Day 3, Part 2 - Hong Kong

August 21, 2011 - Disneyland

A leisure trip to Hong Kong is not complete without a visit to the famous Disneyland. Ever since this trip was booked, I've been looking forward to my close encounter with Mickey Mouse and the whole gang and of course to see the attractions and experience the magic of Disneyland.

After spending our morning at Ngong Ping Village, we rode the train at Tung Chung station and got off at Sunny Bay station where the Disneyland Resort Line is located. We then rode the Disneyland-inspired train to the resort. From the outside look of the train to the the blue cushioned seats, Mickey Mouse hand rails and Disney characters bronze figures in glass cases, you can tell that this is not your ordinary train! You get your first feel of Disneyland on this train.

And of course, I wouldn't pass the chance to have my pictures taken at this famous resort!

The parade has just started when we arrived. Here are some pictures of the floats.

Most of the members of the marching band are Pinoys!

Just look at this adorable Mickey Mouse waffle.

Meet and greet the characters!

 

Just like a little girl, I was truly amazed of the castle.

The castle at day time

The castle at night

Our day at Disneyland was wrapped up with spectacular fireworks which left us all in awe.

We truly enjoyed our visit to Disneyland (well, except for the scorching heat). I will definitely go back (if time and budget permit). It goes to show that Disneyland is not just for the young people but also for the young at hearts to enjoy.

Day 3, Part 1 - Hong Kong

August 21, 2011 - Ngong Ping 360 cable car and Tian Tan Buddha Statue (Giant Buddha)


We bought our ticket for the two-way Ngong Ping 360 cable car ride at Dragon Hostel at a discounted price of HK$ 98. Original price is HK$ 115.

The  Tian Tan Buddha Statue or Giant Buddha is situated in Lantau Island so we had to ride the cable car to cross Tung Chung Bay. The 25-minute (5.7 km) ride gives you a spectacular view of Tung Chung Bay, the mountains of Lantau Island and Airport Island.

cable car ride

mountains of Lantau Island

Hong Kong International Airport

If you are planning to visit the island, make sure that you arrive at the cable car terminal early in the morning to avoid the long lines. Ngong Ping Village has a several shops where you can buy souvenir items as well as restaurants. I like the laid back atmosphere of the shops.

As we only have limited time, we only spent a few hours taking pictures in Lantau Island to head on to our next destination.

You have to climb the 268 steps to get a close encounter with the Giant Buddha. However, you have to pay a separate admission fee.

The view from the cable car and visit to Lantau Island give you a refreshing feeling after going through the hustle and bustle of the busy streets of the city.

Day 2 Macau-HK

August 20, 2011 – Macau then Hong Kong

Original call time as indicated in our itinerary was 6am. However, since we were still too lazy to get up, it was moved to a little after 7am.

Good morning, Macau!

We had Macau’s famous pork bun at a nearby small restaurant. We were thinking of eating noodles but the restaurant is packed with a lot of morning eaters. So we just decided to order pork bun at HK$ 17 for take out. It is a slice of pork chop (yes, still with the bones in it) in a bun. It is tasty but too oily.

We rode the hotel’s free shuttle to the ferry terminal and transferred to Grand Lisboa’s shuttle service.  

Good thing about Macau is that anywhere you go, you can always find Filipinos who work there for directions. From Lisboa, we walked the few blocks to Senado Square.

There are a lot of stores selling local delicacies which also offers free tastes to everyone including free water!

If you were able to watch Boys Over Flowers, a few scenes were taken at this store.

You can find the Ruins of St. Paul at the far end of Senado Square. It is one of Macau’s famous landmarks.

Our next stop was in The Venetian. The interior structure of the shopping mall is amazing. It is always day time inside the mall. Even though it is only 12 noon, it was like 5:00 in the afternoon already. You can see clear skies when you look up to the ceilings.

And the singers in the gondola are like mermaids serenading you. Once they started singing, everybody stops and watch them.

Here are some more pictures of the Macau taken while aboard the free shuttles.

At around 3:30pm, we headed to the ferry terminal and took the 4:00pm ferry ride to Hong Kong. Since it is a Saturday, ferry tickets are sold at a higher rate. Tickets are sold at HK$ 173.

Upon arriving in Hong Kong, we checked in at Dragon Hostel. We took two rooms with private bathrooms. One room, shared by five persons, costs HK$ 580 and the other room, shared by four persons, costs HK$ 450.

No time to rest after checking in because we had to go to Victoria Harbour to watch the Symphony of Lights at 8:00pm.

Day 1 Macau-HK

My most awaited day finally arrived! Last August 19, 2011, aboard Cebu Pacific flight 5J-362 bound for Macau, I had my first ever out-of-the-country vacation. It was also my first airplane ride.

When the captain of the plane announced that we were about to land at around 10pm, I looked out of the window and was amazed and marveled at how beautiful Macau is at night. The buildings were all lit up as though I was watching a symphony of lights. The lights of the casinos are breathtaking.

at the Macau International Airport

From the airport, we took a bus to Grandview Hotel where we will be staying for a night.

We booked our hotel a few days after booking our flight. The room costs HK$ 630 (approximately Php 3,465) for a night. We all think it was a good deal because the rooms are nice and the staff can speak English.

I think the bathroom looks cute with its see through glass. Perfect for couples, isn’t it? But if you’re staying with a friend, no worries because you can roll down the blinds for privacy.

After checking in at the hotel, we wasted no time by heading off to explore Macau at night. Good thing about Macau is that you can take free shuttle rides from one hotel or casino to another.

We were enjoying our first night strolling around Macau that we forgot the time. It was already 2:30am when we reached the hotel.

Missing in action

I can't believe it's almost a month since I last updated my blog. I have been swamped with office stuff after the long weekends last month. Yes, you read it right 'long weekends' with an 's'. I had two long weekends last August. My office is located in Quezon City so it was a holiday in QC last August 19. Incidentally, my long awaited trip to Macau and Hongkong fell on that day. Woohoo! I was out of the country from August 19 and got back midnight of August 23. I will try to post my Macau-HK blog entry this weekend (crossing my fingers). I just wish my writing time wouldn't interfere with my mommy duties with Andrei. The second long weekend from August 27 to 30 was a lazy weekend for me. Andrei and I stayed at home most of this long weekend as it was raining so hard.

I had a lot of catching up to do. From writing my own blogs to reading my blog roll. Wish me luck!