More of Hong Kong and Margaret and Bruce's visit!

Just near our hotel is the ferry wharf and there we catch a Star ferry for the 8 minute trip across to Kowloon. Kowloon is the big shopping hub in Hong Kong. Lots of shopping centres and markets there. We have been over a few times now and enjoy looking around.

Hailey loves the ferry ride.

Ben is mainly interested in cars and was very happy when we bought him a set of HK vehicles. He always has a car in his little hand.

On the trip over. Its so nice as there is always a breeze on the water and it is always warm, unlike melbourne!

Margaret and Bruce (Nanna and Grandpa) have come over to HK for 10 days. Its been great having them here and we have had alot of adventures with them.

And on the other side. Our hotel is in the background.

Chicago's opening night in Hong Kong. The hotel put on a big, fancy party for the cast, crew and lots of other VIP's.

We caught a tram to the Peak which is on top of a mountain with a view all around of Hong Kong. It was a very steep tram that went all the way up the side of the mountain.

Hailey and Margaret enjoying the tram ride.

The view from the peak....very nice. There were some amazing homes up there that were only for the extremely rich. Great to walk around and have a look.

Shane thought he might take on Bruce Lee...... at Madam Tussauds.

Lots of eating out. We were happy with this place because we were all craving a bit of home style food and managed to find a place that had it.

Margaret and I spent the day at Stanley markets which is an area with many, many stalls. It was a really great day looking at all the things on offer. Most items were very good prices and we bought a few bargains.

On Friday we spent the day at Ocean park. It is a water based theme park. We had a great day and did lots of interesting things including riding a train/submarine through a mountain and riding in a cable car.

The Panda exhibit. There were little Panda's...

And a big Panda. Beautiful animals.

Hailey with a big Panda.

There was a large collection of fancy goldfish on display. We didnt know they came in so many shapes and sizes.

We watched a Dolphin show and it was really good.

There was a very large indoor aquarium with many sharks, rays, turtles and lots of other big and small fish.

This was Hailey's first ever ride. The Raging River! It went around on a course then there was a large, fast slide down a slope at the end where they all got wet. Hailey screamed all the way down the slope but was so thrilled and so excited by it and couldnt stop laughing. They all had so much fun!!

There was a huge rollercoaster that Shane went on. He then convinced Margaret to have another go with him. Very scary!!

Back at the hotel and serving dinner in the Bathroom/Kitchen. You have to be very creative in your use of the limited rooms when living in a hotel.

Dinner on the floor as per usual. Have to lay down newspaper to keep the carpet clean while the kids eat. We get the newspaper delivered every day so we put it to good use.

We have had such a great time having Nanna and Grandpa visit. Hailey and Ben are so excited at seeing them everyday and love having them around.

Hailey and Ben sitting on our hotel rooms window ledge.

When it rains, it really rains!! Hailey, Ben and I got stuck in it on the way home from the supermarket and we were soaked through in about 3 seconds!

Hong Kong!!

On Monday 17th May, we flew to Hong Kong and moved into the Grand Hyatt. It is a large, luxurious hotel and we are very thrilled with our room and the facilities. We even have a private yacht at our disposal!!!
Here is a photo of the foyer. It is very large so the photo only captures a small part.


Poor light, but here is one of the several water features in the foyer.

Our wonderful room. It feels like a mansion after the tiny place we stayed in last week. There is plenty of room to move around and a corner for the toys so the kids can play again.

This corner is exciting as it has a big fridge in it. We have been surviving with tiny mini bar fridges but this one has 2 shelves!!

The desk where i can use the computer. It is great because it is away from the kids so they can sleep and I can be in my own little corner without disturbing them.

The bathroom is pretty cool. It is very spacious with lots of fancy fittings.

Finally the kids can have a bath again.

The playground at the hotel. We couldnt believe our eyes when we saw this. Poor Hailey and Ben have been so cooped up in hotels and now they can run and play as much as they want! It is a huge area.

Down here, there is also 2 swimming pools, several gym rooms, a running track, tennis/squash courts and a golf driving range.

Hailey and Ben are very happy children with all this to play on!

The view from our room. Its lovely being able to see so far and its peaceful watching all the boats.

And at night.

A local street with a tram and housing. Its quite amazing the density of housing. There are many tall unit blocks everywhere and they are very close together.

A local street showing more housing.

A local wet market. It has fruit/veges and meat/fish. Very interesting. The fish and seafood are all alive!

We really stand out. It's a population of 90% Chinese here and Ben with his blonde hair gets alot of looks! Also, it seems no one uses a pram here. Everyone carries their children. They must be very strong.

A local visit.

We were very kindly invited to the home of Katherine, Faroek and Adel. Katherine drove us around the local area and showed us all the housing blocks and the local shops which was very interesting. Here are the unit blocks near her home.

The view from the window.

Their gorgeous little boy, Adel.

Ben having a play on their keyboard.

A photo kat took of Hailey.

Playing before dinner. Its such a lovely home and alot bigger than the units we are used to. The weather is so nice and warm and there is a breeze through their windows. Hailey and ben loved discovering all Adel's toys!

They made us a feast for dinner. It's called Steamboat and there are lots of delicious things we can put in the pot in the middle of the table to cook, then eat. It was a delicious meal!! We had a great time with a really nice family.

We were so fortunate to meet K & F as we wouldnt have seen where people live or learnt so much about life in Singapore without them.

The two little boys. They are 3 months apart in age.

Newton Circus is a Hawker's market where you can get really good food. All the stalls are in a big circle and you pick and choose where to get different dishes from.

We had king prawns, sting ray and satay sticks. So good!!!

Ben munching on a satay stick.

When it rains in Singapore, it really rains!! On this day, we were walking around Chinatown but then the rain came so we caught a taxi home.

The area we are staying in for a week is very different to the last. Its very busy with 2 beautiful temples behind the hotel and hundred's of street stalls. The shopping area is always packed with people and there are many interesting things to look at.

There are a whole heap of Trishaws here so we went for a ride.

We went for a 10 minute trip around the area.