Wednesday 11th August 2010

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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