Ocean Park - Why Do They Call You Shaky Dave?


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Asia » Hong Kong
July 23rd 2005
Published: July 27th 2005
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Mix up with our room meant the hotel thought we were checking out today so we had to pack up, leave our bags in reception and hope the MET group leader had sorted it by the time we got back. Met Jo and Kath off the ferry and caught a taxi to Ocean Park! It's a theme park right on a peninsula and is split in two halves with a fantastic cable car with views of the south china sea between the two.
We got the abyss turbo drop (possibly the scariest ride ever) and drogon out of the way first. They had their very own shaky the shark although obviously not nearly as cool - he didn't even do a dance! Then went on river rapids - much steeper and splashier than log flume - I guess here people are less likely tot get hypothermia if they get soaked (especially the seat 2nd from the back!) The back carriage on the runaway mine train was SO where it's at! It goes right up to the cliff edge and if you're at the back I swear your carriage lifts off the track! Had my (not Dave's) first MaccyD's, but even the chinese stuff was junk food so you can't really blame us, and a coke float and went to the shark and atoll reef aquarium. Very cool - we spent ages in there just staring because their interactions and personalities are so interesting - from the cleaner fish to the little fish showing off at the front to the huge fish that hardly and cool stuff like a leafy (literally) sea dragon. They even had a Wilma!
Also went to see the giant pandas but that was a lot weirder - for one thing they looked like men in suits (top tip if you're looking for work in Hong Kong!) but also they didn't seem to have much space and their habitat was sooo artificial - it was kinda like a freak show - but then I guess they are endangered.
Didn't succeed in drying off so caught a taxi back remaining damp and smelly (boy were we popular). Caught the star ferry to the avenue of stars at Tsim Sha Tsui on Kowloon. Managed to find Bruce Lee's star and put our hands in Jackie Chan's handprints (they were really manky from people doing the same thing!) Then got a good spot to watch the skyscrapers light show. Saturday night has fireworks as well and it's really fantastic - they play John Williams style music and the skyscrapers flash lights in patterns in time time to the music - the Bank of China was giving it beans! And they have "lasers" too!
Caught the ferry back and had quite a classy meal at Jasmine near the double oval sculpture near the Star Ferry terminal. Unfortunately we did smell of flume, ordered fried chinese rolls (like doughnuts which you did in condensed milk) twice, ordered red beans in coconut jelly which dave then proceeded to wobble it for several minutes while we were in hysterics, we paid on HSBC credit card for discount but they phoned several people while they had it (I think they thought we'd stolen it) and we kept our straws to get a coke later - yes they did think we were insane. I guess you had to be there.
Said bye to Jo and Kath and went back to the hotel where they didn't have a record of our new booking. Crap. Eventually worked our that I was meant to be Kate and Dave was meant to be Sophie from MET. Managed to get a bed. Sweet.

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