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 23 - Chi Lin Nunnery

After two long, packed days of sightseeing, we were a bit exhausted and slept really long. Eventually, we started to see at least two more, major attractions of Hong Kong, the Chi Lin Nunnery and the connected Nan Lian Garden. 

So, we left our hotel, the Butterfly on Hollywood, and walked to the nearby Sheung Wan MRT-Station. We had to change trains a few times to finally get to the Diamond Hill MRT-Station. From there we took Exit C2 and followed the signs to the nearby garden.

The Nan Lian Garden is a relatively new garden, which opened just in 2006. It was quite relaxing to walk through the park, which includes a pond, a waterfall, pavilions and the "Lotus Terrace". 

We walked over the bridge that connects the park with the Chi Lin Nunnery. The latter is a significant Buddhist complex with beautiful buildings and little lotus ponds. We walked through it and took our time. It is exceptional, as it's old architecture and the park in the middle of skyscrapers. Looks a bit like an oasis.

When we were finished, we returned to the Nan Lian Garden and explored the rest of the beautiful park.

I was famished, so we found a restaurant in the mall at the Diamond Hill Station, the Hollywood Plaza. Only one station away is the Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple, so we took the MRT to Wong Tai Sin Station, which is right at the temple. Unfortunately, it was already closed. At least we could see a bit of it from the outside.

It was, also, already too late to visit the 10.000 Buddhas Monastery, which we had on our wish list and the hike over the Dragon's Back. So, we just went to the coast to the Central and Western District Promenade and soaked in some more views of Hong Kong at the water. 

On the way back to the hotel, we walked through the Birds Nest Street, but there was only one shop still open. So, we didn't bother to continue to the Ginseng Street, the Dried Seafood Street and the Herbal Street.

Back at the hotel, we already had to pack, as we would leave for Puerto Princesa, Philippines (via Manila), the next morning.

I have to say, Hong Kong grew on me. At first, it was all a little bit too much for me. But then I started to enjoy it. The sight of the skyline in the evening with the "Symphony of Lights"-Show alone was worth the trip and the Big Buddha on Lantau Island is really stunning. I also really like that it's a city at sea and I love the sea. It doesn't hurt, that there are many budget flights from and to Hong Kong from all over the world. Budget carriers like Hong Kong Express and Cebu Pacific make cheap connections to other Asian destinations. So, if you plan to travel in Asia, Hong Kong (like Singapore) is very convenient for an exciting stop, before or after you explore a different country. 

Hong Kong: Day 22 - A Day in Macau

When you are in Hong Kong, it's easy to visit Macau as a day tour. The reason is a ferry connection with departures at every 15 minutes. I really wanted to go there to meet a friend, I hadn't seen in a long time. We were also interested in the attractions of the city, which are much more than the famous casinos. The Historic Center of Macau is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

So, we started in the morning from our hotel, the Butterfly on Hollywood, and walked past the Western Market to the nearby Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal. We were happy when we saw the ticket machine. Then we realised, that you only can use it if you possess a local credit card. The queue in front of some phones that we had ignored mainly was actually the second part of a line, that later leads to the Ticket Counter.

After standing in queues a lot the day before, we were on the verge of having a nervous breakdown (at least my friend). Still, we entered the line and finally arrived at the counter an hour later. It was a bit of a problem, as we were told that the next empty seats are available only in the afternoon. But then, he got an opening on a ferry at noon and, of course, we grabbed that. However, the next free seats for a return ferry were past midnight, but that was okay for us.  

Later, we happily returned to the check-in and immigration was really quick. We only needed to fill out a departure card and then, when we returned a new arrival card, which we got there (however, don't forget your passport!). I really like travelling by boat, and the ferry was modern and quite comfortable. An hour later we already arrived at the Outer Harbour in Macau.

If you don't have private transport, you can take a taxi from the ferry terminal and then walk through the city. But my friend had offered to pick us up there, which we gladly accepted. Unfortunately, I didn't find a Wi-Fi-signal to text her about our arrival. We had talked about a meeting point when we were still in Hong Kong and eventually found each other. It was great to see her again, after so many years. She brought us to the Monte Fort, built between 1617 and 1626, where we enjoyed the view and the walkthrough Macau's history.

Just a few steps away was the Macao Museum with displays of Macao's history and culture, including popular arts and traditions. It is a modern museum with plenty to see.

Next up was a real highlight, also just a few steps away, the Ruins of St. Paul, which are part of the World Heritage. It is a stunning site.

We walked down through the crowded (it was a Saturday) pedestrian zone, towards the beautiful Senado Square and had lunch at a nearby restaurant. My friend eventually showed us the tourist information at the Senado Square, where we got a map and guided us to the Cathedral before she had to leave. 

It was too late already to visit the A-Ma Temple, but due to our new scheduled return to Hong Kong, we still had a lot of time for sightseeing. We thought about going parts of the "Footsteps into the Historic Center"-walk, that the tourist office suggests. But then we opted for another suggested walk, the "The Marriage of East and West in St. Anthony´s Parish"-walk.  So, we returned to the Ruins of St. Paul and also visited the small but interesting Na Tcha Temple.

 

Next, we came to the St. Anthony's Church and then to the Camoes Garden, where we relaxed a bit. We were asked by two students if we might like to answer a questionnaire about religion and stress. We didn't really expect that, but we gladly helped, as we weren't exactly in a rush and the bench in the park was somewhat comfortable...

Eventually, we walked further to the north and came to the Lin Kai Temple, which was kind of inhabited by a restaurant. It was already dark when we reached the next temple, the Kun Lam Temple. Unfortunately, it was already closed, but it looked attractive from outside too. 

We had more luck when we arrived next at the Lou Lim Loc Garden, which still was open. It was a pleasant surprise and looked fantastic and peaceful in the evening. I sat a while at the pond just to relax a bit (and rest my feet!). We also were surprised by a big orchid exhibition there, with so many beautiful blossoms. We actually stayed there, until they closed. Should you ever go there, you can also visit the Macao Tea Culture House in the garden.

From the garden, we walked pretty much straight to the southwest, in the hope of getting to casinos, which eventually worked out. On the way, we came past the Tap Seac Square with the beautiful buildings of the Archives of Macao, the Cultural Institute and the Macao Central Library. 

Eventually, we came to the Grand Lisboa Casino, which is really grand. We were not planning on losing money there but admired the sheer vastness and the architecture from the outside.

There was still time, so we decided, to walk back to the ferry terminal and follow (more or less) the "A Legacy of Arts and Culture"-walk to get there. The museums on the way, like the Macao Science Center and the Macao Museum of Art were, of course, closed already. But the Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre was pretty impressive from the outside too, as it is a big statue. 

The setting of the statue is really great, and it was really different to the large figures we visited in Kurume, Japan or in Keelung, Taiwan.

Our last stop was the Macau Fisherman´s Wharf, which is already close to the ferry. There, we took a look at the replicas of some European architecture and had a late dinner at the seafront, which was delicious. Eventually, we walked back to the ferry and were soon again in Hong Kong, where it was just a short walk to the hotel.

I really liked Macau and its diversity of modern and old. Actually, you can spend easily another sightseeing day there. We didn't even get to visit Macau's Coloane Island, which is home to attractions like the A-Ma Cultural Village.