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jilliebeeean · 7 years

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I always wondered what it’s like to travel internationally… to go to a place where nobody knows you, adapting to a new culture with different people. Those who’s been somewhere else keeps saying that every place you’ve been to will make you a different person, and a part of it will always be with you. Everybody wants to travel (well, who doesn’t?) and I am no exception.

Today, I am stoked to share with all of you my 1st international travel blog!! Yaaaay!

I have my passport for as long as I can remember but, for some reasons we never really go outside PH. Me and my family travels locally most of the time. After 21 years, finally may tatak na din ang passport ko! I also did our itinerary for this trip so I am also going to share that to you guys #forreference ;)

March 25, 2017

Our flight was at 5:30am via Cebu Pacific at NAIA Terminal 1. We arrived at the airport at 1:30am #TeamNoSleep right here! which was just right cause they started check-in a few minutes after.

Our ticket included a meal since I can’t be hungry or else I won’t be able to walk or even stand properly because of my ulcer. And nobody wants that!! EVER!!

Beef Tapa with Egg and Garlic Rice

I have a question for those who are travelling frequently, I don’t know if airplane food is really bad or is it just this one? I have nothing against the airline but man, this is not worth 350php at all! I would be more willing to spend 100php for cup noodles.

8:30 : Touchdown and Hello Hong Kong!!

Welcome to Hong Kong beshies!

***Pagbigyan nyo na ako please, 1st time ko out of the country and let me just say, ang gondo gondo ng airport nila! It’s so spacious and I just love everything about it! also, KP keeps bugging me that there is a train inside the airport..and keep on telling him that I know! I’ve been watching numerous youtube vlogs before this trip! hahaha!

Speaking of Youtube videos, I was really watching a lot of HK vlogs just to get a heads up on what to expect (I don’t like not knowing “the plan”) and of course they delegated the itinerary to me that’s why I have to do my research. From youtube videos to reality..I can’t believe this is happening!!

Anyway, I watched a video from DeliaWears called 12 THINGS YOU TO NEED KNOW BEFORE TRAVELLING TO HONG KONG. I don’t really know how I found her video but it was really helpful, especially this 1 tip: She suggested that instead of buying sim cards at the airport or convenience stores which is around 80hkd/ 510php with 1Gb of data for a week, to go to Apliu Flea Market at Sam Shui Po which is like their electronics street where they sell different kinds of sim cards for as low as 30hkd/ 192php with unlimited data for a month!

At first my family didn’t believe it and just said to buy whatever is already there but in the end, we still went to Apliu street and bought the sim cards there. TBH, the signal of the network is decent. I highly recommend this, especially in this generation where social media is a crucial! If it’s not on Snapchat or Instagram it didn’t happen ;)

This was the sim card that I bought :)

I was happy that we gave the extra effort of going to Apliu just to buy simcards, the price difference is huge! and we also got to try riding the MTR which is the best thing ever! We also got an Octopus card for 150hkd/957php with a 100hkd/638php worth of load. Octopus card is like the HK’s version of Beep card, but of course Octopus card is waaaaaay better than beep card.. it can also be used in convenience stores and other fast food restaurants.

Apliu street

After our side trip to Apliu, we went to Tsim Sha Tsui to check-in at the Imperial Hotel. I recommend staying at the Imperial Hotel because it is in the center for almost 4 MTR exits, plus.. it is just across iSquare which is one of the landmarks of the area.

11:30 : Lunch at Canton’s Dimsum Expert

I chose Canton’s Dimsum Expert because it is one of the recommended restaurants in TripAdvisor, I figured it’s worth a try from its good reviews. It is located in No.11 Humphreys Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui.

For our welcome meal, of course we had dim sum!

***TBH, the food is a little expensive for us, hahaha! I am saying this because during our stay, we’ve eaten at other restaurants that costs around 30hkd for a meal, and not just for an order of dim sum.

We ordered Steamed Shrimp Dumpling (Hakaw), Raddish Cake, Big Chicken and Pork Bun, Satay Beef Brisket Shanghai Noodles, Steamed Bean Curd Roll in Oyster Sauce, Steamed Rice Skin Roll with Beef, Crab Roe Shumai, and Steamed Rice with Spare Rib and Chicken Feet/Finger.

The food and service is good. I was pleased with our meal, but my only problem was that they don’t have service water. They only have unlimited tea which is not advisable for me (ulcer problems) but other than that, I liked our whole experience here. The dishes that stood out for me was the Steamed Shrimp Dumpling, Crab Roe Shumai, Raddish Cake. The noodles and Steamed Rice Skin Roll with Beef was meh. Overall our bill was roughly about 450hkd/2,873php or 90hkd/575php per head (sorry I forgot the exact price)

After our meal, we went back to the hotel to have a nap before heading out again to go to Victoria’s Peak.

13:30 : En route to Victoria’s Peak

#How to get there:

*From MTR Central station, make your way to the J2 exit and walk up to the ground level. Turn right, through Chater Garden, cross Queen’s Road Central, and make your way up Garden Road. You will pass the Bank of China Tower and Citibank Plaza on your left and St John’s Cathedral on your right.

*By Bus to Garden Road Peak Tram Lower Terminus Board the Peak Tram shuttle bus No. 15C at the Central (Near Star Ferry Pier 8) Bus Terminus.

***If you are not fond of walking just like us, I recommend to take the bus instead. :)

Probably this was one of our mistakes is that we believed the google map when it said “5 mins” walk. I think it forgot to mention that the “walk” was uphill! We reached the Tram Lower Terminus sweaty and tired which is not cute!

The end of the line for the tram was across the street, which was crazy! The good thing is that the waiting time wasn’t that long.

We paid 88hkd/562php per head for the ticket at the Sky Terrace 428 and return ticket for the Peak Tram. Riding the tram was a mix of excitement and eerie, because at one point, you’ll be amazed how amazing the view is and the other is it’s terrifying because you can hear the works of the mechanical stuff of the tram. You can really feel it pushing itself to climb the steep rail.

When we arrived at the Peak Tower, we were welcomed by souvenir shops, restaurants and other activities that can be done in the area. There was a 3D illusion museum and the famed Madame Tussauds. After a few escalator rides, we finally reached the Sky Terrace 428. :)

It was soooooo cold on the view deck. Too bad it was a bit foggy but it cleared up after a few minutes :)

After a few minutes of taking pictures and resting on the view deck, we decided to go back down to the Peak Tower to have a some snacks. KP and Borbs went to McDonalds to buy burgers and nuggets while my mom being a #girlscoutforever, brought some snacks with her! :)

KP bought me Nuggets with Sweet and Sour Sauce. At first I was confused with how the sauce works with the nuggets. My first few bites I wasn’t sure if I like it or not. But after one nugget to another, the flavor of the sauce kinda grew into me until I realized that I already finished the whole thing. Ooops! :P

19:30 : Symphony of Lights

We left the Peak at 16:30PM and went back to our hotel to rest for a while and to get ready for dinner and symphony of lights.

Symphony of Lights is a light and sound show every night at the Victoria Harbour. Our trip here was a major fail!!! We were waiting for about an hour and I was getting grumpy cause we didn’t have a decent dinner just to have a nice spot for the show. It was already 21:00 and still there was no show! When KP and I decided to leave, that’s when we knew that there wasn’t going to be any show that night because of Earth Hour. *face palm*

We ended up walking around Tsim Sha Tsui with our feet taking us wherever it wants to go. I had fun with our stroll, it made us see how lively Hong Kong is at night. I also bought an Ice Cream cone from a food truck called Mister Softee for 10hkd/64php. I enjoyed eating it despite the cold weather and this ice cream is so good! Worth it for 10hkd!

Well, I’ll end our first day in HK here :) To those who are looking for reference for their next HK trip and read my post, I hope I was able to help you in making your itinerary and etc.

Stay tuned for my next post for our #HappyCampergoestoHK series! ;) :)

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta

At the Peak I always wondered what it's like to travel internationally... to go to a place where nobody knows you, adapting to a new culture with different people.

#family #Happy Camper goes to HK #Hong Kong #jillietravels #jilliewanders

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