Hong Kong: The Break-in

We stayed in Hong Kong for a total of six days and we stayed in Macau for two days. Being in Hong Kong for a week made our itinerary flexible. We got to spend more time at each place and still be able to have extra time for a few detours. We had fun getting lost in Asia’s World City. Even though we missed some tourist attraction, we were just happy to be in Hong Kong.

After months of research and advices from friends and family, I finally came up with our own itinerary which I will separate into two blog post.

Accommodation

We stayed at Urban Pack Hostel while we were in Hong Kong. It is located at Hai Phong Mansion, just right in front of Kowloon Park and it’s just a minute away from Exit A1 of TST station and Nathan road bus stop.

Though it wasn’t easy on the budget, but it was all worth it. This hip and modern hostel have comfy beds and fresh linens every day. Each bed has its own reading lamp, a personal locker and a charging dock for your gadgets.

Each common room are very welcoming. They have a few games for anyone who wants to play; it’s a great conversation starter for the guests. Their shared bathrooms are also well kept. Besides their basic offer, they also have nightly activities for guests to get loose and to enjoy themselves.

You may check their Facebook Page here: Urban Pack Hostel for photos. *I forgot to take photos of the place while we were there, sorry!*

We originally booked for an 8-bed mixed dorm and when we got back from our trip in Macau, the owner, Albert, was kind enough to upgrade us to a 4-bed mixed dorm! How awesome is that! Albert and one of the receptionist and a fellow Filipino, Jimmy, had been very accommodating during our stay. They gave us tips on how to get around, other options to consider and which were the must-see attractions that shows the culture of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Science Museum and Museum of History

It was a good thing that we arrived on a Wednesday since most of Hong Kong Museums offer free admission every Wednesday. The closest museum were the Space Museum and the Museum of Art but unfortunately, we weren’t able to visit them because they were under renovation at the moment. As a plan B, we walked towards the Hong Kong Science Museum and the Museum of History.

The Hong Kong Science Museum houses over 500 exhibits and 70 percent of them are interactive and suitable for all ages. The most prominent exhibit and the largest device of its kind is the Energy Machine. It’s this huge contraption that demonstrates energy conversion through the movement of the balls down the towers.

The Hong Kong Museum of History houses countless object which are related to archaeology, history, ethnography and natural histories of Hong Kong and South China.

Hong Kong Disneyland

On the second day, we woke up early and headed to Hong Kong Disneyland! On our way there, it started to pour but it didn’t stop us to enjoy the rides and especially, the musical shows since my brother and I are into musicals.

We saw a lot of character appearance but we never dared to get in line, so we just took a few stolen photos.

I did enjoy the Runaway Mine Cars, the Hyper Space Mountain and the Mystic Manor among the hundreds of rides available. We also walked along the Tarzan’s Treehouse and Fairy Tale Forest.

 

We watched the Festival of the Lion King, Mickey and the Wondrous Book, “Disney Paint the Night” Nighttime Spectacular and “Disney in the Stars” Fireworks. I didn’t have a hard time watching the Festival of the Lion King, and Mickey and the Wondrous Book because there were inside a theatre hall.

But I couldn’t say the same for the Disney Parade and the fireworks show.

Just so you know, I’m a short person. Less than 150cm, to be exact. During the parade, my height gave me the advantage to watch the show properly. I squeeze myself into the side of the road and sat down on the gutter.

However, that didn’t exactly work for the fireworks display. We were already situated at the back, nearer to the entrance, around the time it started. So there were a LOT of tall people and selfie sticks ahead of me which gave me a hard time watching the show on the castle. Nevertheless, the fireworks itself was still magical. 😉

On the way home, we tried to avoid the outflow of people going home so we stayed inside the park for about 30 minutes after it closed and another 10 minutes outside the train station.

You can also watch my brother’s vlog on our trip to Disneyland below. 😉

NGONG PING VILLAGE

On the third day, we visited the Ngong Ping Village by riding the cable car! Though my first cable car experience was from Singapore, it was still pretty scary and exciting at the same time. I have this irrational fear of height/falling. I had to keep on convincing myself that i’m perfectly safe and there’s nothing I need to worry about.

Ngong Ping Cable Car is one of the first Hong Kong tourist destination. It runs for about 25-30 minutes and have a spectacular view of the Hong Kong International Airport, mountainous terrain of Lantau Island, Tian Tan Buddha and the 360-degree view of Ngong Ping Plateau.

When we arrived, we walked along the stretch of Ngong Ping Village. We visited the Po Lin Monastery first before climbing the Big Buddha. The Po Lin Monastery houses the Grand Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas. Unfortunately, we were advised not to take any pictures inside the Hall.

Right after the visit at the Po Lin Monastery, we started to ascend to the Tian tan Buddha, a.k.a the Big Buddha. The Big Buddha is one of the largest seated Buddha statues in the world. 

There are about 260 steps before you reach the top. Once you get to the top, you will be rewarded with a 360 degree view of the Lantau Island.

We stayed for about an hour or so at the top to rest and started our descend afterwards.

We went directly to the cable car station and had our dinner at the station. We headed home early to prepare for our Macau trip!

Part II: The Last Days

Love, J.