Hong Kong- A Traveller's Paradise

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Hong Kong is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. Situated on China's south coast and, enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Seat is known for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour. From the Magnificent harbour line to the clear, sandy beaches, from the tall, mighty buildings to the picturesque landscapes of Victoria peak, from the enlivening world of Disneyland to the never ending street markets, Hong Kong is truly a Traveller’s paradise, fulfilling everyone’s holiday fantasies .Hong Kong provides a wide array of choices for its tourists in terms of places to visit. Rightfully known as "Golden Egg", "The World's most vertical City", "The orient Manhattan", "The paradise of shopping", "Food paradise" and "City of life", Hong Kong is just a perfect holiday destination to experience all the aspects of holidaying.

Hong Kong was always on my must see? list. The most prominent reason was Disneyland?, every child's paradise. After 13 years of wishes in my summer holidays four of us(me, my mom, dad & brother) were finally in Hong Kong .To my utmost surprise Hong Kong was not a place that I had imagined-A city full of buildings, but it was a true holiday destination with lots to offer .It turned out to be one of my favourite holiday experiences. In this Travel Blog I have shared my experience and some major places to spend some great time.

Getting around Hong Kong-

This is probably the most determining factor of the trip as it results in the amount of time one spends on travel and the places one visits. Frankly speaking, travel was not at all a problem in Hong Kong. We easily got around from one end of the city to another in just a few minutes. There are innumerable ways to travel, but the most commonly preferred, and convenient way is by Hong Kong's Mass Transit Railway (MTR) network of underground and suburban rail which is the fastest way to get around the territory (you can actually travel from one island to another through it).We were in Hong Kong for 7 days and we were completely amazed by it. We also travelled through their beautiful double decker buses, trams, ferries and the city taxis (If you buy the Octavian card then you can easily travel with any means of transport in Hong Kong at discounted prices).I must admit that Hong Kong has probably the best and the most varied system of public transport, which was equally agreed by my father (who has visited almost every significant country on the globe).

The Big Bus Tour-

Now here comes the most exciting part-“The big bus”, the best way for tourists to get around Hong Kong. We travelled for 2 days through this bus and totally enjoyed its lovely ride. If you have a short period of time and want to still visit the major places of Hong Kong the Big bus will guide you through all the interesting tourist and shopping places (including major landmarks) of Hong Kong with detailed descriptions and history of every place with the help of audio guides as you get around .It was an awesome experience to explore Hong Kong in this unique way.

Climate-

We visited Hong Kong during May, with bags full of summer clothing (which was our biggest mistake) but we were surprisingly welcomed with Hong Kong’s cold weather, unlike India’s sweaty, sultry Mays. We later learnt that Hong Kong has its summer during July and August. Hong Kong’s climate is mostly pleasant throughout the year (temperature hardly rises over 32°C) and one may be greeted with unexpected showers at any times of the day and year.

Places to visit-

From a 2 day trip to a 15 day trip, absolutely anything can be fun in Hong Kong. All the days spent in Hong Kong were so unique and we enjoyed every single day of our 7 day trip. Not only the places but also the beautiful journey to those places was a fabulous experience. Contrary to what I had imagined, that Hong Kong is a business oriented trade hub where one can only see uncountable buildings across a harbour line, Hong Kong, which is made up of 3 main islands, has only 30%!o(MISSING)f its total land used for urbanisation and the rest is completely in the hands of nature.The real magic of Hong Kong's beautiful countryside is how close it lies to the city. Deserted beaches, frolicking dolphins and mountain ridges are all within easy reach of the urban hub of Hong Kong. We took the big bus’ nature tour to explore the wild side of Asia’s world city. We visited the following places-

Victoria Peak –

Victoria Peak is a mountain in the western half of Hong Kong Island. With an altitude of 552 m (1,811 ft.), it is the highest mountain on the island. This was the most beautiful place in Hong Kong. We sat in cute red tram which was almost vertically climbing the green mountain to reach the Victoria peak. We closely viewed the exotic beauty of the lush green landscape through this tram. The Peak is home to many species of birds, most prominently the Black Kite, and numerous species of butterflies. On reaching the Victoria peak, we found two major leisure and shopping centres, the Peak Tower and the Peak Galleria, situated adjacent to each other, filled with varied Chinese souvenirs. The peak offered some staggering views of the Central, Victoria Harbour, Lamma Island and the surrounding islands. Though, at first we were kind of disappointed because of the usual fogging but the skies soon cleared away for pleasing our eyes with some awe striking sights. The viewing deck also had coin operated telescopes that the visitors can use to enjoy the cityscape. Our trip to the Victoria peak was one of the most thrilling ones.

Repulse Bay-

Primarily an upmarket residential area, sun-drenched Repulse Bay has a relaxed resort-like feel to it. Its wide, wave-lapped beach is simply picturesque for at sunset when all has turned mellow.

This crescent-shaped stretch of sand is one of the most beautiful beaches in Hong Kong.The place is a luxurious residential area for dining, relaxation, and aquatic activities. We spent some fun time there playing in the beach with golden, soft sand with clear azure blue water gently lapping the seashore. We were so much carried away with its splendor that we actually (though short of time) came to visit it again on the last day.

Hong Kong Disneyland-

Here comes the most fun part of our Hong Kong trip-“The Hong Kong Disneyland”. From the very beginning of my life I had always dreamt of visiting this wonderland and this was the most important reason for us being in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Disneyland is located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island.

It was an exuberating journey through the Disney train (with mickey shaped windows and Disney interior and exterior) to the special Disneyland MTR station which welcomed us to the magical land of Disney.

As me and my brother entered the gates we were greeted by the contagious lively atmosphere with kids and adults immersed in the Disney spirit alike. Disneyland was a place where time was hardly noticeable. If one wants to completely enjoy Disneyland then spending 2 days would be really worthwhile (we too spent 2 days).

Throughout the park are 'Hidden Mickeys', or representations of Mickey Mouse heads inserted subtly into the design of attractions and environmental decor. An elevated berm supports a narrow gauge railroad that circumnavigates the park.

The park currently has seven themed areas hosting various rides, shops, restaurants, and live entertainment.

§ The Main Street, U.S.A. - Inspired by the Main Street, U.S.A.in Disneyland, the buildings of this Main Street are very cute. Hong Kong Disneyland's Main Street, U.S.A. serves as the entrance of the park. We clicked several photographs in the real looking buildings.

§ Adventure Land - Hong Kong Disneyland's Adventure land is the biggest among all Disney parks and features jungle-themed adventures. It features a large island area home to Tarzan's Tree house, circled by the Jungle Cruise — much like the Rivers in most Frontier land theme areas. The tree house’s different levels showed different stages of Tarzan’s life (filled with life-size statues of the characters and wells, and crockery and fireplaces of Tarzan’s times). Walking through the Tree house was like walking through a storybook. The Adventure land is also home to the "Festival of the Lion King" show, a lively colourful show, showcasing the life of Simba.

§ Grizzly Gulch- Resembling an abandoned mining town set amidst mountains and woods, we thoroughly enjoyed the electrifying roller coaster at the Grizzly Gulch and its lovely artificial geysers and water spouts.

§ Fantasy Land- It is one of the most spectacular Themed areas with exquisite décor and pretty landscapes. The most interesting part was meeting and interacting with the Disney characters. We met Belle, Cinderella, Tinker bell, Mickey, Donald, Minnie, Daisy, Buzz, Woody, and Jessie. Adorned with the Sleeping Beauty castle at its centre, Fantasyland had a weird but cute clock tower kind of building enchanted with sweet little dolls of the world dancing around the jubilant palace as we row around in the boat. The place had different areas of all the continents and the dolls dressed and dance depending on their continent. The place is just beyond description and we actually loved the ride so much that we did it twice.

§ Toy-story Land- We were all unanimous that the Toy story land was the most tastefully and exactly decorated theme area completely dedicated to the all-time favourite Disney movie-“Toy Story”. As the Toy Story characters make you feel ebullient you are perfectly flabbergasted by the feel that you are a toy. Thoughtfully constructed, the toy story land has grass much taller than you and decorations which are the size of two storied buildings almost convincing you that you are a toy. It has some (somewhat childish) Toy Story inspired rides, which my seven year old brother especially relished.

§ Tomorrow Land- It was the most electrifying park with the most fun roller-coaster (on which we sat 3 times!!!), making you feel as if you are on a rocket ride zooming through the space at great speed. Tomorrow land is based on Space, adventure and the way Disney imagines the future.

The most beautiful fireworks show that I saw was in this wonderland. We were speechless, awestruck and bewildered by its fabulousness, colourfulness, vivacity, and beauty. With the entire Disneyland crowd gathered in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle, the show is a combination of a laser show (projected on the walls of the castle) and the seemingly endless colourful fireworks with Disney music at the background.

One of the most crucial parts of one’s Disneyland experience is the Parade. We had skipped the parade on the first day and on the second day we felt really disappointed because of the incessant rain which continued for almost for the whole day. But, Disney didn't let us lose or hopes as the performed their awesome rainy day parade with all our favourite characters waving at the enthusiastic audience in their special Disney raincoats.

Our 2 days at Disneyland was an unforgettable experience. It is advisable to carry an umbrella as the weather may turn out to be too sunny or rainy at any time. The spectacular shows (specially the “Golden mickeys”) and the short 4D movie (best 4D show I have ever seen) were commendable.

Disneyland left none of our fantasies incomplete. We were very happy at the end of the day as we had done every single ride and had watched every single show.As Disney promises this experience was “magical……”.

The Avenue of Stars

With commemorative plaques, celebrity handprints, descriptive milestones, movie memorabilia, a life-size statue of Kung Fu action hero Bruce Lee and a bronze rendering of popular cartoon character Mc Dull, the Avenue of Stars fittingly sets the glamour of Hong Kong’s film industry against the captivating dazzle of Victoria Harbour. Closely situated near our hotel, the Victoria peak has a nice atmosphere in the evening. This was also the perfect vantage point to catch the A Symphony of Lights multimedia show, where across the splendid Victoria harbour we saw all the giant buildings beautifully illuminated and colourful laser lights projecting their magic on them.

Ocean Park-

Ocean Park Hong Kong is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, animal theme park and amusement park. Though we had earlier known about only HK Disneyland, Ocean Park was an equally fun and exciting place. It was uniquely based on the ocean creatures and actually had places called the North pole and the South pole (with freezing temperatures) which had actual penguins, seals, walruses, and other pole creatures that even swam below us (visible due to the glass floor).It was really cool to touch a walrus’ nose (a thick glass was between my hand and his nose) and see the penguins being fed and played with (by the care takers there). Chinese sturgeon aquarium, as well as a world-class aquarium featuring the world's largest aquarium dome which displaying more than 5,000 fish was particularly beautiful with all kinds of coral reef, sharks, sting rays, jelly fishes, and many colourful schools of fishes all around us. The cable car ride across the mountain and sea to the other part of the island of the ocean park was truly enticing. The theme park currently has a wide array of informative shows and adrenaline roller coasters, attractions and rides, and also animal exhibits with different themes, such as a giant panda habitat, a jelly fish.

We spent the last half of our last day shopping in the street markets of Hong Kong, jam packed with people from all the continents (except Antarctica obviously!). These markets sell all kind of items from watches to clothes. We found the Stanley market particularly interesting and cheaper and of better quality as compared to the other markets of Hong Kong. With this, our Hong Kong trip came to an end. It was a vivacious and beautiful trip to the Alpha City. Our stay in the ‘Harbour Grande” hotel is worth mentioning. It was right on the harbour line and offered staggering views of the sea. It is worth visiting Hong Kong back. As we sat in our flight and recollected our beguiling memories we felt its charm pulling us back. Our Hong Kong trip was indeed a satisfying one…



The End………

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