Hong Kong Day 2: Settling in and freezing at The Peak
One of the things I love about my workplace is how the people I work with are very much into traveling. I don't really get to do it as much as I used to now that Michael and I have other priorities, but being around my workmates always reminds me of how much I love seeing different places. It was, in fact, one of my bosses who led me to booking that trip to Hong Kong late last year. His travel agent had a good deal for flights, he shared it with me, and I immediately made the necessary payments. That was way back in June, and while the trip wasn't until late November, it was exciting to have had something to look forward to.
On the day of our flight, we made sure to be at the airport really early. Traffic gets really crazy and since it was around the holiday season, you just never know what could happen. Better to be safe than sorry. We had to wait quite a bit, but I'd rather have that than being stuck in the middle of traffic, getting a heart attack over the possibility of missing our flight lol.
The cold breeze greeted us as we exited the airport. We took a bus to Kowloon area, where we would be staying for the first part of the trip. It was quite a long ride. Sloan was mostly quiet throughout the trip, looking out the window and, I guess, just observing and taking in the different environment. It's not his first time abroad (we had a long vacation in Indonesia when he was four years old), but at age six, I guess his level of awareness was higher now.
We checked in at Hotel Benito, a small hotel which offered reasonable rates and was conveniently located near a train stop and a lot of stores. First thing on the agenda was a late lunch, which was McDonald's takeout lol.
After that, we headed to Central Park to meet with the Klook team. Klook basically offers special tickets to different attractions and enables you to skip queues. We got tickets to The Peak tram, and boy, that was a good call because the lines were crazy! The tram was super packed - we didn't get good seats but at least we were able to sit at all, because many had to stand.
As always, The Peak offered a spectacular view. It was extra cold, which both my boys liked, but man, I WAS FREEZING. Hahaha!
We had dinner at the "world's cheapest Michelin-star restaurant," Mak's Noodles. It was amusing to watch Sloan choose from the menu and order for himself, and even use the chopsticks on his own. I love that he was so game to try stuff that were unfamiliar.
I have to admit though that apart from the view, there really wasn't much to entertain Sloan with. Sure, there was a 3D museum and a wax museum, but Michael and I knew he wouldn't really be into those things, so we didn't buy tickets. We just went around The Peak Galleria mall, took in the cold weather, then finally headed home.
When we were finally back in the hotel, we freshened up and changed into our sleepwear. Quite a first day in Hong Kong! We had three more days to go, but we were certainly off to a fun start.
(Hong Kong vlog is here.)
On the day of our flight, we made sure to be at the airport really early. Traffic gets really crazy and since it was around the holiday season, you just never know what could happen. Better to be safe than sorry. We had to wait quite a bit, but I'd rather have that than being stuck in the middle of traffic, getting a heart attack over the possibility of missing our flight lol.
I was definitely psyched as we landed in Hong Kong. The last time I was there was six years ago in 2009, when our listeners-turned-friends treated my radio partner Martin D and I on an all-expenses-paid trip. Surely a lot had already changed by then. That I would be exploring the country with Michael and Sloan this time added to the excitement.
The cold breeze greeted us as we exited the airport. We took a bus to Kowloon area, where we would be staying for the first part of the trip. It was quite a long ride. Sloan was mostly quiet throughout the trip, looking out the window and, I guess, just observing and taking in the different environment. It's not his first time abroad (we had a long vacation in Indonesia when he was four years old), but at age six, I guess his level of awareness was higher now.
We checked in at Hotel Benito, a small hotel which offered reasonable rates and was conveniently located near a train stop and a lot of stores. First thing on the agenda was a late lunch, which was McDonald's takeout lol.
As always, The Peak offered a spectacular view. It was extra cold, which both my boys liked, but man, I WAS FREEZING. Hahaha!
We had dinner at the "world's cheapest Michelin-star restaurant," Mak's Noodles. It was amusing to watch Sloan choose from the menu and order for himself, and even use the chopsticks on his own. I love that he was so game to try stuff that were unfamiliar.
I have to admit though that apart from the view, there really wasn't much to entertain Sloan with. Sure, there was a 3D museum and a wax museum, but Michael and I knew he wouldn't really be into those things, so we didn't buy tickets. We just went around The Peak Galleria mall, took in the cold weather, then finally headed home.
On the bus, Sloan once again stared out the window and I thought he was simply appreciating the view, pero yun pala, tulog na! Hahaha. Poor kid was exhausted! He did wake up when we had to get off the bus, but we still had to take the train back to the hotel. Michael and I decided we'll take a cab instead so Sloan could finally retire for the night, but unfortunately, there weren't any. Then Sloan said, "No, Mommy. Okay lang." Meaning, he was okay with taking the train and walking. Huhu ang bait-bait ng anak ko!!!
When we were finally back in the hotel, we freshened up and changed into our sleepwear. Quite a first day in Hong Kong! We had three more days to go, but we were certainly off to a fun start.
(Hong Kong vlog is here.)
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