HK & Macau 2007

Day 1: Arrival

Be sure to pick up maps and guides at the airport.   You'll need them to get around the city.  After passing through customs, there is another tourist desk with guidebooks, including a Food Guide.  (Unfortunately, due to lack of time I wasn't even able to try out any of the restaurants listed.  Unlike some other guides which list only expensive places, this includes affordable eateries -- even street food!  I will definitely make plans to visit them on my next trip.)

Follow the signs To the City or  Airbus and it will lead you to the Cityflyer ticketing booth.  We took bus no. A21 to TST, Kowloon.  Round trip fare is HKD 55.00 (One way is HKD 33.00)   If you are staying in the HK island, you have to take bus A11 or A12.

Queue at the designated Cityflyer bus stops located on the street across the ticketing booth (right side).  Buses are frequent and pass by the major hotels in Nathan Road and Chatham Rd South.  There is a tickler on the bus to inform the passenger which hotels are in the vicinity of the next stop.  Check the hotel list for the bus route.

You can also download the PDF File A  and File B  for a map of the bus route and bring a copy with you on your trip.

If you don't have much luggage, another economical way to get to the city is by taking the S1 bus to the nearest MTR station in Tung Chung/City Gate.  But if you take this route with big, heavy luggage, be prepared to carry your belongings up the stairs (no escalators) when you exit the station in the city. 

Star Ferry

After checking in our hotel, we grab a snack in one of the nearby eateries then headed to the Star Ferry terminal to cross to Hong Kong Island and go to Victoria Peak.      Upon exiting the Star Ferry Central Pier Building, head to the right and look for the bus with open top, Bus 15C to go to the  Peak Terminal.

At the Lower Peak Tram terminus, you can purchase a combo ticket for the tram ride and for the Madame Tussands wax museum.  There is a separate queue for purchasing the combo ticket which is definitely shorter than the one for just the tram ride.  You can also buy the ticket for the Sky terrace with the combo ticket here. 

Alternative to taking the tram is Bus 15.  Some guides I've read prior to the trip suggested taking the tram up and the bus down or vice versa.    For this trip, we got the combo ticket (wax museum and round trip tram ride).  If you are visiting the wax museum, this would be the most economical choice.

Victoria Peak
We reached Victoria Peak around 6pm.  The best time to go is late afternoon.  You'll be able to catch the daytime and night time view of the Hong kong skyline.  In my case, I was meeting some friends for dinner so I could only take in the night view.  It got quite chilly as night fell so bring a jacket with you.  It was so cold I couldn't hold my camera still to take a decent picture of the view.

Hong Kong is not a shopping city for nothing.  They even made sure to drive the tourist traffic right to the mall.  You exit the tram station right into the shopping mall.  You'll pass by shops selling knick knacks and various souvenir items like postcards, t-shirts, keychains, etc. 

Madame Tussand Wax Museum

The wax museum is located in the same building/mall.  Bruce Lee's wax figure is right there by the entrance to entice the visitors to explore the exhibits inside. 

As you walk towards the entrance of the wax museum, Jacky Chan is waiting to welcome the visitors.  Not Jacky Chan himself, of course but his statue!    You can only take picture with him for a fee through the museum's official photographer.    (This is also the case with selected figures inside like David Beckham and the British Royal Family.)

Who are inside?  There are Hollywood stars, Asian artists, political leaders and other historical figures.  You get to pose with American actors  like Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Mel Gibson (very young looking one), Eddie Murphy, Anthony Hopkins, Harrison Ford (in his Indiana Jones gear), Jodie Foster, Pierce Brosnan etc. 

I'm not familiar with all the Asian personalities but recognized a few like Jay Chou, Michelle Yeoh, Leon Lai and the  Korean star from the hit drama series Winter Sonata, Bae Yong Joon.   Andy Lau was not available – he was being repaired.  I was surprised to see HK singer Janice Vidal because she's fairly new in the business.  (I later learned that she garnered the highest vote when the museum asked the public to choose the next wax figure.) 

Other figures are world leaders Bill Clinton, George Bush, Deng Xiao Ping, the late Benazir Bhutto, Nelson Mandela, Singapore's Lee Kwan Yew.  There's also Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Mahatma Gandhi, Princess Diana. (Oh my, how can I mention Gandhi in the same breath as Hitler and Hussein?)

Popstars like the pre-multi cosmetic surgery Michael Jackson, Madonna (she's quite short), Beatles, Elvis and sports icons like Tiger Woods and Yao Ming. 

Some displays allow you to dress up in costumes.  There was a Marilyn Monroe wig and dress you can don, then pose right beside her.  

Allot an hour to be able to fully appreciate the exhibits and take nice pictures with them.

Other attractions

I wanted to visit the EA games, check the view at the Sky Terrace and explore the grounds.  Will definitely check them out during my next visit to HK.

Back to Kowloon

Dinner took longer than expected.  It was kinda late when we got back to Kowloon so we had to scrap the Avenue of the Stars.  Harbour City (mall near the Star Ferry Pier) was already decorating the promenade with Christmas decors.   Some building on the harbour front had put up their Christmas lights too.  HK was starting to look very festive!