Philippines: Day 24 - Back in Puerto Princesa

We had booked a flight with Cebu Pacific, a big Philippine Airline, that offers cheap flights in the Philippines and to some international destinations, like Hong Kong. Our primary destination was to get from Hong Kong to Puerto Princesa, where I grew up, lived and studied. 

To get there, we had to fly to Manila and then take another aeroplane to Puerto Princesa. But first, we took a cab from our hotel, the Butterfly on Hollywood, to the Airport Express Station at the Hong Kong Station of the MRT. We didn't need to buy a ticket, as we still had the return ride on our convenient Airport Express Travel Pass, which included a return ticket to the airport and three days of free travel on the MRT. 

Our flight was leaving at 8.30 a.m., so, we had to be there early. And we needed some time, as there was another train inside the airport to get to the right gate. We were a bit late, but fortunately, check-in, immigration and security were relatively quick, and we came just in time for boarding. Unfortunately, there was no time, to spend some remaining Hong Kong Dollars for gifts...

In Manila, we had some spare time, because immigration and security didn't take that long (we were positively surprised - a few years ago that was entirely different). We had to bring our luggage through security and could just give it to transfer personnel. Soon we took off to Puerto Princesa, from where we took a tricycle to our nearby hotel, the Acacia Tree Garden. Our favourite hotel, the Hibiscus Garden, had been fully booked. We, therefore, chose the Acacia Tree Garden, which has a pool and is located close to the airport and relatively central. 

We got a spacious room with flat screen TV (only lacking a refrigerator) and of course had to try the pool. After all, it was around 35 degrees. We actually slowly went up, temperature-wise. In South Korea, we had 10 to 20 degrees, in Hong Kong about 25 and now 35.  

It was too late for sightseeing, so, I just called my nephew, and we went to Robinson's Mall together by tricycle. There we had some pizza, did a bit of grocery shopping at the large supermarket and made plans for the next day.

For many visitors, Puerto Princesa - with its airport - is just the entrance to Palawan. And it is possible to go from the airport directly to the main tourist destinations in Palawan, El Nido and Sabang. However, it's also nice to stay for a few days in Puerto Princesa. You can book a city tour or do a self-guided tour by tricycle and visit attractions like the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, walk to Plaza Cuartel and the Baywalk, where you surely will find something to eat. 

There are also a lot of day tours available, which can easily be booked at most hotels in Puerto Princesa or here. One of my favourite day tours from Puerto Princesa is Honda Bay, where you visit beautiful islands. With the brand new Puerto Princesa International Airport now open, it will also (hopefully) be more comfortable to directly access Palawan. 

But we just wanted to enjoy the pool first! 

Our plan for the next day, however, was to visit something, we've missed the last times when I came back to Puerto Princesa: The Crocodile Farm!

Hong Kong: Day 20 - A Symphony of Lights

We had booked a flight with a budget airline, Hong Kong Express, that offers cheap flights in all of Asia towards and from Hong Kong. As our plane takes off at 7.30 a.m., woefully, we had to get up terribly early. Fortunately, there are so many taxis roaming around in Jeju, that we just could walk to the street a few steps from the Ellui Hotel to stop one. The Jeju International Airport isn't far away, so we soon arrived. Still, it was bit stressful, as I had a battery in my bag and then, the security had me unpack my luggage to find it. It didn't register in my brains since I've packed some of my batteries in my main luggage coming from Europe. I got confused as I never understood what they were looking for. Eventually, he found the "thing" in my suitcase and as far as I have understood, I had to put it in my hand-carry. They let me go through. We didn't even have time anymore to buy souvenirs, as we had to hurry to our flight!

Upon arrival in Hong Kong, we went to the Airport Express and bought a convenient Airport Express Travel Pass, which included a return ticket to the airport and three days of free travel on the MRT.  It's a great connection to the city, and only about half an hour later we arrived at the last stop, the Hong Kong Station. It is connected to the Central Station, and we just had to take the MRT for one more stop to get to the Sheung Wan Station. From there we walked to our hotel for four nights, the Butterfly on Hollywood. Fortunately, we could check in already and be happy with our modern room, which had a flatscreen TV and even a little refrigerator. Actually - after waking up that early - we were exhausted and immediately dozed off for some time. It was still early in the afternoon, so we strained ourselves to wake up as not to be wide awake come the evening!

It was much warmer in Hong Kong than in South Korea, with temperatures of about 25 degrees. So, after we did some grocery shopping in the nearby supermarket at the Queens Road West, we finally started to go sightseeing. First, we actually wanted to eat. So we took the MRT - with our MRT-Pass - to Wan Chai Station and took exit A3. You can walk through the district on a self-guided walk, but we mostly were looking for a Pinoy restaurant we saw on google maps, but we didn't find it. Instead, we found a Thai restaurant, that was okay too. There were actually many food stalls and restaurants in the busy area of Tai Yuen Street and the Stone Nullah Lane. We took a glimpse of the Blue House, which was getting renovated, and walked through the Wan Chai Market. 

When we walked back to the north, we eventually came to a walking platform, which led us ultimately to the Wan Chai Ferry Pier. However, it was a bit stressful to get there, as there was a barrage of people on the walkway. Finally, we arrived and bought tickets for the Starferry, which brings you to the other side to the Tsim Sha Tsui Starferry Pier. It was not only an exciting boat ride, but it is also cheap.

We still had problems to acclimatize. Hong Kong felt kind of stressful. There were tons of people everywhere and everyone seemed to be in a rush. Even the escalators were faster. There was kind of a slower pace before, in South Korea. However, when we were at the pier and got the view of Hong Kong, the stress was all forgotten, as we enjoyed the amazing view. 

After taking some photos, there was still some time, before the Symphony of Lights would begin, a nightly light show with many buildings included. We tried to go the nearby Avenue of the Stars until then, but it was closed due to renovation. So, we returned to the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and later enjoyed the light-show, which was great (and free). I would say, it's really a highlight of all the attractions, Hong Kong has to offer.

Eventually, we went back to the hotel by MRT and got some sleep, as we had many plans for the next day, among them a visit to Lantau Island, to walk up to a huge Buddha...