once we were insidce we saw why - Mabel has four dogs! Mabel and Edward had thought of everything - from towels to insect repellant and suncream to inflatables in the pool. I jumped in the pool almost straight away because it was such a hot day.

Susheela and her husband and four children came as well. It was cool having other kids to play with instead of just me!!!

The day passed really quickly (because I was having so much fun) swo when we had to leave I was disappointed but also very tired. Mabel had bought me a really nice toiletries set as a gift. Thank you Mabel and Edward for a great day.

Once we got back to the apartment, Dad cooked bruschetta, salad and potatoes for tea. Delicious as usual.

Speak soon

Love Meganxxx

Saturday 24th July 2010

2010-07-25T20:40:00.000+08:00

Today was Dad's first day off so we took him up to the pool for a swim as it was a nice day. He really enjoyed relaxing. Dad and I had planned to go and watch the dragon boat racing in TST in the afternoon but he was enjoying himself too much so we didn't go!

In the evening we took the ferry to Central and walked up the escalator to a greek restaurant called Rick's. It is the BEST RESTAURANT this holiday. I had chicken souvlaki and it was GORGEOUS!

After our fabulous meal, we got a taxi to Wan Chai Convention and Exhibition Centre. There was a book fair going on down there and we went to have a look. There was a section called 'English Avenue' where all the English books are so we walked around there. Mum didn't see anything she fancied but Dad and I bought 2 books each. It was really busy. We then got the ferry from Wan Chai to TST and a taxi home. There was a massive queue for the taxis and we eventually got home at 12.00 midnight!!! We're off to Tai Po tomorrow. We've been invited to Mabel's house there - Dad works with Mabel. I'm looking forward to it.

Speak soon

Love Meganxxx

Friday 23rd July 2010

2010-07-25T20:15:00.001+08:00

Today as soon as we were ready this morning, Mum and I caught the Star Ferry to Central. We were heading for HK park, a lush green park surrounded by skyscrapers in the middle of the city. We remembered the way from last year and hot and bothered, we finally arrived.

There is a fountain/waterfall that you can walk under and cool yourself down. Mum and I were both looking forward to that. After a small walk around we walked towards the fountain. When we got there we saw that the fountain wasn't working. We were SO disappointed. We also went in the conservatory at the park and looked at the plants - lots of cacti, as well as looking at the fish and terrapins.

Not long after we arrived back at the apartment, Dad arrived home. He told us that he had two conference calls one at 7.30 pm and the other at 9.00 pm. So we weren't able to go out to eat. We therefore ordered a Chinese to be delivered to our apartment from the website 'Food by Web'.

Whilst Dad was on his conference calls, Mum and I went for a walk in Whampoa. We visited Pacific Coffee (a sort of Starbucks) and had an ice chillino. It is a type of coffee chilled - it was really yummy!

Speak soon!

Love Meganxxx

Thursday 22nd July 2010

2010-07-23T22:48:00.000+08:00

Today Mum and I got the shuttle bus to Hankow Road in TST and walked to Harbour City (a massive shopping centre). It was raining really heavily (again) so our umbrellas had another outing! We went into a few shops including H&M and Hong Kong Records where I bought some new clothes and a DS game.

When we had finished shopping, Mum and I got the Star Ferry: TST to Wan Chai (where we bought lunch at Pacific Coffee) then Wan Chai to Hung Hom just for fun!!! It was really cool!

It was still raining heavily when we arrived back in our apartment. Mum checked the weather forecast on the HK Observatory website and there was a Black Rainstorm Warning in force! This meant that Dad couldn't get on the Star Ferry to come home because he wasn't allowed out of the office! The thunderstorm passed after about 15 minutes so Dad wasn't too late home. He forgot to take his umbrella to work, so I went to meet him from the Star Ferry with his umbrella because the rain was still heavy. He was very grateful.

For dinner we had roast potatoes, bruschetta and salad, followed by Saint Etoile egg tarts! It was REALLY DELICIOUS!

Speak soon

Love Meganxxx

PS. Well done everyone on the last quiz. You all got it right so I've decided to step it up a bit. This week's quiz is COUNTDOWN CONUNDRUMS. All you have to do is unscramble the eight to 11 letter words. Answers to the same e-mail addresses by Monday. Here you are:-

1. sgeorrpvsei

2. ltuacrieat

3. ghetreia

4. payrkscsre

5. lvtrireae

Wednesday 21st July 2010

2010-07-22T11:06:00.000+08:00

Today we knew that it would be a bad weather day because typhoon warning No.1 had been hoisted. Knowing this we decided to go to Hong Kong History Museum in TST. We wanted to go last year but we didn't have enough time. I thought that it would just be lots and lots of reading about boring stuff! However, it was really good. It was better than the Science Museum we visited last year (which is next door!).

The museum is really interactive and there are loads of great photo opportunities. Dad would be proud of us because admission is free on a Wednesday so we didn't have to pay anything either! If it's a rainy day and you don't know what to do go to the Hong Kong History Museum on Chatham Road South in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Then we had to walk down to the Hotel Shuttle Bus and there was an incredibly heavy tropical rainstorm. Everyone got their umbrellas out but you still got wet. It is quite strange when it rains here because the rain is like taking a warm shower.

Vanessa Cheung had organised the DLA summer party and it was really good. Thanks Vanessa! We all sat round a long table and had drinks and tapas. There was a really mixed crowd - Hong Kongers, Australians and Brits. It is interesting to meet people from different places. Mum, Dad and I then got the ferry to TST and a taxi home - it was a late night!

Love

Meganxxx

PS. Today's quiz will be posted later - got to dash now as I'm off out.

Tuesday 20th July 2010

2010-07-22T11:02:00.000+08:00

Another lazy day by the pool (after running yet some more errands for dad!) because it was too hot to do anything else. When we picked up the laundry from Mrs Chi King, we also dropped off two of dad's work shirts.

Dad had told us earlier that he was going out for lunch, so he wouldn't want a big meal when he got home. Mum and I decided to order lunch by the pool. So we ordered a Margherita pizza (for us to share) and a caesar salad (for mum only!).

When Dad arrived home from work, we had a snack for tea and then went out for a walk in Whampoa (the local neighbourhood). Dad bought me an ice-cream from Haagen Daz and we looked in a book shop called Popular.

Once we got back to the apartment, we played a card game called Boggle Slam. It is really fun!

Love

Meganxxx

Monday 19th July

2010-07-21T17:19:00.000+08:00

Today we went out to drop off our laundry at Mrs Chi King's (see picture - me outside Mrs Chi King's in Whampoa). We then went to Park 'n' Shop to buy various things that Dad and and I forgot. Mum also let me have a look in ROXY (a fantastic clothes shop) but we didn't buy anything (again, much to my disgust!).

After that a chilling day by the pool was in store which I really enjoyed. Mum still hasn't swum as many lengths as me!

When we came down from the pool we realised that we forgot to buy bread to go with the spaghetti bolognaise we were making for tea. Mum couldn't go and get it without me because she was cooking. I decided to go so I went to Saint Etoile by myself and then went to meet Dad from the ferry! Dad was surprised but pleased to see me!

Love

Meganxxx

Sunday 18th July 2010

2010-07-21T10:58:00.000+08:00

Today we took Dad across to Central and went on the Escalator. It didn't feel as hot as last year but still a lot warmer than the UK! Dad really enjoyed it . He is usually the 'man with the map' showing us where to go but we showed him where to go today! It was quite funny!!!

After going on the Escalator, we walked down to the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens to show Dad the animals. The apes were the best by far. Most of the other animals were sprawled out in their enclosure sleeping because it was too hot for them! There were belts hanging from the top of the apes' enclosure and they were swinging on them like Tarzan! One of the males was holding a stick in its feet and swinging at the same time! But then it dropped the stick and it went off into a corner to sulk! We were surprised at how human-like their behaviour is!

We all felt hot, sweaty and ready for a swim after that so we caught the Star Ferry to Hung Hom and had a refreshing swim at the hotel.

That evening Dad's work friends, Neville and his girlfriend Clara and Andy Cooper came over to dinner at the Waterfront. Nev brought a swear box (a bear poo from Winnie the Pooh!) to put money in if anybody swore! Andy brought some history magazines for Mum, a Hong Kong phone for Dad and a game called Gobblet for me. At the end we played a card game called Uno. Clara was really good at it and she won!! It was a really fun night!

Speak soon!

Love Meganxxx

P.S The answers to the MISSING LINKS quiz are as follows:

1. SUGAR

2. BRANCH

3. IDLE

4. STANDING

5. RAG

Another quiz, COUNTDOWN CONUNDRUMS, will be posted within the next couple of days.

Saturday 17th July 2010

2010-07-19T19:36:00.000+08:00

Today we went to Jusco - a Japanese supermarket in Whampoa - to buy some food to stock the fridge up. Then we decided to go and lay by the beautiful rooftop pool and go for a swim. I really enjoyed it and swam 31 lengths!!

At lunchtime we shared a burger and a salad. The food by the pool is GORGEOUS!! We stayed by the pool until 6 o'clock when we went to our room to get ready to go out. We went to the New Sangeet (an old favourite - see last year's posts) for an Indian meal in Tsim Sha Tsui. It was just as good as last year and one of the waiters remembered us!

After eating we went shopping and looked for a new phone for me. We didn't buy anything though - much to my disgust!!!!

It was our first full day in HK and I really enjoyed it.

Love Meganxxx

P.S This year I wanted to make my blog more interactive so from now on I will be posting various quizzes along with my posts. Send the answers to mine, Mum's or Dad's email address. You get one mark for each correct answer. I will count them all up at the end and the prize will be a present from Temple Street Night Market in Hong Kong. For this one please, email the answers to me by Wednesday. I will post the answers on Wednesday evening. Enjoy!!

MISSING LINKS

Each clue consists of three words which have a fourth in common. For example, PAINT, ELBOW and PROOF are linked by the word GREASE.

1. Brown - Daddy - Cane (5)

2. Local - Olive - Line (6)

3. Thought - Bone - Away (4)

4. Order - Stone - Ovation (8)

5. Time - Doll - Trade (3)

Friday 16th July 2010

2010-07-19T11:49:00.000+08:00

Read Thursday 15th (below) before this.

We woke up after an interrupted 5 hours sleep and turned our mind to arriving in Hong Kong. All of us were really excited - especially me!!! As soon as we stepped of the plane onto the airbridge, we felt the heat of Hong Kong and thought, 'It's good to be back!' I thought of all the places that we visited last time we were in HK but I especially remembered the hundreds of times that we went on the Star Ferry to Central. Once Mum and I got the ferry from TST to Central then Central to Hung Hom, just for fun!

After catching the Airport Express to Kowloon, we got a taxi to the Harbour Grand. It used to be called the Harbour Plaza (where we stayed last year) but changed its name since last year. We had so many bags and suitcases that all three of us had to squash in the back with hand luggage on our knees! It was quite a tight squeeze and warm too!

When we got to the hotel, we found out that we had the same room but three floors lower! We were really happy so we unpacked and went down to the Waterfront Restaurant for tea. I had their Margherita Pizza which is really gorgeous.

After the meal we all started to yawn because we didn't sleep properly on the plane. Mum suggested that we go up to the room and go to sleep so that's what we did. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...............

Love Meganxxx

Thursday 15th July 2010

2010-07-18T12:41:00.000+08:00

Today we have been driven down to Heathrow airport - a 3 hour journey from our house - to catch our connecting flight to Zurich, Switzerland then from there to Hong Kong. I was (and still am) very excited about revisiting Hong Kong this year. Because we are flying business class, we got to go in the Star Alliance Gold lounge. It was so cool!

When the time came to go to the gate, a message came up on the flight screen that our flight would be delayed 1 hour because of storms in Zurich. This meant that we might miss the connecting flight to Hong Kong. We all groaned. I was so annoyed with the weather!!!

Just before we landed in Zurich an air stewardess told us that our flight would wait for us to get on. We thanked her and Dad became ridiculously giddy. It was really funny.

There was an Australian lady who was on her own and really worried about missing the connecting flight to Hong Kong. She wasn't in business class so we got the stewardess to give her a message about where the gate was and waited for her to help her get to the flight. She was a very nice lady and grateful for our help. She had also got another flight back to Australia the next day from HK. Yuck!!! We got on our flight with minutes to spare and we all felt really relieved. 'I wouldn't have minded a night in Zurich after all!' Dad said. I wouldn't of either but I would have preferred to be on the way to Hong Kong!!

(This plane journey is continued in the blog entry above - Friday 16th July!)

Love Megx

I'm back!

2010-07-14T02:01:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone!!

Just to let you all know that I am going back to Hong Kong this Summer so I will be restarting this blog. I hope you like it as much as last Time. Watch this space!!!!

Love Meganxxx

Tuesday 25th August

2009-08-26T22:24:00.001+08:00

Today's top five is Top Five things about Hong Kong:-

1. City Life - because I have lived in a small village all my life it is a real contrast to be in the middle of a very large, busy city. I have probably seen more people here than in my whole life! I really love it because there is so much to do.

2. Skyline - there are lots of wonderful skyscrapers in Hong Kong. Some times it even hurts your neck to look up at them - they are so large. At night they all light up and it reflects on the water. My favourite building, not being biased or anything, is Bank of China Tower where Dad works. There is a light show at 8.00 pm each night and Bank of China looks the best by far.

3. Star Ferry/Public Transport - the public transport in Hong Kong is amazingly efficient. You can get buses from A to B really easily. There is a thing called an Octopus card which you can use to pay for any public transport. You top it up at certain shops. It makes it so much easier than fiddling about with your change. Star Ferry is my favourite (see picture of me on Star Ferry) because there is always a nice breeze out on the sea and it is nice to be out in the open air. If it wasn't for the efficient public transport we wouldn't have travelled about as much as we have done. It is fantastic and the UK should have something similar to Octopus for the whole country.

4. Weather - it is so much better than the UK weatherwise. When you first arrive it is hard to get used to because it is hot and humid but once you have been here a while it is fine. You do, however, need an umbrella sometimes. One minute it can be sunny and the next you look up and there are black clouds and it is thundering. Don't worry it goes as quickly as it comes and the rain doesn't hang around for days like in the UK!

5. The Cuisine - when Mum and Dad first told me we were going to Hong Kong for six weeks I thought 'I will never be able to eat anything'! But actually you can get anything here - ranging from Indian to Greek, Yorkshire Puddings to MacDonalds. Anything you could possibly imagine. One thing to watch out for is that the Chinese do have a sweet tooth and they sweeten quite a lot of things we don't in the UK. If you buy some juice, for example, it is sometimes very sweet so make sure you get something that says 'no sugar' on. All in all the food here is great!

Speak soon

Lots of love Meganxxx

Monday 24th August

2009-08-25T08:35:00.000+08:00

The photo is of me at Victoria Park where I have my tennis lessons (Queen Victoria's statue behind).

As it my last week and we are busy doing last minute things, I thought I would do my top fives each day.

Today's top five is: Top Five things about Harbour Plaza Hotel.

1. Yep you've guessed it, it's the pool! To escape the heat you can always go up there for a swim and it is usually quite breezy as well.

2. The neighbourhood - Whampoa: the people are really friendly and it feels safe walking around whatever time of day. There are plenty of shops where you can get anything you need. I will really miss it when I come home but I am also looking forward to seeing my neighbourhood in the UK - Denby.

3. The Staff - they are always really friendly and helpful. I have got friendly with the man who holds the door open in reception and the lady at reception up by the pool. She doesn't even have to ask us our room number anymore as they all know us. I think we are the longest staying residents.

4. The Reception Area - when you come in from the baking heat you always get a cold blast of air conditioning and a nice smell here. It is always really busy with people coming and going but it seems really peaceful as well.

5. The Waterfront Cafe/Location - the Waterfront Cafe belongs to the hotel and surprise surprise it is situated right by the water. I like sitting there in the evening watching boats pass by and you can also see the light show if you are there at 8 pm. The food is really nice and I particularly recommend the ice-cream lollies for dessert. You get five different flavours, they are covered in chocolate and good for sharing.

Speak soon.

Lots of love Meganxxx

Sunday 23rd August

2009-08-25T07:48:00.002+08:00

Today we went to Discovery Bay which is on Lantau Island so we had to get Star Ferry to Central and then a fast ferry to Lantau Island. We were going to meet one of Dad's colleagues and his family for the afternoon.

In Discovery Bay no cars are allowed but buses and golf carts are. Discovery Bay is a little bit like a Meditteranean resort because you feel really away from the city. I met Katie, Harry and Ruby. We had lunch and then went swimming at one of the residents' clubs. They had brought some water guns that Katie and I played with (see picture of me firing gun!). It was nice to play with other children because there haven't been many up at our pool lately. I think all the children are going home to go back to school. I wish I had met Katie and Harry sooner as we had a great time and they have been here three weeks.

It was also Alison's last night in Hong Kong before she jets off to Singapore. We therefore came back from Discovery Bay to go out for a last meal with her. We went to the New Sangeet in TST (see previous posts).

I'm now starting to think about my new school and told Dad that I needed a fountain pen. Fortunately on our way back to the shuttle bus we passed a pen shop. We looked inside and there were some fountain pens. Dad got me a red one which I am now practising with. I am writing entries in my journal with it. It is harder to use than an ordinary pen.

Speak soon.

Lots of love Meganxxx

Saturday 22 August

2009-08-24T07:32:00.000+08:00

Today we went to Cheung Chau again because we enjoyed it so much last time. This is a picture of me and Dad on the Fast Ferry to the island.

Mum couldn't come because she didn't feel too good and it was a very hot day. Dad and I went with Alison. It takes about 30 minutes to get there on the ferry from Central.

When you get there it is very different to Hong Kong. There are a lot more Chinese houses and shops.

We went kayaking at the Surf Shack on the island whilst Alison went shopping. It was fun. Dad took us quite far out but I was ok.

After kayaking we went for lunch at the Surf Shack and then got the ferry back to Central. When we got back we went to TST and I helped Dad choose a suit. He has been desperate to have a suit made ever since he got here! He has to go for another fitting this week.

Speak soon.

Lots of love Meganxxx

Friday 21st August

2009-08-22T21:28:00.000+08:00

Today was Dolphin Watch Part 2 (we got free tickets to go again because we didn't see any dolphins last time). We went to the Kowloon Hotel and met our guide for the morning. We got on the coach to Lantau Island where the boat was waiting for us. We found out that the lady could speak fluent Japanese, and she was from Bradford!!

Once on the boat (Lesley and Ash - we sat in the same place on the boat) we travelled for about 20 minutes before the dolphins appeared. It was fantastic - see the video. The first dolphin we saw I named it Lesley - it was a nice pink and grey spotty one. There were about 10 surrounding us. A few jumped out of the water and some took a good look at us - swimming quite close. We saw a little grey baby swimming next to its bright pink mum. We watched for about 30 to 45 minutes. The lady told us that you only get that experience once a year if you are lucky. We felt very privileged that the dolphins chose today. The sea was also very calm which made dolphin watching easier! I was amazed by how many there were and by how close they came. They were also very pink.

I bought some souvenirs from the shop on the boat which consisted of a mum and baby dolphin keyring, a phone charm and some photos.

After dolphin watching Dad took us to a dim sum (snack) tea shop in Central. It was really Chinese and I tried lots of different things. It was quite different to western food but enjoyed the things I tried. It was vegetarian and so it was easy to identify what I was eating!!! The way I see it if you don't try different things then you'd never eat anything other than burger and chips!

We also went to the Aviary in Hong Kong Park. We saw some parrots, some pelicans and some mynah birds. They were very brightly coloured and were singing very sweetly. It was fun to try and spot them and a great experience.

Speak soon

Lots of Love Meganxxx

Thursday 20th August

2009-08-22T19:48:00.000+08:00

We had to get up early again today. We had a tennis lesson with Ron at Victoria Park and so had to get the 9.06 am ferry to Wan Chai. It was extremely hot and half way through the lesson I had to sit out for a bit. I drank lots of water and sat on a bench in the shade and watched Mum play until I felt better. Ron said to me 'Isn't your mum competitive!'.

I really enjoyed the lesson but in the 7 years that I have played tennis I've never sweated that much. It was 35 degrees at the time!

When we were on the bus on the way back to Wan Chai ferry pier, Dad rang us and told us that he was taking half a day off. We were really surprised but also very pleased and looking forward to seeing him.

On returning to Hung Hom we went to the Arcade (Mum promised to take me after tennis). I won the jackpot again on the Pirate machine and have now got loads of tickets. We then went to Jusco and got three pastries instead of two and relaxed up by the pool. When we were in the pool we were both looking at the steps. I said to Mum 'Are you looking for the same thing I'm looking for?' And she knew that I meant Dad.

We had a nice relaxing afternoon in the pool and played games in the pool together. It was the hottest day yet (apart from when we went to Cheung Chau).

Speak soon.

Lots of Love Meganxxx

Wednesday 19th August

2009-08-22T19:18:00.001+08:00

Today we had a lazy morning because of all the week's activities - Beijing etc. It was relaxing, just to stay in bed until 10am!

We got up and out at about half eleven! We went to the arcade again!! I now own the grand total of 1866 tickets!!!! I have changed my target to 2000 instead of 1000. You can get a Casio clock for 2400, so I think I will get one!!!!

At Jusco, we bought some pastries for lunch which we had by the pool. Before that we ordered a pizza to eat after having a swim. Overall, it was the perfect relaxing day.

In the evening, we had a BBQ at the hotel for all the IT people in Dad's office. There were signs in the hotel for DLA Piper Information Technology Summer Party!!!!! Dad introduced me to all of them at the beginning of the evening, and I think this is everybody who came from Dad's work: Jeff - Happy Birthday; Alice; Vanessa; Jack; Diablo; Robert (you want to know which bus to get on, ask him!); Frankie; Alec; Tony (want an iPhone, he's your man!); Wai and Rod! Alison came as well.

It was a really nice evening and everyone seemed to enjoy it. The food was very good particularly the mango pudding. When we got back to the apartment, Southport Grandad phoned and we chatted to him for a while. It was nice to talk to him after his holiday and I'm looking forward to seeing him and Grandma when I get home.

Speak soon

Lots of Love Meganxxx

PS. Click on the video - Andy if you're reading this is for you!

Tuesday 18th August

2009-08-20T22:12:00.000+08:00

This morning Mum got me up early (yes again) for our first tennis lesson with Ron. I was reluctant to get up not just because I was tired but as I have said before I was nervous at having a new coach. I needn't have worried because when we got to Victoria Park (the place where my tennis lessons are taking place) he was very nice. Once we got into playing I felt that I had missed playing and it was a great experience to play again. Although it is very different playing in this heat - a lot harder. I enjoyed it so much that I asked Mum if we could have extra lessons to make up for the two we missed last week.

When we came back Mum took me to the arcade and I again won lots of tickets.

In the evening we went out with Alison and one of Dad's colleagues. We watched the Sound and Light Show again but half way through we realised that it was all in Chinese and it is only on certain nights that it is in English.

After that we went to La Villa in TST for a meal. It was really nice and they had a band on. Dad let me have a steak even though it was expensive! But it was very nice. John, Dad's friend, is from New Zealand and we all got on very well. It is nice to meet different people from different countries and cultures.

We also took Alison to Temple Street Night Market. She wasn't too keen on bartering so she got Dad (the expert bargainer) to do it for her. Of course you can't walk out of Temple Street Night Market without buying at least one piece of tat! Enjoyable though!

Speak soon

Lots of Love Meganxxx

Monday 17th August

2009-08-20T08:36:00.001+08:00

Mum woke me up this morning to get ready to go out because Alison had arrived and we were showing her round. We went on the Star Ferry (see picture - we are waiting for the ferry to arrive at the Hung Hom Ferry terminal) to Central. This is a good way to get someone used to Hong Kong.

We took her to Hong Kong Station to buy an Octopus card so that she could use the public transport without needing to sort out the exact money (most buses and ferries require you to have the exact money before boarding).

After that we walked to Hang Seng Bank to get on the escalator. We stopped half way up to look at a nice Chinese pottery shop. Mum looked at some Lazy Susans for some of our friends. We then continued up to the top. From there we walked through the Zoological Gardens (see previous entry) and then finally to the Peak Tram Stop. We travelled up the amazingly steep tram to the Peak and went up the viewing point at the top. There are lots of binoculars on the viewing platform for everyone to look through. It costs 5 Hong Kong dollars. I had a go on about five different ones because the views are fantastic. Mum and Alison found this amusing.

We then got the bus down the Peak back to Central Ferry Pier.

In the evening Alison came round for a Chinese takeaway - we promised her she would get a dial-a-dinner whilst she was here! It was a nice, relaxing evening after all the walking we had done during the day.

Speak soon.

Lots of love Meganxxx

PS. It is my first tennis lesson tomorrow and I am very nervous at having a new coach!

Sunday 16th August

2009-08-20T07:46:00.001+08:00

This morning we went to the Summer Palace. The Palace was a summer retreat for the Empress Cixi. Cixi was not very popular because she spent a lot of China's money on luxuries for herself!

We thought it would be busy but not as busy as it was. There were thousands of people. We wanted to hire a boat but the queues were so big that we decided not to. The smog also spoiled the beauty of the place - it was difficult to see things in the distance. It was also fearsomely hot and the crowds of people made it even worse.

Despite this we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. One of the highlights was Suzhou Street which is a shopping street which was built for the Emperors/Empresses to stroll down so they could pretend they were in an ordinary shopping street. Another enjoyable aspect was that I got my name written in Chinese which I will hang in my room at home.

After the Summer Palace we went to the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium. Again (as you can see from the photo) the smog made the Bird's Nest difficult to see. But it was huge. The Water Cube was a fantastic piece of architecture. What surprised me was that the Chinese don't seem to be using these great facilities. I hope we don't make the same mistake and spend lots of money on things that ordinary people don't use!

We went back to the hotel for a swim and a shower before flying back to Hong Kong. When we got to the airport our flight was going to have a 90 minute delay. That meant that we would set off from Beijing at around 8.00 pm. We would get back to Hong Kong at 11.30 pm and didn't get home until very late. We were all a bit fed up but we played Uno in the airport and the time when fairly fast.

When the cabin crew got on they looked pretty fed up with the delay too!

Speak soon.

Lots of Love Meganxxx

Saturday 15th August

2009-08-19T17:54:00.001+08:00

Today after breakfast at the hotel we went to Jing Shan Park which is a very Chinese park just north of the Forbidden City. There were Chinese people dancing in the park and doing aerobics. The music came from big boom boxes hung on trees. We watched the dancing - it was very interesting.

We climbed up a hill in the park to a pagoda at the top. There was a fantastic view of the Forbidden City from up there and you could see the massive scale of it. We noticed that many people were staring at us. A couple tried to talk to us but we couldn't understand. Mum and I went over to the other side of the pagoda to look at the view from there and Dad kept talking to them. They said that they would like a photograph of mum and I because we were very beautiful and that Dad was very big and strong!!! We found this quite strange but amusing. Nonetheless we had our picture taken with them and the man videoed himself shaking Dad's hand. We felt famous!

This wasn't the only staring and photographing experience we had today. In the Forbidden City there were thousands of people 99% of which were Chinese. There were hardly any tourists which surprised us. During our visit a Chinese family came up to us and asked to have their photograph taken with us. He sat his son down next to me. It was another strange experience.

After the Forbidden City (which was fantastic but overcrowded) we went to Tiananmen Square. This was huge and not so crowded! We were keen to go and see Chairman Mao in his mausoleum (a place where someone dead lays) but it was closed by the time we got there.

We then went to the Temple of Heaven which is a large park with a temple in it! In the park we saw people playing kind of football keepy up thing. It was played with a sort of big, springy shuttlecock with feathers. We managed to buy one and Dad and I practised but it is a lot harder than it looks. Mum suggested that we buy one for the Sheffield United team to improve their footballing skills. Again in this park numerous families approached us for photographs. This was happening so much that when people didn't ask us for a photo Dad got offended.

We returned to the hotel to freshen up before going to an Indian Restaurant called the Taj Pavilion. It was fantastic food but the New Sangeet still holds top place for me.

Speak soon

Love from Meganxxx

Ps. This video is of the ladies dancing in Jing Shan Park

Friday 14th August 09

2009-08-18T08:37:00.000+08:00

Today we had to get up at 5 am to catch a flight to Beijing. We flew Dragonair which is Hong Kong based airline. There were hardly any people on the plane but I don't blame them because it was early!!! For breakfast Mum and Dad had Dim Sum - a selection of small Chinese snacks. I chickened out and had an omelette instead. It all looked a bit strange and unbreakfast-like!!

On arrival in Beijing we had a taxi driver meet us at the airport. Dad knew him from his previous visit and he was very friendly. It was funny because he hardly knew any English and we didn't know any Mandarin and so we had lots of fun trying to make ourselves understood. The driving in China was quite something really - they don't seem to have any rules on under or overtaking!

As you can see from the image, we went straight from the airport to the Great Wall. The heat wasn't as oppressive as in Hong Kong but it was still three times hotter than you usually get in the UK. To get up the mountains to the Great Wall you had to get a cable car. Mum was a bit apprehensive because they looked a little old and not too safe! Mum says she would like to see the safety certificate! It was fun though but anyone who is scared of heights would not have liked it.

When you actually get up to the Wall it is absolutely amazing. We had to climb lots of steps and the views are fantastic. It made us wonder how people built the Wall long ago without the machinery we have available to us now.

When we went down we went on toboggans. I wasn't keen on going down on my own because it looked pretty steep. So Dad and I went in one together and left Mum to get down by herself. It was fun because you could break or accelerate your own toboggan. In fact when we got to the bottom I wanted to go up and back down again.

We had a drink at the cafe afterwards and then went to the toilet. I decided not to go when I saw them because they were just a hole in the ground that you had to squat over to go to the loo. They didn't look too clean either and they absolutely stunk! I hope not all public toilets are like that in Beijing. But I'll let you know. If they are I will just use the hotel!!!

Afterwards the driver took us to our hotel in Beijing which was very nice. We stayed at the Kerry Shangri-La. We went for a swim and you had to wear swimming caps and disinfected shoes. Dad looked funny in his!

Later Dad took us to a local Chinese restaurant. The food was fantastic. We sat outside and lots of people were staring at us. So much so that Mum said 'hello' to some and they said 'hello' back and laughed in a shy way. We then went back to the hotel and slept heavily.

Speak soon.

Love from Meganxxx

Thursday 13th August

2009-08-18T08:22:00.001+08:00

Today we went to the arcade in Whampoa Garden. Mum let me have 100 HK dollars worth of tokens instead of 50. I was really excited about this. When I got there I went on a pirate machine. You have to get your token in a slot and then you get so many tokens. I won the jackpot!! The machine just kept churning out tickets and we had to wait 5 minutes until they had all come out. My bag was not big enough to fit them all in and so mum had to put some in a rucksack! I also went on lots of other machines but I didn't win as many tickets. When I got home I started counting them all but mum called me for lunch before I could finish counting them. See the picture for the amount I had to count. In the end I got 627 tickets from just today. In all that means that I have got 957. I set a target of getting 1000 before I go so I think that I might be able to achieve this!!

We went to relax up by the pool in the afternoon and I made yet another friend. We played in the pool all afternoon until she had to go. She was called Emily and was from the UK. She was nine so she was in year 4 at school.

In the evening Nev came home from work with Dad and we met Lesley at the Waterfront Cafe for a meal. It was good fun because we played the People, Place, Event game again and Uno. Nev really liked the People, Place, Event game. He and Lesley were both leaving the next. He was going home to Shanghai and Lesley back to the UK. Lesley was looking forward to going because she wanted to see Harry and Mark.

Off to Beijing tomorrow. Will write soon.

Love from Meganxxx

Wednesday 12th August

2009-08-17T10:01:00.000+08:00

Today Mum and I went to try and find Victoria Park for the second time! We went onto the Citybus website to find all the numbers of the buses we could get, and noted them down. Just to be safe, we got a taxi there. The tennis courts were really flooded: there was no way we could have had our tennis lesson yesterday. When we felt brave, on the way back, we were adventurous and got the bus back to Wan Chai ferry pier.

Lesley and Ashley came out with us again tonight, and we went to Tsim Sha Tsui, to watch the sound and light show. As one building lit up, you could hear the speakers saying the name of it. When Bank of China Tower lit up we all cheered loudly!

After the show we went to a restaurant called http://www.lavilla.hk/ where you could sit outside. Dad and I both had fish based food, whereas Lesley, Ashley and Mum all had pasta! Over dinner we played the People, Place, Event game. It is where you have to think of a famous person, place or event ex. William Shakespeare, The Eiffel Tower and The Queen's Silver Jubilee. Everyone came up with some really good ones, that really made the rest of us think hard! For pudding we ordered an assiette (a small amount of every dessert on the menu) which is my favourite dish at any restaurant!! With a cup of coffee we played a card game called Uno. It is really fun - I played it a while ago with my best friend.

We followed dinner by a trip to Temple Street Night Market because Lesley and Ashley wanted to go before they went home. As soon as we got there Lesley was straight in there bargaining a lot!!!! Ashley got a set of dolls for his daughters, they were really pretty. I bought a little panda that opened at the middle. It is so cute!!! It was a great night out.

Speak soon!

Love from Meganxxx

Tuesday 11th August 09

2009-08-13T10:47:00.000+08:00

Today Mum got me up really early to get the 9:06 ferry to Wanchai to get to tennis. It was supposed to be our first lesson with Ron Doctrove (Billy Doctrove-the cricket umpire's cousin) and I was really looking forward to it. I was really tired when I got up at 8:30am, so I got dressed and had breakfast to wake me up! At about 8:50am Ron texted Mum to say that the tennis courts are flooded so no lesson for today! Hearing this, I got back in bed and went to sleep till 9:45!!!

When we finally decided to get up, we got the bus to Stanley - a seaside town, with a market that sells all sorts of things. The bus ride was funny because it was a double decker, and we sat at upstairs at the front! Branches off trees kept banging against the glass at the front of the bus! The ride was a bit bumpy because the road wasn't in that could condition!

Once we got to Stanley, glad that we still had our lives, we ventured across to Stanley market! There were stalls selling English names written in Cantonese (they had Meagan and Meghan but not Megan.) I bought a Chinese jewellery roll to put all my jewellery in. It was quite interesting seeing what the different stalls sold.

We stayed in and Dad cooked us Bruscettas, sauteed potatoes and salad. It was delicious! After tea we played monopoly. Mum absolutely bankrupted Dad and I. We weren't very pleased because she always wins. It's not fair! It was fun though!

Speak soon!

Love from Meganxxx

Monday 10th August

2009-08-12T16:59:00.000+08:00

After the busy weekend, we decided to have a day at the apartment relaxing by the pool. I am reading a book at the moment called Midnight is a Place by Joan Aiken. I have nearly finished it because I do a lot of reading on the loungers at the pool. It is really good and keeps you turning the pages! I swam 25 lengths!! It was refreshing in the pool so I spent ages just doing handstands and forward rolls!

We then got the ferry to Wan Chai to try and find Victoria Park, where we are having tennis lessons. Dad said it would be sign posted, but it wasn't. Accidentally we managed to get to Times Square. It is really big, and it almost hurts your neck to look at the top of it!!

We were supposed to meet Dad at 7pm because we were going out with Lesley, Ashley and maybe Neville and Andy. We tried to get the bus but in the end we gave up and got a taxi! We were ten minutes late but they didn't mind (at least I don't think they did.) Neville and Andy did come but we had already ordered (oops.) It was a really nice evening and it was cool to meet some of the people Dad works with.

Speak soon!

Love from Meganxxx

Sunday 9th August 09

2009-08-11T17:59:00.000+08:00

Today we got up early to go for a swim because we were going dolphin watching with Lesley and Ashley later. They had arrived the day before but Lesley didn't have her luggage, so she had to walk around in the sweltering heat with what she had flown in. Luckily, it arrived later that day.

It was a really hot day so we were all glad to have a bit of a sea breeze! The boat was lovely and we all enjoyed seeing the massive cargo ships passing by. We sailed past the airport on Lantau Island, and there were planes coming in at least every 5 minutes! Unfortunately, we didn't see any dolphins (typical that when we went we didn't see any) but there were plenty of fish jumping in and out of the water!

The reason we are out here is because Dad is helping with a big project at work. It went live today, so Lesley, Ashley, Dad and I went into work to make sure everyone had got the right menu and the right software on their pc. It was really good fun, and I said I would work 3 days a week being Dad's PA!!

Speak soon.

Love From Meganxxx

Saturday 8th August 09

2009-08-10T10:44:00.000+08:00

Today we went to the Museum of Coastal Defence on Hong Kong Island. We got the First Ferry to North Point, which Mum and I didn't think was as good as Star Ferry, and then the 85 bus to the Museum. On the first try we missed our stop; just driving on past it not thinking anything of it! Second time Mum realised where we had to get off (thanks Mum!). Although Dad thought he knew better and started arguing with Mum saying it was the wrong place to get off!

We walked up the hillside to the Exibition Hall where there were videos telling you all about The First Opium War. It helped me to understand how Britain came to be in charge in Hong Kong for a period. I also learnt about the Japanese occupationand World War II. There were some spectacular views over the other side of the Island, and ships, big and small, going up and down. It was really interesting to walk amongst the battery remains and to see Chinese army uniforms.

After that we spent the night in Whampoa. Mum and Dad got their hair cut - Mum doesn't usually have it cut by anyone in a foreign country! Pizza Hut followed and the pizzas were great, but everything else was really weird! We ordered a salad, and it came with egg, big chunks of tomato and fish sauce. I mean how digusting is that? If we go again we are just having pizza!

Laters!

Love from Meganxxx

Friday 7th August 09

2009-08-09T19:58:00.000+08:00

Today we had a chilling day by the pool and we went to The New Sangeet for tea(it has become our weekly restaurant!!). The Indian food is fantastic and we love the live band-which also play Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire! It is time for my weekly review today, but instead of reviewing restaurants I am going to review all the trips I have been on this week. We have eaten in a lot(because we got back late from the trips) which I have enjoyed because Mum and Dad are great chefs: Normandy Chicken; Bruschetta and fried potatoes; Spaghetti Bolognaise and many more!

Disneyland - is absolutely fantastic. I was glad that we went when it was forecast to be rainy because 1. it put a few people off and 2. we didn't get as hot and exhausted. We went on lots of rides but my favourite was It's a Small World because you got in a boat and sailed round the different countries of the world. I also liked The Lion King Show and the Mickey Water Parade.

The Science Museum - is very good because it is interactive and there is a lot to do. You learn a lot about different aspects of science and I particularly enjoyed the electrical experiments and the fitness tests. It was a good way to spend half a day when the weather wasn't that good.

Cheung Chau - you have to get the fast ferry from Central to Cheung Chau. This was a great ride because we went up and down a bit which dad wasn't too keen on because he gets sea sick. It was particularly good when a hydrofoil went past us and created a big swell. We hired bikes at the harbour and the place was very interesting because it felt very Chinese compared to Hong Kong Island. We had a great time and would recommend the Windsurf Shack which is run by the only Chinese olympic gold medallist produced by Hong Kong.

The Escalator - the escalator starts near the Hang Seng bank, a short walk from Central Pier. It runs downhill until 10.00 am to let the people who live in mid-levels go to work. From then on it goes uphill so that people can get up the steep hills of Hong Kong! It is a fun way to see different areas of Hong Kong. We went right to the top and then proceeded on to the Zoological and Botannical Gardens.

The Zoological and Botannical Gardens - you would think that there is no greenery to be seen in Hong Kong but actually when you seek it out there are plenty of places where you can go and enjoy tropical gardens. There were different cages dotted amongst the tropical greenery. The gibbons were particularly good fun because they were swinging along their cage and were very active. The raccoons were very cute and seemed very interested in their carrots! One of them even attempted to make carrot soup by dropping his carrots into the water and stirring it around with his paw. This is a great place to spend a few hours and we are thinking of going again but taking a picnic with us.

Overall favourite outing: Disneyland.

That's all for now.

Speak soon.

Love Meganxxx

PS. The picture is of a party boat that goes past our apartment every evening.

Thursday 6th August 09

2009-08-07T18:46:00.000+08:00

Today we ventured out to Park 'n' Shop to buy some food and a new umbrella(it was raining and the umbrella Dad bought us didn't work)! A man, whom we had never met before, kept following us around Park 'n' Shop talking some nonsense about chocolate chips! He even followed us to the checkout!

On the way back we went to Jumpin' Gym arcade! I accumulated 83 tickets in about 10 minutes. Before I go I am going to exchange my tickets for a prize! I now have a deal with Mum and Dad: if I go to Park 'n' Shop with them to help carry the shopping, I get 10 minutes in the arcade! I am very satisfied with that deal. The arcade is a bit like the one at Butlins.

Once we got back we went up to the pool. A 10 year old Korean girl called Lauren, was keen to be my friend. She spoke very good English.

Andy (one of Dad's friends at work) came to have tea at The Waterfront Cafe-see blog entry for Friday 31st July 09. We had Spanish tapas to start and then I had penne carbonara. As usual Dad had fish which we avoided!I don't know about Andy but we had a great time!!!

Speak soon! Watch this space for my weekly Friday review!

Love from Meganxxx

Wednesday 5th August 09

2009-08-06T13:35:00.000+08:00

Today we went to Hong Kong Disneyland on Lantau Island!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was like the coolest ever-even better than Ocean Park except the Pandas!

We got the MTR from Central to Sunny Bay(5 stops). Then changed to the Disneyland line. The metro had Mickey windows and Mickey handles!!!

When we got there I think I was more excited then than when I was 4! We walked down Main Street, USA and it was done like a proper street with Mickey's House and things like that. We went on loads of rides but we ran out of time to do everything. We went on the carousel, the Jungle River Cruise and loads more. My favourite ride was It's a Small World. You went round in a boat and there were little models of different countries. We also watched Mickey's Waterworks Parade. We got absolutely soaked!! It was a really fun day.

When we got home Dad cooked us Spaghetti Bolognaise. It was delicious.

Write soon.

Love from Meganxxx

Tuesday 4th August 09

2009-08-05T11:12:00.000+08:00

Today we went to the Science Museum in TST, because the Space Museum was closed! Something tells me that someone doesn't want us to go there! The Science Museum was really interactive, and there were plenty of kids there, making it really noisy! There were plenty of things to do, and loads of different subjects to cover: Life Science; How to Keep Healthy; Magnetism and Forces and Telecommunication. Also, running throughout the whole museum, was a giant marble run. It went all the way through the museum- top to bottom! It was great!

It was really windy and rainy-going on the ferry was a rough ride-and typhoon warning 8 had been issued at 9:40pm! Everyone was asked to take extra precautions: close curtains; tape up windows and not to go near the shore. Don't worry! It is no big deal, it happens all the time here.

Anyway, the weather was awful so we didn't do much the rest of the day-except order another Chinese from Dial a Dinner!

Disneyland tomorrow!!!!!!!

Speak soon.

Love from Meganxxx

Monday 3rd August 09

2009-08-03T18:32:00.000+08:00

Today we had a morning trip up the Escalator to Mid-Levels. We got the ferry to Central and then followed the long walkway into town to Hang Seng Bank. The Escalator starts just across the road from there. For the people who live at Mid-Levels to go to work, the Escalator goes down in the morning until 10am. We went up it and there were some really interesting views over the city. It took about twenty minutes to go up it.

We then walked, along the streets and on overhead walkways, to the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens, near Hong Kong Park. We had a great time. There were cages of all sorts of animals hidden amongst the lush, green plants. There were: cute Racoons (see picture); playful Marmosets; funny human-like Gibbons; graciously, slow Tortoise and cheeky Lemurs! The Marmosets were jumping about all over the place but the Racoons just silently ate carrots! The Tortoise just sat sun-bathing, but the Gibbons swung on ropes swaying side to side. They were all amazing to watch.

We then walked through Hong Kong Park and bought our 3rd bottle of water! You probably lose a load more weight in sweat here than you do working out in the gym! I even walked through the waterfall to cool me down, because I was so hot!

After walking through Hong Kong Park we ventured over to Pacific Place (a shopping mall). Mum went into a few clothes shops and I went into Hong Kong Records-they sell CDs, DVDs, PC games, DS games and Wii games (whilst shopping we also made full use of the air-conditioning). I bought a Sherlock Holmes DS game, but I didn't have enough money so I have to pay Mum back! We went to Great Cafe to have lunch, we shared pizza and salad.

Taxis weren't allowed to stop where we were standing, but there were plenty of bus stops near by- I bet you can tell where this is going. We got the bus to Hang Seng Bank(yes, the bus) and retraced our steps back along the long walkway to the ferry pier! Dad was very impressed.

Feeling pleased with ourselves, we got the ferry from Central back to Hung Hom!

When we got home, I checked the weather forecast, and Typhoon Warning 3 had been issued! That means that a massive storm is on its way. The forecast said that Typhoon Warning 8 will be issued tomorrow at about noon. Typhoon Warnings go in this order: 1, 3, 8, 10. Don't ask me why!

Talk soon!

Love from Meganxxx

Sunday 2nd August 09

2009-08-02T18:43:00.000+08:00

We have had a bit of a lazy day today after yesterday's exertions, so I have some time to tell you more about Temple Street Night Market. Sorry I didn't tell you much about it last night, I just don't like to keep droning on!

The stalls are set out on the street, but it is a pedestrianised street. I have to tell you, there were some weird and wonderful smells coming from the street cafes! As you walk down through the stalls, there are light bulbs overhead. It is really hot if you stand under them for a while. I found it a great experience just to see what type of things the stalls were selling. There were: fake Duracell batteries; fake iPhones; cufflinks; silver jewellery; bracelets; fake Hugo Boss products and loads more. Some items you couldn't even tell if they were fake or not! I really enjoyed seeing it all.

There is also a jade market, a couple of streets away. It sells products made out of jade. Jade is a precious stone.

Speak soon.

Love from Meganxxx

P.S. We tried to go to The Teddy Bear Museum but we couldn't find it. We have just researched it on the Internet and we found out it shut down in 2005! So don't try to go there yourself, because it is guaranteed you won't find it!

Saturday 1st August 09

2009-08-02T11:21:00.000+08:00

Today we went to Cheung Chau Island on the fast ferry. We got the ferry from Hung Hom to Central. We then walked to Pier 5-Outlying Islands. Make sure you have plenty on your Octopus card!

Once we got there Mum and Dad rented bikes for us. They then proceeded to take us up a very steep mountain, that was so steep we had to get off and push our bikes up. On arrival at the top we then had to go down some steps, which also consisted of walking! So, you can see that we got full benefit of the 60hk dollars it cost to rent them!

Cheung Chau is a very Chinese island that is noticeably different from Hong Kong Island. The beaches look beautiful, but seeing all the rubbish in the sea on the ferry, I wouldn't swim in it. But that is just my personal view!

After a Chinese day we topped it off with an American evening! I broke the record of 4 years, and had a happy meal at McDonalds. There is one on virtually every street corner. Hong Kong is like the centre of all cultures. You can get anything you want any time you want! It is strange really. We followed McDonalds with the new Pixar film called Up! It made Dad cry!

We went to Temple Street Night Market. In case you haven't already guessed, it is a market but at night! It was very interesting to see what kind of things they were selling. There were people eating outside at strange looking street cafes. Dad said "If you want to survive the night don't eat at one of those street cafes!" If you bargained with the stall owners, you could get things half price. I bought a bracelet and a hair clip.

Hope you are having a cool summer holiday.

Love from Meganxxx

Friday 31st July 09

2009-07-31T23:03:00.001+08:00

Today, other than swim 50 lengths and get the ferry to Wanchai, we haven't done much so I am going to tell you about some restaurants where you can eat outside. Everyone thinks that eating in Hong Kong is about sitting in cold, air-conditioned restaurants, when actually if you seek out outdoor eating you will easily find it. In addition I am going to tell you about favourite moments of the week etc. I will do this every Friday.

Duetto, in Sun Hung Kai shopping mall, Wanchai, has a beautiful view over Kowloon. Duetto does Indian and Italian cuisine. We went there for a Friday night curry tonight.

The Waterfront Cafe next door to Harbour Plaza Hotel, Hung Hom, is a great place to sit watching the boats pass by. With fantastically presented food, The Waterfront Cafe offers a variety of food in a unique setting.

L16, located in Hong Kong Park, is quite similar to Duetto, in that it provides a choice of two different cuisines: Thai and Italian. Whatever you feel like, this restaurant can satisfy your tastebuds. For dessert I highly recommend the Mango Pancakes from the Thai Menu.

The Peak Lookout is located.... where is it again? Oh yes, the Peak! This restaurant has spectacular views over Hong Kong and Outlying Islands. It offers a wide selection of international food.

Last but not least, Isobar-a funky restaurant with great music, located in IFC 1 on the rooftop garden. There is a fantastic view of the light show if you are there for 8pm.

Now onto a few favourite moments-my favourite moment is seeing the pandas at Ocean Park. They were so kind of casual about things but more intelligent than you would think.

Favourite destination of the week: Ocean Park. A brilliant family day out!

My favourite restaurant of the week is a hard choice. Hmmm...... I think that the award has to go to The New Sangeet. A truly authentic Indian restaurant in a shopping mall on Granville Road, TST.

So, that is my weekly review of Hong Kong. Hope you like it.

Love from Meganxxx

Thursday 30th July 09

2009-07-31T10:30:00.000+08:00

Today we were going to go to the Space Museum in Tsim Sha Tsui, so we got the free shuttle bus to Hankow Road. Harbour City Shopping Mall was nearby so we went in to try to find me a scrapbook. We got so carried away buying games in Toys 'R' Us, that we had too much to carry. We bought: sinking things to go in the pool; World Monopoly; Uno a card game; Duo Blokus; assorted card games and Hong Kong Quizztory. I feel like I have loads to do now!

When Dad came home from work, he brought ingredients for a risotto. Mum started chopping the veg whilst Dad made the sauce. It was delicious. I used to have risotto when I was a baby.

I have set up World Monopoly so we are going to play that now.

See ya.

Love from Meganxxx

Wednesday 29th July 09

2009-07-30T10:39:00.000+08:00

Today, at 11:30am, we ventured to Park 'n' Shop to buy some groceries. Dad had left us hardly any milk for our cereal, so we had to have it dry. Whilst we were there, we topped up our Octopus cards, because I only had 2hk dollars left. Octopus cards are a bit like credit cards, but you can't use them in every shop. They are useful to have because you can use them to pay for transport.

After all that we went up to the pool to cool off. I made a friend called Holly. She is 9 and has a 10 year old brother called Sam. We splashed about for a couple of hours with our goggles on. Tonight Holly is flying to Sydney then to Adelaide. We had so much fun!

We then went to meet Dad from work and met some of his work mates. Andy suggested a restaurant where we could sit outside. It was fantastic because we could watch the light show while eating pizza.

Will write later.

Love from Meganxxx

Tuesday 28th July 09

2009-07-28T22:22:00.000+08:00

Ocean Park was so cool! We saw some pandas called Jia Jia (female) and An An- see the picture (male). They were so cute. An An started munching on a bamboo cane and when we went back to the pandas later there were only remains left! After that we got the cable car over the mountain to some more rides and we enjoyed some spectacular views, over Stanley (a famous beach resort and market place). When we got really hot we ventured onto the log flume and went down an almost vertical slope. We got absolutely drenched.

I have got used to the heat now but it has taken a couple of days. If you have a day out somewhere make sure you get some rest the day after as you will need it!

Tips on getting to Ocean Park from Kowloon Side: To make the most of your day get up early. We got the 9 am ferry from Hung Hom to Central. Walk towards pier 7 at Central and look out for the yellow bus stop with 629 on it. This is a Citybus. We got the 9:35 bus which will take you straight to Ocean Park. The park opens at ten on most days. Try to avoid visiting the park on Sundays as this is the busiest day. Although when we went (Tuesday) it was also quite busy. Hope this helps.

We are now ordering a Chinese from Dial a Dinner on the internet.

Love Meganxxxx

Monday 27th July 09

2009-07-27T22:07:00.000+08:00

Today we just had a total relax day because I was really tired. There were some real fatties in the pool today, as big as Sumo Wrestlers. I swam 28 lengths plus forward rolls and handstands.

Mum cooked us a roast dinner tonight, except Yorkshire Puddings: we don't have an oven. Afterwards we had strawberries, yogurt and honey.

Ocean Park tomorrow! I am so looking forward to seeing pandas and dolphins. We have to get up early but it is worth it. Yawn...

Gotta go!

BYE!

Love Megan xx

Sunday 26th July 2009

2009-07-27T21:58:00.000+08:00

Today we took the bus up to the Peak to do a two mile walk up Mount Austin. At first it was really hot and humid but then we had a tropical rain shower which cleared the air and made it cooler.

Then we went back to the Peak Square and bought an ice-cream. We had coffee, mango sorbet and strawberry cheesecake flavoured ice-creams. They were delicious. In addition we bought some more books! from Dymocks and some colouring activities for me to do.

We then spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool to cool down. It really refreshed me and I felt a lot better.

In the evening we went to the Waterfront Cafe which is next to the hotel right on the sea front. Whilst we were there the heavens opened and torrential rain poured down everywhere but everyone just continued sitting outside under the covers. The Chinese must be used to it. It was very exciting seeing rain like that!

Speak soon.

Love from Megan

Saturday 25th July 2009

2009-07-27T21:45:00.000+08:00

Yesterday I forgot to tell you that my tooth came out! I put it under my pillow and got 20 Hong Kong Dollars! That is about two pounds.

We went to a book fair at the Exhibition and Conference Centre in Wan Chai yesterday. It was absolutely fab. There was 30% off and three for two offers on and it was jam packed with people. There was a whole aisle of English books called English Avenue. We thought that this aisle would be empty but there were some Chinese people wanting to learn English there - hence they were buying English books. You could hardly move.

Mrs Hague taught me about Martin Luther King which made me want to buy a book about him. It includes his famous speech "I have a dream". I have now officially passed the test for taking and buying the most number of books on holiday!

Today is Saturday so Dad is off work - Hurrah! Mum is sending him on a morning mission to get: a sandwich toaster; some English muffins; a loaf of bread; balsamic vinegar and pesto.

Talk soon.

Love from Megan.

PS. Bought a Chinese character book to learn how to write Chinese but it is still all gobbledy gook to me.

Friday 24th July 2009

2009-07-27T21:30:00.000+08:00

Today we did pretty much the same as yesterday, but Dad has given us a long list of jobs to do in the Whampoa neighbourhood (where we are living). I swear the only reason Dad made us come here is to do his chores!

Anyway we met Dad from work at Hong Kong Park, which is right next to the Bank of China, where Dad works. He was really worried that we would tell him we didn't like it here but Mum and I totally love it here. We all went to a lovely restaurant called L16. It serves Thai and Italian cuisine.

It feels like a totally different world over here with loads of different things for your senses to take in. In the supermarket, JUSCO, there is one particular place that sells Japanese, wait for it, ....... Snake! I am not joking I promise you.

Mum and I are really starting to get to know Hung Hom and Whampoa. The Chinese are so friendly and they make it easy for you to get everything you need from one neighbourhood. You never need to go outside your neighbourhood if you don't want to. We do because it is nice to be adventurous.

Talk to you later.

Megan xxxx

PS. Cantonese is a rock hard language!

Day 2 - Thursday 23rd July 2009

2009-07-27T21:26:00.000+08:00

Sorry I didn't get to write yesterday but Dad was showing us round excitedly and I was really tired before I went to bed, so I couldn't write. There is so much to tell!

Yesterday Dad showed us Kowloon side (where we are staying) and the New Territories as well as the island side and Wan Chai where the ferry goes to. The ferry goes to TST and Central as well. He also showed us the basics of the shops and how to use our Octopus cards on the transport system.

We went for a little wander around Central - to Hong Kong Park where there are massive fish of all colours in the rather large pond! There are also terrapins. We then got the tram up to the Peak. This is a very steep journey. (See Photo.)

All this just makes me actually believe I am in actual CHINA when I write it all down. Will tell you about food/culture later. Got to go and swim (what a chore) NOT!

Bye

Love Megan

Arrival-from Heathrow to Hong Kong

2009-07-27T11:20:00.000+08:00

Tuesday 21st July, Heathrow, London

After a 4 hour car journey down to London, Mum and I were finally standing at check in handing over our bags. We were flying Virgin Upper Class.

I couldn't wait to get to Hong Kong and see the busy streets and the sky high skyscrapers!

A couple of hours later, well 12hours 55minutes later to be exact, we were stood, tired, waiting to collect our bags. We had had hardly any sleep because of a guy who was coughing and sneezing throughout the whole flight.

Then, when we were approaching arrivals hall, I spotted Dad and pegged it towards him. A Chinese guy was stood next to us and he almost started crying like the rest of us. He must have thought we had been seperated for at least a year when it was only two weeks!

In Hong Kong, on Kowloon Side, it was 32 degrees celcius: absolutely stifling heat and humidity. I was amazed at just the sheer amount of people going around their daily business on the streets.

Our hotel is called Harbour Plaza and has a roof top swimming pool.

Tips on reducing the risk of jet lag: If it is in daylight when you arrive in Hong Kong, make sure you get outside to get your body clock accustomed to Hong Kong time. Same advice for if it is nightime: try to get some proper sleep. If on an overnight flight to Hong Kong try to get some sleep. Hope this helps.

Love Megan