Water adventure at the Tseung Kwan O Pool

We seem to be spending more and more time at pools these days. Recently, Tori swam at a Hong Kong Division 2 meet at a pool we had never been to before. The swim meet was a little tense as it was Tori’s first ever long course meters meet (her first in a long 50 meter pool). As she waited hours and hours to swim, she kept looking out at the larger pool complex which had slides and play structures. It was all a little poignant and we vowed to get her back there for fun before the next Divisional swim meet.

With navigational help from friends, we easily drove to the pool but remained worried about parking. We followed the signs and drove right to the pool’s car park. We drove into a car park with about six spaces, four of which were vacant. This is pretty typical in Hong Kong where most people take public transportation. It still never fails to amuse me that in a densely populated place like Hong Kong, the parking lots are so small and so wide open.

The pool complex is connected to a large public library. On the Sunday we visited, the pool was not very full but the library was jam packed. As the day went on, the pool filled up a bit and we could only surmised that kids were allowed to swim after they did their Sunday library time.

The pool itself was fantastic; a couple water slides, a couple different climbing structures in the water and my favorite, a huge bucket that filled with water and tipped over every couple of minutes. It was all good fun and just the type of thing we typically seek out on vacation. It here it is in Hong Kong, accessible with my Octopus Card ( a multipurpose payment card used for public transport, McDonalds and lots of other things).

We eventually worked our way over to the diving well, where kids and adults attempted dives and flips all well beyond their abilities. We were amusing and developed a bit of a following. At one point some girls a little older than Tori were following us around. Once they started talking to me- in perfect English- it became clear they wanted to meet Tori, the blonde haired girl. Only then did I notice that we were the only non-Asian folks at the pool that day.

For our next Tseung Kwan O Pool dive, we are going to try find the PC Deli. Over the years I have heard many people rave about this Western style deli. When I told a friend out our swim trip, she reminded me that the deli was right around the corner. The pool snack stand served lots of things like fish ball soup and fried noodles but nothing our kids would eat, even in a swim induced hungry state. The promise of good Western food and good cheap family fun is an intriguing combination and we will be back. We have a pretty good grasp of the directions but I really hope that car park is still open!