"To Disneyland, or not to Disneyland?" That was the question on our heads on the morning of our third day in Hong Kong, which was also our monthsary. We thought about it as we walked our usual route down Anchor Street to Mongkok Station, and deciding to change our money in Tsim Tsa Tsui. From Tsim Tsa Tsui station we exited via Nathan Road corner Cameron, facing the Mosque.
Going to the left of Nathan Road, walk a bit and you'll find a stairs leading down to "Old Hong Kong Market". Inside are cheongsams, Chinese-inspired shoes, and purses - for a pretty high price, but can be negotiated with some salespeople.
On Cameron Road behind the station exit are a lot of money changers, small boutiques, eateries, and t-shirt stores. Just a few stores down from the corner of Nathan is the Tang Dynasty store which specializes in the generic souvenir items from Hong Kong, with costumed cheongsams, Hong Kong t-shirts, keychains, and the like. The storekeeps speak english and are amiable to negotiating for a discount if you buy in bulk.
Further down the road is the Guangdong Barbeque Restaurant, right across the Charlie Brown Cafe. Their prices are mid-range, on the same level as Cafe de Coral and fastfoods. They serve very good set menus and cater warmly to tourists, as seen by their English and Indonesian-translated menu. I had a solo roast duck while G had the duck and goose fried rice.
Quack-quack-buckaaa! Food from Guangdong Barbeque Restaurant on Cameron Road. Photo by GHands down, it was the best meal we had in our trip.
Right across Guangdong Barbeque there was the Charlie Brown Cafe.
You're a good man Charlie Brown!The cafe really lived up to the theme, being filled with dioramas, statues, and busts of Peanuts characters. What I liked best about it was that it was not limited to Charlie Brown and Snoopy - Lucy, Linus, Peppermint Patty, Marcie were there, as well as Pigsty and lesser-known characters of the peanuts cast. You can also get Peanuts toys and other merchandise from their gift shop in the corner of the cafe.
Inside the Cafe
The food was forgettable. G and I didn't take to the profiterole cake much, but it was nice to be among the Peanuts gang.
A stunning likeness. Photo by G
With the born loser. Photo by GAfter dessert, we finally decided on the game plan. Disneyland was a mite too expensive, but we really wanted to go to some amusement park.
We went to Ocean Park.
How to get to Ocean Park: MTR-Citybus RouteTake the MTR Red Line to Admiralty Station. From Admiralty, there are signs pointing towards the Ocean Park terminal exit. Just follow the signs there, and you'll find the bus stop next to the Ocean Park ticket booth.
To Ocean Park!
Seal clap! Arf arf! Photo by G
It was a Citybus that drops us at the Birds Paradise entrance of Ocean Park. We had to take a few levels up via escalators to get to the Headlands and Marine Land areas, where the rides and exhibits were.
Two or Three levels of this. I am not kidding. Photo by GWe passed by the Harbor View exhibit of seals on the way, but the seals were asleep.
Seals basking under the cloudsA few metres more of walking, we wanted nothing more than to duck into an aircon exhibit, namely the Shark Aquarium.
Mind the teeth!
Jaws!
Photo by GG noticed that there were less sharks than his last visit, several years ago. Maybe it's for the better. The aquarium is way too small for even one shark, which made me feel sorry for them. Still, it's amazing to see them up close.
On the way we stopped by the Atoll, an artificial coral reef ecosystem housing hundreds of different fish. We got in just in time for a feeding.
No human was actually harmed in the taking of this photo, which was taken by GThe Atoll was a better exhibit, with a lot more to see and lot more colorful than the shark aquarium.
After the atoll, G really wanted to go on the cable car for a view of the park and surrounding bay, but it was way too full. We lined up for the Ferris Wheel instead.
A view from the topThe basic concept of the ferris wheel works in the Ocean Park setting. At the height of the wheel, you can see the seaside, nearby Kowloon, the neighboring islands, as well as the southern part of the headlands.
The ferris wheel was within bearable walking distance to the rides. Highlights of the rides were the Dragon Coaster and The Abyss. The Dragon Coaster was fun, but not scary. I even felt that it was a mite slow, and scariest when they take a steep curve, not so much when it loops. What really scared me was The Abyss, a
turbo drop ride. I really felt the fall and took awhile to get back on my feet.
Of course, no Ocean Park trip would be complete without catching the famous dolphin show. It really was the best dolphin show I've ever seen, in all it's corniness. Unlike other dolphin shows which just shows off the stunts, this one actually told a story, with enough English in there for tourists to follow.
Dolphins away!In a touching story about an old man's hopes for man and wildlife to live together in harmony, the seals, dolphins, and trainers played it to the tee without missing a single cue. As someone who's worked in many different theatrical productions, I was personally amazed. It's hard enough working with other people of different temperaments, what more animals? I also give it props for having the most tasteful - if not the best - audience participation in a family show.
After the show ended, we headed back to the entrance. On our way we made a pit stop at the Mine Train, a basic loop-less roller coaster, that takes your picture around one bend of the ride. It was faster than the Dragon Coaster and just plain fun. The pic with G and I on the coaster came out blurry so we chose not to get it.
By the time we got down from the Headlands, it was time for the park to close. We got back on the bus and decided to head on to Mongkok. In Mongkok, we had dinner at Ajisen Ramen - which we belatedly found out had a branch somewhere in Manila. We had noodles and sushi, then explored the Electronic Goods Road for a bit.
Shining, shimmering, and neon. Photo by GWe found ourselves no Sai Yeong Choi Street, which has a lot of restaurants and take-away places. For the geeks, there's an Animate store there with a lot of anime toys and other action figures. The Toymart building across the street from Animate is a minimall with six floors catering to the young and trendy of Hong Kong, stock full of more toys and lots of funky clothes. I found
Dracula, a boutique full of clothes for the
gothic lolita type.
As always - so many goods, so little money!
That capped three very full days in Hong Kong. It was just enough time for us to get around, and it was about time we headed home.
Epilogue to follow!
For more information on Ocean Park, visit their website!
