Extraordinary Travelers

Day 3

Life is an adventure, and sometimes, the greatest moments in life can be found in times when we feel so lost.

During our day 3, instead of going to Disneyland, my best buddy and I decided to just don our comfy shoes and see where the wind takes us.

We planned on exploring the not-so-visited places around Hong Kong. And being 'cultural', our first stop was Hong Kong Museum of History. Since today was all about squashing mediocre tourism, we decided to explore Hong Kong's history. It was a Wednesday, so that the entrance fee for museums in Hong Kong is waived.

We took MTR to East Tsim Sha Tsui station and used exit P2. We walked along Chatham Road South where we even stumbled upon a Charlie Brown Cafe, but being on a schedule, we decided against it, saving the experience for future HK visits.

Charlie Brown Cafe

The Hong Kong Museum of History houses different thematic exhibitions showcasing Hong Kong and South China's rich history.

Hong Kong Museum of History

You can choose to follow the suggested path through the museum, or you can go straight to the sections that interest you the most.

 

There were sections in which they depict cultural events such as festivals and rituals. While other sections showcase monumental events and historical pieces in Hong Kong's history.

A bamboo tower adorned with hundreds of buns done during Cheung Chau Bun Festival

A Chinese Store

Hong Kong's Rich History in Print

Lots of students can be found inside the museum copying different pieces or exhibitions on their sketch books.

At different points in the museum, there are interactive kiosks where one can learn more about what is being depicted on the section by an audio-visual presentation, which can be either in Chinese or English. And at the end of the path of the museum, one can sit down and watch a short clip on Hong Kong's most important historical events in a small theater house.

After being down and heavy with history, we decided to head to Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Just behind the Hong Kong Museum of History, you just have to cross to the other side of the street to reach HKPU.

HKPU Entrance

Hong Kong Polytechnic University logo (HKPU)

HKPU Map in Braille

Being the largest government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong, HKPU is of particular interest for us because its Department of Rehabilitation Sciences under the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences is tied up with University of Santo Tomas' College of Rehabilitation Sciences, and the two have long set up seminars and educational tours for the purpose of cultural immersion as well as widening horizons for the field of rehabilitation medicine, specifically Occupational Therapy.

HKPU Campus

UST Occupational therapy seniors or interns have been going to field trips here at HKPU to learn about the field of OT - Hong Kong style. However, due to time constraints, we just roamed around the campus for a while and headed to our next destination. If I may add, though, I definitely could see myself studying there and enjoying every minute of it; the campus was posh and the students all look fashionable. Oh, well, maybe next lifetime.

Our next destination was Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery in Sha Tin. We took the MTR to Sha Tin station, and took exit B. We walked along the ramp beside the bus terminus until we reached street level, where we continued walking past the Pai Tau Village on our left opposite Grand Central Plaza mall on our right. We turned right on Sheung Wo Che Road, the first street past the mall, and walked along government offices and car-parks until we reached the end of the street with a yellow sign that directed us to the staircase leading to the monastery.

Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery entrance

The entrance to the monastery is free of charge. The staircase leading to the monastery is actually quite a workout garnering around five hundred steps (but felt like more than 500). Alongside the path are different buddha statues, and at strategic points are seats where you can rest before continuing the long trek up.

While walking up along the steps, one can actually reflect on some things because the place emanates a peaceful aura. It's just a shame that at some points along the way, we saw signs that warn Pinoys (specifically, Filipinas) to remain quiet as the place is not a park but a place of worship. This could mean that a lot of the tourists, mainly Filipinos, could have been too loud while visiting the monastery.

After reaching the top, one can sit down, relax and reflect quietly. You can also enjoy the view of New Territories.

View at the top of the tower

Short history of the monastery: The monastery was built by Reverend Yuet Kai, who was very much dedicated to Buddhism. Completed in 1957, it took around ten more years before the 13,000 miniature buddha statues placed inside the monastery were completed. After he passed away at the age of 87, his body was preserved and was put on display in a glass case in front of the main altar. It was then named "The Diamond Indestructible Body of Yuexi." To learn more about this monastery, visit 10k Buddhas Monastery.

At that time, there were also other parts in the monastery that were newly added such as this section with more gold buddhas, and a giant white buddhist statue with a dragon.

 

After our long trek, we headed back down to Grand Central Plaza where we had snacks and visited IKEA to get ideas for a rehabilitation center we were planning to set up come October.

What's really fun about IKEA is that there are lots of cool ideas that one can 'arbor' and use, either it be for your humble abode or for your workplace. Although, after a tiring trek up a mountain, it's really tiring that you have to go through the whole length of IKEA before you're able to get out. Small hassle, but still fun.

A dining set

Below are some of the things that we thought we could use for our pediatric rehabilitation center.

A fun way of organizing is making use of cute boxes such as in this set-up

A tunnel that can be used during therapy sessions with kids

A swing which can be used to provide sensory feedback to pediatric patients with Sensory Integration dysfunction/s

After taking a tour around IKEA, we then headed to the Ladies' Market at Mong Kok. We took MTR to Mong Kok station and used exit E2. We walked along Nelson street for two blocks and then turned right to Tung Choi street, which is already the market.

By the time that we arrived, the place was already packed with people, both tourists and residents alike. We took a look around and decided to rest at a small park near the market, where we drank iced tea.

Small Park in Mong Kok

After delighting at a chat over iced tea, we walked back to a MTR station and headed back to Tung Chung Crescent. We waited for our friends, who went to Disneyland that day, at the park in between Tung Chung station and City Gate Outlets.

We were very proud of ourselves today, because we felt like we were extraordinary travelers as opposed to being tourists. We weren't the common tourists that required strictly following tight schedules, or tour guides; we just went with our gut feel and decided on the spot where to go next. Yes, we did get lost a couple of times today. But a very valuable thing that we learned today aside from everything we got from Hong Kong's rich history, the Ten Thousand Buddhas, IKEA and the Ladies' Market, is that sometimes, getting lost isn't bad at all; sometimes, you get lost, and adventure finds you.

Beautiful Girls of Tung Chung

DAY 1

Blaming it on an hour's worth of flight delay, nothing really special happened during our first day since we arrived in HK International Airport at around past 9 pm. But if you add the immigration stuff plus the claiming of luggage and bus ride to Tung Chung, we arrived in our flat in Tung Chung Crescent at around 10 pm. Before you leave the airport, you can buy yourself an octopus card, which is already pre-loaded with 100 HKD and 50 HKD deposit, which you can claim once you return your octopus card before leaving HK. You're gonna need it for the train ride or bus ride to the city. After buying octopus cards, we went down to ground level and exited the airport. We went right, and straight ahead until we reached a bus stop in front of a parking lot. No need to cross, it's the S1 bus stop for us who will go to Tung Chung. The bus ride is worth 3.5 HKD. For complete details on transports to and from the airport, check out HKA transport.

The good thing about Tung Chung Crescent is that it is just in front of the City Gate Outlets. So, after dropping off our stuff in the flat, we went down to check shops, and to take some photos of the vicinity.

We really saved a lot of money in this trip because we didn't have to pay for hotel accommodations since we stayed at a flat of my friend's aunt who works in Cathay Pacific Air. Saving as many peso as possible is something you should always keep in mind when traveling.

Traveling tip: sometimes, it's better to look for a place to stay first (like ask a friend to stay at his place for a while or rent their place for the duration of the stay) and then find cheap airfare, before saying "Si" to an out-of-the-country trip. It's more practical for us since it's okay for us to eat home-cooked food for dinner to save even more money. Plus, the place was like a hotel in itself but with a "yes-to-cooking" add on.

City Gate Outlets

DAY 2

If you'd like to explore as much as possible, starting the day way way early is the answer.

Our first stop was Diamond Hill, Kowloon. Surrounded by high rise buildings is the Nan Lian Garden connected to the Chi Lin Nunnery. We rode the MTR to Diamond Hill station, and took Exit C2.

We first went inside Nan Lian Garden and took hundreds of photos because of its beautiful sceneries. The place depicts the vibe of having 'history being surrounded by the future'. The garden was built in Tang style, representing the enactment of the timber structure and garden of the ancient Tang Dynasty. My favorite spot there was the Pavilion of Absolute Perfection situated at the center of the Lotus Pond. It gives you the feel of being in the Tang Dynasty.

Entrance to Chi Lin Nunnery

We then decided to head to Harbour City where we wanted to have our lunch. But, on our way there, since we were already too hungry, we ate lunch at a small Chinese restaurant instead. After lunch, we proceeded to Harbour City where we just strolled around for a while then bought some macaroons from Laduree. Harbour City is one of Hong Kong's flagship malls and it is actually the biggest mall in Hong Kong. It even has the largest Toys R Us store in Asia. To get to Harbour City, take the MTR to Tsim Sha Tsui station, then take exit A1. Turn right, then walk along Haiphong Road.

Laduree

We then headed to Avenue of the Stars to check out Hong Kong's famed skyline. From Harbour City, we walked along Canton Road then turned left on Salisbury Road. Past the Peninsula Hotel, use the underground subway to cross to the other side of the road to reach the Avenue of the Stars.

Or you can just walk along Canton Road until you reach the Star Ferry Pier and the Clock Tower where we opted to have our photos taken.

Hong Kong was nearing it's Mid-Autumn Festival at that time, thus, there were lots of lights and autumn-inspired gimmicks placed at tourist spots.

Walk past that and along the bay, and you'll see the Avenue of the Stars.

What's really nice about Hong Kong's skyline is that it is really different when you go there during daytime as well as during nighttime. So for today, we opted to have our pictures taken during daytime and reserved the nighttime experience to the day that we've decided to watch the Symphony of Lights.

You can sit and relax and just enjoy the breeze on a cloudy day such as this.

Along the Avenue are sets of prints of famous Chinese stars such as Jet Li and Jackie Chan.

There were also lots of statues there where it's fun to take photos.

After taking a stroll along the Avenue, we decided to head to another mall where we splurged into a shopping spree, one of the things you'd really get yourself into when you're in Hong Kong. And then headed home.