Hongkong Ocean Park

HONGKONG OCEAN PARK

A visit to hongkong's ocean park involves a lot of walking and trekking. Wear your most comfy footwear. It's a bit mountainous and larger than disneyland in my opinion. It has a lot to offer specially to kids. There is a dolphin and seal show, check out the schedule and map so you can plan ahead your itinerary. There are tons of people during weekends so better come and visit during weekdays.

My favorite is the sea jelly aquarium. Here is a sample picture, the aquarium has lights which the jellyfish reflects. It was so cool. The other aquariums are similar to Manila's ocean park.

For the adventurous, the rides can be challenging. We didnt try it though, the queue was so long (Thank God!)

This place is exclusively devoted to seals. They are sweet. You can even feed them if you are lucky.

I had to literally drag my hubby to get to the Panda sanctuary. We had to take the cable car to get there. The baby pandas are so cute and cuddly! i wanted to take them home.

Hongkong Disneyland

HONGKONG DISYNEYLAND - A MAGICAL PLACE

It is truly a magical place for the young and the young at heart. The disney train station is a marvel, it feels and looks like an old train station ala harry potter. The moment you ride the disney train with the trademark mickey silhouette appearing in all corners of the train from the windows to the hand rails, the excitement builds. Upon arrival, you are greeted by this.

And of course, a picture with your favorite disney characters is a must. Prepare to wait in line for at least 5 minutes :) We were lucky the assistant was a Filipino, he gladly accommodated our request to take our picture using our own camera. Be prepared to dip into your pockets for the souvenir snapshots taken by official photographers :)

This was my very first 3d animated movie experience, way before the imax. It was wonderful!!! the kids around me were trying to catch the images hahahaha. i tried catching one too!

Don't be tempted to ride this one. We boarded the english speaking guide- boat, but sadly i did not understand a word they were saying. sucks!

Don't dare miss the fireworks! The fireworks is synchronized with the disney music... sigh. what a magical experience indeed.

Hongkong Part 2

NGONG PING 360 AND THE GIANT BUDDHA

Day 2. We decided to check out the ngong ping 360 and giant Buddha in the morning and Disneyland in the afternoon, to save time and train fare because ngong ping is near Disney. We were lucky, even though it was raining, the ngong ping 360 was open. I must admit it was really very scary. The ride was so high, slow and so very long. Imagine being suspended in air for more than 30 minutes. Thank God i managed to calm my nerves and enjoy the ride, particularly the view it offered. Please check the website if its open, before you decide to go.

We arrived at the ngong ping village which was really cute! It is situated on top of a mountain and the Giant Buddha is just nearby. We were running out of time so we did not climb the steps to the Giant Buddha and contented ourselves with a picture from afar.

Hongkong Part 1

The airport is impressive and very grand, need I mention very large too? But don’t worry too much if you have a lot of luggage, your feet won’t get tired at all. You can just ride the conveyor and off you go! There are only small gaps between the conveyors and you will be reminded each time it ends and it starts so you won’t get into any accident. Cool . I wish our own terminal has this too. Sad.

Anyway, don’t forget to drop by the tourist corner where you can grab all the travel guides, maps that you need, for free! Also, before you leave the airport, buy an octopus card. I call this the all around debit card. You can use it in the trains, buses, and fastfood joints. I absolutely love this card. I cannot rave enough about it. You don’t even have to take it out of your wallet, no need to swipe, you just put it on top of the machine, and voila!

The transportation hub is very easy to find. Instead of taking the express train which was a bit expensive, we chose to ride the double decker bus haha. Commuting in Hongkong is a breeze. Buses have designated routes and stops you just have to consult the sign and/or your map and you will know which bus number you have to take to your destination. Again, I love the buses. Every impending bus stop is announced. You surely won’t miss your stop, you can even read the LED signage on the bus itself to know which stop is next. Most hotels give directions on how it can be reached and we just followed the directions we downloaded from the web. We did not get lost.

We chose an accommodation in Nathan Road and near the train station. We did not regret it. Tsim Sha Tsui is accessible by foot, so after checking in and taking a short rest, we took a stroll.

First, we visited the Museum of Art and the Science Museum. I recommend visiting the Museum of Art and History. If you don’t have kids with you, you can skip the science museum. At the museum of history, you will get to see a lot of artifacts, from scrolls to china. I specially love the section filled with gold ornaments made by ancient chinese.

After the museums, you can just walk to the cultural center, which is a marvel that a photo-op is necessary. The avenue of stars is just nearby and the clock tower. The tsim sha tsui promenade is ideal for whiling away your time and don’t forget to wait for the Symphony of Lights. The view from Tsim Sha Tsui of Victoria Harbor is beautiful both at day and at night. Stay longer and enjoy the sights. By the way, if you're not an experienced photographer, you need to shell out a few bucks for a really nice picture at the victoria harbor. For me, it was worth it. We also had an artist sketch us, a nice souvenir :)

MISIBIS BAY

MISIBIS BAY, Cagraray Island, Bacacay, Albay

Misibis Bay is located at Cagraray Island, Municipality of Bacacay, Province of Albay Philippines. The nearest airport is Legazpi City. From Legazpi, it is about 30-45 minutes by land (including barge transfers) and you will pass by the scenic route of sula channel.

This i believe is a faucet/washing area. Cute isn't it?

I so admire the interior, indeed attention was given to every detail of the resort. This is the ceiling of the dining/restaurant area.

You can have a lovely stroll on your way to your villa. I felt like i was in Caleruega, Batangas.

The infinity pool. Notice that the sand of the beach is brown. In all, I would recommend this resort to those who can afford it and are wishing for a relaxing, private escapade. Free from crowds and staring gazes of strangers.

CARAMOAN (2)

Day 2 - Cotivas Island, Caramoan islands. Nothing remarkable in this sandbar. It is also ideal for swimming, specially for the kids, as the water is shallow. Being a sandbar, you have two beaches which is cute. This was also one of the islands where survivor shot some challenges. Again, unremarkable :) It did not interest me :) Oh wait, they have seaweeds here. Nice, we got to eat some Lato (seaweed in bicol) fresh harvest hahaha.

Next was Bogtong island sandbar....This is the longest sandbar i have ever seen. We did not even go the island itself because we were so content hanging out in the sandbar, take note, High Noon! And you guessed it right, our skin was nearly charcoaled by the sun :) But it was so worth it. Loved this stop! Starfishes abound. There's plenty of sandbar for everyone... You cannot crowd this place. :) We did everything here, swim, wade, snorkel, sat, lie down, sunbathing (or burning). I could have stayed here all afternoon :) I saw some tourists skimboarding.

Next, we went to Sabitang-Laya and had lunch. The rock formations are also impressive. However, the so-called "caves" stinks. Some tourists pee inside yuck. You can get good shots here, but you have to walk because it is so far away....hingal. The beach is the dirtiest one we every encountered. There was a lot of trash.

Later we took a hike to the Our Lady of Salvation shrine. Save some of your energy coz you need lots to reach the top. Better yet, go to the gym or exercise before you go to Caramoan. We were daunted by the height of it and we almost did not climb the stairs. Well, after the persistence of our tour guide, and his threatening remarks, we heeded him. We were glad we did. The view is very very nice. Although we stink from the salt and sweat, it didnt matter. We also did not manage to get a good photo because we looked terrible, sun burn and all :)

Day 3- We went to the church and had a photo-op. It was really beautiful. You would want to get married here except that there are no reception venues in the town.

And then we headed home. We chose the scenic route, passing through Sagnay and Tiwi :)

CARAMOAN (1)

I presume you have read all there is to know on how to get to caramoan islands, camarines sur, philippines. Instead of telling you all about the human carrying porters (haha) and the horrendously long outrigger boat ride, sigh and the cramped seats with no backrest oh well, ill start with day 1 of our trip. After having a hearty lunch courtesy of our tour coordinator Genaro Galang, we proceeded to bikal port. Unfortunately, it was low tide, and there is no other way to get to our bangka but to ride this smaller bangka. I am laughing right now as i remember myself screaming whenever someone would shift their butt from one side to the other, any movement rocks the boat, i was so scared to get all wet and fall on the murky water. I was quite surprised we did not sink, we were so heavy, only 3 quarters of an inch of the boat was floating :)

This was taken from our first island stop. The sand is colored black, but so powdery you can rub it on your face. This looks like a dried up coral and very prominent in the entire island.

And then there was Lahos island, allegedly owned by the Bichara clan of Albay. Of course we had to do the jumpshot. This island is not so ideal from swimming, its so rocky!

And then there was my favorite, Matukad island. The view from this island is amazing. Powdery white sand and uber clear waters. There are some rock formations a camwhore would love. I love swimming in the beach of this island. We arrived there nearing sunset so the lighting wasnt so good for picture taking. I would suggest going to this island earlier or come back later when there are a few tourists around. It was so lovely lounging in this island. BTW, there is a lagoon in here but you have to climb and hike which we didnt want to do since weve already seen beautiful l

agoon and lakes at Coron, Palawan.

So we headed back to our homestay, the Arcilla residence, which is divine. It has a large master bedroom that can sleep at least 6 people comfortably. A king size bed and large plasma tv. It also has its own toilet. After showering, we then had dinner again courtesy of our tour coordinator. BTW we were assigned a tour guide who not only accompanies us to our destination but serves as a butler too. He brings the food, prepares the table and wash the dishes. Oh we were treated like princes and princesses. I so love going on a packaged tour. I would strongly advise you not to DIY in caramoan because there are very few places to eat in Caramoan. Here is one of the mouth watering dishes we were served: