Hong Kong, Disneyland (2009, Apr 23-24)

I reached Hongkong by evening and checked into Carlton Guesthouse, Chungking Mansion (www.chungking-mansions.hk), a building with numerous low-cost accommodations. By the time I finished freshen up, it was almost 8pm and I knew it would be too late for me to reach Tsim Sha Tsui 尖沙咀 waterfront to watch A Symphony of Light 幻彩詠香江 (staged every night at 8pm), so I opted for Plan B... i.e. hopping on the last public bus to Victoria Peak 太平山頂 to get a bird-eye view of Hongkong night scene! It was a trip beyond imagination... a breathtaking view of glittering lights twinkling through thin mist of the night... as I curled up in my seat enjoying the winding road of my Peak experience. (www.thepeak.com.hk)

Day 2 in Hongkong, we decided to split the group into 2 groups since we had too many things on our plates that would be impossible to be completed in a day. One group headed for Madame Tussauds Hongkong 香港杜莎夫人蠟像館 and Victoria Peak (again!) hunting for Hard Rock Cafe merchandises... while the other group opted for Disneyland HK 香港迪士尼樂園 and Ngong Ping 360 昂坪 360 ang2ping2. I decided to join the latter.

Getting around Hong Kong and visiting the city's fantastic attractions couldn't be easier with the quick and efficient MTR rail system 港鐵 that covers all major districts in the territory and includes stops at the boundary with Mainland China (Lo Wu 羅湖 and Lok Ma Chau/Futian Port 落馬洲 / 福田口岸). The MTR consists of ten lines: Island 港島線, Tsuen Wan 荃灣線, Kwun Tong 觀塘線, Tseung Kwan O 將軍澳線, Tung Chung 東涌線, West Rail 西鐵線, East Rail 東鐵線, Ma On Shan 馬鞍山線 and Disneyland Resort 迪士尼線, as well as an Airport Express 機場快線. In addition, The MTR operates a Light Rail 輕鐵線 system running between Yuen Long 線元 and Tuen Mun 屯門 in the New Territories 新界, plus an inter-city train service into Mainland China. (see www.mtr.com.hk) MTR Hotline 港鐵熱線 852 2881 8888.

Buy the HKD 55 Tourist Day Pass 遊客全日通, we could enjoy a day of unlimited travel on the MTR (24 consecutive hours starting from the recorded entry time of the first journey, except Airport Express, Light Rail, MTR Bus, East Rail Line First Class, Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau stations). Ticket is valid for one month from day of issue. 

Road Sign

Road Sign

Hostel Signboard

Chungking Mansion occupies a prime spot at 36-44 Nathan Road, between the Holiday Inn Golden Mile 香港金域假日酒店 and the Sheraton 香港喜來登酒店 in Tsim Sha Tsui. Its ground floor is one huge maze of inexpensive shops. But above all those shops are 5 towering concrete blocks (from A Block to E Block), each served by its own tiny elevator and known collectively as Chungking Mansion. Inside are hundreds of little businesses, apartments, guesthouses, eateries, and sweatshops. From the entrance, Blocks A, B, and C are on the left, while blocks D and E are on the right. There are two lifts in each block, one of which serves even-numbered floors,
the other one odd-numbered floors.

Getting there: Hop into HK MTR and exit at the Tsim Sha Tsui Station, C1 exit. The Chung King Mansion is right beside it.

Carlton Guesthouse

Chungking Mansion, Carlton Guesthouse
15th Floor, Flat C1, Nathan Road, 36-44, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

重慶大廈卡爾登賓館
香港九龍尖沙咀彌敦道 36-44 號 C 座 15 楼 C1 室

Carlton Guesthouse

The mini front door of our guesthouse. It's a clean and cheap accommodation with rows of tiny rooms. Everything in this place is tiny... the room, the bed, even the lift is tiny.

Stepping into Chungking Mansion, you could somewhat felt a bit intimidated since you'd found yourself swamped by many Africans, Indians, Middle Eastern people and local Triad style Chinese salespersons, each came with special offers for the room. Just collect yourself and walk straight to your Block and you would be alright. It was not a nightmare as they said it would be... providing that you travel in group.

Chungking Mansion is 17 stories tall and consists of 5 separate tower blocks, from A Block to E Block. For the less daring, A Block is the best, since its elevator is closest to the front entrance of the building. The other elevators are farther back in the shopping arcade, which can be a little disconcerting at night when the shops are all closed and the corridors are deserted.

And here's the bedroom situation.

the true definition of room efficiency. everything is meticulously-placed.

tiny yet clean bathroom

i somewhat love this lamp. nice pop-out colour.

now i know i'm in hongkong

welcome to hongkong, the most expensive city in asia

Ok, enough of the room-tour. Let's go around the city and head to Disneyland.

Disneyland Resort Line

The HK MTR Disneyland Resort Line is a train line designed to service Disney theme park. The windows are shaped not like squares but like Mickey Mouse's head. The handrails resemble Mickey Mouse and Disneyland figurines are displayed in the carriages.

Disney Resort Line

 Mickey figurine is displayed inside the carriage.

Theme Park Entrance

Hongkong Disneyland is located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. The park was opened to visitors on 12 September 2005.

http://park.hongkongdisneyland.com/hkdl/en_US/home/home?name=HomePage

Park Promenade

The Park Promenade provides a 10 - 15 minute stroll along this beautifully landscaped public walkway between the Disney Hotels and the Public Transport Interchange/MTR Station and Theme Park entrance.

Main Street USA

美國小鎮大街

Here it was... where I managed to grab a Disney cap for Tikus :)

Ticket Booth

Signboard

Direction Signboard

Mickey Me

Disneyland Resort Fountain featuring Mickey Mouse in the Park Promenade next to Hongkong Disneyland.

Daisy Duck

Minnie

 Minnie's playing with a seal.

Donald Duck

Goofy

Pluto

Disneyland Resort Fountain