2014 Hongkong & Macau Trip - Day One

Exactly a month ago, I, together with some family members, set foot in the airport of Hongkong. After almost nine months of waiting upon purchase of our discounted fare, finally we were there. That was for our 6 days and 5 nights stay. Hooray!

What exactly did we do in Hongkong and in Macau? Honestly, I regret not documenting everything. BUT I hope I can give you an idea of what you can do in Hongkong with the few pictures I have. I will just allow the images to do the talking rather than me recalling and typing a blow-by-blow account of what happened. Lazy me. 

Look up! This is what you'll see inside the Hongkong International Airport.

This is the bus station outside the airport. It took 20-30 minutes before the doubledecker bus A21 arrived. A21 is basically the same as the bus in the picture but the route is Hung Hom Station bound. Its bus stop is almost in front of our hostel. That, we learned after we got lost. Haha! 

Our hostel is located along Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui [TST] area. The closest MTR Station of our hostel is Exit B but when we got off the A21 bus, we realized we were somewhere near Exit L already. We were in the opposite side of where we should have gotten off. For short, we got lost and had to walk long distance. But... when you're in Hongkong, finding your way is not a problem. It is the most tourist-friendly country. There are signages in every road, street, and alley. Plus we had our maps ready. That's why I strongly suggest that before you set foot in HK, do your research. Know what bus or MTR line to board, what bus or MTR station to get off. Also, grab a map in the airport!

Our first meal in Hongkong but definitely not the last. Haha! Love ko 'to!

Avenue of Stars. Have you been to or heard of Hollywood Walk of Fame? This is Hongkong's version. You can have your photo op here during the day since the view is pretty interesting or you can watch the Symphony of Lights at night. Make sure you tag along a bottle of cold drinks, an umbrella, and a washcloth or tissue coz it gets really hot during the day.

After Avenue of Stars, we decided to go to Peak Tram Lower Terminus to catch the tram going to The Peak for more sightseeing. Whew! It took us forever to get there. First challenge was locating an MTR station near Avenue of Stars. Thus the street signs picture. Second, when we exited J2 Central MTR station, little did we know that we need to take a long walk along Garden Road to reach our destination. No choice actually.

On the other side of Garden Road where we were is the Citibank Center. If you happen to see that on your left, you're good. You're on the right track. Long walk ahead.

This is the Peak Tram. You have to endure the long walk to experience the ride going to The Peak. Pretty interesting. I suggest that you take the seat on your right so you'll have a view of nature. 

Once we reached the Peak Tram Terminus, we saw the long queue. Again, we had to wait for some time to get in the tram and had our butt cheeks kiss the wooden seat. Only 25% of energy was left of our body that time that's why every chance we get to rest, we grabbed them. I can't remember exactly how many minutes it took us to reach The Peak but it was enough to rest our exhausted body. Two or three tram stops after, then our destination -- The Peak! 

One of the attractions at The Peak is the Madam Tussauds. I didn't bother buy an entrance ticket because I've seen the Madam Tussauds in the U.S. My companions bought theirs from China Travel Service [Hongkong] Limited. I suggest you buy your combo ticket covering Peak Tram, Sky Terrace 428, and Madam Tussauds there. Their booth is located at the lower ground floor of Hongkong International Airport.

Souvenirs! Souvenirs! You'll find lots and lots of them in Madam Tussauds Gift Shop. Being a magnet collector, I ended up buying the magnet. Of course! 

Sky Terrace 428 gives access to the panoramic view of Hongkong. In our case, we waited more or less 3 hours to capture these beautiful images. We were in a hurry to stroll The Peak because afterwards we went straight to Sky Terrace viewing deck to secure a good spot where we can catch a glimpse of supposedly the Symphony of Lights. To our dismay, none of the display of lights was seen. Actually, the best place to experience the light and sound show is in the Avenue of Stars.

It was a tiring 1st day. We had our late dinner in Yoshinoya in Cameron Road near our place. It was my 1st time to taste Yoshinoya eventhough they have branches here in the Philippines. Not bad in terms of food, but cleanliness and customer service-wise? huh! Forget it! Nevertheless, I finished that bowl of rice, meat, veggies and soda. Afterwhich, we all had our well-deserved rest. ZzZzZzZz... Dreamla-la-land.

A hoarder by profession.