Finally back from my whirlwind trip to HK. Just happened to decide to go there on the fly to visit a few friends and to do some sightseeing~
A quick summary of my itinerary for the past 4 days~
Day 1:
Arrived at abt 2pm and made my way (the wrong, long way) to the hotel. Ended up paying a bit more extra but took in more sights instead. Not too bad actually. My hotel's (Stanford Hong Kong) located smack right in the middle of Mongkok 旺角 and it's close to Ladies' Street!
After checking out the room and washing up a bit, walked all the way from Mongkok to Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) which took me close to 2 hours considering my leisurely pace. Finally arrived at the Avenue of Stars and busy taking snapshots of the pavements with the stars' handprints and signatures.
Finally the Symphony of Lights came on slightly after 8 where the many buildings along Victoria Harbour participated in the multimedia light display which was actually kinda disappointing....
Sat down for a cuppa ice coffee before making my way back to my hotel by MTR. Walked along Ladies Market to check out the stuff before buying them on the last day and tucked into a nice bowl of noodles for supper before heading back. Mmm!
Things to note:
1) Plan your journey carefully to reduce cost when switching from Airport Express to MTR.
2) Get an Octopus Card as soon as you touch down. It can be used on all modes of transport in HK (except taxis) and for purchases at 7-11! Cool!
3) HKers keep to the right on the escalator unlike us here in Singapore. I got "tsk"ed so many times until I realised it. Ouch~
Day 2:Alice, my lovely colleague from the HK office came to pick me up at my hotel in the morning! Brought me for some v nice and cheap dim sum nearby. It was pretty interesting to see Alice washing the teacups and chopsticks with the hot tea / water before we ate. I took it for granted and almost digged in before she stopped me. Took the MTR to Central then a bus to Stanley Market for sightseeing and shopping. Journey took about 30 mins or so by bus and she had to take some sweets to prevent herself from being carsick.
Finally arrived and took a short walk before stopping for a break at Macdonalds for a rest. It was super hot that day (33 degrees!) I din buy anything in the end and we headed back to Central for the tram up to Victoria Peak.
Passed by my bank's office building and Alice told me about how to enter the building when i come visiting the next day. It's so talllllllll as you can see in my photos...
Got the combo which included the tram ride 2 ways, Madame Tussad's Wax Museum entry and entrance to the Sky Terrace (great for photo taking, it was free the last time I went!) All in all, about 34 bucks per person which wasn't too bad. Tram ride was not bad as I took it before when I visited HK 11 years ago (yes that's a long long long time ago)
First time to Madame Tussad's for me! Alice's first time there as well! We were lucky that we went on a weekday so there weren't many people around and we didn't have to queue to take photos with the wax mannequins. Best time to hug celebrities who you might never get to meet the rest of your life (Ayumi, Angelina Jolie, Charlene Choi, Kelly Chen) and for the gals (Aaron Kwok, Leon Lai, Brad Pitt, Bae Yong Jun) After that we finally went onto the Sky Terrace where it was packed to the brim. People were jostling for a spot near the edge to get a good shot of the night view. >_<
We left before 8 cos people were waiting for the disappointing symphony of lights and we din want to squeeze in with the rest on the way down the peak. Alice had reserved a table for us at a nice restaurant at Beijing No. 1 building (北京道一号) called Chao Inn（潮楼) at TST. We took a ferry from Central Pier to TST Pier which was quite cheap and fun! The restuarant looked very classy and very expensive... Tried some interesting food there and got a great view of Victoria Harbour as well. In the end, the dinner came to about 30+ per person which was quite reaonsable! Thanks Alice! After a fun filled day, it was back to my hotel for zzz...
Things to note:
4) Best time to go for dim sum is about 10 before the aunties finish their morning marketing.
5) Always wash your teacups and chopsticks before you eat. That's why they provide a pot of hot water for you... (Nah, not really...)
6) When visiting Victoria Peak, go in the evening when you can get great views befoer and after turns dark.
7) If you have a tripod for your camera, bring it. NO matter how heavy it is. Cos there's nothing worse than taking night shots with your trembling unsteady hands. I only managed to take 3 pics which were barely passable...>_<
Day 3:Off to Wan Chai by MTR to go to the HK Convention Centre to visit the Golden Bauhinia (金紫荆) Square and the Reunification Monument. It was a foggy and hot day and had to walk like 4 blocks down from the MTR to the monuments... then took one of those ancient trams to Cheung Kong Center where my bank's located at.
Popped by to visit my colleagues who I usually contact but never really knew how they looked like! Haha~ View's from the office really super nice and I only took a couple of pics because I didn't want to look like an idiot in the office. Caught up with my other colleagues and they brought me to a nice dim sum place called King of the Kings (皇上皇) nearby. Thanks Ken for the treat!
Headed to Tung Chung by MTR for a cable car ride to Lantau Island to visit the Big Buddha (天坛大佛). Cable Car's pretty nice but a bit expensive (about $18 Sing) but view's all worth it. Arrived at Ngong Ping village, an ancient Chinese themed village with many shops littered along the streets. They have Starbucks there as well.. >_< Passed on the "Walking with Buddha" and "Monkey Tales" shows and headed straight for the Po Lin Monastery and the Big Buddha. It was scorching that day and walking up the 15 flights of stairs to the Buddha Statue was a feat for me. I need to work out more.... The view from the top was exhilarating! (and the Pocari Sweat sold up there was more expensive than the ones down the stairs, evil buggers...) Back to Kowloon by Cable Car and train and went to Causeway Bay to have a look around. Walked along Times Sqaure and Causeway Plaza 1 and 2 before stopping for a quick dinner in one of the small diners. Don't be afraid about the food cos you'll never know how delicious the food can be until you try it!
Back to hotel at about 12.30am for sleep.
Things to note:
8) While visting the Golden Bauhinia Square and Reunification monument, be sure to find out where the covered walkway is from the MTR. I only found that on my RETURN trip... But i did manage to walk through the Arts centre and the museum along the way.
9) Do try out the other types of transportation in HK other than the MTR like the trams and ferries. Route maps are available at every tram stop and ferry's pretty straight forward.
10) Dim Sum restaurants only accept reservations at lunch time, if not too bad... Book early to avoid disappointment
11) When you're in HK, do try out the local cuisine at small diners instead of eating at Mac, Western joints. The staff understand Mandarin and can speak a little English to get by.
Day 4:Had a bit of time before my flight, so I went to Admiralty for some last minute shopping and food before back to hotel. Anyone tried you tiao wrapped with chee cheong fun?
Reached the airport pretty early and had a quick meal before some last minute shopping and back to Singapore!
Things to note:
12) You can check in at major stations or do the Self-check in at the airport, saving you lotsa time at the airport!
Now for the pics (about 500+) Enjoy!
by
janzer81
