Our flight from Changi Airport, Singapore to Hong Kong was via Cathay Pacific. Cheapest amongst the non budget airlines at that time (Paid S$348 Round Trip per person), although the timing was odd.
Left house at 5am and we drove to the airport with son, Alvin. The journey took 35 mins, bid farewell to Alvin then proceeded to check in. After checking in, feeling a little famished, decided to drop by Ya Kun.
 |
| Ya Kun Bread + Coffee + TeaO |
|
|
The Ya Kun bread was not crispy, probably because of the early hours, the toaster was still not wide awake yet!
Flight was scheduled for departure at 7.10am but only flew at 7.55am. Finally landed in Hong Kong International Airport at 11.20am. Were amongst the first in Economy class to leave the plane cause our seats were right in front.
 |
| The Airport Express counter where we bought the Octopus Cards |
The baggage took quite a long time to come, more than 30 minutes I guess. After claiming our baggage we proceeded out to buy the phone data plan as well as the Octopus cards which will serve us well in the coming days ahead.
Tip: When in Hong Kong, the first thing you want is the Octopus card, that way when taking public transport, you don't need to buy tickets and such. On top of that, you also get a small discount with every ride, not to mention that it is can also be use to purchase things at 7-11 and many other stores.
We then proceeded to the bus terminal to take A21 to our hotel CityView. Yes, you can use the Octopus for riding the A21.
Tip: Bus terminal is at level 3, so you will need to take the elevator
down as the arrival hall is at level 5. The A21 stop is to the right.
When taking the A21, the stops are indicated on a display right above the driver. Note the stop number and alight accordingly, In our case, it was stop no. 9.
We requested for a room upgrade as we only booked the Superior Room from Zuji.com. The CSO on duty was kind enough to oblige and it was only later that I learned we were given 2 upgrades ie Superior - Deluxe - Premier. Hooray!
Tip: When checking in, please request for room upgrades, high floor, non smoking and late check out where applicable.
You can buy your 7 days data plan for $88 from the One2Free shop at Yau Ma Tei. They also have shops at other locations
One2Free Shops. Do note that you have to activate it so try asking the staff for help in doing it. At the same time request that they also set the language to English.
 |
| Tip: Save a copy of the above pic in your phone to show when purchasing this plan |
Dataplan is extremely helpful when using Google Map and other software to help you plan your journey.
Tip: Create your own map in Google and place markers on them with the
name (Both English and Chinese), address, telephone, operational hours and recommended eats and
see. You can then access to them using your phone.
Tip: For Android users, download Openrice for Hong Kong and MTR Mobile.
Take note that this dataplan will not work in Macau.
 |
| Pork Chop with Sausage Rice Rating: 3/5 |
 |
| Beef and Vegetable Rice Rating: 3/5 |
The above was our first meal in Hong Kong. Sorry no location as it was a random Cha Chan Teng we walked into.
Tip: When dining in Hong Kong, try asking for the English menu though not
all places have them. Try to get their set meals as it is more worth.
 |
| Huge Apple Store at Central |
Passed by this huge Apple Store while walk on the longest overhead bridge ever to Central Pier. There were many people there, probably because of the new IPad 3.
 |
| City landscape |
We took a bus 15 from the bus stop in front of Central Pier up to Victoria Peak. As it was a Holiday on the 6 Apr, we were worried that there will be a long queue for the Peak Tram, thus our rationale for taking the bus.
Tip: You might want to consider taking the bus if you are going on a
weekend or holiday as the Peak Tram queue may be long. Bus Journey is
about 40 minutes. Seat on top of bus for best view.
You can use this site
Citybus to search for bus route using their Interactive map.
 |
| Bae Yong Joon 배용준 Wifey fav Korean Actor |
 |
| Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt |
 |
| Madame Tussauds herself |
 |
| Yeah, the E=MC2 guy, Albert Einstein |
The first place we visited at the Peak was Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.
It's not big, and it can be done within 1.5 hours. Lee Kuan Yew figurine was also there. Wifey was adamant about taking a picture with him as she said he appeared to be lonely. Seems there were no Singaporeans there at that time, or they just don't want a picture with him!
Tip: If you are going to visit Madame Tussauds, Sky Terrace and ride the
Peak Tram, consider getting the Combo Tickets, as this will save you
money.
Tip: When visiting the Peak, do consider the weather, if it is cloudy or
misty, you will not be able to see much. When we were there, it was
really foggy and visibility was really bad, we then decided to forego
visiting the Terrace.
 |
| Mak's Noodle at the Peak |
We wanted to try Mak's Noodle at the Peak but the waiter at the small table by the kitchen when there were quite a number of tables available. We declined of course.
 |
| Long queue at the base of the Peak Tram Terminus |
The Bank Of China Tower designed by the renowned IM Pei, once the tallest building in Hong, is one of the most recognized building in Hong Kong. There is a free observation deck on the 43 floor.
 |
| Menu for Mak's Noodle |
 |
| Wanton Noodles and Beef Flat Noodles |
Walked to Wellington Road where the original Mak's Noodle is located for our dinner. Ordered the Wanton Noodles and Beef Flat Noodles (Rating for both: 3.5/5). Really good stuff although it was pretty expensive as the bowl was small. Total cost: HKD68. The shop was devoid of customers save the 2 of us and another gentleman.
 |
| Tsim Chai Kee Noodle |
 |
| 3 Toppings Noodles and Beef Noodles |
Tsim Chai Kee Noodle, directly opposite of Mak's noodle on the other hand was brimming with customers. We had to share a table with other folks. In Hong Kong, if you eat in these type of shops, be prepared to share your table with strangers. We ordered the 3 Toppings Noodles and Beef Noodles as they had run out of flat noodles. (Rating for both: 4/5)
The serving here is quite substantial, value for money and IMHO taste better than Mak's, costing us only HKD48.
 |
| Mid Level Escalator |
|
As the Mid Level Escalator is just nearby so we dropped in for a visit.
Coordinates of the start point:
22.283636,114.15497. This escalator is
800m long! It's not one long escalator but many and is disjointed at several parts with the ending here:
22.278985,114.150684.
We did not attempt the full course as jet lag was starting to creep in, so we took the MTR from Central back to Yau Ma Tei
 |
| Rice ball in Mango Juice Rating: 3/5 |
 |
| Sago Pomelo in Mango Juice with Ice Cream Rating: 3/5 |
Before hitting the sack, we hit Hui Liu Shan, a chain of dessert stores all across Hong Kong, famous for their mango dessert. Not sweet at all, however it was not cold at all?
 |
| Street Performer |
Sai Yeung Choi Street is pretty crowded. Here you will be able to find many street performers, as well as promotions and events held
here.
 |
| Octopus, Chicken Gizzard and Intestines Rating: 4/5 |
If you are not partial to the internal parts of animals, then you can skip these delectable eats available at Fei Jie Snacks Shop. Paid HJD10 for the above. Wanted to revisit the store, but the queue and limited time prevented us from doing so. Do wait for us Fei Jie, we'll be back!
Tip: Ask them to skip the mustard if you don't like mustard.
No comments:
Post a Comment