Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Our Hong Kong Holiday (October 2011): Day 1 (Tsim Sha Tsui, Victoria Peak)

I did a lot of research prior to our trip and most of the info I got came from the Hong Kong Thread of PinoyExchange (PEx). Thanks to commoner who created the thread and to all the PExers who contributed. :) 

We were a party of 5 adults and 1 kid (a senior at 62yrs, then 29, 26, 25, and 18 yrs old, and a 2yr-old-kid).  The promo tickets were bought in February 2011 (tagal ng paghihintay, hehe).
 
OCTOBER 27, 2011, Thursday (Diosdado Macapagal International Airport: CLARK-HONG KONG, Tsim Sha Tsui, Victoria Peak)
the kid is excited! :)
checking-in
at the tarmac
inside the plane
We took the 7:05am flight in Clark.  We brought our own vehicle and left it at DMIA's carpark.  Mukhang safe naman kasi gated and guarded siya (at nasa loob ng former military base, hehe).  Umpisa pa lang ng biyahe nakakapagod na kasi maaga kaming nagising para sa flight. We traveled for an hour from Meycauayan, Bulacan to Clark.  Toll fee was Php45.00 at Meycauayan exit then in Angeles, Php153.00.  In the airport, we paid Php1,620.00 travel tax for each adult then for Ryken, Php1,010.00 (reduced tax rate of Php810.00 + Php200.00 processing fee).  Terminal fee in DMIA was Php600.00 for each passenger (no discount for seniors or kids).

Lahat ng kinatatakutan ko sa immigration officers (IOs), walang nangyari. I just wrote my position title (records officer) and walang hinanap na papel or company IDs. Hindi rin hinanapan mga kasama ko, probably since nakita nilang family kaming magtravel. Tinanong lang kung kaninong anak yung bata (sa akin!), kung ilang days kami at kelan ang balik. I just showed the IO our return ticket when she asked when we’ll come back.

We also bought food inside the plane dahil sa maaga nga kaming nagising at nagutom na rin kami.  Over sa mahal!  Mineral water was Php50.00, hot choco was Php80.00, cafe mocha was Php80.00 also and ham and cheese croissant was Php100.00.  Nakakaloka!

at the tube upon arrival at HKIA
with the captain and my sis-in-law na first-timer sa plane
On time ang CebPac, galing!  And we landed 25minutes earlier than scheduled so around 8:30am nasa HK na kami. Haba ng pila sa immigration. Nainis pa yung HK IO sa amin kasi yung mom ko and sis-in-law humiwalay sa amin ng pila tapos nung nakitang mauuna kami, lumipat sila sa line namin (magkatabi lang kasi yung pila).  Hindi pala gusto ng mga IOs na ganun palipat-lipat so he told us to separate.  Kaso di namin naintindihan kung ano ang gusto niyang mangyari kasi nga alam ko dapat sama-sama sa immigration officer kung family na nagtravel so sabi na lang n’ya “Oh, don’t bother!” tapos kinuha na lahat ng passports namin.  Then kinausap na in Chinese yung katabi nya, siguro para magrant. Hahaha! :)
hala takbo!
 

first-timers sa HK
Ang tagal namin sa loob ng airport kasi picture-picture pa and I can’t find the China Travel Service (CTS) booth. ‘Di ko na kasi nareview uli yung video ni pretty sa pinoyexchange HK thread. Nasa dulo pala sa right yun.
the CTS Booth in HKIA
Upon exiting customs, foreign exchange, etc., derecho lang pala hanggang dulo, nasa right side puro travel agencies. Dalawa ang booths ng CTS pero isa lang yung nag-entertain sa akin that time, yung A04 booth.
CTS Pricelist:
Disneyland (Adult)         HKD340.00
Disneyland with 3-in-1 Dining Coupon (Adult)  HKD413.00

the booth where you buy Octopus cards at HKIA

CURRENCY EXCHANGE AT AIRPORT:       1USD = 7.08HKD
My sister-in-law had to exchange 100USD in the airport kasi wala pa siyang baong HKD. Kami naman we bought HKD in Czarina a few days before our flight and exchange was 1HKD = 5.62Php.  We also bought octopus cards for our easy travel around Hong Kong.


A21 Bus to Kowloon
my bro with my sis-in-law inside the A21 bus (with free wifi!)
From the airport, we rode the A21 Bus to Tsim Sha Tsui (TST). Nalito pa ako sa stops kasi tama naman yung bilang ko and I was even holding the guide of Golden Crown pero lumampas kami. Parang may ginagawa kasi sa isang area ron, sa tapat ata ng Chungking Mansion. Paglakad kasi namin nakita ko na yung HK Space Museum so alam kong napalayo na kami, hehe..

Pagdating namin sa Golden Crown Guesthouse, inasikaso kami ni Ate Lina, yung Pinay caretaker nila.  Hindi na kami nakapagpicture dito, video lang :D Sinamahan na kami sa room kahit di pa kami nakapagbayad ng deposit kasi magpapapalit pa lang ako ng USD sa Wing Hoi. Yung mom and brother ko sa Room 602 (Renovated Couple) then kami sa Room 615 (Quadruple). Maganda yung Quadruple Room ng Golden Crown. Pero after a few minutes, tumawag si Ate Lina at pinapalipat kami sa Room 603 beside my mom’s room. Tingin ko nagkamali sila kasi ang ganda nung nabigay sa amin eh naalala kong may Superior Quadruple Room na sila. Mas maganda dun sa superior kasi may nakasave na movies na puwedeng panoorin sa LCD TV tsaka mas sosyal at bago ang itsura, hehe..  Yun lang ang shower area may glass doors at maliit kesa dun sa regular quadruple room na maluwag ang shower area.  Wi-fi was bloody fast! As in! My husband was able to download a lot of movies in just a short time. :)
WING HOI EXCHANGE RATE (October 27, 2011): 1USD = 7.76HKD

***UPDATE (August 8, 2012): Wing Hoi Money Changer in Mirador Mansion is already CLOSED. The owners are already enjoying their retirement. :(  Scroll down to see the post of Kinyo in the Ultimate HK PinoyExchange Thread or see this picture of Wing Hoi taken by Kinyo.


we ate lunch here
yes, noodles...
with lobster balls
mcdonald's boy
Malamig ang hangin sa HK, parang Baguio, kaya masarap maglakad.  Kaya pa ang lamig kahit jacket lang or shawl / scarf ang suot.  Most ng kinainan namin eh yung mga recommended ni delisyus (fellow PExer) like Wah Kee Snacks in TST where we had our lunch.  We ordered noodles with different toppings (5 orders = HKD105.00 plus HKD30.00 for 5 orders of Coke).  Not bad. :)  Marami ngang customer kasi hindi nawawalan ng pila.  Kaso lang, yung ibang kasama ko, ayaw sumubok ng HK street food. Maanghang kasi because of the curry sauce sa noodles or di nila type yung environment ng resto. So they ate at a nearby Mcdonald's.

We visited The Peak on the first day. Dahil 430pm na kami nagising sa sobrang pagod, ‘di na kami nakaikot sa TST area. Derecho kami sa CTS sa Nathan Road. Madaling makita yung building pero medyo nahirapan akong hanapin yung CTS branch, aakyat pa pala ng stairs and it’s not along Nathan Road, nasa side yung entrance. We bought our Peak Tram Round Trip + Sky Terrace + Madame Tussauds there, it’s only HKD 183.00 each.                                         
Open-top Bus 15C to the Peak Tram Lower Terminus
sightseeing galore
We rode Bus 15C at Central Ferry Pier to the Peak. Sinuwerte kami na nataunan namin yung open-top bus. The walk from Central MTR Station to the Pier was manageable. Sa footbridge kami dumaan and since scenic ang view, enjoy kami sa paglakad. We even saw the HK Apple Store there dahil connected sa IFC yung footbridge. Nahirapan lang kaming hanapin yung bus stop ng Bus 15C. Malayo na nilakad namin dun sa area na maraming bus stops tapos nasa kabilang side pala. If coming from the footbridge facing the Pier, turn right. Kami kasi nag-left. Nag-iisang bus stop siya sa part na yun, tapat ng Pier No. 7 ata or 8 if I’m not mistaken.
Jackie Chan! :)
with President Obama
There was no line at the ticket counters of the Peak Tram Lower Terminus where I exchanged my vouchers from CTS for actual tickets.  The number of people waiting for the tram was also manageable.  We first went to Madame Tussauds then Sky Terrace. Ang lamig sa Sky Terrace at super lakas ng hangin! Pero ang ganda nga ng view, breathtaking. Sayang lang ‘di namin inabot ang symphony of lights, nawala sa isip ko na puwede nga palang panoorin yun habang nasa terrace. Nauna kasi namin yung wax museum.
lamig sa Sky Terrace! brr!
We ate dinner at Tsui Wah Restaurant at The Peak Galleria.  Food is relatively ok, nothing special. We ordered Hainanese Chicken, Malaysian Beef Curry (spicy!), Shrimp Dimsum, Fried Rice and burger with fries plus juice / milk tea / shake.  Our total bill was HKD 427.00 (or Php2,398.80).  It's the first time that I experienced dining at a resto where there are waiters but you settle the bill on your own at the cashier.
dimsum
Malaysian Beef Curry
Hainanese Chicken
burger with fries
our own booth at the resto
We went back to Golden Crown after dinner (around 10pm) and called it a day.  We rode Bus 15C from the Peak Tram Lower Terminus and alighted at the Central MTR Station (it's one of the stops).  We're lucky that Ryken is used to traveling so he was very cooperative the whole time.  It was a nice welcome in HK! :)  

4 comments:

  1. Hi. I am planning to go to HK this year. I just want to ask if iba pa ba yung Travel Tax na babayaran sa DMIA dun sa Airport tax and fees na binayaran kasama ng airfare ticket(AirAsia)? If magkaiba, how much? is it Php1,620.00 or Php810.00? Thank you very much! Btw, I enjoyed reading your blog!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hello! :) thank you for reading my blog. :)
      I checked the website of Air Asia and yes, iba pa yung travel tax na babayaran sa DMIA dun sa airport tax and fees na kasama sa airfare. For adults, it's Php1,620.00. The Php810.00 is reduced tax rate for kids (2-11 years old, I think) plus Php200.00 processing fee so it's Php1,010.00 travel tax for kids. Good luck in planning your travel!

      Delete
  2. Hi, I like your blog its informative for us since me and my family will be going there this December. Anyway, can I ask a tip from you on how I can book sa Golden Crown since hirap magpareserve sa kanila.. The worst siguro we can stay elsewhere basta in the Golden crown Bldng. KAsi mukhang ok sa mga bata ung place wlanag tambay sa baba (correct me if im wrong) thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello! Sorry for this very late reply. Yes, wala masyadong tambay sa Golden Crown, mas marami sa Mirador Mansion and the next building. Medyo in-demand kasi ang Golden Crown Guesthouse, mabilis talaga silang mapuno. I reserved online lang din. I did it in June, our travel was October. They don't entertain early booking kasi. December na pala, enjoy your trip! Hope you were able to find a suitable place to stay for your family. :)

      Delete