Ocean Park

Almost as soon as the boys got out of school, we had the opportunity to take a trip to Hong Kong. It is the rainy season (or typhoon season) there as well. But we enjoyed visiting friends, going shopping (especially at book and music stores), and eating at some great restaurants… California Pizza Kitchen, Amaronis Italian family-style restaurant, Outback Steakhouse… And we indulged in genuine Krispy Krème donuts!! Our last day there we took a day trip to Ocean Park on the island. This meant we took the MTR (subway) to Admiralty station which entails going under the harbor. And then took Citybus 629 from there. Ocean Park is spread out over a valley and a mountaintop. It took a series of tall escalators to reach the top where we watched the seals play, road a tower lookout ride, visited with sharks and jellyfish, and toured a coral reef.

The aquariums were built for optimum viewing with surface and below surface vantage points. We walked through the shark tunnel with the toothy creatures swimming all around us. The jellyfish aquarium was more like a darkened modern art gallery. But the coral reef proved to be the most diverse. We entered at the surface and walked the passages that circled lower and lower enabling us to view sea life from all different levels. Sea rays surfaced to make friends, colorful blue Surgeonfish pecked at the reef, sea turtles circled mid-range, and a huge Giant Grouper lumbered through the deeper regions. We got soaked from the rain and the Raging River ride. Enjoyed the flying swings. Took the cablecar along the mountain ridge with trees, flowering shrubs, and grass on one side; and a drop to the ocean and a quiet harbor hosting an asian junk looking much like a pirate ship on the other. We were thankful for the time to get away, but also very ready to get home. It seemed that the boys’ excitement increased with each leg of the trip back to our city.

By the way, Peter took a lot of these pictures.