I was getting a little bit anxious thinking that it would be my first time to travel alone going to the Philippines without the hubby. The fact that it's a long trip, I always think of the what if's. But anyway, I braved it. I would be sitting on the plane mostly anyway, I told myself..lol!
It was a good thing that Craig was with me in San Francisco International Airport to keep me company while waiting for me to check-in since my flight is not until 1:05AM (Nov. 6.) Craig was going back Baltimore at 10PM so he had to go ahead and left me. I was just suddenly feeling so sad because I won't be seeing him for at least 45 days!!! I got teary eyed while waiting for my turn at the check in area while he was waving goodbye ouch!
Anyway, all went well until I got down at HK International Airport and didn't know where to check in and where to board. I asked one of the lady and she was talking like Chinese although she was speaking in English, argh! LOL!
I got lost, went back then saw a Filipina lady who happened to be going to Manila, same flight as mine..whew! after figuring out where we were, we finally able to find the checking and security area going to our boarding gate.
The only hassle was that our plane going to Manila was 2 hours delayed, and I was starting to get a headache due to lack of sleep. I couldn't afford to nap as I might not be able to wake up in time for boarding, lol.
So, after the delay, we finally boarded, and I felt relieved! I don't have to worry about anything as long as my feet would be standing on the Philippine soil...so I said, Manila, here I come :).
Landed safely, went to my hotel took a late lunch, and slept like a baby ;).
Thank God for a safe travel...I did it, alone!
At last, Ging finally arrived home to join Craig. The trip was long and exhausting but it was all worth it to finally take that first steps going to their Maryland home. The Trip:
 HK Internat'l Airport waiting for flight bound for Los Angeles  19 hours flight is no joke!...tired and haggard!  Ging's first steps in America @ LAX Internat'l Airport, her port of entry ...and setting her first footprints on Maryland soil, at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. From the climate of the tropics that she was used to be with, came the winter time the day she arrived in America...according to her, it was a culture shock!...weather wise :).
Our tour finally ended. Of course who doesn't want more, right?
But anyway, the bus picked us up and brought us to the airport. We arrived at the airport earlier so we could have much time to go around.
We ate our pizza lunch at Gappa's before we finally boarded.
All we can say is that, our HK adventure was worth of fun and full of memories!
When it comes to shopping, this is where HK becomes, topping the list,when you talk about shopping districts. From street markets to trendy shops, malls, department stores and theme shopping streets, one day isn't enough.
I still remember this photo standing on that statue which is located along the shopping district of HK. The plaid pink shorts I am wearing was one of my fave...and I left it at the hotel...totally forgot I hanged it behind the bathroom's door! {{sigh}}...
I also tried the street markets, but didn't find the ones I like :(.
Our first stop was at Kowloon Waterfront. Kowloon is located on the edge of mainland China and just across the water from the central part of the city of HK.
This section of our photo is the promenade which reflects the impressive view of the HK skyline and the numerous ships gliding up the channel.
Further down the harbor are some shops and museums, but since this is just only our first stop for the day, our time was so limited to go around. They said catching a ferry boat ride is fun, but we didn't feel like doing it.
Next stop was at TSL Jewellery Factory (Tse Sui Luen). At the earlier part of this tour was a chance to visit the manufacturing area where you can actually see the actual carving and polishing of the diamonds through a see-through glass.
Our final destination was at the TSL Jewelry s tore where jewelries are of good prices, much more affordable than a typical jewelry store in the market.
While on our way to our 3rd stop, we took these photos, the other side of HK which seems to be hidden covered by big skylines of the city.
This is a typical scene on the way of living for the ones they call lower middle class income group. Apartments in this area are of cheaper rates, but still much better than Philippines! :).
Our 3rd stop was a visit to the Factory Outlet. They don't allow photos or videos inside, but it was okay. Everybody was amazingly surprised about the prices...very, very cheap and they are tax free! There are many signature brands that are being sold at bargain prices. These are items that didn't pass quality control, but signature brand items are still as good as the regular items they sell on famous outlets. We got a lot of things for "pasalubongs"...so, we got all worth taking, LOL!
The rest of the afternoon was a tour to Shenzhen City but unluckily, US citizens were restricted and thus Craig can't go through. Our tour guide said it was "politically motivated?"...
Instead, we were given an option to go Ocean Park and Middle Kingdom. It was worth the fun going there...no regrets! Inside the park are dolphin shows, large aquariums, pandas, etc..Ideally good for botk kids and adults.
We were given 4 hours to tour the park and our tour guide picked us up at a designated time and place outside the park entrance. So, off we went running inside the park :).
Ocean Park-HK is located on the south end of HK Island. It's one of the largest parks in the world with an area of 170 miles. (By the way, HK Disneyland was not yet around in the year 2004).
There are two entrances to Ocean Park (Tai Shue Wan Entrance and the Main Entrance) which are connected by a cable car.
And speaking of cable car, Ging was scared to death riding in it! She has phobia of high places and going to Middle Kingdom is only accessible by cable car! So, what the heck?...everybody's in there, so we braved the ride!
Ging was not looking up or down, closed her eyes with sweaty palms, LOL! She only opened her eyes when Craig took a photo of her.
While we were up, we were able to get some more shots as well. There was also a couple who was in the same cable car, so we requested them to take a photo of us, which they happily obliged :).
 Do I really look scared??? Trail Photos Going to the Park...
We then proceeded to the Ocean Theater to watch the dolphin show. The Ocean Theater is the most famous and a popular spot to go to in the Ocean Park. It is an open air-theater in which dolphins and sea lions stage a wonderful performance in a huge pond/pool. Under the guidance of trainers, these adorable dolphins and sea lions stand in a line or jump into water and raise their heads out of the water. It was a good experience to watch :).There was also a large aquarium tank called the Pacific Pier underwater viewing gallery, somewhere inside where we enjoyed seeing the dolphins during their swimming fun :).View our complete photos HERE.
The remarkable night tour started with a delicious dinner at Golden Delight Seafood Restaurant with their famous and tasty roasted duck and other authentic savory dishes. We were a large group so we occupied at least 6 round tables. The photos below were our table with our group and the food of course! :)
The next stop was catching up the peak tram going up to Victoria's Peak. If you have fear of heights, it's always smart to go up at night; - that way, you won't see much on the outside, except for the colorful lights. Besides, you can appreciate the scenes more during nightime.
 Ging inside the tram.  Craig & Ging at Victoria's Peak, HK. Victoria Peak is really awesome and colorful at night. The magnificent scenery reflects the whole city of HK. Atop, you can experience the magic while feasting your eyes with the unforgettable views of the city and the harbour. This was actually the highlight of our day!
Don't forget to take a lot of films or memory cards for your digital cameras. Here is the place where you can take as many photos as you wish. There is also a photo booth that takes photos for you at a good angle, but the charge is a bit costly. For us, we had some copies since we got some extra payment for those. After all, we wanted this trip to be very memorable for us :).
We then went on to our next stop at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Inside is a museum of wax replicas mostly of famous people, including replicas of Holywood celebrities...almost looked like real! :) We got tons of photos as many as we could!
We also got a signature photo with Jackie Chan! (the wax one, LOL!)The tour didn't end without giving us into the temptation of shopping. We spent the rest of the evening at the best local night market for our shopping.
The Night Market is a place to shop for cheaper prices. It's like highly comparable to "Baclaran" or "Divisoria" shopping in the Philippines :).
We didn't stay long that night as the place was crowded. Watch out for your belongings. Don't carry with you large amount of money or valuable while going to Night Market.
Above all, we ended up with a good night for DAY 1.See our complete photos HERE.
October 26, 2004 - The ArrivalWe consider this trip as one of the most memorable one and special because on top of it, it was our honeymoon trip and second, it was Ging's first big trip outside the Philippines.
Some photos that are posted (smaller & blurred) are snapshots taken from our video cam that uses Hi8MP cassette tape which until now, we still haven't figured out how to save it on our PC or DVD and compress it :(. We thought of just providing some photos as an addition to some scenes we weren't able to get it as photos. This was the only way we thought how we can share it here.Anyway, exactly the day we arrived HK, a tour guide met us at the airport. We were surprised we were a big group when the tour guide gathered us for instructions. We were then taken to our corresponding hotels. We were checked-in at Shamrock Hotel along Nathan Road.Since our tour starts at 2pm on our first day (October 26, '04), - we managed to catch a late lunch at Kowloon Hotel close by.You can check our complete photos HERE!
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