Flying without Wings

Shah SMSed me saying he was jealous to see me taking a ride in a hot air balloon. Oh! That balloon ride in Ocean Park, Hong Kong! I didn’t see any hot flame under the balloon, so I don’t know if it qualified as a hot air balloon or not. But I did take a ride in a balloon up to the blue sky in Hong Kong! Tuck Meng who had been to Kenya, Africa many years ago said that a ride in a hot air balloon there bore an exorbitant price tag of about 500 dollars. I am not sure now if that price was quoted in US dollars or Malaysian Ringgit but either way, for that price, I would rather jump a high building and fly myself really. Since that would also be disastrous for sure, I had thus jumped at the chance of flying in the balloon at Ocean Park, Hong Kong despite the fact that I had to share it with many others and have to bear the excruciating pain of waiting in a long queue. It was a worthwhile wait!

Chin Heng in a kiddie's balloon...

Balloons, balloons everywhere...


Views from the top....

Traveling Tip: Wait for that magic moment!

Ocean Park Hong Kong Here We Come!

I visited Ocean Park Hong Kong on my second trip to the island. Being one of the most spectacular oceanariums in the world, boasting the largest marine theater, this amusement park is perched around two mountain peaks, with an area of 870,000 square meters. A cable car connect the two mountain and it takes 8 minutes of breathtaking ride where you get to see the glorious sight of Repulse Bay, Deep Water Bay, Aberdeen and the South China Sea. We had taken a bus to Ocean Park Hong Kong, leaving Tsim Tsa Tsui at around eight and the bus ride had seemed rather long though I would not deny saying that I enjoyed the view along the way. Hong Kong, the concrete jungle was clean, the cleanest city I had come across. Just when I thought the journey would not end, there in the distance, on the hill was a green sea horse. A hot air balloon was hovering in the sky. Ocean Park Hong Kong here we come!



A Sea horse in the distance...




A hot air balloon hovering in the sky...



Repulse Bay....



Marine Theater...


Traveling Tip: Enjoy the long journey!

A Brush with the Rich and Famous

At Madame Tussaud Hong Kong, you get to feel the fleeting feeling of fame. When you first walk through the entrance, flash lights will start flashing automatically and for a while, you'd probably think you are the target of the paparazzi! Then, as you weave yourself up the floors, three floors altogether if I remember right, you get to rub shoulders with the rich and famous from both the East and West, present and past.


Trying to score a goal with Yao Ming,



Close up With Picasso...



Letting the Presidents wait...




Taking a Punch at Muhammad Ali.....



An Engaging Moment with Bond Girl, Michelle Yeoh...




Making a Buddy out of Albert Einstein....


Getting Cosy With Andy Lau...

One day in Hong Kong

After checking in our hotel and chucking our luggages there, we had gone hunting for food in bustling Tsim Sha Sui. There was a big lunchtime crowd and we had an uncomfortable moment queuing up for our food. It was also summer then and it was hot. I remember it to be cooler the last time I went there in December. Nevertheless, despite all the discomfort of having a sweaty body, we had later walked to the waterfront, visiting Hong Kong's version of Hollywood's Walk of Fame. The Hong Kong's Avenue of Stars was a tourist attraction and features hand prints of popular Chinese stars the likes of Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh etc. Then, later, it was time to cross the harbor. We took a ferry across, then a bus, than a tram and lo, we are at the peak! The peak is where people go to to view Hong Kong at night. Since we had reached there at about five and the sky was still bright, we trudged into the Sky Tower and of course to Hong Kong's Madam Tussaud where we had our brush with the rich and famous!

Hong Kong Harbor...



At the Avenue of Stars...




The late Bruce Lee standing tall at the Avenue of Stars...




Taking a bus to catch a tram...




In a tram to the Peak...




Had a brush with the Fab Four...


Trying to catch a glimpse of Hong Kong at night...



Travel Tip: There are things to see at night.

From Macao to Hong Kong

Hong Kong is just a boat ride away from Macao! A day after staying in the ex-Portuguese enclave, Heng, his friends and I had paid over RM100 each to go to the ex-British colony. On reaching there, we had trouble looking for a cheap place to stay; so, I suggested Tsim ShaTsui since I was familiar there, having been there barely a year ago. Besides, many attractions like the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Culture Centre, Star Walk, the shopping complexes etc seem to concentrate in that area and then it is also convenient to take a ferry at Tsim Sha Tsui star Ferry and a bus just across Victoria Harbour to the Peak and Ocean Park, two of our targetted destinations. So, that was how we got to stay in Chungking Hotel that night...

Travel Tip: It is nice to travel with someone who has been there!