Jan 09, 2008 05:00 PM
5325 Views
I thought it was the end of all holidays for me for sometime now, with kids who are about to enter the big bad world of competition.
Then an opportunity literally came knocking at my doors and I could not turn it down and I changed colours like a chameleon- “What the heck, 10 days ONLY does not make any difference! “
Off we went on a trip to Hong Kong. We decided not to use any package tour and only go for the travel and stay through the agent. This has a distinct advantage that we get a feel of the local people and life.
How to go
Obviously we need to grow wings and fly. If you cant do that, then book yourself in one of those umpteen flights available. But Mind it, don’t use Cathay Pacific. It would require another 7500 chars to explain the agony I went through by flying on Cathay. Air Deccan seems heavenly in comparison. Anyway, I reached safely to the dream destination with my 3 escorts and 50 kg of luggage. Do I hear some gasps and chuckles? Let me explain that the 50 kg for 4 people was not all of clothes. Lots of it was woolens since I had been warned about the Delhi-like climate of Hongkong and yes, the cold winter was biting. But most of the luggage consisted of foodstuffs :( comprising of all ready-to-eat packages like Cup-o-noodles, MTR pongal, theplas, idlis etc. Believe me, when you are a pure veg and you need to go to such places, these eatables are your saviours!
Where did I stay
Sheraton Hotel is in the mainland part of Hong Kong called Kowloon. The Hotel was strategically located, amidst a hustling bustling road called Nathan Road, which is like a shoppers paradise (to my hubbys horror ;)
For traveling, Hong Kong is well connected by its bus and MTR (train) services. Like any other Metro in the world, you have automated-kiosks from where you could buy the tickets. They also had Octopus passes which is like a debit card, where you load some amount and it keeps deducting each time you swipe.
What did I see
Hongkong like any other international and tourist city has lots to offer. Some with a price tag attached to it and some free.
The free sites include
~Repulse Bay - Sun drenched and wave swept, the beach is resort like and an ideal place to just stroll around and do nothing!
~ Avenue of Stars – The Avenue of Stars features descriptive milestones, kiosks with movie memorabilia, a towering Hong Kong Film Awards statuette, and a life-size statue of the legendary kung-fu action star, Bruce Lee (p.s. copied from net as I could not word it better :). From this place, you can watch the multimedia/laser show called “Symphony of lights” which is supposed to be World’s Largest Permanent Light and Sound Show.
~ Ngong Ping – where you can go through the religious walk of life with Worlds tallest, outdoor, seated bronze Buddha and also the Po Lin Monastery. You can reach there by road or by using the Cable Car service which gives a beautiful panoramic view of the hilly and green surroundings. (p.s. the cable car was not operational when we went :(
The one who said that best things in life are free has not visited Hong Kong. These days the rule is WYPIWYG – what you pay is what you get!
~Disneyland – An assortment of rides, simulations, movie and stage shows was all it took to transport me back to my childhood. A must see if you have a kid with and within you! And yes, not all the good things in life are free.
~Ocean Park – Built on a hill, this is another of the theme parks that will keep you busy the whole day long.
~ Victoria Peak - from where you can look down upon the spectacular view of the city skyline and the surrounding skyscrapers along with the green hillsides. The night view is as beautiful as a picture.
~ Madam Tussards Museum – Wax idols that look so real.
~ Aberdeen Fishing village
With the limited time we had, we could tour only the places mentioned above. For details look into the site
https://discoverhongkong.com/eng/attraction/index.jhtml
What did I buy
To be frank, gone are the days when things bought from “phoren” were rare and not available in India. These days, starting from designer clothes to chocolates to electronics, you have everything in Apna Bharat. Still, if you are techno-savvy, maybe you can delve into the shops in Hong Kong.
The place abounds in bargain markets, which I am personally scared of. I got a raw deal and got cheated very nicely. But for those of you who pride in their bargaining skills, try Ladies Market, Jade Market and Night Market.
The People
The crowded markets and public places will never let you forget India, except that the place is neater. People do not speak "understandable" english and hence even in the shops, you end up bargaining using a calculator. Otherwise, they are a friendly lot.
What did I eat
As I mentioned, we literally thrived on the eatables we carried. But then there were decent Indian hotels around, where, if you do not convert the dollar to rupee, you can digest the food bought. There are many outlets of Pizza Hut, McDonalds, and other international joints. Incidentally, Pizza Hut did provide us with tasty veggie Pizza (which I don’t know was cooked in which-oil, hehehe)
The Icing On the Cake
The trip was good fun. Any holidays are fun for that matter. What made it even more special was that we had Saif Ali Khan and Kareena as our co-passengers in the flight back
So, I can add more fodder to the gossip-mills! :)
