What to do on a 3D/3N Travel to HK & Macau?

I'm sure most people who have a restless feet have been to Asia's City, Hong Kong with a little side trip to Macau.

Hong Kong is just a 2-hr flight from Manila. Nowadays, it's easy to travel from Manila to Hongkong due to relatively low price offered by different local airlines.



Initially it was just I and my parents who planned to go but then my sister decided to join. Luckily, months before this trip I was able to check for a piso fare offered by a local carrier. We just paid an estimate of Php 11,500 for me and my parents with MNL-HKG-MNL route. YES! YES!


YES 11,500 was what we paid for 3 persons.
YES it's a return flight.
So imagine, we just paid a total of Php 3,830/rt ticket per person.

Planning to write a separate blog post regarding our expenses that only slashed off our money for 15,000 pesos (or less).

Meanwhile, on this blog I'll share with you how a group of 4 explored places of Hong Kong and Macau.

DAY 1: ARRIVAL TO ASIA'S CITY-- HONG KONG!

Our flight was so on time that we are so rushing to go to the aircraft. Our expected departure is 7:10 PM and happy that we left on time and arrived Hong Kong on time past 9 in the evening. My sister took a different flight and she arrived half an hour early so she waited for our arrival at the arrival area. After doing all the necessary procedures, we bought our Octopus Card in one of the desk near the Mcdonald's (if I remember it correctly)

By following the signages, we used our Octopus card and took a bus ride (A22) going to our accommodation. The place where we stayed is conveniently near MTR Jordan Exit B2. I found this at Travelmob. Based on the instructions of my contact person, it would take 40-45 minute bus ride from the airport to the place where we'll stay.

Past 11 PM when we arrived at our accommodation. Rest Time.

DAY 2: HK CITY TOUR. MACAU

GOOD MORNING HONG KONG (and MACAU!!) On our second day (Technically 1st day), our plan is to go to Avenue of Stars followed by a travel to Macau.

• By 8:30, left our place and hop to the next station after Jordan MTR which is Tsim Sha Tsui.(follow the signs that shows which exit you should take that will lead you to the Avenue of Stars.) Stroll around the avenue. 
• Star Ferry ride to Central Hong Kong pier from Tsim Sha Tsui
• Brunch at Filipino shop at Worldwide Plaza. Meeting up with Mama’s friend.Walk to Sheung Wan for a ferry ride going to Macau. 
• Ferry Ride to Macau via TurboJet by 11:15 AM
• Arrived at Macau.
• Rode a free shuttle going to The Venetian Hotel.
• Stroll inside The Venetian Hotel; Roamed around the Venetian Canal. Tried the casino.
• Rode the The Venetian free shuttle service back to Macau Ferry  Terminal.
• Rode the bus no. 10A (Rua do Almeida Ribeiro) **They accept HK coins as well for easy payment.
• Arrived at Senado Square. Late lunch/dinner at nearby shops with Macanese cuisine.
• Walk along the uphill road going to the Ruins of St. Paul. **Along the way try some of the free samples of beef jerky. 
• Back to Senado Square to buy some pastries and stroll Macau at Night. 
• Rode the free shuttle service of Grand Lisboa Hotel going to Macau Ferry Terminal.
• Ferry ride going back to Hong Kong by 
• MTR back to MTR Jordan.
• Rest Time. We call it a night.

At the Venetian Hotel Macau

Ruins of St. Paul

DAY 3: HK DISNEYLAND with PARENTALS. MONG KOK at NIGHT

Here I got nothing to itemized on our day. We started our day with a quick breakfast right outside the Inn. Hop on to the train from MTR JORDAN alighting at MTR CENTRAL transferred to Orange line/Tung Chung Line. Alighted at MTR SUNNY BAY station and transfer to the unique Disneyland Resort Line/Pink Line. And at last, we're back to our kiddie self once again (including Mama and Papa).

An ideal tour at Disneyland should be done for 2 days. But with a limited time and money, a day tour should be fine. Just make sure to come in this place as early as 10 in the morning to catch everything including the parade which happens every 3:30 in the afternoon where all Disney characters are present in entertaining all people. They sing in both Chinese(not sure though which Chinese language) and English.

** Don't miss the chance to have a picture taken with the Mickey and Friends. 

The Disney Parade.

One of best thing not to miss out is the Golden Mickey.

After a day as a kid at Disneyland, we went back to the city and enjoyed a little strolling/shopping at Mongkok area specifically the Nelson Street.

So from Disneyland, you just need to board the same Pink line going to MTR Sunny Bay station then alight at MTR Central. After a transfer to red line, just board the train towards Tsuen Wan and alight at Mong Kok Station. Take the exit E2Nelson street is just two blocks away. We just had a quick dinner/snack on the road and hop back to the MTR going back to Jordan to get a rest and call it a day.

DAY 4: CABLE CAR. BIG BUDDHA. LAST DAY   =(

On our last and final day, we don't have much places to visit. I planned to go both at Ngong Ping and The Peak. But due to lack of time, we just made it to Ngong Ping. Ngong Ping is located at Lantau Island. The biggest Buddha located at Hong Kong lies above the Ngong Ping Village which is known as the Tian Tian Buddha. To get here, we just follow the same path as the Disneyland, but instead of alighting at MTR Sunny Bay, this time we alight at the end station which is the MTR Tung Chung.

Upon alighting at Tung Chung station, we were a bit lost as we can't find the way going to the cable car terminal. But then it hits me and just followed the flow of people. You will see once you exit the Tung Chung line  there's a signage that says going to cable car terminal and just follow it. It would be 3 minute walk going to the Tung Chung cable car terminal. The cable car ride going to the Ngong Ping Village would take 20-25 minutes, this would be enough time to savor the view from which you can see the whole Hong Kong area including the HKIA ( Hong Kong International Airport).

Once we arrived at the village, it was colder than I expected. I wasn't comfortable then as I was wearing light compared to my family's outfit. Before going to check the Tian Tian Buddha, one can enjoy the view of the Po Lin Monastery and the stray dogs that believed to be taken care of by the monks.

Going to Tian Tian Buddha will take 3-6 minutes of your time and you need to take 268 steps in order to enjoy the majestic view from above. Tian Tian Buddha is a version of Buddha sitting on top of a Lotus flower. Lotus is believed to be a representation of purity of the heart by Chinese culture.

 

I, with the Big Buddha behind me. Almost there!

We just stayed at the Tian Tian Buddha for another 20 minutes before finally leaving the place.

Going back to Tung Chung station, we decided to skip the cable car and rode a bus instead. Bus no. 23 is what you need to rode back to Tung Chung MTR station. It took us about 35-40 minutes travel time back to the station. It is very cheap compared to cable car ride but if you're on a limited time, this is not an option. Before going back to the city we feel really hungry and so decided to take our breakfast/lunch at Food Republic located beside the Citygate Outlet Mall. Since its food republic it's quite reasonable to eat there as selections varied from noodles to meat to vegetables.

Once we're done, we hop back to the MTR and rode back to the city. I really wanted to make it to the Peak. And so we still alight at MTR Central and exit at J2. It was a long walk going to the Peak Terminus. As we are so worried we might be late for our check-out (which was already moved to 4PM), we decided to skipped the Victoria Peak and decided to go home instead and arranged our things.

We left the inn exactly 4PM and board the MTR Jordan going to  MTR Central. From MTR Central just followed the signs to MTR Airport express. It's the fastest way and perhaps the most convenient way going to the airport. We paid for HK$250 for 4 persons which is cheaper as this was a promo for group of 4. It was almost just a 20-30 minute ride to the airport which only stops at 2 stations, Tsing Yi and Kowloon before finally stopping at the airport.

We were 2 hrs early before our departure. So we still got time to enjoy the airport and spend a few of our remaining HK$. Our flight back to Manila was 7:30PM. It was half an hour delay but nevertheless it was smooth flight going back home.

So as a summary of the places/experiences we've been for in 3d/3n here it is:

1. Avenue of Stars
2. Experience of Star ferry ride
3. World Wide Plaza
4. Macau side trip (Venetian Hotel/ Ruins of St. Paul/ Senado Square/ Grand Hotel Lisboa)
5. Disneyland
6. Mongkok
7. Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car ride
8. Ngong Ping Village
9. Tian Tian Buddha
10. Stroll around Central

Hope this post will help. Till my next blog.

Ciao!


Disclaimer: The information posted here was just based on my personal account. Any changes on travel time, prices, and/or timing may differ. This travel happened last November 10-13, 2014. It would be best to check the official website of Hong Kong here.

A Refreshing Trip to Dalitiwan Resort, Majayjay, Laguna (1Jun2014)

If you are looking for a refreshing treat and an escape away from the striking hot weather, then Dalitiwan Resort would be a perfect escape getaway  for you. Located in Barangay Ilayang Banga, Majayjay, Laguna, this place offers the cool and refreshing feeling you need this hot summer.

My family has a definite plan to go for an annual summer family outing. Yet, there is no perfect place that suits our 'needs'. After all the discussions, we came up with one goal, to cool down and still enjoy the sun. So, to make it shorter, they don't want a beach this time. Neither they like a mere picnic in Tagaytay. So I decided to do my 'research' skills and opted to look for a cold spring resort nearest from Rizal. The first thing I check was Laguna because it is the nearest province that for sure can offer what we want for our outing.

After googling, I managed to check one by one the resorts listed on LagunaTravelGuide, to check the resorts I am choosing, I decided to look for reviews rather than go to websites. And through that, I come up with Dalitiwan Resort with the help of a review from Maaya Legaspi. As I saw the pictures, I was thrilled to share the information to my mother and she's very positive that this is the place we want to go. 

So last June 1, as a summer outing and a celebration for Papa's birthday, we went to Dalitiwan Resort through Rizal. It's quite a journey considering we left home before 6 in the morning. We arrived at the resort past 10 since we waited for awhile in Pagsanjan, Laguna with another family friend who's joining us for this amazing trip. 

As soon as we arrived, it looked like quiet from the gate of the resort. Surprisingly, the resort is quite full already when we arrived to the main area. The entrance fee cost only 80 pesos for adults and 70 pesos for kids. Since we are just there for a day tour, we just went on to look for a cottage. We had a difficulty looking a space but soon managed to find as well. The cottage cost only 500 pesos so we took 2 cottages since we are two families.


Since we were very hungry, we decided to eat first before we took our plunge on the cold refreshing spring.

Below are some of our photos proof that we really enjoy the cold water. The water is so clear and refreshing. Since the water is coming from Mount Banahaw, expect the water to be really cold to think that the sun is scorching hot that time. (I wonder what it feels like during cold season). 

 There's a hanging bridge that allows you to go the other side. They also serve a swimming pool. The water from the pool comes from the spring as well. It's untreated pool so you don't smell chlorine or any chemical on it. It's also cold same as the natural spring. It's like a stagnant version.

When passing through the rocks, just be careful because the mosses are very thick for some of the rocks that it is a bit slimy and you might glide through. And since I'm so adventurous, I was walking through the boulders even though the sun is striking and brings pain in my feet. Anything fun brings happiness, that's what I thought, and so I got myself some bruises right after because of continuously fighting the strong current. (Please I'm telling you this for you to be cautious). But overall, the experience brought so much joy not just to me but to everyone. They were so happy that we found this piece of heaven. 

The only downside to this resort is their comfort rooms. I actually don't consider it comfort room because it cause us difficulty. The shower rooms are not "shower" it's a faucet that can be opened if you are tall. My mother has to ask someone to open and close it for her. I hope they find time and allot resources to improve this. 

I hope you find this very helpful. For the resort's map, you can check their Facebook page. If you find yourself lost on the way near to the resort, you can ask some random locals, they are willing to help.

Till my next blog.

Ciao!

Visita Iglesia 2014 Tagaytay- Nasugbu Route

After months and years of working abroad, I have finally came back and did our annual Visita Iglesia. This time, my family decided to go further south and headed on to Tagaytay for a little cooler atmosphere.

We left Taytay, Rizal past 6 am and headed to Eastwood to fetch my sister who works graveyard shift. From then on, we headed straight to SLEX.

Since I was in charge to look for the churches to visit, my father relies fully on my GPS? Yeess, I myself don't have any idea of the churches and just rely purely on the help of GPS and a little research. As I did my assigned task, I chose this 7 churches/ chapels where we would do the Visita Iglesia.

• Ina ng Laging Saklolo
• Tierra de Maria
• Adoration Chapel at Pink Sisters' Convent
• Our Lady of our Lourdes Church
• Monte Maria Shrine
• Chapel on the Hill
• Transfiguration Chapel in Caleruega Retreat House

My father went on and took the Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road. I forgot which exit in SLEX. We just continue all the way to this road until we reached the junction of Tagaytay- Calamba Road. We just turn left, maybe around 2 mins we already reach our first stop, Ina ng Laging Saklolo

In front of the Ina ng Laging Saklolo

Inside the Church.

After our first stop, we just turn left from the Ina ng laging Saklolo about 1 minute drive, we reach our 2nd stop, Tierra de Maria. 

Infront of Tierra de Maria

 Tierra de Maria was easy to find because it's just in front of the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP).

 Once you enter the chapel, you can get your own piece of advice with the Word of God.

Right after our second stop, we headed straight to our next visit, the Pink Sister's Church and convent. From Tierra de Maria head back towards the Tagaytay- Calamba Road. Go straight until you reach the Emilio Aguinaldo Hi-way. Just turn right to E. Aguinaldo hi-way. Continue until you see signs on your right that says Pink Sisters' Adoration/ or also the Angel Hills. Once you saw the sign, just turn right to the street and continue until you reach the next stop, the Pink Sisters

After the Pink Sisters, we decided to finish first our 4th stop before we have our lunch. We headed back to Tagaytay-Calamba Road and turn right this time. It was just a 5-minute ride from Pink Sisters going to Our Lady of our Lourdes Church. It is easily noticeable because it's just located along the hi-way.

After the 4th stop, we decided to have our lunch at picnic grove since we brought our own foods. We just rented a table and feast on. 

We rested for an hour before we decided to continue our pilgrimage. This time we go further into the Tagaytay-Nasugbu hi-way.

On our 5th stop, we went to Monte Maria Shrine. Monte Maria Shrine is the newly-built but still under construction property built by famous Healing priest Fr. Suarez. The land was donated by San Miguel Corporation. For the moment, the shrine still looks like a complex with high steel ceiling. You can reach here from the hi-way by taking the Tagaytay-Nasugbu hi-way. You will see signs that shows the way to Monte Maria Shrine. Also, there is a tricycle station on this right turn so you'll never get lost.

After Monte Maria, we headed back to the hi-way and turn further right. the next stop is Chapel on the Hill. It is a 5-minute ride from Monte Maria. After passing the Diokno Hi-way, continue to Nasugbu and take the first exit to the left. The chapel is very small and can't be easily noticeable but can be seen from your left side. It is associated with Don Bosco which is also nearby.

After the Chapel on the Hill, we headed straight to our next and final stop, the Caleruega. No need to go back to the hi-way because from the chapel you just need to take the Caleruega road to reach the Caleruega Retreat House. Upon entering the Retreat house, take note that you need to pay 30.00 pesos for the entrance fee. 

We went straight to the Transfiguration Chapel but there's a lot of people because there was a wedding so we hurry finishing our Visita Iglesia with the New way of the Cross and then we finish off with praying the rosary. There's actually a lot to see in Caleruega for paying the entrance fee and yet we were not able to maximize our time since it's already 4:30 pm and my parents still want to go to the Tagaytay Market to buy fruits and beef. 

For your reference, I screenshot the Google Map of the churches/chapels we visited so you can do your own plan next time. 

The stars represent the places we visit.

We went home past 8 pm due to traffic in C-5 road. Next time you visit, plan as well so you minimize the time figuring out your ways going to and fro the places for your Visita Iglesia.

Ciao!