Hong Kong 2011

Marina would like to share with you her travelling diary of Hong Kong).

On the plane
It takes 7 and a half hour to fly to Hong Kong. On the plane, I watched the movie called Roderick Rules, it is chapter from Diary of Whimpy Kid. It was really funny in some parts. Roderick is Greg's brother and they go to the shops to buy a hot dog and a smoothie and when they both a mouthful and they shouted 'BRAIN FREEZE'.

Get to Hong Kong
We stayed at my mum's brother's (uncle) house. First thing we did was to put away our luggage and make our beds. We slept on the floor with a yoga mattress under us and one of the worst thing is they don't have carpet where we sleep, they have wooden floor boards.

Cat
My uncle has a cat and it is very shy, she is grey with a bit of black. She likes hiding under the bed or in the dressing room under the clothes. To try to get this picture we went into the dressing room but everytime we tried to take a picture, she tries to move away.
Operation: Find the cat

This is the best shot !

Visiting relatives
We went to see my grand auntie, my grand uncle and my second cousin. We stayed to have dinner with them. My 95 year old grandma cooked a dish (braised pork hock) that my second cousin really liked. When we nearly finished, she went to that dish and went around to get every single bit of it.

The favourite dish is on the left hand side with eggs

From the left, my second cousin (Frances), my grand auntie ( 88 yrs old) and my grandma (95 yrs old)

For dessert, my grandma made a dessert (glutinous rice flour ball with black seame seed paste ) that my second cousin really liked too. And we also played a card game, I won once and my second cousin won the second round.

Frances and her favourite dessert and her grand auntie, that is my grandma

Mid Autum Festival (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Autumn_Festival)
To celebrate mid autum festival, my uncle and auntie invited their extended family to have dinner with us.

After dinner, some of my mum's friends and me went out at night to play with lantans. It was really fun to play lantans. We went to a park and there were big lantans there.

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On Saturday, 17th September, Uncle Fu picked us up. We have dim sim

We took MTR (Mass Transit Railway) to Admiralty and taxi to an Art Exhibition.

It was an Art Exhibition of Brian Lee, he is mum's high school friend's son.

For painting materials he uses color ink instead of textas, windies and pencils.

I liked most of the paintings especially the Hylocereus Undatus (dragon fruit )and the angel fish.

We then crossed the Victoria harbour by MTR again and I had some afternoon tea at my favorite Cafe De Coral.

On that night, there was a party at my uncle and auntie's home. There are some friends from Perth too !

On 18th September my mum, uncle, auntie, my friend Becky and me went to Disneyland.

First we went on a roller coaster called 

Space Mountain.

Second we went on a boat ride called it's a Small World and you see moving dolls dance to 'It's a Small World' in different languages.

Third we played Buzz Lightyear, you sit in a little car with two seats each have a gun, you try to shoot the 'Z's while the car moves. My highest score is Level 5. It is hard because you have to shoot right in the middle of 'Z's.

Fourth we watched a 4 D movie, 4 D means that it isn't just like your close to the character, it means that if there is water in a part of the movie, it sprays out water.

Fifth, we had lunch I shared a burger and chips with my mum.

Six, we watched a parade, my favorite float was the Lion King.

Next thing we did was to see some stachows (statutes) and if you press a button on it, it will spray out water, so because I was so hot I sprayed myself to cool me down.

Next I played a car game that I sat in a little car and there is a little course, so I pushed the paddle while I turn the steering wheel to go through the course.

Then we watched people played the story of the Lion King. I liked it because I always like animals.

Then we watched a show where people dressed up as characters in shows like stitch and mickey mouse and watched them dance.

Last we watched fireworks. It was a fantastic day.

After our China trip we had another week in Hong Kong

Sight-seeing and play with Rex

We went to to see some historical places at Yuen Long. You got to buy peanut lollies and banana cake and sesame snacks and all of three of those things I was allergic to. The only thing that is missing was seafood.

My first bowling game, I came last on the first set and first in the seond set. I found it really fun. I enjoyed to play with my friends (Rex, Ivan and Emily)  but I wish they had bowling balls that are only 5 lbs.

I had an enjoyable day.

Swimming with Dor Dor and Hei Hei at Ma On Shan Swimming Pool

There was a water slide but i wasn't tall enough (130 cm) and Hei Hei wasn't tall enough to go on it too.

We started a competition kind of game someone makes up something like hopping to the other side of the pool with the heads on your head, I won the first round and my mun won the second round. And there was one where you had to swim as far as you can without breathig once and auntie Mo won because she got to the end of the pool and I won second. Uncle Fu joked that all women are long winded. I also sctached my leg and Koon took me to the first aid station,

Catching up with aunties and uncles and friends
I met a lot of aunties, uncles and mum's friends in the last few days. In between we managed to go to the Hong Kong Park. There was this very long yellow slide that I went down twice and it was really fun.

First time I took a tram. I like it because it got very nice fresh air and you got to see everything.

Later on we took the underground train (MTR) and there were lots and lots of people because it was the  after work and there was lots of people taking train back to their homes.

Second last day we went to Crystal Jade Dumplings ( 翡翠拉麵小籠包 ) with mum's friends and that is one of my favourite resturants and that has got almost every one of my favouraite chinese food. 

On the evening before we flied out to Perth, we had a dinner with my aunties and uncles. We took a lot of photos with this new dress which is for Leo's wedding in Perth.

My grandma cooked our favouite dish - braised pork hock . Everyone enjoyed it.

When we got to the airport we were one and half hour early so we had dessert. My mum ordered an mango pudding and it was very nice.

I am dying to come back Perth for getting more sleep and eat some pie and also catching up with Daddy.

China

When the plane landed at China, I was very excited to get to the hotel. when we got there, the first thing we did was go swimming. We expected that every day we could go swimming but the rest of the day we got back at ten and by the time we go to sleep its 11 and the morning call is at 6; luggage at door by 7 , leave at 8 in the morning.

Day 1- Shanghai & Sozhou

The second day I had a pastry croissant, pan cake.

First thing we did was go to Shanghai Museum. The first floor has bronze, stone sculpture. Second floor ceramics; third floor seals, painting and calligraphy.; 4th floor jade, furniture and coins. The things that I liked most is the animals sculpture.

The next place we went to is a shopping area. I met a girl called Holly and she was in my same group. She is 11 years old.

We went to a garden called the Lingering Garden, I liked th garden because it is beautiful.

Next we went to another shopping area in the city. I bought a book that teachs how to draw animals. I bought Macdonals for dinner because the food arragned by the tour may not agree with me.

At 6 o'clock we went on a boat and a girl was singing some traditional songs on the boat .

We had dinner at eight. By the time we got to the hotel it was 9pm. So when I went to bed, it was 11.

Day 2:  Suzhou & Wuxi
We went to a silkworm factory. There were 3 jobs to do before you can turn it in the sheets, clothes, dresses, scarfs, handkerchief and underwear. Only when I saw the demonstration of what have to do. I was amased of how strong and stretchy silk was. Once a cocoon is washed and dried there was a table of 4 people stand on each side; I person picks up a piece of silk hold it out in front of her while the others grab it and they all pull for 1 layer of silk for a sheet.

After lunch, we went to a temple , to enter we had to wear covers for our shoes. We would look like elves if we had them on our ears too. I like temple because it was nicely built.

After we went to see a Buddha statute, they said if you touch the foot or hand, it will give you good health and happiness. I went all the way up with no problem but my mum was puffing a little.

We watched a water show and it was very creative and spectacular; but we got a bit wet when the wind blew a bit.

At dinner, we celebrated my friend Holly’s birthday and another girl in the group called Lilly.

 

Day 3: Wuxi & Hangzhou

In the morning we went to the pearl factory. We saw someone open a fresh pearl and at the start she told us to guess how many pearls were in there. I guessed 2 big one but I did not get as when she opened it, it had around 30 something.

At lunch time every one was eating when Holly’s mum turned the lazy suzy, a plate hit my glass of coke and it spilt all over me. Holly’s mum washed my top which made it more wet. While my mum was looking in our luggage for another clean top.

Next we went to West Lake, it was quite a long trip. In West Lake we took a boat ride there was very nice scenery. We saw a fish jumped out of the water.

After we were walking to dinner , me and Holly found a shop called H & M , we took a photo.

When we got to the restaurant, I had a really bad pain in my ear, I cried. If I moved my jaw, it hurt even more.  So I didn’t eat. We then went to see a show which was exciting and creative.

After I was much better so my mum bought me MacDonald’s. I eat that in bed at the hotel.

Day 4: Wuxi & Nanjing

Next day after having buffet breakfast we headed to a tea farm. There was this man who talked about how tea was good for you and he talked like he was telling a story.

We had 4 hours drive to Nanjing. I slept 2 hours and the other 2 hours, we did karaoke. Lilly, Holly and me sang Do-Re-Mi. Holly and I sang 'I am Australian'. I sang twinkle twinkle little star in chinese and a song about brushing teeth in the tune of this old man in chinese too with my mum.

Next we went to Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's mausoleum, he was the founder of China. We were going to walk to the end and we came to a archway and wen thought it was the end.

But when we looked at the other side there were 392 more stairs to go up !

We managed to walk up and looked the misty scenery from the top.

On that night, we did not join the tour group for dinner as we had dinner with uncle and auntie. 

Then I visited the grandkid of uncle and auntie and had a play , they gave me 2 gifts.

Day 5: Nanjing and Shanghai

We went to one of the longest bridges in China. It was very windy.

 

Most of the australians in the group, we missed four.

After that we went to a gallery that sells inner paintings. It was my first time that I saw this kind of painting. it is different because there is a glass globe that is hollow inside with an opening the artist has a brush 90 degrees sideways. the artists puts it into the hole and starts to draw backwards on the inside.

Day 6: Shanghai to Hong Kong

In the mroning we got to have a relaxing buffet breakfast and sit with Holly and her mum before leaving for Hong Kong.

We got onto the plane and I realised that there was no TV, no music and that the plane was so old that it still had ashtrays in it. At Hong Kong it was stormy ( typhoon) so we got delayed 3 hours. I read my whole chapter book; played a few ard games with my mum. The the pilot said we were having take off. A number of planes including ours were on the runway,

I was looking forward to leave. My mum said to sleep and when I wake up it will be in in Hong Kong but when I did , my mum said I wasn't and that I was in Xiamen for refueling. We were stuck there for another 2 and a half hours. I was hungry so my mum asked for some bread. . The lady aid that they warmed it up before and it would not be fresh. All she could give me were lollies. then we asked for ice-cream. She said yes and gave me one. We played card games again , we got really bored.

We finally landed in Hong Kong Airport at half past eleven. We stayed on the same plane, same seat for a total of 10 hours.

Note: After Marina returned from the trip, there was a writing competition oganised by the author of the book 'Are we there yet?' I sent her writings to the organisation and she was one of the winners 

Last day of my China trip

We got onto the plane and I realized that there was no TV, no music. The plane was so old that it still had ashtrays. As Hong Kong had typhoon, the plane could not take off. I read my whole chapter book. I played a few card games with mum. After 3 hours, the pilot said we were taking off. We saw a number of planes including ours on the runway.

I was so looking forward to leave. My mum said to sleep and when I wake up we would be in Hong Kong but when I did , we were in Xiamen (China) for refueling. We were stuck there for another two hours. I was so hungry so my mum asked for some bread. The lady said that they warmed the bread up before and it could not be served again. All she could give me was lollies. Then we asked for ice-cream. She said yes and gave me one. We played card games again, we got really bored.

We finally landed in Hong Kong Airport at half past eleven. We stayed on the same plane, same seat for a total of 10 hours; supposed to be a two hour trip.