Hong Kong (May '15)

Traveled to Hong Kong from 13 May (Wed) to 16 May (Sat). As it had been four years since my last trip, therefore would like to see any new changes and at the same time explore new attractions. Hong Kong is a familiar place to me as a tourist where I do not need to hold any map to navigate around.

Leisure trip at a glance

Country / Region: People's Republic of China (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region)
Period: 13 May to 16 May 2015
Flight timings:
13 May: SQ 856, SIN–HKG, ETD 0930 ETA 1330
16 May: SQ 891, HKG–SIN, ETD 1230 ETA 1615
Air tickets: Return tickets at SGD 299.70 (inclusive of airport taxes)
Accommodation: M1 Hotel (13 to 16 May)
Currency exchange rate: HKD 100 = SGD 17.39 (May '15 period)

There is no time difference between Singapore and Hong Kong as both are in GMT+8 time zone. Total damage was about SGD 650 including transport, food & hotel, and excluding personal expenses.


Day One

Took a taxi to the airport early in the morning.

Local Breakfast

Decided to have Killiney as breakfast in Terminal 3 after immigration clearance (left photo below). Got myself a typical 'local' set consisted of toasted bread, soft-boiled eggs and a cup of tea at SGD 4.80 (right photo below).
Flight Meal

Glad that the flight SQ 856 took off on time at 0930 hours. Beverage was first provided just after the plane had ascended (left photo below). As for the main course, I selected duck noodles for this flight meal (right photo below).
Travel Pass

Flight arrived in Hong Kong International Airport at about 1.30 pm. After immigration clearance, I then proceeded to purchase an '72-hours Airport Express Travel Pass' at HKD 300. This pass allowed me to travel using Airport Express twice and unlimited MTR travel within 72-hours. The deposit cash of HKD 50 in the travel pass can be refunded at the MTR customer service center located in the airport before departure.

M1 Hotel (油麻地M1酒店)

Had been staying in Seaview hotel for my past visits, therefore this time would like to try another hotel within the same area. Reserved M1 Hotel via the internet only one month before the trip at SGD 295 for 3 nights per standard room. This hotel is just 2-mins walk from Yau Ma Tei (油麻地) MTR station.

The room was bright and designed in simple decorations using soothing colors (photos below). With the bay window, the room surely can accommodate up to three persons.
Bathroom was clean with basic amenities (left photo below) and its corridor was well lit with ceiling lights (right photo below).
Jenny Bakery (珍妮曲奇)

Jenny Bakery has become very popular within a year in Singapore and considered a must-have souvenir from Hong Kong. This bakery is highly coveted for its range of oven-baked butter cookies packed in their signature teddy bear tins.

Visited their Hong Kong Island outlet at No. 15 Wing Wo Street, Sheung Wan (MTR exit E2). It was rather small store with a relatively short queue when I reached there (left photo below). After waited for about 5 minutes, I then bought a few tins of two-mix butter cookies at HKD 130 for 640-grams and HKD 70 for 320-grams (right photo below).
Curry House Coco Ichibanya (壱番屋)

After my food souvenir purchase, I then took metro to Causeway Bay (銅鑼灣) MTR station for some shopping. Saw the food displays at the Curry House Coco Ichibanya located at Windsor House which looked appetizing, thus decided to give it a try (left photo below). Was first deceived by the bar counter seats near the entrance thinking the restaurant was small, in fact the seating capacity of this restaurant was plentiful once entered (right photo below).
Order a bowl of salad and iced lemon tea (left photo below), and a beef curry rice as main course (right photo below). Taste was good and savoury. Total cost for this meal was HKD 91.30 inclusive of 10% service charge.


Fast-food as Supper

Probably still felt hungry while walking back to the hotel from Yau Ma Tei (油麻地) MTR station, I then entered into a fast-food restaurant to get my supper (left photo below). Bought a 'take-away' beef burger with charcoal bun set meal at HKD 38.20 (right photo below).
After a sumptuous supper in my hotel room, I then had a good rest.


Day Two

Ocean Empire (海皇粥店)

Had my breakfast at one of the outlets of Ocean Empire near my hotel (left photo below), where I ordered a preserved-egg lean pork congee, fried carrot cake and a cold soy bean milk (right photo below). With the inclusion of tax, the total cost for this meal was HKD 53.
Ocean Park Hong Kong (香港海洋公园)

Ocean Park Hong Kong is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, animal theme park and amusement park situated in southern district of Hong Kong Island. First opened on 10 January 1977, the park covered an area of 91.5-hectares.

It had been four years since my last visit in 2011 to Ocean Park, and since then many attractions were created and some had been renewed. Also, this was to make up for my regrets that my camera battery went flat in the Giant Panda exhibit during my previous visit.

Transportation to the park

Took the direct bus service No. 629 at HKD 10.60 per ride from a bus stop behind the Admiralty (金鐘) MTR station. The journey was about 15-minutes.

✍ Update:
Direct bus service 629 operating frequent service between Admiralty West and Ocean Park has been discontinued since January 2017. Alternatively, visitors can take MTR and alight at Ocean Park station just adjacent to the main entrance of the park.

Park Entrance

The bus arrived next to the main entrance of the Ocean Park (left photo below). Admission was HKD 480 but there was a 10% discount from the Airport Express Pass (right photo below).

Transport Rides within the Park

Ocean Park can be divided into two tiers, namely 'The Waterfront' and 'The Summit', seperated by a large mountain 'Nam Long Shan' (南朗山) or 'Brick Hill'. There are only two transport rides within the park between the Waterfront and the Summit.

• Cable Car
  
  
  
  This is one of the oldest attractions in the park that is operating since the park opening in 1977. Unhindered views of the sea and surrounding hills could be seen from this 8-mins ride (photos below). While it offers scenic view, the cable car is prone to slowdowns where queues tend to get long between the late morning till early afternoon.
  
• Ocean Express
  
  
  
  This is a funicular railway ride that transport visitors across a 1,300-meters long tunnel within 4-mins between Waterfront station (left photo below) and Summit station (right photo below). The train resembled a "submarine" and nautical theme could be seen throughout its facilities. Multimedia effects in ocean themed are shown inside the train during the ride.
  

Otter Sanctuary

This was the first attraction I saw that was located besides the main entrance (photos below). These Asian or Oriental small-clawed otters (Aonyx cinereus) can be found around streams, rivers and wetlands in Southeast Asia.


💡Travel Trivia: Two otter species can be found in Singapore, namely the Oriental small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinerea) and the Smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata). The most commonly seen species on mainland Singapore is the Smooth-coated otter while the Oriental small-clawed otter can be found on some surrounding islands, namely Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong. Oriental small-clawed otters weigh between 2.5 and 4-kg, and measure between 75 and 96-cm in length. Whereas Smooth-coated otters weigh between 7 and 11-kg, and measure between 96 and 107-cm in length.

Old Hong Kong

Aimed to relive the culture of Hong Kong during the 1950s to 1970s, this attraction made a good photo-friendly area that allowed visitors to have the feeling of "yesterday once more" (photos below). It features rows of Hong Kong-style shophouses (唐樓), a replica of Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier's clock tower and a retro-fitted heritage tramcar.

Chinese Sturgeon Aquarium

Opened in Jun 2010, the Chinese Sturgeon Aquarium cost multi-million dollars of renovation to convert the old shark aquarium to feature a 420,000-liters of main tank that simulated the Yangtze River habitat (photos below). The main highlight was the 10 highly-endangered Chinese Sturgeons (中華鱘) exhibited in this aquarium. Chinese Sturgeons (Acipenser sinensis) is strictly protected by the Chinese government and named as "national treasure" similar to Giant Panda.
Also featured in this aquarium was other rare freshwater species from Yangtze River such as Chinese Suckers, largemouth bronze gudgeon, Chinese spined barb and white barbel fish.



✍ Update:
Due to the persistent infection and death of several Chinese Sturgeons, this aquarium was closed in Dec 2019.

"Ocean Wonders" show

Performed in Ocean Theater, the "Ocean Wonders" show is the largest single show production in the park. It showcased the intelligence and friendliness of sea lions and dolphins. Managed to get myself a seat in the theater for the 12 noon show.

The show started with the performance by sea lions where they dance to the music (photos below).
Next the show began with a story plot that was played by the sea lion and dolphins where strong ocean conversation messages were delivered throughout the performance (photos below).

Shark Mystique

One of the largest shark exhibits in Asia, this aquarium presents over hundred sharks and rays from 15 different species. Formerly the "reef atoll", this exhibit opened in Jun 2014 which allows visitors to view the marine life over three levels in a 360 panoramic display.

Marine creature lurking and darting in the waters below can be seen from the overhead pools (left photo below). However, most sharks and rays are spotted at the bottom of the exhibit (right photo below).
Campaign posters of popular celebrities who pledged not to consume shark's fins were found in this aquarium as part of the education on marine conservation. These celebrities included Kay Tse - 謝安琪 (left photo below) and G.E.M. - 鄧紫棋 (right photo below).

Polar Adventure

Opened on Jul 2012, this attraction features the North Pole Encounter, South Pole Spectacular and Arctic Fox Den, as well as the Arctic Blast roller coaster.

The South Pole Spectacular (left photo below) is home to three penguin species, namely King Penguins, Southern rockhopper penguins and Gentoo penguins (right photo below).
The Artic Fox Den is where visitors can see Artic foxes to learn about their habitat and behavior (photos below). These cute foxes do look like soft-toys from far while they are resting.

Simple Lunch

Bought fish and chips at HKD 48 (left photo below) from a food kiosk near the rainforest area (right photo below). Taste was simple but fulfilling.

The Rapids

Opened on Jun 2011, 'The Rapids' is one of the most popular attractions in the park where long queue was formed in the middle of the day (left photo below). It is an 8-seaters float that flow pass rushing river and occasionally riders get soaked by the water-guns over the bridge by other visitors (right photo below). It was enjoying watching both the riders and passersby having fun.

Took the Ocean Express from the Summit to the Waterfront area.

Goldfish Treasures

This goldfish pavilion is one of my favorite exhibits in park since my first visit to the park in 2002. It features the rare and exotic goldfish varieties (photos below) and explains the history and importance of goldfish in Chinese culture.

Giant Panda Adventure

This enclosure is home to a pair of Red Pandas, male panda Cong Cong (聪聪) and female panda Li Zi (栗子), as well as two younger Giant Pandas Ying Ying (盈盈) and Le Le (樂樂) on loan from Chengdu Research Base of Panda Breeding.

Managed to take some nice close-up photos of the active red panda that was constantly moving (photos below).


Giant Panda, comparatively, was easier for close-up shots as it lied down most of the time (photos below).
However, the interesting photo can be taken if the Giant Pandas got active such as sitting on a pool of water (left photo below) or playing with a rag (right photo below).

After much exploring, I left the park at about 4.30 pm. Took bus 629 from the park main entrance back to Admiralty MTR station.

Yoshinoya (吉野家)

Decided to have dinner at a Japanese Restaurant Yoshinoya located near Langham Place. Ordered a beef curry with a lemon coke at HKD 51 (left photo below). As I had this meal slightly early at about 6 pm, the restaurant was not fully packed which gave me a more relax dinning environment (right photo below).
After which had my window shopping at Mong Kok area. Went back to hotel for a good rest from the tiring walk.


Day Three

Ocean Empire (海皇粥店)

Had breakfast again at Ocean Empire. Ordered a plate of fresh prawn rice noodle roll (left photo below), a plate of fried noodles and a cold soy bean milk (right photo below). Total cost was HKD 55 and taste was the same as before.
Hong Kong Heritage Museum (香港文化博物館)

Hong Kong Heritage Museum is a public museum designed to provide comprehensive exhibitions on history, art and culture. Located in Sha Tin besides Shing Mun River (left photo below), there are six permanent exhibition galleries and another six special thematic galleries for temporary exhibitions (right photo below).

This museum cab be reached by walking about 10-mins from the Che Kung Temple (車公廟) MTR station. Opening hours from 1000 hours to 1800 hours (weekdays) or 1900 hours (weekends) and closed on Tuesday.

"Bruce Lee: Kung Fu • Art • Life" exhibition

Main purpose to this museum was the Bruce Lee exhibition (left photo below). Paid HKD 20 for the special exhibition. There are some 400 invaluable items of Bruce Lee memorabilia with large-scale multimedia and interactive programs (right photo below). This exhibition is definitely a must visit for Bruce Lee fans.

QMix restaurant

Had my late lunch in this QMix restaurant located at the ground floor of the Heritage Museum (left photo below). Ordered a grilled chicken steak spaghetti at HKD 42 and a cup of iced lemon tea at HKD 6 (right photo below). Spaghetti was creamy and the grilled steak was crunchy.


✍ Update:
This QMix restaurant was closed in 2015.

HK Toy Museum

Took metro to Lok Fu (樂富) MTR station. Located in "Lok Fu Plaza" Zone A on the third floor, the HK Toy Museum showcased a collection of over 10,000 unique toys (photos below). Most of the collection was personal property of a famous screenwriter and director. Admission was free to this museum.
There were an extensive collection of rare vintage toys of tint robots and astronauts (photos below).
Collection of anime classic 'Saint Seiya' action figures was also displayed (photos below).
Another popular collection was the Transformer toys (photos below).
Despite of its collection was mainly of vintage toys, I still enjoyed browsing them.

✍ Update:
This HK Toy Museum is closed permanently in Lok Fu Plaza. No information is available whether this museum will reopen in another location.

Hui Lau Shan (许留山)

Decided to head back to the hotel for some rest after visiting the two museums. Before getting into the hotel, I changed my mind and walked towards Hui Lau Shan near the hotel. Whenever I visit Hong Kong, mango dessert in this shop is definitely a must for me.

Ordered a 'Mango Delightful Trio' (left photo below) which included black glutinous rice, mango juice and mango cubes. Cost was HKD 39 that had increased HKD 7 since my last visit four years ago (right photo below). However taste remained the same.


After refreshed myself, I then took metro to Tsim Sha Tsui (尖沙咀) MTR station and shopped in iSquare (國際廣場) besides the station.

Wasabou Kamakura Yumemiya (和茶房鐮倉夢見屋)

Decided to have early dinner at Yumemiya insides the iSquare mall (left photo below). Ordered a Mentaiko spaghetti at HKD 75 (right photo below) and a cup of iced milk matcha at HKD 32. Inclusive of 10% tax, the total cost of this dinner was HKD 117.70.
After dinner, I proceeded with my usual shopping route from Tsim Sha Tsui to Mongkok.

Hang Heung Cake Shop (恆香老餅家)

Hang Heung Cake Shop is a local bakery and cake shop that started in 1920 in the Yuen Long area. But recently their outlets were greatly reduced due to high rental cost. Managed to find this Hang Heung Cake Shop located at 45 Dundas Street in Mong Kok area (left photo below). Bought the most popular traditional "Wife Biscuit" (老婆饼) which was their year-round product at HKD 42 for six pieces (right photo below).
Supper and Breakfast

While walking back to hotel, I bought some fried oyster omelette at HKD 30 from a stall in Temple Street (left photo below). Noticed that it had increased HKD 10 from my last visit. At the same time, got some bread from a convenient store as my breakfast for the next day (right photo below).

Day Four

After my simple breakfast, I then checked out from the hotel and took MTR then Airport Express to the airport.

Saboten Japanese Cutlet (勝博殿日式炸豬排)

After Immigration clearance, decided to have early lunch inside the airport at about 11.20 am. After a tough decision, I finally opted to have Saboten Japanese Cutlet (left photo below). Ordered a curry pork cutlet set meal at HKD 113 (right photo below). Taste was great and portion was fulfilling.
Flight Meal

Drink and light snacks were first served after flight take-off (left photo below). Selected beef with mashed potatoes as my inflight meal (right photo below).
The flight SQ 891 landed on Singapore at about 4.20 pm. With this, it ended my 4-days trip to Hong Kong.