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A combination marine park and amusement center, Ocean Park conveniently is located on the south side of Hong Kong island.

To get there, we took the Ocean Park Citybus 629 from Admiralty MTR station.

After a 15 minutes ride, we found ourselves at the Tai Shue Wan entrance which is near to the park’s Headland.

OK here’s how it goes, Ocean Park’s marine attractions, thrill rides and shows are divided between 3 areas: Lowland, Headland and Tai Shue Wan. There’s two modes of transportation to move between the Lowland, Headland and Tai Shue Wan. The Lowland-Headland is connected by cable cars while, the Headland-Tai Shue Wan is connected by the second longest outdoor escalator in the world which stretches over 225 metres!

These were our tickets to a entire day of fun-filled activities!

That’s Chief (Mr.Parrot) and James Fin H2O (Mr.Shark)! Ocean Park has 6 mascots. Besides Chief and James Fin H2O, there’s a waving sea lion named Whiskers (known as Wai Wai in Chinese), Jewel (a butterfly), Swift (a dolphin) and Professor (a turtle)!

With much stuff going on, we decided to plan which attractions, thrill rides and shows we wanted to catch so we won’t be wasting time running all over the park aimlessly. The map was pretty useful.

Despite ’studying’ the map for few minutes (too distracted), we started our adventure with a terribly wrong choice.

Our first ride was the Space Wheel.

It still baffles me why we went on that monstrous contraption of thrills spills and action before other moderate attractions. Perhaps we were too excited and couldn’t wait to get ourselves in a giddy adventure.

I puked 3-4 times after that damned ride.

That was a really wrong decision, I ended up feeling nauseous and weak the entire outing. Which was pretty upsetting because there’s so much other stuff to do at the Headland! Headland houses many thrill rides, including the Dragon, Eagle, Crazy Galleon, Ferris Wheel, Flying Swing, Raging River, Mine Train, and Abyss Turbo Drop.

I was too weak to go on any rides after the horrifying Space Wheel! Sat at a corner while he tried other rides.

:/

After that hair-raising experience, we hopped on the Ocean Park Escalator to get to the other side of the park. At 225 m (745ft), it is the second longest outdoor escalator in the world and I felt like puking the moment I stepped on the escalator. It doesn’t help that it was a super long way up. Baby laughed at me when I had that manic look, searching for places to vomit!

To make me feel better, he dragged me to watched an ice skating showing with people juggling fire batons, performing acrobats, and dances.

But half-way, we left because I felt like puking. Not that the performance was sucky. It was Space Wheel.

He laughed at me again!

:S

Had to rest at a bench for about 10 minutes before moving on. Lucky the weather was cool and breezy. I felt much better and that was the last time I puked. Thank God.

Eventually we gave up following the map and decided to roam randomly. We found ourselves at the Marine Land. We were hoping to get a seat at the Ocean Theatre but it was totally packed! Well, this show is a family favourite where dolphins and sea lions participate in lively daily shows. Good place to bring your kids and educate them on marine mammals. Probably that explains why it’s so popular. We had to stand all the way at the back. Snap a few pictures and made our way to other attractions.

Ocean Theatre features shows by talented dolphins, sea lions, and a killer whale. How exciting! But we only caught the dolphins. Here’s some shots of the dolphins doing tricks!

Nearby there’s the world-class Atoll Reef aquarium which holds 2,000 fishes from close to 250 species and the unique Sea Jelly Spectacular, where we could interact with 1,000 beautiful sea jellies!

Had to grab a drink near the Pacific Pier. Felt thirsty. Here’s a weird ice drink everyone buys at Ocean Park. A witch hat with a green ice ball!

Since we couldn’t grab a real sea lion to hug, the fake ones were perfect for photo-taking!

(:

Oh there’s plenty of choices for food here. We grabbed some BBQ spring chicken and BBQ sausages from the Light House Grill somewhere near Pacific Pier. Pretty ok but a little over-priced. Hmm there’s McDonald’s with typical hamburgers, french fries and soft drinks at Headland rides. Over at Adventure Land, you can find this stall, Raging River Squid which offers delicious-looking fried squid and drinks. Chinese food is available at Noodle Bar (somewhere along Tai Shue Wan entrance). They serve Chinese soup noodles, wanton, dumplings, Chinese dessert and beverages.

Took a quick stroll to one of the tallest observation towers in Southeast Asia, the Ocean Park Tower! This tower gave us a 360º gently rotating view that enables us to see clear to Aberdeen and the outlying islands. I think my body is better-suited for this sorta ride. sigh. sad. I’m just not made for zany rides.

That was our last stop at the Headland, shortly we boarded the cable cars for a spectacular 8-minute ride over a hill to the Lowland. The cable car system offers a convenient and exceptionally panoramic route between Ocean Park’s Headland and Lowland.

The view of the rocky coastline was spectacular.

The lowland is also subdivided into several areas and attractions. But most of the stuff here are more suitable for kids. We were thrilled only at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Giant Panda Habitat (?????????) where Le Le, Ying Ying, An An and Jia Jia, greet visitors!

Adorable! If you want to see what they are doing now, check out the Giant Panda Live Broadcast!

After about 4 hours here, we rushed off to catch a church service at Cain Road. Yup, to do Ocean Park justice, plan on spending at least 4 hours here, but you’ll probably stay the whole day if you’re travelling with kids.

Note: never NEVER go on crazy rides first and do plan your trip beforehand.

My tram ride experience in Hong Kong brought back memories of a poem by John Keats, Ode on a Grecian Urn.

Hong Kong’s tram has been around since 1904. When I hopped on this retro machine, it appeared that time has little effect on it and I wondered if aging has become a slower process. To me, this capsule in time was capable of being seen as an eternal piece of artwork that tells a story with the sights  from it’s cold, metal window.

Hong Kong Tramways operates 6 main routes running between Kennedy Town and Shau Kei Wan everyday from 6:00 to 24:00. Since we are staying at Causeway Bay, we went on the Causeway Bay-Kennedy Town route. This must be the most affordable transportation ever. Regardless of distance, only HK$2.00 will be charged for each adult passenger.

Here’s a picture I took of a fellow backpacker from UK, Shaun Cabey who joined us for a tram ’story’ experience.

We quickly got into the drama happening along the tram trail. Shaun looked so reflective.

Unlike Keats who passively wondered about the ’story’ engraved on the urn, we were thrilled at the frenzy action portrayed along the streets. Everyone looked purposeful, in pursuit of something. Where were they rushing to? What was their story? We could only guess.

Looking at the crowd from the tram, they painted fleeting pictures of a vibrant city and we wondered if Hong Kong would be a good place to stay for the better. Then again, the grass is always greener on the other side.

Having no idea who the actors were actually doing, or where they were going, we kinda reveled in this mystery. Another reason why the tram ride was so entertaining.

I thought that the heart and soul of Hong Kong lied amid its bustling streets and local markets. Well, not sure how the locals feel about tram rides but I prefer it so much more than other modes of transport on the island. It was a breezy, romantic way to see the bustling city. Time passed slower when I’m on this noteworthy public transport.

It was a wonderful experience to see Hong Kong at my own pace. Another reason why I prefer to plan my own trip instead of going with a tour. Well, go on the tram ride with a relaxed mind! You’ll be intrigued by the ’story’ which will unfolds along the tram trail.

(:

Dai Pai Dong is where you encounter street-side eating culture in Hong Kong! You can find al-fresco food stall operating on the roadside with foldable tables and plastic chairs. Dai Pai Dong may not very hygienic but here’s where you should be heading for decent tasty local grub.

So we were feeling peckish after shopping so it’s time for supper! Found a Dai Pai Dong somewhere near Temple Street in Jordan (next MTR station to Tsim Sha Tsui). and there was a healthy local crowd there so we decided to grab some food here! First up, Roasted Pigeon with crispy golden brown skin!

It was so-so only. In fact, the one we had in Guangzhou was better. The meat has some weird bird taste! Yeah it’s a bird but it shouldn’t taste so strongly bird-ish right? Guess pigeon meat is too wild for me. I think the roasted chicken wings at Taman Pelangi hawker center is better (Will blog about it soon).

Anyway we still gobbled down the bird and shortly our plate of incredibly fresh steamed fish came. Most Dai Pai Dong which operate at night usually sell seafood.

Ah the fish steamed with ginger and onion topped with a dash of soy sauce was more delightful than the pigeon. It’s a pretty simple dish but it taste so good because of its ultra freshness and sweet yummy soy sauce. I can taste some sesame oil too.

BTW You can choose to have both dishes with steamed white rice but we decided not to. Want to leave some space for desserts before we head back to the hotel. Ah our appetite just keep growing in Hong Kong. My face is getting rounder and rounder.

:/

Spent about sgd30 for this light supper! Quite similar to hawkers in Southeast Asia but in Hong Kong, it is more extensive because they also offer live seafood that was just swimming in mini aquariums before being served on the table. It’s a good thing that cooking fresh is revered in Hong Kong.

This is our favourite desert place in Hong Kong! Xu Liu Shan is a really popular Hong Kong brand for nearly two decades. There’s numerous branches all over Hong Kong, and most of them are conveniently located near the MTRs/ shopping malls.

MUST order MANGO dessert here! You can find many many mango desserts here! Theres mango fruits platter, mango puree with fresh mango cubes, mango puree with fresh mango cubes and pomelo sacs, mango puree with fresh mango cubes, sago with coconut milk, mango puree with fresh mango cubes and pomelo sacs topped with mango sherbert ice-cream, etc. Haha Xu Liu Shan is Mangoland!!

Xu Liu Shan’s mango sago dessert RAWKS! It’s so delicious and fruity. The abundant mango cubes were so fresh and the sago were tastily QQ. Also, I liked the perfectly smooth texture of the mango puree. I think this mango dessert was divine!

BTW Xu Liu Shan is also a herbal tea shop specializing in herbal jellies so you can also get some Gui Ling Gao, here. But we didn’t get that. We were feeling a little hungry so ordered carrot cake. Not bad although it does not contains mango.

Even the chilli sauce is superb! Yum yum.

The staff were really busy. Be prepared to queue and wait for a table! But it’s worth the wait. If not, take-away the dessert and eat it any parks nearby.

Behold! the “World’s Largest Permanent Light and Sound Show” by Guinness World!

According to Wiki, Symphony of Lights is an orchestration of music, decoration lights, laser light displays, and pyrotechnic fireworks. The multimedia light and sound show lasts for about 14 minutes.

We caught this show along the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront between the Avenue of Stars and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. To get there, we took the MTR to East Tsim Sha Tsui Station and exited at Exit J. Then we just followed the signs to the Avenue of Stars and Tsim Sha Tsui Waterfront. Very simple.

Well, Avenue of Stars is something like the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

One of the notable icons, Bruce Lee.

Actually we felt that there was nothing special here although it did offer a stunning panoramic view across Victoria Harbour.

Btw this is how the show looks like from the Avenue of Stars. Nah I didn’t took this pic. We had problems taking unblurry shots without a tripod. So this is from Wiki.

Honestly the show is kinda overrated. I think I had more fun watching Songs of the Sea at Sentosa. Maybe it would be better if we were on the harbour cruise. There was simply too many people at Avenue of Stars. Besides the view was kinda the same as what we saw at The Peak.

Anyway we were early and while waiting, we were feeling cold. So we dropped by Starbucks for a cup of hot chocolate!

Someone was reading the Wall Street Journal.

The hot chocolate was especially warm! Must be the super cool weather. Hong Kong is so cool! It’s like having air-con all day long. I kinda enjoyed my hot chocolate more than the show.

:/

Well if you happened to be in Hong Kong, you can drop by and see it for yourself. The show starts every night at 8pm. But it may be suspended if a tropical cyclone or rainstorm occurs.