Hong Kong Vacation Part-I

Xi Nian Kaui Le! Greetings to you all. Just got back from my Hong Kong getaway and I could still feel the chilly winds and taste mouth-watering Hongkongnese cuisine. Here's my narrative of my best Chinese New Year vacation in HK.

Day 1:

Arrived at the airport around 11 AM. We touched ground 2 hours too early for our pick up with the tour coordinator so we decided to go on our own tour around airport's mall area.

                                                                                                                                                  

 

  Gucci Shop, just having this store in a airport alone promises a fun shopping experience in HK.

Our home away from home. 3-Star Guang Dong Hotel, inclusive in our Hong Kong travel package.

Travel coordinator brought us to our hotel and left the tourist's kit which contains our itinerary, a city map, and a booklet of Hong Kong guide with essential hotline numbers incase of emergency. We had the rest of the day for rest. Seriously, my beau and I made a plan that we'll just take a shower and go out. But then we dozed as a result of our maya-na habit.

Day 2:

Had a buffet breakfast care of Guang Dong Hotel. The food served were continental. I was a bit disappointment 'coz I was already craving for authentic Chinese cuisine. Nevertheless the food was great.

We explored the city with the guided tour and followed itinerary that we got from the group buying site deal info. We went to Tai Sin Temple, Avenue of the Stars, Victoria's Peak, and downtown Kowloon. 

Cable car ride to reach the peak.

Shuttle service dropped us off our hotel before the evening, so we freshened up for a bit and finally went out to experience downtown on our own. The first thing we mauled over for was food. Obviously.

 

 The famous soup dumpling!

 

 After our dine-in to restaurant nearby our hotel, I dragged my boyfriend to shop on different streets but we couldn't wait for the Ladies Night Market so I bought a few items I liked. Then, of course, we ate again. This time on hawkers central.

 

 Tofu like you've never tasted before.

Soy bean noodle. Yum!

 

Day 3:

Complimentary Disneyland tour. My beau liked it, but I wasn't too excited about the erm, mascots. I am not girly-girl and I never hummed my childhood with Disney songs or dreamt of being a princess. But anyways, the whole day tour was fine.

 

It was  the day before New Year so of course they had to wear Chinese costumes.

 

This one of my favorite moments during the vacation.

 And this one too.

So yeah, I guess, Disneyland was pretty awesome. It's really magical and also romantic since I was with my prince charming.

That's all for now. Part II of our Hong Kong adventure will be posted soon. ;)

Dai Pai Dong: Hong Kong Bargain Hunting

 
My last post was about my smartest score on a Hong Kong travel deal from a daily deal site. I even talked about my taste bud tease on the hawkers food scene in the city. And no, I haven't boarded and experienced HK yet -- as I've said we'll be going there for Chinese New Year. This post is about my current excitement on shopping in Hong Kong.

In Manila, we have our very own Divisoria to provide us the cheapest fashion finds, home products and what have you. Whenever we ask a tindera or the store owner where they get their merchandise from, they'll definitely say it's from Hong Kong. So I asked my friend who lives in HK where they sell those kind of items, she said everywhere! Well, actually, almost anywhere.



Like hawkers, these bargained products (of shoes, bags, clothes, and novelty items) are also seen on the streets and busy corners downtown. The best part is, it's sold cheaper!

They are called Dai Pai Dong in Chinese, English translation is open-air stall. My friend told me that the items are categorized by streets. "Choose a street and they'll whatever you looking for in big variety on that certain street." Upper Castral Row or popularly known as the Cat Street has Chinese ornaments of all sorts. From Feng Shui trinkets to antiques to silk products, the Cat knows what you want.

For my own shopping list, here are the things I want: Class A designer hand bag, dresses, shoes, accessories, silk bedding, tea set, and a retro cam. I can only how that I won't get ripped off with these bargain finds. Thoughts and tips, anyone?

*Image credits to respective owners.

Hong Kong, Here We Go!

On my last post, I enumerated neighboring countries that I'd like to visit this year to make my 2014 travel and tours bucket list complete. My decision to make international travels we prompted by a cheap travel packages that I found online. So to start my journey, I am traveling to Hong Kong on January 28 until February 2--just in time to celebrate Chinese New Year!

I've asked a friend, who goes there at least twice a year, about their must-see spots and must-eat-at restaurants. And oh boy, I could already smell Hong Kong! She said that anywhere you go there are great eats, especially on the streets. Hongkongnese and traditional Chinese delicacies are sold cheap at Hawker areas. She also warned that Hawker Center is the place where you might taste the best Chinese cuisine you could ever eat your whole life.

The online travel deal I bought from Granton World Philippines includes round trip airfare, a 2-day guided tour, all day pass to Hong Kong Disneyland, and hotel accommodation. I only paid 10,000 pesos for this Hong Kong travel deal.

Travel Resolution for 2014

Happy New Year, y'all! Hoping you've had a splendid kick off to year 2014. My travel resolution for this year is to travel more, and travel further. Little by little, I've been exploring the beauty of Luzon and Visayas, but not much of Mindanao. I also have a few international visits which I also plan on doing for this year.

Last year, I started my travels by visiting nearby places and popular tourist destination in the Philippines. My first stops were in Mt. Province, followed by beach vacations in Boracay, Palawan, and Bohol. With my attempts of vacationing internationally, I reckon that it would be really practical to start by our neighboring countries here in Asia.

Currently, I'm targeting major cities like: Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and even Shanghai. My budget per international trip would ring around 15,000 to 35,000 pesos. Anything that would go beyond this price range would be hard for me to get.I am not getting paid to travel, but I work for my travels. Which is why online travel deals are very important and a must for me. I go out and explore the beauty of different places and experience different culture because of these travel deals.

Perhaps, I can visit other inexpensive and exotic destinations in Asia such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, and  Papua New Guinea where I heard so much about their breathtaking white beaches that could put our very own Bora to shame.

So for the Year 2014 and  my travels I have in mind, I put all my trust and hope to any good daily deal site.

Rio Suites Accomodation Discounts

If you happen to be having a relative or a friend visiting Manila this December, here’s a great and affordable hotel accommodation deal offered by Rio Suites in Mandaluyong City. It's just few minutes away from Makati City and Ortigas Center, Pasig. Restaurants, malls, and even a golf club are also situated in Mandaluyong which makes it a great place in the Metro to entertain your visiting friends.

Deluxe Room good for 2 persons

Valued at P3,300

Twin Sharing Room good for 4 persons

Valued at 3,900

See how big the price drop is at daily deal site GrantonWorld Philippines. I assure you that this is a great deal to be grabbed.

Extreme Beauty of Banaue

A month ago, controversies sparked over a YouTube video posted by Red Bull. The energy drink giant posted a video of extreme sports athlete Brian Grubb "wake skating" the famous Banaue Rice Terraces. Many were concerned that this wake skating act may have damaged or disrespected our country's landscape pride. Others thought that this is a brilliant publicity to promote the beauty of Mountain Province.

So which side are you on? Well, for me, I thought that the scenes in the video really showcased the wonders of Banaue and it wasn't disrespectful at all. Others were right -- it does a great promotion for the tourism in Mountain Province or Cordillera region. This doesn't only attract foreign visitors but also Filipino travelers.

About a year ago, I had the pleasure to behold the beauty of Banaue. I got a cheap travel deal online that helped me save a lot of money, just for the trip's fare alone.

So if you happen to read this blog and have been thinking about vising the place, I really urge you to give it a try. It's really breathtaking, plus, the locals were really friendly and hospitable. You'll definitely enjoy your adventurous retreat here. Hopefully, you too can avail an online travel deal on Banaue.

Online Christmas Shopping

I really enjoy online shopping lately, since the holidays are coming, online shopping websites are starting to dress themselves in Christmas theme. It's really like going to the malls in December with all the twinkling lights an Yuletide decoration galore. These sparkling little things makes you want to shop more, right? Well, maybe it just makes the shopping experience more pleasurable, 'coz spending on gifts is like a therapy.

Like different malls, each websites have their own kind of Christmas theme. A few of my favorite websites were decorated for the holidays, and they look like these:

Granton World's Home Page. 

Don't be a scrooge this Christmas, shop at your convenience with online shopping!

Daily Deal Sites have taken online shopping to a whole new level this season. There's a certain warmth and joy in to it. And I like it!