Loving Hong Kong

Manila International Airport

Harbour City Plaza

This is how we sleep during our stay in Hong Kong

Ocean Park Hong Kong

a photo with Swift

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort

Having snacks outside the Bakery

Black Sesame and Walnut Soup

   

    I was in Hong Kong recently with my husband and my three boys. My sister-in-law, Princess Ching, joined the trip with us too. It was her first time to go to Hong Kong. The PAL flight to Hong Kong was relatively full. Hong Kong is about one and a half hours away from the Philippines.

   

   Hong Kong hasn't changed much. It has always been one of my favorite places. I have been going there since I was eight years old. I remember my dad telling me that he will bring me to Hong Kong if I will get first honor from first to fourth quarter during the time when I was on my third grade. And fortunately, I did! I was so happy that time because it is going to be my first time to travel outside our country. And since then I've been going there at least three times a year because we have a family business there. It became a second home to me.

   Well, we normally stay in Park Lane Hong Kong which is situated right in the heart of vibrant Causeway Bay. This time around we found ourselves in Kowloon at the Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. The hotel is built on the Ocean Terminal, a pier which is frequently visited by Cruise Ships. The whole complex is part of a huge shopping center with lots of branded store names and restaurants which we find very convenient for us especially that my husband and I brought our three boys with us. We don't have to go outside the hotel to shop or look for food outlets.

    We opted to have lunch first at City Super food court which is located inside Harbour City Plaza. I love to eat there because it showcase an international fusion of freshly prepared, restaurant-quality meals - at fast food prices! You can take a break from shopping, relax and enjoy a refreshing drink with something delicious to eat. My kids ordered pastas at Te. Te is not a fast food, not a standard restaurant. Their pastas and herbal teas are so good. I ordered my food at Takomaru, the expert of making Japanese octopus ball in town. My meal will not be complete without my favorite dessert which is the  hot black sesame soup and walnut soup. You can order it at Honeymoon Dessert. They provide ranges of choice to serve the dessert-lovers in the city. It is so good that for us a visit to Hong Kong will never be complete unless we have at least a couple of meals there. An even nicer thing about it is that we always see familiar faces because the servers and waitresses from five years ago are still the same ones up to now.

      

    We got there on a Saturday and left on a Tuesday.  We went to Ocean Park on the second day and Disneyland on the third day. Ocean Park is still the same but Hong Kong Disneyland has changed a lot. They added new attractions, entertainment and spectaculars for the whole family to enjoy. Tomorrowland was expanded to incorporate three dynamic new attractions - the exciting Autopia experience, the fun Stitch Encounter (my sister-in-law got to participate in the encounter with Stitch and it was so funny), and the UFO Zone adventure. We rode the indoor roller coaster in Space Mountain and I swear that it's going to be my first and last time to ride on it. It made me dizzy and I was scared that my three boys won't be able to handle the warp speed of the roller coaster. We also went to Tarzan's Treehouse which was beautifully decorated with trees and all those things that appeared in the cartoon. We took the jungle river cruise along a river and there was like fire and gushes of smoke along the way. It was really fun.

    I have no doubt that Hong Kong is close to my heart because it consistently only takes a couple of hours after arriving there for me to already wish I would have an upcoming trip back. Can you imagine already planning to go back when you haven't even left yet?

    I will always love Hong Kong so alive. I love its skyline, food, shopping and the bargains. I love the way the people dress up and am ceaselessly amazed at how working women can run through traffic stops in their spiky heels. I love taking the ferry because there is an Old-World charm to it that you cannot shake off and even miles and miles of walking is pleasant when capped off with a refreshing bottle of sugar can juice available at practically every sidewalk. Well, I'm thinking of going back there again but this time it is going to be with my baby boy!