Hong Kong, looking back..

i thought i should get to it before i completely get lazy and decide to store all memories in the not so reliable soft disc of mine.
i'll make it short and sweet. just a few takes on my recent trip to Hong Kong with my girl buddies Pei Sun and Pik Sien. :)

if u ever plan to travel to Hong Kong, it's very self-navigatory-possible. yeah i just created that word. umm on the account that u can read chinese words. a plus point if u speak cantonese. if u don't but can speak mandarin, just as long as u have thick skin and good observation skills, u'll do fine. :) but be very ready to be thought of as a tourist from Mainland China.

1. Point One, once at the airport, equip urself with maps, maps and more maps. zoomed in and zoomed out view, tourism board's recommendations on places to tour, bus schedules, all. it is very possible to survive by taking the MTR and then walking to wherever u wana go through map navigation cz the street signs are reliable. :) that says all about how well planned the city is with great road sign-age and all. :D

2. Hong Kong has a fast paced lifestyle. they walk fast, cross roads fast, eat fast, board the train fast, train also comes fast (1 train every 1-2 minutes can u believe that?? WOW), whip out umbrellas fast, talk fast, weather changes fast - kidding, but yeah it rained on n off in all the 5 days i was there. u get my point. hehe. thank God pei sun talks at jet speed and we managed to survive the food-order-at-the-table scenario. no time to look through menu and think what u wana order. u just gotta spill it all out the moment the waiter comes. (random note: the trains going to disneyland have mickey windows!)

3. Hong Kong public toilets grade A. they're super dry, clean and well maintained. *level up*

4. Macau is super different from Hong Kong. It has loads of Portugese influence. (which i didnt know til a day prior looking at the road maps, all the street names are 'Avenida '. super long street and building names wow. the buildings there have Portugese architecture. makes u feel like u're in Europe. :P







5. Shopping in Hong Kong is pretty good! i used to think the things thr are superrr expensive, but heck, no! nice places to shop at Jordan Street, Wong Kok and Tsim Sa Tsui (pronounced Zhim Sa Zhui in canton, and Chim Sa Chui in English) hehe.

6. Before going to Hong Kong, plan out ur trip first. micro-plan to the point u know the exact address for the breakfast shops u wana go. i mean, if u dont it's not going to destroy ur trip, bt if u've got limited time like mine-just a 5 day trip, u wana make sure it's maximized. :)

7. Accomodation- staying at Tsim Sa Tsui is ok. it is still pretty safe. it has kind of a Chow Kit Road environment. slightly better in fact. so if u're from KL, u're well trained for it already, no worries. hehe. we stayed at Carlton Guesthouse in the Chung King mansion. the room for 70HKD per night was 10 times better than i expected. there was aircon, tv, hot water, water supply provided. very happy. :)

8. walking all around hong kong and macau gave me the feeling of the apostles back in those ancient days after Jesus ascended. we walked n walked n walked like no one's business. our sandals got wet in the rain, dried, then wet again, soaked, dried, vicious cycle. dear sandals, u have served me well. dear purple umbrerra, u served me well too. i got a little taste of how the apostles felt, minus the fact i had maps, street signs, an umbrella and money. salutations...!

so here's my itinary for my 5 day trip. it might help u if u plan to go HKong in future. super duper credits goes to Pei Sun and Pik Sien. i was like a protected species going ard with them. xD i cant speak canton or mandarin well enough. so i just smiled at ppl throughout the whole trip. lol.

Day 1 - from airport took the airport express bus 21A from outside the airport to our guesthouse.
lunched Dim Sum at a shop near the Central Station.
then took the multi level escalator pass Soho.
worked our way to the Medical Science History museum but unfortunately it was closed..

walked up to the Peak tram station. dinner-ed the wanton mee up thr. springy noodle!



watched the Symphony of Lights. pretty cool.

back with supper -Pork Burger at the Woodhouse beside our hostel.


Day 2 - breakfast at Cafe de Coral. it's a franchise so u see loads of it ard HKong.


Disneyland!
The Lion King Musical is truly spectacular :D this picture shows a float carrying timon and pumba :D forgive th

*i just realised my post got cut right here. either my blog was hacked or some random thing happened while editing =( there was a day3-5 account but its gone nw n i cant exactly rmb what i wrote. sorry folks.. *hearbroken.