Day Three

By Friday morning, a combination of jet-lag, over excitement and dodgy tummies had overtaken the gang, so we all spent the day doing our own thing.

For me it was a chance to indulge in one of my favourite girly pastimes...pointless browsing! I got a cab to the Times Square shopping centre near Causeway Bay, and despite the perpetual rain, spent the next four hours wandering from shop to shop.

Times Square was full of mainly western shops and therefore no really great bargains to be had, tho I did debate buying a Marc Jacobs necklace watch which was £20 cheaper than I'd seen it in Selfridges in Birmingham a week ago, but as I am still loving my Techno white ceramic and diamonds one, decided against it. I strolled back out into the rain, popping in and out of all kinds of bizarre little shops - including one that sold nothing but chopsticks! - before giving in to my real passion.

I found a branch of Watson's Chemists, which I'd discovered in Thailand last year. I think it's an Aussie company and is a bit like Boots, but their shelves are stocked with all kinds of amazing potions and lotions, the like of which you never see here. It's almost as excellent as Duane Reade the American drugstore chain.

Soon my basket was filled with all kinds of strange things ... a whitening moisturiser from Olay, a face mask that actually is a mask and makes you look like Hannibal Lecter, bizarre breath mints, the best tweezers in the world ever, and two bottles of my favourite Phyto shampoo which were less than a tenner each, but cost over £20 at home. I was in hog heaven!

Back at the hotel I dried off and chilled for a bit. I even contemplated taking a swim but was told it wasn't open cos of the rain. Later when I met up with Pierre he told me he did manage to get a swim but had to sign a legal disclaimer that if he got struck by lightening he wouldn't sue the hotel!

The gig was another cracker and was rammed with people. We all had an amazing time, and after the show met John Fothergill's twin!



We were served yet another wonderful Indian meal on the terrace, which we followed up with a swift half in a pub in Wan Chai. No covers band in here tho, instead the floorshow was a bunch of drunken ex-pats having a row with a Chinese guy...not pleasant.

Boy those hotel beds are comfy!