Trip to Fragrant Harbour & Las Vegas of the East
Long overdue trip report about my trip to Hong Kong & Macau with my mom and sis earlier this month.
Well I think that it was not a very fun trip because of the weather.
It rained on all 5 days and our plan to visit either Disneyland or Ocean Park was abandoned.
Instead the trip became more of a cultural one as we visited 2 museums (HK History Musuem & Macau Museum).
Perhaps I can share some tips which I gain from this trip.
1. It rains everyday during the rainy season in Hong Kong and Macau. I think that's probably why the sales in HK are held during this period as the visitors will be pissed off by the rain.
2. Mandarin is more widely spoken in Hong Kong already; when I went to HK in Nov 2005, I could hardly communicate. Now most people will reply readily in Mandarin (abeit of varying quality) when they realize that you speak Mandarin instead of Cantonese. This can be probably attributed to the higher purchasing power by their Mainland cousins due to the stronger RMB.
3. Take the Tram! Not the Peak Tram but the Tram which runs on Hong Kong Island. All trips on the Tram only cost 2 HKD regardless of distance travelled. It is one good way to save money on transportation for budget travellers who have ample time to explore. I stayed on the Kowloon side the other time so I was not able to make much use of this transportation previously.
4. Hong Kong History Museum is a good place to visit when there is tropical storm outside. We spent almost 5 hours (the whole afternoon) without realizing. Beside the usual exhibits, there are many videos which are interactive and interesting life-size replicas of actual sights in HK. Worth the 10 HKD entrance fee (Free on Wed).
5. If you are going only to casinos in Macau, you can don't need to spend a cent on local transportation. There are shuttle buses between the ferry terminals and the various casinos. I've seen shuttle services to the border at Zhuhai. Very convenient for gamblers indeed. However, some casinos may require to show proof that you gamble before allowing to board their shuttle buses (Stanley Ho's Lisboa & Grand Lisboa are the ones that I know of).
Of course no trip report is completed without the photos.
Day 1 Lantau
Famous Ngong Ping Buddha
Tai-O
Bonhom Strand West - Where is Sai Bao??
Tram (not the real one; exhibit at HK History Museum)
Day 3 The Peak
We saw TVB Artiste Angela Tong at some shopping mall.
HK
The Peak
Well I think that it was not a very fun trip because of the weather.
It rained on all 5 days and our plan to visit either Disneyland or Ocean Park was abandoned.
Instead the trip became more of a cultural one as we visited 2 museums (HK History Musuem & Macau Museum).
Perhaps I can share some tips which I gain from this trip.
1. It rains everyday during the rainy season in Hong Kong and Macau. I think that's probably why the sales in HK are held during this period as the visitors will be pissed off by the rain.
2. Mandarin is more widely spoken in Hong Kong already; when I went to HK in Nov 2005, I could hardly communicate. Now most people will reply readily in Mandarin (abeit of varying quality) when they realize that you speak Mandarin instead of Cantonese. This can be probably attributed to the higher purchasing power by their Mainland cousins due to the stronger RMB.
3. Take the Tram! Not the Peak Tram but the Tram which runs on Hong Kong Island. All trips on the Tram only cost 2 HKD regardless of distance travelled. It is one good way to save money on transportation for budget travellers who have ample time to explore. I stayed on the Kowloon side the other time so I was not able to make much use of this transportation previously.
4. Hong Kong History Museum is a good place to visit when there is tropical storm outside. We spent almost 5 hours (the whole afternoon) without realizing. Beside the usual exhibits, there are many videos which are interactive and interesting life-size replicas of actual sights in HK. Worth the 10 HKD entrance fee (Free on Wed).
5. If you are going only to casinos in Macau, you can don't need to spend a cent on local transportation. There are shuttle buses between the ferry terminals and the various casinos. I've seen shuttle services to the border at Zhuhai. Very convenient for gamblers indeed. However, some casinos may require to show proof that you gamble before allowing to board their shuttle buses (Stanley Ho's Lisboa & Grand Lisboa are the ones that I know of).
Of course no trip report is completed without the photos.
Day 1 Lantau
Famous Ngong Ping BuddhaTai-ODay 2 History Museum
Bonhom Strand West - Where is Sai Bao??Tram (not the real one; exhibit at HK History Museum)Day 3 The Peak
We saw TVB Artiste Angela Tong at some shopping mall.HKThe PeakDay 4 Fishermen Wharf & The Venetian
Rather Tacky Place
Gondolas
Venetian Buildings
Me in front of something opulent
Rather Tacky PlaceGondolasVenetian BuildingsMe in front of something opulentDay 5 St Paul's Ruins
Cathedral
St. Paul's Ruins overran with tourists
Pak-tor Lane
Macau with Zhuhai in backdrop
CathedralSt. Paul's Ruins overran with touristsPak-tor LaneMacau with Zhuhai in backdrop
posted by shyh jie at 10:43 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home