Museum pass

Day 11 - Saturday 7th August. Today we had breakfast overlooking the Harbor in the hotel dining room. It was really fun to watch the cranes loading and unloading containers and to see all the activity at the port. Afterwards we went to the Science Museum where we purchased a Museum pass - after purchasing it I realized that the pass was good for about 8 (how lucky!) museums run by the Hong Kong Culture Ministry so it was a particularly great deal for about 20 pounds total for all three of us for an annual family pass. The Science Museum was pretty good - they had many exhibits including a special exhibit about biodiversity in Hong Kong and China.

After the Science Museum we had planned to have dim sum across the harbor in Central. Theo has been asking nearly daily about riding the legendary Star Ferry which crosses the harbor. Martin thought we could walk to the ferry pier - we did but it was longer than planned and we were all dripping with sweat by the time we reached the ferry. The ferry ride was quick and delighted Theo but I think I will save it for when it is cooler as the walks on both sides of the ferry were not insignificant.

We wandered along an upper walkway, taking a detour through air conditioning at one point to obtain some relief from the heat. The cityscape is deceiving as destinations often appear closer than they are and actually reaching a location is often complicated by building works, major roads, another building, steps, etc.

We finally found Maxim's in City Hall which is well known for dim sum. It was a massive ballroom with impressive chandeliers and a beautiful Oriental rug in a pale peach. The service was by little carts that women wheeled around the stately room and you could choose the dim sum dished you wanted when they stopped by. We had a lovely time and enjoyed the dim sum.

When we returned we all went to the pool for awhile - the water was colder than previous days from yesterday's thunderstorm. After the children were in bed there was a tremendous thunderstorm - perhaps one of the largest I've ever seen. The rain was so steady that we could not see the lights from across the harbor. I enjoy a summer thunderstorm so this natural display of nature's power was a real treat (though the pool is probably going to be even colder now!). Despite the mid-day walk in the heat (yes, thank goodness for those British passports) today was a really fun day. Theo and I have talked about how we are looking forward to going back to the Science Museum and exploring other museums too.