Me and Ye Shiwen, two times swimming gold medalist, London 2012

As the athletics starts today and all eyes are on the Olympic stadium with favourites such as Usain Bolt aiming for gold. Now, I’m really getting into the Olympic fever…

I am thrilled to be in London at the moment. The buzz in the capital is truly infectious. With concerts and funfairs taking place in various parks, there is almost something for everyone. So, I decided to get out there and check out what was on offer. With thunderstorms forecast for the day, I armed myself with boots and a brolly and headed to the East end of London where all the action was taking place - the BT London Live

The trains have run smoothly so far, though I almost passéd out from heat last week on the tube. (Note: London public transport does not have air-conditioning so take a hand fan). Taking the train from Westminster to Mile End was not as bad as I thought and at 12.30pm GMT the mood in the train was upbeat. There was a group of Brazilians, who talked and sang loudly throughout the journey. This is quite unusual for the British who hardly shout in public transport. After a few minutes of sending the group some stealing glances we all gave up and let them be.

Mile End was in full swing with people waving flags and large crowds had gahtered everywhere which was quite unusual for a weekday. Security was tight with police officers, soldiers and the ambulance not leaving anything to chance.

On the short bus ride to Victoria Park in Hackney where the concert was taking place, I met an elderly couple who were going to the concert as well. The man told me he had grown up in Hackney and left 79 years ago to live in Heathrow. Puzzled, I felt like asking him how old he was but at that moment that wasn’t important. He looked old but he was still out to enjoy life.

We arrived at the park and there were more policemen and security agents. It was sunny! Thank goodness. More buzz. I walked through to 'check in'. There were long rows of queues just like at the airport. (Beware). I had ordered my tickets online and so did not have to wait long. We were told that food and drinks were not allowed in the park and that there would be an aircraft style checking. (A marketing gimmick to make us spend in the park, I think). Then, I had my bags checked and my body searched thoroughly including my boots.

The park was full of fun for everyone. There were big screens with families camping round. There food stalls - £7 for a decent meal and £2.50 for a small bottle of water. (Pricey!). There was the famous zip wire that the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson got caught on Wednesday, bungee jumping and of course a concert stage. I ha been expecting to see Misha B but then I found out it was Alexander Burke we would see.

But after a few hours, I got bored and settled to watch a few new comers on the music scene. It rained a little. A group called TRIO, sang ‘Umbrella’ by Rhianna and it rained a bit more. We all brought out our brollies and soon I got more bored so I decided to visit the Olympic Park.

From Victoria Park, it’s just one bus ride to Stratford. I was astonished at the number of police riders and security staff I saw on the way. Most roads around the stadium are closed and I wonder how the residents around the park get in and out of their homes.

Finally, I arrived in Stratford and the first thing that hit me was the sight of crowds. I have never seen that many people in neither London before nor anywhere else in the world. There were people from every part of the world. I edged my way past the station towards the brand new Westfield’s Stratford. Slowly, I made my way inside the complex. There were people everywhere. Large crowds were going into the Olympic Park and others were going into the mall.

Once inside I was attracted to a lovely Shambala jewellery stall and who was I standing next to? The Chinese sensation, 16 year-old Olympic gold medallist, Ye Shiwen who had been in the news a few days ago. In the 400m medley, Ye Shiwen astonishingly covered the penultimate lap in 29.75 seconds, faster than record-breaking Michael Phelps in the men's final, and the last in 28.93, quicker than Ryan Lochte did in winning the male equivalent. The rest is history.

With security and safety issues in mind, the management of London Olympics have decided to close the mall on Friday and Saturday between 10am GMT and 5.30pm GMT to all shoppers except for those who have tickets to watch the games, members of staff and contestants. This will give visitors and the Londoners the chance to visit other parts of London which have become 'ghost' towns because of the concentration of people in Stratford.

Top places to visit at Westfield's Stratford:

The food court – McDonalds, Nandos and KFC