Saturday, March 10, 2012

and we're back.. HK 2012-- DAY 1

And we're back....... Again, we have Cebu Pacific's P88 fare to thank for! Booked these tickets last august (2011) at 3,500php/person-- roundtrip! Not bad huhh?

We specifically chose the month of February because of the weather but I didn't expect it to be that COLD! Temperature Range was from 9-14 degrees celsius. BBrrrrRRR.... :)

Everything was pretty much the same, the streets, the buildings, the buses and trains to ride, all except the weather! Good thing we brought a lot of jackets and scarves. I was a bit anxious with this trip-- being the Ms. Planner that I am. I wanted everything to go smoothly and I certainly didn't want to get lost. That's why I made this itinerary. Yes, I'm kind of OC tee-hee.. :)

My boyfriend and I are not really travellers but we've been to some places together and the good thing about those experiences is that we've learned the following: 1. haggle as much as possible 2. walk fast, enjoy and sleep less 3. take a lot of pictures 4. Yakisoba and skyflakes (do I need to explain? LOL) 5. Always bring- Biogesic and Vitamin C with you!.... Ooh! Reading maps and train routes are now really easy! Yahooooo! (We don't have trains in Cebu, you know! Probinsyana kami!)
We went to HK with our two friends, who are also a couple, Paul and Julie. Paul, who  realized that his passport was a month away from expiry-- 2 days before our trip! Luckily, DFA gave him an extension or else Julie would have strangled him LOL.

Day 1
We arrived in HK at 12:55AM and at the hostel around 2:45AM. We had to line up for immigration, get our bags and wait for the bus.
Conversion Rate is: HK $5.7
*Bus Ride to the Hostel is HK $33.

Woke up around 7:30 AM, ate breakfast and starting walking around. The location of our hostel was very convenient. The ferry to Hongkong Island was just a 5-10 minute walk and the Tsim Tsa Tsiu Train Station was right outside! We walked around the place passing by luxury stores such as LV, Chanel and Prada (no, we didn't buy any LOL). Our 1st stop was the Avenue of Stars. Most of them were Chinese actors/actresses (DUHH!), we only knew Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. 

                                   
                                   
    
           
Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan's fingerprints

We ate lunch at their famous fast food store "Coral de Cafe". I call it famous because it's like Jollibee in the Philippines, they are everywhere! After lunch, we went to Hongkong Island via ferry and rode a bus to Victoria Peak. The bus ride was insane! The roads were very steep and narrow, not to mention you couldn't see a thing because of how foggy it was.

Kowloon to Hongkong Island Ferry: HK $2
Hongkong to Kowloon Island Ferry: HK $2 (last trip is at 7PM and ferry departs every 15 minutes)
*Ferry ride takes about 5-10 minutes.

You can also take the MTR:
Tsim Tsa Tsiu to Admiralty Station: HK $8 (last trip is at 11:45PM)
Admiralty to Tsim Tsa Tsiu Station: HK $8
*This train line is very busy. (Imagine riding a train from Cebu City to Mactan. There's a bridge that connects both islands but it's quite far.)

Bus Ride to Victoria Peak is HK $ 10.70 (one way)
* The bus drivers do not give change. Make sure you have the exact amount!

Victoria Peak

We went back to Kowloon just in time for the "Symphony of Lights" show. The pictures that we took were not as good as the last time we visited. It was too foggy! Nevertheless, it was still entertaining to see those dancing lights. :))

w/my lab lab!

We grabbed dinner at KFC in Harbour City Mall. Yes, KFC of all the places hahah their egg tart/egg pie tastes soooo good! I hope they would offer that here!

After watching the show, we went to Mongkok for some shopping/sight seeing! It's just like the typical "tiangge" that we have here in the Philippines and they really make you haggle. You just have to know how and demand for the price you want. If you're lucky, they give it to you hahahah.. Go to Mongkok and you'll experience how hardcore Chinese people are when it comes to business and sales!

Day 1 is more of let's go walk around and explore the place.. Days 2, 3 and 4 we all had fixed itineraries. :))