TRAVEL DIARY: HK-MACAU AWESOMENESS, OUR 6-DAY ADVENTURE EXTRAORDINAIRE

Top to Bottom: L-R Mongkok at Night, the HK Icon (the name escapes me), the bears at 1881 Heritage, Earl & me at TST Promenade, Us again at Victoria Harbour, Fireworks at Disneyland

After years of stalling due to the senseless blunder of me not having a “Gender” in my birth documents – I finally got myself a passport and after days of odd squabbling with Earl as to where and when, we settled for a 6 day HK-Macau trip in the Spring of 2013.  

Hongkong is heaven for a first-time-out-of-the-country traveler like me. What first got me when we landed (which was about 6pm) were the tremendously stunning views of the skyscrapers that were just starting to light up for the night. I fell in love with the city at first sight. I know I’m gonna go somewhere else in the world and not have this much fascination as I have for HK – kind of like how I felt about other beaches if they weren’t Boracay.  That and so much more. 

Now, who wouldn't fall in love with such a sight?

We stayed at Casa Hotel, a 4-star hotel along Nathan Road that thanks to Ms. Sharon to whom I am enormously indebted to, just cause she insisted we stayed there instead of Imperial or Kimberly over at the TST area.  She was so right about Casa - it had amazing amenities and the best breakfast service not to mention the fact that it’s prettily situated right smack in the middle of HK action and with a bus stop right in front of the hotel. The kicker – we were given a room at the topmost floor of the hotel with stellar views of upscale HK and the Victoria Harbour, how awesome! (thank You Lord!) 

Casa Hotel taken from the other side of the road :)

Once we got settled at our hotel, I couldn’t change fast enough to take in the HK sights so I scrambled into my shorts & long sleeved shirt combo (super nipis at that) and went out to hit the streets. As soon as I stepped out of the hotel doors, people were literally STARING at me & that’s when I realized my big big mistake – I was walking out under a 10degrees Celsius weather and a very windy one at that wearing the wrong kind of clothes - I felt like a lame sick joke I wanted to run back at my hotel room, bundle myself up and crawl under the sheets but always the spunky woman that I am, I narrowed my shoulders, put on a brave face and walked the entire Temple Street all the while clinging to my very amused husband. That was when I spotted that perfect, thick, red, eye-candy of a coat which I bought without a lot of inner struggling. It’s not like I wasn’t prepared for the cold, I just wasn’t expecting it to feel that way – I was living in a tropical country for 35 long years for crying out loud! And besides I have the perfect excuse to shop, so I can still afford to smile :)

That's what I wore our first night, what a complete idiot!

That's the red coat, nice noh?

Our second day was by far the best, or rather the 2^nd best next to shopping, er maybe the first and then shopping the next best – oh well, I’m getting all confused now, let’s just say the Disneyland Experience and the HK Shopping experience tied on the top spot of my long list. Whatever. Why and how, I am so gonna expound on my next blog entry (I think I’ve said so much here already, but then again with me, no words will ever be too much haha) Suffice it to say that these are two reasons I’m gonna go back there, and fast. This was the same day we hopped on a tour bus to Stanley, Repulse Bay, Aberdeen Fishing Village+Jumbo Floating Restaurant and an outlet store that sells a whole lotta Chinese food that Michelle is sure gonna like since it’s free for tasting. Yum! And then we hopped on the same bus to Disneyland this time. First major blunder: Frank our Tour Guide left our Disney entry passes at our hotel we had to pay AGAIN (he gave us a refund so it’s all good) Although it almost ruined my sunshiny mood coz I was worried I wasn’t gonna get ANY Mickey keepsake coz Earl opted to eat at the Corner Café where we were served a meal of chicken and RICE (a first after 2 days, thank God) for a total bill of  HKD303 or roughly Php1,600.00. Talk about being expensive. Serves me right for craving GOOD OLD RICE that I can’t easily stumble upon around HK. But why I wasn’t gonna trade my time at Disney for anything else, I’m gonna tell you in my next blog entry.

  

Aberdeen Fishing Village & Jumbo Floating Restaurant

Repulse Bay

Central HK

Real Chinese Food Outlet, sampling their goods (Mich, it's REALLY for free)

Disneyland :)

Flights of Fancy

Because the street market, malls and almost all establishments close at about midnight (unbelievable right?) we most certainly have a lot of time for SHOPPING – and precisely the reason why at the end of every day in HK, I can’t anymore feel my feet due to endless walking! I love what I see on the streets when we take walks. The colorful neon lights, Chinese street food that tastes even better than it looks, the lively entertainment right smack in the middle of the road, HK street fashion which I tell you is insanely fantabulous and the many tourists from all parts of the world converging in touristy places with eager smiles and faces alight with wonder. I am so stoked to be a tourist in this part of the world. 

Mongkok :)

Macau was next on our list. While I enjoyed and was enthralled by the whole Portuguese vibe, I wasn’t in love with the place as I was with HK. Well maybe because I didn’t get to stay long enough to saturate my senses with everything there was to love about the place. I loved the fact that there were more Filipinos in my 9-hour stay in Macau more than I met in my 5 days in HK – or maybe I got to interact with more of them in Macau because they are just all over the place. It feels like Pinas in Macau, actually.  I’d have to say Senado Square is something else though. I can just sit down in one of their colorful benches for hours on end without really minding. It’s a great place to chill out and be blank ;) Our Macau adventure found us teaming up with 2 other Pinoys from Leyte  - Norman and Joseph who were as fun-loving as Earl and I were and we instantly hit it off. We went around a lot of tourist areas, took photos in the Casinos and laughed and bumped our way around practically every nook and corner of their City square.

Sao Paolo, Macau :)

Macau still :)

Ocean Park was next on the list. Three things – Cable Car, Panda Sighting & Thrill Mountain. Everything was grand. Heck, everything was remarkably gooooood – especially the stunning views of the Repulse Bay. We took it all in & tried all the rides I felt will not end up with me killed because honestly, with Ocean Park, once is enough – for me at least.

Ocean Park, Giant Aquarium

Giant Panda Adventure

Our 4^th day was supposedly a free day – so we took our sweet time waking up late, staying at the breakfast table a tad longer than usual, swayed hands and not rush while we walked the streets and finally, did my next favorite activity to reading, SHOP. HK is a shopping mecca. Funny how people queue up outside the Louis Vuitton flagship store like they’re selling lottery tickets. Apparently that’s cause they allow only 20 people at a time. Amused, Earl and I joked around how these people are such freaking mad at money they’re throwing it away to 100K bags. (Bitter much kay di ka afford?) Hahaha I can’t ever be hypocritical about them. If I have that much moolah, I would have been one of those lining up – or not J Cause to be honest, if I have that much money, I’d travel the world and be satisfied with just a normal ordinary kind of bag hehehe. After almost 8 hours of straight walking, we sat by the TST Promenade and like literally forgot about the time. We were there while the sun was still up until the pretty little lights over at Victoria Harbour came alive causing a visual spectacle of the HK Skyline that is believe me, too breathtaking to pass up. Earl “Mr.Shutterbug” Cabahit just quite plainly ignored me while taking pictures of the awesome views. I don’t mind, as long as he’s happy doing his thing, I’m content watching on the sidelines.

Clock Tower, HK Museum of Art

Jackie Chan's Star

1881 Heritage House

TST Promenade

Believe me when I say that on our last day, I basically went over the moon. My husband, the no-frills-I’ll-wear-whatever-is-in-my-closet-no-need-for-new-clothes baby gave me the shock of my life when he went overboard and shopped like crazy at H&M! His bill literally tripled mine!! THAT.IS.AN.AWESOME.FIRST. I wish he were like that all the time – I was grinning from ear to ear and I honestly didn’t mind that we would have been charged excess baggage just to see him shop till there wasn’t any bill left in his wallet hahahaha. I didn’t even have to force him. I just went yeah that looks good on you and nope, the other color looks better all the freakin’ time. I told him after if you’re like that only when we’re here then we would have to come more often.

H&M

I couldn’t thank the Lord enough for this trip – His able and generous hand is sooo obvious in every single detail of that insanely fantastic vacation.  He has been generous in making it as fun, orderly and so out-of-this-world cool as only a Father like Him is capable of giving. The travels Earl and I took are always something we cherish – being the sentimental couple that we are. It affords us a lot of “alone” time as a couple, and we relish the simple walks we take around the city holding hands like giddy teenagers who fell in love the first time. Yep, we’re soooo mushy that way (or I am, lest I be thrown dagger looks later when he reads this haha, like he won’t admit it but he’s mushier than me hahaha) and we sure as heaven loved every minute of it. As for HK, I promise you I’ll be back real soon (*this I am saying hands clasped, eyes closed, knees bent and breathing a silent and intent prayer to my Big Daddy up there). I can’t shake the thought of this city out of my mind even if I wanted to, at least not for the next few weeks, I think. 

"My travels and rest, You mark O Lord -Psalm 139"

Jesus, my Best Friend - this trip was an awesome blessing. I love you.