Day 2: Dancing in the Rain at Hong Kong Disneyland (Part 4 of 8)

Part 4 of 8
April 5, 2013
Hong Kong Disneyland


After grabbing a quite lunch at McDonalds City Gate Outlet, we were bound for Hong Kong Disneyland - our main destination for the day. From Tung Chung line, we took the MTR to Sunny Bay station and transferred to Disneyland line. It was a quick ride, and the weather was still cloudy (and few drizzles here and there).

We looked like kids, as we were amazed of the Disneyland MTR - purple and with Mickey Mouse's ears as hand rails. Windows are of the famous ears' design too.

As we got off the train, we managed to get a good spot to take the ever famous pose among Disneyland visitors - below the arch. I was literally grining from ear to ear, since I have and always be a Disney baby (at my age, I am affected how they changed the programs at Disney channel). Cloudy skies never affected me, kebs kung naka-payong habang naglalakad sa Disneyland. The point is, I AM AT DISNEYLAND. My land. :)

Anyways, the whole afternoon was spent walking from one point to another at the park. My friends tried the Grizzly Bear coaster, I managed to skip it since I am not a fan of theme park rides. Masaya na akong sumakay sa Carousel. Yes, the duwag in me.

The Lands at Disneyland

The most awaited part of the day is the Disneyland Parade of Characters. We scampered to get a good spot at the road, so we can take pictures. Luckily we were able to find one and eventually loss our temper to some rude Disneyland visitors who pushed us and be our incidental subjects (their elbows, arms and bags).

Honestly, I was preventing my tears to fall as I watched Pinoys dancing at the parade. They would smile widely and waved back as we call them "Kuya" and "Ate". They would also ask "kamusta ang Pinas" when they stopped in front of us. The Pinoys really are the best and happiest peopple in the world.

After the parade, we watched the Golden Mickey's show. My male friend did not like the show at all, since he was more into the thrilling rides (na we don't like at all).

We were tired of walking around and while waiting for the 9:00pm fireworks, we took a rest by riding the Disneyland train (para-paraan). We did line up for photo-ops with the Disney characters.

After a child-like day at Disneyland, we were back to our home sweet hostel by 11pm, ready for another day at Macau! :)


Travel tips:

1. Prepare yourselves on long walks. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. For rainy days like ours, bring umbrellas or you may want to have scarves and hats.

2. Photo-op everywhere. You can see Disney characters all around, and you can take pictures with them, any time. Just make sure your cameras are user friendly, just in case you want a group picture. Disneyland employees are always ready to help.

3. For those who wanted some thrilling rides, there are only three at Disneyland - The Grizzly Mountain, Space Mountain and The Army Drop at Toy Story Land. Others are for kids and kids-at-heart (those who dont want adrenalin rush).

4. Photo-ops with the Disney characters are behind the Mad Hatter's ride, and near the Disneyland Express back station.

5. If you are tired of walking, take the Disneyland Express. You can rest for a while on the train.

6. Take a Disneyland map, begin at the far end of the land. Our route was: Toy Story Land --> Adventureland --> Parade of Characters at Main Street --> Golden Mickey's Theatre --> Tomorrow Land --> Disneyland Express --> Its a Small World --> Disneyland Characters Photo-ops --> Main Street for the Fireworks.

7. Do not miss the fireworks and parade. If you are not into rides, you can be there at 3pm on time for the 4pm Parade, walk at other Lands and wait for the 9pm fireworks. 6 hours will do to cover the park (and definitely tiring as it is 90% walkathon).

Day 2: Foggy Day at the High Land (Part 3 of 8)

Part 3 of 8
April 5, 2013
Ngong Ping 360 and The Giant Buddha


Sadly, the weather didn't improve on our second day. Despite this, we still decided to continue with our journey and be happy. After the lost of keys and missing octopus cards, we were bound for Ngong Ping 360 by 8 in the morning. We took the MTR from Mongkok to Lai King Station, transferred to Tung Chung line and arrived at the Tung Chung station as the last terminal.

On our way to Ngong Ping

Announcement was made at the MTR that the cable cars to and from Ngong Ping station are temporarily suspended due to strong winds and fog. We didn't panic though, since I read in one of the blogs that we can take a bus to and from Ngong Ping. So after exiting the station, we walked to the bus station right under the cable car terminal. Announcements on the PA system mentioned that the cable cars will resume shortly, but we didn't take it anymore since we didn't know how short the waiting time will be.

Tung Chung marker - seen from the bus

Bus no.23 - one that will take you to and from the Village

Directional Markers. Where every place is and how far they are.

The bus trip was more like a Baguio road trip - zigzag roads, cliff-hanging turns and trees all over. After about 30 minutes on the road, we finally arrived at Ngong Ping. To sadden us more, we can't see anything when we got off. We have to navigate around the area as blind mice. We got to see the views when we are two or three feet away from it.


Up at the Village

We still decided to go up the Giant Buddha despite the fog. We never got the chance to count how many steps are, since we are thinking of happy thoughts to keep our hopes high on seeing the Buddha. We got somehow lucky, we can still see the Buddha's outline despite the thick fog. We didn't stay for long, because we were bound for Disneyland after Ngong Ping. We got excited on this part of the day, and nothing will ruin it.

One of the many armies at the Park.

Large bowl at the center of the park.

For the Giant Buddha

We can see you - your hand and your pedestal.

We walked towards Ngong Ping Village, checked out the Chopsticks museum and store and headed out for the cable cars. Good thing we already purchased our tickets through CTS and there were no lines when we arrived at the terminal. Positive things kept on coming since the cable cars resumed their operations. And this is the dreaded part of this day.

Piazza marker

Lantau island map

Where to go next?

Chopsticks! (I didn't buy though kahit super tempted na ako)

My Confession

I never liked heights and I thought it was just a short ride down. The air didn't help either, nor the windows. We can hear the wind blowing since our windows are open, and the car is swinging since the winds are quite strong. I liked swings by the way, but swinging at about 10,000 feet above ground is a big no-no. My brain didn't cooperate either, I kept on thinking whether I'd survive when the cable car got detached on this line, where will they find my body. (Imaginations, where are you when I needed you the most? And why now?)

Cable cars. Some were empty, others have passengers.

Good thing it was foggy, we cannot see what's below us, or else, I won't be able to smile at our cameras and will just kept on holding at the railings. There were 6 or 7 stops before we finally reached the end. I managed to calm my nerves when I can finally see the City Gate Outlet Mall since it was a sign that we are finally leaving the harsh moments of my entire HK journey.

Museum near City Gate Outlet Mall

Nakakatuwa dahil may "Maligayang Pagdating". Taken when we were leaving the Cable Car terminal.

I still managed to smile when we got off the cable car, after about 30 minutes of ride of my life. One, we survived. Two, we kept on waving at other cable car passengers as they go up, and they waved back at us. Three, it simply means that we are bound for Disneyland after a quick lunch.



At the City Gate Outlet

For shopping, City Gate Outlets Mall is the place to be. Several shops - Nike, Gap, Adidas and many more outlet stores can be found here, thus the mall's name. Despite my itching hand to buy a new pair of shoes, I didn't since I don't want something on my hands as I leisurely walk at Disneyland.

We just grabbed a quick lunch at McDonalds and we head off to Disneyland.



Travel tips:

1. For a foggy day in Tung Chung, you may want to take the cable car as you go down from the Village. There is nothing to see on your way up (views will always be on your back, unlike when you are going down, you can snap photos as views get bigger).

2. Leave early when you want to take the bus. The Village is open early in the morning. And it is quite small, and store items around the Village can also be found at the flea markets down below.

3. For foggy days like our visit, bring a towel. You will really looked like "fresh-from-the-shower" because of the fog and dew. Wet hair, wet face and damp clothes. Make sure that you are wearing "ready-for-wet-lands" footwear. Or bring slippers, there's no dress code around the area.

4. Visit the Giant Buddha museum, entrance is free. Pictures are prohibited inside the museum, but you can take as many photos as you want outside.

5. City Gate Outlet Stores visit will definitely take a day and money out of you. So be prepared. However, limited sizes of shoes and clothes available.

Day 1: Showers are really Blessings in Disguise: Walking Tour of Hong Kong (Part 2 of 8)

Part 2 of 8
April 4, 2013
Hong Kong Walking Tour


After a quick rest in our hostel, we were off to see what Hong Kong has to offer. My Tita's friend was our tour guide for the day and she decided to take us on a bus - ferry - tram adventure on our first day in the city.


Victoria Harbour and Avenue of the Stars

From our hostel, we took Bus 1A along Nathan Road that will transport us to the Promenade. There we begun our walking tour of the Hong Kong bay.

We alighted at the Hong Kong Space Museum along Salisbury Street and decided to check out what was in store. There were several shows and a lot of people lining up, so we decided not to watch anymore. Tickets for the show ranges from HKD 16 to 32, depending on the attractions. Standard exhibition hall tickets are at HKD 10. Discounts for students and group viewing are given. Selected days and time on each show are on English translation.

At the back of the HK Space Museum is the Hong Kong Museum of Art where different musical and art shows are presented. During our visit, Andy Warhol's art was on display right outside the building, we didn't need to purchase any tickets.

Beside the Museum of Art is the Hong Kong Cultural Center where different musical and art performances were showcased. There were no entrance fees when you enter the center and there were no performances either. There were several exhibits in the lobby that you can check out. The Cultural Center is quite similar to the interiors of our very own Cultural Center. I guess there is really a call for grand spiral staircases with chandeliers on such places.

Right outside these three centers is the famous Avenue of the Stars, situated along the Vitoria harbour and overlooking the Hong Kong island. Since the weather is not cooperating during our visit (there were occasional showers as we walked along the harbour), we were not able to enjoy walking the stretch of it. Thus, we decided to move on to the next part of our tour.


Star Ferry and Hong Kong Island

Since our tour guide wanted us to experience all the transportation in Hong Kong, we walked towards the Star Ferry terminal at the far end of Victoria Harbour. You won't miss it since directions towards it are plenty along the walkway. You will pass by the Clock Tower Beside the ferry terminal is the Harbour City, a high end shopping center in Kowloon Island. Inside of it is the terminal for cruise ships that are usually bound for Europe and other neighbouring countries.

The Clock Tower

Beside the Star Ferry Terminal (Pirate/Junk Ship can be seen)

Star Ferry is the cheapest transportation from the Kowloon Island to Hong Kong Island, the business center of all of Hong Kong. Fares are at HKD 2.5, and can be paid through your Octopus card. The upper deck would have the best seats for tourist since you can see all of the Kowloon island harbour once you leave the terminal.

The Colorful Star Ferry. We didn't ride this one though. Similar interiors on all Star Ferry.

From the Maritime Ferry Terminal in Hong Kong Island, you will see The Hong Kong Maritime Museum. Walking through, you will pass by several tour buses in Hong Kong, mostly operated by Big Tours. Further along the road, you can choose either to take the Landmark walkway passing by the biggest Apple Store in Hong Kong and window shopping at another high end shopping center, which reminds me of Greenbelt Makati.

Big Bus Tour. If I remember it right, this costs you about 100 HKD for the whole trip, that will bring you around Hong Kong Island. Open upper deck, but since its drizzling (aside from its quite pricey), we dissed this idea.

The Largest Apple Store in Hong Kong

Ding ding tram and Back to Kowloon Island

The famous Ding Ding Tram or simply the tram, was the first mode of transportation in old Hong Kong. The electrical lines are located at the top of each tram, and has only limited seats, compared to the buses on the city. As usual, we went directly to the upper deck of the tram to see the roads of Hong Kong district. After seeing all of it, we decided to alight at Causeway bay station.

Ding Ding Tram. One of the oldest form of transportation in Hong Kong.

Ding ding tram is different from the buses, since you only need to pay once you get off. No worries, no matter how far your travel is, the fare remains the same - HKD 2.3.

We took the MTR back to Tsim Sha Tsui from Causeway Bay. Cool breeze after Central station means that the train is below the waters, adding extra imaginations of what ifs.

Since we didn't see much of the Avenue of the Stars during the first visit, we maximized the next few hours for photo-ops. Finally, we got to see Bruce Lee's statue and the stars including Jackie Chan, Stephen Chow and Bruce Lee.



Foggy Hong Kong Skyline. Since at the grounds, this is the view, we also dissed the idea of visiting The Peak.

Avenue of the Stars.

After the Avenue of Stars, we also visited the Former Marine Police Headquarter, now known as 1881 Heritage,  just across the Hong Kong Cultural Center. The compound is a declared monument since 1994 as it is one of the four oldest surviving government buildings in Hong Kong. The Signal Tower, commonly known as Round House, was constructed to provide time signals to ships in the harbour. It was diminished in 1907 when the time ball apparatus was removed to Signal Hill, Kowloon.

1881 Heritage

The 1881 Heritage Facade

Tiffany & Co at 1881 Heritage.

By 8pm, we decided that it is time to head back to our hostel since we will have a long day the next day. We just grabbed some dinner at Cafe de Coral at Mongkok (few tumblings away from our hostel) and dozed off.



Travel Tips:

1. Always be ready. During our visit in HK, weather app has been accurate. We experienced rainshowers during our walking tour, and improved when we went to the Hong Kong Island. But when we got back to Kowloon, it started to drizzle. Stash an umbrella or scarf on your bag. Invest on a small umbrella (yes, the madamot one. For one person only).

2. Food stalls are available at the Avenue of the Stars. Do not miss the grilled squid, you won't miss the stall since the smell is all over the place. However, if you want to indulge on "not-so-backpacker-style" food, you can dine at Landmark in Hong Kong island.


Up next: Foggy Day at the High Land - Ngong Ping Experience

Hello There, Hong Kong! (Part 1 of 8)

Part 1 of 8
April 4, 2013
Manila - Clark - Hong Kong

It was one of my most awaited trips this year, as I travelled with different set of friends this time. Well, not because our Project C team didn't work out, but simply, I wanted to celebrate my first anniversary in my current work, with people I used to work with. Yes, despite I left them, we remained good friends.

This was my first trip of the year, to finally end the first quarter of the year. I have scheduled another one towards the end of the year (so I can recover from the expenses I incurred from this trip, yey! proper budgetting!) and I am also praying for an all-expense paid to a dream destination for lovelife calls.

Anyways, this is part one of the many entries on my recently concluded Hong Kong-Macau escapades with two of my office friends. Here we go:


Trying the new Clark-Trinoma Airport Lounge

Since I would like to introduce my friends to the concept of backpacking (yes, I am a bad mentor, since this is their first time to go out of the country), I decided for us to take the cheapest route to Clark Airport in Subic, Pampanga. This is despite of our early flight to HK scheduled at 7:45am.

Our meeting time is 3am, since the first bus will leave at 3:30am. We decided to meet at the airport lounge itself, we got seats to take while waiting for the others to come. I was there by 2:30, and there were a lot of passengers taking the early bus trip. The bus was also parked right outside the lounge, waiting for passengers to come in. By 3am, everyone was walking towards the bus and taking their seats, while I am still waiting for my two companions (yes, they were late). Good thing that if they won't come, I will be spending all our money in HK, all by myself (because I am the finance keeper during this trip).

A little past 3:30, we were bound for Clark Airport, and after an hour or so, we found ourselves getting off the bus and lining up to enter the departure area.


Airport - to - Airport

I was the point person for this trip, so I handled everything - from the tickets to how-tos. Good thing I was able to check in ourselves thru AirAsia's web check-in and all we have to do is to drop our bags in the frontline, pay for the travel tax, terminal fee and line up for immigrations.

I have several copies of the itineraries, just in case the IOs look for it (reminiscing our Project C: Vietnam-Cambodia-Thailand last year). I had them prepared their company IDs as well, since some of the IOs look for these IDs. Luckily, the IO didn't look for such documents and stamped our passports (yehey for first stamps!). The whole process (from baggage drop to boarding area) took only about 45 minutes, and we patiently wait for our boarding gate to open.

Prior to the trip, I was checking the weather thru Accuweather mobile app, and weather predictions include thunderstorms, occasional rains and cloudy skies throughout the duration of our stay in HK. Though we were prepared for this (long sleeves and pants), we still prayed for weather improvements since our itineraries involves a lot of walking and open areas.

After roughly 2 hours and a great turbulence upon descent, we landed in Hong Kong International Airport. This is probably the best airport I have ever been in. Free tourist maps are everywhere (Philippines, I hope you do the same), easy navigation of the area and finding the immigration lines despite its large floor area.

Just follow the signs... :)

I wish Philippines will have the same facility in our airports. And not charge the maps!

Upon arrival, we grabbed few maps on our way to the Immigrations, lined up and have our passports stapled. Yes, Hong Kong doesn't stamp your passports anymore. Instead, a printed paper will be stapled on your passport page, indicating the number of days allowed to stay in HK. For OC people like me, this is a no-no, since staple wires create dents on the next page.

We grabbed a bite in McDonalds, right after we picked up our check in bags. We also decided to buy our MTR tickets at the airport for HKD 150 (with HKD 100 initial load, HKD 50 for card deposit, which you can claim if you surrender your MTR cards upon departure in HK).

Octopus card. Our travel buddy for the next 4 days.

From Airport to Mongkok

In transit. First glimpse of the double decker buses in Hong Kong.

Being the punong-abala for this trip, I wanted to stay in Tsim Sha Tsui but the hostels I am looking at were fully booked during our stay, so I decided to choose Mongkok district instead. I never had made the best decision of my life so far, until this day came! (Review of the hostel on a separate post).

Upon exit of the airport, proceed to the bus stations and look for A21 buses. Mongkok is the 6th stop from the Airport. Fare is 33HKD. It took us about 40 minutes from the airport to Mongkok. After getting off, we took Exit D2 to Argyle Street, walk towards Sincere House and proceeded to room 707; Dragon Hostel. This is our base for the next 5 days in Hong Kong.


We checked in at our hostel, made necessary checks and knick knacks and we are off to our walking tour of the Avenue of the Stars, Star Ferry and discovering the Old Hong Kong.


Tips:

1. For HK first timers, you may want to seat at the top level of the double decker buses to get a scenic view of the roads and a lot more things. You may want to grab the first front seats on top.

2. Airport buses have the luggage section inside the bus. Make sure you put your bags properly so other people can stack theirs as well. For rolling luggages, have them on their side so they won't roll when the bus is moving.

3. Prepare exact change if you still don't have your octopus card. Octopus card will always be the fastest way to pay for your transportation. Just make sure you have enough credit on your octopus card.