Best Way to Celebrate the Largest Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany

About 6 to 7 million people come in attendance yearly to celebrate Oktoberfest, the largest beer festival being, in Munich, Bavaria, Germany that dates back since 1810. They hook up with this two- week long event-- watching lively brass concerts and parades-- where traditional Bavarian costumes, dirndl (bodice, blouse, full skirt and apron), a Landhausmode (country- inspired fashion), are seen on some women whose way of knotting the bow gathered at the waist signifies their current relationship status.

Image Credit: Michaela Rehle l Reuters

There is no definitive dress code for  the festival. A pair of brothel creepers and knee- high socks is closest to looking like an authentic Bavarian aside from wearing the dirndl (which Mygola has a fun story on), but that isn't necessary except for the idea that it's one way to sensibly live up the festivities. 

Today, Senior showman will meet in the Hippodrom and traditional gun salute will push through on the last day in October 6. See Oktoberfest's highlight schedule here.

It's best to get to know cahoots of Oktoberfest etiquette to maximize your experience:

Where to

There are 14 big tents built if you want to guzzle your beer tank, and there are 20 plus smaller ones if you want to find some place snug-- Glockle Wirt is an example. 

Tent loaded with festival- goers l Image Credit: Johannes Simon/ Getty Images Europe

Oktoberfest serves pure Munich beer, which means that it was brewed on Munich ground and is about 1% stronger than your regular beer. It is sold thrice more expensive this time than in the previous years but there are cheaper ones in Vinzenz Murr Metzgerstubn and Museumszelt tents. 

What to

A hoibads Hendl, Bavarian's crispy and well- spiced chicken skin is said to be the new in thing to go binge on aside from the usual roast pork and oxen and, of course, the beer. You can try the rides and meet new friends to umf your experience up a bit, but just that, nothing else unacceptable. Cameras are spread all over Theresienwiese, the area of the festival, and security's a huge thing. 

Steinkrug, the official Oktoberfest collector's mug for 2013 has been presented by the city of Munich official Dieter Reiter. Bringing home this souvenir would make a better ulterior motive to getting all liquored up. Besides it's still fun especially when together with your family or friends. 

Image Credit: Michael Dalder l Reuters

Prost! That is how you'll say, 'cheers'!

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to get updates on our latest travel and lifestyle scoops here on Pens n' Paper. Or should we see you in the keg party?

Image Credits:

Oktoberfest celebration- Michaela Rehle, Reuters

Oktoberfest tent- Johannes Simon, Getty Images Europe

Oktoberfest Mug- Michael Dalder, Reuters

5 Quiet Landmarks to Go in Paris

There is something uniquely satisfying about being able to find outstanding but quiet landmarks in such a busy city like Paris. You get to explore and savor them without having to compete with an uncontrollable influx of tourists. It creates a personal experience. 

There is also benefit in bumping along people you don't know, who without them would make your travel experience rather less enjoyable. 

But there are times when you simply want to be intimate with your travel and find the chance to go somewhere you can sprawl alone-- a kind of secret affair between you and the place you travel to. 

Below are few of the landmarks with lesser crowd that you can visit in Paris:

1. Statue of Liberty in Ile Aux Cygnes

Mini Statue of Liberty

The mini Statue of Liberty in Ile Aux Cygnes also called the Swan Island is located in a quiet area right at the heart of Seine River. It's about a kilometer away from the Eiffel Tower; it's best to take a bus or metro to arrive there quickly. There's also another replica of the statue in Luxembourg Gardens.  I'm not sure with you, but I feel that tell- tale rush of excitement when I see little versions of huge and famous landmark icons like this in other places. 

The one in New York is actually a gift given by France to the USA in celebration of the centenary of USA's independence.

2. Le Pantheon National

Le Pantheon Paris l Photo by Adil Rasheed

Pantheon is taken from a Greek word which means "Every God". It was originally built in the Latin Quarter  in the middle of Paris left bank as a church dedicated to St. Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris. Today, it serves as a secular mausoleum which houses the remains of France's greatest you may know in the history of politics, art, science and literature: Marie Curie, Victor Hugo, and others. Inside the museum verges three amazing features: the paintings that depict the life of St. Genevieve, an invention by a physicist that shows how the earth rotates and lastly, the magnificent statue called "The National Convention" which shows the symbol of France, Marian.

You can take the closest metro in Luxembourg on RER B to get there and be sure to secure museum pass in advance. 

3. Notre- Dame Cathedral

Notre Dame Paris l Photo Source: My Hotels in Paris (dot) com

This is one of Paris' most famous landmarks so it's oftentimes difficult to come by here with not much people walking past on you. It's best to go there an hour earlier the opening time at around 9AM, or late in the afternoon at around 5:30.

It is a Roman Catholic Marian cathedral and is considered one of world's largest. 

4. Pere Lachaise Cemetery

Pere Lachaise Cemetery l Photo Source: Prompt Guides (dot) com

The word cemetery alone would tell you that it's somewhere you'll never fail to find peace and serenity. Whilst the name can dread you slightly, it's something which can be worthy of your visit. It is considered as the most visited cemetery in the world and the largest one in Paris. You can find the tombs of famous people like the great Oscar Wilde, Moliere and Delacroix, and the legendary singer Jim Morrison. It'd be great if you go to the cemetery's summit for a better view. 

5. Les Egouts- the Sewers Paris

Les Egouts Paris l Photo Source: Flickr

Egouts is among the first underground sewer system in Paris that dates back since 1370. While it may not be everyone's dream of how a Parisian travel would be, it has interesting exhibits. It's probably one way to discover a large parcel about Paris as described in the misfortunes of Jean Valjean in Victor Hugo's Les Miserables-- an experience that is surely off the beaten path.

Thank you for keeping in touch with The Quiet City [Paris] Travel Series. Here's a video I thought I'd share to you to end it:

Click to read more travel guide to Paris. Profiter de Paris!

Photo Credits:

commons (dot) wikimedia (dot) org

adilrasheed (dot) com

myhotelsinparis (dot) com

promptguides (dot) com

flickr (dot) com

Get Firsthand Travel Tips on Trip Gems

Traveling is no longer a fad but a need that lets people move beyond the comforts of their cities and learn some things they didn't know existed. But the more people discover how to map out their trips, the less special places become. They hoard to top destinations, add to the crowd, pollute at some point, and learn things they can relate with other travelers who have been to the same destination that they have been. Everyone else has seen the same place-- too common that nothing makes Chianti, or the Taj Mahal, or the Singapore Merlion extraordinary. But that's the real point of traveling, I guess. People travel and encourage other people to travel so that there is a way for amazing and unexpected stories to come out. Otherwise these tourist attractions will not be accounted for what makes them the most frequented destinations on earth, or for the wonders of the world to not be justified for being called a wonder.

Each person who travels has the right to every excitement she can feel at the prospect of boarding in the plane, or having to speak a foreign word or two to a local. As traveling will open the best and worst of experiences, everyone of us will always have that distinctive way with words of telling our travel stories to others-- because we'll have somehow different points of view about our experiences. And that's when sharing travel tips becomes even more fun and reliable. 

Most importantly today, we are offered with so many options from where we can collect information or a guide for our travel. Odds are these pieces of information go outdated overtime or get lost along the way. But that's when TripGems become one good solution. 

What is TripGems?

TripGems is where you can get all travel tips in on place-- ask your friends, build your own timeline, and get deals on your next destination. It was launched last June 1 this year by travel enthusiasts from Amsterdam. Their goal is to bring as many travelers together and use this collective travel wisdom to give you the best tips for your destination. You give one tip and you receive a thousand of others. The good thing is that the more travelers ask or give tips, the greater the possibility that fresh travel inputs are updated and shared.

They have been selected for Web Summit 2013-- a tech conference in Dublin, and was nominated for the Accenture Nomination Awards 2013 under the 'new concepts' category. You can like, tweet, or share their submission to vote.

What else can you get from TripGems?

Recently, they have added new features to the platform and raised seed capital that allows to put their developer on it 24/ 7. You can add photos to your travel tips and pin them to your own map and see how many percent you have seen of the world through a BETA travel timeline. 

Soon they are putting up more updates like travel status, notifications, follow possibilities, and new features to allow you to find travel deals, create your travel map, tag your friends, or access them on your mobiles. 

You have something worth to share. Be a traveler.

  Get helped by travelers, and help other travelers in return. Log on, NOW!  

 

Photo/ Video Credits: 1st photo- paris2london hub video from Celesty Lee

Traveling Hong Kong the Eat, Pray, Love Way

How else do you do a Hong Kong travel? To for a fact be mentioned that American writer Elizabeth Gilbert authored a bestselling "chick-lit" in 2006. It sold a million copies, translated into 40 languages, and turned into a big hit travel-romance movie. Apparently, it is a travel bible to many country drifters.

It's gratifying how we all can take a trip to places as fascinating as those in the book without having to spend largely for tickets and hotels for a taste of Muhgal architecture and feel- good mantras, or for a dominion inhabited by Roman-numeral boys. :)

Hong Kong is a pretty good choice. While an eat, pray, love kind of adventure can be done in many other countries, a Hong Kong travel can be far less expensive and doable compared to those in the west side of the globe.

Options are abundant. But if there's a way to do it remarkably, it can be specified into 3 unforgettable should-do's:

Eat

Dai pai dong is a Hong Kong style open- air food stall. It's a term usually used to refer roadside food stalls with foldable tables and chairs and no air conditioning. Although it literally means as "restaurants with big license" denoting the size of license bigger than the other licensed street vendors. 

Dai pai dong food stall

Legally, the term can only refer to the 28 stalls with "big licenses" -- those in Causeway Bay Central, Sham Shui Po, Wan Chai, Tai Hang, and Tai O. Although food stalls of the same kind are scattered widely around the country.

It characteristically has an untidy atmosphere. But to experience a pure Hong Kong dining together with pure Hong Kong locals is a sure bet. It's not everyday that you get to eat those dai pai dong congees and yuanyuang the way Gilbert has given up a love-handle-free potbelly for a daily sellout with gelatos and linguine pastas in 4 long months in Italy.

Yuanyuang drink

Most dai pai dongs offer authentic Cantonese food. English is hardly spoken so a little more of hand pointing will serve as your tongue.

Pray

For an experience of a Chinese solitude, try the ancient and fluid movements of tai chi in a peaceful side of the city, say, in a park or at the waterfront facing the Victoria Harbour. 

Tai Chi in Hong Kong Clock Tower

Tai chi movements are said to balance the body's internal yin and yang, for the mind, soul, and body. There are tourists and locals who do this outdoors under the morning light. Even Andrew Zimmern did it, too in a Bizarre Foods Episode! 

Love

Love is a widespread phenomenon and odds are that Hong Kong established activities that can foster this. 

Less expensive than a Harbour Cruise is a late-afternoon Duk Ling ride for only HKD100. It is a Chinese sailing junk that sails the harbour, holding out a 360-degree view of the captivating skyline. It sails regularly three times a week for about 2.5 to 4 hours. 

Duk Ling Cruise, Victoria Harbour

Duk Ling is to Hong Kong as much as Taj Mahal is to India. And the most romantic thing, if at all,  is riding in one of the red- sail sampans, the ones that look like an iconic bat wings in red colors flashing against the scenery of the modern skyline. 

Plan it or wing it, the important thing is to make the most of the experience. Because it's one thing to "know" how to do these things, but it's another thing to "live them up".

We may not always be able to visit every part of the country in a travel, but sometimes less is more, especially when you know how to do just that. It's the reason why I always want to travel the eat pray love way-- minus the divorce and the erratic affairs. Teehee!

Now let's cross over to the sides of Hong Kong. Attraversiamo!

References:

wikipedia (dot) org

discoverhongkong (dot) com

Photo Credits:

google (dot) com (slash) images- 1st photo

commons (dot) wikimedia (dot) org- 1st photo 

scoopweb (dot) com- 2nd photo

theredheadriter (dot) com- 3rd photo

businesstravellerasia (dot) com- 4th & 5th photos

Custom Trips from the World's Largest Collection of Handmade Travel Ideas

Traveling is such a liberating pursuit. You get to see the places firsthand and the experience, of course, is far better and unique than simply being told by a guidebook.

The trend of travel today reached even more people desiring to get to their dream destinations. But searching for the must-sees and must-dos for a trip, in prints and various websites, is only doing half the job. The challenge comes more from how to put together the searches into one doable travel plan.

Travelers wanting to come up with a feasible travel plan look at an average of 20 different sites between 1-3 months. Surprisingly, some of these sites do not offer you with all the adequate and comprehensive information that you need.

Given a busy work-life schedule, opening and reading these websites and articles into several tabs is quite hectic and impractical. Another question is, while all these information is essentially still available online, all distributed throughout the space, the feeling of an authentic trip is missing.  Think about your favorite traveler and going on the same trip he or she took- adding and subtracting your own needs and priorities. That's when mygola becomes largely useful.

How mygola solves the pain of travel planning

Mygola helps you create completely custom trips on the world's largest collection of beautiful curated itineraries. You can create the first cut of your trip plan in minutes. There is no need to go into different (and otherwise useless) sites because it will do the hard work for you.

Mygola has taken on the challenge to dramatically simplify your travel planning experience by connecting the dots for you. Simply sign up with your email or log in using your facebook or twitter account and you are taken into a simple and meaningful start page.

The first page you see after logging in. Lets you make some quick choices on how to go about exploring the site.

Once in, you can type in the destination you want to create a travel plan for and all relevant information will show up in carefully selected articles from reliable websites, with photo thumbnails to go with them. 

You can specify your search according to theme (Party, Shopping, Adventure, Food & Wine, etc), number of days, and particular places, which you can see in the filters at the top. Once you have told mygola your first level preferences and destinations and hit search, you are presented with meaning results- real trips taken by real travelers- all custom to your needs.

The default search result page. You can apply a number of helpful filters on top arrive at the search results.

By clicking at the photo thumbnails of the specific place shown up in the search result, you will find a more specific itinerary.

The overview section of any itinerary. The text block at the bottom is the introduction to the itinerary. There is a navigation list on the right which shows the number of days and the destinations within those days, and the experience within the day.

You can click the destinations from the navigation list in the right to let you decide whether to include that place as one of your interests; if you'd definitely like to visit them or are they more of a maybe. Or skip them altogether.

The most granular view. This shows the individual points of interest and experiences.  Below are meta-date like address,  telephone, websites, foursquare pages, etc. , and the description of the POI. On the right, there are "definitely" and "maybe" buttons you use to add a POI to your list favorites.

The view of the planner. The cards can be dragged to occupy more of the time, can be moved between days and different times of the day. Vacant positions can be filled by recommendations.

Why you should use mygola

While mygola allows you to pick your interests in specific destinations and have it laid out in an organized daily travel plan, the entire browsing is designed beautifully that feels much like a magazine. 

It enables you to create a custom plan travel while taking care of distances, business hours, and a number of other constraints to ensure that the final itinerary is very feasible.

The website involved the points of view of real travelers and travel experts around the world to gather all information about things that poses extensive problems, particularly on the travel planning stage, and finally came up with a service to fix these. 

It started a travel Q&A 3 years back, which saw much success. In the process, it helped million travelers (including myself) plan their trip to 100+ countries. This experience prompted the mygola team to build this new travel planning service.

Take for example this Day 1 travel plan of my trip to Hong Kong last January which I organized using mygola. 

It lets you see where exactly in the map your destination is found, how many kilometer it will take, and by clicking the place- all the pertinent information you need to know.

One reason for using mygola that worked to my advantage was that I only needed to supply the keywords and all necessary information,options and recommendations were given at hand. Now, those keywords are readily provided by simply clicking on the specific theme and filters. Plus there are travel tips written that you would have not read or found in other websites.

All content offered in the service is curated by real persons, a massive community of travel experts throwing high quality content for other travelers.

Mygola is for all do-it-yourself travelers wanting to get an efficient travel plan by providing an intuitive toolkit. It gives you the best searches there are in the travel world and puts in the necessary information so that you get the perfect balance.

Photo Credits:
mygola team @ mygola (dot) com

Traveling Hong Kong: The Food

Honest to goodness, Hong Kong food is largely bland. And I hate it, most times. 

I come from a tropical country whose history is influenced by Westerners rapt with seasoning and condiments.  So, my food choices. 

Hong Kong food normally tastes like stew, a simple mixture of a solid food ingredient cooked in liquid. The aroma? An indistinctive steam of water. No onions, salt, and pepper creating a palatable combination. 

But with less sodium their food, too, is apparently healthier.

Despite the rather insipid eats they also have food which tastes internationally competitive.

Must Eat

Street Food

The Korean Grilled Squid is an appetizing try. My three travel companions and I took the ones in Ocean Park.

What convinced us to buy? The ambrosial smell of a squid meat marinated in soy sauce and what-magic-ingredient included. It's very inviting.

The squid looks cut flatly in half after grilling. The brown-purplish color will tell you it's ready to eat.

It tastes like tender piece of chicken. Its semi-soft meat stretches like shreds of mozzarella cheese in every bite.

The name isn't very suggestive of Hong Kong, but it's sold all over Ocean Park, Disneyland, and Hong Kong Food Districts for roughly HK$30 each.

:: Traveler's Note: Korean Grilled Squid is a popular snack for people of all ages in Korea. It's portable and cheap protein, and can be eaten like popcorn, enjoyed as an anju paired with drinks. [Source: Koreanfood (dot) about (dot) com (slash) fishandseafoodrecipes] ::

Budget Eats

If you're traveling on a slightly narrow budget but still want to eat good food at a reasonable price, try the ready-to-eat meals in Hong Kong. They cost around HK$9 to HK$15 in most convenient stores.

eat-everywhere meal

They come in pork, chicken, and seafood. You can also choose from those served with rice and those served solely as edible veges.

There's no other food like home-cooked meals but these meal packages taste almost equally the same. I tried those with rice drenched in tomato sauce, topped with chunks of chicken and enormous slices of onions, garlic, and carrots. It's like tripe soup except that it is white meat that fudges as I chew. Some flavors have a sweet-sour blend while others taste a bit tangy.

Most Hong Kong locals prefer these meals for its convenience. So why not a traveler?

The meals are in laminated or zipper pouch food packaging and are readily cooked for 5 to 10 minutes using the microwave at the convenient stores.

Microwavable meals from Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Utensils are provided, too.

Dining

If you'd like to go for a casual but more decent type of dining in an upscale setting, try to have a buffet dinner at Cafe TOO in Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong.

Cafe TOO Japanese Kitchen, Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong

Cafe TOO offers ten cooking theatres that feature different cooking styles. Unlike other restaurants in Shangri-La, Cafe TOO is a casual buffet type of dining. A co-op for international cuisines-- French, Japanese, Thai, and others. Options are abundant and the choice is yours.

Asian Cuisine

They cook for tongues hungry of sumptuous food.

Chefs serving European Cuisine

Our table was near the dessert kitchen. We had a seemingly absolute affair with ice cream in macadamia and strawberry flavors, ganache cake, and Japanese manju.

Cafe TOO sweets corner

We also went for French Wagyu steaks that extensively tasted like flesh swamped in sesame oil, and Japanese Sushi that tasted like a fresh gang of seafood meat and vegetables wrapped in moist rice.

Japanese Sushi

This chocolate cake had me almost drooling.

heavenly cake!

The faint breeze of Thai curries and Indian sauce served with Naan bread fill the air at one side of the restaurant. And what I hear are part chefs cooking, diners talking, spoons thumping on glass wares, and part good sense of burpiliciousness in my stomach that makes me want more.

I also tried Oshikuro, a traditional Japanese dessert made of red bean soup, rice cake, and chestnut. I, so far, have never tasted a dessert as inebriating as that in my life. But that's just in Cafe TOO.

Oshikuro's delicious look and not-so delicious aftertaste was in a way fun for an experience.

Japanese Oshikuro Dessert

Most of the food are all in all, fit for a king.

Bizarre 

If you also want to try something strange and off-menu, Hong Kong has snake soup in Ser Wong Fun, stinky tofu, turtle jelly, 1000- year old eggs, and bugs on sticks. Their taste is by their name implied.

Click here for more bizarre food guide.

:: Traveler's Note: Did you know that there is only one Jollibee Branch in Hong Kong that offers all-pinoy recipe? It's in G/B Eurotrade Center, 13-14 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong ::

Island Shangri-La Hotel lobby

Whether an international dish or an authentic Cantonese cuisine, the general rule in choosing food to eat on your travels is stated in Andrew Zimmern's law,

"If it looks good, eat it."





Photo Credits:
cherryeveryday (dot) com-2nd photo
groupon (dot) com (dot) au-9th photo
japan (hyphen) talk (dot) com-11th photo

References:
philippinecountry (dot) com
shangri (hyphen) la (dot) com (slash) hongkong
japan101 (dot) com

Traveling Hong Kong: The Place

You will never get lost in Hong Kong. Or if you will, you can easily find your way back.

If you are enrapt in following instructions, there are maps and directories in every public transport vehicle and station which you can refer to. All of these directions,written and spoken, are translated into English. So the fear of getting sidetracked is rather far out.

Talk about the advantage of traveling in a once-upon-a-time western colony?

Getting Around

What other things, do you think expert travelers don't tell you, about Hong Kong being a frequented destination?

Most tourist spots are come-at-able by dint of transportation vehicles, running round-the-clock.

But if you wish to tour around the huddled city by convenience, go for the MTR (Mass Transit Railway), the rapid transit railway in Hong Kong.

MTR comes in different ticket types:

Single Journey Ticket
Same Day Return Ticket
Round Trip Ticket
Octopus Card
Airport Express Travel Pass

Airport Ticket Counter opens at 7AM

There are always, however, unwarranted exigencies in every travel. If you're lucky enough, you ride in a wrong vehicle to your destination. And sadly, there's no way you can take your fare back.

Such jeopardy is true, especially for first time travelers.

So I suggest the use of the Airport Express Travel Pass over the other tickets. One ticket is good for 1 or 2 single journey(s) from the airport to your place of stay, and a 3-day unlimited ride in most MTR system lines and interchange stations. Isn't it a good remedy?

Airport Express Travel Pass

There is also a HK$50 refundable deposit after the passes expire. You can read more about that here.

My recent travel in Hong Kong together with three other travel junkies was not all-comfort. We  toured the place byways-- a perpetual kind of touring on foot.

We walked on streets and subways, hoarded by fellow travelers and locals, like we chastised our phalanges to death.

Across Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station

Walks there are undoubtedly inescapable adventure. The trick is to wear flat shoes and boots.

Seriously, spare your Manolos for other occasions.

:: Traveler's Note: Sometimes, the Airport Express Travel Pass doesn't get recognized by the electronic machines. You can go to the customer's service so they can help you promptly and your passes will work as new. Not a time to panic. ::

Must See

One week is not enough if you wish to discover Hong Kong without having to jump off from one tourist spot to another. It's still better to indulge in travel without the need to elope to catch the time.

Lantau Island

The Hong Kong International Airport, colloquially known as Chek Lap Kok Airport, caters to several international flights. It is also a good place for shopping, dining, and entertainment.

You can find a potpourri of brands, from clothes to cosmetics, food, and souvenirs. Aji Ichiban, for example, is one of the largest snack food franchises founded in Hong Kong. It sells goods like assorted chocolates, spicy dried fish, gums, and may-I-recommend puddings.

Aji Ichiban, Hong Kong International Airport

There are also shops for chic clothes and bags, the likes of Louis Vuitton and Prada. But there are still more of that in the city so it's better to save your time in the airport for any last-minute shopping on your flight back to your native land.

Central, Hong Kong

If you also wish to see the Lantau Island in a bird's-eye view, visit the Lantau Peak. Glutton your eyes with a mountaintop view of an Island surrounded by seawater, in the same way that you'll get satiated with more sky view of the Hong Kong metropolis in Victoria Peak in Central, Hong Kong.

Tell me you don't want to miss seeing the world's largest Buddha. Whether you're a Buddhist or simply a sucker for anything superlative, the Tian Tan Buddha or the Big Buddha is definitely a must-see. It's a 202-ton Buddha made in bronze.

Tian Tan Buddha, Lantau Island, Hong Kong

:: Traveler's Note: Tian Tan Buddha is one of the five large Buddha statues in China. Its name is taken after its base being a model of the Altar of Heaven or Earthly Mount of Tian Tan, the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. The structure was finished on December 29, 1993, the day of enlightenment of Gautama Buddha, founder of the Buddhist religion. [Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tian_Tan_Buddha] ::

Another place to see in the Lantau Island is of course, the Hong Kong Disneyland. It's a place worth spending for more than a day. You'll barely get disappointed here than you will in Ocean Park.

Cinderella Castle, Disneyland

Disneyland Hong Kong

Every part in Disneyland is worth all the pictures and the admission fee, as opposed to the slightly underrated interior and structure of the Grand Aquarium in Ocean Park. That said, try to visit Ocean Park first before Disneyland. Save the best for last.

Winnie the Pooh & Friends (Flights of Fantasy Parade)

Kowloon

We stayed in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon for the entire trip. A realization is that, a Hong Kong- hospitality isn't so hospitable all the time. Or it's only because we had the misfortune of booking in a hostel with an arrogant receptionist.

Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon

And here's a clincher-experience: we were asked to pay twice as much the amount we paid in our booking online.

:: Traveler's Note: The cheaper the price on the internet, the more doubtful it gets. Be sure to bring more than enough cash otherwise, pre-arrange your bookings in reliable booking sites. Agoda is one. And no, I do not get a commission for recommending them here. Another tip is that, if you're a budget traveler, choose Mirador Mansion hostels over the ones in Chung King Mansions. Do not do the same mistakes we did. ::

The bright side of things is that, some of the must-sees in Hong Kong are found in Kowloon. There is the Ladies Market, Jade Market, and Temple Street Night Market for budget price clothes, presents, and travel keepsakes.

Ladies Market, Mong Kok, Hong Kong

Man selling gems. (Temple Street Night Market, Kowloon, Hong Kong)

You can also spot flagship stores of Ferragamo, Ralph Lauren, Chanel, and what-labels-you-know along street sides. Either you drool, or you find high end-ish imitations in iSquare mall or at the bargain stores settled around street corners. It's how you wear it that counts, right?

Our voguish poses down fashion street sides of Hong Kong

Hong Kong is obviously east and west by influence. The western side you don't want to miss is the 1881 Heritage. The building has a Victorian colonial and neo-classical architecture designs.

1881 Heritage, Salisbury, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

If you'll stand at the corner of the long Nathan Road facing Salisbury Road, a modern egg-shaped structure of the Hong Kong Space Museum will meet you across. You will see more artifacts with historical interests there.

Hong Kong Space Museum

Not far off the Space Museum is the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. It's a modern geometrical structure facing the waterfront of Victoria Harbour in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. It is where operas, musical productions, and well, cultural activities are done.

Hong Kong Cultural Centre at different angles

By day, a lightly misty well-condensed view of the skyscraping buildings stand atop the calm  sea of Victoria Harbour. Cold breeze wafts across layer of clothes. Palavers by tourists and locals , offering a photo shoot by the harbour, resonate within shouting distance.

Victoria Harbour, Tsim Sha Tsui Waterfront

Harbour Cruise

By night, Symphony of Lights illuminate the buildings in harmony. Searchlights and laser beams perform together with music and narration. It displays five main themes: Awakening, Energy, Heritage, Partnership, and Celebration.

Symphony of Lights (You can also catch this view while dining at the Inter-Continental Hong Kong)

The show is at 8PM, every night.

The Avenue of Stars stands close by the Cultural Centre. Hong Kong is dubbed, again, as the "Hollywood of the East" because of this. Handprints of celebrities are carved on the parkway. Including a life-size statue of Kung Fu action star Bruce Lee.

Avenue of Stars

Jackie Chan hand prints

Chow Yun Fat of the famous classic movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Bruce Lee hand prints

Hong Kong Island

Also try to trip up Victoria Peak. The only way to get there though is by riding a tram. It is the highest peak of Hong Kong, which means that it will take you minutes of travel up the ground.

Victoria Peak

The road is winding. If you wanna get rid of the queasiness, be sure to tow mint candies and motion sickness bag on your pocket. Quipped that it's better to look seasick than throw up like a mad volcano. Gross!

Down south of Hong Kong Island is the Hong Kong Ocean Park. It's not bad to play kid once in a while.

Thrill Mountain, Ocean Park

Get a map to guide you.You cannot afford to try everything in one day. Only make sure to at least see every part of the park, and try those that you cannot experience elsewhere-- daring rides for instance.

Sky Fair Celebration, Ocean Park

See the Bank of China, too. Preferably at night, or you will not know why it's a place to see.

And if you still have more time, also visit one of Hong Kong's Temples -- to discover its eastern influence, and maybe, find solitude.

Wong Tai Sin Temple

Must Do

Hong Kong is not a hard place to learn living in. Except that its hostile hospitality can meet you at one time or another. But that's a circumstance to overcome by bits of familiarity here and there.

Try to walk down the streets of Hong Kong and see the usual day in their lives without playing like the picture-snapping tourist.

Buy a local food from the convenient store nearby. That doesn't include delicacies and a guide-book-told-me to eat this kind of food.

Hong Kong Local food

Pass through narrow alleys. It's like seeing Hong Kong from the other side-- filled with shallow baskets stacked on every side and words or people painted on building walls like mural.

Do something personal to your travel. It can be riding on a double-decker bus or dining at a restaurant. The important thing is that it must be something which you really want to do.

For my part, that's going Holly Golightly at the windows at Tiffany's. Except that I am blissful and I eat a Hong Kong dumpling than a danish.

Tiffany & Co, Hong Kong

Must Bring

A good kind of sensibility and an appetite to discover Hong Kong beyond a tourist's eye.








References:
wikipedia (dot) org
discoverhongkong (dot) com

Photo Credits:
wholefooddiary (dot) com- 6th photo
commons (dot) wikimedia (dot) org- 8th photo
stdyinpnu (dot) blogspot (dot) com- 13th photo
kookstraveldiary (dot) blogspot (dot) com- 15th photo
regalhotel (dot) com-16th photopalmbookdeviantart (dot) com-20th photo
fineartamerica (dot) com-25th photo
hqwalls (dot) org- 29th photo