When traveling abroad, we believe in learning the etiquette, immersing ourselves in the ethnicity, joining in the local lifestyle and indulging the regional cuisine. We gobble in neighborhood restaurants, reside in traditional accommodation, travel on local subways, and talk to the people of the country. Our trips are designed the way we enjoy traveling. We travel as how a group of close friends would, roaming together to experience a culture in a momentous and personal way. We can entertain ourselves. And we perfect the world we travel in. Free and easy is our style, navigating our way with maps and guides. We can go all day at a steady pace and stop for breaks of local tea and muffins.We sleep no earlier than 12 and rise no later than 8. And we don’t stop till we’re home again.

Niza & Shiella A.

The Peak


One of the best parts of Hong Kong has got to be being at the top of The Peak. You can have the option of taking the bus or the tram to reach the top. We took the tram and it was all worth it! The journey up was simply wow. You MUST take the peak tram if you're ever planning to visit Hong Kong. The Peak was also pretty flooded with 'ang mohs'...most of whom were checking us out hahahahaha!

Well, the uphill walk in search of The Peak was a long and tiring one. We were breathless and The Peak was nowhere in sight!

See how the roads are all slanted and the houses are all built on high grounds? Genius construction.

We walked on a little bit more and we finally saw a sign that points to the left!

Yay, we found it! That's where we got our combo tickets to The Peak and Madame Tussauds. We saw a lot of people in suits and formal wear...we wondered why....probably attending some event 'cause we sure didn't see them up at The Peak...

While waiting for the tram, we 'chooped' our place otherwise we might get left behind and have to wait for the next tram. We're not 'kiasu' but there were a lot of tourists from China who were damn rude. They shoved and pushed their way in and teach their kids to do the same...and when we gave them a hard look and told them off, they acted like they did nothing wrong. There were a lot of 'ang mohs' too but they were very polite. Well, most of them at least. They don't push and shove their way through...but then again, they didn't need to...looking at their sizes....you have no choice but to give way or you'll get squashed like a cockroach.



The Tram!



While we were on the tram, we saw this CUTE lil' pretty baby...she's got these big blue eyes and the sweetest smile! We couldn't get a sharp picture of her 'cause she kept moving about. She is so adorable...like one of those dolls on a shelf at the toy store. I wanted to take her home!
(P/s: When I was baby, I had blue eyes too...hehe! :p)

Nope, I didn't tilt the camera...just that everything looked slanted when we were in the moving tram. We got a bit of ear pressure too at a higher point. We headed for Madame Tussauds first(see previous post on 'Meet the Stars' - May archive). After that, we went about 2 or 3 escalators up to the roof to reach The Peak. Once you're at the top, the view is TRULY beautiful. We were there at night so we could see the lighted up buildings and the moon shining over....oh I don't how to describe it but it was really pretty. The strong breeze and cold air probably froze our camera...so a lot of pics came out blurry. We loved The Peak. The view was magnificent...although I was afraid of heights...hehe...but i do wanna try jumping out of a plane someday :D ...with a parachute of course! Sky diving! Thrilling!

This is how Hong Kong Island looks like at night from atop.


There were these big houses on the hills like what you see in the picture above. We think it's where the super rich people live.

Pretty by the moonlight.....a beautiful night...

We came out of the washroom and discovered a door that led to a pathway where we can take a walk out and climb the stairs to somewhere...we didnt bother to explore around 'cause we were too cold and wanted to get back inside the buiding. The wind was very strong that night. Check out my latest lion hairdo. Haha.


Back in the building, we found this place that was nice to just relax and enjoy a warm drink for a bit. Especially after walking around so much for days and days...we appreciated the short break...our poor feet needed it. Shiella and I shared a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallow bits! Did I already mention that Hong Kong has some really nice yummy sweet stuffs? :D Oh and we brought home their serviettes as souvenirs! We were planning to put those together with our pics in a nice album...hmm...I wonder if we'll ever get that one done...

From where we were seating, we could see the Symphony of Lights show which starts at 8pm nightly. Will tell you more about that one in my next post!

TRAVEL INFO

How we got there:

There are 3 ways to get there.

1) By Peak Tram *Recommended!*- Take the Peak Tram to the Peak Tower.

2) By Bus -
Route No. 15 - First Bus
Central (Exchange Square) to The Peak
Daily: 6:15am - 12:15am (from Central)
Daily: 7:00am - 1:00am (from The Peak)
Frequency: 13-30 minutes

Route No. 15B - First Bus
Tin Hau to The Peak
Sundays and Public Holidays only :
10:00am - 7:00pm (from Tin Hau)
10:40am - 7:40pm (from The Peak)
Frequency: 20 minutes

3) By Mini Bus - Minibus No. 1
Central (Two IFC) to The Peak
Daily: 6:30am - 12:00am (from Central)
Daily: 7:10am - 12:25am(from The Peak)
Frequency: 10-12 minutes

Opening hours: Viewing Terrace, Sky Gallery Roof Top (10am-11pm)

Admission Fee: Admission is free for Viewing Terrace and Sky Gallery Roof. The only fees you have to pay is the ride up to The Peak, depending on which of the 3 modes of transport you choose.

1) Peak Tram: HK$22 (Single), HK$33 (Return). We bought the package combo (Madame Tussauds + 2-Way Peak Tram Ride) which is much cheaper.

2) Bus: HK$9.2 (Route No. 15), HK$9.1 (Route No. 15B)

3) Mini Bus: HK$8

Taxis are also a convenient way of getting to the peak, although it's slightly more expensive compared to the other modes of travel.

For more information, visit http://www.thepeak.com.hk/full/en/peak_tram.php


Shieza A.

Flight departed on Tuesday, July 24, 2007

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4 comments:

  1. Wow, you really get around this planet. Someday soon I hope to drive to these places from San Francisco.

    Any more entries lately?

    ReplyDelete

  2. You have a really nice blog. Thanks for the virtual trip to Hong Kong.

    ReplyDelete

  3. Awesome..Make me feel want to go there..Thanks for this information

    ReplyDelete

  4. Oh wow thanks everyone! We haven't had much time to update lately but we would on our future trips!

    ReplyDelete

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Planning Your Trip

Creating Your Itinerary



Of course we don't always follow our schedule strictly. That explains some of the blank spaces you see in our itinerary. It's not that we have no idea what to do...it's just to allow a bit of room for spotaneity ;). We don't always wake up on time. Sometimes we miss the bus or train. Our journey gets delayed each time one of us gets hypnotized into entering a shop on the way to our destination.

The most important thing is that we enjoyed ourselves and made the most of our trips. We don't let the itinerary control us. If we feel like changes need to be made, then by all means, we would. Remember, it is only there as a guide, to facilitate your travel and to cut guessing time. We always have our itinerary and do all our homework before getting on the plane.

So how do you write your own itinerary? Follow our 5 simple steps to get you started:

1.) Get to know the country.

There are numerous places you can find information. Travel books, internet, brochures, etc. Head to the library or bookshop. Do your homework. Talk to friends who have travelled to the country and get their recommendations. Although it may seem like a hassle, knowing a bit about the country's history and culture would make your trip much more fruitful and worthwhile. There are many ways you can go about doing it. We've only mentioned some.

2.) List out on paper:

(a) Places to visit (Look out for recommendations of 'must see' and 'must go').
(b) Things to do (Shopping, sightseeing, etc).
Arrange your list according to priority. Depending on the number of days you are travelling, you might have to cross out a few places. Do not try to squeeze too many places in a single day. We recommend travelling 2 to 4 places at most in one day. You'll definitely discover a new place in the area which you'll want to explore. So it's best to give yourself just enough time.

3.) Note operating days and hours.

There is nothing more disappointing than to finally reach a desired destination only to find it closes early. Worse still it is closed on the day you came to visit. Always know beforehand to avoid wasted time.

4.) Plan your route.

If you're taking the bus, know which bus service takes you in the direction. If going by train or boat, take note of their time regularity. If driving by yourself, study the route map. (It is best if you already know where you will be staying. You can then arrange the start of your routes accordingly). Write them all down in an easy-to-carry notebook if you need to. This may come in handy during your journey.

5.) Allocation of time.

This is determined by:
(a) Knowing how long it will take to get from one place to another.
(b) Deciding how much time you will spend at one location.
(c) Take meal times into consideration.

Phew! Pretty long winded huh. Well, when you have a rough idea of all the above, you can then start to write or type them out into an excel sheet. With all the information you have read and collected, you will slowly start to see your itinerary building up and soon, you'll be all set to hop on that plane!

Now that you have a bit of idea on creating your own travel itinerary, you should also know how to do your own budgeting. We will discuss that in the next Travel Tips. So stay tuned!

Tip:
Once it's complete, you might want to print a fresh copy to be stored in your new photo album or scrap book. A great way to re-visit your memories on paper!

*Please bear in mind that the time, fee and routes may be subject to changes depending on your time of travel. Do check with Hong Kong Tourism Board or do some of your own research before planning your trip.