Coming from the Asian country where every day is a Sunny day, I was always curious with winter, how it would feel if I get to be in a place where temperatures go below zero. Hongkong in February is my first winter wonderland. The trip was a wedding gift and what a way to spend a honeymoon on a winter season right? Right! If honeymooners are always caught cooped up inside their nesting haven, my husband and I opted exploring Hongkong. The first time I visited Hongkong was on May 1999. In that 10 years, Hongkong haven’t change a bit. But this time, I am able to shop with my own moolah (I think, hehe).
My winter in Hongkong was a mixture of thrill and pain. Thrill because it was winter and pain because I could feel most of my extremities numbing because of the cold. We were not expecting Hongkong to feel so freaking cold. I brought summer clothes! We came from Bellarocca ( summer paradise) then we head straight to Hongkong, how could I possibly pack for two different season in one travel. But it was a good excuse to shop. Truly! I was able to shop for boots! Beautiful warm boots ranges from HKD 100 to 300. All worth it, I must say. For the perfect bargain visit their night market in Temple Street. Compare prices first before plunging into the buying anything. One night is not enough to haggle and shop. Another sure bargain street is Nathan Road. International and local brands are up for grabs in that area. The entire stretch of the street is a bargain hall. Everything was on sale on a very low prices (well, at least during that time)
Another good thing about Hongkong is not the usual tourist spots to be visited. It’s their food. You would think that once you have tasted one noodle you have tasted every noodle that they could offer. That’s a misconception. Hongkong has a lot of noodles to please your palate in any time of the day. And if you have already gone tired with Hongkong jump into the ferry for 2 hours and you are into Asia’s own Las Vegas – Macau! The ferry costs around HKD 133 one way economy. The terminal station is at Tsim Shia Tsui not difficult to locate. A MRT station is near the terminal and taxi cab drivers also know where it is.
If Hongkong was cold, Macau was definitely colder. I was not prepared for the onslaught of very cold air (again!). I was wearing a dress and was wearing tights and my new boots but alas, it was still useless. Stepping out of the terminal was convenient. Free shuttle buses are readily available to take you to big Casinos. First stop is the Venetian.
Inspired by the floating city of Venice, the big casino has the features of the city itself. Gondolas circle the building via artificial rivers. For those who want to try and feel the moment of riding the gondola while you pass by bridges and picturesque view of the casino, you can take a ride on the gondola for a fee. The price range is HKD 100 per person. What makes the ride worth it? The serenade. While the gondoliers push the gondola along the clear water, they sing. And I must say it was very nice, its a like front row seat at a concierto. Shops of international brand are also open to accept any credit cards if you can't resist buying stuff that are on sale. Don't forget to buy egg tarts made fresh everyway.
The sad thing about our visit in Macau was that it was cut short. The cold was simply unbearable. My toes were already frozen. So I can't walk further. We were not able to visit the other sights in Macau. But then again there is still another chance, hopefully. So we went back to Hongkong to change my attire and continue shopping instead.
Winter in Hongkong is everything and more that I have expected. Hopefully, the next time I visit another country during winter, I'd finally get kissed by a snowflake.
No comments:
Post a Comment