Day 2 - Hong Kong Trip

In the morning, as scheduled, the flight departed from KL-HK at 6.25 am and arrived at 10.15 am. Once we arrived at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), each of us purchased an Octopus card (HKD 150) and Airport Express return ticket (HKD 160). The Airport Express train goes to Central MTR Station. From Central, it’s all good. The MTR map is very easy to be understood. It didn’t take a long time for us to figure how to get here and there.  

As promised on the website, Casa Hotel can be reached 2 mins after we exit the Yau Ma Tei station. It’s indeed compact, but very clean, sophisticated and strategically located. The wi-fi signal is also very strong and fast; instead of using my local phone operator service, I used the wi-fi to BBM and browse for places to visit in HK and how to get there. Although we did a bit of browsing, we’ve already set the main itinerary from back home. Travel Lesson no. 3: make sure your itinerary is set before you leave for your destination. It saves time, money and energy. Go-show to places you’ve never been to before on a small-budget is not recommended.   

“Disneyland” was written on the first day of our itinerary, but since it’s afternoon already, we decided to go there the next day. Instead, we opted to visit The Peak, Avenue of the Stars and Ladies Market. First stop: The Peak. Exiting from Central MTR Station, we took a double decker bus to The Peak. We were so excited to sit on the top level. As the bus moved, my feeling was indescribable. I couldn't believe that I was in HK...a country that seemed so far away, it's commonly used in local jokes: "jauh/gede/kecil/lucu/bagus...dari Hong Kong" - I literally pinched myself :D

The view from inside the bus

The double-decker bus that took us to The Peak

In front of the older version of Peak Tram

The road to The Peak goes uphill, and along the way the streets are so clean and well-maintained. Anna and I wondered if only Indonesia was colonialized by the British, insted of the Dutch, our country may have become as organized #daydream.

Once the bus stopped at The Peak, we took some pictures amidst the windy weather. Think of Puncak or Genting highlands, and triple the wind-blows. Haha! Travel Lesson no. 4: make sure your outfits are suited to the weather of the place you’re going to. It’s a good thing to bring thick sweater or jacket, and wool hat to keep you warm, also a pair of comfy boots if you like. Oh, and an umbrella is a safe-keep, just in case.

We went inside The Peak Galleria Mall – in which Madame Tussaud is located - and headed up the escalator to discover what The Peak was all about. On our way, however, we saw a door that said “Peak Tram”. The legendary tram has been operating for over 200 years, and it’s certainly not to be missed. We purchased the ticket (HKD 28) using the mighty Octopus Card <3 It’s a nice experience, going downhill on a 45 degrees tram...with greens on both sides. The only thing we didn’t know, was that the ticket was for one-way only. And once we got to the bottom, we saw an ocean of humans queueing up to go up the tram. Oh, dear!

The legendary Peak Tram

The Tram's Railway

We didn’t get the chance to see The Peak and Madame Tussaud as planned. Ah well, they’re too mainstream anyway :p So, instead, we walked across the street and enjoy the luscious green scenery and enjoy the company of gorgeous tropical birds at Hong Kong Park. To our surprise, the place is really cool. Our disappointment slowly vanished shortly after taking a walk in the beautiful park. It’s wonderful to know that somewhere between those skyscrapers, lies a peaceful sanctuary that anyone can freely enjoy. There were only us and two Buddhist monks. The birds –which were outrageouly huge compared to ones we have back home – flew around in their giant dome cage and didn’t seem to be bothered by our presence; they didn’t even fly away when we tried to capture them in close-up pictures. A walk in nature never fails to remind us how things go wrong for the best reasons, reasons that human-minds may have difficult time to comprehend.

A peachy painted building in Hong Kong Park

"Hello, birdies!"

A huge bird in Hong Kong Park

The Peak Tram from down the road

Next destination, Avenue of the Stars in Tsim Tsa Tsui. We took Star Ferry to the site – as recommended by a fellow Indonesian who overheard our discussion in the bus we rode to the harbour, instead of going to Central and take the MTR. The experience of floating on a ferry to go across the island was also phenomenal. And to think that we could do it with a single Octopus card, wow!

Buses, cars, taxis

The Star Ferry to get across Kowloon from Hong Kong Island

Inside the Star Ferry

At the Avenue of the Stars, we took a walk along paved roads with hand-prints of Hong Kong’s famous film maker and actors/tresses, including Aaron Kwok and Jet Li. It’s also famous because every night, at 8 pm, the buildings across the bay would light up for a musical-light performance called the Symphony of Lights. Hong Kong film industry began to spark since Bruce Lee, hence, the HK government built a signature monument to honor him.  

The Clock Tower

A Walk to Remember

The Icon of Avenue of the Stars

After watching the Symphony of Lights, we went to Harbour City mall nearby. Apparently, they’re having an exhibition, a celebration of 25th Disneyland Anniversary. The exhibition just pumped ourselves even more for the day after.  

Happy 25th Anniversary Disneyland Hong Kong

Christmas just gets better with Mickey and the gang

Tinkerbell 'snowball'

Following a short stop at the gigantic mall, our next destination was the famous Ladies Market. Ladies Market is an open market that sells souvenirs such as I *heart* HK T-shirts, umbrella, fan, Chinese-silk lipstick case, purse, keychains and fridge magnets. We bought some T-shirts and fridge magnets for souvenirs. Anna bought a table decoration made of bronze – which she thought to be over-priced. I believe some of them can actually be found in our own local Mangga Dua – so, if your friends and family wish to have ‘souvenirs from HK’, you know where to get them. Travel Lesson no. 5: Don’t make souvenirs or something-your-friend or family-ask-to-buy as your main priority when traveling. If you didn’t have time (or budget) to buy it, don’t beat yourself up. It’s YOUR trip, small things like that must not be a burden for you. If, somehow, along the way, you find something that you know your friend or family would love, go ahead – you may not have time to go back to the same spot and buy it.

Symphony of Lights

We wrapped the day by having Biryani Rice dinner at Wakas Mess Restaurant, Chungking Mansion, Tsim Tsa Tsui. The vibe of the place felt a bit Bronx-y; we had to go up the lift to reach the place, and dozens of people have already queued before us. Entering the place, it’s actually a lot similar to the Padang restaurants we have in Jakarta. We couldn’t complain because first,  it’s halal; second, it’s on the recommended-for-backpackers list on the Internet; and third, it serves a generous portion of delicious richly-spiced rice with potato-bites and beef chunks that can feed 3 people. We gobbled it down with Masala Tea. We went back to our hotel with a happy tummy and happy feeling.