Avenue of the Stars - Hongkong

After exploring what Logos Hope had to offer, I realized I still have a lot of time before going to the airport. I saw that the day was cloudy and gloomy but I prayed that it won't rain so that I can explore more of Hong Kong. On the way back to the MTR station, I found this interesting place.

This is the former Marine Police Headquarters Compound and now officially renamed as 1881 Heritage. This was declared a monument since 1994 as it is one of the four oldest surviving government buildings in Hong Kong. The compound has been redeveloped into a heritage hotel with food and beverage outlets. I did not stay for long because I still had to figure out how to get to my next destination - Avenue of the Stars.

I did not have mobile wifi (read: 3G) because I did not buy a sim card nor did I have a tourist map. I just relied on the maps on the walls of the MTR. I liked Hong Kong MTR because they have signs which let travelers know what tourist spot is near a specific exit. After following the directions and never asking anyone which way to go, I finally found Victoria Harbour Waterfront and Avenue of the Stars!

I was so proud to have reached it but was tired because of my luggage. I took a moment to sit down in one of the benches and take in the view. The man on the far right of this photo is selling souvenir photos with the Harbour as the background. It rained a bit and so he pulled his merchandise to where I was sitting.

After the quick rest, I had to get going and explore the place. I was happy to look at the stars and their names on it. There were a lot that I was not familiar with but I'm so happy to take a photo with those I know of. 

I saw the famous statue of Bruce Lee. There were a lot of people around it and I'm so lucky to have taken a selfie without any photobomber.

This is McDull, a pig cartoon character created in Hong Kong.

There were a lot of people walking along the place. There were also food stalls to serve them in case they get hungry. This is a squid stall which I guess is pretty common in Hong Kong because I saw them in Ocean Park, too. It really smells good and costs 30HKD.

More sites during my walk at Avenue of the Stars..

My father's favorite actor.

Avenue of the Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui is closed for repair and improvement works, which are expected to be completed at around 2018. A selection  of the Avenue of Stars exhibit is displayed at Garden of Stars Starry Gallery in the meantime.

It was time for me to bid goodbye to this place. I waited for the bus towards the airport and was luckily able to sit at the front seat of the second deck of the bus. This was my awesome view.

Thank you for reading and 'til next blog! :)

Logos Hope 2015

On our 5th day in Hongkong, my mother and sister caught their morning flights back to Cebu. Being alone in the big city made me scared a bit. I already planned way ahead on how to spend my day. I would locate Ocean Terminal and step on the floating library called Logos Hope.

Logos Hope docked at Cebu's port around 2 months prior. I saw a lot of my friends and previous workmates trooping to the ship and having their photos taken. I know they must have had a good time. I monitored where Logos Hope was to dock next and found out that they'd be in Hong Kong whilst I am there. The thought added more to my excitement.

Way back in 2012, I was able to visit the ship as well. I never thought I could get a chance to visit it again.

Google, as my friend, helped me a lot with my research. When I was ready and armed with my research, I checked out of our guesthouse and hopped on the train's Tsuen Wan Line towards Central Station. I alighted at Tsim Sha Tsui station and looked for signs and information on what the nearest exit to Ocean Terminal was. Getting lost was part of the adventure and after walking for almost 15 minutes, I successfully reached Ocean Terminal. I couldn't help being proud of my self for successfully getting there.

I had to get into Harbour City to find my way into the planks of Logos Hope. I did not find any left luggage service so I had to bring my stroller and my backpack with me all the time. I paid 10 HKD for the entrance fee and mixed with the crowd who were busy with what Logos Hope had to offer.

There were a lot of parents and their kids scouring through the vast selection of books. I remembered way back when me and my friends stepped onto those same floors. I missed that time and I was like walking back into memory lane but this time I am alone and in another country. Anyways, I enjoyed browsing at different books and their categories.

After I had chosen a book that I liked, I lined up to the counter. The line was so long that it took me about 20 minutes just to get to the counter. It would be safe to say that the ship received a lot of support from the people of this country.

After going past the cashier to pay, I passed on another area with more books and a photo gallery showing the story of the Prodigal Son. I overheard a staff guiding guests and telling them of this Bible Story.

Still the same as that from 2012:

I was tired and wanted to rest a little bit so I decided to sit for a minute or two on the benches directly after the gallery. There was a mini talk/ presentation from the crew to the kids. I stayed a bit to listen and also met a girl who was temporarily volunteering as a crew for the ship. She mentioned her job for the day was to just talk with people. In my mind, I was thinking it was a cool job and I would also have wanted to volunteer but my schedule cannot permit me.

There was a restaurant/cafe where tables were full of guests. Being tired and hungry from all the walking and bag-dragging, I decided to line up and get myself a cheesecake for take away.

As the tables were full, I sat on a bench and took a bite of my cake. Directly in front of me was a booth where kids can fit their heads to become a Logos Hope captain. The line was quite long but the parents patiently waited with their kids.

Browsing through my old photos, I was one of those who also lined up for something like this in the past, too!

It was indeed a trip to a floating library and on memory lane for me. I was very happy to achieve what I planned to do for that day. Thank you Logos Hope for letting me locate you while in Hong Kong. Thank you for your time and 'til my next blog!

Hongkong Ocean Park

Our itinerary on our fourth day in Hong Kong was to go to Hong Kong Ocean Park. Again, I bought our tickets in advance online however tickets can also be bought at the entrance or any 7-11 stores in Hong Kong. Tickets are priced at 385 HKD for 12 years old and adults.

Hong Kong Ocean Park is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, animal theme park and amusement park.To get there, we caught the City bus Route 629 from Admiralty MTR Station. We tapped on our octopus card on the bus for the fare of 10.6 HKD and it dropped us right at Ocean Park's main entrance.

People rushing towards the elevators and into Ocean Park.

We witnessed a dance number on their stage however, since we did not understand the words of their song, we just went straight ahead to The Grand Aquarium. 

We saw a lot of interesting sea creatures here. It is said that this aquarium houses close to 5,000 fishes from over 400 species as the hammerhead and manta ray. 

My mom was literally amazed. We saw the world's largest viewing dome in an aquarium. There was also a restaurant inside.

We did not know where to head for our next stop. It's good that their staff were quick to provide a map of the place.

We headed on to the area called Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures. Here we were fortunate to see Jia Jia before she went into a secret room to eat. Jia Jia had her birthday during the week, she just turned 37 and was considered to be the oldest living panda in captivity.

We also saw this playful Sichuan Golden Snub-nosed Monkey named Hu Hu. We were so entertained with the way he climbed trees and saved himself from falling face first to the ground.

We were just about to go out when the rain poured. We decided to take shelter in this gift shop and browsed through their merchandise. It was a also a perfect time to eat this colorful round lollipop.

Just had to have an ID photo to be part of the Endangered Animal Rescue Team, too!

The rain stopped and the cable cars were allowed to operate again. We were happy to ride one and get to the other side of Ocean Park. The place which covers a little more than 90 hectares, is separated by a large mountain. The first place we visited was called the Waterfront (Lowland), to get us to the Summit (Headland), we can either use the cable car or the funicular railway.

Excited faces while waiting for the cable car to go up!

Excited to see what's on the other side! I'm sure more fun things would be there.

Scary view from the top while leaving behind the Waterfront area.

The summit had a lot of rides, the first one we tried was Ocean Park Tower. It is one of the tallest Observation Towers in South East Asia and rises 200 meters above sea level with a rotating observation deck. This offered us a 360 degree view of the place and gave us an idea where to head next.

The next ride we tried on was The Mine Train. It was a unique roller coaster because it was perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking a harbor. It was so thrilling and exciting. I did not regret trying it out!

Our next ride was The Abyss. This is a turbo drop which raised us up to 62 meters and thrusted us downward at a speed of up to 65 km/ hr, said to be faster than freefalling. 

It was almost closing time and as much as we want to stay longer, the rides did not accept us anymore. We had no choice but go back and ride the cable car again.

Before going out, we passed by the place called Old Hong Kong. It offers an immersive experience of culture, history and delicacy of Hong Kong between 1950 and the 1970s. My sister had to pose in front of this store because it had her name on it. 

How the streets of Old Hong Kong looked like.

It was almost closing time so I was able to have a solo photo in this area. 

Again, one day is not enough in Ocean Park Hong Kong. I haven't seen most of what it has to offer and I really hope I can come back soon. I hope this post will inspire you to visit it one day. Thank you and 'til my next blog! :)