Hong Kong City Tour

After our breakfast, we went back to our room to gear up for our day activities and then went to the hotel's lobby to wait for our bus and tour guide.

The weather was a little gloomy when we left the hotel and then it started to rain on our way. I was just not sure if it was because of the weather, but we just stayed on the bus while it roamed around Hong Kong.

It was also a bit foggy which is why we weren't able to get a nice view of the surroundings while we were on the bus. Good thing I was able to take note of a few destinations which I thought we can go to on our own. These were the shopping areas in Tsim Sha Tsui and Kowloon, and the night market in Mongkok. Thanks to our tour guide, Kristi, for the info. :D

Kristi, Our Tour Guide

Our first stop was at one of the major tourist attractions in Hong Kong, the Victoria Harbour waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui.

The view was just very relaxing. Thank God the rain stopped so we were able to savor the cool breeze and the amazing view.

Also situated at the Victoria Harbour waterfront is the Avenue of Stars. It was modeled from the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was built in honor of the celebrities and big names in the Hong Kong film industry.

The Avenue of Stars showcases different bronze statues and floor plaques with hand imprints of the celebrities of Hong Kong.

I'm not really familiar with all the big names there except for Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. :p

Local photographers may approach you at the Victoria Harbour and take pictures of you for free. They'll have it printed in a ceramic plate with Hong Kong inscription and details and will ask you (at the end of the city tour) if you want to have it as souvenir. This of course come with a charge. If I remembered it right, ours cost HK$150 per plate. :)

We went next to Kowloon to check on their chocolates and diamonds shops. We went to the Chocolate Empire where we were given some free chocolate bites. The one that I tried was milk chocolate with almonds and it was so good.

We also got to buy some chocolates for pasalubong. The Gulliver Chocolatier chocolates were really good. They have it in white, milk chocolate, and dark chocolate, with almonds and fruits, but my favorite is the white chocolate with almond and black sesame seeds.

We headed next to JW Jewellery, just a few blocks from the Chocolate Empire. My eyes already sparkled when we entered the chocolate shop, much more when we got to the diamonds shop! Haha! The diamond jewelries were so pretty! Taking of photos were not allowed, though, and of course there were no freebies this time haha! Mark, and the rest of the men in our group, were all just patiently sitting at the couches, while we indulge in all the beautiful diamonds. Mark's mom also fell in love with the diamonds that she just couldn't help but buy some jewelries. :D

The diamond jewelries at JW Jewellery are very beautiful, not to mention the very convincing sales talk of the persons manning the stalls. So ladies, if you can't bring enough money be sure to bring with you a lot of self-control. Haha! :p

Our city tour ended with a sampan ride at Aberdeen Harbour. We sailed around the harbour and saw some fishing vessels, some yachts, and fellow tourists on sampans.

We also sailed by another major attraction in Hong Kong, the Jumbo Floating Restaurant. Unfortunately, we just literally sailed by. :p Kristi said that a different boat caters to tourists who want to dine at the restaurant. She also noted that the food here is a bit pricey. :p

The sampan ride costs HK$20 per person. You may also choose to add a few dollars more for the boat driver as it is their main source of income.

We got back to the bus after the tour. Before parting ways, our tour guide passed on a couple of boxes of key chains and let us check if we want to avail of it. Mark's mom bought two boxes, one with Hong Kong key chains and another with Disneyland key chains. Each box costs HK$100.

The rest of the group were going to Hong Kong Disneyland, but because we've already gone there the day before, the driver just dropped us off to our next destination, Ocean Park Hong Kong! More of that on my next post. :D

After our Ocean Park adventure, we headed to Mongkok for dinner and then we went to the night market for some pasalubong shopping. :D

There were different shops at Mongkok. The night market was more like the shops in Divisoria but a lot less crowded as what Mark said. I haven't been to Divisoria so I can't compare.

There were also a lot of shops for branded stuff and even luxury brands. Mark of course didn't let the day pass without buying a couple of stuff at his favorite Nike shop. Haha! :p