The Watchlist

#31 Hong Kong

It started out with a kiss, how did it end up like this?

PILOT ARTICLE

Img-0827

By: Patty

 

            It was only a kiss, or was it?

            We bid our goodbye kisses to Manila for our first ever out-of-the-country experience---girls only. There were just six of us – Mika, Anna, Jessa, Jean, Kamae, Nica and me (Patty) and the idea to travel together for as long as we all shall live was a pact but the idea to create ‘The Watchlist” was all but whim and folly.

But alas, it is finally here. 

 

            The Watchlist, originally, came from Nica being held up by the departure officer because somehow, her name was in the watchlist. Thankfully, it was another evil Nica (with the same last name) that was on the watchlist, and not our very own inspector gadget. Touchdown Macau, since we seemed like a traveling girl group, props to our outfits and perky attitudes, we decided to baptize our group with the name “The Watchlist” cause you have got to watch out for us. We thou ght it w ould end there, but the rest, as we say is history, or bits of history about to be made. 

Img-0329
Nica gets cleared from the watchlist and has all her travel documents intact! 

Img-0353

The Watchlist!           

 Our first entry, thus, dates back to those humble beginnings of our first out- of- the- country experience en route Macau and Hong Kong. We were students on a budget for term break and the road less travelled, needless to say, seemed winding but wild. Of course we chose Hong Kong since our veteran jetsetter, Jessa, went there every year.

 

A list of things you should remember when traveling as a group and as girls, on a budget:

 

1. Make sure you have our travel documents ready and updated.

Kamae almost didn’t make it cause her passport wasn’t renewed yet.

2. Make sure you are clean of any criminal record offenses, but in our case the possibility of having one gave birth to this site

3. Go lite, so pack light. We got our tickets for a mere $12 aboard Tiger Air (departed from Clark to Macau  and about $100 going back from Hong Kong to Manila  via Cebu Pacific. And packing light, especially if your headed to places of shopping interests would do mercy for your baggage allowance. Plus, you can borrow clothes, make-up, shoes and money! hehe from friends, what are friends for? Hehe Also, pack food too, especially breakfast food to save on money and not eat your days off  from 7-11.

 

Img-2869
Affordable Airlines!

4. Don’t worry about the side trips. We found out that the cheapest tickets to Macau are from Clark, which is just an hour’s drive’s away from Manila. Also, we were able to stop by and explore Macau, almost Bungee jumped Macau Tower and gambled our allowances (shhhh) and boarded a ferry to Hong Kong,  5 minutes before departure and got our tickets from a scalper, which all fell under the heading of an adventure 

5. It pays to plan ahead, but if that itch of spontaneity hits you and you have the vigilance to pull out your means, then do not hesitate, travel with friends is always unforgettable

6. Assure your parents you are with the right people. We were a bunch of college kids then, and our parents tend to get a little too worried where we are, so tell them where you are, stow-away’s are party poopers (sometimes!)

            So now our trip commences inside the humble walls of B.P. International, a very affordable but convenient hotel. Yes, it has a 7-11 in front of it. What we did on our first few days was explore the sights. We went to Ocean Park, which never fails to bring out the kid in you (a far cry from the newl- opened Disneyland, also its more within our budget and interest). Here I got to watch my favorite

Img-0740a
Ocean park
Img-0642a
Shark bait! haha
Img-0738
The quintessential jumpshot at <insert tourist spot here> <Ocean Park>
Img-0780a
THE ABYSS!! Brace yourselves!

animals—seals, and also spend the whole day acting like a 12-year old with equally juvenile friends! I was too chicken to ride “Abyss” but my friends testify that it is a must-try.

 

            We also did lots of shopping in Central, Causeway Bay,Tsim Sha Tsui and Factory Outlet Stores and. We didn’t get to go to Mongkok since we traded it in for a day’s worth of H and M since it’s the closest H and M to home. Here’s a list of what you need to keep in mind when shopping and also a little bit of transportation know-how.

 

  1. Do know the limit of your credit card. Warn your parents ahead of time that you are splurging on Calvin Klein’s if it is an extension credit card!
  2. Our Hong Kong bestfriend is the OCTOPUS CARD. I think they sell it for 75 HKD and it is your ticket to all major transport systems-the MTR, buses and ferries.

     

    Img-3175
    The perks of an OCTOPUS CARD- MTR travel!
    Img-3179
    and more MTR travel
  3. Go to the community where most of your countrymen live. The Filipino area in Hong Kong had the highest exchange rate for peso, and even dollars. Same goes for when my Chinese friend went to the Philippines and went to Chinatown to get his money exchanged. Almost all the time, that place has the highest exchange rate.
  4. Do wear skirts and flats as some stalls don’t have dressing rooms so it will be easier to try stuff on. This applies if you’re a girl, that flats part, is so your feet won’t be tired though most women from Hong Kong prefer heels even when shopping, yikes!
  5. Always keep a budget in mind, and the good thing about having a friend or friends is you can avail of wholesale prices, buy 1 take one offers and even share purchases!
    Img-3165
    perfect shopping outfits: dress + flats

            I won’t really highlight on food here since most of the time, I only ate  in 7-11 or brought along my granola bars and Apple strudels. Maybe another one of my friends would do the honors on the food part as I proceed to the fun part.

 

So, I made a list for how to make it like a Tom and cruise the nightspots in a foreign country with a group of friends.

  1. Always look out for each other. If you plan a get-away, tell your friends where you are but if you really must embark on an adventure, well live to tell the tale in the hotel room. Just make sure they know where you are.
  2. Always keep an I.D. in hand. The legal age fro drinking in Hong Kong, is I think 18, so if you don’t look 18 but is 18, then the I.D. will definitely be your ticket to a fun night.
  3. Not all strangers are kind, but if you have brought reinforcements, then don’t hesitate to meet new people, cause you never know, maybe you’d see them in one of your travels again. That is what Facebook is for, to expand your network, in this case, your travel network.
  4. Even if skimpy party clothes are sexy, or short shorts are comfortable for dancing, make sure you have cover-ups. Some countries are colder than the others, that’s a fact, and it would help especially if you are going inside a bar with a freezer.
  5. Dancing is a universal language. It does not matter where you are. Dance the night away, even better, get crazy. The good thing about being in a foreign land is that nobody knows you ;). Only young once, so better set your beat right!

     

    Img-3225
    Balalaika Russian Bar- a must try!
    Img-3223
    and then there were SIX

     

            The Nightlife in Hong Kong is awesome, bustling and crazy! Never miss out on Lan Kwai Fong! It is a very cozy and rather safe place to have fun and make it ala spring break. There was a Balalaika Russian Restaurant, a vodka bar wherein you can partay inside a freezer, The Cavern where mostly Filipino waiters and singers were working and the music was good ,and our last stop of the night was Club 97. A must try is the chocolate vodka at the Balalaika! What’s good about Lan Kwai Fong is you get to meet a variety of people and we sure met new friends from England! It was too bad we decided to go there on our last night, but take note it was a Monday night, and it was still really happening. Hang-overs and new found friends aside, it was now time to kiss Hong Kong good-bye and pucker up to another adventure with the girls. As Carrie of Sex and the City would say, “sometimes you just have to get away with the girls”, cause like your favorite box of chocolates, you truly would never know what you are gonna get…and we got this! The Watchlist! How sweet is that?

 

Img-3224
plus our new friends!
N576850612_4747215_3419
so then there were Nine (Jess taking the pic)
Img-3231
CHEERS!!!

0 comments

Leave a comment...

To Posterous, Love Metalab