I LOVE Hong Kong! That's all I have to say. Well, more than that but what an amazing experience we had in Hong Kong! It had been over 20 years since I've been back and so much had changed, yet there was a certainly element of familiarity with being back in Hong Kong. Although I am Canadian-born, my parents are from Hong Kong and having spent a couple of summers there as a child, Hong Kong has a familiar sense of "home" and being back after all these years, it kinda felt like I was "home"! 

ABERDEEN
Aberdeen was the area where we used to stay so it was very much like going "home" to visit Aberdeen again. The streets were the same as I remember but the area is full of new high rises everywhere instead of the little buildings that used to be here. It seemed so much more modern and not like the little village it used to be! 

Aberdeen is most known for its fishing industry and the people who live on the boats in the harbour. One of the most popular features of Aberdeen are its floating village and floating restaurants in Aberdeen Harbour. We visited the Jumbo Floating Restaurant, a gigantic boat and restaurant designed as a palace of Imperial China. Boats take passengers across the harbour to the floating restaurants and back. 

TSIM SHA TSUI
Another very popular tourist spot to hit is Tsim Sha Shui, the major tourist hub of Hong Kong! It is located on the Kowloon side and includes many shops and restaurants catering to the tourist crowd. It includes most of the major shopping areas in Hong Kong, ranging from little markets to the high end luxury goods market. History and culture are abound in the area as most of the major museums are located in the Tsim Sha Shui area. Along the harbour features Tsim Sha Shui Promenade where guests can take part in the "Avenue of Stars", a tribute to the history of Hong Kong film professionals and their contributions to the local and international movie industry. I was surprised at how many Chinese film stars names I recognized from watching all the Chinese movies growing up! Here are the stars of my all time favourite martial arts action heroes! 

The biggest draw of the "Avenue of Stars" is the statue of Bruce Lee, Hong Kong's hero, to celebrate his life and impact of king fu to the Western world. At the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, located at Tsim Sha Tsui, there is also a 5 year running exhibition, "Bruce Lee: Kung Fu * Art * Life" which showcases 600 Bruce Lee-related artifacts and items from his movies and his life. The exhibition opened in July 2013, 40 years after his death and will run until 2018. Unfortunately we did not have the opportunity to visit as the Museum was closed for Chinese New Year for the couple of days we wanted to visit. (Which only means I'm going to "have" to make another trip to Hong Kong before 2018 to see the exhibition!)  

STREET MARKETS
Hong Kong is full of street markets to explore! We were able to visit the Sheung Wan markets, including Bonham Strand, the area where the British first set foot. Here you can find markets specializing in Ginseng, bird's nests for soup, antiques and lots of items for the recently deceased.

Stanley Market is a little bit more "touristy", designed to travellers alike who want to enjoy the beautiful scenic views of the harbour, with lots of local shops selling trinkets, silks, clothing and jewelry. Here is where you will find all your typical Hong Kong souvenirs! 

Other markets to note that are worth checking out include the Ladies' Market, street market full of ladies goods, clothing, shoes, accessories, jewelry and souvenirs. The Temple Street Night Market comes alive after 7pm where the streets are lined with music, snacks and street food, fortune tellers and bargain souvenirs. 

THE PEAK
The Peak, (Victoria Peak) is the highest point in Hong Kong where you can view spectacular scenic views of the whole island. On a beautiful clear day, you can actually see across the harbour. Our views were not quite as clear as it was a foggy, musty day but it was still beautiful nonetheless to be at the top of the mountain and enjoy the serenity and away from the hustle and bustle of the city. 

OCEAN PARK HONG KONG
Ocean Park Hong Kong is the largest theme park in Asia and is a definite recommendation for families to visit when in Hong Kong! Check here for more details on our visit to Ocean Park! 

HONG KONG DISNEYLAND
Our first stop in Hong Kong was Disneyland!! A separate blog post was written all about our adventures in Hong Kong Disneyland - you can read about it here.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! The year of the Goat! 
We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to celebrate the Lunar New Year in Hong Kong and take in celebrations abound everywhere to help bring in the Year of the Goat! The city comes alive with New Year celebrations, the drums of the lion dances ring on every corner as you walk through the streets during the New Year. For the actual Chinese New Year holiday, many shops are closed early to celebrate with friends and family. Special Chinese New Year dim sums and suppers are prevalent for families to gather and offer blessings and good fortune to the young and to each other. A new year is beginning and the Chinese New Year festival runs for at least 4 days. 

While we were able to see and do a lot in our visit to Hong Kong, there is still so much to explore! Hong Kong is truly a dichotomy of opposites that make this city so unique - old vs. new, East vs. West. It is a very modern city with incredibly organized modes of transportation but also mixed with traditional modes including the Star Ferry, cable car systems, double decker busses. The Octopus card is all you need! It is an all-in-one pre-loaded debit card that can be used for all modes of public transportation (excluding taxis), but also for sundries at many convenience stores. The card can be loaded with whatever amount you choose and easily reloaded at any public MTR station or convenience store. It is a handy card to carry and avoid carrying pockets full of change and small bills. 

I got great use out of my Octopus card and it's ready and available for use during my next trip! Although the journey across the ocean is long, it is one that is well worth it! For the food, the shopping and the lifestyle, it is a city that I love and will visit again. Let me know if you are interested in joining me.....just say the word and we can have a group going to Hong Kong again soon! :) 

Welcome to Ocean Park Hong Kong, the award winning theme park in Hong Kong! A little bit of everything is here - animal theme park, amusement park, and aquarium, Ocean Park has something for everyone and is definitely a place to see when in Hong Kong! 

Ocean Park first opened in 1977 as an animal, marine-life theme park but after an extensive renovation in the mid-2000's, Ocean Park has been transformed into a world class theme park offering an experience that blends education, conservation and fun for the whole family! The park has won several awards including the biannual Applause Award, the most prestigious award in the amusement and theme park industry and is the first Asian theme park to win the award. Other awards include "The World's 7th Most Popular Amusement Park" and "50 Most Visited Tourist Attractions in the World" by Forbes. It was also the 12th most visited theme park in 2013 and is the largest theme park in all of Asia! 

The park is separated by mountains so areas are split into The Waterfront (Lowland) area and The Summit (Headland). Access to The Summit is only available by the 1.5 kilometre cable car gondola ride or the Ocean Express railway. WE took the cable car up to the top of the mountain and returned on the Ocean Express railway, a themed futuristic rail ride that simulates the experience of travelling through the depths of the ocean. 

In The Waterfront, guests can enjoy animal exhibits featuring "Amazing Asian Animals" where you can get up close to red pandas, giant pandas, alligators, and unique bird and fish exhibits. My absolute favourite was seeing the giant pandas! 

The Goldfish Treasures exhibit showcase rare and unique Asian fish.

As we head towards the Cable Car Station to go up to The Summit, the area turns into "Old Hong Kong" and guests get to walk through Hong Kong as it was before it became the metropolitan city it now is. 

The cable car takes us up into and past the mountains into The Summit. Enjoy the scenery as you ride the gondola, which is not quite a 10 minute ride from the Lowland area to reach the top of the mountains into the additional areas of Ocean Park. 

Once you reach the top of the mountain, there are several areas to explore including Polar Adventure, the Rainforest, Thrill Mountain, Adventure Land and Marine World. Each area includes animal shows, attractions, amusement park rides, roller coasters and animal exhibits. Enjoy animals including king penguins, sharks, sea jelly, Chinese sturgeons and all sorts of sea creatures found in the ocean. Many of the amusement park rides including crazy roller coasters on The Summit side as well! 

Tuxedo Restaurant
We decided to dine at Tuxedo's Restaurant in the Polar Adventure area. Tuxedos is themed after the king penguins exhibit and you dine in an intimate restaurant setting beside the penguins and can watch them swim and feed. It was a nice break from the crowds outdoors! 

The Grand Aquarium houses an amazing collection of underwater animals as you explore the depths of the ocean and all of its marvellous species.

Ocean Park Hong Kong is a large park with lots to see and do. We didn't have the opportunity to see all that we wanted to in one day. But the animals, shows and rides we were able to experience were amazing and worth the journey. At the end of the day, it is the messages of the importance of education and conservation to the public are what Ocean Park theme park strives to convey and its commitment to the animals that is evident throughout the park in all of its details. 

For more information about Ocean Park Hong Kong, please check out their website at www.oceanpark.com.hk. 

Our Disney vacation bucket list continues with a trip to Hong Kong Disneyland! Pretty much as soon as we got off the airplane, this was our first stop in Hong Kong! Located on Lantau Island, close to the airport, Hong Kong Disneyland brings the pixie dust magic to the Asian gateway of Eastern and Western culture! 

Hong Kong Disneyland is much like Disneyland in Anaheim and Paris except that it is a bit smaller being one park and easy to see and do all the attractions you wish in 1 day. With some of the lands being very similar and old favourites of Disneyland fans (e.g Main Street, Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Adventureland), there are also a couple of areas that are unique to Hong Kong Disneyland - Toy Story Land, Mystic Point and Grizzly Gulch. 

Familiar and favourite attractions include Space Mountain, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, The Disneyland Railroad, Mad Hatter Tea Cups, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, It's a Small World, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters and Autopia. Fast Passes are only available for Space Mountain and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh but the longest wait time for an attraction was only about 30 minutes. 

Toy Story Land is a depiction right out of Andy's toy box, from the movie Toy Story! Everything is larger than life and all the toys come alive with the rides and attractions in Toy Story Land! The RC Racer is a thrilling, gravity-defying race that speeds back and forth on a U-shaped track. At the Toy Story Parachute Drop, guests can "drop" from the sky in a parachute training drill ride. And ride the Slinky Dog Spin to chase his tail around and around!  

Mystic Manor in Mystic Point is only found at Hong Kong Disneyland. Board Lord Henry Mystic's carriage to enjoy a ride through his amazing collection of art and antiquities gathered on his journeys around the world! (Ride is very similar to the original Haunted Mansion ride, but not as "scary") Chinese people don't really believe in "ghosts" and are not very familiar with the idea so the premise of the Haunted Mansion doesn't really appeal to the Chinese masses as it conflicts with many of their traditional beliefs. So instead, the ride itself is similar to Haunted Mansion where guests can sit in a carriage and go through the Manor and enjoy the discoveries and journeys of Lord Henry Mystic and his monkey, Albert. It is a light hearted and fantasy-driven attraction. 

The biggest attraction at Grizzly Gulch is the Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars - a wild ride through the West, where grizzly bears over take the town of Grizzly Gulch and send the mine cars racing backwards and forwards though the mountain and the town! It's not a ride for the faint of heart! I opted to pass on this ride as I get motion sickness too easily but my 6 year old LOVED the ride!! He couldn't get enough of it! 

(Video below courtesy of Theme Park Review) 

The Festival of the Lion King is a colourful pageant show of music and dance to celebrate the classic animated story, "The Lion King". 

Also unique to Hong Kong Disneyland is their evening show, "Disney Paint the Night" Nighttime Spectacular, a parade filled with all the Disney characters as they "light up" the streets of Disneyland! 

Overall, Hong Kong Disneyland gives guests a familiar Disney experience in a smaller, more intimate environment compared to Anaheim Disneyland. It is very similar to Disneyland Paris, except all the shows are in French with no English translation there! At Hong Kong Disneyland, it is easy to get around as everything is in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. 

Old favourites are present with some new and unique Disney experiences! Admission ticket prices are comparably less, with adult prices at $499 HKD, and child prices $355 HKD, which works out to be about $80 CAD for adults, and $57 CAD for children. (Disneyland in Anaheim recently announced ticket price increases to $99 USD for adults and $93 USD for children so Hong Kong Disneyland is a bargain compared to the US!) 

Hong Kong Disneyland is located on Lantau Island and is very easy to access by various modes of transportation. Hope aboard the Disneyland Express, which is the MTR train that travels from Sunny Bay Station to Hong Kong Disneyland Resort! Free shuttle busses also transports guests to and from the two Disney Resorts to Disneyland theme park. 

We also had the extra bonus of being in Hong Kong Disneyland prior to the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations and the whole park was decked out in Chinese New Year decorations and unique Chinese New Year themed souvenirs! It was the perfect mix of Chinese and Disney themes! 

Overall, we were thrilled to be in Hong Kong, and then to be at Hong Kong Disneyland on top of it all, it was an incredible couple of days! Another Disney destination completed to mark off our list! 

It's been a rough few months during the latter part of 2014 and priorities changed. Life changed things. Puts things into perspective and you realize that you can't take things for granted. Life truly is too short and one must take opportunities when they present themselves. 

So, when members of my family decided to travel to Hong Kong in February, I took this as the opportunity to take my kids to Hong Kong as well! I haven't been back to Hong Kong since 1989 so I am certain things have definitely changed! Although I was born and raised in Canada, my parents are from Hong Kong so it feels like a trip to the homeland! And to be able to provide my kids with this opportunity to experience more of their Chinese ancestral heritage is one I couldn't pass up! Plus, I will be visiting my 105 year old grandma whom I have not seen since the late 1990's. 

Naturally, I needed to brush up and get the lay of the land. So, I'm now a Hong Kong certified travel professional! Once I am able to re-aquaint myself with the area, I hope to have opportunities to share the fun and excitement, the food and the sights of Hong Kong and Asia with groups travelling with me! 

We are fortunate enough to be travelling to Hong Kong over Chinese New Year, which will be a treat onto itself! Chinese New Year is the most important day of the year for Chinese people and to be in Hong Kong for the festivities is a huge bonus. Plus, as we continue our Disney bucket list, the first stop we plan on hitting is Hong Kong Disneyland!!! We can't wait and will keep you posted with our travel adventures! Make sure you "Like" my Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/ReneeTsangTravel and Twitter at @ReneeTsang1 for travel updates, news, deals and details of our travel adventures!