Why Hello Again, Hong Kong!

After my parents decided to book a ticket to Hong Kong, I can't help, but feel ecstatic thinking about being back to the very first out of the country trip I've been to circa 2010 with my siblings and my brother's wife.

What made this trip even extra special is that it falls, not only on my birth month, but exactly on my birthday! I, without a doubt, loved my birthday gift since I get to travel outside the country with my family sans my father, whose passport was still in the embassy for visa approval and brother, who couldn't file a vacation leave. I'm sure it would've been a happier trip with them. I'm definitely hoping for a complete family trip next time!

Thank God our flight wasn't delayed that time, so we were able to follow our itinerary as planned. Sit back and relax, while I narrate our amazing adventure.

Day 1: Ngong Ping

After arriving at the airport, we had lunch at City Gate Outlets, which is the nearest mall from the airport, and rented a locker there for our luggages. After placing our things inside the locker for safekeeping, we bought a ticket for a roundtrip ride to Ngong Ping and back to the city via cable car.

I remember one of my boyfriend's family friend saying that the longest cable car he rode was the one in Hong Kong and I second that notion. Good thing we were too distracted looking at the beautiful view or else, it would've been an agonizing ride for us (which I highly doubt it would since it's not like we get to ride on a cable car everyday, hahahaha).

After a semi-long ride, we finally reached the village. If you're a fan of Chinese architecture, I'm sure you'll somewhat love it here. The place was heavily infiltrated by tourists when we arrived, but I've still managed to take photos and of course, an Instagram-worthy photo of myself, all thanks to my sister's boyfriend. (Hahahaha thanks, Pat!)

Though it's my second time in Hong Kong, I've never been to Ngong Ping. Glad I was able to explore this lovely village and see the big Buddha.

After getting our luggages, we commuted via train going to Tsim Sha Tsui.

Day 2: Disneyland

Finally back in the happiest place on Earth, a place where it's safe to feel young! Since our visit to Mickey's castle happened to be scheduled on a weekend, it was expected to see more visitors coming in and out.

There may have been a lot of changes since I first came here six years ago, but that ecstatic feeling remained the same.

Find Albert the Monkey! ;)

I personally recommend riding Mystic Manor and...

...watching The Lion King!

We all had fun trying the rides and exploring the place. Apart from the fun activities inside, I also got the chance to ride, for the first time, their Disney-themed train.

Thank you, again, for the fun experience, Disneyland! Until we meet again, someday!

Day 3: Victoria Harbour and Victoria Peak

Before visiting these aforementioned places, we had to walk from Mirador Mansion straight to the ticketing office to buy a ticket going to Macau. The schedules available were no longer ideal for an entire day tour to Macau (unless we want to move from one destination to another every 15 minutes), so we decided to postpone the trip and just explore more of Hong Kong's beauty. 

Poor photo quality since I grabbed this from my sister's Facebook. Photographed by my sister's boyfriend.

It's no surprise to see tourists, and even locals, visiting Hong Kong's picturesque skyline. There are several things to visit within the area, but we simply chose to relax for a short while and enjoy the view.

Then we're off to my most awaited part of the trip, Victoria Peak! I had so many first times in our trip, including our trip to Central Hong Kong and riding on a tram. It was a delightful experience to see the Bank of China up close and view the city lights at the peak. 

Central Hong Kong

We've been standing for two hours since there were so many people lining up for the tram.

It was a semi-jungle ride to the tram since people were pushing around just to get inside first to find a seat and then there's me and our family friend standing throughout the trip because there were no more available seats for us.

On our way to the observatory deck.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take a decent picture with the view due to the crowd. I swear some started climbing just to capture the city lights.

See that man wearing black (if I'm not mistaken) shirt in the second picture? I swear I wasn't exaggerating when I mentioned earlier about people climbing up to anything that elevates them from the crowd just to get the perfect shot of the view.

My only semi-decent picture of the beautiful view, not with the view because I didn't get to take a picture with it as my background because people were swarming the area.

Train ride going back to Tsim Sha Tsui.

If you're planning to visit the peak, better bring jacket or wear long sleeves if you don't want to end up hugging yourself like I did, hahahaha.

Day 4: Shopping

Instead of getting a ticket to Macau, we chose to stay in the city and buy whatever we want to buy. I was actually 99% close to giving up in looking for my boyfriend's request, but luckily, I found it in Langham Place (we actually tried visiting this mall on our third day, but I wasn't able to find 'that' thing).

Langham Place

We were able to buy the things we wanted to buy, except for that Stan Smith I found in Langham Place. Sometimes, I question myself why my feet are so small, yet I kid about this one. Maybe it's not the right time for me to own a pair of Stan Smith, yet. Hehe.

Nothing much happened this day since we were too busy packing our things and trying to fit everything in our luggage.

Day 5: Airport

We had to wake up very early to catch the first bus trip to the airport. I find it kind of cute seeing my niece and nephew having so much energy to walk (and run, if necessary) with us, although they had to wake up early as well.

Sleep-In Hotel, Mirador Mansion, Tsim Sha Tsui

We booked a total of four rooms. The place is actually budget-friendly and it's only a five-minute walk from the train station. Additionally, it's located near Café de Coral, a fast food restaurant that offers different meals everyday. Also, thumbs up to their staffs for giving us a smile whenever we get to pass by them.

That ends my Hong Kong 2016 adventure with my family. It's been a pleasant vacation with you, Hong Kong! Until next time!