Hong Kong Halloween

Hong Kong during the Halloween is teeming with people dressed as witches and vampires. They don't look scary, though, as they walk through the streets of Hong Kong.

Since we went there on our own, we had to rely on our maps and the locals to give us directions for a one-and-a-half day city tour. A must-see in Hong Kong is the Victoria Peak. The Tram is magnificent, as we ascend the peak while seeing the different highlights of Hong Kong: the skyscrapers, the villas, and the park. At the peak, there's a mall there with cheaper goods and better exchange rates. The whole cityscape is seen from there, revealing the beauty of Hong Kong by day.

The MTR is a must and highly convenient. You can transfer from main-island Hong Kong to Kowloon in less time. It can also take you to various points of Hong Kong, including Disneyland. There are a few churches and temples that are open to tourists. You can visit the various malls and buildings of Hong Kong. One particular building, the Hopewell Center in Wan Chai, has a mall at ground level and a revolving restaurant at the top. On the ground floor, various buses plying the Queensway route pass by. But if you want to go to Kennedy Road, take the lift to the 17th floor and you'll find the exit there.

 At Man Mo Temple, you will find the ladder street, a street that is just full of steps. You can also find Antique Street, where many antique items are sold at a cheaper price. At night, Nathan Road is bustling with tourists of various nationalities as well as colorful lights. The Avenue of Stars is great at night, revealing the magnificent view of Hong Kong bay at night! Near the Avenue of Stars is the Planetarium, the Museum of Art, and other tourist destinations. From there you can take the Tsim Sha Tsui station and go down at Jordan, where the Night Market along Temple Street is found. The goods at the Night Market are relatively cheap, but compared with other Asian cities, like Bangkok and Manila, it is still a bit pricey. The food is great as you eat under the stars along the street. A few blocks away is Kowloon Park.

Quick Tips:

There are local events at the Avenue of Stars. Money changers usually have maps and local event listings available for tourists. They are helpful especially for first-time travellers to this highly urbanized city. You can also get a lot of information in the subway and in their customer-service booths. Be sure to memorize the route of subways, the interchange stations, and other routes.

Best Way To Get Around:

Buses are available at different points. Bus stops have information about the bus numbers and the route they take. Try the double-decker buses to get a better view of the city. Better yet, take the subway, where it is much convenient to go around. If you are in the downtown area, try to walk for short distances. Taxis are available but are a bit expensive. There are ferries available that go to Macau or Shenzhen and other parts of China.

USA Hotel is located in the Mirador Mansions building, found along Nathan Road in Tsimshatsui. The building itself looks old and worn out. There are shops at the ground floor, while there are apartments and various hotels on different floors of the building. It is a major consideration that it is near the night market and other major tourist attractions and convenient when taking the MTR.

It is one of those budget hotels where you can find rooms for as low as $15 per person a night. The room is modest and a bit small, and the private bath is a bit cramped. However, it has air-conditioning and a refrigerator, where we keep our food.

It's literally eating along the streets. With shoppers and travellers walking around, it doesn't matter when there are lots of people passing by while delighting on the food. There are just small tables set at the side streets, while the main street is filled with shops. The food is so delicious and the best ever we have tasted in Hong Kong. The culture and the experience are all worth it.

The ascent from Hong Kong Central, where the tram is located, to the Peak is such a wonderful experience. The sight slowly reveals the beauty of Hong Kong from the park to the whole view of the bay. Upon reaching the top there is Peak's Galleria, which is a mall is complete with various shops, fast-food chains, and even money-changer stores. There are also small souvenir shops available. A small part of the hill is where most tourists take photos with the Hong Kong cityscape at the background.

The whole strip is full of artsy stuff. From the subway where the walls are painted beautifully to the promenade, Hong Kong's art truly blooms. Many people visit this area in Kowloon from day till night. It reveals that Hong Kong is really a great place for all kinds of artists: sculptures, singers, painters, cinematographers, actors, and others.

There are various events that happen at the Avenue of Stars. This is the Hollywood version of Hong Kong. A souvenir shop of goodies of your favorite Chinese and Asian actors is available to fans and visitors. At night the pavement is filled with tiny lights reflecting the beautiful stars from the sky. Along the promenade the night view of Hong Kong is seen with colorful and bright ferries traversing the bay. It is perfect for dates and groups to just relax and unwind.

In Hong Kong, there's a street called Antique Street. Now called Hollywood Street, this area is where most antiques are sold. They don't come cheap, but if you are patient and persevering, you'll find some good buys that are a lot cheaper than in the Night Market. Everything Chinese is found here. Jade items are also sold. Perpendicular to Antique Street is Ladder Street, a whole street of steps!

For us it's not really a package tour. It's more of an adventure. We did the tour by ourselves, relied on our traveller's guide book, and looked for the places on our own. Finally, after several blocks and streets, we found Man Mo Temple. It's not the usual temple I was expecting during my visit to Bangkok, but this one reveals another side of Buddhism and how I get to respect them and their faith.

My thirst for travel has also led me to an interest in learning foreign languages and reading maps. Therefore, it came as no surprise when my friends appointed me as the navigator during the entire trip.

All three of us were fist-timers in Hong Kong. To cut down on expenses, we decided not to take a travel agency's package tour and instead do the itinerary, travel planning, and coordination on our own. It wasn't that easy, and we had to rely on our guts, wit, and instincts to make this adventure a successful one.

It was a long journey for us. We took a 2-hour bus ride to the airport, where we could take the plane to Macau. Then we had to wait for about an hour and a half before finally boarding the plane. As we arrived in Macau, we had to catch a jetfoil ferry ride to Hong Kong. For the final leg of the journey, we had to take the MTR from Hong Kong Island to get across to Kowlon.

It was almost 10pm when we got into our hotel. We had to look for a cheap diner to fill our empty stomachs. It was a good thing that our lodging was right smack in Kowloon, where most of the action is to be found. Neon lights were our guides as we traversed the streets of Hong Kong. The next day, another adventure was to unfold. Armed with a travel book and a map, we set out for our journey. We would stop every now and then to inquire from locals or fellow Filipinos how to get to our next destination. And in the process, we got to discover a lot of things that were not stated in the travel guides we had brought along. What an exciting experience we had! The feeling of finding a place and surviving the trip sans tourist guide is like hitting a jackpot in a poker game--it takes a lot of patience, strategy, and luck in order to win.

Well, I did not mind being the resident navigator in our group. As long as it was for adventure and not for anything else, I'd be content to show them around while rediscovering the place.