Seriously, the city glitters at night. Amazing view. Fantastic.
I had a chance to visit Hong Kong just before we celebrated Aidil Adha last week. Reached KL just the night before AidilAdha. I kept on hearing P. Ramlee's 'Dendang Perantau' playing in my head. What a drama queen. Heheheee... When I got home, rendang, kuah kacang, nasi himpit etc were already cooked & my sister was still busy preparing for some desserts in the kitchen. The smell of it all... marvelous. Welcoming :)
Anyway, I actually really want to talk about my trip to Hong Kong. Sorry about the detour :)
Destination city: Hong Kong
Purpose of visit: Business. Not leisure... had to attend a workshop... and gave a short presentation which took a week to prepare.
Mood: Excitement - 50%
Energy level: Low. Been so tired & tied up with work for a while now.
Hong Kong Airport from the air. It's by the sea :)
But still, a sponsored 'holiday' must not go to waste. So, I surveyed for places to visit. I'm not sure what you have heard about Hong Kong. A lot of my friends talked about how great it was to shop there. Things are cheap, so they say :) However, that's not something that I can confirm because the night that I planned to go out shopping at the Ladies Market, I opted to stay in & lazed around all night instead. I had such a blast relaxing at the hotel room.
This is the view from my hotel room @ Renaissance Harbour View. Nice right? I know!
Can you imagine the view at night? Would you understand why I opted to stay in on my last night there?
Hong Kong is an efficient city, I would say. Transportation wise. There are a lot of buses, taxis, MTR and also an exciting Ding Ding that you can ride around the city. I didn't try the Ding Ding. But if you are ever in Hong Kong, you should try it. It's something like trams in Melbourne, Australia.
The thing that I noticed most and found very convenient was the MTR stations. At the stations, there are a lot of exits to the main areas. All you need to know is which exit you suppose to go to & all you know you are already so near to your destination. And, it's all covered area... you don't need to walk under the sun. Some stations are even air-conditioned all the way to the exit. Nice right?
On the way to The Peak
Places I visited:
1st night - 1st destination:
The Peak - Long queue... but worth it! I took a tram ride to go up The Peak. It was a steep ride. On the way down, I decided not to sit down. It was fun! It took all the strength from my not so strong calf muscle & biceps to just to hold my body in position. If it was not because I was holding so tight on the poles inside the trams, I'm pretty sure I'd be rolling on the tram's floor.
There are a lot of things to do at The Peak. But, since I went there quite late, I only got to visit Madam Tussaud's and the viewing area.
Ticket to The Peak
1st night - 2nd destination:
Madam Tussaud's Hong Kong was great! I got to take pictures with Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Louis Khoo, Albert Einstein and Captain Jack Sparrow! I missed the chance to pose with Gandhi, Saddam & Hitler coz no one to help to take picture... one of the disadvantages of traveling alone :(
Madam Tussaud
Mr & Mrs Smith :) Real tak?
1st night - 3rd destination:
Hong Kong's view at night from The Peak was breathtaking and the air was refreshingly breezy. I loved it!
There are packages you can choose from to go to The Peak, Madam Tussaud's and the viewing area. Make sure you choose the right ones. Packages are cheaper than buying single ticket for each attraction.
Hong Kong night view from The Peak. Sorry for the not so sharp picture.
2nd night - 1st destination:
2.50HKD ferry ride from Wan Chai to Tsim Shat Tsui. Loved it! I imagined I was travelling with Wong Fei Hong... hahahaaaaa...
2nd night - 2nd destination:
Symphony of lights show. Held every night @ 8pm. They used all the lights from the buildings by the river (river?) and danced the light according to the music. It was wonderful. I wondered how much is Hong Kong electricity expenses coz all the buildings light up at night. The city was really glittering.
2nd night - 3rd destination:
Arena of stars. Something like Hollywood's walk of fame. Again here, I took photos of Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Sammo Hung and... Tsui Hark! Once Upon a Time in China! Wowwieee...
Walking along the Arena of Stars, with the cooling wind blowing on my face made me smile. Too bad I was alone. Good times should be shared... :)
Oiii... kaki saper tuuuu???
Overall, I had quite a good time for someone with 50% excitement level :) One regret I had was for not bringing my Big Oly... Lil Oly was not so bad, but Big Oly can give better shots. Next time... I won't leave my Big Oly. My good photos depend on him...
I hope I'll have a chance to go back to Hong Kong so I can give you a review on the shopping situation there... heheheeee...
Last pics... my fav activity on flight. Sky view pics of the sky :)
Hope you enjoy reading!
See you again!