HONG KONG

Hong Kong, the former British colony for nearly 150 years, is one of the two Special Administrative Regions (SAR) of China (the other being Macau). Hong Kong and Macau is so near to each other that you can easily plan a day trip to Macau from Hong Kong by ferry, or vice versa. But I visited Hong Kong and Macau in separate trips. I visited Hong Kong in 2008 and 2 years later, I visited Macau.



I checked in to Bridal Tea House hotel for 3 nights. It is the one of the cheapest room I can get in Hong Kong.



This is the smallest hotel room I’ve stayed. Do not be fooled by the professional pictures advertised in website.The corridor barely allows one person to pass through. The twin beds is placed between two walls. So my beau had a hard time sleeping on the 6ft bed. The wall is paper thin and I could hear loud plumbing noise whenever someone showers next door. Not recommended.



Bamboo scaffolding is widely used in Hong Kong and it is a unique street scene when visiting Hong Kong.





This is the clock tower at Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon.


Walking around the Victoria Harbour which offers great view of the city.



I’ve booked a ride on ‘Duk Ling’, the iconic sailing vessel of Hong Kong. The boarding location is Tsim Sha Tsui Public Pier No.3. For more information, visit the official website: https://www.dukling.com.hk/en/home/



Here comes my ride, Duk Ling, the last of its kind in Hong Kong waters.



The unique sail of Duk Ling.



Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre as seen from Duk Ling. The cruise takes about 45 minutes, sailing around Victoria Harbour.



An alternative way of cruising around Victoria Harbour is the Star Cruises.



Goodbye, Duk Ling.



Some interesting sculptures at Central Hong Kong.







The narrow double decker city tram is locally known as “ding ding”. Tram is a popular transportation in Hong Kong.



The Central-Mid Levels escalators and walkway system is the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world.



It stretches over 800 meters. To ride the complete length one way takes about 20 minutes.



This district is known as SoHo (South of Hollywood Road) which is an entertainment district with plenty trendy restaurants and bars. Staunton Street is located in the heart of SoHo.



We stopped here for lunch and did not go all the way up to the last section of the escalator.



Next, I headed to Hong Kong Ocean Park. It is a popular theme park in Hong Kong with large aquariums and theme park rides. This is also where I would see the Hong Kong pandas.









The dolphin show at Ocean Park is packed with visitors.





A visit to the large aquarium is a must at Ocean Park.



After that, we took a cable car to the Summit of Ocean Park.





The pandas, Ying Ying and Le Le are really cute. Unfortunately I only managed to catch a quick glimpse of them as there are too many visitors lining up to see them.



My last stop is Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong’s most famous night-life district.



Central station of MTR.



In the next morning, I visited Hong Kong Disneyland Resort on Lantau Island. It was the first Disneyland I visited.









It’s a Small World is one of the main rides in the park.







There’s a “Selamat Jalan” sign in “It’s a small world” ride. What a pleasant surprise!





The highlight is being able to take photo with my favourite Disney character, Donald Duck.



And Minnie Mouse too.





Sleeping Beauty Castle.



I only spent half day at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. After that, I headed to Ngong Ping 360, which is also located on Lantau Island.



It has the longest cable car ride in Hong Kong.





You can also opt to hike to the mountain.



The main attraction is Tian Tan Buddha. It is a giant bronze statue of Buddha Shakyamuni completed in 1993.



Visitors has to climb 268 steps before reaching the Buddha statue.







Six smaller bronze Buddhist statues known as “The Offerings of the Six Devas” are just below the Tian Tan Buddha.



The Tian Tan Buddha measures 34 meters tall and weighs over 250 tonnes.



The Buddha statue is near Po Lin Monastery.



This is the main temple in Po Lin Monastery.



This summarize my trip to Lantau Island.



And of course, one cannot leave Hong Kong without visiting the Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong version of Hollywood Walk of Fame.







The hand prints of Jackie Chan.



And the hand prints and signature of one of the four Hong Kong heavenly king, Andy Lau.



Camera rolling and… action.



With this, my Hong Kong trip ends here.