Lost in Hong Kong 4

Experiencing HK’s Night Market
That night after Disney was our last night in HK. So we told our bus driver to bring us to the night market to buy pasalubong. We’ll be leaving the next day.

The night market is like Divisoria in the Philippines. If in the Philippines you’ll get to see imitation brands from China, here, you can see them all as well, but this time, in real Chinese environment. A lot of vendors are nice to even grant your request for ‘tawad’ while there are also others who are sooo sungit. If you are to make ‘tawad,’ you’ll need to key in on a calculator the amount that you are willing to pay since Chinese can’t communicate well in English. I bought a mailman’s bag from a cheerful vendor who was in all smile mode while I was making ‘tawad.’ Then he went on laughing loud when I said ‘mm goi,’ which is ‘thank you’ in Chinese :) Never pronounce it the other way especially if you’re in the Philippines. You’ll surely get punched :)

There are a variety of stuff in the night market. If I had lots of HK dollars that time, I’d spent it all :) I suddenly remember Jenny, our tour guide. She said “Work hard in the Philippines and get back to Hong Kong and spend all your money here.”

I was too busy looking around for some nice stuff to bring home I didn’t notice that I have missed to hold tightly a plastic bag of my pasalubong for my pamangkins :(

Led by a Non-Chinese Stranger
We had a hard time getting back to our hotel when we left the night market. We were all sooo tired we wanted to get back to our hotel immediately and have a rest. But we seemed lost. We don’t know what bus will we ride or where will we ride. Hayz..

Getting off from the MTR (If In the Philippines we call it MRT, in HK, it’s MTR), we started to approach strangers to ask for the direction to Dorsett Far East Hotel. Then came a non-Chinese foreigner who seemed to notice that we are lost. The man, I think, in his mid 30s or early 40s, came to us and asked about our problem. Then he said, ‘Just follow me.’ We’re all 21 in our group, so I think, if ever he’s a bad guy, we can manage to escape from any evil thing he’s planning against us that time. Thank God, he’s an angel because he did led us from MTR to our hotel.

While walking to the hotel, I was having this conversation with him. My officemates were teasing me, telling me I’ve finally found my soul mate :) I didn’t even know his name and yes, he’s way too old for me, I think. Hahah! As if the guy is interested in me.

The Celebs Made Up of Wax
I just see these celebs on TV, Internet, and magazines. But the time I visited Madame Tussauds, the wax museum, I got to meet them face to face even if they’re just wax. They look so real actually.

My eyes can’t believe it. I saw there Nicole Kidman, Brangelina, Michael Jackson, Albert Einstein, Jackie Chan, Johnny Depp, and many other celebrities. I’m keeping my memories with these wax people through my pictures with them

After three days and two nights of stay in HK, we went back to the Philippines. On the plane back home, GMA 7’s reporter Kara David was on the plane, too. An officemate met her in Disneyland. Maybe he was trying to interview some Pinoys working in the theme park.

FilWeb Asia’s team bonding in HK is truly an unforgettable experience I will forever treasure. I hope next time it will be in California

Lost in Hong Kong 3

Mickey’s Wonder World
I felt like a child again. This used to be just a dream. When I stepped my feet on the Disney gate, I wanna scream out loud “This is it!!!’ I’m elated to have been given the chance to enjoy Hong Kong Disneyland and become part of this all expense paid trip.

Disney is really a wonderland. Starting from the music, all OST from Disney pictures, the majestic views, the giant mascots. Everything is a perfect ingredient to live in a wonderland. ‘Just so sad I wasn’t able to make it face to face with this famous big eared mouse He and Minnie are so famous I can’t even get near them. Even with my favorite Winnie the Pooh. How come I didn’t see Winnie in the colorful parade that sweltering afternoon??!!!

Before witnessing the grand Disney parade, we went to a cozy resto inside with a really delicious food. What I just noticed is that, in every resto, they serve food in very large amount. I think it’s almost good for 2 people already

After the delicious dine, we searched for a nice location where we can have a nice view of the grand Disney parade. Yeheeyy! Finally, I got to see the Disney characters alive. The princesses are all gorgeously beautiful and the colorful and cute mascots are all a joy to watch. I especially like Ariel of Little Mermaid. Her beauty is really enchanting and all of my officemates have the same opinion. But when I looked at her closely in the picture, she’s too beautiful she tends to look like a gay :) Ooppss.. Sorry…

Proud to be Pinoy
It was with pride that I discovered that a lot of Pinoy performers are included or involved in the parade. Whenever we suspect someone to be a Filipino, we say “Pinoy ka ba,?” then they will just nod and wink. There are others who would shout ‘Mga kababayan, musta?” and then they will gesture that very Filipino wave while flashing their sweet smile. These Pinoys even prioritize us in picture taking against all the tsinitos and tsinitas and other tourists there

‘The Standard,’ China’s business newspaper, reported that Filipino performers account for about 116 among the 500 employees hired by Hong Kong Disneyland. The newspaper goes on to say that ‘It may be Hong Kong Disneyland, but behind the costumes and makeup of a fair share of performers you’ll find the faces of the Philippines.’ So nice and true :) Sa kahit saang larangan, magaling talaga ang mga Pinoy

While enjoying the parade, I silently wished that my mother, my sisters, and all my pamangkins are with me. They must have been so happy as I am. I wish I could bring them all to Hong Kong one day

Following the parade, we went on our way to experience the rides and other attractions. Our first stop was the Lion King show. It was a beautiful, colorful, and fantastic musical, more so because one of the lead characters is a Pinay. With English and Chinese being used as the media of communication, she managed to insert the shout out ‘Mabuhay’ as the show begins. Marami ring Pinoy na iba pa na nandun.

Disney experience
One of the unforgettable rides I had was the Space Mountain. It’s like an extreme version of rollercoaster but it’s in an enclosed environment where all you can seem to see are twinkling stars (Where are you, Spica?) and complete darkness. You can just feel yourself and your seat moving up, down, left, right and in all crazy stunts I wanted to screaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmm in fear.

I can’t control myself from shaking after that. I needed to rest before going through the other stuff.

That night, we were able to witness the beautiful Disney fireworks display. It lasted for, I think, more than 10 minutes. So beautiful. I even got to capture it on video through my digicam.