This day at Ocean Park is full of joy undercut
with some sadness that Joe will leave tomorrow and we may not meet till next summer.
We attend to tedious Couple Chores, how he will
help me in Canada, and how I can help him in Hong Kong, and lists in our notebooks, and phone numbers and addresses to share.
Then we rush to Ocean Park and get there by one
in the afternoon.
Firstly I am confused by the hugeness of Ocean
Park and all lack of maps on the stands.
We decide just to start walking, and I am impressed that you
cannot even enter Ocean Park without going through its tourist souvenirs shop!
The nerve!
Also, it is full of Miss Kitty, and Barbie, and McDonald's
toys.
We hit the fake Chinese Village right away, and after Folk
China in Shenzhen, a truly fascinating theme park with exactly produced houses of folk tribes from all over China, this village
is charmingly laughable, with a Big Buddha plunked down right in the village sqaure, and an American voice pretending to the
voice of the first famed Chinese Emperor, who sits alone as a carved statue in a tiny house.
It is great for photographers, if you take the photos from
the right angles.
The ocean side aspect of Ocean Park lives up to its reputation,
and it is rare to feel such tranquillity in a theme park anywhere in the world.
I warmed up to Ocean Park as the day went along, and recommend
it very highly, though I would assume week-days are best for avoiding long ride line-ups.
We got lost next in The Aviary, a parklet with pink flamingoes
and white swans, and the expected pagodas and octagonal houses on ponds.
After finding a map, we began a long slow ride to a top level,
where we located the Dolphin Circu area, and planned to return for the 3.30 show after hitting a few rides.
The rides were quite a suprise, as they were included in the
admission ticket, you only had to wait one turn, and you could go on them as much as you liked.
Also they were located on the fringe of the park, and swinging
above the ocean rather than other amusement rides gave a healthy dimension, as you screamed and your lungs filled with ocean
air!
The dolphins were boring to Joe, as he had had enough of them
in Vancouver, and yet I had never seen any, and loved their brightness and playfulness. They are really one of nature's
most intriguing animals, and the affection between the trainers and the sea creatures produced a popular show.
There are a lot of people speaking Mandarin, said Joe. who
speaks Cantonese.
Maybe the local Chinese have been here a lot already, I said.
The park was well laid out once you began to figure it out,
with huge spaces of trees and flowers and even near empty roads.
We finished with the Panda Bears.
i told Joe he reminded me of a Panda Bear, with his stocky
physique, solid torso, and huge dark eyes.
He didnot know how to take this, though bought me a small panda
souvenir at the gift shop, before we went for iced tea at The American Cafe by the exit.
I took him out for dinner to say a teary farwell before parting
later.
