First Time for the Second Time Around : Hong Kong Lantau Island Trip
Ok fine, it's been a year since this should have been published. A lot has happened since then, so I'm not sure if my memories of Hong Kong is still accurate, and if I'll do it some justice. To be honest, I can't fully recall what we did per day there, because all I can fully remember now is our Disney land trip only hahaha! Anyway, let me try to rack my brain, and go full-on storytelling mode about my HK trip- last September 2016.
Grab a seat. |
Soooooo, I remember our flight from Philippines to Hong Kong was last September 16, 2016. We boarded a flight with Cebu Pacific, and it was a night flight, something I'm not used to. Most of the time, the flights that I have taken are in the morning, and I remember how calming it is to see oodles and oodles of clouds. To strip myself off of anxiety, I indulged myself in watching Me before you instead (making my mom look at me strangely when she heard me sniffing haha!)
Duck Face hahaha! |
Ummm mama, wala po kayo sa Divi :) |
DAY 1
Ok, now I remember! For our first day in Hong Kong, we went to Lantau Island, and took the cable car going to Ngong Ping Village. I remember how we got lost going to Tung Chung, and how one of my mom's friend was desperate to find a bathroom inside the train station in Mongkok hahaha! Oh by the way, I forgot to mention that for this time around, me and my mom were travelling with 3 of her friends and their kids, so imagine how crazy it is to herd this pack. Unlike my first time before, I was with my cousin, and her friend, so it's easier to navigate the city.
I think this is near Tsim Sha Tsui. |
Saying hi to the other side of HK. |
#Twinning hahaha! |
Oh I also haven't mentioned, for the first 2 days of our trip to HK, we stayed in Chung King Mansions, then I booked our 3rd day in Airbnb to bring balance to this world. You see, I was not originally part of this trip, since I was supposed to join my friends' trip instead, but because of my mom's clingy-ness, I obliged and joined them. By the time I decided to join them, they have already booked the hotel rooms in Chung King Mansions, and sadly they won't refund if we cancel. Anyway, there's another time to discuss about Chung King Mansions, and the horrors I've seen inside it. Ok, back to Day 1, soooo coming from Chung King Mansions going to Tsim Sha Tsui was a fair walk, hence the decision to check out some sights before heading to Tung Chung, then Lantau.
The moment we got off the train at Tung Chung station, we were greeted by City Gate Outlets. Since I was in the company of the Titas of Manila, we ended up checking some stores first before heading to the cable cars going to Lantau island.
Wife Material |
Kala mo yan na, di pa! |
The queue to the cable car was quite long, however it wasn't as tiring as waiting in line for the train here in Manila, because the turn-around time of the cable cars is little, hence there's a cable car in every 3 minutes. From what I remember we paid around HKD 140-160 round trip for the standard cabin (around $ 30+), and we bought the tickets there on the same day. Perhaps it's more affordable if you buy it in Klook, or other travel deals sites.
I did not expect the ride itself to be long. At a glance, I thought we'll be in the mountain top proper after 5 minutes basing on the cable stops you can see from the Cable Car dock below, but oh boy I was wrong! It took us around 15-20 minutes to arrive in Ngong Ping Village, on top of Lantau. Apparently, after passing the visible cable stops (especially the high one), you'll then see that there's still a looooong way to go before arriving. If you're afraid of heights, you may not like this (especially the crystal cable car, with glass floors hahaha) since there's a certain moment where it became windy and the cable car we were in started rocking hahaha! The Titas were #Shookt. Also, please refrain from watching Kingsman The Golden Circle prior to boarding the cabin hahaha! However, if you wish to see Ngong Ping minus the windy cable car ride, I think you can do so by taking the bus. Upon checking, you can go to Lantau by taking the route 23 bus in Tung Chung, but go there earlier during weekends because the lines are looooonger.
In my mind I was singing Mulan's Reflection hahaha! #Werpa |
Cutiepies, but quite pricey :( |
#JejGirlNgQC |
Upon arrival, you'll be greeted with a souvenir shop, then after a few walks you'll see the village proper. The Ngong Ping Village, old school as it appear, is actually full of restaurants and shops where you can spend you HKDs like no one gives a shhh. However, just a tip, the souvenirs there are pricier than the ones in Mongkok, so better stock up when you're in mainland instead. Also, on the other end of the village you'll see the arc going to the big Buddha, where there are food stalls that sell more affordable drinks (you're welcome haha).
The end of the Ngong Ping Village |
The Arc going to the Big Buddha |
#Lodi |
The Big Buddha |
Best Purchase Ever |
As the legend goes (or chitchats from friends), those who climb the stairs going to the Big Buddha will have their wishes, or what they are praying for come true. But since I cannot leave the #TitasOfManila behind, I was not able to go to the Big Buddha. Anyway, my wish that day came true eventually, so no biggie.
By the way, the best time to go to Lantau is in the morning, because the operation time of the cable cars are until 6:30 PM only. You can check here for more details
Will go storytelling mode for Day 2 in a separate post. For now, feast on this instead :)
This was my wish *droooools* |
Love Always,
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