Friday, September 25, 2009

Hong Kong Trip, Day 3 (Ocean Park, The Peak, Tsim Sha Tsui)

Music: lily Allen- 22 Mood: Revengeful


We took MTR and get off the next station at Jordan, then go out at Exit A. Our designated restaurant is just a street away behind the Exit, along Parkes Street.


Tsui Wah Restaurant (翠华餐厅, 香港九龙油麻地白加士街77-81号地下)

We ordered a breakfast set that cost $25:

Abalone and Shredded Ham with Macaroni in soup (鮑魚絲火腿丝通粉) - $25
I’m not used to having pasta for breakfast, but this is quite appetizing- macaroni is not over or undercooked and they served thickly sliced ham and abalone instead of shredded ones.


Toast with double eggs (西煎双蛋+牛油方包) (Served in a set with Macaroni)
A standard serving of toast and eggs, at least the eggs are nicely fried without dripping oil.


Toasted bun with Butter and Condensed Milk (奶油脆豬仔包) - $12
A signature dish- they use the bun for Zhu Zai Bao (豬仔包) instead of the normal sandwich bread. The melted butter and condensed milk offered a sweet and savory taste, thumbs up for the thick, soft and crispy bun!


Vermicelli with fish balls, fish paste, fish spring roll and squid balls (自制鱼四宝面线- 有魚蛋、魚腐、魚春卷、墨魚丸) - $28
They ran out of fish paste, hence substituting with more fish balls. A bit pricey for a bowl of vermicelli but they are quite generous with the sides.


After breakfast, it’s a long hauling day ahead. We took the MTR to Admiralty (金钟站) and a bus to Ocean Park.


After getting down from Admiralty station, you can see clear direction signs towards the bus station. A one-way bus ticket cost $10.60, you can also buy Ocean Park tickets here to avoid the long queue at Ocean Park later. Better still, get your tickets from the Hong Kong Airport as most of them will have discounted prices. Too bad we touched down at Macau airport, so we got ours here.


Ocean Park tickets- $208 (adult)


You can take the same 629 bus back from Ocean Park later. Oh, please be reminded that Ocean Park opens at 10 am, you don’t have to reach there too early~



Here we are- a place meant for first time Hong Kong visitors and obviously, children. Sien also must visit at least once.



Sien also must take picture!


Hot also must take picture!


Tired also must walk!


The sea lion is ohmygawd scorching hooot! It could have burn a hole through my pants if I pose longer.


Soon, walking into any indoor places is like a blessing- anything that keeps us away from the sun. Did I mention that I FORGOT to put on sunscreen???





Quite a collection they have in here, but there isn’t as much as it seems because there are mirrors everywhere, reflecting a multiplying effect.


The dolphin show is the main purpose we are here- I’m glad we reached early as there are many who sat on the stairs.









The whole show is about 40 mins, quite worthwhile :-)



I’m so glad we need not hike all the way downhill. Their cable cars travel at a slower speed than Genting cable car, somemore there’s no wind on that day. Can die!


Skipped the hot air balloon ride- Too lazy to queue, snap pictures is enough.




This must be new- in we go for more pictures!


Two pandas are kept here, it’s either An An or Jia Jia or Ying Ying or Le Le (安安, 佳佳, 盈盈, 樂樂).



Nothing amazing to witness, no one is moving- this is what I would do too in a hot day.


Some would spend a whole morning and afternoon here, if you think amusement parks are not your cup of tea, then you can head back within 4 hours. Remember to wait for the same bus at the same bus stop!



Next Stop- The Peak
After getting off at Admiralty station (the same place we got on), head towards Queensway Plaza (金钟廊) exit, then to Pacific Mall (太古广场) where there’s an escalator that leads to Hong Kong Park (香港公园).Walk about 10 mins across this park to get to the other side and to The Peak Tram Station.


As a host for the upcoming East Asian Games 2009, they have set up pillars in the park in conjunction with the event.


Hongkies come here for their marriage registration; you might even see photo sessions on one fine day~


Getting lost is impossible as one can find helpful direction signs like this everywhere.


A Note of Advice: If you are coming here from another destination, remember to take 15C bus instead of 15 bus to this 15C bus stop. You must not miss the chance to ride on this open- top double Decker touring bus!


The Peak Tram Station is just opposite Hong Kong Park. I bought all my tickets here in a package: two-way tram ride+ Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum +The Peak view= $190


Jackie Chan is here to promote the Wax museum~


When the tram moves uphill, we are in a steep 45 degree position!


Here we are at The Peak Tower after 10 mins tram ride.


The Peak Galleria is right beside Peak Tower, a shopping centre and a dining place with several top-notch restaurants.


Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum- there are more than 100 wax figures displayed in the museum ranging from Asian and Western celebrities to sports icons and political leaders.





























I think they have done a great job sculpturing Asian figures as they look almost the same! We had so much fun snapping photos here ^^


My ultimate aim- Gosh even his pimple scars are alike! The setting is taken from Infernal Affairs (无间道), his award winning role. Do you know you can hear his heartbeat??


The Peak Tower- Initially we wanted to wait until after sunset for the night city view, my parents already mengamuk and demanded we meet up for dinner at 7.15pm. So here we are, wasted our chance and took photos at 6pm. Perching at 396 meters above sea level, The Peak Tower has a 360 Degree view at Victoria Peak and the whole of Hong Kong. Hong Kong has one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, one simple snap already looks this amazing.


A panoramic view of Hong Kong’s breathtaking city and landscape.


A note of Advice: To avoid the crowd at the tram ride, you should be travelling up before 5pm. When we came back down at 7pm, I kid you not, the queue was unbelievably long as if people were lining up for concert.


Final stop- Tsim Sha Tsui (尖沙咀)
Initially we planned to have dinner at Central (中环) and stroll around Lan Kwai Fong (兰桂芳); since our feet were failing us, we cut short our itenary and proceed to meet up with parents at Tsim Sha Tsui for dinner.


Dinner- Macau Restaurant (澳门茶餐厅, 尖沙咀樂道25-27號)
This popular restaurant have 3 outlets locating at nearing streets. Lucky to have read reviews that are ‘satisfying’ about this restaurant, we settled our dinner here, cutting out the aimless wandering fuss.



Caldo Verde + Macanese Crispy Bun (澳葡薯茸青菜汤+牛油猪仔包) - $23
They blended potatoes and vege to make the thick soup, the sweet and creamy combination, served with a not-so-special bun can, nevertheless, fill a small eater’s stomach.


Portuguese Chicken (澳门焗葡国鸡) - $59
Like chicken curry, you got to have this with rice. Looks almost like chicken potatoes, this is not spicy but sweet, a signature Portuguese dish.


Fried Carrot Cake Special (澳门秘制萝卜糕) - $45
A new dish that was ordered off the menu. It may looked like cha kueh but taste nothing like it. We loved the slightly charred texture and aromatic spices that brought out the whole new taste.


One would normally purchase cosmetics and body care products at dispensaries (药妆店) in Hong Kong, something like SaSa. High end brands including SKII, Kose, Lancome, Clinique, Evelyn & Crabtree are sold at economic prices, Long Shing Dispensary (龙城大药房) is just one of the shops we visited in Tsim Sha Tsui after dinner. Another highly recommended retail store is Bonjour (卓悦) where 27 outlets can be found around Hong Kong, prices here are definitely cheaper than SaSa. I ended my day by splurging nearly $900~ ^^

End of Day 3