The bustling city of Hong Kong

Hong Kong was my first Asian trip outside the Philippines. It was also my last stop after hopping from city to city in the States. I was excited but ready to get it over with at the same time. It was probably because of my longing to go back home that I didn't really see it as a trip but more like a long stopover.

I had four days to tour the city and adjust my body clock back to the timezone I'm used to. Good thing I had my favorite travel buddy, Sharjan, with me to do all the planning :) We opted not to join any tour group and rough it on our own, amazing race-style! If I must list the top things you should check out when you have less than a week in HK, here are my recommendations:

Eat authentic dimsum and local fave food

I was quite surprised that the locals didn't know what "steamed rice" means. A staple in all Chinese restaurants in the Philippines, steamed rice is a mixture of rice with soy sauce topped with beef, chicken, or pork - the latter being the most popular choice. Apart from the fact that most of the locals didn't speak or understand English, I had to point at every food I wanted without any knowledge of what the "meat" was. I chose something similar to "steamed rice" with what clearly seemed like pork mixed in. It tasted different than what I expected but it was surely a delightful surpise!

Egg tarts

Go shop crazy!

We stayed at Hotel Ramada in Kowloon - right smack in the middle of all the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong. The moment you step out of the hotel, bright neon lights greet you on your way out. The most fascinating thing about the city is the fact that it almost never sleeps! At 3am, you can still walk in a shop and buy a blouse or bag on sale! The streets are literally bright with all the lights from the different shops that are still open in the wee hours of the morning! A funny observation I had was the obvious trend of 7-Eleven stores in almost every corner in the city! The countless 7-Eleven stores are similar to the number of "sari-sari" stores we have in the Philippines! It was an amusing sight to see. :)

I also recommend shopping at the Ladies Market where you could find everything from knock-offs to Chinese souveniers! If you love our Divisoria and Greenhills tiangge, this is the place for you.

Be amazed at the Symphony of Lights

symphony of lights

Be sure to watch the spectacular show at Victoria Harbor as Hong Kong Island and Kowloon's key building are under your showcase. The best thing about it? It's FREE! Watch in amazement as colorful building lights dance to the music blaring all over the harbor. It's completely breathtaking!

Ride the Peak Tram on your way to Victoria Peak

peak tram

Hop on a ferry boat to Hong Kong island and ride the Peak Tram to Victoria Peak. The pick-up station is already a nice stopover itself, with a sneak peak at Madame Tausaud's Wax Museum and interesting history facts about the tram.

at the highest peak

Once you reach Victoria Peak, buy a ticket to gain access to the highest floor of the Peak Tower to see the stunning views of the city's skyscrapers and neon-dotted skyline at night. You can spend the whole afternoon at the Tower and enjoy the various restaurants and shops it offers. Don't forget to bargain for a good price. I got a massager for only HK$100 - way cheaper than its original price of HK$350!!!

Walk down the Avenue of Stars

Hong Kong's own "walk of fame"

Avenue of Stars is Hong Kong's own version of Hollywood's Walk of Fame. Enjoy a stroll along the avenue lined with film-related statues and an amazing view of Hong Kong island. Most of the celebrities were unknown to me but I did see Jackie Chan's and Bruce Lee's respective stars. :) This is also the place where you can watch the Symphony of Lights.

We were also lucky enough to visit the Olympic Village, which showcased HK's cute little mascots!

Eat chicken with a plastic glove

eating with my hands

I've been to KFCs at different locations but I never knew that Hong Kong offered plastic gloves to customers to eat chicken with! It's not just at KFC, it's everywhere! I had to try it! It was so liberating to eat with my hands at a fast food joint without feeling icky. Lol!

Spend a day at Disneyland

with Mickey :)

We're all kids at heart and what better place to be a big kid than Disneyland?! The best ride for me was Space Mountain! It was out of this world! We rode it twice. The only thing stopping us from riding it again and again was the long queue. It's a definite must at Disneyland.

Another event you can't afford to miss is the fireworks display! It's at the end of the day but it's worth waiting for. Watching the fireworks lit up the sky to famous Disney songs playing in the background was an experience I will never forget. It brought me back to my childhood years of watching Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Aladdin, and all the amazing fairy tales I loved as a kid.

The things I mentioned above could never cover the endless activities you can enjoy in Hong Kong. A week is not even enough to enjoy this great city! If you plan on exploring Asia and what diversity and culture it has to offer, definitely stop by Hong Kong. It's worth it!

fireworks @ the Disney castle

New place

I'm blogging from my room at the Boston Park Plaza! The owner of the apartment where I'm staying at is in town, so I have to stay here for the meantime. No complaints here! :) It's a fancy hotel, I must say. Love the location. Love the room. Love it.

Beantown!

I'm in Boston! :) I'm still adjusting to the time and all. It's 1am here and I'm awake hehe I've been sleeping for hours! I actually missed a boat trip I was invited to. :-( I'm just too tired right now and I have a killer headache that just won't go away!

Anyway, Boston is beautiful! My apartment is gorgeous and is located in a nice neighborhood called Beacon Hill. I'm around Charles Street - a few steps away from the Cheers bar! hehe The streets are paved with cobblestones, and the old houses and buildings are great architectural masterpieces! I'll post some pictures of the neighborhood soon.

Tomorrow, I'll have a full day of sightseeing. I'm planning to go grocery shopping and get a prepaid phone kit. (photo: the view from our office).

A few hours to go...

In less than 24 hours, I'll be on my way to Boston. That's approximately 20 hours of travel - on my own! I'm nervous about it, but it hasn't sunk in yet. Perhaps, when Sharjan and his sister, Sabrina, finally drop me off at the airport that's when panic mode sets in.

This is my first time to travel ALONE. No boyfriend to carry my bags and lead the trip for me. :-( I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I have mixed feelings about it. But I'm sure the experience will be fun!

Anyway, I'm all packed. But another thing I'm worried about is my suitcase. I can fit myself in it! It is HUGE. I'll be the lost Asian dragging around a huge suitcase asking for directions at the airport! Ugh! Embarrassing!

I'll be posting pictures soon! Hopefully, I can get Internet where I'll be staying. xoxo

I've got a swimmer in the family!

Yesterday, Sharjan and I brought Chewy to Jo's By The Sea for lunch. He was his usual spunky self, barking at the waiters and little kids. (I know, I'm an embarrassed parent!) Other than that, he really was behaved. After our meal, we decided to walk on the beach to burn off all those calories. Lo and behold, my baby boy jumped right into the water! This was the second time he did that. The first was during our Bais/Manjuyod sandbar trip last April. We were in the water and he jumped right off the boat to swim toward us! The dog's got guts! This time, he swam a little longer. In fact, he did laps around me (show off!). We are so proud! Sharjan and I are terrible swimmers! It's good to know someone in the family can swim :-) Check out the pictures below:

A night out with my girls

This week, I caught up with my girlfriends for drinks at Pier One. We were missing Dee that night as she had to work 'till early morning. :( It was one of our mini reunions, and, as always, we had a blast!

An insomniac rambles...

It's 3AM and I'm still awake. I've watched an entire season of Sex and the City and channel surfed for almost an hour now. My dogs sleep better than I do - believe me, they're snoring their fat asses off and completely hogging my bed!

I've had this problem since forever. It probably started when I used to stay up late as a kid - watching hours and hours of TV while everyone was sound asleep. I heard from someone that lack of sleep would result to weight loss! I know, I know, it's sick! I was a heavy kid and I had issues! Now, I know that lack of sleep only slows your metabolism and messes up your system. So, staying awake is not an attempt to lose a few pounds. It's plainly a problem that I can't seem to find a solution for. There was a time when I heavily relied on Tylenol PM to help me sleep (well, I stopped a few months ago when I ran out of pills). I knew that it was bad; but with my two previous jobs, which both required me to wake up early, I badly needed the help (or else, I'd be a walking zombie).

A lot of factors come into play with a sleep disorder. I've read that stress causes one to lose sleep. Am I stressed? Well, I've recently left my job of 10 months, and I'm moving on with another job - so, that could be it. I'm handling my parents' new house, which by the way, is having delays worse than our so-called Filipino time! And I'm also trying to fix my passport and thanks to the agencies involved, the process is getting longer than I anticipated. So, I guess I'd have to answer my own question with a "yes."

I have 2 months to figure this out and find a solution ASAP. I will officially work full time for my new company this Monday, but we have no office yet so my schedule is pretty flexible. However, by August, I would have to go to work at a new office environment with a fixed schedule. I better be sleeping like a baby and waking up like a rooster before that! :-(