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angeltriestoblog · 5 years

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Nathan Road and Choi Hung Estate + Tips: Hong Kong 2018, Part 2

Hi, guys! Thanks for sticking around. Today, I’m telling you all about everything that went down during our last day in Hong Kong, and giving out tips as well to anyone who has plans of visiting the city. Since I was very excited for this trip, I took the initiative when it came to planning out the itinerary. I made it my mission to binge watch vlogs and read up on the best places to visit, eat and shop that would satisfy the stomach, heart, wallet and Instagram feed. So according to our agenda for Christmas Eve, we were to have breakfast at the famous Australia Dairy Company, then drop by Choi Hung Estate (yes, this is the actual name of the colorful houses) and Mum’s Not Home (that Instagram-worthy coffee place filled with plants). Then, we’d just look for places around the area where we could scout for clothes and eat dinner. But before setting out to navigate the often puzzling transportation system, we were to roam around the area we were staying in first, eat some street food, go shopping and sightseeing - the usual. The mere minutes we were supposed to spend there stretched into hours until we eventually became so pressed for time we had to change our plans.

Upon looking at Australia Dairy Company’s IG story and seeing the long and winding line of people dying to try their milky scrambled eggs, we had to cross that out of the list, which left me with two other options. I picked Choi Hung Estate on a whim, so my mom and I set out and traveled 11 stations to get there. Several websites had instructed me to take either Exit C4, and true enough, I ended up right in the middle of the complex. I only had to walk to the parking lot behind us and climb a couple of flights of stairs to reach the famed basketball court, which gave a full view of the vibrant buildings towering above it.

Cantonese for “rainbow”, Choi Hung Estate is a residential area established by the Hong Kong government, painted as such to uplift the spirits of their tenants. Its undeniable aesthetic appeal has attracted both tourists and professionals, as it has been featured in marketing campaigns and even a music video of Korean groups (which is honestly how I found out about it) (stan LOONA and stream Love & Live). But most of us aren’t aware that this, along with other public housing projects, has also played an important role in Hong Kong’s history. Due to an unforeseen influx of refugees from China during the time of the second World War, and a fire that displaced over 50,000 of them living in a squatter area, the government took matters into their hands and built permanent estates for them to live in. At present, 30% of the population benefits from this service, while 16% live in apartments purchased with the help of government subsidies.

Okay, enough with the research paper-looking part of this post. Fast forward to later that night, we waited at the bus terminal conveniently located just a few steps away from where we were staying and took an hour long trip to the airport. I enjoyed having my own seat in the corner, listening to music while gazing out the window, admiring the bright lights and bustling people that somewhat encapsulate Hong Kong’s nightlife.

Flights back home are rarely enjoyable to me because it means that I’m going back to reality, but I had bothered checking the videos section of the in-flight entertainment of Cathay Pacific and found several music shows and concert footage with Wanna One in them. I also ate media noche with my family, and arrived back in the Philippines just about five minutes after the clock had struck 12: we literally made it home for Christmas.

This was my second time organizing a trip, the first one being our vacation to South Korea last summer. Back then, I’d get so upset if things didn’t go according to plan, we’d be set back for a couple of hours and adjustments would have to be made due to circumstances beyond our control. Looking back, our Hong Kong trip did not go exactly the way I had planned, but this time around, I didn’t mind as much: in fact, I still had one of the greatest times of my life. Here are some tips that I have to make sure that you make the most out of your stay as well!

First, book a place in a great location. Take us, for example: our hotel was smack dab in the middle of Nathan Road, 3.6 kilometers lined with malls, shops and restaurants for anyone’s eyes to feast on. There were also money changers if ever we needed to convert cash, and a 7/11 that I constantly raided for Haagen Dazs Speculoos ice cream for when we had to buy and reload our Octopus cards. These are crucial to have on hand at all times, by the way, as this serves as any tourist’s means of payment for all public transport, most retail shops, parking meters and vending machines, among many others. Other factors to keep in mind when looking for a place to stay in would be its proximity to modes of public transportation, and the other places on your itinerary.

Second, be extra patient and willing to make compromises! Hong Kong did prove itself to be quite the challenge to go around: the weather was cold, there was a lot of walking involved to get from place to place. People also move really fast, like all inhabitants have a meeting to get to in five minutes, and they rarely apologize if they bump into you in the process. In addition, most of them smoke too - there aren’t any designated smoking areas, much to the dismay of those who are allergic to cigarette smoke like me so the chances of getting the stuff puffed in your face are high. But, I refused to let any of those external factors get in the way and keep me from having a good time.

We also paid a visit just in time for the holidays, which is obviously peak season: it was crowded everywhere we went, queues were long for everything from tourist attractions to bathrooms and waiting times often stretched out for indefinite periods of time. There really isn’t any other way to work around this, except to ditch all your plans and choose to stay at home so if you can’t afford to make that sacrifice, it would be best to accept the things that come with travelling during this time of the year. Drop places that aren’t the most convenient to go to at the moment, and switch them out for more realistic alternatives. If you’re the type who has a lot of specific restaurants on your itinerary, I’d suggest that you don’t be too particular of where you want to eat: there are several great places to eat just littered around the area. The little shops and stalls in the middle of the street, or hidden in alleyways and basements are the ones that locals usually flock to, and thus have the best finds.

Third, be sure to book a WiFi hotspot online as soon as possible! If there’s one screw-up we made during the trip that you could learn from, it’s that we failed to do this, and ended up suffering the consequences. Literally the minute you get your hands on your tickets, head over to Klook and reserve one for your trip. Although all the vloggers I watched advised getting a WiFi hotspot online, their words of advice came a few days too late since when I headed to Klook, there were no more units available for the days of our trip. I didn’t think this would be a problem though and assumed that there would be several available at the airport, just like in Korea. But when we had arrived and scoured all the kiosks, they were all sold out because everyone already reserved online days before. Needless to say, navigating a foreign land either without the help of Google Maps at all, or having to stop at a random place, pray that they have free WiFi and get all the directions needed within the 15 minute time limit allotted for non-paying visitors, was one of the most challenging things I’ve ever had to do.

So, there you have it! I hope you enjoyed my posts just as much as I enjoyed putting them together: I’ve made a pact of sorts with myself to strive to be more creative in taking and editing the photos that accompany my words, so I recently availed of the seven-day free trial of VSCO X. Although I must say it was quite time-consuming, I did have fun experimenting with the 130+ filters available for me to choose from. I plan on writing one more blog post before I go back to school on the 21st, so be sure to keep tabs on that!

Wishing you nothing but love and light,

Angel

#adventures #angeltriestoblog #angel goes to hong kong #nathan road #choi hung estate

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