Hong Kong!

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Hong Kong is the first stop for our HK-Macau tour. Spring has just begun in the city and it is still a bit cold, especially if you are someone who came from a tropical country. Known as the shopping capital of Asia, I was not surprised to find out upon arriving there that boutiques and shops are everywhere. If you go to Canton Road, everything is there, from Chanel, Prada, Kors, to Ann Sui. All the designers I can name was there! But still, I did not go there to shop. I was there to experience the street food, the authentic Chinese cuisine, see the skyscrapers, and of course, Disneyland (which will be on a different blog post).

We arrived in Hong Kong on a chilly Wednesday morning in March 2015 and I was so excited to start our city tour, but of course, we have to find our hostel first to sit our stuff. To get there from the airport, we used the Airport Express train which ticket cost 160 HKD if you are traveling in groups of 2. I am not sure how much that costs individually but it definitely costs cheaper the bigger your group is. By the way, I just have to say this, Hong Kong has a superb and very efficient train system. See MTR train map below...

hong-kong-travel.org

Also, as a tip, if you plan to go around Hong Kong via train, it is best if you purchase the Octopus Card. Shortly known as Octopus, this is a ticket which has stored value. It'll save you time from lining up the ticket booth every single ride, and if you were not able to use all of the stored value, it is refundable. The Octopus costs 150 HKD. 50 for deposit (which you'll get back if you return the ticket) and 100 for the actual stored value. This was helpful to us and at the end of our trip, we were able to refund a total of 54 HKD each.

Anyway, going back...

I specifically booked a hostel located inside the Chungking Mansions for one reason...

Twenty years ago, Wong Kar Wai created the film "Chungking Express." I was able to see that movie in college and I immediately loved it! California Dreaming, the movie's OST, automatically brings me back scenes from the film. It instantly became one of my favorite films ever. It was a paradox about how people can live in one of the most populated cities in the world yet still feel lonely and empty inside. 

I said to myself, I'll go to Chungking one day. And I did! Not only did I got here, I specifically booked a hotel that's located inside Chungking Mansions! I lived in Chungking for 2 and a half days and the dreamer in me was looking around hoping I'd find Faye (female lead character) somewhere around the area or at her food stall, Midnight Express serving noodles to customers. Behind me, in the photo, is Chungking Mansions in Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong.


Chungking Mansion is in Nathan Road. It is a landmark building known for budget travellers as it has four blocks housing lots of hostels per level. Upon entering, it can be quite scary but once you get the hang of it, it's safe.

 We were starving from our early morning flight so our first plan of action was to find a restaurant to eat lunch. One block away from Chungking, we found this restaurant that serves local Chinese dishes. I am not sure if it looks enticing enough in the photos below but it tastes really great and they serve really fast (faster than fastfood) and the food is really hot.

 I got obsessed with their milk tea which you can tell is so authentic.



This was the restaurant. It's in Chinese so I don't know how to read it. The food was so great that we went back there for the second time on out last day in HK.





After stuffing our faces with Chinese food, we headed to The Peak Tram where you can purchase tickets to go up to the Sky Terrace where you can see a 360 degrees view of the Hong Kong city skyline.

 The Sky Pass costs 83 HKD. 

 The Peak Tram is a funicular train that brings you to the top of the mountains where the Sky Terrrace is located which offers a panoramic view of Hong Kong on so many angles. Upon reaching the top, The Victoria Peak, I was surprised to find a mall at the top of the mountains!

The same building also houses Madam Tussauds Wax Museum. We didn't enter but Bruce Lee is at the entrance where Sky Terrace visitors can take a photo with.


After climbing sooooo many floors (there's elevator of course) from where we alighted the Peak Tram train, we were able to reach the Sky Terrace! 

Of course this is a great selfie/twofie opportunity, so why not?

Also, in case you were wondering what's the deal with these headsets, upon entering the Sky Terrace, visitors are given a tablet and a headset which plays videos and audios that you can watch or listen to while looking at the view. It gives you the story of how the Peak Tram was built and how you can make the most out of your time there.


The magnificent and awe-inspiring Hong Kong skyline. It was foggy that day but I heard that if it isn't you can totally see the other buildings across that island over there!


In case you were wondering what the Sky Terrace looks like, this is it. The building on the background is the Sky Terrace.


We spend a little more time at the Sky Terrace because we were really exhausted from our early morning flight. In fact, Raf fell asleep in one of the benches! We climb down via the Peak Tram again and headed back to Tsim Sha Tsui to grab early dinner and to take a short nap in our room. 

 Let me tell you a funny story...

 So we took a nap right? A few hours in, I woke up. I looked at my phone and saw that it was 10:00. I immediately assumed that it was already 10am of the next day and abruptly stood up thinking we overslept from last night when it was supposedly a nap only. I got up and cried because I know I am late for Disneyland! I was sooooo looking forward for Disneyland and the original plan was to wake up at 7am so we can leave by 8am and get there by 9am. While taking a bath, I was so pissed and crying (I am a big Disney geek, so what?). We hurriedly fixed ourselves and our stuff and was ready to leave. And then...

 As I opened the hotel room door, I was surprised to see from the window across that it's dark outside. I got confused. I looked at my phone... It was 10:45.... IN THE EVENING! We did not oversleep! It was not Thursday! It's still Wednesday and my beloved Disneyland is scheduled for tomorrow.

 Raf bursted in laughter. I feel so stoooopid. Raf says this is his favorite travel epic fail. He said this tops that one time when I lost all of our money and camera in Phuket in a cab (the driver returned all of them, don't worry). I guess I truly am a noob at times.

 We still went out though. We went on a street food spree near Women's Night Market.


We found this stall that sells food in sticks much like the Philippines' tuhog-tuhog. Then the most magical street food experience happened. We found this bacon-wrapped sausage and it's so greasy and sinful and my life was forever changed! Because the owner speak limited English, we didn't know what this bacon-wrapped sausage was called.

 That's what I was eating on the photo below.




So that's our first day in Hong Kong: finding Chungking Mansions, eating authentic Chinese brisket, climbing the highest peak in Sky Terrace via the Peak Tram, crying because I thought it was Thursday already, and street food. Pretty much normal for some, but I guess you have to really be there, walking the streets, talking to people, eating their food and losing your sanity along the way to actually appreciate a very special day. Oh by the way, it's our first anniversary that's why we're there! Cheers! 

Disneyland post coming up next!
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Kuala Lumpur City Tour!

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Kuala Lumpur is an alpha city that ignites and appeals to the senses.

Kuala Lumpur was the finish line of our Bangkok-Phuket-KL Demember 2014 tour. We stayed for three days in the city and I know that with so many beautiful things to see in KL, three days may not be enough.

 However, we made do of what little time we had and I must say, KL is one of my favorite cities now. What I liked about KL the most is that they have a very systematic means of transportation be it bus or train. You don't need to speak their language since everything has its English counterpart. And if in doubt, asking the locals for help is easy too because they speak English well.

 The hotel we stayed at was located in the district of Bukit Bintang. I think the location was great as it is quite near to most places we wanted to see. 

 On our first day, we walked around the place with no specific destination in mind. We then stumbled upon a restaurant called NASI KANDAR RAFI. We were very hungry at the time and so we gave the Indian place a try.

 The food was okay, Raf said he liked it. But I have one problem...

 I don't eat spicy food. Before ordering our food, I asked the server which one is not spicy, he pointed to a chicken dish, and that was what I ordered. 

 It was SPICY. I guess Indians have high tolerance for spicy foods and so what was not spicy to them is still considered spicy to me.

 It was the first time I have ever experienced where I felt like steam is going to blow off my nose and ears because the food is so spicy. I cried for panic and drank my soda immediately and gestured to the server to bring some water because I seriously felt like my tongue is on fire. That was when I realized everyone inside the restaurant was looking at me.

 After that experience, I said I am going to swear off Indian food for a while...

 But Raf likes spicy food, so he enjoyed his food.



After our Indian food fiasco, we strolled some more and ended up at Mydin. It is a supermarket near Jalan Petaling (Chinatown) where we were told big Cadbury bars were being sold for only 5 MYR!!! (That is just around 65 pesos!) And so here comes the chocolate hoarders)

 We bought chocolate bars like it was nobody's goddamn business...

We then headed to Petaling Street, or Jalan Petaling to locals.




And since we had no specific destination in mind because following our itinerary starts the next day, we wandered off the city.

 And so...

 We were surprised to reach Merdeka Square by chance! We were supposed to visit Merdeka Square (or Dataran Merdeka to locals), the next day, so I guess that saved us time and gave us more to spare for tomorrow since we're already here now.




The Sultan Abdul Samad Clock Tower that's located in front of Merdeka Square. A major historical landmark in KL, it also houses several government offices. Designed using Mughal architecture and gothic style, it features copper domes, a slender tower, graceful arches and colonnades.

Before going to KL, I researched about city dress codes and some information from the internet says that the city is a melting pot of various cultures and religions. And while that is true, KL is not as conservative as some may think. There are a lot of people wearing casual clothing especially when it's hot outside.


The morning of the very next day, we headed to the Batu Caves. The caves are found inside a limestone hill which, in order for you to reach, you have to climb a steep flight of 272 steps! The Caves are located just outside Kuala Lumpur, in Gombak District, Selangor. 



An important Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Murugan, conservative clothing must be observed at all times. If you are wearing shorts, a skirt or a dress, you will have to rent out a sarong to cover yourself up. 

Monkeys can freely roam the place but be careful not to agitate them so they won't attack you.



The inside of the caves are filled with rock formations and ornate Hindu shrines.



After descending from the caves, we were starved and at the entrance of the caves is a row of Indian food. So here we go again with spicy Indian food. :)





Before going back to the city, we saw a tattoo artist who offers Henna art for 5 RM only to be ripped off because after applying my tattoo, she told me it's 25 RM because it's not among the "free design" that's included in the 5RM price list. Let's just say I'll charge this to experience. 


But I was happy with my henna art so no big deal.


Heading back to the city on the verrrrrry hot day, we decided to have a change of clothes first.

A little side story: Before we went here, I am 100% sure that Raf is this close to peeing his pants. He is so excited to see PETRONAS. I guess every architecture graduate have a fascination for buildings and PETRONAS are two of his dream structures to see in real life. You must see the look in his face when he saw this to get what he means. 

 Our PETRONAS building tour is scheduled at 4pm and so we had lots of time in our hands to roam around, eat, and explore the mall inside PETRONAS. Suria is honestly the most beautiful and posh-est mall I have seen.


Our PETRONAS tour has finally begun. Tours like this usually starts with orientations and such to tell tourists about the history of the place, how it was built and what and what not to do during the tour. To my amazement, the orientation was conducted by a hologram! YES! A HOLOGRAM! It was my biggest taga-bundok moment. I can keep still because I was so amazed with the woman in the hologram giving instructions.

The tour is broken down into 2 parts: The Skybridge Tour where we get to spent 20 mins and another 20 minutes for the 87th Floor (the top floor was the 88th) of the PETRONAS Tower 1.

We first climbed the skybridge which Raf told me is technically called a "time and space". It is the bridge that connects Tower 1 to Tower 2 at the 41st and 42nd floors of the buildings. 



A panorama shot of the view from the Skybridge from Tower 1 to Tower 2.


And on to the second and last part of the PETRONAS Tour...

 This is Raf and onthe background is the top of the Tower 2 (we are at the top floor of Tower 1).



And there it is... Tower 1 from where I am standing, the 87th floor. On the background, you can also see the Menara KL Tower.


PETRONAS at night...

It was amazing seeing the twins. At first, I thought that the Php 1,100 charge for the tour which I prebooked as a birthday surprise for Raf was too expensive (because I'm kuripot like that). But then, seeing his face light up was priceless. Oo na, nakakaumay na... Hehehe.

Many said that the twins are more beautiful at night as the it lights up, but I still think it's more astounding and breathtaking during the day.



And then we went over to Petaling Street for his birthday dinner. We ate at an authentic Chinese restaurant which name I do not know because it's in Chinese, so yeah... 

Happy birthday, birthday boy. 'Til our next adventures!
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Cebu City Tour

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On our very last day here in Cebu, we traveled back to the city from Bantayan Island the same way we went there. We boarded the ferry from Sta. Fe port at 6:30am and arrived at Hagnaya Port at around 7am and rode the bus that'll take us to Cebu City for our city tour.

Since we didn't have the luxury of time and can only visit a few locations in the city, we hailed a cab and went to SM Cebu for lunch and then straight to Magellan's Cross in downtown Cebu City. 


Located next to the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño in Magallanes Street, Magellan's Cross is the Christian Cross that was planted in Cebu as directed by Spanish conqueror Ferdinand Magellan.


When we got there, the Cross is still under rehabilitation as it was damaged by the Typhoon Haiyan. There were wooden braces all over the structure to support this historic landmark. 


According to the signage below the cross, the original cross that's erected by Magellan and his men is encased inside the wooden cross that is found in the center of the chapel. This was done for the protection of the actual cross from the people who chips a part of the cross believing that it has miraculous powers that can grant the heart's wishes.


Inside the Magellan's Cross are older women who are selling candles for offering. Along with the candles, they also utter prayers for the well-being of the wisher. The five candles come in different colors: blue, green, yellow, pink and red and each color represent a particular aspect in life that one would want to focus on his/her prayers and wishes. Blue for career, green for financial success, yellow for health, pink for happiness and peace and red for love.




After offering our prayers to the iconic cross of downtown Cebu, we headed straight to Beverly Hills (not in California, but in Cebu!).

Travel Tip: If you are riding a cab going to Taoist Temple, try to ask the cab driver if he can wait for your group so that you'll have a ride back to the city proper. Not so many cabs pass by this area so it's best to be sure so that's what we did.


With an elevation of 980 ft above sea level, Cebu's Taoist Temple was built by the Chinese community in 1972. The towering, multi-tiered and multi-hued temple is open to worshippers and non-worshippers alike. Photos are not allowed to be taken inside the temples itself so be careful not to break the rules offend the caretakers and just take your photos on the lot outside where the structures are located.

So yeah, all the photos are outdoors which gives you a natural light so you'll surely get a nice shot if it's a nice day outside!






I wasn't able to take photos but after going to Taoist Temple, we went to Pasalubong Center and bought all the dried fish we can!

And before we know it, we had to go back to the city because our short vacation is over and work is waiting for us.

View of the city from the plane's window seat.


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Sugar Beach, Bantayan Island, Cebu

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We left Cebu City at 5 in the morning and rode a bus going to Hagnaya Port and by around 8am, we were already at the port securing our ferry tickets.

The travel from Cebu City to the island of Bantayan is smooth and we didn't encounter any problems. Commuting is easy and safe. When we got there, we still have not decided on where to stay. According to most travel blogs I read prior to this trip, Kota Beach Resort has the best view of the shoreline as it has a sand bar but when we got there, the resort is under renovation and they are still cleaning the shoreline filled with seaweeds(?) due to the past typhoon.

So we decided to go to Anika Beach Resort. They say that Anika is a little pricey compared to other resorts and is the favorite place of some celebrities to stay in when in Bantayan. When we got there, we understood why.

Creatively, they used container vans for the construction of the rooms. There are lots of rooms to choose from depending on the price and how near it is to the beach. We settled for the Sunset View rooms priced at 2,000php a night for two persons. 


The resort also has posh-looking beachfront pods that are just perfect for sunbathing. 







For lunch, we decided to take a stroll in the vicinity and most of us were craving for seafood and of course, it's an island so we didn't spent too much time looking for a place that serves seafood. 

The price were too cheap! Each meal only costs a 120 pesos and the serving size is satisfying!

The tricycle drivers "offered" us island hopping packages and since we didn't have anything planned to do on the island, we said yes. The boat picked us up at 3pm after we had our late lunch and we're all aboard! 

Shameless bikini picture on the boat. SORRY!



Although the trip was fun, it was cut short because all of us were mildly to severely stung by some jellyfish. So we headed back to Bantayan to attend to our stung skin.



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