9:30 AM We had Delifrance again for breakfast as it was along the way going to Avenue of the stars. We discovered that the nearest route from our hotel located at corner Chatham road south and Cameron road would be to pass by Chatham Road South which is a main avenue parallel to Nathan Road, walk inside the MTR East Tsim Tsa Tsui station and look for the SOGO/New World Center Exit.
TRAVEL TIP: Pass through MTR stations to get from point A to B if your tired and in a hurry. being at the station gives you the feeling that all the tourist spots is just an exit away. The Tsim Tsa Tsui MTR station has 13 exits starting from Cameron road along Nathan Road up to Salisbury road next to the waterfront/ Avenue of Stars. Just be on the look out for signages on the MTR stations as you might be walking towards the wrong exit. Dont worry as the MTR is very tourist friendly signs are everywhere!
10:00 AM Took a lot of pictures at the waterfront to the Star Ferry Pier. Along the way you will pass by the HK Museum of Art, Olympic RIngs, and the Olympic torch.
TRAVEL TIP: Visit the Avenue of stars both day and night. At night you get a stunning view of Victoria harbor plus the spectacular Symphony of lights show downside is its really hard to take a good photo without a tripod and there are lots of tourists at night. During the day you also get the same view minus the lights but you also have all the free space for photo sessions.
11:30 AM It was pretty exciting to ride the Star Ferry although nothing spectacular really about the boat itself but you get to be part of history. As the ferry has been the main mode of transport between the islands since the early 1900's and seeing the Star Ferry in numerous postcards and pictures just makes you want to try it. Plus its also a quick and cheap way to travel to Hong Kong island its HKD 3.00 for a token and the trip was less than 10 minutes. Waiting time was around 5-10 minutes.
12:00 PM We docked at Central which is where IFC building and IFC mall is located. The International Finance Center is the 7th tallest office building in the world! The MTR Hong Kong station is right underneath the IFC mall which makes it very convenient. Aside from the nice looking buildings and the IFC mall there isnt really much to do in this area as it is a Business district.
12:45 PM Arrived at Citygate outlets. Definitely this time all the shops were already open! Since we were to meet Av coming in from Manila at around 3Pm we had at least 2 hours of shopping time. There was a good variety of shops to cater to different preferences: Puma, Adidas, Nike, Quicksilver, A/X, Polo Ralph Lauren, Burberry, Giordano, Esprit, Nautica, Timberland, Rockport, Body Shop, Samsonite, I.T, and Fortress to name a few.
TRAVEL TIP: Dont be disappointed and expect stuff to be dirt cheap at the outlet stores they are still brand names so expect a 50-70% price discount. To give you an idea you USD $150.00 might get u a pair of Adidas sneakers, Jeans, 2 polo shirts, 3 round neck shirts, and a small sports bag.
5:45PM time to head for the PEAK! MTR to Central and exited into a park just beside the HSBC building there were no signs to which way would be the Victoria peak tram so we asked security for directions. You should walk towards the HSBC building there you will see signs pointing to the direction of the tram station. It was an uphill walk past a couple of buildings. You can get to the peak via Bus. taxi, or Tram.
6:30PM there was a short queue for the tram tickets. You could choose between one way/ return tram tickets plus access to the Sky Terrace. Purchased a two way ticket with access for HKD 48.00
it was a 10minute wait for the tram and off we go! we were standing up so it was a pretty exciting ride plus the fact its pitch black in some areas adds to the excitement! ( you could see in the photo that it the track really is at a 45 degree angle)
7:00 PM At the sky terrace we were rewarded a stunning view! Better bring some winter wear as the wind was very chilly up there.I was so irritated i didnt have a tripod with me it was so difficult taking photos of the view!( I missed my chance on a postcard photo op!) We spent around 20 minutes enjoying the view and experimenting on our cameras different modes!
7:20PM Then we walked around the Peak mall lots of small shops selling interesting accessories, and souvenirs. Our favorite was a Godiva Chocolate shop Ella was already smiling to the ear hahahaha! The sales lady was so nice she let us try different variants never tasted chocolate this good specially their truffles. We didnt buy their boxed chocolates as we didnt know what to expect so we got the ones displayed at the counter. You purchase by gram and we got a hundred grams which is about 6-9 pieces costing around HKD 150.00. ( we were already done but the lady was continuously giving Ella free samples and was happily munching away. Mind you their free sample is not a small chunk of chocolate but its the same size that they sell) Pretty expensive, yes but the fine chocolates just gives you a momentary feeling of heaven. Ella also bought some earrings from the Swarovsky shop.
The line going dowan was so long about 30 minutes! We got on the 3rd or 4th tram! Bad move we should have bought 1 way tickets and just took a cab gong down as there were cabs going around the peak mall. Don know how much cab fare would be but definitely wouldnt be too much of a difference from the tram tickets plus you get to save time!
5:45PM time to head for the PEAK! MTR to Central and exited into a park just beside the HSBC building there were no signs to which way would be the Victoria peak tram so we asked security for directions. You should walk towards the HSBC building there you will see signs pointing to the direction of the tram station. It was an uphill walk past a couple of buildings. You can get to the peak via Bus. taxi, or Tram.
6:30PM there was a short queue for the tram tickets. You could choose between one way/ return tram tickets plus access to the Sky Terrace. Purchased a two way ticket with access for HKD 48.00
it was a 10minute wait for the tram and off we go! we were standing up so it was a pretty exciting ride plus the fact its pitch black in some areas adds to the excitement! ( you could see in the photo that it the track really is at a 45 degree angle)
7:00 PM At the sky terrace we were rewarded a stunning view! Better bring some winter wear as the wind was very chilly up there.I was so irritated i didnt have a tripod with me it was so difficult taking photos of the view!( I missed my chance on a postcard photo op!) We spent around 20 minutes enjoying the view and experimenting on our cameras different modes!
7:20PM Then we walked around the Peak mall lots of small shops selling interesting accessories, and souvenirs. Our favorite was a Godiva Chocolate shop Ella was already smiling to the ear hahahaha! The sales lady was so nice she let us try different variants never tasted chocolate this good specially their truffles. We didnt buy their boxed chocolates as we didnt know what to expect so we got the ones displayed at the counter. You purchase by gram and we got a hundred grams which is about 6-9 pieces costing around HKD 150.00. ( we were already done but the lady was continuously giving Ella free samples and was happily munching away. Mind you their free sample is not a small chunk of chocolate but its the same size that they sell) Pretty expensive, yes but the fine chocolates just gives you a momentary feeling of heaven. Ella also bought some earrings from the Swarovsky shop.
The line going dowan was so long about 30 minutes! We got on the 3rd or 4th tram! Bad move we should have bought 1 way tickets and just took a cab gong down as there were cabs going around the peak mall. Don know how much cab fare would be but definitely wouldnt be too much of a difference from the tram tickets plus you get to save time!
TRAVEL TIP: If 1 tram ride is for you is enough consider a 1 way tram ticket and take a cab down hill to save on time there can be long lines in the evening. Also better to purchase tickets in advance if possible.
9:00 PM Back at Tsim Tsa Tsui had dinner at a local diner near the hotel. Chicken/ Porkchop rice and soda costs around HKD 35.00. Me and AV headed back to the hotel while Ella walked around for a while along Granville road.
10:30 PM its time for some shut eye. Tomorrow would be our last day in Hong Kong before we head off to Macau. Ocean Park and Mong Kok would be our destinations for tomorrow.
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