[DIARIES] 20141217 Day 1 Hong Kong - Lantau Island, Tsim Tsa Tsui, Mong Kok

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Having 10 annual leaves left to clear after a busy year and has no idea where to spend, I opened up Airasia website to look for bargain fares around popular destinations around Christmas date. Screened through popular destinations like Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Tibet, Thailand, Hong Kong, Korea and China. Finally decided on Hong Kong as the all in fare for a return ticket was attractive at less than RM600 inclusive of luggage. The planning then further extends to include China and Macau as I have a total 9 days to spend, so I end up getting a one way ticket to Hong Kong and a one way ticket from Macau, which is still about the same price.

Arrival at HK International Airport around 1:00pm after a close to 4 hours journey.  We are required to take the transit bus to the airport terminal for immigration check in.

It's Christmas season and the airport is packed with tourists as HK International is one of the busiest airport in the world.

Upon collecting my luggage, I need to settle two very important item, which is the Octopus Card and sim card for my mobile data. I have made my research prior to my trip so I headed straight to commuter ticket counter cum tourist information counter near the MTR station at Terminal 2.

Normally tourists will usually opt for the refundable Octopus Card which will require a HKD50 deposit + HKD9 fee if returned within 90 days of activation. However, the refundable card is only available at selective counters while the normal Octopus Card is available at most convenient stores.

Next is to get the tourist sim card. The telco shop known as 1010 is located near the terminal exit upon check out, few lots away from 7-11. The sign board is yellow in colour, similar to our Digi colour theme (sorry no picture of the store as was in a hurry!). The tourist sim card costs HKD69 (5 days) or HKD99 (7 days inclusive Macau) with unlimited data. Just hand over your phone to the staff and they will handle the activation.

The Big Buddha is my first stop as it is just located nearby the airport and I won't be coming back to HK International Airport after this. Taking the public bus is the fastest way to reach the Tung Chung Terminal. The bus terminal is located right outside of Terminal One. There's a sign board showing the location of bus terminal. The terminal for bus E22 (Bus to Tung Chung) is located slightly away from the rest of the bus stops after turning right from the exit. I left my luggage at the luggage depository counter, at a fee of HKD45/hour if not mistaken.

The buses comes in 10 to 15 minutes intervals, hence it was not a very long wait. The bus ride took approximately 15 minutes, passing through some government buildings and finally reaching Tung Chung Terminal where the MTR and cable car terminal are situated.

I opted to travel to the Big Buddha via public bus as it was way more economical than the cable car. As I'm travelling on budget, the bus seems to be the only choice I have. I have checked prior this that the bus to the Tian Tan Buddha is number 23. So when I saw a E23 bus approaching, I politely asked the driver whether it is going to the Big Buddha. The driver shook his head and drove off. Then there was this old man beside me telling me that the No. 23 bus is different from E23 as it was operated by two different companies with a very bad tone, as if you are so stupid to mix up two different companies. Well, how you expect a non-local to be so familiar? Anyway, I thanked the old man and headed to the direction he pointed. 

The Lantau Island bus company operates white colour mini buses, while the mainland HK operates the more modernize double deckers. The white mini bus terminal is situated at the outdoor of the terminal. I looked for the No. 23 lane stating Po Lin Monastery and lined up patiently. As it was a weekday afternoon, there's not more than 15 people waiting when the bus finally arrives. The cost for the ride was only HKD17.20 for weekday as opposed to the much more expensive cable car at HKD175.

Read more about Tian Tan Buddha and how to commute via my separate post:

[PLACE] 20141217 Big Buddha 天坛大佛 @ Lantau Island, HK

The mini is old but well maintained (except for the absorbers as I had a very bumpy ride). I sat at the very last row for some space to do my photo shooting and video recording. 

The bus ride took about 45 minutes, passing through villages, sea cliffs, mountains and reservoirs and finally arrived at the Ngong Ping Village. Weather was good with acceptable temperature. 

The Po Lin Monastery and Tian Tan Buddha is opposite of the Ngong Ping Village. The village was revamped into a tourist spot with shops and stores to cater for tourist needs. The touristy feel has made it less appealing, at least to me because I preferred a more authentic experience instead of an artificial setup.

I decided to have a walk through the village to see what it has to offer. This visitor (I believe was Russian) photobomb-ed when I was trying to take an overview of the village entrance. There are many souvenir shops and eateries along the way, there's also some cultural show such as Walking with Buddha available. 

At the end of the village is where the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car terminal is located. This will be the entrance for those who travelled using the cable car. As it was Christmas season, there's are two young men playing some Christmas music under the cold breeze.

There's nothing much to see there so I went back to the Tian Tan entrance. There's a long corridor leading to the center square with statues of deities at both sides of the corridor.

The centre square is where religious ceremonies will be held. The stairs to the Tian Tan Buddha is located at the 3 o'clock position while Po Lin Monastery is located at the 12 o'clock position.

The entrance is free with a non-obligatory box for donation. The 268 steps climb was not as bad as I thought, thanks to the cool weather. 

The platform on top was wider than my expectation with ample space for any activity you can think of. I spent some time walking around, taking photos but the sun was too bright and creating some overexposures here and there. Just put down your camera and capture the frames with your own eyes instead.

There's a very nice view of the sea bay behind with mountain surroundings. Took a look at my time and noticed I spent too much time on top and will miss my bus later because I would like to catch the 8pm laser show at Victoria Harbour after I check in.

Read more about Tian Tan Buddha with its historical and facts via my separate post:

[PLACE] 20141217 Big Buddha 天坛大佛 @ Lantau Island, HK

I hassle my way down the stairs and wanted to rush my way to Po Lin Monastery just to find out it's almost time to close. Looks like I have to put Po Lin Monastery and Wisdom Path in my next trip to HK in the future.

Unfortunately I missed 5:20pm bus and have to wait for the next one at 5:50pm. I roughly calculated my travelling time and check in time, looks like I'm gonna miss the 8pm laser show for sure. I took my time to walk around the Ngong Ping Village again to see if I can get any spot for a good sunset picture but unfortunately the only spot left will be on top of the Buddha's platform. 

The bus finally came at 5:50pm after resting my pitiful legs climbing up and down. The return was much faster due to the down hill ride, passing through the same route while seeing the sky turning dark. The whole journey took about 30 minutes and it's about 6:30pm when I reach the Tung Chung terminal again and the sky is already dark, unlike our Malaysian timing.

I was fortunate enough that the E22 was picking up passengers when I got off the 23 bus. The journey back to the airport took another 20 minutes and by the time I collected my luggage, it was already 7:00pm. Knowing that travelling from the airport to Tsim Tsa Tsui will cost another hour, I gave up on the 8pm show.

Taking the public bus is again more economical as compare to the MTR as usual. I like to travel via buses or taxis as you get to see more of the surrounding than the subway. The bus A21 will directly take me back to Tsim Tsa Tsui, where my hostel is located.

Along the way to Tsim Tsa Tsui, I get to see the development of Hong Kong from the remote Lantau Island where the HKIA and Disneyland is located, across the bridge to Kowloon City where I see rows of condominiums erected just next to each other. This is truly a high density population city. Kuala Lumpur is a dwarf in comparison.

I was observing my Google map when the bus travels. The public bus in Hong Kong is well equipped with information on the route and upcoming stops so that you won't miss your destination, especially for tourists. When you compare back to our own beloved public bus system, it's totally a different level.

Finally I reach Tsim Tsa Tsui, tired and hungry (yes, I skipped my lunch). The hostel was located near to Tsim Tsa Tsui station, but finding it post another challenge as there's no clear signboard, or actually too many signboards around. Finally I managed to locate the building that the hostel is situated at after asking around the security guy, which is very unfriendly. Apparently the hostel is located in an old building and is converted from a residential apartment. Due to the limitation of available land, the locals make use of every inch of space available. The build was shared between business, residents and visitors. 

It's a very interesting moment to line up and share lift with the locals and foreigners. There are apparently many Indian residents in the building as well, which explains why my hostel owner is also an Indian. I was directed to my room after a conversation with the operator and the room is unlocked via a centralised system. That's my very informal check in for my stay in Hong Kong.

After unloading and some rest, it's about 9:00pm and I need to get some food and head to my next destination, Mong Kok.

The streets are rather quiet at 9:00pm, as opposed to our busy streets in KL. I took the MTR to Mong Kok to look for my dinner and also to visit Ladies Market.

Read more about Ladies Market and what it has to offer via my separate post:

[PLACE] 20141217 Ladies Street 女人街 @ Mong Kok

The Ladies Market is similar to our Petaling Street, which various stalls offering souvenirs and counterfeit products. But first, I need to find something to eat. Tried to search online for something to eat but couldn't seem to get a good suggestion.

Finally I decide to scout around myself instead and end up at a local coffee shop/char chan teeng. I notice in HK, a warm water or tea is usually served upon arrival without your request and is usually free of charge. The warm water or tea is actually for you to warm your hands from the cold winter weather outside.

The stir fried noodles in soy sauce 豉王炒生面 is very appetizing (maybe due to extreme hunger) with pieces of pork slices. Coupled with some chilli oil, I finished the plate of noodles in no time. The milk tea tasted different from our local milk tea due to the tea leaves used. The whole set cost me HKD36 (RM15), the start of my overpriced food journey.

I continue exploring after my dinner (or supper) and travel some off the track roads to see a different side of HK. 

I also noticed car plates in HK can be very entertaining as they can number it anyhow you want it to be, unlike Malaysia. I came across this one very funny "Dr. Evil" number plate while exploring.

I was trying to locate some special local street food and found this small corner outlet known as Gai Kei, selling some sausages, smelly tofu and grilled squid.

Read more about Gei Kei at my separate post via:

[FOOD] 20141217 Gai Kei Street Food 佳记小吃 @ Mong Kok

I tried one grill squid and was disappointed by the overpriced squid. I also bought some gai dan zai 鸡蛋仔 nearby Gai Kei but forgot to take pictures of it. Gai dan zai is basically crepe with egg-like mold snack, it's crispy and sweet.

It was 11:30pm already and I need to call it a day. I walked my way back from Mong Kok to Tsim Tsa Tsui as I prefer to travel on foot for more experience.

The streets in HK are well planned with zebra crossing at most of the roads and a traffic light to control crowd. The buzzing sound from the traffic lights is at a very fast pace, creating a rushing momentum that you will end up walking faster. Malaysian traffic light on the other hand, is the total opposite, just like our slow moving culture.


The smaller and narrower roads do not have a traffic light, but instead, a reminder on the road to remind you to look left or right before you cross. As long as the road is clear, you are safe to cross, which is very unique and required certain level of civic awareness. Malaysia has a lot to catch up because Malaysians cross roads up down left right red green yellow.