This is it! The long wait is over. Booked this trip early August and got our excitement at its peak until the very day of our flight. Planning our Hong Kong trip was quite easy since Jho and I were both hands on. Bought our round trip tickets for 3k each (yup! promo!) and our hotel stay for approximately 6k. We were already in the airport 3 hours before our flight, got our luggage checked-in (this time all covered with clean wrap - takot eh. Haha.) and our boarding passes ready. Were off to go! We left Philippines at 7:20 AM of December 03, 2015 and arrived at Hong Kong at 9:10 AM. Fast ride! Once we got off the plane and got our luggage back, we were a bit lost on where to buy the Octopus card (the main mode of payment in most of HK's establishments and services). But we managed to find it! Just a bit of help from the airport staff of course. :p Once we had our Octopus cards with us, we knew we're ready to discover Hong Kong! Wuhoo. ツ First stop was TST (Tsim Tsa Shui), where we took bus A21 from the airport going there. We were excited to ride the bus for it's both our first time to experience a double decker. ツ Of course, we went straight up. :p Personally, I love how their buses looks like. Aside from being uniquely numbered based on their routes, octopus cards can also be used to pay fares, and they have enough space for luggage and have comfortable seats and foot rests. Also, they have screens to show at what stop they are already at. ツ Nice! So when we were informed by a Filipina aboard that Nathan rode is near (the place where we are staying), we grabbed our luggage and got ourselves ready. Apparently we were lucky that a number of Filipinos are also with us in the bus and they are looking for Nathan road as well. Once we saw the hotel, we left our luggage, and hurried to find the ferry terminal bound Macau! Yes! We have Macau in our itinerary! ツ Why not, it's just near Hong Kong and it's usually what travelers do - Trip to Hong Kong plus a side trip to Macau. ツ On our way to the ferry terminal, we passed by Kowloon Park and saw some flamingos! I never thought I'd see one there. They're so graceful. And so pink. Haha. ツ They were very very attractive that we stayed and stared at them for a couple of minutes before proceeding to the terminal. After a 2-hour ride via Turbo Jet, we finally made it to Macau. It was raining a bit but it did not stop us from discovering The Venetian Macau, a place that captured our hearts and senses. (Shout out to the free shuttle buses around Macau! Thank you.) Since Macau is known for its casinos, we did not let the day pass without sneaking one. Yep, just went inside to observe and did not play. Haha. Since it was my first time, I was so enthusiastic to go inside but to my surprise, we were blocked by the watch person. They even checked our passports. At first I felt offended because others were able to enter directly so why stop us? But eventually, I understood. We looked like minors. -___- Haha. Specially Jho with a backpack and bonnet that time. And so, I let it pass. I just took it as a compliment. :p The casino was huge, and it looks like everyone's having so much fun. Everybody looked great! But I know at one point, a lot of them lost the games. :p
At The Venetian is also where we got to try the famous egg tart! It's goooooood. Yes, it was that gooooood! I just hoped we didn't eat much at McDonald's before trying one so we can carry more egg tarts in our tummy. :p Haha. Macau's version of the Grand Canal (and gondola boats) was also found in The Venetian and I must say it's one of the hotel's tourist spots aside from the intricate European inspired design evident in all corners of the hotel. There is also a HUGE array of shops to choose from for Shopaholics. The prices are
really expensive although there were few stalls selling bargain items.
After seeing and enjoying the breathtaking Venetian for half a day, it's time for us to go back to Hong Kong via Cotai Water Jet. We didn't have the chance to go to other places in Macau but next time, for sure we will. ツ So far this was the fastest day tour we've had, but the cheapest one. It was all worth it! Except for the rain that night that gave us chills. It was so, so cold.. On our way home to the hotel, we just enjoyed the city lights, the busy crowd and the cold weather. First day at Hong Kong, and I'm already loving it.
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| For extra safety, clean wrapped the luggage! :p |
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| Quick bite before we take off. |
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| Someone's excited for her first out of the country experience! |
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| Touchdown, HK! Their double decker buses behind me. |
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| Saw a group of flamingos our our way to the ferry terminal. What grace. ツ |
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| Turbo Jet tickets, check! |
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| Our first meal since we landed. Of course, it had to be Mcdonald's. Haha. |
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| Tryin' out the famous egg tart! |
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| Grand Canal behind us. |
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| Look at that gorg! |
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| Selfie! |
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| Sorry, I did not let this pass. At the Venetian hotel and casino's comfort room. Haha! I loved the interior. |
Now on our second day to discover Hong Kong. We started off with a heavy breakfast at Yuen Kee Restaurant to ready ourselves for a long day. Barbecued Pork Omelet for me and American Porkchop Bun for Jho. Finally, a meal we can call "meal". :p (because we just took any food we found along the way and ate it while walking. :p ) Afterwards, we headed for MTR's TST Station to see the famous Citygate Outlet at Tung Chung, Hong Kong. Who could resist shopping at this time and place? No one! So we bought ourselves something. And for some reason, it has to be shoes! Haha. Yay! I loved it.
ツ After that, we headed straight to Ngong Ping Village. The original plan was to take the cable car going there via Ngong Ping 360 but to our surprise, it is under maintenance for a couple of days. Sigh. Of all days, why now. :( So we had no choice but to travel via their bus 23. Not complaining though because the trip was short and smooth. When we arrived, we immediately started our leisure in the village. What will greet you as you enter is the traditional Chinese
village atmosphere. Stores and restaurants occupy the houses as
its purpose mainly is for tourist visits. As we stroll around the village, the Big Buddha is starting to appear bigger! Also, statues of 12 Chinese generals guide you on the way to the Po Lin Monastery. On the other side of the Monastery is the way to the Big Buddha. We headed there first through its 268 steps, took pictures in between, and appreciated the beauty it holds (from the statues to the breathtaking view). Aaah. So scenic. Up there we saw the Big Buddha with six smaller
statues around him. They are called
the “The Offering of the Six Devas”. After which, we went to visit the Po Lin Monastery. I have read before that to ensure that your prayers reach the highest ears, you must pay
attention to rituals and avoid being rude when visiting Buddhist
temples. So when we got there, we paid attention to the locals in their prayer ritual. We tried it ourselves, bought incense, lit it and made sure the flames go out (and safely burning), held our sticks between our palms and against our forehead, then started praying.
ツ We ended our Ngong Ping Trip snacking some sausage from the entrance of the village. It was yummy!
ツ Next and last stop for our 2nd day is the Victoria Peak. We were very excited for this because we've seen a lot of nice skyline pictures from the internet, and I told myself that I will have mine too. Guess what, I did! ツ But you know, before we saw the amazing view, we had to experience a misadventure first. We went there via Bus 15 and upon arriving at the top, saw a line that says "The Peak Tram". Because we were so excited, without any hesitation we rode it. In the end we realized that we were back to the lowest part of the peak. In short, we rode the tram to the exit to the peak. -___- Haha! Because we were just so tired, instead of taking the bus again, we rode the tram (Again. This time going upwards), saw the big buildings from both sides (but this has better view in the morning), and finally arrived at the top once more. We searched where the sky terrace 428 was (which was standing at 428 metres above sea level and where we will be able to see the city view), bought our tickets, walked our way, and whoo! We're at the top of the world! Haha! What.An.Amazing.View. Here's a picture I took from where we stood.
I had to try many times to get the best shot. Not to mention the windy air, the chills we had and the crowd that night. I'm glad though that we chose the night view because it was more fantastic with those night lights from the buildings. ツ When we're done filling our hearts with amazing view and experience, it was now time to fill our stomach. Back at TST, we tried the Spaghetti House and indulged ourselves with their best dishes. ツ The place was very cozy and Christmas-y too! Very relaxing. ツ
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| Legit HK meal, finally. |
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| At the City Gate Outlets |
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| Tada! Bought this coz Puma's on sale. Whoo! |
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| Touchdown Ngong Ping Village |
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| Buddha is small here.. |
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| And he got bigger! |
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| And bigger. Find Jho. :p |
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| Lovin' the architecture.. |
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| Prayers sent. ツ |
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| Snack time after hours of walking and before going to the Peak! |
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| Inside the Peak Tram |
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| Swear, layers are not enough for this weather. |
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| Ahhhh...breathtaking. ツ |
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| Capping off this beautiful day at the Spaghetti House. ツ |
Our third day in Hong Kong is spent at the happiest place on earth! No other than Hong Kong Disneyland! Yay! I find the train from Sunny Bay Station to Disneyland Resort Line Station so cute! You can find Mickey Mouse from the handrails to the train's windows. :) Words can't express how much we enjoyed this day. The kid in me was genuinely happy!
ツ I hope these pictures give justice to this wonderful place. :p
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| Cute train! Mickey everywhere. |
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| We're here! |
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| Selfie with Mickey Mouse |
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| Love this Christmas Tree! |
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| One of the fun rides! We defeated the monsters! |
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| Selfie with Buzz Lightyear |
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| About to see Mickey's PhilharMagic! |
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| Big Grizzly Mountain |
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| At Tarzan's Tree House |
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| Best ride! (well, for us) ツ |
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| Mystic Manor |
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| The parade. |
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| Toy Story Land! ツ |
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| Of course. We had too. Even if it took us time in the line. ツ |
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| Carousel, after nth years. Haha. |
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| The Lion King Show |
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| The Finale. ツ |
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| ♥ Night View ♥ |
Our fourth and last day was spent strolling around Queen's Road Central and in the Ladies' Market at Tung Choi Street. This day was really intended for buying of pasalubongs and while getting ourselves lost, we walked passed a place where we found Filipinos everywhere. Literally, everywhere. There was even a bunch who were busy to fill balikbayan boxes.
ツ Well, 'Tis the season!
ツ In the Ladies Market is also where we tried the authentic lobster balls. I would want to try the takoyaki after shopping but we're unfortunate to find the store where we bought the lobster balls. :( We're sometimes poor in direction. :p And so after buying our pasalubongs, we went straight back to our hotel for our luggage and headed to the airport for our flight back home. Waaah. We didn't even want to go home yet. :( But of course, we can always go back.
ツ Thank you, Hong Kong for an amazing experience! You were beautiful! We will see you again. And that's fo sho!
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| Came in handy! |
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| Thank you, Hong Kong! Til we meet again. ツ |
12.03-06.15
