ASIA: I love HK

Hong Kong is probably the most visited country by Filipinos. Aside from having a lot of OFWs there, Filipinos consider it the “shopping haven”. In case you don’t know, they have extremely low taxes or no tax at all. It’s also a great place to bring the family and the gang because of the tourist spots like Disneyland, Ocean Park, The Peak, Lantau Island and a lot more. In fact, there were a lot of dreams that came true when HK had their Disneyland because it is more accessible than that of the US, Japan, and France.  

When I say I love Hong Kong, I mean I love Hong Kong. I’ve been there thrice and every trip just keeps getting better. My first trip was in ’96, and I was 5 years old. I can still remember the place we visited and as a kid, you could just imagine the excitement. We came back there last 2012 to welcome 2013 and of course, without a doubt, go shopping! My last visit there was last year and I went there with Tina. Last year’s trip was more of an adventure because we wanted to explore and see HK by ourselves: no tour, no packages, just us and a map.

Just like Japan, their main transportation is the train; and their train stations are so big you’re gonna get lost if you don’t really know which exit you should take. Be sure to have a train route map and the map of the city. IT WILL REALLY HELP YOU.

If you're going to ask me why Tina and I were crazy enough to go there by ourselves without full knowledge of the place, it's because we want to experience what the "legit" travelers do. They go to a place without plans, and end up having a better time. Don't get me wrong, it's not easy. Sometimes, the hassle of trying to understand how to go to a certain place could cause you and your companion bad tempers, but it's all part of the travel. Now that we've both been to Hong Kong with our parents and have gone through tours prepared by agencies, we felt it was time to try out something new.

Here are some of the places in Hong Kong I've been to.

WHERE TO GO SHOPPING IN HONG KONG?

CANTON ROAD
If you love signature/high end bags or anything, you gotta go here.
You can find H&M here as well

MONG KOK
This is where you can buy cheap and good stuff.
You can bargain if the price is kind of expensive; some of them know how to speak and understand tagalog.
So be careful of what you speak.

WHERE TO GO?

THE PEAK
I would like to recommend you to go here at night.
Not only is it windy up there but the view of the city is just jaw-dropping.

DISNEYLAND
May you be a kid or adult, this place will surely bring that feeling of nostalgia.
The kid at heart in you will surely be set free.
There are a lot of rides that any age would enjoy. 

You can take pictures with your favorite Disney characters and Disney Princesses.

There are fireworks before Disneyland closes.
The bang of each fireworks is synchronize with your favorite disney songs.

OCEAN PARK
They have crazy rides. Really crazy. (well, for me)

Ocean Park is like twice or thrice the Hong Kong Disneyland; that you have to ride a cable car
to get to the other side of Ocean Park.

They also have a sea lion show to see for the kids. Just like our Ocean Park in Manila you can find big aquariums with different species of fishes. There are also different animals to see like cute Pandas!

You can also go to Macau from Hong Kong. You just have to take a ferry and it is just an hour away.
Click here for Macau

M goi