Pagsasalarawan: Hong Kong

Showing posts with label Hong Kong. Show all posts

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Hong Kong Ocean Park Cable Car

I used to wonder what was so thrilling about Hong Kong's Ocean Park. I've never been to the one back home either. In my mind, I so often dismiss the idea of spending that much only to go to 'just another' theme park!

"What else could there be more than Disneyland Paris or Atlantis/Wild Wadi Dubai?!" Forgive me. To be honest, that's what pops in my head when a theme park invitation comes my way! It's simply because it cost a lot of money to be able to enjoy places like these. Aside from the ride all you want entrance fee, of course one has to spend on food and drinks too and these aren't cheap at all!

Hong Kong Ocean Park Cable Car

But recently, in my visit to Hong Kong I have decided to just go with the flow and do what most people do. Go to where most people go. Perhaps they do it for a good enough reason. Don't you think? And, that would be going to Ocean Park for one!

True enough, the experience was fun filled! Maybe I could say, it was worth every penny!

*On a note though, every popular theme park has its own distinguishable attractions so one's degree of appreciation may vary on what actually interests him. Furthermore, there a lot of relatively new parks open today, which I'm sure others may find equally more interesting like Singapore's Universal Studio or Sentosa; UAE's Ferrari World and Iceland etc.

Hong Kong Ocean Park Cable Car

I, along with three other friends, went there just this June. The month was not exactly the best month to visit Hong Kong. It was hot, humid and there were chances of rain if forecasts were to tell you. Indeed it was hot and humid.

Luckily though, it wasn't raining when we went there.

So, what's in Ocean Park?

One of the most popular must do in Ocean Park is riding the cable car! Afraid of heights?! Help yourself and don't be because this, for the most part, is what you pay for!!!

Hong Kong Ocean Park Cable Car

Covering an area of 870,000 square metres of land,

the park is separated by a large mountain into two areas,

The Summit (Headland) and The Waterfront (Lowland) respectively.

The areas can be reached by a 1.5 km long cable car system, a shuttle bus, or the Ocean Express funicular railway.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_Park_Hong_Kong

Hong Kong Ocean Park Cable Car

Ocean Park features a 1.5-kilometre (0.93 mi) long cable car system connecting the lowland and the upland areas of the park with an 8.3 minute journey.

It has a capacity of 4,000 passengers per hour with 252 cable cars on two pairs of ropeways. Each car has a capacity of six passengers.

The cable car system perches on the side of the mountain and allow its passengers a quite overwhelming scenic view of the other side of Hong Kong.

There were highs and lows along the journey.

It was pretty fascinating to see colorful, bubble-like cable cars
which seem afloat and in contrast to the verdant mountain.
I was actually in awe... like a child in awe.
I couldn't get enough of the experience to the point that I kept on blabbing about it!
Not only me though, my friends were also pleased with the experience!
If only time wasn't a constraint, I would have taken the ride a couple of times more!

Anyways, here are the photos.

Enjoy and do visit Ocean Park when you happen to be in Hong Kong, ok?!

Hong Kong Ocean Park Cable Car

Hong Kong Ocean Park Cable Car

Hong Kong Ocean Park Cable Car

Hong Kong Ocean Park Cable Car

The yellow and red thing, that's the Hair Raiser which only opened just last December 2011.
Here's my post for that:
http://kharensarroza.blogspot.com/2012/06/hong-kong-hair-raiser-ocean-park.html

By the way, Ocean Park also showcases a lot of shows - The Sea Dreams Show is one.

More about it here:

http://kharensarroza.blogspot.com/2012/06/hong-kong-ocean-park-sea-dreams-show.html

Hong Kong Ocean Park Cable Car

Are you so lovin' Hong Kong now like me?

Appreciate it better knowing how rich it's culture is. Visit the famous

Mongkok - a very lively market!

Here's the post:

http://kharensarroza.blogspot.com/2012/06/hong-kong-mongkok-and-vicinity.html

Hong Kong Ocean Park Cable Car

Friday, July 6, 2012

Hong Kong Beyond Disneyland

What comes to your mind when you hear "Hong Kong Disneyland"? Fun!! Right? As they say, it's the happiest place on earth! What more? To many people, Hong Kong is synonymous to Disneyland and Ocean Park! I'm one of those! No. I was.

Not anymore, I mean.

Anyways, what actually happens in Disneyland is that both

kids and adults alike endure the hot and very humid weather to enjoy the theme park!

Enjoying Hong Kong Disneyland

To capture their fun in Disney, people take lots and lots of photos!!

Here's how it looks like...

Tourists busy taking photos

People gather and wait for their favorite and not so favorite characters in the parade!

Tourists were mostly Asians. A few were westerners. A lot of Chinese were there too.

People usually use digital cameras and iphones; occasionally ipad and tabs.

Digital cameras..but they've got very nice ones, they've got the bridge cameras.

It's actually quite overwhelming to see a lot of them using this kind. Yes, they can afford it.

Teens were plenty during our trip. It's nice to see them so good at self-cam approach!

It was so hot. Either you want to be on the shade; you wear hat;

or just go and well, bask under the heat of Hong Kong sun!

Yeah, we were spying at his camera! In the foreground is my friend.

So cute dads, so young :p

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Hong Kong - Mongkok and Vicinity

Definitely in Hong Kong's must do list is visiting lively Mongkok! They're selling almost anything here. It's a treat for the eyes. Have fun!

And, here's another note from Wikipedia:
Mong Kok (also spelt Mongkok), is an area in the Yau Tsim Mong District on Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong. Before the 1994 merger, Mong Kok was part of the Mong Kok District. The Prince Edward area occupies the northern part of Mong Kok.

The district is characterized by a mixture of old and new multi-story buildings, with shops and restaurants at street level and commercial or residential units above. Major industries in Mong Kok are retail, restaurants (including fast food) and entertainment.

According to Guinness World Records, Mong Kok has the highest population density in the world (mean 130,000 per km2 or 340,000 per mi2) and with a development multiple of four.

Young and not so young.

Yeah, a lot of tourists were Chinese too!

Street food stores always on the corner

Thirsty? or Hungry? Have a break from shopping and grab a bite.

At first look, I thought they were tomatoes of some sort. Read. Strawberries!

Fruits!!!

Phone accessories... or whatever :)

A lot of Jades!!

I bought 3 of them for 15HKD. Boy, girl and castle.

Shirts for the kids and feeling kids.

Aww, I was surprised to see they're selling here plants too!

Shopping = Hong Kong. Truly. Blouses and dress range from 40-80HKD.
With the fabric and the designs, it's not bad at all!

Friday, June 29, 2012

Hong Kong - Moving Around

Firstly, keep in mind that Hong Kong is geographically composed of mainly four sections: Hong Kong Island (central business hub; where Ocean Park and The Peak are), Kowloon peninsula (where traditional sights are and where you would most likely stay), the New Territories and the outlying islands (including Lantau Island where the airport and Disneyland are).

http://www.chinatouristmaps.com/provinces/hong-kong.html

Hong Kong has a highly developed and sophisticated transport network, encompassing both public and private transport. And, over 90% of the daily journeys are on public transport, making it the highest rate in the world.

The Octopus card, a smart electronic money payment system, has been introduced in September 1997 to provide an alternative to the traditional banknotes and coins. It allows payment for not only public transport but also at parking meters, convenience stores, supermarkets, fast-food restaurants and most vending machines.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_Hong_Kong

Hong Kong International Airport - HKIA

Terminal 1 of the HKIA is currently the third largest airport passenger terminal building in the world (570,000 m²), after Dubai International Airport's Terminal 3 (1,500,000 m²) and Beijing Capital International Airport's Terminal 3 (986,000 m²^[17]) - Wikipedia

HKIA is equipped with a lot of Timetable screens and internet stations.
In addition, besides the wifi all over the airport, there are also a lot of shops to keep you busy while waiting for your flight = tons of shops to spend your money..if you have! xp

The airport has a total of 70 boarding gates, with 63 jet bridge gates and seven virtual gates which are used as assembly points for passengers, who are then ferried to the aircraft by apron buses. - Wikipedia

HKIA is of course linked to other transports.
Most likely, after the plane ride will be the bus ride! Give yourself, 5-10minutes to find the ticketing station. Most people take the bus to get to the city as it is the cheapest option (33HKD) which will take you to the center of Kowloon at about an hour. The more expensive alternative is the Airport Express train which costs 100HKD with 20-25mins travel time.

Surely, you won't get lost in the airport since there are a lot of information stations.

Inside the A21 bus.

People queueing for the bus. Luggage in the bus.
To note, the 360degree wheels won't do standing in the bus. It better be laid on the floor instead unless you want it moving around annoyingly and noisily!

Like anywhere else, no eating and drinking allowed inside the bus.
Parents with kids and the elderly should be given the seating priority.
So cute caricature of an old woman!

Hong Kong Taxis

Honestly speaking, we were puzzled to see old model cars as taxis in a highly urbanized place in comparison to Dubai's luxury car taxis - Camry and Altima.
The explanation below enlightened me.

Most of the taxis in Hong Kong run on LPG (liquified petroleum gas) to reduce emissions. In August 2000 a one-off cash grant was paid to taxi owners who replaced their diesel taxi with an LPG one.
Since August 2001, all newly purchased taxis run on LPG. By the end of 2003, over 99.8% of the taxi fleet in Hong Kong ran on LPG. - Wikipedia

Inside the right hand drive taxi.
Although the units are a bit old, the cars are still clean and efficient.
It still delivers you safely to your destination!

The Tram or Ding Ding
Locally known as 'Ding Ding', the tram has been an essential part of Hong Kong Island’s daily life for over a century. http://www.discoverhongkong.com/tramguide/eng/

A tram (also known as a tramcar, streetcar, trolley car) is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way.

Most trams today use electrical power, usually fed by a pantograph (a hinged electric-rod device that collects electric current from overhead lines for electric trains or trams)
in some cases by a sliding shoe on a third rail or trolley pole. If necessary, they may have several power systems.

The passenger waiting area for the tram is at the middle of the road.

The fare is HK$2.30 for adults, HK$1.20 for children under 12, and HK$1.00 for senior citizens 65 and above. Unlike most other forms of public transport in Hong Kong, there is a uniform tariff regardless of the distance travelled. Passengers pay by either depositing the exact fare in coins or using the Octopus card. -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Tramways

See those black rods above the tram? That's the pantograph!

Big bus view. Notice the overpass on the left. Seldom are pedestrian crossings at the ground level. Indeed, Hong Kong is a very vertical city!!
On the right, Hong Kong Islands' streets.