TRAVEL: Hong Kong 2006

My first trip to Hongkong was my college graduation gift from papa. We (me, papa, and his wife) were there on April 22-24, 2006. We took PAL's PR300 8:00am Manila-Hongkong flight on April 22. It was my first time to ride on a plane, so the feeling was mixed excitement and nervousness. The flight took 1 hour and 45 minutes. I enjoyed taking pictures of the clouds while we are up there. But aside from that, you know what else I enjoyed? The FOOD :-D. PAL serves delicious meals during the flight, and I say "meal" not "snacks".

These are the arrival procedures at the Hong Kong International Airport:

1. Immigration - We presented our passports and completed arrival cards and health declaration forms at the Immigration Hall
. Arrival cards and health declaration forms are distributed by the airline before landing. If in case they are lost, there are blank forms at the Immigration Hall. I noticed there are counters exclusively for Hong Kong citizens for presentation of their Identity Cards.
2. Baggage reclaim - After immigration check, we proceeded to the Baggage Reclaim Hall to pick up our bags. Is there an airline who is careful enough in shipping the baggages? 'Cause when I got my baggage from the conveyor, its strap was ripped :-(
3. Customs and Excise - We proceeded to Customs and Excise control after reclaiming our bags. The red channel is for those who have items to declare while the green channel is for those who don't need any declarations.

After that, we went to Holiday World Tours booth in the airport lobby and waited for the other tourists. The travel agency provided a bus to bring us to our hotels. Ours is Panda Hotel, formerly Kowloon Panda Hotel. It is a four-star hotel in Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong, located between MTR Tsuen Wan Station and Tai Wo Hau Station. It is the largest hotel in Tsuen Wan District with a total of 1,026 rooms, and the nearest city hotel to the Hong Kong International Airport.

From time to time the travel agency provided a shuttle service for us to get around. The tour guides are friendly and are generous in giving information. Few places that I remember going to (in group) are: Victoria Harbour, The Peak, Disneyland (where I felt like a child again), TSL Jewelry, and night market.

We also went to the common places for the locals. Like the usual wet market, chinese restaurant, and others. I think more than going to the tourist spots, it was more interesting to learn and know more about the people and their culture. Three days are not definitely not enough! I really hope I could go back in the future.

- Glai