Ironwulf.net: En Route – The Philippines, Travel, Photography Blog

It’s all about getting to know the place. Riding the trams, the buses, the taxis and the MTR. Then Savoring the flavors from the soothing noodles and tasty dimsum and dumplings. Of course there’s the sight and sounds of this modern city. I like the developed Hong Kong. It’s convenient and for a gadget lover like me, it’s a haven. And of course I wouldn’t forget Hong Kong Disneyland, one of the main highlights when coming to Hong Kong.

We always see it during the start of any Disney Movies – the Sleeping Beauty Castle and the fireworks behind it. I was looking forward seeing the evening fireworks which would usually happens on 8pm but that night, it starts at 7pm, (probably because it’s a Sunday) because finally I get to see this popular Disney Opener in real life. After the fun rides and Golden Mickey Show, we had a snack break at Clopin’s Festival Food then proceeded to the front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle and reserve our spots.

We excitedly hopped on the Disney Shuttle Bus from Disneyland Hotel on the way to Theme Park. The ride is only around 10 minutes. The frequency of this free shuttle bus is also every 10 minutes, first passing by Disneyland Hotel then the Hollywood Hotel to pick up or drop off passengers before heading to the park. Once we got to the transport hub where public buses and the MTR meet, it’s still a short walk to the main gates. We could somehow feel the immensity of the place with its wide roads leading to the entrance gates after ticketing section.

I was recently on a 3 day 4 night trip in Hong Kong, of those 4 nights, I along with some bloggers from Manila and Malaysia spent our 2 days at Hong Kong Disneyland. I grew up on a generation watching Disney cartoons and looking out every year for the next Disney Animated movie to hit the cinema. With that I was equally excited to finally go to Disneyland. But before that, we went to Disneyland Hotel to drop off our things and Check-in.

We lingered for more than an hour at Statue Square before we crossed the street to the bus stop heading to Man Mo Temple. By now we are used to taking the bus and finding the right bus stops to wait for. What we’re not used to, well at least me, is seeing these large vehicles navigate through some of Hong Kong’s narrow one way roads, just like Hollywood Road. I was looking out on my window as the nearest street to Man Mo Temple was the Ladder Street. And soon I saw Nina from the front signaling us that we’re already here.

The alarm sounded at 9am. Yeah it was late because we’re not really obligated to visit as many places as we possibly can. We were supposed to go to this eatery Nina recommended but has to move that in the afternoon. Instead, we dash to the street to find a good breakfast place. We passed by McDonalds on the street, no way are we gonna eat there. 7-11 Convenience stores? We wanted something a bit local and authentic. Then we found ourselves at Mallory Street staring at this giant wall facade art of buildings and junks done with a paintbrush. It was the Art Community building with illustrations done by Dickie Seto.

We had to pull ourselves from the cool comforts of our bedroom that afternoon. But we all agreed we’d be going to Victoria Peak, Hong Kong’s tallest mountain, for sundown. So off to the streets we went with map in hand to find our way to the peak. As always, one of the first few things to learn when in a new place is their mode of transportation, and now’s a good time to learn how Hong Kong’s transport system works.