When people say it’s never too late to begin something, it can be relatable to all of us for numerous reasons. As for me, it’s relatable when it comes to travelling internationally. I’ve been enjoying most of the famous local travel spots for years, but I’ve only recently began travelling internationally. My first international travel destination was Hong Kong. This trip was particularly special, not only because it was my first one out of the country, but because I booked it as a graduation present to my closest cousin, Red. She and I enjoyed Hong Kong along with two of my close friends and their little one. In the end, I consider it a very successful trip for a first-timer like myself.
Hong Kong is known to be one of Asia’s busiest and most developed metropolitan hubs in terms of business, trade, and tourism. The most widely spoken language there is Cantonese, but most of the people in hotels and retail can speak English. Their currency is Hong Kong Dollar (HKD). There are money changers all over the place, even in the airport, if you plan to pay everything in cash. If you opt for going cashless, most establishments accept card payments and transactions, but it will still be safer to exchange a little bit of cash for anything you wish to buy off the streets.
It is common knowledge that the best place to get an accommodation in when in Hong Kong is Tsim Sha Tsui. It is a district in Kowloon that is famous for its nightlife and shopping opportunities. Naturally, we picked a hotel within that area so it would be easier for us to get around. The different modes of transportation available in Hong Kong are very different from the ones we have here in the Philippines, but are quite easy to understand. They have guide boards everywhere that are extremely helpful. Their cabs are color-coded to have specific routes, which is what we took from the airport going to our hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. From there, it’s a lot more fun to get from one place to another through their subway trains or as they call it, MTR. It is advisable to get an Octopus Card, which is a prepaid card that can be used when riding buses and the MTR.
In our first day there, we went to Ngong Ping, the home of the Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery. Here, we got to enjoy a Ngong Ping 360 cable car ride and see the world’s largest bronze statue of Buddha towering at 34 meters. To get to the statue, we had to climb over 200 steps, which was tiring but totally worth it. After Ngong Ping, we went back to Tsim Sha Tsui to stroll around the area. It is indeed very much like Times Square in New York City. We enjoyed walking around the shopping district, in their gigantic malls before we finally called it a night.
We spent our second day in Hong Kong at Ocean Park. We had a great time viewing the sea creatures, going on the rides, listening to the educational encounters, and watching the Ocean Theatre show. Hong Kong Ocean Park also has a street themed with the 1950s to 1970s era called Old Hong Kong, where everything is retro. After spending the day in Ocean Park, we had Peking Duck for dinner at Victoria Peak. Victoria Peak, also known as Mount Austin or simply the Peak, is the highest point in Hong Kong. We chose to visit there at nighttime so we could see the breathtaking beauty of the city lights, Victoria Harbour, and other surrounding islands. We ended the night with our bellies full and our eyes blessed by the beautiful view.
This ends the first part of my Hong Kong blog. Come back next week for the continuaton.
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