Thursday, December 27, 2007

Hong Kong Series: Madame Tussauds Wax Museum

We have decided to visit The Peak primarily to witness beautiful sceneries overlooking the building. The weather was not good and the sky was foggy so taking a view was not our luck. Surprisingly, the hot attraction, Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum was in the same building we did not miss the opportunity to check out famous personalities in wax. For an infinite stay inside and free guide book in tow, $75 HK is not bad at all.

Here are just some of the icons I've spotted that looked close to real.










I love the experience because I had a moment to be with famous personalities and felt being "famous" even for a short while. Inside the museum, I felt I was a popular star eagerly sought after by the paparazzi.

By the way, inside the museum, you can take as many pictures as you can with each statue and pose any way you want. There are also staff who will take a professional shot using an SLR camera but you will have to pay for the photo at the exit. We purposely did not avail of it since we find it costly. We have an SLR digicam with us anyway so it did not matter at all. We managed to take good photos. Do you agree? :)

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Hong Kong Series: Lantau Island

Our next stop HK tourist destination was The Lantau Island where it showcases the Ngong Ping Village, the Giant Buddha, and the Po Lin Monastery. The Lantau Island is the biggest island in Hong Kong. It has a very attractive mountain scenery, which is very visible to me while aboard the cable car. The highest mountain is Lantau Peak measuring 934 meters.




To me, Lantau Islands's icon is the Giant Buddha,which is called Tian Tan Buddha because of its visibility and popularity. When you hear Lantau Island, first thing that comes to mind is the Tian Tan Buddha. As a brief backgrounder, Tian Tan Buddha was constructed in the early 1990 and was completely built in 1993. Its construction was estimated to reach $68 million. It was assembled out of 202 pieces of bronze. Supporting the giant buddha's heaviness is a strong steel framework surrounding the statue itself. In addition, the structure was also designed to withstand strong wind pressure.







There you go! If you will be leaving for Hong Kong, don't miss the chance of getting a glimpse of the magnificent Lantau Island and its famous Tian Tan Buddha. :)

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Hong Kong Series: Victoria Harbor Cruise

Victoria Harbor is Hong Kong's most treasured possessions. It's busy port caters to both domestic and international traffic. Various ocean liners, ships, and boats pass through its waterways every day.

In our desire to have a glimpse of Hong Kong Island from a harbor view, we took the Star Ferry, a century-old operating harbor cruise entity.

Waiting for our ride did not take long since there was a ride that comes every five minutes but due to tiredness from previous walks in the city, I couldn't help taking a nap even for a few minutes. With a handy digicam, let me share with you the photos I have taken:









Now, so much of the day shots of sceneries from the harbor view. On another day, we went to the Promenade to witness the night view of Victoria Harbor with the splendid tall edifices on the background.

These pictures are what you can see mostly in brochures, posters, and calendars promoting Hong Kong.



Hong Kong Series: The Magical Experience

It was one bright day, our fifth day stay in HK after arriving there with a hurricane. Luckily enough, the sun radiantly smiled at us so we can finally head to HK Disneyland. I would have had a little regret if I had not visited this place while I was already in HK. Getting there was easy because HK’s trains (MTR) consist of seven lines that are interconnected to each other so it was only easy to transfer from one train to another. On top of that, riding the MTR was a cheaper way of getting there. The way it was conceptualized amazed me, how I wish our very own LRT 1, LRT 2, and MRT have been coined the same way.


When we reached the Disneyland Resort Line, I excitedly rode the Mickey Mouse-inspired train that will bring us to the Disneyland Resort. As we come closer to the place, the more thrilled I become to the many surprises that await me.

Mickey Mouse inspired train

Upon entering the gate, I was greeted by the quaint structures and stores that stand distinctively beside each other.







There were also free rides for everyone to try to get a 360 degree view of the entire resort. I prefer not to board those free rides as I would want to savor my every step roaming around the whole park.








The word “magical” is something that has not really came across my mind until I saw the mesmerizing light sparkles shining over Snow White's Castle. Miniature light sparkles from a distant view looked awesome, and truly magical. A little later, the grand finale fireworks show ensued, which lasted for roughly 30 minutes.

During the fantastic fireworks display

Snow White's Castle after the awesome fireworks display

HK Disneyland experience for me was really magical not only because it had brought out the child in me but also it had fostered a fulfillment of a childhood dream.:)