Hongkong EP04 Wind Burns and Egg Puff at Ocean Park
After we were dropped off at our hotel, our IT for today consists nothing more than Ocean Park. We waited for our guide to take us there and he left us on our own. The travel time was approx 45mins.
We haven't had breakfast and we are already hungry. We went to the first restaurant we laid our eyes on, Neptune Restaurant.
So you mean this is waiting, AGAIN?
So we went in and took their lunch sets. Meal includes soup, your choice of main dish (sirloin, fish, pasta, etc), tea or coffee, and dessert (Haagen Dazs ice cream or tropical fruit). The ambiance is a bit formal and they have us seat next to the aquarium.
The food is okay, like eatable okay but to my dismay does not, to me, live up to how much I paid for and expected from it. The price is truly steep, 198HKD per head (+compulsory 10% service charge) which I disappointingly regret when I step out. The serving is so puny. What's more, the food just takes forever to be served. I was done with my pasta before their food came (fish and beef). I would have understood meat but fish? And my ice cream! I thought it 's going to be served in a glass with shavings and toppings and everything but in its' cup? Really? Where did they ever ordered my ice cream from that it took forever to come?
I forgot I'm in an ocean park
With all the things you CAN do on this park, no wonder anyone who came here will attest that one day is simply not enough to finish it all. The park is divided into two, there's a lowland and highland part. Lowland have exhibits, the aquarium, kiddie park, provisions for animals: panda, fish, birds, etc. There's also Old Hongkong which is my favorite. Highland have penguins & rides which is surprisingly flocked by all ages. Theme parks in the Phils. rarely gets any attention to anyone older than 30 so I find it really amusing that I am in line with them.
Due to the number of people (even though there's regular light showers), my sister and I were only able to take 3 rides. After that time too, my face started to show signs of wind burns and my lips started chapping. Too bad I left out lip balm on my toiletry stash :-(.
There are two ways to get to and fro the highland part of the park, there's the cable car and the train, the latter we weren't able to experience due to the line being too long already when we wanted to go down.
Save up food money in Old Hongkong
If I've only known that they have small food stalls here, I should have suggested going here the first time. Our dinner consisted of:
3 Pork Curry with rice (2x) and prata (1x) -- 50 * 3
3 bottles of water--20 * 3
1 order of egg puff -- 20
1 order of Korean grilled squid -- 30
Total 260HKD
Tip: Before leaving the airport (look for 7 11) or before going to the park, you are allowed to bring one bottle of water per person. This would save you a lot because outside the park water can cost as less as 5 to 6 HKD.
Pork curry is a bit weird but okay (there's some taste I can't describe so I said weird), but unlike in Neptune, the serving is enough for 2 people already (especially if both are light eaters). And also, if you are familiar with prata, you may be disappointed. I've always been vocal about my love for prata but this time it made me really sad. It was too hard and bland I wished I should have gotten the rice instead.
We were advised to wait for our guide out in the entrance and being the paranoid parrot that I am, I called him. He said he'd be there and I realized from there how they didn't liked to be called at all (well, he didn't say but it felt like it) and when they said they'd come, they really will, and on time. Far too different from Pinoys who needed reminding, argh.
He left us on the bus with a couple who are booked in a different hotel. From there I realized how lucky they were to be on a much better position than we were as our hotel is, as I've said earlier, simply too far from night market :-(
Hongkong: EP05 Mr. Lee's City Tour and Disneyland
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