4ever Discovering
A crazy packed day in HK
WOW- a full day in Hong Kong- I mean we were almost out for 24 hours…
24 hours for Danielle's 24th birthday!
We got up early to get our VISAS- we had to be there at 9 am and we didn’t exactly know where we were going so we wanted to give lots of time. I mean our second name is 4everlost. We had a little trouble finding the company Forever Bright- but once we did, it was super easy. We decided to get a group VISA, it is cheaper and only good for 30 days. You have to enter and exit with your “group”, which was Danielle and me. We gave our passports and the lady at the front desk said we should be back at 6 PM.
Then, we walked around and got breakfast- Danielle got some noodles and I got some toast with sugar and butter….I also got a coffee… it was not great. I am dying for some good coffee. Maybe I have to wait until Vietnam.
Anyways, we went to the Harbour to meet for this free walking tour but the guide did not show up so it was a bust… We were just waiting around, taking some pictures. When this guy approach Danielle and asked if she could take a photo of him, so she did. This guy was very strange, just getting bad vibes. Danielle took pictures of him, he was not smiling, just standing there. He, then, asked Danielle to be in the picture, so I got handed the camera. He told me to take 10 pictures. He started giving weird precise directions- like standing a certain way, not wearing a scarf, not wearing your purse. (I honestly thought this was a trick to get pick-pocketed.) We finally said enough is enough and left. We saw him do it to other woman, so if you go to the Hong Kong Harbour DO NOT TAKE HIS PICTURE.
Since the tour didn’t show up, we didn’t want to waste anymore time. We made our way to the Big Buddha We took the MTR and then had to take a bus since the gondola was closed for maintenance. I think the bus is the cheaper option anyways! You pay 35 Hong Kong Dollars for a day pass that can take you to multiple locations. We took bus #21 to the Big Buddha! On the way up, you can see amazing views of the islands and the sea. Make sure you get a window seat!
When we got off the bus, there was a long walkway. (There were cows on this walkway) You reach a circle surrounded by flags. To your left you see the Big Buddha, you have to walk up a bunch of stairs. At the bottom, you can pay to go inside or for a snack. We decided not to. So we walked up and enjoyed the views of the Buddha and the other statues of women making offerings.
You also get a great view of the mountains and you can see the ocean. That’s where Hong Kong and Taiwan are very similar- mountains, beaches, and city life.
Anyways, we made our way back down and went to walk the Wisdom path. You walk on a path through a the forest and you reach some more stairs and you see the beginning to the wisdom path. The path consists of stairs leading up to 38 wooden poles that make up an infinity sign. It was very unique! (I swear I left feeling a little smarter)
We went through the village to find the bus station, where we got on a bus to go to Tai O; the fishing village. It is known for having houses right on the water, the seafood, and having access to see the rare Chinese White Dolphins. We arrived and walked around. We got some shrimps balls, fried pineapple, mango juice, and a garlic and cheese baked (flamed actually) oyster.
We payed 25 Hong Kong dollars to get on a boat that makes a trip into the village. This is where you get to see how the houses are built. I have no idea how they stay up…. The boat then makes it way out to the sea for the chance at seeing the race White Chinese Dolphins (which are sometimes pink) Unfortunately, the boat only waits around 5 minutes so I don’t think your chances to see them are high… There was a day tour that gives a 95% rate of seeing the dolphins, but we simply did not have the time. I guess I have to go back to do it!
We rushed back to the MTR station by taking the bus then took the subway back to Forever Bright to get our VISAS. We legit had to run down the streets in Hong Kong, it was 5:55 pm and we had to be there at 6:00 pm. We had to make our way through herds of people because it is in fact rush hour in Hong Kong, and you might not see anyone walking around during the day, at night, it’s a whole different story. We made it to building, even if we were gasping for air, and we got our VISAS in hand.
Oh, btw, our day is not even close to over.
We made our back to the Harbour and we got a ticket to go on the night cruise. We payed extra to see the light sympathy, after all it was Danielle’s 24 birthday, we slurped… We also picked up some McDonald's and 3 beers before hooping on the bus. (Which was a great idea because the boat did not offer real food (only snacks) and alcoholic drinks. The skyline was all lid up in different colours and it looked beautiful. I think seeing the Ferris wheel, which we rode in December was the highlight of my cruise.
The light show was nothing special, I would recommend going on the “normal” night cruise. The lights from the skyline are more than enough to please you. You’re out there for around one hour and we went on the new boat so it was quite comfortable, but we did see one woman get sea-sick, so if you’re not good with waves, maybe enjoy the skyline from the harbour.
We grabbed the MTR and picked up some drinks, we went back to the hostel for a night out. We didn't have enough time to shower so we just put up on some new clothes and added a little mascara and lipstick and were good to go. We went to the rooftop and met a girl name Pam. We asked if she wanted to join us and she was down, so there were 3 of us!
We made our way to Lan Kwai Fong, the bar street of Hong Kong. There was a herd of people, especially on a Friday night. We walked into a few bars- but stayed at this one bar for most of the night, then we hit a club. The drinks are reasonable for a touristy spot and it’s a very fun party scene. There is so much going on, music blaring from every direction. It was a great spot to celebrate Danielle’s birthday!
We took a taxi back to the hostel, climbed into the 3-story bunk bed and fell asleep eating McDonald's.
That was our first day of our winter vacation
C-R-A-Z-Y
Hong Kong has everything you need, but not necessarily everything you want ;)
