It’s Been Long, Hong Kong Disneyland

Hong Kong, China

We left rainy Philippines and arrived in sunny Hong Kong on a Friday morning.  A typhoon warning had already been hoisted upon arrival and we could not care less. After all, a signal no. 1 warning is crazy as it was too sunny to have a typhoon!

It is not hard to get a ride from the airport going to the city. Everything is available to your liking: There is the airport express (which costs HKD$60 per person, expensive I may say!) if you are rushing to go to the city, a bus if you are going solo or in a small group that is on a budget and has a lot of time to spare, or a cab if you are in a big group like us that has a lot of baggage and knapsacks to carry.

We take a red cab, which they call urban taxis, as we are bound to go the city. This cab is the most expensive one as it caters destinations that are farther from the airport. HKD$20 if I am not mistaken flagdown and HKD$ 1.5 for every two kilometers thereafter. This is still the best way to go for its comfort and convenience.

We plan to go directly to Disneyland as it is already near the airport (it would only cost you approximately HKD$ 110 to go there through Lantau taxis) but we really have a lot of baggage to carry then which would be much of a hassle.

 

We head down to Hotel Icon which is located at East Tsim Sha Tsui. It is a very nice location since we like to be spared from the hustle and bustle of the city and we prefer some peace and quiet during our stay.

It is a good thing that the process of checking in is swift because we are already hungry. We cross the street opposite Hotel Icon and find a street teeming with shops and restaurants alike. We could not help but to stop in this little restaurant tucked along the said street which offers street foods that are mouth-watering to look at.

So good and addicting!

 

 

 

We leave the establishment feeling full and energized as ever. We are scheduled to go to Hongkong Disneyland that afternoon which made us even more excited! Little kids we are in adult bodies. We walk towards Hung Hom station which is just a short minute walk from the hotel and rode the MTR from there.

We transferred to the West Line going to Nam Cheong.

And then transferred again to the orange line which is the Tung Chung Line going to Sunny Bay

We alighted from Sunny Bay to board the Disneyland Resort train.

It is hard to miss the train as the windows are shaped as Mickey Mouse’s face!

The train ride in itself is already an attraction. Finding and looking for hidden and not so hidden mickeys did surely occupy us during the train ride.

Hong Kong Disneyland, Lantau Island

Stepping out of the train and into the platform lets us realize that we had already been transported to a different realm, a fantasy world.

We made no reservation and online booking ahead so we bought our tickets on the ticketing booths inside the park’s compound.

There was no long line that welcomed us and all the booths were open making it a quick transaction which rendered us to be inside the attraction in less than 10 minutes.

Childhood memories came rushing in as we enter the park. Seeing the in house railway station and the plant sculptured Mickey Mouse face made me happy and giddy all over again.

The newest attraction is the Toy Story Land and I am happy to say that two other land attractions, namely the Grizzly Gulch and Mystic Point, will be coming on its way this 2012 and 2013. It was sad that we were not able to time our visit to the park for the Grizzly Gulch which will open this July 14. But all is good since we still have the Toy Story to immerse ourselves into!

The parade of the Disney characters in Main Street, USA was about to start when we came in. We took a seat in the hot pavement and waited for it to start. We had a great view but the sun was scorching at that time. The sun rays were prickling my skin, harder and harder as the moment passed by. Nonetheless, I got to enjoy the parade! The floats were very detailed and the actresses stayed true to the personality of the characters they portray. The playful and teasing Tinkerbell got me!

The Art of Animation is a must see! Housing portraits and miniatures of legendary and new Disney characters we had watched and came to know during our childhood days, the museum celebrates the creations that Disney and Disney-Pixar animation had made throughout these years. Do not miss out on the spinning Toy Story Zoetrope which will enlighten you on the inner workings of an animation!

The Animation Academy also caught our eye because of the promise of being able to learn how to draw your favorite Disney characters. Too bad we were informed that they only has tutorials in Cantonese. I hope they will do something about this limitation so that visitors around the world could also join in the fun soon!

Our next stop was Adventureland. It homes three of the most popular attractions which are the Festival of the Lion King, the Jungle River Cruise and Tarzan’s tree house.

My youngest brother had an obsessive liking to the Lion King when he was a kid. We remembered it because my other brother and I were subjected to endless reruns of it. “How dare you saved the king’s daughter??” became a household phrase before and he sung to all of its soundtracks! Because of that, we grew fond of it too. We grew up with Lion King!

The show immersed us with song and dance numbers and colourful floats. It was a nice start to our trip inside the park.

The next attraction we went to was Tarzan’s treehouse. It sits in an island in the middle of the river that the Jungle River Cruise sails into.

The island could be reached through these two wooden rafts that sail and transfer people back and forth across the river.

The rain started to pour down hard the moment we stepped out from the raft. It felt like a long walk to the Toy Story Land because of the rain but it was a blessing that it stopped instantaneously the moment we arrived in the newest themed area.

As soon as we step into the Toy Story Land, we feel like we have shrunk and become one of Andy’s toys! Everything else is big including the giant Woody standing in the forefront to welcome guests in in Andy’s backyard.

We are once again reminded that the typhoon Doksuri is already getting closer and stronger and the government will hoist any minute then a signal no. 8 warning for the whole of Hong Kong. What we are fearing of came to view; after we fall in line for the RC Racer, all the outdoor attractions then closed shop. We were left with a handful of indoor attractions to enjoy even though there was no sign of rain yet during that moment.

We immediately step into the land of the future, Tomorrowland, which houses equally enjoyable attractions. Conquer your fear in the Space Mountain as the ride takes you into the darkness and zooms you into the galaxy. Be prepared to be swept off as the ride drops and turns unexpectedly! It would be very beneficial if you could see in the dark.

Ride the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters and help Buzz Lightyear in his conquest to take down the evil Emperor Zurg. Earn points as you battle the emperor’s minions and take a shoot on their LED, blinking heart. Challenge your seatmate and see who can score more points. This is a fun and interactive ride for children and adults alike!

It had been a nice experience for us to be able to go back here yet again after 6 years. It had been a long time already but it was a very comforting idea to know that though years had already transpired, there are still some things and places that will stay the same. 6 years after, Disneyland still lets us be carefree and young. Happiness still emanates from its walls and I am looking forward to feel it once again.

Gastronomic Mercado de San Miguel

Madrid, Spain

In what better way could you actually experience something, may it be a delicacy, an event, a dance or an activity? Go to the place where it originated!

For us, Churros con Chocolate is what we were craving for and we would be a fool if we were not able to satisfy it given that we are actually in the food’s birthplace.

 

We tracked down the Churros in this quaint, covered market called Mercado de San Miguel. Mercado de San Miguel was constructed for almost a century now and has recently been refurbished giving the market a  modern vibe and a new concept of how a 21st century market should look like. The building in itself is already an attraction.

We headed to Horno San Onofre, which is a little kiosk, sprinkled with the color pink, found on one of the end corners of the market. They mainly offer and create breads, cakes and sweets that are in reference to Madrid. We got the Churros as promised. The sugary goodness of the doughnut dipped on the glass full of creamy chocolate was heaven! We did not left anything as even the chocolate had been gulped down to the last drop.

We roamed around some more to see what else does the market has to offer. It is a nice place to wander in, dine and to try different foods and culinary treats. From seafood, tapas, paella, wine, olives, desserts, jamon, sushi and fruit shakes, you name it, everything are there.

There are also a few kiosks there that offers merchandises other than food that are worth checking out.

The place is being flooded by tourists and locals alike all through the day so the market could really get a little bit crowded during any given time. Anyway, I do not see that as a turn-off at all because that is a serious indication of how great a certain place is.

If you could, check out Mercado de San Miguel as well during the night. The place is much vibrant on late hours.

Museums in Madrid

I may not be an expert when it comes to understanding art but I do know how to appreciate whenever I come across with one. While we were in Madrid, we made it a point to visit Museo del Prado and Museo Reina Sofia.

Museo Del Prado

Museo del Prado is regarded as one of the greatest museums in the world. Home to a first class collection of Spanish paintings and sculptures,  the museum also houses important works of the Flemish, Italian and German schools.

The museum is very spacious and it took us 2 hours to go around and cover the must-see masterpieces inside; lots of those were done by Velazquez, de Goya, Ribera, Rubens and Bosch. We rented an audio guide which helped us go through all the pieces easily and understand the story behind each and every paintings as well. But if you are an art enthusiast, navigating the museum for a day will not still be enough. The museum is a real feast for the eyes and senses.

I have seen a lot of religious paintings inside and interesting sculptures that made me think about life in general and how we are actually living it but what I have come to love most after I stepped out of the museum are the paintings of Bosch. Although his paintings may come of as a little bit off because of its dark and twisted nature and are mostly chaotic and very busy, it connected on a much higher and more spiritual note with me. For me, his paintings just tell us that we will only reap what we sow; meaning the good will be rewarded with good, and the evil will be rewarded with evil.

 

Reina Sofia

Reina Sofia, on the other hand, houses what the Museo del Prado lacks: modern and contemporary art pieces that even kids would enjoy looking at. For the modern art buffs and Picasso lovers out there, they will surely appreciate the place. Although modern art is not my cup of tea, to see Picasso’s Guernica was already enough for me. For whatever form it may be and cause it may have, war is still war and war is and will always be a tragedy. I do not believe in the values (if there is any, actually) of war and looking at the painting made me feel more the anguish felt by individuals that had been affected by war, particularly the innocent civilians.

Bullfighting

Bullfighting is one of the most known aspects of Spanish culture. Though the activity may had already been banned in other countries because of its bloody nature, Spain still patronizes it as they do not consider it as a senseless spectacle but a fine art that has already become a part of their life and tradition.

Plaza de Toros in East Madrid is considered as the home of bullfighting in Spain and are sold out during major bullfighting events.

Cibeles Square

Madrid, Spain (World Youth Day)

It was the day when Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Madrid. People of different nationalities waited expectantly for his coming. The majority clamoured to be as close to him as possible; some are more than contented to have a glimpse of his outline; a few is still in contemplation. However, none of those were coincidental. They came together in Cibeles Square for a reason, whether they know it or not, and for the same purpose: to celebrate one another’s differences and faith.

Of Burgers and Milkshakes in Madrid

Madrid, Spain / World Youth Day – Day 1

Coming from Toledo, we are rushing back to Madrid as we are scheduled to attend a Mass in Cibeles Square presided by the archbishop that evening. We were expecting that there will be a huge number of people attending since it was the first official mass of the World Youth Day and true enough, we were welcomed by a swarm of people the moment we arrived in the city!

 

Still one block away from the event location, we already accepted the fact that we could not anymore squeeze ourselves in due to the thickness of the crowd, so each of us just settled on the vacant spots in Puerta de Alcala that had a nice view of the big TV screen which showed the Mass. We laid our newspapers down, waited for it to start and heard mass together as one with the other pilgrims that night. You would not believe that the city fell silent during the whole mass despite the number of people who flocked in the place. It was solemn.

My stomach was already grumbling even before the mass ended so seeing the lengthy lines inside the restaurants after the Mass really made me cannibalistic crazy! Add to it the fact that most of the stations were closed at that time since they could only accommodate people by batches, leaving us no other choice but to walk, walk and walk some more until we find a restaurant where we can eat.

At long last, we ended up falling in line at Burger King! Though very long and crowded, the lines were moving. I chose the set with a burger, large fries and drink in it from the pilgrim menu and gobbled all up in a bat of an eye.

Realization after: Junk foods are lifesavers!

Toledo: The City of Three Cultures

Toledo, Spain

We woke up on a cold morning in Madrid with our heads still devoid of much needed sleep  the next day but disregarded it instantly because we are to take a day trip to Toledo!

A UNESCO World Heritage site because of its magnificent representations of Mudéjar style/architecture prominent in it, the famed city of Toledo is found 70 kms south of Madrid and approximately an hour drive from the capital of Spain. It is a very small and quaint city that sits on top of a hill, enveloped by the Tajo River and surrounded by thick, old city walls which left a medieval fortress vibe for me.
It could be accessed by entering the majestic stone gate, Puerta de Bisagra, leading up to its narrow cobbled streets that tourists came to have known Toledo for.

Toledo had a very unusual history and setup with regards to their people. If you must know, Christians, Jews and Muslims, the three major cultures that lived in Spain, had lived side by side with each other before in this town. It was really a symbiosis and they were living peacefully amid the huge differences. The brotherly union among the three cultures is deeply engraved and interwoven through their buildings and architecture as I have come to see Toledo step by step. It is in this union that the Mudéjar style, which combines Islamic aesthetics with Christian styles, came to light.

One of the things that Toledo was most known for for centuries was their steel. Toledo has been supplying Europe’s military force swords and shields right up until weapons had been upgraded to firearms. They still make good quality swords though which tourists could bring home from the lovely city as a memorabilia or still use when the need comes up.

A lengthy walk from the sword making site took us to the majestic Catedral Primada Santa Maria de Toledo, or fondly called Toledo Cathedral just to cut its long name short. Though inspired by the Gothic cathedrals of France, Toledo Cathedral is nevertheless a melting pot of styles, including the Spanish Renaissance, Mudéjar and other more.

The cathedral is really magnificent with all the elaborate carvings and furnishings inside and out, but one of the things that really stood out for me was El Transparente, which is situated behind the main altar. It is a wall of marble sculptures, delicately lit by the light of the sun coming from a skylight cut in the ceiling. It was really magical and ethereal when the rays strategically light up the angel sculptures placed high above the wall. My heart literally stopped in awe and appreciation of the grandeur that was standing right in front of me!

Another unique thing I appreciated inside was the red hats hanging from the ceiling dominantly situated in front of El Transparente. The red hats actually belonged to the cardinals who are buried in the tombs directly beneath and their hats will stay there until their bodies rot away completely. So, if you saw a red hat above you it only means you are stepping on the tomb of the cardinal who owned it!
It is also one of those moments when I became proud as a Filipino. There was this museum inside which features all religious and cultural artefacts obtained from different places around the world, all made in gold, and one of the biggest treasures inside the room came from us, the Philippines. I wonder then how much it is worth!

After taking in the magnificent sights offered by the Cathedral, we braved the heat outside and went directly to the Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes. Monasteries are very close in Spain’s heart because Kings and Queens primarily have lived there and many important, historic events happened in these places.

The Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes is one of the best monasteries, in terms of its beauty and importance, in Spain and was founded by King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I during the 15th century to celebrate the birth of their son and their win over the battle of Toro. The monastery embodies Gothic style with Spanish and Flemish influences, dressed up by Mudéjar ornamentations. The most notable thing that you will see are the chains and shackles hanging on the exterior of the monastery. These shackles were once used by the Moors of Granada to chain Christians. Then during the last decade, when the Moors were expelled from Granada, Christians brought the chains in the monastery as a symbol of their triumph and faith.

The sun was blazing and hunger struck hard after the tour so my friends and I just walked in the first restaurant we saw that offers enough shade and at the same time serves Spanish cuisine. The place is called La Casita bar, which is quite a coincidence since we have this school canteen in our university before back in the Philippines that has the same name and I had eaten most of my lunches there during my college days.

All the food that we ordered were delicious. The duck meat was unbelievably soft, the Paella had the right kick into it, and the Callos was divine! The three of us left nothing of the meal! It was heaven sent that we dine in La Casita because it was in here that my view about Toledo’s food had really been moulded. I will go back here even just for the food! It was the best meal I had when I was in Spain.

 

We exited through this medieval bridge across the Tajo River which links the city of Toledo to the west. Puente de San Martin as they call it is where we bid our goodbyes in this lovely city of Toledo. I promised myself that I will come back here. I do not know when but I will surely make it a point to come back here and rekindle my feelings for this charming city.