HEY YALL
I really enjoyed my trip with Ritche to Hong Kong and every single day since i've been back,I couldn't stop thinking about the good food EVERYWHERE, the super nice locals and the beautiful streets.
Believe it or not, it's actually our 10th holiday together despite only being tgt for like 18 months LOL
Over the next few posts i'm going to share my itinerary and hopefully tell you more insights
cause there are lots that isn't stated online even after i researched thoroughly
I wouldn't lie though, when people say or print shirts saying "Lost in Hong Kong", they weren't kidding cause you're really lost half the time HAHA
BUT the locals are so so helpful and nice!!
at the train station we may have looked a little confused and before we knew it
There was already a service staff asking if we need any help / ask where we are headed to!
Many people have the misconception that the locals are rude and unfriendly but that's just because they look really grumpy, stressed under a super fast paced environment and it's really different when you actually talk to them (you should really try)
There were so many times when i asked for help and they really went all way out omg i will tell you more
Well ritche and I are terrible in chinese and practically all the locals speak cantonese, but they could somehow... understand us..... HAHAHA
AND THANK GOD FOR THOSE ENGLISH SIGNS i'm very sure it's because the country is rather well adapted to foreigners
cause it seems that half of the people there are foreigners (similar to Singapore)
So we didn't get disappointed one bit,but i'll continue looking for the restaurants i've listed when i'm back in hk! (maybe next year)
Alright i'll put down the directions on getting around in bold, so if you're planning to go it'll be good to take note of these things!
OH and i bought the hongkong tickets during the national day promotion for Tiger Airways, so it was only $180 PER PAX with BAGGAGE AND TAX
Super duper cheap right omg how much cheaper could it get
And the accommodation was $480 for 2, 4 nights (3 weekdays 1 weekend)!!
You might think it's not cheap but for hongkong, but i promise, it's almost the cheapest you could get (with exception of hostels)
Just a heads up, the other hotels are about $650++ for 4 nights or more
I brought $950 just for expenditure (food, transport and shopping only :P)
In the airport at 4am in the morning with only less than 2 hours of sleep omg
Boyfriend couldn't look more grumpy hahaha
Somehow always eating burger king before our flight because we're always at terminal 2????
WE WERE SO LUCKY because that morning flight was practically only half filled and we could like lie down on the seats like a sofa hahaha
So we took turns at every hour's interval to lie on each other's laps to sleep before we got a cramp LOL
I think the sleep was rather sufficient for our day's activities though!!
Here's our "dead tired" faces when the flight was about to land (check out that guy secretly laughing at us from behind HAHAHAHA OI YOU SEE WHAT)
"dead tired" face 2 LOL i look horrid
suddenly 10000 times more refreshed moments later (that's just how i am HAHA)
Sneak peek of hongkong (omg i miss it so much)
Directions:
When you arrive at the airport you'll immediately see a customer service counter with several tourists queueing up
Join in the queue so you could purchase your Octopus card + Airport Express Tickets!!
I know i know every blog and the mtr website talks about the Octopus card and i still didn't know how it worked until i got there
Basically it's like an ez-link and you top up value in the card for transportations, and it can even be used for certain restaurants and 7-11!
Everyone must be thinking right now, is it really necessary to get the card, or should you just get a ticket for every station you go to?
JUST GET THE CARD cause you save about 30% for every trip you make by using the Octopus!
Though it's 150 HKD ($24 SGD) to get it, there's 100 HKD credits in it and 50 HKD is just a deposit (just get a refund on the last day!)
For 5 days, ritche and I had to use about 150 HKD in our octopus cards, just dont top up so much to the extent you wouldn't be able to finish the credits in it
(cause they dont do refunds for cash under 500HKD in the card)
Hongkong is super smart to have an Airport Express which stops by only about 4 stations to get you directly to the heart of the city really quickly.
It's the only train that gets you out of the airport and the tickets aren't very cheap.
It's actually a separate gantry for this train so if you used your Octopus to tap out of the gantry,
it'll be more expensive than using the Airport Express Tickets purchased at the airport!
Just an example, we were getting from the Airport station to Tsing Yi station and though it was just ONE stop away, it was 45 HKD ($7.30 SGD) per pax if you purchase the airport express ticket.
BUT if you used the Octopus it would have cost you 60 HKD ($9.80 SGD) per pax.
Well though these tickets are really expensive it is definitely wayyy cheaper than taking a direct cab as you might still have to pay for tolls and all
I would highly recommend downloading the hongkong "MTR Mobile" app on your phones and play around with it a little before getting there
It was actually a lot more useful compared to using the info from their MTR website
It gives you details on things located around the station, such as malls and night markets, which exit you should take, and you can find out the price between each station you tap out from!
You can even BOOKMARK those details down
Oh and because we were actually in hongkong during the protests, the app even gave updates on whether they have closed certain stations because of the protests etc
Super duper comfy seats omg
Really huge seat spaces and compartments for your luggages (unlike the plane ride lolol)
Directions:
As you can see, the airport express line is the one highlighted in turquoise!
We alighted at Tsing Yi because we had to take a train to Lai King (orange line) to get to Mei Foo (red line).
As always, i'm staying at the more "unusual" areas for tourists but it worked out well for me :)
Many tourists stay around Central so you could literally take the Airport Express train there directly!
Mei Foo station really doesn't have anything much cause it's surrounded by schools and housing estates
but the MTR is really convenient so getting to areas like Mongkok would only take about 10mins!
We were actually staying at this hotel called "Heritage Lodge" and it's connected to an academy known as Jao Tsung-i
Till now i still have no idea what the academy is about hahaha but i only know the environment around our hotel is beautiful
I really fell in love with the place the moment i stepped through those gates, it's like a typical place for filming movies
and in the short period of 5 days, we have seen people coming for wedding photoshoots and even filming a drama around our hotel!!!
Downside to staying here is the fact that the address is "800 Castle Peak Rd" and it's literally "castle peak"..... cause the hotel is right at the top of a mini hill WTF
They had like 3 lifts for us to take and 1 of them was spoilt so we had to take the stairs WITH OUR LUGGAGES
Stupid us really should have taken the shuttle service that comes to the MTR every 30minutes cause it brings us all the way to the top of the hill
but we srsly had no idea LOL at least we found out how to walk to and fro from the MTR hahahaha
Comfy bed, clean sheets and super dark curtains to block out the morning sun
when you open the curtains in front of the full length mirror it's PERFECT for applying make up hahaha
Like for once in my life my make up wasn't uneven (or at least less uneven....)
And if you have been to hongkong before, you'd know that one of the major problems with staying at other hotels would be the tiny space they give you omg
I heard from many, that they couldn't open their luggages up on the floor, or they could only open 1 luggage on the floor cause the walkways are indeed that tiny
That's like the MOST INCONVENIENT THING EVER LOL
Well look at ours :''''''''''')
Sitting area right outside our room~
And yes wifi was really good fast and most importantly FREE
I can never forgive those stupid hotels who charge wifi by the hour URGH (and even limit it to 1 user wow???)
Doesn't look anything like a typical hotel at all~~
This view once we step out of our rooms every day hehe (and the walk up omg but it was still worth it all i promise)
And that, is the damaged lift i was telling you about OMG let me tell you what happened it was so terrifying
At first we were still considering whether to take it cause it didn't even look like a lift to begin with
It looks like buttons from a crane or something but because we were so exhausted from the walk we decided to try our luck??
How this lift works is you have to OPEN the glass door, step inside and shut the door
Then you manually press the button to go down and hold on to the button
BUT after the lift moved down a few steps (really really slowly) it suddenly stopped moving WTF
then i had no idea whether to continue pressing the button or what i was to do cause it just wouldn't move at all
And i saw this button that says "emergency alarm" and i held on to the button for so so long but NO ONE CAME
Then we were both panicking and i thought i was going to die HAHAHA and it was so hot and stuffy
Then i told Ritche why not we try opening the glass door again and he thought it wouldn't have worked but since this was a manual lift
IT WORKED and like a typical movie we had to climb out of the lift wth
After ritche climbed out i was so afraid to do so cause you know how those typical movie scenes show the last person doesnt manage to get out or how they try and their body gets cut into half cause the lift decides to move....
Even after we climbed out of the lift no one came for our emergency bell omg god knows where the emergency bell actually rings to
Ok i think everyone is just judging me right now cause i'm freaking out over a lift HAHAHAHA you go there and try for yourself ok PSH
I have no idea why this lift is so "special" cause the other 2 lifts in this hotel works like a PERFECTLY NORMAL lift
And it even had AIRCON in the lifts LOLOL
The shuttle service took us to the nearest MTR within 2 minutes ~
I'm still really amused by the fact that such old buildings are located so close to the MTRs and exist right next to super tall office buildings
Really a sight you wouldn't see in Singapore and many other countries
Back to the itinerary and tour hahaha
Directions:
We took the MTR from Mei Foo station to Admiralty interchange (Red Line) to get to the Causeway Bay (Dark Blue Line) and that cost us 13.2 HKD ($2 SGD).
We first went to look for some lunch cause we didn't have anything to eat since morning!
Stopped by at Tsui Wah Restaurant cause it was in my food list hahaha
You don't have to come all the way to this outlet as they have many everywhere but here's their address if you're nearby
They serve quite a lot of hongkong dishes and their menu really reminded me of xinwang cafe's menu in singapore hahaha
Tsui Wah Restaurant
20-22 King Lung Street
Ordered their Champagne milk tea cause i thought it sounded really cool........ but it was just a bottle of milk tea stuffed between a bucket of ice HAHAHA
Omg kana cheated but it was just nice for me cause i drink really slowly and by the time i'm half done with my drink it's usually too diluted to be considered "drinkable"
And let me just swear now that taiwan milk tea is no longer my favourite drink in the world cause HONGKONG MILK TEA IS THE BOMB
This cost 26 HKD ($4 SGD) and worth every sip
Struggled to finish my portion of their spicy bean pork rib noodles cause the serving is so damn huge
This costs 64 HKD ($10 SGD)
The taste is unlike anything i've ever had and i really love spicy food but this wasn't one bit spicy hahaha
Well but i'll rate this a 8.5/10!!
Ritche's beef char kway teow looked unappetizing and boring at first but it was HEAVENLY :'( and it only cost 63 HKD ($10 SGD)
We both heard that food in hongkong is extremely expensive, that's why we brought so much cash there but really, it isn't? (THEIR CLOTHES ARE FREAKING EX NOT THEIR FOOD!)
$10 per dish for restaurant pricing is super reasonable leh
The whole meal was 153 HKD ($25 SGD) and it was pretty much the most expensive meal we had in hongkong HAHAHA
Typical singaporeans we were, we just had to take a look at the protests we were hearing about over the news!!
Everyone was telling me to be careful and my friend chelsea thought i might not make it home alive HAHAHA but the protest couldn't be more peaceful!
It's really not what you think, everyone was just sitting on the roads and some people even parked their cars diagonally across the road to block it and protest in their own ways.
The multiple road blocks were no trouble at all, it was actually convenient hahahah we were walking on the roads without caring about all the traffic lights.
And it was a lot less crowded that way, we didn't have to walk along those narrow pathways LOL it was like this from day one till our last day in hk
Lucky for us those tear gas and pepper spray action usually happens late at night and we didn't get to see it
It was really an eye opener for me cause they actually set up their own first aid kit booths, water booths and litter area
(yes they bothered to clean up their own mess)
These materials for first aid and water is just randomly provided by hongkongers who wish to go there and contribute for free
and random people on the street would be helping out in carrying it to the booth etc
We actually saw them suddenly forming a row out of random people and passing bags of water to the "water booth"
I even saw a sign that stated "Our Restaurant on the 5th floor supports the protests, go upstairs to get free supplies you may need!"
and it was just absolutely heart warming
We just loved to see how people were so willing to come together and help though they dont even know one another,
it's not something you'll see everyday but we did for the 5 days we spent in hongkong
We then went on to look for places to shop at and malls around causeway bay would include Hysan Place, SOGO, Times Square etc
Anyways on my left you can see that huge F21? That's 5-6 stories high!! Sadly i couldn't find a single thing to buy from there hahaha
I really don't know how it's possible but it's probably because the weather was so damn hot but everything inside was mostly coats and stuff....
Hysan Place had one of the biggest apple stores i've ever seen in my life BUT i refused to step inside hahaha not interested in any apple products seriously
But it was really ironic how right next to the apple store, was about 10+ street vendors selling the exact same things, the iPHONE 6 LOL
I wouldn't lie, i saw so many things i liked in the mall cause they had really unique clothing but the prices were like 2000 HKD ($330 SGD) or so?
I was so so sad cause i gave up on browsing many shops cause the pricing was pretty much the same lol and same goes for most of the malls at causeway
They also have a "Jardine's Cresent Night Market" which closes at about 9.30pm and it was sadly amongst the worst night markets i've been to!!
It was just a small stretch across an alley which can be covered within 5 minutes if you just walk through
and everything they sold was rather low quality items for extremely high prices.
All i managed to buy was a bag from accessorize at Hysan Place which was really cheap considering it's from accessorize!!
170 HKD ($27 SGD) and it was super cute
Will remember to link the photo of it to show yall when i use it hehe
Went to SOGO as well because i heard there's a supermart at the basement but it was pretty much a waste of time
I didn't see any diff between this and the super expensive one you'll find at Singapore's Isetan, it was mainly just imported products!!
Well if you would like to look for their local mart you should try "Wellcome" hahahaha omg recalling the name of the mart makes me laugh
Yup it's spelt with a double L, no typo there
Also if you go pass the drinks section, grab their CALPIS drink (blue packaging) cause it's really good and it's ritche's fav now hahaha
BURBERRY at SOGO was actually slightly cheaper than Singapore and kinda similar to Europe's pricing but still not my kind of thing~~
I took this photo for their cute "hygiene station" instead HAHAHA
OMG i couldn't emphasize more on how hongkong is super particular about sanitizing everything
On the 3rd day we actually went to this restaurant and there was a sign that stated "THIS HANDRAIL IS STERILIZED EVERY HOUR"
omg and i just couldn't stop laughing about it hahahaha it's so cute how they even put up a sign for that
If you go on their escalators, they'll announce that you should not to use your smartphones while on it cause you should beware and hold on to handrails cause it's dangerous hahaha
They even tell you to be careful with your toes when wearing slippers on the escalators
It's even cuter at the airport, they'll announce that you shouldn't walk up the escalator cause it's dangerous HAHA and everyone listens!!!
Well i'll give hongkong the cute country award (Y)
We decided to go to the famous Victoria Peak (aka The Peak) at about 4.30pm which was a very very good idea
Cause if you went in after 7, you would see the 20metre queue for their tickets and tram
Apparently at 7pm the waiting time to take the tram is about 1 and a half hours LOL
If not for the fog that day, we would have been able to see the city during the day, the sunset and watch the city lights lighting up
Directions:
Take the train from Causeway Bay to Central which takes less than 10 minutes and it'll cost 5 HKD ($0.8 SGD) and take the J2 Exit!
When you're out of the MTR exit, go straight and you'll see a road.
From there, the specific route would be to "turn right through Chater Garden > Cross Queen's Road Central > Walk up Garden Road > Pass by Bank of China Tower"
But there are a few signs that would lead you to the tram terminus to take the tram up to The Peak but you could note this down just in case!
When you buy the tickets, they'll ask if you would like to buy
1. Tram tickets
2. Tram tickets + 428 Sky Terrace 80 HKD ($13 SGD)
2. Tram tickets + 428 Sky Terrace + Madame Tussauds 310 HKD ($51 SGD)
as buying the bundles on the spot would be cheaper than buying them on the spot when you reach The Peak
But please DO NOT just buy the tram tickets, at least buy the 428 sky terrace tickets with it cause there's really nothing much to see without it!!!
Thankfully for us, the queue for tickets was only 5 minutes and the waiting time for the tram was only about 15 minutes.
Let me just give you an advice NOT TO wear heels when going to The Peak cause it's seriously a bad idea.
When on the tram up to The Peak, it's a 10-15 minutes ride up literally in a 45 degree angle and there are passengers WITHOUT seats
Even as guys they looked like they were struggling to keep their balance!!!
Super expensive area to buy tourist items lol
The escalators were insaneeeeeeee especially with the glass panels everywhere
My fear of height was killing me hahahaha
Anyways at The Peak they have about 2 mini 3 storey malls for you to walk about and kill time until you feel like going up the 428 Sky Terrace
That boat shaped thing is the Sky Terrace hahaha omg mini mbs????
Mandatory shot :P
They were really early with their halloween preparations as you can see.
Creepy how this food product / beauty shop had spiders hanging from EVERYWHERE?
Oh and outside the mall there were many people dressed up in extremely realistic looking zombie and clown costumes
One of them was even holding a chainsaw and you should have seen the number of people running away from him
i wish i took a picture of him but omg what if he chased after me i think my heart might just stop HAHA
Anyways at The Peak there was actually several cosmetic shops and we got perfume and some cosmetics from there!
Their SaSa can be found everywhere and their lipsticks were half the price to that of Singapore's so i got myself 1 hahahaha yes just 1
Went to the Sky Terrace 428 at about 5.45pm hoping to see the sunset but really the fog never went away
In the evening after 6,45pm you would almost never have a chance to stand near the railings like this and just enjoy the view cause you'll be standing behind 2-3 rows of people squeezing their way through with their huge cameras, digital cameras and smartphones
They don't only want 1 photo but they just stand there and refuse to barge omg
I couldn't really enjoy the view sadly after it became dark but i'll remember to chope a place before dark next time
We left hurriedly after 8pm because we heard thunder and i recalled that it was supposed to rain at about 8pm according to the fairly accurate weather forecast
The lightning was crazy and it was almost like we could see it in front of us and everyone was running to the MTR lolol
It's really quite a rare sight to see their locals run somehow
Sadly i had to drop my dinner plans cause it would have required us to walk in the rain and so we went to this fast food style hongkong cafe for dinner instead!
It's known as Mei Xin (just next to Macs) and they serve rice, noodles, skewers and my favourite hongkong milk tea~
At this place how it works is that you have to take your queue number and start queueing up along the collection area (which is separate from the cashier)
So everyone was just crowding around there
About 5 minutes after making payment at the cashier we realized that we didn't tell her whether we wanted our milk teas hot/cold
We asked the manager at the collection counter whether our drinks were labelled as hot/cold on the receipt and asked what we could do to get a change in the order
and he straight away helped us with the top up etc instead of telling us to go to the cashier ourselves despite being so damn busy omg
In the end when our orders were done, he literally served it to our table while everyone else was just standing around and waiting for their food collection WE FELT SO BAD
But he probably knew we were foreigners and just gave us special treatment and we just couldn't stop thanking him!!!
Beef Skewers which included a pastry soup (yumz) for 54 HKD ($8 SGD)
The steak was a little overcooked but other than that i quite liked it!!
Ritche's Honey Glazed Chicken Rice cost about 30 HKD ($5 SGD)
Hongkong was really nice to us on day 1 and we went back to the hotel feeling so satisfied!!
However if you're planning to follow my itinerary for day 1, i wouldn't suggest spending more than 2-3 hours at Causeway Bay unless you're looking to buy branded itemsRitche and I went there on day 2 and we were not one bit disappointed hehe.
Well stay tuned for my day 2 post and till next time~~
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