My Hong Kong Trip Day 4 & 5

Day 4 / 7 June 2008 / Saturday

This is the day where you all had your expedition. And I was enjoying myself, so I'm feeling a bit guilty. Hehe. Nevertheless, I got miss you guys lah. =P

I woke up at about 8.30am and it was still raining. It had not stopped since yesterday, and most shops were closed. School lessons were suspended and many did not have to report for work. So it's like an unexpected holiday. By the way, the school holidays in Hong Kong is different from Singapore. I think they just started their holidays, when you guys have enjoyed half of it. We didn't had much plan on what to do today, so we woke up later than usual.

After preparing ourselves, we went to the hotel lounge at the 19th floor for breakfast. They serve breakfast, lunch and tea break. The lounge isn't that big, and it was quite full when we arrived there, so we had to share table with another person. Looking outside, the weather hasn't improved at all. The breakfast was like american style - eggs, ham, sausage, rice, cornflakes, oatmeal and fruits.

View from the lounge

Breakfast~

It was around 9.45am when we finished our breakfast, and we wanted to travel around the MTR stations, so we first went to the shopping centre in Mong Kok station. Almost all the shops were closed, and no people were there. We stopped by a supermarket and took our time to walk around. Then, we decided to buy a 1-day travel ticket with unlimited travel for just HK$50 each. We proceed on to Lai Chi Kok, and visited the shopping centre located directly above the MTR. The cellings are quite low; and the shops are small too. We looked around and my mum bought a few clothings. We even chatted with one of the shopkeepers and we stayed there till 11.30am.

After which, we didn't know where to go, and my mum prompted me to go a certain place which I mentioned as I looked at the MTR stations. Guess what is the place? It's Disneyland! Yay. Hence, we took train to Disneyland station.

Lai Chi Kok shopping centre - notice the low cellings.

MTR to Disneyland station - Special train

Hong Kong Disneyland~

Each entrance ticket costs HK$350 each for peak days, $290 for non-peak days. Since today is a weekend, its considered a peak day. Well, after we got our ticket, we went in and walked around the houses, which are shops selling souviners and stuff. We looked around and bought shirts, gifts, slippers and stuff. We could only enter the "Cinderella Castle" at 2pm, where there will be rides, games and visual entertainment.

As 2pm approached, we proceed into the castle. We took a boat ride, where fake elephants spray water, sounds of barbarian can be heard and smoke coming out from nowhere. In addition, the boat ride guide did actions to make the situation looked real. We also went to see the 3D Mickey show, where we wore the special glasses to see the 3D effect. There were occasional sprinkles of water to make the entire scene more realistic. We also walked around Tarzen's "house", where we see different parts of Tarzen's story. I then took a roller coaster ride, which my parents didn't want to participate. Finally, we queued up for a car ride. It was about 4pm when we finished the car ride, and my parents wanted to leave already, as they arranged to meet with our grandma & gang to buy "Wife's biscuit". We completely forgot that we didn't have lunch; we had too much fun to even feel that we were hungry.

As we travelled back, we decided to meet with my cousin instead, as my uncles had already bought their "Wife's biscuit". So we met up with her, and had dinner at a restaurant at Tsim Sha Tsui. It was still drizzling when we arrived. Tsim Sha Shui, being a popular area, was filled with people. We went 2 restaurants; we got rejected by one restaurant as they were having a wedding and the whole restaurant was booked. Next, we went to Hard Rock Cafe to buy some T-shirts. We actually wanted to find the "Wife's Biscuit" shop, but we had trouble finding it, but only to realize that it had moved to somewhere else after asking some workers nearby. We postponed our search to tomorrow, as we went back to our hotel and watch The Chornicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe in Cantonese.'

My cough came back as usual. It got so bad that I woke up every hour.

Day 5 / 8 June 2008 / Sunday

We woke up early to eat breakfast in the hotel lounge. We went there early as my parents wanted to "be the early bird that gets the worm". The weather was fine today. After breakfast, we went back to our hotel room and rest for a while. At 10.30am, we set off to meet our cousin once again, along with her husband, who will bring us to buy "Wife's biscuit".

But first, she bought us to have.. breakfast again at Wong Tai Sin. I didn't eat much since I was quite full from the breakfast earlier. Then, my cousin & mum went to the temple nearby, while my cousin's husband went home first. I walked around the shopping centre. Afterwards, we went shopping at Lok Fu, next to Wong Tai Sin. We bought orange buns(new release) and strawberries. Then we went to look for our "Wife's biscuit". We went to Mong Kok, and after some searching, we finally found the shop. We bought the entire tray of Wife's biscuits and gave one box to my cousin.

We went back to the hotel, and it was around 3pm. Our bus would arrive at 5pm, but my father wanted to play safe. Played too safe, perhaps. Anyway, we went to the lounge and had sandwhiches, tea and coffee. We waited around 4.45pm, before we headed down to wait. At the airport, we checked in our stuff, and hanged around the airport until 7pm, before we proceed to the gate. We boarded the plane at 8.15pm, and arrived back to Singapore at 11.45pm. The luggage carrier was slightly delayed, and when we got our luggages, it was 12.15am. Well, finally home sweet home.

Some things I've noticed : There are MANY 7-11 stores around. I can find two 7-11 stalls in a MTR station! Wow. And they have shops along the exit, which is very convinient for people to stop by and grab some food or a drink before going off. Their "blinking" maps inside the train are also very useful in guiding tourists. However, a lot of buildings are erroded by the acid rain, but I've seen news that the government is doing something about it. Hong Kong is quite similar to Singapore in terms of buildings and convinence, but the cultures and living styles are very different. If you have the chance, go explore Hong Kong. It's a good experience. =D

My Hong Kong Trip Day 3

Day 3 / 6 June 2008 / Friday

I didn't cough that much in the night, so we had a relatively good sleep. We woke up at 6.30am to prepare for our trip to Macau. My mum arranged to go with another couple from the group and we will be meeting them at the lobby at 7.30am. It was already raining heavily when we woke up. We then watched the news and it warn us of "Black thunderstorm". Which is to say that there will be very heavy rain, and it will most likely cause floods.

We met up with the couple and went to eat breakfast at a restaurant nearby our hotel. By then, the rain had subsided much and it was only drizzling. What do you think our breakfast was? Yup, you got it. Dim sum! Plus porridge. We were supposed to order by ticking the form, but we used 3 forms and the manager wasn't too pleased with us. But we are the customers, so she has to bear with it. If not, the restaurant will lose business. In my opinion, HK people are quite impatient sometimes. I saw a poster in the MTR - Don't rush, relax. It reminds the people not to rush into the train. I guess it's useful, as we didn't see any much pushing/squeezing.

Rainy day

Breakfast~

After breakfast, we asked around for directions to Macau. We were told to take a ferry at the Kowloon ferry terminal. So we took at taxi to the terminal, and bought tickets to Macau. We had to go through the customs in order to board the ferry. Since the time to board the ferry arrived, we rushed to the port. Actually there was still some time left, but we were too "gan chiong" already.

Ferry Ride

Macau

It was an approximate 30-45 minutes ride to Macau. It was raining heavily when we arrived, and we boarded a free bus to the Sands casino. I confess, I only played a game of Blackjack, in which I lost. =/ Each game cost at least HK$200, which is S$40+ per game. Expensive. My mum played a few games and then we looked around and went for lunch. The dealers were quite professional; they don't communicate with you much. They just do their own thing, and they looked as if they have been doing it for years. Maybe some of you can work at the IR in the future. Haha. By the way, we aren't allowed to take pictures inside the casino, so no pictures to see the game.

As we entered the food court, we were given cards. These cards are to be given to the stalls when making purchases, and when we exit, we pay according to the charges in the cards. And when you ordered something, you will be given a pager. When this pager lights up, it means that your food/drink is ready, and you can collect it from the stall. Interesting idea. I don't think any food court in Singapore has it, yet. After lunch, we tried to look for the couple but we couldn't find them, so we left on our own to our next destination.

Sands Casino

When your food/drink is ready, the pager will light up.

Lunch - Wanton noodles

Next, we went to Da San Po, the hilly area near the casino. The roads go up and down, and it's as if we were climbing a hill when we toured around the place. I took a picture of a building, but not sure what it is. It looks like a church or something, but I didn't go near the place as it was still raining. I saw students in their school uniform at Mcdonalds, playing with their cellphones and gathering together, telling jokes and laughing. It reminded me of my secondary school days. So nostalgic. We then went to the bakery shop and bought a lot of biscuits. Wife's biscuit, Peanut candy, Ginger candy and so on. We spent about HK$400, which is almost $80+ worth of biscuits. They also show the bakers making biscuits. Don't worry, I will bring those biscuits on Sunday. =D

Hmm. What is this? Looks like something to do with a church I believe.

Streets of Da San Po & bakery

Then we went back to the ferry terminal and headed back to Kowloon. It was around 5pm when we left. When we reached back to our hotel, it was around 6pm. The rain's still there. A lot of shops were closed and it's hard to find a eatery around. My parents went out to eat while I stayed inside the hotel and watched TV. I got addicted by the HK TV serial dramas. They are better than Singaporean dramas.

My mum bought back spicy & sour noodles. I couldn't take the spicyness and put it aside, after eating 1/4 of it. I also ate one ginger candy and my throat felt burning. (This candy works like Hax sweets) However, I managed to sleep the whole night without coughing at all. My mum wondered if it's "using poison to fight poison", as they thought that spicy things will worsen cough, but instead it has reverse effect. Yup, so this is the best night throughout my stay in Hong Kong.

-Posted by Meng Soon-

My Hong Kong Trip Day 2

Day 2 / 5 June 2008 / Thursday

I woke up at around 5.30 am (my parents woke up earlier), and the sky has already turned bright. We watched TV for a while taking our time to dress up for the half-day tour later. We were supposed to gather at the hotel lobby at 7am. We got ready and being bored, I took some pictures of the buildings nearby.

The buildings and me lazing around :P

At 7.30am, we board the bus. Our tour guide was a guy called Albert. He makes jokes now and then. He said that some Hong Kong guides have a terrible command of Mandarin (also known as PutongHua there). He cited that one guide wanted to say to an elderly couple that they can go and bathe. But his pronounciation was wrong and it became "go and die" instead. And he told us that if we are to go to China via Hong Kong, we still have to go through custom in order to go to China. It's because China still want to watch over HK and have "one country, two systems" concept. HK is also famous for its horse-betting. In fact, the government collects 17% tax from it. Needless to say, the government will continue to support it. The horse races will start at September and stop at June. The horses need to rest, if not they can't perform its best.

We first arrived at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre at Wan Chai. It is the place where Hong Kong officially returned to China in 1997. It's nearby the sea, and a lot of buildings can be seen across. We were just in time to see the daily flag-raising ceremony along with the national anthem. We enjoyed the morning air, looking around and taking pictures.

Our tour guide

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre & buildings across the sea

We then proceed to have breakfast at around 8.30am. We had dim sum for breakfast. As you know, Hong Kong is quite famous for the delicious dim sum.

The restaurant and the delicious dim sum

Next, we proceed to Shui Wan to view the buildings on the hills. It is well-known for its good fengshui as the scenery looks like a dragon (I can't seem to figure the dragon though). Jackie Chan lives here by the way. Then, they proceed to the temple nearby to touch the "chai shen". I didn't go in, but went around the area to take some pictures of the scenery. It was around 10.30am when we boarded the bus again to go further up the hill to take photos and sight seeing.

Buildings on the hill & group photo

Beautiful scenery from the top

Next stop, boat ride! Also known as Sampan ride. There are a lot of boat houses around here, as well as private boats.

Entrance to the Sampan ride & private boats

After the Sampan ride, we proceed to a jewellery shop. We were ushered into a room, where a lady introduced the process of making jewellery. She claimed that the shop is the only jewellery shop in Hong Kong to produce feng shui jewellery, and they hired feng shui practioners to help design the shape. They look nice, but not worth to buy. However my mum bought 2 of them, which cost HK$4300, around S$800+. Even if they don't feel heartache, I also feel for them. Then, we entered a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) shop, where they specialize in selling uncommon chinese herbs, as well as a free checkup by the sinseh. It was around 2pm when we finished the tour, and had lunch at a restaurant near our hotel. We walked back to our hotel and we walked to Yau Ma Tei station to check which exit to alight. (We got lost yesterday as we couldn't find the right exit).

Jewellery shop, TCM shop and lunch.

Since we are at the station already, we took the train to Sham Shui Po where we meet up with another relative and we went to her house. She's about 60+ years old, and her husband 80+ years old. My grandma and gang were there too. It was around 4 pm when we were there, and they went out for dinner at 5.30pm. I went back to the hotel instead as I was quite tired already. And so I stayed at the hotel and watched TV. Hong Kong TV shows have quite nice serial dramas and entertainment shows.

-Posted by Meng Soon-

My Hong Kong Trip Day 1

Hello, I'm back from my overseas trip. Just in case you are wondering, I went to Hong Kong for holiday, that's why I didn't join you guys for the expedition. But well, I also had my own "expedition" there. And you guys must be curious about what I was doing there, so I'm going to blog it down for you guys!! =D

Day 1 / 4 June 2008 / Wednesday

My parents and I left at 8 am and took a taxi to the airport. Our flight was 11 am, but my parents want to get there early, and perhaps too early. Anyway, we reached Changi Airport T3 at around 9am, checked in, and lingered around the airport.

Me and my parents

At 10.30am, I was waiting outside the boarding gate and Dennis SMS-ed me and asked whether I had recovered and reminded me of the BOTC session. I had totally forgotten about that session, but thanks to the great facilities of Changi Airport, I managed to find a computer with internet access, and e-mailed Saul to inform him that I wasn't coming. Hopefully I can make up for that session another time. By the way, my cough has not gone yet. Still coughing, but bearable.

After I was done with the e-mail, I went back and it was 10.58 am. Just nice to go in the gate. Then we had security checks. My 2 water bottles were thrown away and a nailclipper confiscated. I was aware that I can't bring perfume and liquid stuff in the plane, but I didn't know/realize that water was also counted. Ah, never mind.

Finally, I'm on board into the plane! It's a 3 hour flight to Hong Kong. Spent 1+ hour playing with my Nintendo DS, another 45 minutes eating and watching an episode of "Supernatural", and more playing again. The view from the top was picturesque; buildings looked as if they were lego toys, and they were all over the place. Well, I can't remember the last time I got into a plane, so I was definitely excited. As the plane touched down, I could see the beautiful hill afar. The ground was wet from the rain, and I can't wait to get out.

After we got our luggage, we proceed to look for our travel agent. We found a spot which has the travel agency's logo, and we waited and a guy from the agency approached us. We were told to wait a while as the bus is still on the way. So the bus came, and fetched us to our hotel - Dorsett Seaview Hotel. We checked in to the hotel, and got our room at room 2. Pretty convinient. The room is very small, so small that if we have to move, we would have to crawl here and there.

Our bedroom

After we put down our stuff and rest for a while, we went out for dinner with my cousin. My mum know her for quite a long time and she had been living in Hong Kong for more than 10 years. She is married with a son about my age. The time was 5pm when we set off to find the nearest MRT (known as MTR there) which is Yau Ma Tei. It was about 5 minutes walk from the hotel to the station. We had dinner at a shopping centre directly above Mong Kok station, which is 1 stop away.

MTR Map. There will be flashing dots to indicate which station you are currently in.

My cousin & the restaurant we were in.

"Dan dan min" and some other dishes.

This dinner cost about HK$400+, which is around S$80+. It's quite cheap, considering we ordered some more dim sum and dessert (red bean waffles).

My parents picked up the bill in which my cousin protested. Well anyway, we went to walk around the streets in Mong Kok for a while before returning back to our hotel. We had an early night as we would be having a half-day tour the next day. We could hardly sleep as my cough woke my parents up even though I took the medicine. I drank hot water and applied medical oil and tried to get some sleep.

Streets of Mong Kok area

We met with our grandma and our relatives at a restaurant in Mong Kok. They were actually supposed to travel with us, but in the end we decided to travel on our own. At around 9pm, we went back to Yau Ma Tei, but we couldn't find the exit when we entered the station. (It was the opposite side, but we didn't realize it). We entered other exits and lost our way. We didn't have a map with us, so we tried to walk around and looking at the street names, but to no avail. Finally, we took a taxi back to the hotel. It was very near, but we were unfamiliar with the place. We walked for around 30 minutes before finally taking a cab back.

-Posted by Meng Soon-