This was part of my 3-day HONGKONG-MACAU tour! The name "Hong Kong" is an approximate phonetic rendering of the pronunciation of the spoken Cantonese or Hakkaname 香港, meaning "Fragrant Harbour". Before 1842, the name referred to a small inlet—now Aberdeen Harbour(香港仔 hoeng1gong2 zai2, "Little Hong Kong")—between Aberdeen Island and the south side of Hong Kong Island, which was one of the first points of contact between British sailors and local fishermen. The reference to fragrance may refer to the harbour waters sweetened by the fresh water estuarine influx of the Pearl River, or to the incense from factories lining the coast to the north of Kowloon, which was stored around Aberdeen Harbour for export before the development of Victoria Harbour. In 1842, the Treaty of Nanking was signed, and the name Hong Kong was first recorded on official documents to encompass the entirety of the island. The name was often written as the single word Hongkong until the government adopted the current form in 1926.Nevertheless, some century-old organisations still use the single-word form, such as the Hongkong Post, Hongkong Electric and the Hongkong Shanghai corporation. The Mandarin pronunciation of the name Hong Kong is represented in pinyin as Xiānggǎng. Unlike place names inMainland China, which are now mostly romanised into English using (Mandarin-based) pinyin spelling, the official English name in this case remains the traditional Hong Kong. The full official name is "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China", this being the official convention employed on the Chinese text of the Hong Kong regional emblem, the text of the Hong Kong Basic Law, and the Hong Kong Government website, although "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" and "Hong Kong" are also accepted. Hong Kong has many nicknames, but the most famous is "Pearl of the orient" (Cantonese: Dong Fong Chi Chu), reflecting the impressive city lights on both sides of Victoria Harbour, and the numerous high rise buildings. A QUICK VISIT!
Day 1: All about Lantau IslandDue to my previous experiences, I learned the importance of budgeting your time especially if you do not have the luxury of it. I visited first the far attractions so I will not have problem going back or following my itinerary for the day. This is also the best way so you can save money for the transportation. My first destination was quite far from the last station of MTR, to meet the BIG BUDDHA. Based on my research, you can ride a cable car for a round trip to see the Buddha and Ngong ping village. But I was worried for the cost that I will pay. So, I research for an alternative. For me, riding a cable car once is already enough. To make my tour exciting, I chose to do the other thing. Aside from wanting to save, I love to do sightseeing also while riding a bus. Good thing I was able to research how to do it. You just need to walk going to the cable car. Instead of riding the escalator, proceed instead to the bus terminal and bus 21 for a cheaper price. I rode a bus going to Ngong Ping Village and cable car back to Tung chung station. I experienced both worlds and I saved a lot. Please be guided accordingly. 1. Visit the GIANT BUDDHA first. Much better if you will do this early so it won't be too hot.
Get ready to sweat and climb the stairway to Buddha! What to see there???? Iconic structures related to Buddhism Good view It's a nice experience, and not boring! 2. Go to NGONG PING VILLAGE right after. There are many stalls and few restaurants inside the village. I believe they have more to offer but I chose to just roam around and head towards the cable car. 3. Ride a cable car back to MTR and get ready for another once in a lifetime experience. Please be guided of the prices of the services they offer. That's as of August 21, 2014 I love the experience! This is my first time to ride a cable car, and what makes it special is because I am in Hongkong! Overlooking of mountains, sea and cities. We were 6 inside. A chinese couple, 3 caucasians and me.
One of the reasons why Hongkong is visited! Can't wait to step on what they refer as the 'HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH!' 4. Enjoy being a child again at Disneyland.
My Disneyland Experience!Don't miss the parade! The schedule that I know is around 2:30-3:00, that's why I planned to go here around 2:00 so I could spend also the rest of my day here and to witness as well the fireworks show. Unfortunately, my memory card got corrupted, I recorded the whole fireworks display and it's gone. But I know in my mind, hear and soul, I will always treasure that moment. That night was so magical, that I just found myself reminiscing my childhood through Disney's movies and singing "A WHOLE NEW WORLD!" After my Disneyland adventure, the next one in my itinerary is to check Jordan station (MTR). There's a street that is like DIVISORIA. In short, it is like a night market. I walked along the street and looked for a good stuff to buy, unfortunately, I did not like anything. As I go back to the MTR station, I decided to just eat. I ordered a local food, streamed rice with some meat toppings in one of the restaurants there. Day 2: Sidetrips: Macau and Kowloon Island
Day 3: Escaping the Busy Life of Hongkong
Where is Cheung Chau island?Cheung Chau Island Map and Tourist Spots
After buying souvenirs, I went back to the pier to check the schedule of the ferry. I was so lucky that I was able to catch the 1:00PM trip, as in I was a little late but they still accommodated me. After 1 hour, I was already back to Hongkong island. As I headed to the nearest MTR station, I saw a mall that is connected to the overpass where I was walking. I went inside to check out how their malls look like. Well, it was a little classy compared to us. I saw a apple store (iphone) and even a Filipino actor (Eric Quizon). \ After that, I remembered that it's my last day in the city, so I bought some foods (biscuits) for pasalubong. When I got back to Mongkok, I spent my remaining HKD for pasalubongs. After an hour of last minute shopping, I went back to the guesthouse to rest, take a bath and packed up. I rode a bus going back to the airport and waited for my flight. EXPENSES: Day 1 (Before the flight; in PH Peso) Bus from Pasay to Clark 300 Lunch 130 Other supply (food) 200 Travel tax 1620 Terminal fee 600 Load 30 Snack 175 Taxi (airport-LP) 103 (in HK, HK$) Dinner 52 Battery 15 Octopus card 150 Day 2 (HK, in HK$) Breakfast 26 Octopus card 100 Cable car 105 Disneyland 450 Snack 54 Dinner 52 Snack 13 Day 3 (Macau, in HK$) Turbojet, Roundtrip (to Macau) 380 Lunch (mcdo) 36 Drink 8 Dinner 42 Day 4 (HK, in HK$) Ferry 14 Drink 10 Lunch 36 Souvenir 100 Ferry 14 Biscuit 70 Souvenir 180 T-shirt 100 Powerbank 200 Cookies 140 Chocolate 98 Disney tumblers 270 For a free MTR map, click here.
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