Have you been OUTSIDE Disneyland?

Related Posts to this Story:
Day 1 - Have you been OUTSIDE Disneyland?
Day 2 - Ocean Park: See Hong Kong's National Treasures!
Day 3 - Get Up Close and Personal with the Giant Buddha at Ngong Ping
Day 4 - Shopping Galore at Sham Shui Po and Temple Street
Day 5 - How to Get to Victoria's Peak and Avenue of the Stars
Day 6 - Fast Passes: The Secret to Disneyland
Day 7 - How to Get Around Macau for Free
Day 8 - Party the Night Away in Lan Kwai Fong

My first day in Hong Kong was quite interesting. I think of it as visiting places "off the beaten path" because most people would head straight for the Disneyland theme park. We didn't. Anyway, let me start from the beginning.

I went there with two of my officemates, Rona and Diwata. Rona had a cousin working in Hong Kong who kindly allowed us to stay at her flat for the duration of our trip.

Day 1.

Our flight was from Clark International Airport at around 4am so the night before, we traveled to Bulacan to spend the night at Diw's place since it was closer to the airport. We got promo tickets (PHP 2,500++ each) from Cebu Pacific, hence the flight from Clark.

Playing Around at Disneyland Hotel

Since this was an international flight, we had to pay a travel tax of Php 1,620 at the airport.

We arrived at the Hong Kong international airport at around 10am. At the immigration, the tellers asked to see our passports and return tickets. Their airport was huge and since we didn't really know where to go, we followed the crowd of passengers. At one point, we boarded a train to get to the other side of the airport. 0_o You can also grab a map of Hong Kong and some tourist brochures along the way. There was also a money changer in the airport but we were advised not to exchange all our $$ there because there were higher rates at Central. We just needed some HK$$ for a few days until we could get to Central. Btw, we each took about $300 with us as pocket money.

On the outskirts of the park

Tata (Rona's cousin), lived close to the airport and we were at her flat a mere 10-15 minutes after getting inside a taxi. Tata's flat was located in The Caribbean Tower 9, a few minutes walk to Citigate Outlets (branded items at low prices).

We didn't know where to go on our first day because despite all of our research, I was still depending on Tata's information which places were close to each other so we could visit them in a single day and save time.

However she suggested that we go and visit Disneyland first for the remainder of the afternoon because it was close.

Disneyland Hotal

So off we went to ride the MTR. Hong Kong's MTR is the counterpart of our very own MRT, just bigger and more organized. You won't have a problem getting anywhere in Hong Kong if you ride the MTR. The station closest to us was Tung Chung, the orange line. We each bought an Octopus Card. 

An Octopus Card is a very handy card that has a preloaded value, like our MRT cards, which you can swipe and it will deduct your fare. The difference is that the Octopus can be used almost anywhere, not just the MTR. You can use it on a bus, 7-11, even McDonald's. When you're ready to go back to the Philippines, you can surrender it at any station and get your HK$50 back.

A Light Meal at Disneyland Hotel

We got off at the Sunny Bay station for Disneyland. The train heading for Disneyland is also designed to go with the park so there are mickey-shaped windows and Disney character statues inside the train.

Our destination wasn't the theme park itself. Rather, we visited the other interesting sights outside it like the Hollywood Hotel, the Inspiration Lake and the Disneyland Hotel. No entrance fee required. Snacks were provided by a nearby 7-11 and we just sat on their picnic grounds to talk and observe the people passing by. One guy was taking pictures of his girlfriend while a couple was riding a 2-person bicycle. We mostly just walked around and took pictures. We were treated to a light meal at the Disneyland Hotel by Tata.

The Hollywood Hotel

Make sure to have your picture taken by the Holly Wood sign at the Hollywood hotel, and visit the maze in the Disneyland Hotel. I think you can also go boating in the Lake of Inspiration or ride the two-passenger bikes in the park.