WIKIPIKA: trip to hong kong

Expense Report: Trip to Hong Kong

And just like that, my 3-day trip to Hong Kong ended. I already miss HK but before I plan on going back, I need to check how much money I spent for my short trip.

I admit, I could have saved a little on food. I couldn't pick the 'right' Chinese restaurant so I always end up with the 'safeest' choice - fastfood. Bad!

One thing I failed to include on the list above (and is the most important thing) is my guest house fee which is Php 8,500 for 3 nights. One major mistake I did when I created my budget: I only included my future expenses. For example, I had a budget for US$500 for this trip but that excludes stuff that I've already paid for like the airline tickets and hotel reservation. As a result, I thought I was still well within my budget but in reality I've gone way beyond it.

Lesson learned: If you're going to create a budget for a very cheap trip, take EVERYTHING into account - even that sandwich you bought at the airport terminal. One thing I realized is that HK really wasn't cheap to begin with. In fact, it is one of the most expensive cities in the world.

Still, I think it was one of the best trips I've had so far!

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Day 3 in Hong Kong - Out and About

When I was preparing my itinerary, I came across this blog about how to explore the city for just HK$100. I thought this would be perfect on my last day in Hong Kong. I cancelled my visit to Lantau Island (which includes another cable car ride - I think I'm done with cable cars for now) and took the MTR to go somewhere near central. From there, I boarded the tram, which is the cheapest form of transportation in the city. For just 2 freaking dollars you can go from point A to B - regardless of where you're getting off.

My first stop was the Western Market. Frankly, I was surprised this was part of the itinerary because it was... well... just a market. I wasn't in the mood to buy fruits or other stuff so I moved on to the next destination.

Actually, I never really got to the next destination. The directions on the blog doesn't really say anything about turning on this street and that street. In short, I was lost and when I asked people who were walking by, they didn't know the location I was desperately trying to go to.

Pardon me for being vague. I don't want the blogger to know how frustrated I was with her blog.

Anyway, I just kept walking and walking and found myself on Hollywood Road. This place is famous for bars and antique shops. It was midday and I wasn't in the mood to grab a drink. And I also wasn't in the mood for antique window shopping.

My frustration over this itinerary was growing by the minute. I just decided to ditch the paper I was holding and do my own exploration trip. I boarded the tram again and enjoyed the ride for over an hour. I realized there are a lot of places I haven't been to. The problem is I just didn't know how far these places are from the MTR stations.

I got off somewhere at Causeway Bay. I went to the World Trade Center mall where I found Muji and a few other shops. I was still trying to follow the HK$100 budget for the day so I just got a scoop of sugar-free ice cream and left.

I walked around and went into a futsal field (is that what they call it?) and watched a game. I didn't know if they were professionals but those people definitely know how to kick a ball. After 15 minutes, I went to Temple Street which is simply the Divisoria of Hong Kong. Almost anything - DVDs, clothes, wigs, toys, etc - can be found on Temple Street. I was there on a Sunday so it wasn't crowded. Some stalls were not open for business. I was disappointed because I didn't find a single card reader. That was part of my original plan.

I realized later on that I was somewhere near a restaurant that was mentioned on the blog. The blogger said they serve amazing sandwiches and buns. Bear in mind that by this time, I was already walking around the city for almost 6-7 hours and all I had was my breakfast and 1 scoop of ice cream plus water. And you know what was the biggest surprise? The place the blogger mentioned was non-existent! WTF!

Instead of dwelling on the fact that I felt duped (by a blogger haha), I just rewarded myself with a delicious KFC Chicken a la king Rice, 1 pc chicken and criss cut fries. After my first bite, I started smiling again.

After my meal, I rushed to the H&M store in Central to do some shopping. Then I rushed back to Tsim Sha Tsui to catch the Symphony of Lights.

I definitely enjoyed my trip to Hong Kong. I will definitely be back!

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In ocean park, travel

Day 2 in Hong Kong - Ocean Park

By 3PM, I got back to the Peak Tram terminal. I realized I’ll be wrapping up day 2 early so I decided to walk around and just explore the city. I found myself walking into this park on top of a mid-rise building (forgot what it was called). I walked a little bit further to kill time. I may have been tired from walking all day but I figured I still have time to go to Ocean Park. I passed through a walkway and saw four Filipinas playing cards in one corner. I asked one of them how to get to Ocean Park. She told me to get on bus 6X and ask the driver to drop me off at Ocean Park.

And I thought it was going to be easy! I waited for a bus marked 6X for almost 45 minutes. That gave me a lot of time to think about whether to postpone my Ocean Park visit or not. It was almost 4PM but the heat of the sun was still unbearable. I was getting more and more tired as I stood at the bus stop waiting.

Finally, a bus 6X arrived. Unfortunately for me, the bus driver was not very helpful. He didn’t speak English and he just told me ‘Next’. I assumed he meant that Ocean Park will be at the next stop. I did get off at the next stop but Ocean Park was nowhere in sight. I had to walk further – and I mean FURTHER – until I finally saw a glimpse of the Ocean Park logo. I was relieved but again, I had to walk for 15 more minutes under the heat of the sun.

ANYWAY, enough about my rants because once I got there, I was completely blown away. Ocean Park was much, MUCH better than Hong Kong Disneyland!

The entire park was MASSIVE. It’s like one entire island of fun rides and attractions. I didn’t know where to go first. I felt so stupid because I thought I wasn’t going to need a map. So I tried one ride after another until got lost somewhere in the middle of the park.

One of the highlights was the cable car ride which transports majority of the park guests from one side of the mountain to the other. It's a ridiculously scary ride - definitely NOT for people who have fear of heights. The photo above shows how long and how high the ride was. It had me holding on to the bars for my dear life.

After three long hours of walking and riding and a few snacking, I definitely wanted to go home. My feet were killing me. As I was finding my way out, I saw a large group of people gathered in front of the stage. There was a show with incredible divers. I just stood there in awe:

After the show, I saw this huge Panda sign and decided to check it out. At first, I thought it was just a shop selling all things panda. Turns out, they do have real pandas inside!

I really thought I was ready to go home until I passed by the entrance of the big Aquarium. I thought, why the heck did I visit Ocean Park if I don't want to see the Aquarium. There was a long line outside and a man at the end of the line was holding a sign that says 'Wait Time: 60 Minutes'. Fortunately, I only had to wait about 45 minutes to get inside. It was worth the wait.

Next: Out and About in Hong Kong

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In avenue of the stars hong kong, ocean park

Day 2 in Hong Kong - Avenue of the Stars & The Peak Tram

I woke up at around 9AM on my 2nd day in Hong Kong. Thank God I was able to sleep well despite my less-than-glamorous guest house room. I decided to go to the Avenue of the Stars (Hong Kong's answer to the Hollywood Walk of Fame) which is just a 10-minute walk away from the Mirador Mansions.

The weather was great although the temperature was slowly rising as we were approaching midday. The Avenue of the Stars reminds me of Manila Breakwater. The difference is that there's a spectacular view. The water seemed clean too.

I was kind of bummed that I didn't know too many Chinese actors. Luckily, I found Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan's Stars.

Since I didn't have breakfast, I went to Starbucks to grab a bite. I swear, this Starbucks has to be the most beautiful I've seen so far. It looks like a beach house from this shot:

I was starting to feel exhausted because of the heat. I walked around a little bit more and suddenly found myself in an MTR station. I decided to go to Central and take the Peak Tram ride.

I thought this was just an ordinary tram ride so I was just relaxed. While buying a ticket, I saw a huge flock of people waiting for the tram. The place was packed but there were two trams so the wait was shorter than I expected.

Soon I realized the climb was very steep. I was holding on to the bars for my dear life while a couple of funny looking European guys were struggling to maintain their balance. They looked ridiculous. Tip: the small space near the doors are perfect.

The ride ends at the Peak Tower, a beautiful structure at highest point of Hong Kong. The design of the building itself is beautiful. There are shops and restaurants inside and the Madame Tussaud's wax museum. Unfortunately, I wasn't in the mood to take photos of myself with the wax figures. I just went to the top floor to get the best view of Hong Kong.