Chewing the Fat: HK Holiday, Part 1

Off to Hong Kong we went right after the semestral break, a well-deserved vacation for all of us.

We kept the trip a surprise from the girls, merely telling them we were heading to Davao. Up until the day we went to the airport, they still had no idea of what was in store.

M. broke the news to them right before we checked into our CebuPacific flight, and boy w

ere they surprised!!! They were so happy they were not going to Davao, haha!

So, we checked in to our flight using the special counter for CebuPac's web check-in facility.

Terminal 3 is really a far cry from the old, dilapidated Terminal 2, which rightfully earned its inclusion in CNN's "World's Most Hated Airports." Terminal 3 is more spacious and new, although it still isn't up to the same standards as the airports abroad. A big improvement, yes, but definitely needs constant improvement just the same. But it was all good, coz we were going to be in HK in a couple of hours.

Since we were already checked in quite ahead of schedule, we had enough time to catch a quick lunch from a ramen place. We then called my Mom, who was also in on the surprise, so she could be one of the first to talk to the girls as soon as they found out.

This was their first ever visit to Hong Kong, so they were full of excitement as the plane took off. About two hours later, we were landing in HK's luxurious airport considered to be one of the world's favorites.

It was already past 7pm when we got out of the airport. We took a red taxi to take us to our hotel on Hong Kong side. The weather was not too cold, unfortunately. But it was quite comfortable, not too warm, with the occasional gust of wind.

The long taxi ride from the airport in Chek Lap Kok on Lantau Island, through a long bridge that traversed a small channel, and on to a longer bridge that brought us to Kowloon, and then a few more kilometers through a tunnel that passed under the sea, emerging in Sheung Wan on the western side of Hong Kong island.

The girls didn't believe me when I told them that the tunnel went under the ocean, until I asked the cabdriver for confirmation. They were elated to find that out!

After a 45-minute ride, we stopped outside our hotel's main doors. I had booked a three-night stay at the Hotel LBP, in Sheung Wan, near Central, after negotiating with their staff via email on the kind of room that we required.

The hotel was located just a short walk from my brother's flat on Queen's Road West, so it was ideal for us as we were scheduled to transfer to his place after three days. He found it while walking in the neighborhood some weeks back. They checked out the place and found it suitable; quite new as it had just opened for business last September; and pretty decent and clean, with spacious rooms compared to the usual HK budget accommodations.

The staff were pretty attentive, and quick to provide us with sundry little items that we needed: extra towels, adaptors for our mobile phone chargers, among other things. They gave us an upgrade to a bigger room layout that had a living room area apart from the bedroom, and free use of an extra bed during our stay, all at no extra charge! Plus, we also had free in-room WiFi.

A few minutes after we had deposited our luggage and got settled into our room, my brother arrived and warm welcomes were handed out to everyone. We then headed to his flat he shared with D. and they served us a great dinner that both vegetarians (me, M. and youngest) and meat-eaters (eldest) enjoyed!

We then marveled at the spectacular view of the HK skyline from their 31st floor balcony, with the many glittering lights emanating from the skyscrapers and buildings that stood in the dark night.