Sept. 30, 2011 - This is it! I told myself, today, is the day that I'll have my passport marked. I've had my passport since last year but I have had no opportunity to use it yet until this time. I slept about 4 hours today. I checked the weather forecast online for both Hongkong and Philippines and so far, mother nature seems to be on my side today. Thank God! So Hongkong, get ready because here we come!
Yesterday, it took us some time to know our way in the Airport. We don't know where to go and what to do but this time, we know our way in. By the time the check in counter opened and i got my boarding pass, I smiled and thank God silently. This is DEFINITELY IT! I am about to embark into a travel adventure. Both me and my travel buddy have not been to Hongkong, so this will be our first. We are both excited and can't wait. We were definitely counting the seconds as we come near our boarding time.
The flight went smoothly, there were some turbulence for some time but not too much. And overall, we arrived at our destination safely. When the plane landed at Hongkong airport, we are full of excitement. We can't wait to get off the plane, the funny thing is, we're not the only ones. Normally, the flight attendant advices everyone to get out of the plane slowly but this time, we heard the radio differently. The flight attendant specifically said to get out of the plane faster. One passenger made a joke about it but it didn't bother me much as i was in a hurry to get off that plane anyway. The Hongkong airport is big. Our airport here in the Philippines is no comparison to the Hongkong airport. We were just following the rest of the passengers as we don't know exactly where to next. Along the way though, we decided to go to the comfort room and what a huge comfort room it was. There's an area where ladies can just sit down and apply make up and powder their noses. Another area for washing of hands. The cubicles are big and comfy. They have Toilet seats' paper, another toilet paper for drying of hands. It was definitely a place of comfort for women. I even took pictures because it was amazingly big and comfortable.
After doing our thing, we went back to following other passengers. We reached the immigration area and everyone was lining up for their turn. There were free Hongkong maps on display and we took two before lining up. The line was long, there were a lot of people waiting for their turn to be interviewed. I silently prayed that we'll both be able to answer their questions and that the immigration personnel would approved of our trip. One thing i like about Hongkong is that they are very disciplined and organized. You can see that in the airport. There's a system followed in lining up to be interviewed by immigration and so far it worked. Despite of the long line, we didn't wait that much. The Hongkong residents have a different line while visitors from other places are lined up in one. The airport also have a lot of signs so as long as you know how to read English, then you will definitely find your way.
My buddy and i went together to be interviewed. We were asked of our purpose in visiting Hongkong and what are our plans. I guess, with our angelic faces, sweet smiles and smooth communication with the immigration personnel, we got approved! Well, having a plane ticket back to the Philippines also played a big role in that interview. But whatever reason that drove that personnel to approved our stay, I don't really care anymore. I was just thankful that we're IN! By the way, we got approved for 14 days of stay in Hongkong and we would have stayed and consumed all 14 days if we could but as you already know, this is just a 3-day trip :)
After immigration, we went to get our baggage. They have boards displaying all flight arrivals and the corresponding station numbers where the baggage were. They also have customer service specific to inquiring about your baggage. They have about 15 stations where you can claim your baggage and our baggage were at station 13. After getting all our baggage, we are ready to start this journey! But first we need to talk to "Nanay Cora", she's our contact in Hongkong for our accommodation. We went to a pay phone and called her number. It took us some time to get thru her number. The difficult part was that after keying the number, all we get is an operator talking in Chinese. And yes i am partly Chinese but i do not understand a single word so it was really hard for both of us. We tried a couple more times, calling the number Nanay Cora gave us and at last, we were able to get thru and we spoke to her. She gave us instructions on which bus to ride to get to Tsim Tsa Tsui and she said that she'll meet us there.
Before leaving the airport, we decided to walk around and eat first. Most of the restaurants in the airport are already closed but we found a 7-11 store and decided to buy microwavable food. It's gonna be my first meal in Hongkong and we took our time choosing which meal to buy considering our budget for this trip. In the end, I settled for a chicken with rice meal and bottled water, costing about 25-30 dollars on our 1st meal. When we got out of the airport, it started to rain. Luckily, our bus (N21) was parked at the bus stops and waiting. We were told that we need to give the exact amount of the fare as the bus drivers doesn't give any change. The fare was 23 dollars from the airport to Tsim Tsa Tsui, that's about Php138 if you convert it. The bus was big, it has a 2nd deck. It has an area where you can store your baggage. We found our seats and made ourselves comfortable. We didn't know how long will it took to reach Tsim Tsa Tsui but Nanay Cora did say that it will be the bus' last stop so everyone will be getting off the bus when it reaches our destination. My friend was seated at the window side but still the windows are big and so I get to see the view while we were traveling to Tsim Tsa Tsui. Hongkong was definitely a big city! The buildings are amazingly high! I can get my neck hurt just checking the building out. Hongkong is also known for their lights and you can see the buildings covered with it. It creates beautiful view for all the passengers. I don't know how long exactly we were traveling but i'm sure i almost fell asleep during the whole trip. When we arrived at Tsim Tsa Tsui, it was windy and the rain has not stopped yet. We have seen some people getting ready and opening their businesses already. It was about 5AM and they are starting their day. We, on the other hand, are still ending ours. We found a pay phone and we tried contacting Nanay Cora again. Since we last talked to her, hours already passed and we cant seem to find her anywhere in the area. Again, we had trouble calling her number. And then i realized, that you have to press each key harder so that it will get thru. We did that and spoke to Nanay Cora. She said to wait where we are and that she'll come and get us.
We waited near Watsons and after a few minutes, we saw two lovely ladies. One, immediately spoke in Bisaya and asked if we are her new tenants. No doubt about it, the lady with a big smile and a big heart is Nanay Cora. She brought her friend "Inday" who was originally from the Philippines too. We rode a taxi going to Hung Hom where we will be staying. We paid 30 dollars for the taxi, that's Php180 cab fare. The building has 13th floor but our home is at the 2nd floor of the building.
The house was small but complete. We have our own bathroom, sink, bed, fridge, and a little kitchen. It was small and enough for 2 people but definitely homey. Nanay Cora started giving instructions on what and what not to do in the house and left us to rest.
It was about 6AM of Oct. 1 already but we are still ending our day. Believe it or not, our Hongkong journey now begins.
Yesterday, it took us some time to know our way in the Airport. We don't know where to go and what to do but this time, we know our way in. By the time the check in counter opened and i got my boarding pass, I smiled and thank God silently. This is DEFINITELY IT! I am about to embark into a travel adventure. Both me and my travel buddy have not been to Hongkong, so this will be our first. We are both excited and can't wait. We were definitely counting the seconds as we come near our boarding time.
The flight went smoothly, there were some turbulence for some time but not too much. And overall, we arrived at our destination safely. When the plane landed at Hongkong airport, we are full of excitement. We can't wait to get off the plane, the funny thing is, we're not the only ones. Normally, the flight attendant advices everyone to get out of the plane slowly but this time, we heard the radio differently. The flight attendant specifically said to get out of the plane faster. One passenger made a joke about it but it didn't bother me much as i was in a hurry to get off that plane anyway. The Hongkong airport is big. Our airport here in the Philippines is no comparison to the Hongkong airport. We were just following the rest of the passengers as we don't know exactly where to next. Along the way though, we decided to go to the comfort room and what a huge comfort room it was. There's an area where ladies can just sit down and apply make up and powder their noses. Another area for washing of hands. The cubicles are big and comfy. They have Toilet seats' paper, another toilet paper for drying of hands. It was definitely a place of comfort for women. I even took pictures because it was amazingly big and comfortable.
After doing our thing, we went back to following other passengers. We reached the immigration area and everyone was lining up for their turn. There were free Hongkong maps on display and we took two before lining up. The line was long, there were a lot of people waiting for their turn to be interviewed. I silently prayed that we'll both be able to answer their questions and that the immigration personnel would approved of our trip. One thing i like about Hongkong is that they are very disciplined and organized. You can see that in the airport. There's a system followed in lining up to be interviewed by immigration and so far it worked. Despite of the long line, we didn't wait that much. The Hongkong residents have a different line while visitors from other places are lined up in one. The airport also have a lot of signs so as long as you know how to read English, then you will definitely find your way.
My buddy and i went together to be interviewed. We were asked of our purpose in visiting Hongkong and what are our plans. I guess, with our angelic faces, sweet smiles and smooth communication with the immigration personnel, we got approved! Well, having a plane ticket back to the Philippines also played a big role in that interview. But whatever reason that drove that personnel to approved our stay, I don't really care anymore. I was just thankful that we're IN! By the way, we got approved for 14 days of stay in Hongkong and we would have stayed and consumed all 14 days if we could but as you already know, this is just a 3-day trip :)
After immigration, we went to get our baggage. They have boards displaying all flight arrivals and the corresponding station numbers where the baggage were. They also have customer service specific to inquiring about your baggage. They have about 15 stations where you can claim your baggage and our baggage were at station 13. After getting all our baggage, we are ready to start this journey! But first we need to talk to "Nanay Cora", she's our contact in Hongkong for our accommodation. We went to a pay phone and called her number. It took us some time to get thru her number. The difficult part was that after keying the number, all we get is an operator talking in Chinese. And yes i am partly Chinese but i do not understand a single word so it was really hard for both of us. We tried a couple more times, calling the number Nanay Cora gave us and at last, we were able to get thru and we spoke to her. She gave us instructions on which bus to ride to get to Tsim Tsa Tsui and she said that she'll meet us there.
Before leaving the airport, we decided to walk around and eat first. Most of the restaurants in the airport are already closed but we found a 7-11 store and decided to buy microwavable food. It's gonna be my first meal in Hongkong and we took our time choosing which meal to buy considering our budget for this trip. In the end, I settled for a chicken with rice meal and bottled water, costing about 25-30 dollars on our 1st meal. When we got out of the airport, it started to rain. Luckily, our bus (N21) was parked at the bus stops and waiting. We were told that we need to give the exact amount of the fare as the bus drivers doesn't give any change. The fare was 23 dollars from the airport to Tsim Tsa Tsui, that's about Php138 if you convert it. The bus was big, it has a 2nd deck. It has an area where you can store your baggage. We found our seats and made ourselves comfortable. We didn't know how long will it took to reach Tsim Tsa Tsui but Nanay Cora did say that it will be the bus' last stop so everyone will be getting off the bus when it reaches our destination. My friend was seated at the window side but still the windows are big and so I get to see the view while we were traveling to Tsim Tsa Tsui. Hongkong was definitely a big city! The buildings are amazingly high! I can get my neck hurt just checking the building out. Hongkong is also known for their lights and you can see the buildings covered with it. It creates beautiful view for all the passengers. I don't know how long exactly we were traveling but i'm sure i almost fell asleep during the whole trip. When we arrived at Tsim Tsa Tsui, it was windy and the rain has not stopped yet. We have seen some people getting ready and opening their businesses already. It was about 5AM and they are starting their day. We, on the other hand, are still ending ours. We found a pay phone and we tried contacting Nanay Cora again. Since we last talked to her, hours already passed and we cant seem to find her anywhere in the area. Again, we had trouble calling her number. And then i realized, that you have to press each key harder so that it will get thru. We did that and spoke to Nanay Cora. She said to wait where we are and that she'll come and get us.
We waited near Watsons and after a few minutes, we saw two lovely ladies. One, immediately spoke in Bisaya and asked if we are her new tenants. No doubt about it, the lady with a big smile and a big heart is Nanay Cora. She brought her friend "Inday" who was originally from the Philippines too. We rode a taxi going to Hung Hom where we will be staying. We paid 30 dollars for the taxi, that's Php180 cab fare. The building has 13th floor but our home is at the 2nd floor of the building.
The house was small but complete. We have our own bathroom, sink, bed, fridge, and a little kitchen. It was small and enough for 2 people but definitely homey. Nanay Cora started giving instructions on what and what not to do in the house and left us to rest.
It was about 6AM of Oct. 1 already but we are still ending our day. Believe it or not, our Hongkong journey now begins.
