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.
