Friday 3rd December

We had a really cool day today!

We decided to stay quite locally to save our feet, as we've walked miles already.


The centre of Tsuen Wan is just up the road, and the first shopping centre went into had this as a wall decoration.

The plants are all real and living, in a sort of tiered wall hanging basket full of soil. I've never seen anything quite like it before.






We did some shopping and I bought some boots ready for the snow at home! The girls here all wear their boots all the time as it's winter here for them. And we're still in short sleeves! NM bought his 5th I-phone case! They have so many to choose from here.

On the way back to the hotel we walked through this beautiful park. They really know how to do calm here, the parks are clean and well kept, and the plants and trees are beautiful.




The Park had originally been Hoi Pai Village, a Hakka Settlement, which was demolished in the 1980s to make way for the park. The Chan Yi Cheung Ancestral Hall was left standing and is now home to the local stray cat families.


In the evening we met up with old friends Ceci and Stella, for drinks and a meal at a really nice bar in Knutsford Terrace, Tsim Sha Tsui. Knutsford Terrace is the Kowloon equivalent of Lan Kwai Fong on Hong Kong side.

We got chatting to some other Gweilos (foreign devils!), alias 2 ladies from Cardiff and Scotland, who live and work in Hong Kong. It was funny to sit amongst the mix of nationalities, chatting about English shops and the snow!



When we got back to the hotel at about midnight there was an awful racket of hammering and banging coming from our floor of the hotel. They have been renovating, but the noise is supposed to stop at 6pm. I rang down to the front desk and when I finally made myself understood (with NM laughing away behind me as I tried to describe "banging" and "hammering" to a young and bemused Chinese guy), he sent the manager to investigate.

We went out into the corridor and met a Chinese guy from the room opposite, who had got himself locked out of his room. He very politely said Good Evening, whilst looking like a Chinese Mr Bean, in his comedy pyjamas. We flew back into our room, and how we laughed! In fact we were still laughing an hour later; he so matter-of-factly told the stern faced managers "I have lost my key". We heard his door opening about 10 minutes later, so he must have got back in :D

Today we are revisiting Fish Shop Street and the Beads quarter, before going to Discovery Bay for a farewell dinner with NM's brother and sis-in-law, and his parents who are due to fly back to the UK tomorrow, snow permitting.