Hong Kong - Macau: Avenue of Stars

Good morning, Hong Kong! This is the view that we woke up to:

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Beautiful, isn't it? Too bad we didn't have much time to really enjoy the scenery -- and the room, because we were scheduled for a city tour on our 2nd day and the tour guide will pick us up at the lobby at 7:30am! I barely had time to shower, help Aly dress up and eat breakfast. I wasn't even able to drink any coffee so I was in a zombie state when we boarded the bus. Hehe!a

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Anyway, our first stop was Avenue of Stars.

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It had a beautiful view of the harbor.

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Other attractions include: hand prints of famous Hong Kong celebrities...

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...the chance to be a director for a day (or maybe a few seconds is more appropriate!)...

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...and the bronze statue of Bruce Lee.

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Bonus attraction: the souvenir photographer. Kapag kokodakan ka nya, sasabihin nya: "one, two, three, be happy!" Syempre, ginaya namin sya. Hehe!

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1..

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2..

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3..be happy!

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The happiest of us all.

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Our tour guide, Mr. Lee was very fond of Aly so he gave her a treat! She was the only kid on the bus so bida sya. And also, agaw-attensyon din yung stariray headband nya. Ang laki kasi kaya talagang mapapansin mo sya. Hehe!

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From Avenue of Stars, we boarded the bus once again and headed to our next stop.

Hong Kong - Macau: Ocean Park

I think no Hong Kong tour (lalo na if you're a first timer) will be complete without going to Ocean Park. It is, after all, the first theme park in Hong Kong.
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A new tour guide came to the hotel to pick us up and we had the bus all to ourselves. Feeling big time kami! Hehe!
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It was a small bus, actually. Sakto lang para samin.
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Cable car and the seahorse logo...nasa Ocean Park na nga kami! Yehey!!
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Ang ganda ng mga bulaklak.
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While our tour guide was getting our tickets, we took our mandatory tourist shots by the entrance. Angel and I had to take turns in taking photos. While we were doing some last-minute packing the night before, dad reminded us to bring a tripod. So the good news was, we remembered to bring a tripod, but the bad news was we forgot to unpack it so we left it at the hotel. Pffftt.
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Ang daming tao sa loob! It was a holiday in Hong Kong so it seemed like half of the city's population was there. You can just imagine the sea of humanity inside Ocean Park. Nakaka-stress!
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Buti na lang the cable car ride was relaxing. Pero bago ka ma-relax, kelangan mo muna pumila ng pagka-haba haba! The only consolation was, the lines moved fast.
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Finally! Malapit na kaming sumakay!
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All aboard!
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Aly waving to lolo Bernie.
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Whheeee!!
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Aly loved the cable car ride :)
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That was a looong cable car ride!
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Next, we rode on the Ocean Park Tower.
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Mommy, ang tagal naman!
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The ride was ok, hindi sya nakakahilo but it was quick. The view was breathtaking, though.
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From the Tower, we walked around a bit and braved the mile-long queue to the Atoll Reef. I just have to say, grabe ang mga Intsik sa pilahan! Walang bata o matanda sa kanila. Sorry na lang ang mga maliliit dahil maiipit sila. Siksikan to the max! And the smells! Oh my gulay! Close encounters of the smelly kind! Sari-saring amoy talaga. That was our first taste -- or should I say whiff? -- of local culture.
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Once inside, there was more siksikan, tulakan and breath-holding to deal with. I only managed to take a few decent photos. Hindi ko na kinaya.
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Pating!
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Psychedelic dikya!
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Isda.
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Aly wanted to bring home a stuffed toy so poor daddy Richard and lolo Bernie had to do their best to win one for the little girl.
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aHKD100 and five minutes later, they still had no luck. Buti na lang you get an instant prize when you pay for a set of balls. Hehe!
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On our way to the exit gate, we passed the Mine Train roller coaster. Walang pila so we decided to go for it. However, when we reached the entrance, Aly wasn't allowed to ride because of the height requirement. She was too short. So poor Aly had to stay with lola Aple (mom thought it was too scary so she didn't ride). It was scary indeed! I was screaming like anything, pero si Richard nakataas pa mga kamay nya. Hmph! After the ride, mom told me that Aly was crying the whole time and she told lola that she's mad at Ocean Park and she never wants to go back because they won't let her ride on the roller coaster. Heehee! We told Aly that we will come back next time when she's taller so that they will let her ride.
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Tai Shue Wan escalator.
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Cute and cuddly pandas at the souvenir shop.
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Too bad we didn't get to see all of Ocean Park because we didn't have enough time. Plus, there were so many people that day so it was virtually impossible for us to try all the rides. Oh well, there's Disneyland pa naman.
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From Ocean Park, our guide brought us back to our hotel. After a short rest, we went to the nearby mall for dinner, went back to the hotel and called it a day.