My domestic helper was supposed to go away for home leave in Oct 2016 but she decided not to go after I've purchased SQ tickets on promotion. I seldom get a chance to travel due to my girl, as well as financially tight. I was only able to travel after re-joining the workforce when my girl was around 8 years old. We employed a domestic maid (FDW) so that I could work full time and gradually, I paid off the "loans" and saved up some money for some "luxury" eg travel nearby and visit restaurants, two years ago. I'm not the kind of person who would bring branded bags or expensive household stuff. When I'm out to do shopping, I'd look at those things on offer, regardless brand. Unlike some others, they buy things/clothes based on preferred style, design, brand and/or colour. Whatever is cheap, I'll try to use/buy unless I know that item is not worth buying.
All these years, my way of scrimp and save allowed me to do a kitchen renovation, travelled to Taipei (last year) and Hong Kong (this Oct). To me, this is a luxury because each travelling is a lot of money wasted.
I was excited to purchase SQ tickets that cost similar to the airfare I paid to Taipei on Jetstar. Travelling on SQ, our home grown luxury carrier was like a dream came true. I paid online for close to S$1300, 4 adult tickets. I've been counting down to travel since March 2016. Did lots of homework (blog reading, TripAdvisor reviews, etc).
As at today, SQ promo prices are still available, click here:
Read many blogs and also some Free & Easy package price that includes Disneyland, airport transfer and 3-star accommodation. Felt it is not worth taking package and waste half a day on compulsory day tour. Also you are likely to waste another half day due to flight that depart on mid-day or evening Sin/HK. Have been reading blogs and comparing hotel prices. Before we booked tickets, hubby asked a friend whether that weekend we intended to visit is considered peak. We were told that week was non peak, 10 Oct was Chung Yeung Festival 重阳节 so not affected. Then nearer to travel date, we realised China two weeks long holiday 长周末 has an impact on our travel dates. 13 Oct was chosen because my FDW's intended travel date was 12 Oct evening. If I didn't try to grab the promo and waited till June or now, SQ promo is still available. Pricing depends on travel dates (Xmas period no promo). Non peak, flights booked 90 days in advance, fare starts from S$258.
When it was one month before departure, I was still trying to get a nice, spacious and cheap hotel in Jordan or Mongkok area eg, Shamrock, Hotel Sav, Metropark Mongkok, Popway Hotel, Hotel Stage, Novotel, etc. There are Agoda, Hotel, Booking and Expedia online websites to book hotels. I found Agoda to be the cheapest when you login as member - Insider price. Also using apps and PC to book, there's a slight price difference. Every month, at least 3 times, I checked on hotel rates. Hubby felt it was a chore and said I should get a package tour. He forgot how much he was willing to co-pay and the restrictions, eg compulsory "waste time half day agent tour" as well as flight time. If you depart during noon time, by the time you arrive Hong Kong 4 hours later, it is dinner time. How much time do you have to explore HK on that day? Considered another one day wasted.
My colleague who travelled two weeks before me was able to get Shamrock at only S$111, twin bedded per night! I gave my colleague a list of hotels in my radar. I was shocked to realise the week I intended to travel was considered peak, thus, the room rates cost much more. If I've booked Shamrock, I'd have to pay about S$268 per night per room. Hubby had been pressuring me to book. Two weeks before departure date, I had to look at non preferred hotels so I adjusted my expectations and looked at lower class accommodation, as well as those with tiny rooms (10-13 sqm). My hubby wasn't keen to pay more yet expect to stay in a nice and hotel nearby mtr. Men seemed to enjoy looking generous (in others' eyes) but not calculating the consequences as a money spender and how the wife felt.... my habit is don't spend unwisely. Husband will tell wife he is short of cash yet doesn't want to adjust his lifestyle or stop "showing off, pretend money is small issue" in others' eyes, especially with his friends 装随和 阔气. You may want to argue some men are just shy to ask about price or do bargaining but is this a good excuse if you're a budget conscious/not so rich person? In my opinion, only people who are rich can buy or spend money without asking about the price 有资格耍酷 清高 and forgo comparisons 货比货. Hubby wanted the luxury to be waited on eg car to pick him at door step and everything well planned.
When I booked Silk West Kowloon, told hubby it was just a 3-star hotel hotel, don't expect any posh experience, he wasn't delighted, a bit grumpy. Booked two rooms, twin bedded, 3 nights with 2 free Handy phones for a total of about S$800. It was really not an attractive price when you see the Hotel's review ... the pathetic room size, hard bed, tiny bathroom cum toilet, etc. If I've travelled one week earlier, the room rate for this hotel is about S$90/night. I paid S$140 excluding taxes per room, per night.
One month before departure...
I did a travel insurance comparison. Last year I bought INCOME insurance at a promo rate. This year, I bought HL because it is cheaper.
Tsz Shan Monastery 慈山寺 in 大埔 - Visitors were only allowed to book visit date one month in advance. Patiently waited for that day and was shocked that weekend was block out! So disappointed. We prefer Tsz Shan over Big Buddha because visitors are controlled. It would be a quiet place, not over crowded, should be quite nice to visit the new and largest HK Guanyin temple, located in Tai Po. No walk in visitor allowed, crowd is strictly controlled, sounds good right? Too bad, we can't go on Thu because visit time wasn't available after 2pm. Didn't want to sacrifice our Fri (Ocean Park) to go Tsz Shan ... tolerate long queues on weekends, at theme park... not keen. If I can foresee the poor outcome at Ocean Park, I would have deleted it from my planner and put in Tsz Shan. The guys in the house knew we're going Ocean Park, given info and park map yet made me wasted money.... to me they did on purpose, being unappreciative, ruined my good mood and future desire to travel as a family. Wasting money isn't a virtue and I certainly don't agree we are up to that level to splurge!!
Browsed Silka and Disneyland's website. Found some good packages that included accommodation and Disneyland tickets. The dates I wanted were taken.
Few days before departure...
* Sick
My princess was ill 10 days before departure. Visited polyclinic, completed the course of flu and cough medication but still no improvement. Took princess to see Chinese Physician for some strong powder form medication and two days later, re-visited polyclinic because that "TCM strong medicine" didn't show signs of getting better. Was given nose drop (antibiotics isn't required as chest sounded clear) which did change my girl's frightening greenish mucus to slight transparent on departure day. Luckily she was "well" to travel.
* Weather forecast
Checked weather forecast and it showed our day one would be cloudy. The rest of the days were quite warm. Temperature range from 24 to 30 degree. No need to bring any thick clothings, just something light, long sleeves would suffice. This year, HK is warmer, compared to last year.
* Money changer
Went around to find good currency exchange rate. 10 days before I started my hunt, the HKD was $568. JEM shopping mall displayed HKD555 when I needed to change money .... really low. Went to Jurong Point, it was HK565 but I didn't know it was a good catch. The next day, went Arcade, Raffles Place after work. There were many money changers and the rates were from 560 to 566. Went to a money changer that said able to give me HK500 notes. I asked remisier whether he had enough money to change. The local Chinese lady was so sarcastic, said surely have enough .... I meant HK500 notes lah. Passed S$1000 to the man but was given 2 pieces of HK1000 and the rest in $500, the smallest according to him, not even one piece of HK100! I was given some S$ back because remiser wanted to round down the exchange to only HK500 and HK1000 notes. I said I don't want big notes, why am I still getting HK1000. The remisier angrily said don't want then take back your money. Went to other shops, most are giving me HK1000 (only visited those with rate 564-566. Hong Kongers are rated as rude and impatient in many blogs. Many bloggers advised don't use HK$1000 unless you're visiting big shopping centres. Cha Chaan Teng, small shops do not take in big notes. I certainly don't want to ask for trouble so I did my very best to get $500 notes and smaller ones.
Went to Bugis to have dinner and tried my luck. I changed S$1000 @562, all in $500, 1x100, 1x20 = HK5620. Rate outside BHG wasn't great but ok for convenience and a hassle-free trip. I have no intention to go back to Jurong Point.
Probably, I could use S$100 to change at many money changers. The rate that day was 564-566 so using S$100, I am definitely not going to get HK1000 note. I'm just not a clever person 精明, poor reflex 反应迟钝.
* Cantonese translator/app
Download an app from play store with all the common Cantonese audio messages and also an online link to type in Chinese and it "speaks" back in Cantonese.
* Acidophilus/Probiotic supplements - around 10 billion of probiotics
Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for your health, especially your digestive system. We usually think of bacteria as something that causes diseases. But your body is full of bacteria, both good and bad. Probiotics are often called "good" or "helpful" bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy. The well known fermented milk drink most people know are Yakult or Vitagen.
Acidophilus is a bacteria that exists naturally in the body, primarily in the intestines and the vagina. Acidophilus helps maintain an acidic environment in the body, which can prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. It may work by helping the body maintain normal consistency of bacteria in the stomach, intestines and vagina.
I have a problematic tummy, a tummy that could make me dash to the toilet to clear my bowel without much time to hold and wait. Friend said acidophilus/probiotics can help me. I tried for this trip and Taipei (last year), also avoided eating vegetables,....in case my digestion system is too productive and created havoc. I can control my bladder by drinking lesser water but having an over active bowel is terrible.... felt so powerless, unable to control my own body. Also, I don't take cold drinks - with ice cubes out of Singapore. Not sure how clean or how well my tummy can tolerate unbottled water. Constipation? I cleared my bowels effortlessly in HK, daily! Back to Spore, I am doing fine.
* E-tickets
I bought e-tickets to Ocean Park @S$60 and Airport Express S$20 via Klook. Before buying I saw The Peak tram tickets but when I decided to buy, it was Peak Tram Sky Pass at S$12 per pax. Although it looked cheap, we didn't want to visit Sky Terrace 428, viewing deck aboard. Thus, on Day one, we used our Octopus card to pay for one-way entry. The reason for buying online (at a risk of not getting any tickets) was to avoid bringing too much cash. Didn't want to use credit card and be exposed to frauds or mishandling/mischief by merchants. Did activate my credit card for overseas spending, just in case. Bought round trip Airport Express. The pdf mtr confirmation stated "Redemption of ticket(s) cannot be made after redemption deadline and customers should bear the responsibility of not able to collect ticket(s) if required document(s) is/are not presented." Emailed Klook, was told ticket valid for one month. I have pdf writer so I decided to change redemption date to 13 Oct, our actual arrival date.
* Itinerary
Our itinerary was finally out two days before departure. Did some last minute change to avoid crowd at Big Buddha on Saturday. Told hubby and son to browse through, both not keen to see my final "hardwork".
Day 1 (Thu) half day
Arrive Airport / lunch / check-in Silka West Hotel / The Peak + tram
Day 2 (Fri) Full day out
8am breakfast / Ocean Park and cable car
Day 3 (Sat) Full day out
8am breakfast / Cheung Chau 长洲 via Ferry / Jordan & Mongkok area (Temple street & Ladies Market)
Day 4 (Sun) Full day out
Check-out, take back deposit to spend. Use Kowloon 机场快线票Airport Express check in luggage in advance
8am breakfast / check out Silka / Kowloon mtr / Flower market / Jade Market / Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden / Plaza Hollywood mall / Ding Ding tram city tour / Mid levels escalators
Our return flight 19.55/2345 hrs
Confession!
I didn't take lots of pictures，most of the pictures posted here belongs to others. Not the kind who would take lots of pictures, partly because I have a girl to attend to, an impatient hubby and haven't cultivate the habit to snap & snap.
DAY 1, THU
Prefer SQ860 at 0825/1225 hours but wasn't available at promo price.
We took SQ 890 from Terminal 3, Aircraft type: Boeing 777-200, at 0735/1150 hours. Did online check in so instead of arriving airport two hours in advance, we arrived about 1.5 hours before flight time. It wasn't crowded, check-in two luggages and obtained our boarding passes in a breeze. We were quite early so loitered at resting area. Wanted to have breakfast but hubby was hurrying us... we've about one hour to play with. Regretted, should eat something I liked and not be presented with SQ breakfast that was awful. The baked or steamed egg were hard and not moist.... didn't see the menu because princess took it to play so not sure what's the right name for that egg dish. Colleague had nasi lemak on SQ. She managed to get the 8.25am flight.
I guess the SQ food wasn't tasty and appetizing so my boss has changed his traveller's profile to Indian food... A Chinese who prefers Indian food in his Krisflyer record! The start of my journey didn't seem smooth. The non seafood breakfast (advance special request online) given to my princess was almost untouched .... looked better than my low fibre breakfast. Didn't eat my girl's leftover food because she hasn't fully recovered. Didn't want to be sick in HK. Asked the crew whether possible to have vermicelli (bee hoon), was told if there's leftover, she would bring over.
We arrived at HK Terminal 1 by express lane. The HK airport crew brought us a wheelchair as "licence" to use express check out lane. We didn't get this service on our return, both at HK and Sg. There was a forex exchange store once you're out of arrival hall. Rate was slightly better than what got at Bugis... surprisingly. I wonder would they give me $500 and smaller notes since that was HK. Would they behave like assholes - those forex in Arcade, mostly giving customers big notes and black unfriendly faces. My colleague dissuaded me. My intention was to change part of my S$ to HK$ in Hongkong but she said the rate was extremely low.
My visit to Taipei, I remembered the rate there wasn't too bad. When I got home HK/Sin, the next day, I passed by the forex near my place and found the rate has gone up. I guess my vacation week was really a bad timing. The rate was around 566-568 for months yet when it was time for me to change, the rate dropped till 560 at Westmall. JEM was the worst, at only HK555. Guess I wasn't a lucky person. Hoped for a great and fun trip but turned out this trip was like a disaster, bad memories, full of grievances and unpleasantness. It really made me frighten to go for another paid holiday.
We didn't take lunch at Tai Hing because it was more crowded than 何洪记. We tried Tai Hing goose rice opposite our hotel. Lunch was taken on the right of below picture. Walking out from here, that arrow showing T2 was direction to Kowloon - Airport Express redemption counter and express train boarding area. I presented the Klook mtr letter (no QR code on it), my passport and was issued 4 round trip AE cards. Also purchased 4 adult Octopus cards, new card by default required HK50 deposit, no discount for Sg students or special needs persons. The counter staff was very nice to change one HK$500 to 5x100 notes and also informed us that there would be admin charges of HK9/card when we return the Octopus cards - take back our deposits and card balance (refund value). Card value including HK50 deposit was HK200 per card.
AE looked clean and comfy. Tried to hook on to CSL free wifi on board AE but failed. The ride was about 25 mins. The journey wasn't a comfort for my ears. I didn't feel any pressure on the plane yet I felt discomfort on both ways of AE. The Airport wifi was more user-friendly, no password required nor keying of mobile number.
We didn't take the Silka Hotel shuttle from Kowloon as it operated on an hourly basis. You need to be there the right time. Also, I don't know the exact pick up location... although I have a Silka shuttle map. The free K or H buses service persons don't know the pick up location .... I forgot to show them the map. Waited about 10 mins for the free shuttle K5 and alighted at the 5th stop, Dorsett. It was a mini bus unlike some other routes, big buses to ply. Complimentary Airport Express Shuttle Bus Service is an add-on service provided exclusively for Airport Express passengers travelling between Hong Kong or Kowloon stations and major hotels and railway interchanges. Click here to see the routes and which drop off point is nearest to your hotel. Use Google map or Earth to help you see your location better. Do screenshots on your mobile phone or print out.
Silka West Kowloon Hotel
46-48 Anchor Street, Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon (Olympic MTR Station Exit C4)
The hotel offers Handy Smart Phone with Free 3G Mobile Internet, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Free Local Calls and IDD calls to 7 countries (Australia, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, UK & USA) and hourly free Shuttle bus service to Mong Kong MTR Station / Langham Place Mall, Temple Street / Yau Ma Tei MTR Station / Tsim Sha Tsui and Airport Express Kowloon Station / Elements.
My Agoda review:
A room that is only 13 sqm is still fine for small size guests (height below 1.6m, wears M size Asian clothing) but the bathroom is definitely a no-no for anybody who has a kid to shower for or you yourself is not a small size person. You're likely to get knocked, be it trying to get a bathe or getting up from your toilet seat. Bed is not the usual single bed size, its small and hard. I guess hard bed has longer life span. Handy phone is great but the default setting of having Bluetooth switched on is a real battery drain, no way I could get it turned off for my few days of accommodation. Deposit was HD$500 per room, cash was my preferred choice. I was given an option to have a handicap room but located on smoking floor. No way hotel could give us unpolluted/clean air if I opt for handicap room. Can you imagine how hard it is to shower a teen in a tiny area-non handicap room? Booked 2 rooms and one of the rooms was extremely cold, hubby got sick and had to buy Panadol. Staff were helpful and nice. Various food nearby, many convenience stores and Olympian City next to Olympic mtr ....添好运 Michelin rated restaurant. Walking from mtr to hotel was less than 10mins, use Shell station as your guide, especially when you get down from K5 Airport bus. Walking from Olympian City to Mongkok was about 10mins. We tried walking from Mongkok to Olympian and were given many wrong directions. 1st time guest should try Olympian to Mongkok area unless you like wild goose chase and waste your stamina. People (think they work or live there) don't seem to know there's an overhead bridge and giving the convenience of Olympic to Mongkok mtr at only 10 mins walk. I don't like Hong Kong because it is not wheel friendly, too many staircases and toilets aren't easily available like Singapore.
Placed our luggages in the rooms, took the fully charged Handy phones and left for goose rice before heading to The Peak, our first attraction in HK. Tai Hing was one of the highly recommended places for goose and roast meat. We had a hard time finding because I thought it was on ground level. We asked directions from two persons and the second person gave us clear direction, in Mandarin that Tai Hing was at level 2, inside New Kowloon Plaza.
太兴 and 稻香 restaurants were next to each other. Nearby was a mart to buy drinks. Note that marts, convenience stalls and shops do not give out free carriers. It is better to bring your own recycle bags. The only times I was given plastic bags were buying cakes. Food was good, many times better than the SQ breakfast we had. My girl liked the goose and roast meat rice 双拼. She seemed hungry enough to finish the whole plate herself. I ordered only one to share with her. As we were rushing off to reach the Peak before 5pm, I couldn't order more to eat leisurely. It was tea break time so there was discount 下午茶特价. Thu afternoon, there wasn't lots of people. There are plenty restaurants and eateries near Silka West. It is an old housing estate but you don't need to walk more than 5 mins to find F&B.
The Peak is the highest point on HK Island 太平山顶, provides some breathtaking views of HK Island, Kowloon and Victoria Harbour. According to blogs, the Peak is usually super crowded after 5pm. Waiting time can be 45mins or more. Tram waiting area is warm in summer, no fan and no air con. We were lucky that day the sky was getting cloudy/gloomy, wasn't so hot. I like gloomy days, no sun, no rain and can have lots of outdoor fun. It didn't rain on that night and caused inconvenience to us.
From Hotel to Olympic mtr, it was less than 10mins walk. There was a forex exchange store on the way but the rate isn't good. I really hate Hong Kong, everywhere staircases. My HK visit, I have not come across any exit that allowed us to use slope/ramp or lift to get up to ground level or reach train level. Both are modern countries yet our little red dot Spore is so much better. Definitely not a wheel friendly country that I would recommend parents with big strollers or elderly in wheelchair to visit. You go there for leisure, not to exercise by climbing stairs or weight-lifting your stroller/wheel chair.
We realised that Central mtr to Hong Kong mtr is a long underpass cum shopping belt. From Central mtr station, we exit by J2 and walked up to the ground level. Turned right, through Chater Garden, cross Queen's Road Central, and made way up Garden Road. You will pass the Bank of China Tower and Citibank Plaza on your left and St John's Cathedral on your right. Lower Peak Tram Terminus is on the left hand side near the Citibank Tower at the first set of traffic lights. We tapped our Octopus card for one way at HK32, both ways tram ride is more worth it, at HK45. Buying e-tickets at Klook is cheaper than using Octopus card. If you've booked though Klook or using Octopus card, you'll save time by not joining the long queue to purchase tram tickets. We didn't go Trick Eye Museum, The Sky Terrace 428 and Madame Tussauds 100 incredibly lifelike wax figures.
The Peak service staff was nice to escort us to the front and then be the first to board the tram. Hubby and son tried to be 'alien' and were not standing close to us. I couldn't find them when I got my seats. Steep ride, something unusual but uncomfortable if you have to stand and had to bear the pushing of others to rush into the tram. Choose to sit on the right-hand seat, regardless whether going up or heading down to enjoy the most spectacular and panoramic view. Tram arrived at Tower A, B tower to return but I didn't see any obvious signage.
The tram to get down was having snake queues so we decided to try bus 15C Central Pier, HK$4.20 or 15B HK9.60 Causeway Bay. Looked like long queues. Hubby spotted a mini bus 1 heading Central mtr at HK10.60. We didn't know we have reached our destination because we couldn't see the mtr sign, location was surrounded by buildings. Bus 1 driver was extremely unfriendly, not helpful (tell us when to alight when we requested) and impatient.
I hesitated to take bus down because some reviewers said the road was winding and those with motion sickness would feel uncomfortable/nausea. We sat behind the driver. His window was slightly opened, thus, we could feel cool breeze entering. The night ride was pleasant.
I hesitated to take bus down because some reviewers said the road was winding and those with motion sickness would feel uncomfortable/nausea. We sat behind the driver. His window was slightly opened, thus, we could feel cool breeze entering. The night ride was pleasant.
Tim Ho Wan is outside, near the side road. Look out for a FoodGarden sign to exit from main building.
By the time we walked out, it was about 8.30pm. We went to TASTE supermarket to buy bottled water and instant noodles that my supervisor requested. My colleague and supervisor said these long instant noodles are nice, unavailable in Sg. Some travellers like to buy instant noodles in HK, Taiwan, Korea and Japan. I'm not a fan of instant noodles so I didn't buy nor did I try any HK food that contains instant noodles. Each pack serves 2 pieces, at HK9 each. My colleague bought this noodles at HK12.90 in Wellcome.
The cheapest 1.5 litre mineral water (actually is distilled water, the lowest grade) cost HK6.90. The 500ml sweet bottle drinks were from HK8.90 to HK12.90. Wanted to buy packet drinks like Yeos in 6s terra pack (has straw) but found the cheapest was HK14.90. The only time I found terra in 6s was on Day 3, HK10.90, in one of the convenience store near Dorsett. Thought 茅根 means lemon grass. Then I realised it was cane with water chestnut. Tasted good, not so sweet.
Finally we were back into our rooms. Took my nightwear and all shower necessities .... oh my goodness, the toilet is so small!In the picture, I wasn't standing next to the wall, was near the bath entrance, in between an 'empty space' and the basin, see below picture. Everyday I hit the wall or knock somewhere either hard or lightly. I almost hit my head when I tried to get up from the toilet seat. Toilet has toothbrush (replenished if you threw your used ones), thick and white towels (requested room make-up/change towels everyday), soap, comb, shower cap, toilet roll and hair dryer. No tissue box in the hotel room.
It was a tough mission to shower my teen. Water supply was strong and easy to control temperature. The area was so small, I can't draw the shower curtain to stop water from splashing out because I need to stand at the edge or one feet in the bath area and one feet out... a bit of balancing skill and body stretching. The floor was definitely wet and slippery after each shower.
When it was my turn to shower, I thought the television could keep my teen entertained. Half way thru, my princess took my mobile phone and tried to pass to me (signalled me to turn on YouTube for her viewing). I was washing my hair so there's no way I could take the phone and the next moment, she threw it onto the floor, an area that wasn't carpeted! My phone ..... sob. The channels weren't entertaining nor interesting ... I don't understand Cantonese. Showed Discovery channel on the card but there was no way I could get it. The programs were like default to boring HK shows from Channel 81 to 99, only 5 active channels to choose.Finally bed time around 10.30pm, the beds were really hard and small. Was my first time sleeping on such hard beds. Pillows were fine, the way I liked. There was a hanging desk for the phone and above remote control so there was no way I could pull it out and place the 2 beds next to each other.
DAY 2, FRI
My teen woke up few minutes before 7am. I used the room phone to ring next door (Room 1906) as wake up call. Told hubby not to answer because calls would be charged. The Handy phones don't allow calling each other. Hubby didn't turn on his mobile phone volume in the night (avoid disturbance) so can't use Whatsapp in the morning.
I took a shower and was smart by passing my teen the Handy phone with Youtube for her to pass time. She wasn't really watching all the videos but kept flicking her thumb to change videos... impatient, short attention span. The Handy phone was a real battery drain because bluetooth was switched on by default. When you thought you've switched off, it came back.
We left our rooms around 8am and had breakfast at 翠河 Green River Restaurant. 翠河 and 翠华 are different restaurants, both have many branches in different locations.
The breakfast at Green River wasn't great so I bought mochi and cake for the girl. As for son, I bought him a chicken pie because the beef he chose (one whole piece like steak, thinly sliced) was tough and the restaurant didn't give him any knife to cut. He was using the fork to hold and chew.
Then we walked to Olympic mtr and not forgetting to buy bottled water to drink before reaching Ocean Park. Read many blogs stating there are strict security checks for F&B. We weren't checked nor others. Hubby threw his empty bottle, thinking there wasn't an water cooler (I didn't know). Regret, should at least try bringing something because the bottled drinks were from HK30.... soft drinks and mineral water.
The e-tickets I purchased was Halloween theme. No student or special needs person discount. If you purchase with Handy phone attraction app, the ticket cost HK333.
Ocean Park Halloween - regular entry. Thought we could enjoy Ocean Park's renowned Halloween attractions, costumes and decorations, as well as the non thrilling rides (not roller coaster types). But it was the start of no fun, waste money and frustrations.
How To Use Klook e-ticket: You can present either a printed or mobile voucher for regular admission. I printed just in case. I saw some visitors showing their mobile QR for scanning.
How To Get There: The Citybus Route 629 runs daily from Admiralty MTR Station (every 10min) or Central Star Ferry (every 20-60 min).
We took mtr to Admiralty then hopped onto 629 express bus service, at HK10.60 per pax. We walked a long way to the end of the queue to get in line. When we were almost near bus 629, the bus crew opened the gate for people to take short cut .... angry, we ended up last to board.
We were considering Disneyland or Ocean Park. Read many reviews and chose Ocean Park because it was suitable for various age. Unlike Disneyland, more for children or persons who are fans of Disney.... a bit kiddy and fantasy. My son and my special needs teen wouldn't be interested. Told my son to read Ocean Park web and see any ride he didn't want to miss. Reminded him many times but no action taken by him. On the day itself, told him to look at the map and see anything of interest to him but he still didn't show any interest. Son said up to me to decide where to go but hubby was in a hurry to leave. Kept saying weather too hot or getting very crowded. Going out with two uninterested parties, what kind of fun can I expect? Would you feel discouraged and lose all your good mood? I have motion sickness and a bit of height problem so I thought I could rely on elder brother and daddy to take the girl for rides ... it was a really disappointing day. My girl couldn't express but I know she was disappointed. She refused to get down from her MacLaren special needs buddy because there were no rides/fun for her .... nothing to look forward.
Hubby has been giving some sort of problem like not keen to go Ocean Park, not interested in crowded or hot places. Which theme park is not crowded? Which theme park is fully covered and air conditioned? The only one I know is the kiddy indoor theme park in Genting Highlands. Its new Twentieth Century Fox World (outdoor) theme park will open somewhere 2017. If 20th Century Fox World theme park opens, I may bring my teen there because it is cooling in the mountains.
When this write-up is completed, I came to know about Berjaya Times Square Theme Park - According to the Malaysia Book of Records holder, Berjaya Times Square is the first largest indoor Theme Park in Malaysia with a measuring over 133,000 square feet. The theme park is split into three main levels featuring a Fantasy Garden and Galaxy Station. This theme park is located inside the Berjaya Times Square Mall. One of the highlights will be thrilling rides such as the Supersonic Odyssey and DNA Mixer.
It was in the plan months ago that we're going Ocean Park. After tickets purchased then he starting being difficult, fussy and lack of interest with my itinerary .... should I be happy? If I know he prefers to stay in aircon places like malls, I won't waste money to travel. Why should I travel when I am grounded at spacious but expensive malls, unable to explore and see the country/city that I am holidaying? What's the point of travelling when you want to be comfort zone or not keen to venture? I know I have a special needs 14 years old "difficult" teen. I was able to bring her for most of the non thrilling rides in Universal Studio Spore. I really don't understand why my girl is denied of rides in Ocean Park. We didn't get any ride .... NONE! I wasted S$60 x 4.
When we arrived at Cable car station to go upwards, we queued for about 10mins but daddy was already grumbling. Queuing 10mins is quite fast for a theme park. In USS, there were people queuing 45 to 60 mins just for a ride. While queuing, I showed daddy an Ocean Park app to reserve time hot favourite rides. He didn't show any interest or found the app time saving/beneficial. Just showed how unhappy he was to go Ocean Park.
We went to Ocean threatre and were seated before 11am. Although there's hot son, we could feel the wind slight cooling. The show wasn't interesting to us. Headed for lunch and passed by Ghostbuster, thought I could go in after lunch but forgot, headed straight to Ocean Express.
On the escalator to Ocean Express entrance, I suddenly remembered about Ghost Busters but looking at two uninterested faces, I have no intention to back track. The Ocean Express took us downhill and we walked to Polar Adventure and Aquarium.... aircon just for about 5mins. At the aquarium, it was probably a 5-10mins queue yet daddy was commenting crowded again. Both places, we were like choo-choo train, entered and exit fast, didn't stop to take pictures nor pause to look at the animals or jelly fishes closely. Seems like we just need a route to walk thru.
We left around 3pm. Arrived before 10.30am. Wanted to take Cable Car down but hubby worried about long queue so we took the boring Ocean Express, less than 10 persons waited for the ride. At the exit we saw lots of tourists coming in and weather was getting warmer but most of the queue areas were sheltered so not a big problem to them.... and us.
Actually my girl and I wasn't keen to see fishes or animals because we have been to similar attractions in Spore. My teen is more keen for fun, something exciting. In Spore, most of the time, it was outings with my girl, maid and I. This happened because son and daddy have no interest to be with us ... in a happy and relax mood. It is stressful and kind of frustrating to be out with them. Seems like I'm forcing them to go out with us. I want to be out as a family but with resistance, internal pressure, I dread such family outings. It looks hard for them to accept and stop being so conscious about others.
We have a life to go on, we can't be hiding away and avoid this and that. I know my teen can be a disturbance or nuisance in some people's eye but she doesn't know she did something wrong or irritated others. I can try to catch my teen going to be in "naughty acts" but sometimes I failed because she is quicker than any of us. When she's naughty, you beat her but can she learn ... NO!! So why do you have to make yourself miserable to please others? If my teen did something wrong, I'll apologise to that affected person eg being grabbed by my girl out of sudden. Sometimes people gave me an understanding smile. Some gave me annoyed looks .... we're sharing common areas so a little bit of kindness, understanding and compassion would make our special needs journeys much more pleasant and easier to handle life ahead. Some people made us looked like intruders into their areas..... in fact those are common places, meant for the public! If some people felt we were selfish by invading your spaces, aren't you talking about yourself?
If parents felt your own child is an eyesore, what about others who didn't give birth to him/her? Kept thinking how would others react to my teen, how to make my girl transparent, how to make people allow her into public areas .... isn't life going to be much tougher? What's the point of living? 我们的人生已经够苦 比别人艰辛 何必让自己和家人加倍辛苦 自卑？ I know some people need time to spare us public areas but are you going to wait for that right time to come? Can you and your child live to see rosy days? Are you going to keep your special needs child/teen/adult at home till he/she dies? My princess has a normal life span, she is likely to live longer than me. Of course to be selfish, I hope she can leave this world much earlier than me so that I don't have to die with a worried and heavy heart .... leaving her behind in this cruel world isn't my wish. If I can turn back time, I hope to stop the pregnancy. Too bad, there's no OFF button to shut her down completely so what can we parents do? There are so many years she has to spend with us and is going from a teen to an adult in a blink of eyes. How long can we trap/confine her? As a teen, she is stronger than me and maid.
We took bus 629 back to Admiralty mtr, it wasn't pack. Visitors were still enjoying and making their ticket price worth. We're the special ones exiting so early. We decided to take mtr to Jordan and shop at Temple Street Market 庙街. By the time we got there, it was around 4pm, way too early. Hubby was back to his "so crowded" tune. Wanted to try the famous 许留山 Hui Lau Shan Dessert but upon entering, that place has no diner and looked so narrow. We found a hot & cold dessert shop and sat down. That shop was small and narrow too. The lady boss said the night market would only be up after 5pm so "the crowd hasn't built up" as per my hubby's earlier observation.
Finally, the stalls were up so hubby bought some HK keys chains and I bought an imitation 2 way shoulder/back pack Jimmy Choo red bag. I was quoted HK180 and the price went down to HK100/S$18. Things in HK were so expensive so I didn't have high hopes of getting anything cheap or worth buying. I felt food and things are much cheaper in Sg. On the way to Temple Street Night Market I bought a nail clipper. I need it to cut my teen's finger nails shorter because I forgot to cut on Wed night. I could easily get a nail clipper at almost half price in Sg.
We had dinner at Tim Ho Wan 添好運, at Olympian 2 again - we had Steamed spare ribs and chicken feet rice (no sauce on the rice, too plain to finish all my rice), congee with preserved egg, Vermicilli roll with BBQ pork (my teen loved it), 桂花糕 (my teen's favourite), etc.
Went TASTE supermarket again to buy bottled drinks, Ribena and Panadol at HK38 (so expensive). I bought panadol but hubby worried I didn't have it in my luggage. Hubby said he was unwell, probably due to the full blast aircon which can't be adjusted. It was so cold at Room 1906. Daddy took two blankets and slept early. In my case, I turn off the aircon when I'm showering or changing my teen. Most of the time, I could set the temperature to 28 degree, low.
DAY 3, SAT
Thought daddy would take a longer time to wake up but turned out, he woke up earlier than my girl and knocked on our door. Told him I would give morning call when my girl has woken but he forgot so he woke our princess. She was so excited to see daddy and didn't want to get back for more sleep.
Passed by Maxim bakery 美心西饼 Friday afternoon and bought a chocolate swiss roll for HK16. Not so sweet, my girl loved it as breakfast.... sat patiently for daddy to be ready to bring her out.Before leaving the hotel, I placed this card to change bed sheets. Not sure was it changed because I didn't deliberately leave a stain marking.
Breakfast was taken near Dorsett, somewhere diagonally opposite. It was a small shop that looked old. The waiter was impatient. The moment we sat down, he asked us what we want to order. We have not seen the menu. Breakfast looks good and cheap, around HK27 - 32. I ordered 2 different bowl of soupy noodles for me and girl. Son ordered a sandwich that looked small portion. Each breakfast set came with hot yuanyang (coffee & tea combined), coffee or tea. Have downloaded a Cantonese audio translator. It is good when you key in 2 Chinese words and then it will "speak" to you in Cantonese. 3 words is still ok but more than than, the translator either took a long time or failed to work. Any way, my colleague said just speak to them in Mandarin. Thus, I pointed what we wanted and said in Mandarin.
Noodles came and when I was happily eating with my girl, 2 sets of toast with ham and egg came followed by our coffee. I was kind of surprised that my breakfast was in such big portion.... cost me only HK27 each set. Actually if I'm alone, I can finish all but in HK, I seemed to lose my big appetite. Had a hearty breakfast and moved on to buy bottled drinks.
The initial plan was to go Lantau Island大嶼山 area - visit Big Buddha 天坛大佛, Po Lin Monastary and Tai O 大澳 fishing village but colleagues said the queue on weekend could be 1 km long. Last minute changed our plan to Cheung Cheu 长洲 but hubby was again out to sabotage the travel plan. He was given blog links to read yet appeared clueless, discontented and lamenting that I should book a tour package, everything nicely arranged and with transport. He doesn't want to commute on public transport. He also said preferred somewhere like malls.... for the sake of our girl, aircon. If I am going to spend my holiday in malls doing nothing ... too expensive for me to buy anything, why should I waste time and money for a family holiday? We aren't rich people to cast S$3000 away doing nothing or laze around in malls or hotel room, behaving unlike any holiday-goer. If that's call holiday, I'd rather save my money and visit nearby shopping centres or stay home.
Took mtr to Central station and from there walked to the ferry terminals which are near IFC building. Actually there's a link bridge at IFC but we didn't see the signage so walked out to main road, searched for Pier 5. The Ferry to Cheung Chau cost HK12.60 per pax per way. There are fast ferries and slow ones (1 hr ride). Upon reaching Pier 5 and saw the ferry departing time was about 15mins away, I decided to go to the toilet. At the Pier, there wasn't any obvious toilet signage so I followed the sign near the road to Pier 7. There wasn't any toilet. Asked one of the tour guide and found out toilet was across the road, just below the bridge that we passed by earlier. If I know that was a public toilet, I would have gone in instead of wasting time and energy searching. After I rushed back to Pier 5, hubby said he was told there are toilets upstairs, after tapping octupus card to get ferry entry. Hate HK! Signage unclear and toilets not conveniently located.
When you emerge from the ferry terminal onto the main street, it feels like a mini market place because the guesthouse booths, shops and tourists are all clustered there. Vehicles aren’t allowed on the island, at certain areas, you and passenger need to get down to push your bicycles. We turned right at ferry exit, walked towards Cheung Po Tsai Cave 张保仔洞. As per blog review, the road is much easier to push our stroller. There were bicycles on rental but hubby didn't like, said hard to keep the stroller behind the tricycle. Asked son and hubby whether they want to have any F&B but both showed me the "not keen look". The McDonalds price seemed a bit more expensive. Anyway, the best food to eat in Cheung Cheu is seafood. Cheap! Don't try something not their specialty.
The weather was scorching hot so the 3 of us used umbrellas to shield our precious princess. Our buggy doesn't have an add on canopy because special needs items, including a simple canopy like below is expensive, easily cost S$150 to 200. I have purchased a clip on baby stroller umbrella at ToyRus but my ex-Indonesian maid lost it, including the cumbersome foot rest below. Made me reluctant to buy replacement or accessories because maids don't seem to understand all these cost money. FDW's Employers aren't getting free money or freebies from the government, everything cost money to special needs families... our hard earn money.We were merely curious how the cave looked like, didn't try to squeeze in and headed back to town (marked as Pier/F&B). We had late lunch. The scallops (4 pieces) and Oysters (4 pieces) were really nice. The highly commented 濑尿虾 were super hard to peel and almost meatless, not nice. Should have ordered fish instead. Ordered fried noodles with sliced meat. It came in an unappetizing manner. Lack of green vegetables, not well tossed, some noodles were so dry, just like you've just emptied from the plastic without making it soft.
I felt something not right but just couldn't pinpoint what's wrong until we were almost half way into the lousy mee, somebody next door ordered the same dish 鼓油肉丝炒面 then I realised how come our mee has no meat at all. I have extremely poor reflex 反应迟钝 and not observant. It was not easier to eat the fried mee so I poured the sauce from the oyster and added some plain water to make it easier to swallow. I know I was too late to feedback but the waitress was next door, making it hard to reach and feedback. Also, the not-too-old waitress whom I happened to see can only speak Cantonese. By the time the Chinese speaking waitress come, more mee has been eaten ..... giving the false verdict like the mee was very tasty. Any way, I told the waitress the mee was horrible, showed them the discarded mee (see picture above) and was told that's how they fry their noodles. Asked why no meat, she went next door a few times to check and then passed me a bill with the actual noodle price of HK46. It was a vegetarian dish not listed on the menu. After some "persistant checking" the lady boss next door decided to lower the price. The mee was eaten by my fussy but really hungry teen so after leaving the restaurant, I bought a mango mochi at HK10. She eyed on it so we shared that tiny mochi, with me eating the most. Tasted nice, a bit of sourish but I guess my tummy isn't good for such food so I visited the toilet.
I passby a noodle stall and ate my quick piping hot lunch for HK21. The fish ball 鲮鱼 has tiny bones, not nice. Actually hubby wanted me to just grab any street food so that we can leave the island soon but I refused. I was given 15mins to order, wait for my food and complete it. We didn't try the big curry fish ball or any island specialty. Bought 6 pieces mini egg tarts and coconut tarts at HK15 (opposite pier) because the noodles wasn't filling ... I didn't finish because it wasn't nice. I saw the woman used her bare hands to knock and pull out the tarts out ... no gloves so I sort of intentionally forgot to eat such "unclean food"... hands used to take food and counting money ... yucks! The next morning, it was squashed and not fresh looking so were thrown. By the way, saw another bakery selling mini egg and coconut tarts for about HK10, pieces... I think. More people servicing at that shop but they don't have the habit to use plastic gloves when handling food,
Next on my list was to visit Mongkok area - 旺角中心 Argyle Centre and New Town Mall. Read review the Temple Street is better than Ladies market so we didn't squeeze our way there. Also we skipped Sneakers Street, none of us are sports loving person. My son probably would need more than any of us but showing uninterested looks means I can save money.
We reached Mongkok area around 5.45pm. It was quite crowded. Went inside Argyle to look for food and suddenly found myself at New Town Mall. I didn't know there are linked. Argyle and NTM were similar to our Bugis Street (opposite Bugis Junction). The escalator was so narrow, my stroller can't fit so hubby waited downstairs while son and I went floor by floor in search of food. Hubby wanted to runaway, find other less crowded place but I was kind of pissed-off that I am again on a touch-and-go mode. I saw 香港鱼蛋王 and decided to cross over and have dinner.
Food was reasonable and in good portion. The coke were like the olden days bottle form, chilled and surprisingly, not as sweet as canned ones.
My dear hubby give me only 20mins to "chop stamp" meaning to finish stomping Argyle and NTM.... two areas in only 20mins. I can't do it! I understand it is hard to find a relaxing place for him and girl to sit down wait for me. HK is ridiculously small, all the eateries are so cramp. It was dinner time so I don't think any eatery would be kind to allow us hog seats or eat slowly.
As I've seen that area earlier when I was looking for dinner options, I knew it would be unlikely for me to get buried by clothes. I can buy clothes at Bugis at my convenience, any time I want, without the other 3 "barking" or "bothering me". Although my colleague said the quality is better (she bought around 50 pieces), I don't see a reason why I should make my hubby angry ... 3 of them waited for me by standing outside Argyle. I walked into pharmacies but felt there's nothing really worth buying. Felt a little tempted to buy Naruko face products because there was promotion. Some items are going at HK50 each.
Met the 3 of them and we headed back to hotel. We decided to find a new route back. According to Olympian webpage, there's a link bridge that we could take to get over to Olympian City from Mongkok. Asked many people where's the bridge, how to walk over to Olympian, many don't know. Saw a group of fitness trainers (looked like worked there and distributing business flyers). We were pointing to our Olympian guide (I printed a map from Olympian website), with the street names listed. The trainer pointed us a mtr direction so we walked over. Note, the location that we stood, hubby and I were pointing to a bridge and asked whether that was the bridge but was told no. So that was our start of "treasure hunt". Hubby met a young lady who told us to go through Langham 朗豪坊 (on the right of mtr exit). Before that, I saw one of the exit with Olympian (on the left). Told hubby but he preferred to follow the young lady's direction. We walked up and was out looking for Shanghai Street. It was like a stranded place, leading us nowhere. Decided to head back to the signage that I saw. It brought us to the spot that we saw the fitness trainers.
Everyone looked so tired going up and down the Mongkok exits .... by stairs. Hubby intended to take a taxi back but decided to give a last try.... seeing how disappointed I was, unable to complete a task.... the kind of almost there, just a bit more to go, don't give up. Son thought I was trying to save money. I was trying to cut short our travelling time and avoid Central/Hongkong mtr. We tried the overhead bridge that we saw. It was slope upwards in circular manner. On the way up, we met a couple and asked the end of the bridge would lead us to where. Jackpot! Olympian City. If we've not asked anybody and just walked over to the bridge, we would have save lots of time. The actual time needed to get over Olympic mtr from Mongkok exit C was only 10mins.
The reason why I wanted to try this path was to avoid taking mtr from Mongkok, change train, walk through the long underpass from Central/Hongkong to Olympic. The tedious journey on mtr was about 23 mins, excluding the time spent on the long underpass. There's a faster way for us but we met the wrong people to direct us.
DAY 4, SUN
Finally, our day to go home. I was counting down because I was feeling so miserable 绑手绑脚 in Hongkong.
Breakfast was taken at a new and brightly lit cha chaan teng 谭 something, after Shell petrol station (from Silka). Not sure how come son kept ordering something not filling, cost more than mine and not ideal so I passed him my part 2 breakfast... the toast. Read many blogs about macaroni with ham soup, looks weird. Then I saw 谭 has Tomato pork rib macaroni, was delighted. When food came, smelt so good (like Minestone soup), my girl finished all and didn't spare me any to try. She appeared like looking for more. There was a big change in itinerary. We didn't go flower market, sneakers street, jade market, mid-level escalator or experience HK via Ding Ding tram so technically we could order another set for her .... a bit of regrets.
The bitter coffee in HK weren't to my liking. I have a preference of slight bitter coffee but the 3 breakfast coffee I had were not rich. Felt my 3-in-1 Owl white coffee tarik or Aik Cheong white coffee tasted better, thicker and have nicer aroma.
My breakfast from Fri to Sun:
Read online travellers we don't need to tap AE card but found we had to tap in order to enter the gates. Luggages were smoothly check-in and we got our boarding passes. Exit from an automatic gate and proceeded to mtr, towards Chi Lin Nunnery. Made phone reservation on Thu night for vegetarian lunch. We couldn't make it on time but have no Handy phone to use so unable to inform restaurant 龍門樓 - 志蓮素齋 that we couldn't go. Couldn't call in the morning before check-out because restaurant opens at 12pm. Took mtr Kowloon/HK underpass/Central/changed train again at Mongkok/Diamond Hill Station, exit C2.
Chi Lin is a place full of stairs. We entered thru Chi Lin Garden and walked over many stairs. There was stairs leading to the main hall so I decided to just wait near the lotus pond. It was a quick touch and go. We took the stairs down and found there was a lift to go up.
Went inside Plaza Hollywood mall 荷里活廣場 for lunch. The first restaurant 夏麵館 we saw looked tempting, hubby wanted to go in without wasting time to look at other lunch venues. He gave in to me to scout around and see what sort of lunch promotions available in the mall. Our final choice was that Xia Mian Guan restaurant 夏麵館 but queue has built up so we took a number and waited outside for about 10mins. Noodles came in huge bowl that was as big as my face. I liked the rice cake 年糕 soup but the portion is much smaller than the noodle soup 幼面 that my girl had. Each bowl cost around HK56. Hubby and son had ala crate dishes: one fried fish and one pork (can't remember the name) with 2 bowls of rice. The 热爆熏鱼 fish tasted good but too bony.
We have about 3 hours free time so hubby granted permission to me to look around for something to buy and give boss, as well as colleagues. I bought Kee Wah for the sake of getting something in HK. Price isn't cheap.
奇华饼家 Kee Wah Bakery, available near our hotel and in Airport. I bought some HK product at Plaza Hollywood branch using the torn HK100 note .... phew! Initially I was thinking of buying some stuff costing HK300 or more and mix the torn note inside the stack of notes, lucky I don't need to resort to such act. 小熊猫饼干looks cute but expensive. Didn't check the expiry date for my charcoal swiss roll. Maid realised we've only two days before expiry.
There isn't anything else that I felt like spending on so we headed to Central mtr. In the underpass, bought a few 美心 Maxim wife pastry 老婆饼 (winter melon). Tasted really good when I was back to office to try, suit my liking. Better than the HK wife pastry colleague bought for me. In Spore, I haven't tasted something this nice in local bakeries. I saw some HK bakeries but the taste isn't what I like. Skin was soft yet not flaky or puffy till every bite I take, some bits would drop. Winter melon paste 冬瓜蓉馅 wasn't very sweet 糯糯软软 不腻 and the pastry wasn't thick. Regretted not buying more. Think cost HK10/S1.80 each. Wife pastry in Sg bakeries is about S$1 to 1.20, much cheaper than any wife pastry in HK. Maxim bakeries can be found in many mtr stations. Didn't purposely hunt for 荣华 Wing Wah or 恆香老婆餅 Yuen Long Hang Heung Cake Shop.Saw Muji 無印良品, grabbed 2 packets shrimp cracker at HK10, 3 green tea mochi at HK15 each and other titbits. Quite a few Muji stores were spotted during our visit, including Airport. Now sure whether Spore sells below but seemed like "branded stuff" to buy back as presentable gift 伴手礼. Worried the shrimp cracker would crack easily so didn't buy more. In office, realised they were quite hard and sturdy for travellers to fly home with them as part of hand carry luggage. Otherwise, buy earlier and check-in with your big luggage.
Also saw some Naruku products at HK50, cheaper than Sg. Just don't feel like buying anything so we moved on to Kowloon AE.
By the way while typing this blog, my head suddenly became clear. Realised it could be more convenient for us to travel from Diamond Hill/Mongkok/take overhead bridge/Olympic/Kowloon AE. It could save us around 15 mins travel time and need not change train three times. Also, we kind of dread going to Central/Hong Kong mtr everyday! Sick of that place.
Saw HK Airport Express in Central mtr underpass and tried our luck whether can tap in ....avoid going to Kowloon AE and save time. Didn't work. Not sure why my ears were feeling the pressure of the express train, journey was a test of my endurance and a wet diaper (princess was sitting on my lap, AE was crowded, the seat I had was given by a nice guy). Finally we reached Airport slightly after 6pm (flight time 7.55pm). Need to change my girl's soiled diaper so hubby's mission was to get the 4 Octopus card refunded while I find a toilet. Wanted to throw the diaper in the bin located inside the cubicle but found the adult diaper was too big (totally soaked) to squeeze in. Took the diaper to throw outside but was reprimanded by the cleaner. Said I should throw inside (that tiny bin that looked ok for baby diaper and sanitary pads). Told her I tried but failed, then I walked out. No time to meet her demands or make her happy. Dashed over to departure area and waited for hubby.
We received a refund of about HK240, after deducting HK9 from each card. In total, we loaded mtr value of HK150 + HK50 deposit per card. More money to spend but really insufficient time because I need some time for dinner. Saw 翠华餐厅 (located inside Departure Hall) and found 猪豚骨面 appalling, cost HK48, cheaper than 何洪记 at Arrival Hall (the first restaurant we had food in HK). Waited about 10mins for my takeaway. The soft pork cartilage was very nice, soup was milky and well flavoured, didn't give me strong msg feel. Bee hoon 粗米粉 soaked in pork cartilage base soup made it really tasty. I bought only one bowel to share with my girl. Daddy and son didn't want. After I paid for my bee hoon, son Whatsapp me to buy drinks. If I knew I needed to wait so long, I would re-Q for drinks. Our drinks had to be discarded, one unopened! Airport is so strict. Made travellers discarded drinks yet not providing a place for us to replenish, eg time-saving vending machines. We were so thirsty but no convenience stores nor vending machines (there were fairly priced vending machines at Taipei departure area) inside. Saw hot water signage but how to refill using normal plastic bottles? Hubby tried running here and there to find drinks that he could get his hands on fast. The restaurant queues were long so we decided to wait for our plane boarding time.
On the way to our boarding gate, I passby a forex counter and took out all my HK$ balance to convert back to Spore. As I wasn't in clear mind, suddenly turned blank, don't even know how to count the total notes I have .... finally we got back S$266. It wasn't a good bargain .... now that my mind is "working". I have HK27+ coins but counter service person refused it, wonder why. One of it was a HK10 coin. On the way to the gate, I saw a confectionery shop, discovered I could get a tiny box of mint for HK27/S$5. Scanned my boarding pass, tried to pay ..... the cashier saw my blank mind and took over the counting of coins .... settled everything and ran towards hubby. I had a balance of less than HK1.... felt I have completed something remarkable. I have no intention to visit HK again unless I'm without any bothersome companions and is a sponsored trip (eg lucky draw).
In Spore, from exchange rate of 565 (forget about the good weeks of 568) at Jurong Point to Bugis 562 (selling price), I made a loss of 56500-56200 = HK300/S$54. If I didn't cast my HK$ away (at HK airport), Spore HK$ buy back rate was 560 when I got back so it would be S$291. I made a loss of S$25. Just on exchange rate, I lost S$54+25.
Preferred SQ 865 1850/2250 hours but unavailable to book so took SQ871 1955/2355 hours. Had to miss one day school due to midnight arrival. Son went to school - first day poly reopened after almost two months break. Dinner was served around 9pm. Daddy and my teen's dinner was served first because those were special meal requests. Son was really hungry, thought we ordered food earlier without his share. When food finally came, I took the dried chilli chicken rice. Princess has finished her dinner some time ago but wanted more so I scoped those that looked alright to feed her. The crew came asking whether he should serve my girl's dinner. We cleared her plate to free-up space. Aiya, should pretend and ask another portion because princess looked like having a good appetite. Everybody has taken their dinner and some were already eating ice cream.... guess there are spare food. We had nice Häagen-Dazs strawberry ice cream and lots of orange juice on board.... so thirsty. Surprisingly daddy didn't ask for Coke or alcoholic drink. He can't drink when he's riding his motor bike. We had to take a midnight taxi home so one serving should be alright. The taxi waiting for us was a limo cab costing slightly above S$50 when we alighted.
Hubby co-pay about half but this trip still cost us to part with S$3000. Not worth the effort I put in and failed to meet the main purpose: "An Overseas Family Holiday"
Air tickets - S$1300
Klook - S320
Hotel - S$800
Cash (F&B/transport/others) - S$1000 (including Sg taxi)
What did I miss .....
Roasted pigeon - another colleague went to HK and was back two days before me. In the office, he "showed off" he bought a few roasted pigeons back by SQ. Envy! I didn't come across any roasted stalls selling pigeons, didn't stick my head deep inside to see nor followed the foodie map.
Ocean Park - a proper day well spend with non-thrilling, "heart breaking" rides.
Tsz Shan Monastery - looked so serene and nice, not over crowed by walk in tourists.
Update on 5 Nov 2016
Near Bt Batok Interchange, I bought a wife pastry that cost only S0.90, at a bakery. First two bites, it tasted like Maxim wife pastry. When I reached the centre, found the centre is uneven, pastry was too thick.
香港元朗老婆饼 - Jurong East central, near Jcube. It was too flaky/puffy, doesn't taste the way I like. Cost S1.00 each.
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