It's been so long since I last posted here on my blog and just so you know, I missed it so much. My current work has eaten up the whole of me that eventually hindered me to write a post anymore because I'm always exhausted or has actually forgotten that I still have a blog that needs filling in because, yeah, again, I'm always exhausted and stressed out from work. Haha. Nevertheless, I still have managed to travel with friends and co-workers. Yey! I still have a social life, you know! Lol
Anyway, about almost a year ago, my bestfriend and I planned of traveling out of the country and last June 2016, I saw a seat sale on Cebu Pacific and didn't let that opportunity passed so I booked us a flight to Hong Kong. However, unfortunately, perhaps, out of too much excitement, I miscalculated our stay and booked us only an overnight stay to Hong Kong. How stupid, isn't it? But, I don't wanna rebook our flight just because, of course, there'll be an additional charge and hey, I ain't payin' for that. Haha. So instead of feeling loss of not being able to stay a bit longer, I've decided to just make most of our short stay instead. But fortunately, Cebu Pacific emailed me that they cancelled and rebooked our flight and to make the long story short, we now have a 4 day- vacay to Hong Kong with no additional fees! Yey!
It isn't my first time in Hong Kong so, I'm kinda familiar of the place already. We didn't arrange a travel tour the first time we went there so I made our itinerary all by myself and made our previous one as my reference (I swear, making an itinerary on your own is hard but still I enjoyed it so much!). And since we're on a very tight budget, I searched for places we can go to that won't cause holes on our pockets and visit places I've never been to. Here I'm gonna share to you our activities during the short trip and how we managed to spend less and get some discounts! So with no further a do, let's just jump right into it!
(PS: I am not gonna share to you how much we've spent for food and pasalubongs as it varies from person to person.
Around last June 2016, I saw a seat sale on Cebu Pacific via Iloilo International Airport and readily grabbed the opportunity and booked a flight for two! And since I'm not the sosyal nor picky type with regards to the kind of place we can sleep to, I booked us a stay at Safari Hotel at Chungking Mansion around Tsim Sha Tsui cos it's cheap. I know, for some people who's already familiar with it, the place is kinda scary because of the sellers downstairs but really just ignore them because the guest house itself is already good enough for some great sleep. However; one thing, since 2:00 PM is their check in time, they won't allow you to leave your luggages at the reception until 10:00 AM, so if you arrive earlier than that, you have no choice but to wait. You can kill time at Mc Donald's across Peking Road while waiting, though. (PS: If you're looking for some greater deal, book a stay at Loi Loi Guest House at Mirador Mansion around Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui as well because I can attest that it has a better accommodation. You can leave your luggages anytime even before check in or after check out. And Mirador Mansion is even more peaceful downstairs!) Or if you may, you can look for some better hotels at booking.com or agoda.com.
I made a schedule for our vacay, but as expectation versus reality as it is, we really never managed to exactly follow our itinerary.
Cebu Pacific Roundtrip ticket (w/ 7 kgs baggage allowance) - Php 4,000.20
Safari Hotel - Hkd 636.90 or Php 4,182.42 for 3 nights for 2 persons (Php 2,091.21 per person)
Safari Hotel - Hkd 636.90 or Php 4,182.42 for 3 nights for 2 persons (Php 2,091.21 per person)
We took off at 11:00 PM arriving in Hong Kong International Airport around 1:30AM. We stayed at the arrival area and waited until 6:00AM for the Airport Express to be opened. I know, Airport Express is way more expensive than taking the bus; however, I was able to get a discounted price when I booked in Klook.com, so why not take the easy way going to the city? Hahaha. Just
kidding. Anyway, I booked an Airport Express roundtrip ticket to Tsing Yi and purchased MTR Tourist Day Pass which has unlimited train travel for 24 hours. We didn't opt for an Octopus Card, although I have one (a neighbour lent me) just because I think I'll spend more since our itinerary includes lots of train travel here and there.
Airport Express Roundtrip Ticket to Tsing Yi - Hkd 100.00 or Php 515.79
MTR Tourist Day Pass - Hkd 65.00 or Php 422.50 (Hkd rate approx. to Php 6.50)
We arrived at the Guest House's reception area around 8:00AM only to find out we can't leave our luggages yet and have to wait until 10:00AM. Like, wtf? So from there, we were unable to follow our itinerary already! In that unlikely event, we have no choice but to wait because I don't think I can still manage to bring my luggage with me up to the Peak having only 30 minutes of sleep! With that, we decided to just go to McDonald's accross Peking Road, grabbed some breakfast and coffee and waited there. At 10:00AM, we went to the guest house and left our luggages and good thing, the receptionists at Safari Hotel were Filipinos and they allowed us to change outfits there! Thank you, po! After that, we proceed to our first stop, The Peak!
The Peak Roundtrip Ride + Sky Terrace 428 admission - Hkd 80 or Php 530.94
(I booked again in Klook.com)
After visiting the fabulous The Peak, our next stop is the Hong Kong Observation Wheel! We took Bus 15C at the Lower Peak Tram Terminus and we only paid Hkd 2.5 cents, I think. I honestly forgot, but something around that. Hahaha!
Bus 15C - Hkd 2.5 cents or Php 16.25
We were so tired because we haven't slept yet so we thought we can no longer take it until our evening itinerary so we opted to skip the evening part. But, going to Oddies Foodies shouldn't be missed!
And next stop, around Graham Street in Central! I googled for this OOTD spots long before so my second visit to Hong Kong will be incomplete without myself having photographed at these Omni Art Walls! And yes, it's a success!
Subtotal: Php 7,576.89
SECOND DAY!
Our first stop is the Big Buddha in Ngong Ping Village at Lantau Island. And I am so sad, the cable car service is currently suspended for the rope replacement project for 5 months which started last January 9, 2017. So instead, we took Bus 23 at Tung Chung going to Ngong Ping. We paid Hkd 35 for 2 way bus ride.
Bus 23 to Ngong Ping - Hkd 35 or Php 227.50
MTR Tourist Day Pass - Hkd 35 or Php 422.50 (Hkd rate approx. to Php 6.50)
Next stop, Disneyland! Well, I have to be honest with you here guys. We didn't actually enter the magical world of Mickey Mouse, we only took some pictures and videos at the entrance! Hahaha! I've already visited Disneyland the first time I went there, and since it's not of cheap price, we opted not to enter instead.
Next is Yau Ma Tei Omni Art Stairs! I've also googled for this one so this shouldn't be missed!
PS: We skipped our Mongkok shopping because we're tired already and opted for the Symphony of Lights since we missed it on our first day.
Later in the afternoon, it started to drizzle so we decided to go back to the guest house and prepare for the symphony of lights in the evening. Well, we were unable to catch the show because, yeah, as always, my best friend and I move very slowly in every possible thing you can think of, so we're late. Hahaha! Nevertheless, we still managed to witness the beautiful sight of dazzling buildings across Victoria Harbour. And since it started to rain so hard and it was very cold, we were unable to enjoy the sight in the harbour. We live in a tropical country, so you just can imagine how we struggled and how hard it was for us to battle the decreasing temperature just to take pictures and videos! Tiis ganda mga bes! Lol
Subtotal: Php 650.00
THIRD DAY
Happy Birthday to me because it's February 22! Okay, this is my first time celebrating my hatch day away from my family and out of the country so please allow me to be very excited in my words and all. Kumbaga, in Ilonggo "Manol". Hahaha. I have no idea what's the tagalog or english term for that word, though, so we'll leave it that way instead. Lol. Anyway, it was my birthday and I decided to visit Macau so I can get my passport stamped once again. Hahaha.
Upon arriving at the China Ferry Terminal in Kowloon, there'll be agents who will give you a discounted roundtrip ticket to Macau that will leave right when you arrive. However, I was unable to ask if the time of the return trip is fixed or open. Plus, they only accept cash and it so happened that we don't have much on hand so we settled for the next available trip and used credit card instead. We left at 12:30PM.
Turbo Jet Ticket to Macau - Hkd 164 or Php 1,106.50
When we arrived in Macau, we took advantage of the free shuttle services and we chose the one going to the Grand Lisboa. After that, we walked a few meters to the bus stop and took Bus 33 going to Senado Square.
Bus33 - Hkd 2.5 or Php 16.25 (I honestly forgot the exact amount! Haha)
Bought Eggtart as my birthday pie! Haha
Afterwhich, we headed for Hotel Sintra so we can take another free shuttle service again going to Studio City Macau or Venetian Macau at Taipa. You can also go straight along Avenue Do Infante Dom Henrique until you reach the bus stop and get to Bus 21A. Be alert because there are not much of buses 21A passing by.
And again, we took another free shuttle service going back to Macau Ferry Terminal. We left at 6:30PM.
Turbo Jet to HK - Hkd 189 or Php 1,238.07
Subtotal: Php 2,344.57
LAST DAY!
It's our last day and also our free day! We woke up late because we were so exhausted with too much walking in the past few days. And after we're through packing our things up, we left to meet up with my best friend's Auntie at 11:00AM in Central but have to be back at the guest house because we're only allowed to leave our luggages until 2:00PM.
MTR Tourist Day Pass - Hkd 65 or Php 422.50
After we took our lunch at Cafe De Coral at Central, we went back to the guest house at 2:00PM. We didn't take the train this time. We rode the ferry at Star Ferry Pier going back to Tsim Sha Tsui.
Ferry Fare - Hkd 2.00 (I think? Oh crap. I forgot again hahaha!) Or Php 13.00
After we took our luggages, we went to Mongkok for some shopping at Ladies Market and we also went to Prize Mart to buy some goodies for pasalubong. After that, we headed back to the airport and departed at 2:20AM and arrived in Iloilo International Airport at 4:55AM.
Subtotal: 435.50
Total Expenses: Php 11,006.96
That's all friends!
PS: There are a lot of stuffs we missed; however, we still enjoyed it like no other.
