We went to Hong Kong
On the 24th of July, my family and I took a plane and we went to Hong Kong. It was in a short notice actually with only a couple of days planning. But we make it through.
We planned it just like that and off we go. You can take it as a travel guide. Who knows, maybe you want to go there also. We went there for 4 days and we enjoyed a lot. This is our story.
Hong Kong From the Sky
First Day
We went there by flight of course using AirAsia. Our flight departed at 7 am in the morning from Low Cost Carriage Terminal (LCCT) and we arrived in Hong Kong around 11am. The flight circled around Hong Kong around the island and mainland before landed. That is why we could see the city from the air.At first, we planned to take some package tour around Hong Kong but because of the sudden decision and the budget, we decided to take the Go Holiday package by AirAsia where we booked the flight ticket and accommodation only. Because we will be there in 4 days. So we want to experience Hong Kong as much as we could. Not by tour of course.
When we arrived at the airport and after we got our bags and stuff, we had one problem. How to get to our hotel. We choose Royal View Hotel and we know that it is in Tsuen Wan. There are two options and we chose the wrong one, the cab. Well, because we didn't know about the subway line (MTR), so we took the cab. It is not far but it does cost quite a lot. At least we arrive safely and checked in :)
My Brother - Younger but Bigger
Useful Links in Hong Kong
My Mother and My Sister
Transportation in Hong Kong
This is something you must know!!
There are many public transportation that you can use in Hong Kong from light rails, buses, cabs and also the MTR. Depend on where you want to go, I recommend you to use the MTR subway lines. It is much cheaper and you can go anywhere in Hong Kong just by using the MTR. If you do not believe me, watch the rail map and you can see that the MTR combine all the main railway lines and you can even go to Hong Kong Disneyland, the Airport,Ocean Park and both mainland and also the Island easily. Watch out for your Railway Line and determine where do you want to go and which train to take. (It is in the legend)
Go to the nearest station and ask for Octopus Card or the Day Passes tickets. using these two cards, you do not have to buy tickets each time you want to go somewhere. Just touch and go. We bought the Day Passes where it works on any stations within 24 hours. As you can see on the map, there is one station called Tsuen Wan, that is where our hotel is located.
How to get to the nearest stations without using the cab? Every hotels have shuttle buses usually every 30 minutes. These shuttles will take you to the nearest MTR station and also pick you back from the station. Just wait where they dropped you and they will pick you there also. Ask your hotel about it.
Don't ever use the cab. It will cost you a lot. After using the MTR once, you will know how to use it and without you realize, you already adapted to it. Most of the time when we were there, we just use the MTR. I'll tell you about it later. Just keep reading :)
DON'T USE THE CAB - IT WILL COST A LOT
USE THE MTR TO GO ANYWHERE IN HONG KONG
After checking in and rest in the afternoon, we spend time discovering the MTR. Using the shuttle bus, we went to the Tsuen Wan MTR station. And from there we took the MTR for the first time to Tsim Sha Tsui to go to Harbour City.When you purchased the Octopus Card or the Day Passes, you will get also a mini map of all the MTR stations in Hong Kong and a brief information about exciting places that you can visit and their directions as well.
It was a very long subway trains. And they are always on time and very reliable. When we got out from the Tsim Sha Tsui station, we walked about ten minutes pass through some small bazaars and fruit markets. The Harbour City is one of the well known shopping centre in Kowloon. It is named Harbour City because cruise ships from Macau and nearby countries stops there. It was huge and this is the place for shopping. Women will love it:) But we didn't bought anything, just window shopping and comparing the prices to Malaysia.
After that, we went around the bazaar to look for dinner and we went back to the hotel. Need to sleep early. Tomorrow, we'll be going to Ocean Park.
My Brothers - Mahdi & Shib
Waiting-Bus to OceanPark
Second Day - Ocean Park
On the second day, we planned to go to Ocean Park. We had our breakfast early and departed from our hotel around 8am to arrive early. From the Tsuen Wan station, we took the train to Admiralty Station. There, go to Exit B and take bus no. 629. Don't worry, you will find it there because they provide shuttle buses that will bring you to Ocean Park.You can purchase the tickets there. We bought the tickets there to prevent long queue at the park and rode a double-storey bus to Ocean Park. It was about 30 minutes through Hong Kong city when we arrived at the park.
If you are going to the Ocean Park in summer:
1. Go early (or it will be a long queue)
2. Bring a hat or umbrella (very hot)
3. Bring extra cash to buy drinks and souvenirs
4. Wear simple attire and sandals
5. Bring a camera along (or you'll regret it)
Enjoy yourself :)
The Ocean Park are divided into two Park : The Headland and the Lowlands. Each have their own different attractions and their own Entrance Gate. Mainly, the LowLand attractions are for kids and younger kids like the Kids World Playground and Bumper Boat. But Lowlands also have the Hot Air Balloon and also Giant Panda Habitat where you can watch real life pandas in Hong Kong. You must see the pandas.They are cute and really cute.
Beware: Panda A Sleep
Kung Fu Panda - Po
We arrived at the HeadLand and went straight towards the rides. Mainly, the attractions in the HeadLand are for teenagers and adults like the Mine Train, The Abyss (I dare you to try this one) and The Dragon Roller Coaster with three loops.You cannot miss all the fun. You have to be here to feel what we felt. We enjoyed almost all the attractions. The Dragon was fun. It goes around with three loops. But before that you should try The Mine Train because the train already lose its breaks. Going up and down with definitely more speed. That is fun.
The best of all is The Abyss. Going up in the sky and 'dropped!!'. Yes, dropped to the ground. It is my first time and I cannot even scream. I cannot even scream!!. Too shocked. It was amazing. You can see it in the picture. The Two-Poles. That is The Abyss
Going Up - To The HeadLands
That's my Dad on the Left
After we spent some time in HeadLand, we headed towards the Atoll Reef Aquarium where they have more than 2000 fishes from more than 250 species.I still remember that there was a huge tank and we could see Sting rays and Turtles swimming alongside the tank. It was a huge Sting rays. It collided with a turtle coming from the opposite direction. Neither are hurt :)
Still a Long Way
Then there were small aquariums with sea horses, lobsters and even worm-liked fishes 'sticking' on the sand. After that, we also walk through a tunnel I think about 30 meter long to see the fishes in the huge tank from below the surface.There were huge sharks and also a small whale with the wide Sting Rays swimming along the tank. And there were also group of Nemo swimming and his friends. They look a lot the same. Even in the real life:)
After that we moved on to the Lowland using the Cable Car. We went to see the pandas and enjoy the watching the Hot Air Balloon. Didn't ride it though. We took a rest and then we went back to the
Main Entrance. We bought some souvenirs. My mom got herself a fridge magnet and I got myself a rubber ball :)
After that,we went back to the hotel and rest till the evening. Forgot to mention, it was very hot during noon. We can see almost every visitor covered by umbrellas and
Angels of the Sea
Sticking or Digging?
Dual Language - Still Lost?
English - Chinese Dictionary
Langenscheidt's Pocket Dictionary Chinese/English English/Chinese
Amazon Price: $9.86 (as of 12/26/2009) 
Mandarin Chinese-English Bilingual Visual Dictionary (Visual Dictionaries)
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 12/26/2009)
Insight Pocket Travel Dictionary Chinese: Chinese-English/English-Chinese
Amazon Price: (as of 12/26/2009)
The Oxford Chinese Minidictionary
Amazon Price: (as of 12/26/2009)
Chinese English Talking electronic dictionary and Audio Travel PhraseBook ECTACO SpeechGuard TL-2Ch
Amazon Price: (as of 12/26/2009)
Hong Kong in Google
- Global Voices Online » China and Hong Kong: Bodyguards and Assassins
- Bodyguards and Assassins is an action movie released during Christmas in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. As a patriotic film, it was originally set to release in October for celebrating the 60th year anniversary of PRC but deferred until ...
- China Rhyming » Blog Archive » Protest Movements in Hong Kong ...
- I think Hong Kong has always been a victim of its own press in a way ? everyone says that nobody does anything much and all anyone cares about is money but whenever I post on history/heritage in Hong Kong I always get a lot of emails ...
- Hong Kong : The City of Fashion | Sunshinebob's Blog
- It is a shame that many stylists and fashion gurus anonymously agree that fashions in Thailand and many countries in Asia has taken influences from Hong Kong.
- How To Save Money When Visiting Hong Kong
- If you're traveling to Hong Kong on business or vacation, you'll need to know the cost saving ways to get around the city without it costing an arm and a leg. This handy guide will show you how to save money wh.
Day 3 - Disneyland Hong Kong
Day 3 we went to Disneyland Hong Kong. We depart early at 8am and from the Tsuen Wan MTR Station, we took the train to Lai King Station and changed train to Sunny Bay Station using the Kwun Tong Line (green colour). From there, you can take the train to Disneyland Hong Kong using the Disneyland Resort Line.At first, we were shocked because the train is 'different' where they provide a Disney-theme trains to Disneyland. Not just the colors, even the windows are different. The window looked like Mickey. And the interior is awesome. With exclusive seats and you can't wait to get there.
At The Gate - Disneyland
We arrived quite early actually. Around 8.45 am in the morning, we walked through the gate and found a fountain with statues of Disney's characters. After that we went to the ticket booth to found out that the ticket booth opened at 9am.We bought the tickets with HK$ 350 for each one of us and we have to wait again because the Main Entrance open at 9.30am. Another reminder, bring yourself extra drinks if you want to come during summer. At 9.30am, the Main Entrance are opened and people are beginning to queue up.
And the best part is, the officers are checking all the begs for something. It turns out that NO OUTSIDE FOOD IS ALLOWED. Only bottled drinks. We felt lucky we didn't bring anything with us. Just some drinks and that's all.
At the Main Entrance
After we got our tickets checked, we saw a family was greeted by the officers with cheers. It turns out that if you and your family were the first to enter the Park, you will be appointed as the Grand Marshall that will be leading the Parade. And you get free tour in the whole park of course.And then there were Mickey and Minney waiting to take photos. Everybody lined up to take pictures with them. Because of the long queue, we chose Donald instead:) There were also Goofy and Pluto.
The Sleeping Beauty Castle
After the entrance, you will find a roundabout (this is where Mickey and Minnie), there were souvenirs shops and beverages. And we all headed towards Tomorrow Land again only to find out that the whole park is not opened yet. Only the shops after the main entrance are opened. But we were entertained by the Disney's Band singing some of the famous Disneyland songs.Sharp at 10 am, everything was opened and everybody running to their first target. We went to Tomorrowland. There were over 10 attractions to choose from in each Land. There were Tomorrowland, Adventureland and also Fantasyland .
You'll Need It To See The Magic
The Greatest Attractions
Most of the attractions are for kids to have fun but these are my favorites among all the attractions. A must when you visit Disneyland Hong Kong. At the Tomorrowland, find the Space Mountain. It is a thrilling high-speed roller coaster but the difference is that you'll be riding through the 'darkness of Outer Space'. You have to try to find out what I meant :)When you are in Fantasyland, look out for Mickey's Philhar Magic. It is a Philharmonic featuring Mickey and Donald using 3-D adventure. You'll be amazed. We all amazed, not just by the 3-D performance, but we actually 'felt' the wind blowing and 'washed' by the rains. It is just amazing. No wonder they called it Mickeys PhilHar Magic.
When you arrive at the Adventureland, don't forget to go to the Tarzan Tree House and ride the Jungle Cruise around Tarzan Tree House and watch how your ship almost caught fire. It was okay with the elephants and even the Giant Spiders, but before we arrived at the stop, the fire suddenly lit and they were REAL FIRE!! The experience is just amazing.
Tarzan Tree House
There are many souvenir shops Disneyland. So don't get too carried away. The best is the nearest to the Train Station.
The Disney Parade
We went to most of the attractions, buy souvenirs, took a lot of pictures until noon. We waited for the Parade.Every day in Disneyland Hong Kong, there will be a parade that started at 1PM. At this hour, songs and announcements can heard from anywhere in the park telling about the parade. Almost all of the visitors gathered at the Main Street USA and the officers are gathering to control the crowd and the crowd are trying to find the best spot as possible to take pictures.
This Is Fantastic!!
And the parade begins with the Grand Marshall leading the parade. And there were songs played and we sang the song together with all the visitors. Boys and girls dancing, colorful costumes with Toons design, The parade coming one by one, bringing Disneys famous characters like Mickey, Minney, Donald and Goofy. Then, The Little Mermaid, and then there were Disneys Princesses. The parade was indescribable. Amazing 5 stars performance.The Parade lasted about 45 minutes until the end. After that, we spent some time on the Disney Train around the Park and took some more pictures. We went back to our hotel after that :)
Hong Kong Disneyland Parade
These are the videos that we took and upload it on YouTube when we are in Hong Kong Disneyland
curated content from YouTube
Hong Kong Guide & Map
Top 10 Hong Kong (EYEWITNESS TOP 10 TRAVEL GUIDE)
Amazon Price: $10.08 (as of 12/27/2009)
Hong Kong & Macau (City Guide)
Amazon Price: $13.59 (as of 12/27/2009)
Insight Fleximap Hong Kong
Amazon Price: $8.95 (as of 12/27/2009)
Time Out Hong Kong: Macau and Guangzhou (Time Out Guides)
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 12/27/2009)
The Road to Hong Kong
Amazon Price: $13.49 (as of 12/27/2009)
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- JziE JziE Oct 20, 2009 @ 9:36 pm
- have a nice trip. glad to help. dont miss the DisneyLand
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Reply
- Mihana Mihana Oct 11, 2009 @ 8:35 am
- Thanks a lot! It's very helpful! My family will visit HK Disneyland on the 27th of this month (October) and I really need some tips.Thanks again! :) Especially with the tip on taking the MTR instead of a cab.
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Reply
- ftuley ftuley Jun 3, 2009 @ 7:24 pm
- Very insightful lens indeed. 5*
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- JziE JziE May 1, 2009 @ 9:29 pm | in reply to rose
- we sure did! Glad to help :)
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- rose rose May 1, 2009 @ 1:51 pm
- the directions in your blog, we're all very helpful. thanks! im sure you've had a blast.
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"Almost all the signboards in HK are Dual-Language English and Chinese. Don't Get Lost"
Shopping and Beverages
Are you wondering where do we spent the nights in Hong Kong? This is the time for shopping. Of course there are shopping malls and fancy restaurants. But we want to see something different. So we headed to Mong Kok.The local people said that this is where the Ladies Market are located. The Mens Market are in Jordan but we didn't have the opportunity to spend much time in Jordan. From the Tsuen Wan Station, we took a train directly to Mong Kok Station and take Exit E2. You will exit directly to the market place.
The market usually starts at 4pm but it will get crowded (I mean very, very crowded) at about 5.30pm. We saw it ourselves how an empty sight growing rapidly by the hour. The place was huge and the crowd was busy. The busiest I ever saw in my life.
This is the place to buy undergarments, shirts, souvenirs, soft households, chopsticks, shoes, almost everything that you cannot see in a shopping mall with cheap bargains. You can also have a tasty snack at some of the side stalls. If you don't eat Chinese food, don't worry, you can find KFC and McDonald's easily in Hong Kong.
Even Muslims can find Halal Food in Hong Kong.
Day 4 - Depart From Hong Kong
This is our last day in Hong Kong. So we spent most of the time at the airport. Still taking pictures and buying souvenirs:)So I spent some time taking pictures and find some food to eat. Never had the time for breakfast that morning. Just packing stuffs and our bags. We departed about 12pm and arrived in Kuala Lumpur around 3.45PM.
Take this as our experience and you can use as a tour guide. This is our story. We hope that you enjoyed the trip and looking forward to be with us again. Until we meet again in another trip :) Dont forget to rate the lens.
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