flip'n travels

It is true that a part of my heart is in Hong Kong. My mother has lived and worked there for almost 3/4ths of my life together with her sisters. My favorite nephew and his dad are residents of that country as well. So when I go there, people would almost always assume that I will visit my mom. That time, they were mistaken. I was to visit the most adorable creature in the whole world… PANDAS!

The day of our visit came and there is no storm too powerful that can stop me from seeing those bundles of joy. We rode the MTR where we also bought our passes. At HK$210, you get an entrance ticket to the park, a shuttle transfer from the MTR drop off point to Ocean Park and back.

Entering the place, you can see the cable cars looming across the hill that is in the middle of the complex. We were welcomed by acrobats performing what Chinese acrobats do best. And these are kids! No wonder they won gold in the Olympics. We also saw wushu masters displaying their craft.

We sat for a few minutes to eat our dumplings and we were off to hunt the pandas. Unfortunately, they were sleeping when we got there. I had to restrain myself from climbing the Plexiglas to wake them up. I vowed never to leave till I see them awake and sitting on the giant terrarium just looking cute.

We took the cable ride and went to the aquarium where we saw seals doing tricks. They are so adorable, and HOT–latter is referring to the trainer. *wink wink*

Then we went to the peak to take a one-minute peek per HK$1 to see Aberdeen bay  and an escalator ride that took forever. There were rides but given that I am petrified of them, we decided not to.

We were looking for the dolphin show but apparently, they are located at the other side of the complex and my mom was to have a heart attack if we took another cable ride so we settled for the flamingos. Whether that was connected or not, I’m really not sure.

It’s true that one day is not enough to see everything in Ocean Park. That place is huge! But if there’s anything that could satisfy me, it was the pandas. Before we went home, I dragged Ron back to their den and found the babies awake and in the middle of their feeding time.

My heart melted. The panda twins are Ying-Ying and Le-Le and they just celebrated their birthday a few days before the day we visited. I never thought of committing a crime till that moment. I wanted to shove them in a sack and bring them home and make them my pets. But there were lots of tourists that day so I decided to abandon my plan. I’ll just go back after a couple of years…

In the meantime, I’ll just settle for the souvenirs.

Just like the Philippines, the month of August is typhoon season for Hong Kong because we share the same storm path. So weeks before the trip we actually thought of praying novenas and offer eggs to Sta. Clara to bid for a good weather. It wouldn’t be picture perfect without the clear blue sky, right?

On our third day, news started to spread like wildfire.

“A SUPER TYPHOON WILL HIT THE COAST IN 12 HOURS!”

Heck, nothing will stop us from going thru our itinerary. No storm will hold us back from pushing thru our backpacking adventures. We’re Filipinos right? We are used to this whole storm hullabaloo. We technically grew up in Sampaloc, DUH! And so, we still went out to ride the cable car even if there’s a storm signal waiting to be hoisted anytime soon (This is not advisable, don’t try this kids!).

The international name of the typhoon was Nuri (Philippine name was Karen, sounds so appropriate!). We noticed that Hong Kong’s general public took that news seriously. All disaster contingency forces started prepping-up, they started canceling flights, suspending classes and everyone is panic buying in the grocery stores. Aren’t they over reacting? Why are they listening to these always inaccurate weather forecasts?

Close before midnight, I heard news update interrupting regular TV programming that the weather bureau hoisted Typhoon signal number 9… yes folks, NINE, nueve, jiu, gau (last time they had storm this strong was in 1990’s) … Crapiness!

But I told Monette that I don’t want to waste our day pickling our butts inside the house. We HAVE to go out!!! So we took the first train to the city central, we’re the only one inside MTR, we kind of anticipate less people in the malls and streets, but when we stepped out of the central station, everything was closed not a single person walking the curbside, we’re hoping to hear cricket chirps but there none, nothing but the whistling blow of wind. We searched the city for a coffee shop and the only open establishments are McDonalds and 7 Eleven. Bummer!

The city center is like a ghost town like a scene in Armageddon or some futuristic film about end of the world or some B-movie about global annihilation. I can’t imagine Hong Kong central without a single human being on the streets. Try to picture-out a deserted NY time square, like that scene in Vanilla Sky when Tom’s running around the city.

When we get bored, our minds mutate into some sort of a jackass irrational creature.

Sorry Hong Kong law enforcement, this is not our usual selves. Peace out!

So we spent the rest of the day in our home stay, watching Chinese TV shows (which we tried dubbing for fun since we can’t understand it), eating moon cakes and playing Tong-its. Yes, that day I (finally) braved learning card games.

Top 10 things you can do when a storm hit during your trip and there’s nowhere to go:

10. Attempt cooking local dishes, fuse it with adobo.

9. Spend time with other backpackers and share stories and tips.

8. Spend some quality time with the owner of the guest house (or receptionist) perhaps you can haggle for a discount.

7. Start uploading photos and blogs.

6. Facebook, and answer quizes, all quizes!

5. Go to the Philippine Consulate office, tell them you need shelter until storm subsides, enjoy the free meals.

4. Buy local chips and have a slumber party in your room.

3. Watch Local TV show, look if there’s wowowee on cable and see if its dubbed.

2. Sit down with the one who booked the trip and blame him/her non-stop until his/her nose bleed.

1. But seriously, call home. Let your folks know that you are safe and sound.

After the storm, I walked around the suburb and did my thing—snapping pictures.

Precipitation/Temperature Chart (Hong Kong Observatory)

CHECK THE CURRENT HONG KONG WEATHER HERE!

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and should be taken seriously, although I can’t say I follow this rule religiously. But because of a memory long forgotten, I begged my aunt to take me to the market to get congee, fried noodles and deep fried bread to kick our day off. I was telling Ron about the breakfast I had six years ago when I last visited Hong Kong. The taste of the food haunted me. And now that I am back, there is no way I will miss the morning with that hearty breakfast combo.

Congee typically is added with different ingredients. My favorite is congee with minced pork and peanuts. Other options would be pig stomach and intestines, pig skin, century egg, octopus, pork meat, or minced beef. This is normally ordered with deep fried bread on the side or, my favorite, fried noodles. With the taste so authentically Chinese, I know I have to count years to eat that breakfast again.

Now if one is not so used to that kind of breakfast, Hong Kong has cha chaan teng. It is a Chinese tea restaurant that serves a wide array of food and beverages. They serve clear tea, cold lemon tea (they even put lemon in water, coke and other sodas), coffee and, of course, Hong Kong styled milk tea. The menu ranges from dimsum to sandwiches, noodles to pasta, and bread to cakes. Western breakfast sets (American, continental) are also available and prices would range from HK$20 – HK$25.

Cultural bits: Clear teas served in cha chaan teng are used to rinse utensils before a guest uses them. This is very customary for Chinese so you don’t have to freak out when the person sitting next to your table suddenly decides to do a little dish washing before the meal.

Walking around Hong Kong can be very tiring. When Ron and I went to Ngong Ping Village, we had to climb 268 steps to get to the Big Buddha. Not only that, we had to go around the village to check out some of the other sights. We were perspiring, hungry and dehydrated, and what do we find? Strawberries in kebabs. Introducing frozen calabash! We seriously don’t know why it is named like that but we can guarantee it’s going to refresh anyone who walked around much as we did.

And like what Ron says, we are caffeine fueled creatures. We cannot believe that we can find the two-tailed siren nestling in the mountains. We needed to recharge.

DISCLAIMER: There will be no sightings, whatsoever, of a giant dancing  mouse in a tux in this entry. Please refrain from any form of regression or retardation.

Lantau Island is one of the recently re-promoted destinations in Hong Kong, one of the most popular spot in this island is (of course) Disney Land, which I missed during this trip. We opted going to the Tian Tan also known as the Big Buddha in Ngong Ping instead, the original pre-Disney attraction in this part of the country.

The cheaper way to go there is to take the bus bound to Tai O Village, where you literally have to go around Lantau Peak, that means 9 times the distance/travel time if you will take the shortcut which is the 360 Cable car from Tung Chung station. As thrill-seekers, we could have easily hopped into the bus but since there’s a storm signal when we arrived—of course we might as well get the dose of adrenalin rush so we decided to take the risk of traversing the mountains via glass boxes hanging on thin metal cable under storm signal number 1.

http://www.np360.com.hk/

We’re not sure if it’s true, but we heard rumors that there were actually cable car accidents in the past where it dropped in the ocean. That thought even added up to our itching to try the ride, Wooohooo….

The 25-minute cable car ride to the Ngong Ping plateau is a must for Hong Kong first timers. You’ll enjoy panoramic views of Tung Chung bay, North Lantau Country Park and trek trail and a bird’s eye view of the international airport. The Ngong Ping ticket price is HK$105 which includes round trip fare via the cable car, traditional Chinese village gift voucher worth HK$20.

HERE’S THE MAP TO THE CABLE CAR TERMINAL

After passing the village, you will see the peak where the 34 metres (110 ft) tall, 250 metric ton-heavy Buddha is enshrined. We walked up the hill with Buddhist pilgrims and tourists alike. I don’t fully understand the veneration of the temple but simply climbing up the 268 steps is magnificent enough to feel the solemnity of the place.

We climbed the peak at exactly 12 noon so the overcast sky is still hot plus the pre-storm humidity definitely made our trek an “armpit bubbling” experience

Walk few more meters from the stair landing and you’ll find the Po Lin Monastery where visitors burn incense and pray. Right beside it is the (you guessed it) Po Lin Monastery Vegetarian Restaurant, meals cost between HK$40-60 . And since our budget is limited, we decided to fulfill our caffeine craving instead. YES–there’s a Starbucks in Ngong Ping Village. Bought few dumplings and sweet treats using the gift vouchers with a grande frapuccino and we are SOLVED for the day!

Getting There:  Getting to Ngong Ping Village by public transport is also possible. From Tung Chung town, you can take bus No. 23.  From Tai O village, bus No. 21 and from Mui Wo Ferry, bus No. 2. The New Lantao Bus Company currently offers a fairly interesting combo-ticket that gives you a one-way cable car ride up to Ngong Ping, as well as unlimited bus-rides on Lantau (for the same day) at a cost of HK$ 76.  If you are planning to combine the visit to Ngong Ping with Tai O, Mui Wo and some other places, buying such a ticket can be a good idea…

The ticket can be purchased at the Tung Chung Bus-Terminal, right next to the entrance to the cable car station (the booth is located right next to the escalator the climbs to the Cable Car Station)

Ngong Ping Village. Tel: 2985 5248. Opens: 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM Daily

Getting in Hong Kong from Macau is as breezy as it gets. Regular ferry trips are available from Macau pier to Hong Kong central which cost about 100 – 150 MOP. From this point on, the efficiency of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) would guide any traveler to their point of destination.

MTR has seven lines including the Airport Express Line and the Disneyland Resort Line. This means that you can take the train from the airport to your destination without having to deal with airport metered cabs. The MTR cars are big and spacious and are made such as one continuous car so you can walk from one end to the other end. The voice prompts are very helpful for tourists who are clueless as to where their next stop is and travel maps are free at the information centers located at each station. Tourist attractions are conveniently located or very near the stop over. Interestingly, aside from the car doors, the boarding area is secured with a Plexiglas to avoid accidents. MTR runs from 6am to 1am daily. Fares range from HK$4 to HK$26.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MTR SITE MAP

with my sister and my mom!

NOTE FROM RON: Please excuse the outfit!

The Kowloon – Canton Railway (KCR) is also known as the East Line servicing the east side of the New Territories. As compared to MTR, it is more humble and very traditional, but still equals its efficiency. KCR runs from 5:30am to 12:30. Fares range from HK$3.50 to HK$12.50.

Buses are numbered according to its route and destination and names of the places are conveniently translated to English. Tourists should have the exact fares though when they board. Trams are also known as the double-deckers. They also have one of these going to the airport. Last one off the streets is at 11pm.

Taxis are colored red and green for New Territories and blue for Lantau Island. Rates start at HK$15, HK$12.50 and HK$12 for the first 2 kilometers respectively. Extra charges apply for tolls.

And who would ever leave out the cable cars? They are the most enjoyable transportation ever. The thrill of hanging by a thread as the cable car crosses the vast ocean and then afterwards passes over the mountains and then the ocean reappears after is enough to make the heart stop. This is not for the faint of heart.

Octopus Card is an electronic fare card that pays your way through MTR, KCR, buses, trams, ferries and the Airport Express. The card can also be used in convenience stores, supermarkets, vending machines and even fast food restaurants. Tourists can get the card for HK$100 with an available HK$30 balance. You may add balance as soon as the value runs out in every information center in all stations. So instead of juggling those coins, might as well get the card. It’s such a convenience!