Hong Kong Wanderlust 1 of 4

Being in Saudi Arabia has opened my (and the Pink Tarha ladies) eyes into the wonders of traveling in and out the homeland. Saudi Arabia might not be the top country a tourist might want to go to but it sure has paved the way for these ladies to love traveling all the more. The PT ladies want to see various culture and tradition. I personally want to roam the world! (Ambisyosa level eh!)

Let me introduce you to another chapter in the Pink Tarha travel diary. This chapter is on a gem of the South East Asia subregion... the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. Quite a mouthful for a place's name but what the heck. Hong Kong might be a small region with a rather long title but it has lots of surprises for everyone. Filipinos love visiting Hong Kong for one primary reason, a reason which I would love to had shared with the other Pink Tarha ladies only if we have the same vacation dates: SHOPPING!

Welcome to Hong Kong!

Hong Kong is the best country to start a wanderlust. It's easily accessible via budget airlines, it's near (only less than 2 hours away), and it's very tourist-friendly. Their transportation system is very efficient and the city and connecting islands are clean and urbane. Exchange rate is HKD1=PHP6. Like in KSA, there are lots of Filipinos around to make you feel right at home. There might be a little language barrier but with English signs all around, Pinoys will surely do fine.

Wide, clean highways, towering buildings (condominiums), and greens.

I was in Hong Kong days before the holiday with my sisters to discover their tourist areas. Turista mode! First up, the Ocean Park Hong Kong! (This is timely because I've just featured the Manila Ocean Park which was inspired by HK's.) This is what I can say: Nalula ako sa Ocean Park Hong Kong (OPHK)!

Ocean Park Hong Kong, weee!

Since we took a combination of the tram and the bus to go to Ocean Park, the start of the tour is at the Tai Shue Wan entrance leading to the Summit (Headland) area of the park. We're beginning above! (Entrance fee is HKD250=PHP1500 per adult.)

The view from the escalators.

The rides.

The Tower took us several meters above ground and gave us a breathtaking 360 degree view of the whole Ocean Park Headland. It was amazing but very brief.

What you can see from the Ocean Park Tower.

After looking around, we decided to enter the aqua buildings which house diverse marine life.

The Sea Jelly Spectacular gave me this up close and personal view of the creatures.

So cool!

Glowing in the dark.

Red lights illuminate the jellyfishes creating a warm, inviting glow.

At the Atoll Reef, the journey starts with a welcome from this very familiar fish:

A grown-up Nemo.

It starts with an island.

Unlike Manila's Ocean Park, the aquarium starts from the top and people descend stairs to see below the aquarium. It's like going deeper into the ocean.

The small fishes swim almost above water while the larger ones seek the depth.

What lie in the deep.

Santa playing with a stingray.

Once outside, we only got to ride the Crazy Galleon, which is very much like Enchanted Kingdom's Anchors Away. There's more rides to choose from like the jaw-dropping The Abyss or and the dizzying Mine TRain and The Dragon pero dahil takot ako sa mga rides na nakakalula, next time na siguro! :P Just a tip though, don't waste your time in ride queues especially when there's a lot to see. What's good about OPHK is that they warn you how many minutes you'll have to wait for each ride. Most rides like the ferris wheel will let you wait for as long as 30 minutes.

Crazy Galleon.

Take note of the shows in the Ocean Theater. You shouldn't miss it for the world!

The dolphins and their trainers.

The seals and their impressive tricks.

After a few hours in the Headland, we decided to go down to the Waterfront (Lowland) via the cable car. You should ride this one. This is the only thing worth the long wait in line. If you don't want to wait, then head to the newly-opened Ocean Express Summit Station. The trains will take you down in 3 minutes flat.

The view from the cable car.
If you have lots of time in the world, you can hike that concrete trail you see below. Kapagod naman yata yan ever!

Going down, down, down.

The Waterfront.

Christmas cheers for visitors

Because our time is limited, we opted to just enter the Panda Village in the Giant Panda Adventure and visit OPHK's two beloved pandas Ying Ying and Le Le. Too bad, we only saw one panda. Nevertheless, this panda (I'm not sure kung si Ying Ying o Le Le 'to eh) is adorable!

A very playful panda!
The other one is hiding in its room.

More attractions in the Lowland.
The balloons will take you high in the air but it's not the usual air balloons because they're tied to the ground.

That pretty much sums up our Ocean Park. Of course, we didn't leave without souvenirs! There are some stores around carrying lots and lots of key chains, mobile dangles, desk accessories and other trinkets.

Ocean Park souvenirs.
There's some handy toy vendo machines around too. Hay, the perils of choosing!

I highly recommend you go to Hong Kong Ocean Park. MOP is not match for this one. Well, that's understandable. This park owns an island! It houses not only huge aquariums but lots of attractions, rides, restaurants, and shops too. There are lots of construction going on so it'll be bigger and better in the near future. Its website is also very helpful. It's teeming with information from how to get there to buying tickets online to what attractions and shows to enjoy... and a whole lot more!

More Hong Kong attractions on the next Hong Kong wanderlust entries. This place is surely the best starting point to begin a wanderlust in Asia.

Here's to more travels for the Pink Tarha ladies this 2010! Soon, we'll be having a category: Where in the world is this Pink Tarha lady? Lol. (Hindi naman masamang mangarap diba? :)

PS. In line with our anniversary special, we're giving away a sur[prize] for one of The Pink Tarha's Facebook fan. Just complete this sentence: "I LOVE THE PINK TARHA because..." The most creative comment wins a gift! Visit the PT FB fan page now! Thank you!