Hongkong and Macau

Hongkong was definitely not in our lists of vacation as we know that out-of-the-country trips will be just too expensive and we only want to explore the Philippines first. While we were trying to book Bohol things get a little rough as some of the best dates we were choosing  were sold out or while waiting for the booking confirmation the system would tell us that the slot was already filled-in. We thought of trying Hongkong just to check if Cebu Pacific's system had a problem because we were starting feel a little disappointed. If it will be successful then no worries because our elder sister was in Mainland China so she will be our tour guide =). Instead of trying to book for the whole family it was made for just two persons. After once again completing the payment details and all, the booking was confirmed! and so we were very happy and excited. The immigration fee plus tax costs around Php 3,000.

Our Itinerary

Sept. 8 ,2010 

Day 0 - Ocean Park & Avenue of Stars

Arrived in Hongkong at around 10:00 AM, then rode city bus going to the Dragon Hostel we booked in. We checked in at 1:00PM

Hongkong airpot

When we arrived at the airport we headed towards immigration line for a bit of interviewing. At that time, Hongkong was very strict for someone who is not in a group  specially if it's your first time abroad. Also, the incident in Manila was still fresh.

queue for city bus

As it was my first time for an out of the country trip, boarding the bus was a very memorable moment. Payment was through octopus card at the time did not work! 

How to get to there:

From the Airport, take Citiflyers airport bus, No. A21, to Dragon Hostel. It is an air-conditioned bus and cost HK$33 per person. Drop off at 6th stop -- Mong Kok MTR (Mass Transit Railway) station. The bus will take about 35 minutes, then walk 5 minutes to Sincere house use elevator to go up to 7/F. The room we got was clean which was good for four persons but the bathroom was too small.

Park's entrance

We had few hours of rest before going to Ocean Park. We couldn't find a cheap but good restaurant so we dined in at KFC. After eating our lunch, we proceeded to Ocean Park at around 2:00 PM.

How to get there:

Take MTR (Mass Transit Railway), drop off to Admiralty station then take the Citybus Route 629 which runs daily from Admiralty MTR Station or Central Pier No. 7. 

This was where the sea lion's located

We purchased the tickets at the bus station which costs HK280.00. It seems that you can buy tickets for their major tourist attractions everywhere. We also purchased our Disney tickets from the hostel at a discounted price, great savings!

many escalators

They have shows in various parts of the park. We didn't catch the dolphin show so we decided to go to the other side to see the panda bears. We've been anticipating this for such a long time, I personally would like to see red panda bears.

roller coaster

There were two options to get to the other side by train or cable car. Initially we thought there was a fee for cable car so we were a bit hesitant to ride, besides we had a plan of going to Ngong Ping. Luckily, there's no fee and so we queued for it, the line was very long but we did not care.

At the cable car

Big balloons greeted us when we get to there. We also queued to experience it waiting time was about 30  minutes. If you are going to ride, you have to leave your belongings - house rule. Belongings will be put in a basket or container which you can practically watch over while you are on the air.

we rode at the balloon to get a view of ocean park

performers at the ocean park

We left the park at around 5:00 PM, took a bus going to MTR station. Ocean park is one of the best I've been to, there were so many things to do, more shows to watch. Half day was never enough to explore it. I will definitely go back to this place.

Sept. 9, 2010

Day 1 - Macau

Initially, this was not part of list of tour as we thought there weren't much to see there apart from Casinos and we are not into it. However, our sister was very persistent in going to Macau and so we did. We rode a cotai jet which costs 100HKD [if i remember it correcly =)] and there was also turbo jet which costs higher. It was an hour travel, if it took another minutes I would have vomited as I as was not used to riding a ferry. 

When we arrived at Macau, I felt a little giddy and fidgety because we don't know anything about it. Where and how to go places. we searched from the internet. We thought of it as just a casino haven which we were not too keen to visit. It was a good thing that though that we found some Filipinos there who helped us. Lyn was a bit feisty but funny while others were very nice. They've been there for several years so they pretty much know getting around Macau
You may contact them at the following numbers:
Lyn Montero -  +63 9267269828/ +63 9213612766
Jenny & Toto - +639087987653/ +85366291205

We saved a lot of money because guide costs around 600HKD for just a day tour!  We went to the church - Ruins of St. Paul and went to some of the major casinos in Macau. We had a blast there! It was a great experience! We get to watch the show in City of Dreams and it was amazing. We also played a bit - slot machine but we didn't spend so much. After Macau we thought of catching the Symphony of Lights in Hongkong (it's schedule was 7:00 PM). But time didn't permit us, we arrived at around 8:00 PM. So we just went to the avenue of stars then later on had our dinner.

Hot to get there:

From  Shun Tak Centre. It is above Sheung Wan MTR station and next to a terminal for buses and minibuses from many parts of Hong Kong, including the A11 Airbus from the airport. The terminal has passenger wharves and helipad, booking offices for current and advance sailings and flights, reservation offices of Macau hotels and travel agents, a branch of China Travel Service, and a Macau Government Tourist Office Information Counter.

Public Bus No. A11 (air-conditioned)
Get off at the "Macau Ferry, Connaught Road, Central" bus stop. 
Fare: HK$40 
Operating Hours: 06:10 AM - 00:30 AM 
Frequency: Every 20-25 minutes
Journey Time: 30-40 minutes

Sept 10

Day 2 - Hongkong Disneyland

Disneyland was really

Sept 11

Day 3 - Hongkong Proper

We were supposed to go to Ngong Ping 360 but the weather did not permit us to pursue our plan. It suddenly rained the whole day. Our 2nd plan was to go to Noah's Ark or Hongkong Wetland but sadly we were already out of the budget :( and the location was a bit far from our accommodation

For more information you may check this site for the list of tourist attractions