Memories of a Hong Kong Trip

Full memories of that Thanksgiving holiday trip to Hong Kong with my hubby, carrying our permits! Day 1: Took a taxi at 7 AM to Shanghai Pudong Airport Terminal 1, retrieved tickets at the self-service machine, checked in luggage, and boarded China Southern Airlines flight to Shenzhen at 9:15 AM. After about 2 hours of flight, we arrived at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport. Then we bought bus tickets to Wan Chai at the airport (since we were staying at the Cosmopolitan Hotel on Queen's Road East, buying tickets to Wan Chai was sufficient). We also bought tickets for Disneyland and Ocean Park there, which were much cheaper than buying at the parks. After waiting about 15 minutes in the waiting room, someone came in and said those with pink stickers could board (the ones going to Causeway Bay and Wan Chai all had pink stickers). The bus drove directly to the security checkpoint, and after exiting security, we took another bus to Hong Kong, arriving directly in Hong Kong. At around 1:30 PM we arrived at Wan Chai, Hong Kong (the drop-off point was near the Wan Chai Methodist Centre). After getting off, we took a taxi to our hotel – the Cosmopolitan Hotel (formerly the Xinhua News Agency site), checked in and settled into our room! We were on the 5th floor, and from the window we could see the road and elevated highway, as well as the Hong Kong Jockey Club racecourse, Queen Elizabeth Stadium, bus stops, and tram stops – what a great choice! After putting down our luggage and resting a bit, we started our Hong Kong free-and-easy tour. Victoria Peak: Hong Kong's most unique tourist landmark. There's a shopping mall with lots of food, brand watches, shoes, clothes, and more. First, we went to Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. The first figure was Bruce Lee, but because there were too many people wanting to take photos with him, I gave up on that. Not far to Bruce Lee's right stood martial arts actress Michelle Yeoh, in a gorgeous cheongsam, full of charm. Walking further in, we officially entered the wax museum. The staff asked us to take photos first, and they gave us a photo retrieval slip. At the exit, we could exchange the slip for photos, but of course you had to pay. Then, many flashbulbs went off, and I imagined myself walking the red carpet like a star, haha. After the 'red carpet', we went down a small staircase to the famous figures from various eras: Clinton, Aaron Kwok, Andy Lau, Li Bingbing, Teresa Teng, Leon Lai, Yao Ming, David Beckham, etc. Too bad Louis Koo wasn't there. There was also the terrifying 'Run for Your Life', a heart-pounding horror experience inside. After touring the wax museum, it was already past 6 PM and our stomachs were growling. So we ordered curry beef brisket rice and Hong Kong-style milk tea at the 'Hong Kong Land' restaurant next to the wax museum – it was delicious! After dinner, we went up to the Sky Terrace 428 to enjoy the panoramic view of Hong Kong, a 360-degree observation deck to experience Hong Kong from different angles and admire the stunning Victoria Harbour nightscape. It was truly beautiful! (You really have to see it yourself to feel it; words cannot describe the night view!) That ended the first day – tired but happy! Day 2: Woke up at a little past 7 AM, pulled open the curtains and saw the blue sky. The sky in Hong Kong is really very blue, and there weren't many cars on the road, probably because it was the weekend. Also, the racecourse across the way had green lawns. After breakfast, there was a free shuttle bus at the hotel entrance going to Ocean Park, saving us the fare – very nice! Sitting on the bus looking outside, we spotted several large birds flying back and forth over a school rooftop; people said they were eagles. About 20 minutes later we arrived at Ocean Park. Since we had already bought tickets in Shenzhen, we just queued to enter. At the entrance, staff checked bags for dangerous items. First we took a photo with the Ocean Park sailor, then queued for the hot air balloon. From the balloon, we enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Hong Kong Island. Next we went to the Jockey Club Giant Panda Habitat, where there were An An and Jia Jia. They were both sleeping when we entered. An An's sleeping pose was the funniest – he was sleeping out in the open and I almost mistaken him for a panda model, while Jia Jia was hiding inside her room. Then we visited the Water World, Giant Panda Adventure, Goldfish Treasure House, Frog Hopper, Carousel, etc. It took about an hour or so to finish all the rides at the lower area. Then we went to the Cable Car. Before boarding, staff asked us to take a souvenir photo, which we could pick up at the top with a ticket. (In Hong Kong, even though all rides are free after buying the entry ticket, they set up photo spots and charge for the photos.) The cable car doors closed automatically, very safe. From the cable car, we had a panoramic view of the boundless sea and scenery – beaches, islands, yachts, small boats, large birds, fishing boats – truly beautiful! The blue sea harmonized with the white clouds and birds in the sky, forming a very harmonious picture. We could also see many small boats on the sea, with two people sitting leisurely fishing. The cable car ride was really long, equivalent to about three or four round trips of Hangzhou's Beigao Peak, and it kept getting higher. People with acrophobia should not look back, because looking backward makes you feel tilted. Halfway, the cable car paused in the air for over a minute, allowing us to take photos to our heart's content! At the top, there was a restaurant. We originally planned to have lunch there and enjoy the sea view, but it turned out the restaurant had a private party that day, decorated like an engagement banquet. Since we were up there, we had to have fun. We went to the Raging River, Jellyfish House, Ocean Theatre, Swing, Ferris Wheel, etc. Especially the Mine Train roller coaster – it was really thrilling, more exciting and safer than Shanghai Jinjiang Park's roller coaster. I wanted to ride it multiple times, but my hubby said his heart couldn't take it, haha. We also saw the photos taken of us speeding down on the coaster – very cool! By then it was after 4 PM, so we took the train down to the base, left Ocean Park, and took a bus back to the hotel. At 6 PM, we took the hotel's free shuttle to Times Square and strolled around bustling Causeway Bay. There were so many people, very busy streets. It was impressive that on such crowded, narrow streets, there was no litter, no jaywalking, and no traffic jams – truly admirable! Occasionally a monk would walk up and chant some Buddhist phrase. We saw street food and couldn't miss it – we bought egg waffles, fish balls, beef balls, and tried them all. Day 3: Woke up and realized it was already past 8 AM – overslept, haha. So I quickly washed up and walked to the MTR station, had a Hong Kong-style breakfast nearby – not bad. After breakfast, we bought an all-day pass at the MTR and set off for Hong Kong Disneyland! The Hong Kong MTR is really convenient; even if you've never ridden it, you won't get lost – signs are very clear, no need to ask anyone to get there smoothly. We boarded the Disney train and arrived at Disneyland. First, we strolled along Main Street, U.S.A., then watched Mickey's PhilharMagic in 3D – it was really well done, that's what real 3D should be! We had lunch at the 'Beauty and the Beast' Royal Banquet Hall – delicious but very pricey. After eating, we continued our Disney adventure: Winnie the Pooh, Cinderella's Carousel, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Jungle River Cruise, Sleeping Beauty Castle, Candy House, Snow White's Wishing Well, Space Mountain (like a roller coaster, but set in space), Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Astro Orbiter, Art of Animation, and many more. At 3 PM the parade started – many cartoon characters: The Little Mermaid, Snow White, Buzz Lightyear (my favorite!), cowboys, Santa Claus, etc. We took a photo with Buzz Lightyear in front of his ride, and there was a talking, dancing trash can that was very endearing, especially to children. Normally we stay away from trash cans – smelly and dirty – but in Disneyland the trash cans are clean, and they sing and talk. After finishing work, it said 'bye-bye' to us – haha, cute 'trash can'! The sun was setting, and we had finished our fruit and water. Time to go home. We took the Disney train again back to the modern, fashionable Hong Kong city. In the evening we had dinner at Tsui Kee in Causeway Bay: wonton noodles with Hong Kong-style milk tea. Since we had the all-day pass, we could take the MTR anywhere, so we went to the Avenue of Stars to look for celebrity handprints. Unfortunately, Louis Koo's wasn't there. I noticed that Eric Tsang's handprint was the same size as mine – very small, haha. Since I couldn't take a photo with Bruce Lee at Victoria Peak, taking one here was just as good. We saw the cruise ships, the 'Star' ferry, Victoria Harbour, and the buildings across the harbor were all decorated with Christmas lights – super festive! We had coffee at the Starbucks on the Avenue of Stars while enjoying the Hong Kong night view – what a pleasant thing! Day 4: Woke up early, packed up, and strolled around nearby Victoria Park, then went to SOGO to shop and have a meal. Around 2 PM we checked out (hotel checkout was until 3 PM – very good). We took the hotel shuttle to Causeway Bay MTR station, then took the MTR for over an hour to Lo Wu port – Shenzhen. There weren't many people crossing the border. We happened to see a group of primary school kids crossing. One little boy said to his friend 'Hurry up', and the friend said to the stamping officer 'Hurry up, you always take so long', haha, what happy kids – every day they take the MTR to Hong Kong for school, then return to Shenzhen in the afternoon – daily Hong Kong tour! Crossing the border wasn't as complicated as I thought; only suspicious people had their bags checked. Then we took the MTR to the Window of the World station, where a friend we knew picked us up and took us to a hotel. We stayed a day in Shenzhen. My impression: Shenzhen's streets are quite clean, few traffic police, but the shops and buildings along the roads weren't great – old and shabby, like old Hangzhou. The weather in Shenzhen was okay, but very dry. After a day, my skin felt very dry, and I kept moisturizing – the environment lacked any moisture at all. Day 5: Our friend drove us to Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport. At 4 PM we took Shanghai Airlines back to our most familiar place – Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. The feeling upon return was 'Wow, I totally recognize this place! Totally familiar, no map needed!' Haha! A five-day free-and-easy trip to Hong Kong. Many thanks to L for coming with me, and lucky that it was Thanksgiving holiday – a very wonderful independent trip! In the past, the company would organize trips, with tight schedules and few places. This independent trip made me really enjoy it and fall in love with free travel!