Backtracking: Hong Kong Trip 2009

I was feeling kind of tired today. Although I'm actually heading again to UP in a short while for another food trip with friends from CS. While browsing stuff online, I bumped into my multiply account once more and I relive the not so recent memories of my previous travels.

HongKong here we come

I remember that first trip overseas with my cousin. February of 2009, the two of us head to HK to finally get our taste of Disneyland!

It was actually the first trip overseas that is not thru or for work. This was a very exciting trip for me and I was the one who prepared and booked everything.

The main reason we chose Hongkong as mentioned above is to step into Disneyland. Most of us would probably have grown up with the most lovable Disney characters and of course it's a little girls dream to get that sense of magic and fun in Disneyland.

In the course of my research, I was also able to find out other interesting sights around Hongkong, so myself and my cousin decided to make the most of our 3-4 days in the island.

If you haven't been to HK, here are the nice places you will probably want to visit and explore!

1. Hongkong International Airport - The HKIA is such a massive airport for me. I first stepped into this airport during my first trip to Australia because I had a connecting flight in HK. There was a train inside the airport which takes you to other Departure gates!

Just arrived in HK, February 2009

2. Pacific Place Mall and Queensway Plaza - This is the first of the few malls that we explored. Well, only because we got in HK in time for lunch and we are definitely hungry. There's not much to see in these malls I think. I did enjoy our first meal in HK though!

HK Tram - 2 HKD per stop

My first HK meal - Hash Brown

3. The Peak and tram - In February, beware that the temperature is really cold (if you are me)! Being myself that isn't so used to the cold, I'm definitely freezing going up the Peak! I liked the tram as well and the view of the HK island is breath taking. My cousin and myself had dinner at Bubba Gump. Fortunately (or unfortunately), some of the employees in the resto are Filipinos, and we find that they are a little snobbish :(

Feeling cold at the Peak Tram Entrance

I'm enjoying the tram ride!

Cool wall art inside the Peak mall

4. Star Ferry - Since we are in the HK island we had to gather up ourselves to take a ferry across to reach the other side of HK where we could actually explore item 5, 6 and 7 below. The ferry ride was nice on a calm night! Lot's of travelers and tourist.

Blurry image of me and my cousin aboard the Ferry

5. Tsim Sha Tsui - We reached the other side and went around to see the shopping areas and stuff.

Not sure what I'm trying to do here

6. Victoria Harbour - Here we get to walk at the Avenue of Star and watch the wonderful Lights and Sound display

Very nice view of Victoria Harbour

7. Mongkok - More shopping. We ended up getting dinner at Modern Toilet which isn't not too good actually. I guess I just got a head ache attack after I smelled some unfamiliar street food. :(

Mongkok Train Station

Modern Toilet for our dinner - sorry for the blurriness

 8. Repulse Bay - It was so cold I know but we are feeling like exploring unusual places so we headed to a beach! Repulse Bay is nice and we got to see the building with the hole in it.

Nice quiet beach

9. Disneyland - What more can I say! My magical place! :) Hopefully I'd get to see other Disneyland locations around the world.

Photo op with Alice

Disneyland woohoo!

10. Ngong Pin - Lovely cable car ride! Huge Buddha on top of the mountain and the massive stairs to get up to the Buddha is such an exercise!

Cable car to Nong Pin

Tian Tan Buddha

The Buddha within the sea of clouds

When I look back at the pictures, I just can't help but miss the cool weather when we visited HK! :)

The First Trip

Today is a very hot day! I can't keep myself from thinking of going to the mall to get free aircon. LOL.

Today is also a holiday, so I'm spending it at home and boring myself to death. I want to do something productive at least but the heat is keeping me from doing them. I would sweat with an inch of movement and it's not best feeling at all. So, I surf and check facebook and got bored. Okay, so what about taking the time to start writing about my past travels as I've promised myself to do. And now, I'm starting to type...

All signs point to the places I want to go to

PS: I've discovered something fancy in Multiply...I can embed the album here...amazing!




September 2005, marked a lot of firsts. First time to ride a plane. First time to leave the country just by myself (I mean no relatives to take care of me!), and first time to travel overseas.

It was actually a mix of excitement, sadness and uncertainty since it's my first time.

I was nervous on the thought of going to a place with no one older to take care of me. Haha! I'm such a baby.

I was even reciting the rosary when I was on the plane to Hongkong. I had a connecting flight to HK.

It was to me the longest trip of my life to think floating on air is such a weird experience on the first time. I was like in a bus, only I can't imagine the tires moving on the road. I can just feel the massive plane floating. And I am floating.

I didn't get to eat much on the plane. I didn't like the smell of the food which made me feel dizzy. I offered my dinner to an OFW next to me travelling to HK. He took it anyway.

We had to get off at HK airport to get the connecting flight to Sydney. HK International Airport is very big. I remember my workmate and I even got almost lost. We we're about to ride a train...but a kind airport staff went to ask us where we are heading and pointed us to the right direction! Thanks to him we might have end up at the wrong side of HK.

We had to wait 1-2 hours for the plane to Sydney. I was so sleepy then. It was quite around midnight and I'm still dizzy with the smell of the plane food.

We had to board the plane to Sydney and I tried to get some sleep. I was able to watch a couple of movies, enough to get me sleeping. The girl next to me was also watching a movie and I was to shy to start up a convo then. So I just went to sleep and avoid getting dizzy.

I might have felt some shake - a turbulence perhaps. I was a little alarmed but it's quite normal maybe coz nobody was alarmed by that. Haha! Maybe it's just me and my first time instincts creeping me out.

Okay so it was probably around 8 hour flight to Sydney from HK. My feet hurt when I woke up. They were all strained. We were given breakfast and finally, they didn't make me dizzy. I can't remember what the breakfast was...but I think I've kept the menu for souvenir...hehe!

We get off the plane and finally the thought of being in Sydney Australia has now sink in. I made it! I made through my first flight and though I got dizzy and stuff, at least I arrived safe in one piece.

So we go through immigration. Had our bags checked and off we go out. I was a bit cautious during the immigration check. I was a little worried if I might have brought something that is not allowed to be brought in, like dairy products, wood, plants, meds etc. I have declared my vitamins and generic meds to be sure. And I went through fine. I remember the immigration staff smile at me and said 'Welcome to Sydney'. I smiled and thanked him! And I felt a lil better...

So out we go to get a taxi...and it was very cold!!!

We had to wait awhile for the shuttle which will take us to the office. I think it was 55 AUD to North Sydney.

So there goes the first flight. Next I'll talk about the first sights I have seen in Sydney.

Unfortunately, I no longer have all the soft copy of my Sydney 2005 photos. I saved it in our old pc and now that pc has been reformatted together with my photos :( However, I have printed most of them and kept them in my photo album. And some I have recovered from my Friendster account...

Here's a few of them

Waiting for the catamaran where the company will celebrate Xmas Party

Sydney CBD, I can see OZ Trek from here

Darling Harbour with Nors

At Lavender Bay, North Sydney