HONG KONG, Disneyland & MACAU-Sparkling gems of Asia!!!

Hongkong Skyline…

Want a break from the monotony of the long office hours dreaming for that small trip which will be enjoyable and at the same time light on your pockets!! We all know how modern fast paced life of ours give little or no time to enjoy life with our family. The result of which is that long planned holidays remains planned only and hardly gets executed.

How about taking out 4 days from our demanding schedule and plan a short trip where your heart will beat faster trying your luck amidst the bustling casinos and you can once again relive your childhood holding the hands of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.

We planned our short trip and traveled to Hong Kong and Macau. We took our flight from Delhi and reached Hong Kong in about 5 hours around 8.30 am and right from the airport we went to the ferry terminal as they are interconnected to board the ferry to Macau. The airport authorities transferred all our luggage to the ferry which was very convenient and we were informed that our immigration proceedings will be done at the Macau Ferry Terminal. It took us two hours (10 am to 12 pm) to reach the lovely island of Macau in the 'Turbo Jet' ferry gliding through the sea. What an awesome ride it was and the Macau terminal was nowhere less than an airport with all the modern facilities. Completing the immigration processes we headed straight to our hotel.

Macau is the Vegas of China and the hub for casinos and the island is world-famous for its glitz and glamour. However, apart from the famous casinos and luxurious hotels Macau also boasts of tremendous natural beauty with the sea and the mountains adding to the brilliance of the background.

In the evening we went to visit the world-famous 'Venetian Plaza' with its casino and an ultra-luxurious hotel.  The Victorian architecture of the Plaza will surely take one's breath away. Our experience at the Casino was a mixed feeling as we are not so good at gambling and hence writing about it will only be a waste. However, we enjoyed our first experience at the casino and the energy of the place. Wow!! Mind-blowing! We went out for a stroll at Macau and the breathtaking fountain simply added to the perfect city. Neat gardens, lovely architectural buildings, and the people of Macau. My god!! They are absolutely gorgeous and super stylish people and fits perfectly with the glitz of the place.

The next morning, we went sightseeing on a cute little tourist bus. Macau has two islands, Macau island, and the Taipa island and they are interconnected by the beautiful Macau-Taipa bridge and Friendship bridge. We stayed in the Taipa island. Our first visit was the famous 'A-Ma Temple' which was built in the Ming dynasty. The temple is situated at the Penha peninsula on the top of a hill and is dedicated to the sacred goddess 'A-Ma'. One can reach the top by climbing the stairs. We got a spectacular view of Macau from the top. The place exhibited a serene atmosphere and we offered prayers to the goddess. Next, we visited the Macau Maritime Museum and later to the famous Macau sky tower. We got an awesome bird's eye view of Macau and a part of Mainland China from there. The place remains full of activities like skywalk and also bungee jumping for the adventurous visitors. After this, we visited the St. Pauls Cathedral. Only the front part of the church remains there and it has been declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The place attracts thousands of tourists across the world.  It was situated in the older neighbourhood of Macau and we experienced traditional Chinese houses, Chinese shops, and old-style China living. After lunch, we visited the beautiful 'Lotus Park'.

Our short stay at Macau ended and we headed once again to the ferry terminal for our journey to Hong Kong precisely to Disneyland. From the ferry terminal, Disneyland is an hour drive and it was a smooth ride as we zoomed past the beautiful skyline of Hong Kong. Arriving at the Hollywood Hotel at Disneyland we headed straight to the park to witness the world-famous 'Fireworks' show at the beautiful Cinderella Castle at the backdrop. Walking along ‘Main Street USA’ I could not believe my luck enough being able to visit and witness the awesome place called the Disney Land. A dream come true. Disney land the Magic land. It’s the place where we all revisit our good old childhood days, laugh, and enjoy our hearts out like kids hugging our Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck in real.

We spent the whole of the next day exploring the park enjoying ourselves in various joyrides, witnessing the exuberant Disney character's parade through the Main Street USA clicking pictures with Disney characters like Goofy, Mickey and Minnie and admiring the beauty of our favorite 'Cinderella'. The sheer happiness that one gets revisiting their childhood is priceless and what I felt in Disney land the infinite happiness can't be expressed enough. I will cherish it all my life for sure.  Even the Hollywood Hotel where we stayed seemed to come straight from the Disney books, the funny voice in the lift of Mickey and Minnie is my most favorite. Hong Kong Disneyland is undoubtedly a 'Dreamland'.

In Hong Kong, we stayed beside the Harbour. Hong Kong is a vibrant city with natural beauty and modern technology uniting fabulously. The 'Harbour Front' is a must-visit for every visitor in Hong Kong. The beautiful view of the city from the 'Victoria Peak' is breathtaking. There is a Madam Tussauds Museum at the Victoria Peak where we met the artistic wax statues of well-known personalities across the globe like Elvis Presley, Princess Diana, Madonna, Barrack Obama, Mahatma Gandhi, Amitabh Bachchan, etc. The perfect statues exhibit the artistic splendour of the artists. What a lovely experience.  The journey in the 'Peak Tram' going straight down the peak was mind-blowing. A must-try for all visitors. Our last stop was at the 'Repulse Bay' a serene beach surrounded by million dollars celebrity homes. We learned that many famous personalities own homes there. The house of Jackie Chan on way to Repulse Bay has also become a tourist attraction. Surrounded by small mountains the beach is amazingly attractive.

While coming back to our hotel we visited the electronics markets there and we were spellbound by the variety of electronic items that they offer.

Our flight was on the same day. It was a short and sweet trip that uplifted our moods and helped us once more in trying to cope up with the busy life.