HK 2016: Day 1

After months of planning, our family was able to push through a trip to Hong Kong. I would say it had been a temporary euphoria for everyone. My sister handled all the planning, and booked a tour package for four days. We were supposed to have the city tour, and the Shenzhen tour. Sadly, the latter was postponed due to issues with Visa application. Such a shame.



Hong Kong International Airport

As I set foot inside the Hong Kong International Airport, I was struck by how huge and clean it was. It's not impossible to get lost in. We kind of did, because of the train.

There is only one way to get to the immigration. And that's through the airport express. It may get a bit confusing at first, but it's the only way. So if you find yourself feeling lost already, just ride the train. It stops at exactly where you want to be. Or ask airport personnel. They are everywhere.



Since we had a shuttle service, we did not have to commute from HKIA to our hotel. No worries for those commuting, though. Because there was absolutely no traffic. Our drive from HKIA to Tsuen Wan only took about 25 to 30 minutes. Manila could really learn a lot from Hong Kong.



Silka Far East Hotel

We arrived at Silka Far East Hotel around 10:30 AM. Luckily, our room was already available. The hotel allowed us to check in early, without charge (hooray). The room was small, but enough for all of us. It had a decent bathroom, and comfortable beds.

The hotel also provided us a handy phone with free data. It could be taken anywhere. This helped us a lot, especially, navigating through the busy streets of Hong Kong. But maps would also be the best way to go. You could ask for one at the front desk of your hotel.



After getting our things settled, we decided to have an early lunch. Only a block away from our hotel, we already found a local food diner. They offered varieties of food to choose from. We opted for Ramen for about 45-50 HKD each. The serving was generous, and it tasted good.



They gave us desserts, on the house. We forgot to ask what it was called, but it resembled a mango shake with mango bits and coconut. It was surprisingly satisfying.



We also dropped by a convenience store to buy some snacks and drinks. Because it's better to always have something to munch on as it takes time to find food shops nearby. Also, I simply wanted to try their junk foods.



MTR

At night, we decided to visit the Temple Street Night Market in Kowloon, and experienced our first MTR ride (definitely not counting the airport express ride).

We asked the front desk for the town's map, and we got to the Tsuen Wan Station in no time. Our hotel was only a short-walk away from station. In addition, people everywhere were heading to the same place. So in this case, we just followed the crowd (of course, the map said so, too). The very informative MTR map also helped us to get around quickly. Even if you are a first-time visitor in Hong Kong, you would manage to go anywhere in a jiffy because of their MTR. It was fast, and more importantly, convenient. In a nutshell, our MTR commute was hassle-free. And quite liberating.



From Tsuen Wan, we got off at Yau Ma Tei. We had to take quite a long walk before we got to Temple Street. But I enjoyed watching the locals while admiring the city lights. The street was filled with all kinds of people. And all of them looked so fashionable. Seriously.



Naturally, we got hungry because of all the walking. So we ate first at a local restaurant around the area. I had chicken and rice for dinner for 45 HKD. We thought it would have too many a serving for a single person again, so my sister and I shared the meal. Though I still ordered fries and sandwich. Again, the food was not disappointing (except for the ham sandwich—it was literally just a ham in a sandwich; I don't know what was I expecting). Especially, their red bean iced drink. It was pure bliss.




We also had egg waffles for dessert for 10 HKD a piece. What a joy it was. I regret not trying some street food on our first night, though. They all looked tempting.




Temple Street

After dinner, we started wandering around the famous Temple Street Night Market. It looked similarly like the ones we have here in Manila, but a lot less crowded.




They were selling all kinds of stuff from the littlest souvenirs to the most interesting gadget accessories. There were also several food hubs in the street. So hunger and exhaustion could be remedied with good food here. I bought shirts, fridge magnets, and other souvenirs amounting to almost 150 HKD. There were many cheap finds in the market, but it's always best to do some haggling. If you were persistent enough, they could give you discounts.





It was almost half past 10 when we got back to our hotel. But it was a good night to cap off our first day in Hong Kong. Exhausting, but definitely exhilarating.



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