A Tale of Two Cities: Hong Kong & Beijing

Decision, decisions…when thinking about a locale for our Spring Break vacation, I had to find a place that would satisfy a 6 year old, 16 year old, and two (almost) 36 year olds. Harder than you think! For some reason, China popped into my mind and after some initial research (and a great premium economy flight deal that popped up at the right time!), we were booked and ready to go. Side note: the one thing I didn’t realize was that there are a crap load of holidays in China during Spring Break so naturally all of of the popular attractions were extra crowded (oh well, you live and learn!).

I knew that we would need a visa for the Beijing portion of our trip but what I didn’t know was how much of a PAIN getting the visa would be. Before I could apply in-person at the consulate (I am way too cheap to hire a visa service to apply for me so proceeded to do everything myself), I needed to gather a number of documents, including:

• Passport (make sure it wouldn’t expire within 6 months and that two full pages are blank)
• Printed photocopy of passport
• Printed copy of flight and hotel information
• Standard sized passport photo (make sure you glue it to your application)
• Completed visa application form (typed in all capital letters with no blank boxes…put N/A or None for those and make sure to select L visa for type of visa if you are going as a tourist)
• (If traveling with minors under 18): Printed copy of their birth certificate; a notarized letter of consent from both parents, even if one parent is traveling with them; and a copy of parent’s driver license or passport)

Tired yet? Well I sure as heck was! Anyhow, about a month before we were scheduled to depart, I went to the consulate for the visa because we didn’t want to apply too early and have our visa expire before our departure date. So with everyone’s necessary documents (finally) in hand, Candra and I trekked to the consulate (it is on 12th avenue so yea, it was a trek!). Although the consulate officially opens at 9am on weekdays, the line begins to form around 8am (sometimes earlier) so we were there bright and early! When we arrived, there was a security guard right at the entrance that quickly checked to make sure we had the necessary paperwork. Then, we went through a metal detector and were told to shut off our phones (yup, completely off…they do NOT play at the Chinese embassy!). We then had to wait in yet ANOTHER line where ANOTHER person rechecks our paperwork (somewhat more thoroughly) to make sure we had everything. They then handed us a number (like when you are at the DMV) and then we had to wait for our number to be called (bring a magazine because remember no cellphones!). We were actually called within the first ten minutes so thankfully didn’t have to wait long 😊 When we got to the window, they thoroughly checked our paperwork (because clearly the last two times weren’t enough!) to make sure we had everything. Of course in the hubbub of trying to make sure I had everything beforehand, I completely forgot to sign all the papers and received a thoroughly annoyed look from the agent (though I couldn’t blame her!).

After a lot of sweating while the agent sorted through my documents, she finally gave me the pick up slip to come back in three days for my passport (hopefully now with the visa). So now three more days of waiting…and anxiously sweating and fretting over whether they would approve us. Finally, on the day we were to return, I was planning to pick up all four passports and followed the same process as when I went to apply but now went to the window at the other end. I gave the agent our pick up slips and then they gave me another slip to go on one of two lines (I have no idea what the other line was for but I was told to go to window 10). At that window, I paid the $140 fee for the visa and then they gave me the passports. I quickly sat and browsed through each one to make sure everything was correct on each visa (and of course I had a hard time locating mine because one would expect they would put it on the first page since it is a new passport but of course it was somewhere in the back…insert side eye). After checking everything, I then realized that we all were approved for TEN year visas!! Even the kids whose passports are only good for five years! I call that a win since I originally didn’t apply for ten year visas because a) I didn’t think I would be going back to Beijing for an extended time anytime soon (you can get a 72-hour transit visa for layovers) and b) I was afraid I would have a higher chance of getting denied if I applied for that visa.

Fast forward to the Thursday night before we were scheduled to leave…it was a 1:50am flight (and of course delayed an hour because that is always my luck!) but as soon as we boarded our premium economy seats and grabbed our glass of champagne (orange juice for the kids), we settled in for the 16 hour flight.

One thing about Cathay Pacific is that they feed you…a lot and really well. Within an hour of takeoff, we were served pasta for “dinner”, shortly followed by a cup of noodles and “folded pizza” for snacks, and then eggs Benedict with streaky bacon (whatever the heck that is) for breakfast.

Hong Kong is 12 hours ahead of New York time so we landed early Saturday morning (Friday, March 30^th never really existed for us…LOL).

After changing money at an ATM in the airport and finding our driver who was patiently waiting, we were off to the Salisbury Hotel. Since it was only 7am, the room wasn’t ready so we proceeded as planned and headed to Victoria Peak before it got too crowded. We took the train there and literally walked aimlessly in all directions for about an hour trying to find the right train line…LOL.

When we finally figured it out and arrived at Victoria Peak, as expected, the line was super long to buy tickets. However, we were able to use our Octopus card (i.e., the train pass) to purchase the ticket for the tram and therefore skipped the part of the line where we would’ve had to buy tickets (such a time saver!). But of course, even though we didn’t have to stand on that line, there was another line waiting for us before we were able to get on the tram itself to take us up Victoria Peak.

Not surprisingly, it was REALLY crowded on the tram and extremely steep going up so we attempted to hold on to something…nevertheless, I still fell on about 5 people on the short ride up.

Once we actually arrived at the “top”, we let out a sigh of relief only to be let down because we STILL HADN’T REACHED THE TOP YET. Sigh. We then had to buy a separate ticket that would grant us entry on to the Sky Terrace (they really know how to get you for your money!) which would give us the great views. It was definitely worth it though! The skyline was breathtaking from the top and reminded us of the New York City skyline.

After we were done soaking in the views, we headed back down and passed a 365-mailbox called “Post Love to the Future” where you could fill out a postcard and put it in the mailbox of a date of your choosing and they would post it for you on that day (pretty cool!).  We then had lunch at none other than Bubba Gump’s which was located on a lower level but still offered a nice view of the skyline.

After a quick lunch and a very generous tip because I had an epic fail with the exchange rate, we made our way back to the train to tick off another item on our Hong Kong to do list: the central-mid level escalators! These escalators are the world’s longest outdoor covered escalator system, stretching for over 800-meters and rising 135-meters through the Hong Kong streets up a steep hillside. I didn’t quite realize how long it was (and that it wasn’t just ONE really long escalator but several escalators broken up) but we took it about 75 percent of the way before we got bored and then headed back down. Fun fact: the escalators actually head in the down direction before 10am in the morning so make sure you don’t get there too early or you’ll have a lot of stairs to climb! Although it was overall pretty uneventful riding them, it was cool to experience and see all the cute little shops that lined either side.

 

Since the kids were running low on fuel, we headed back to the hotel for a quick dip in the pool and then a much needed nap. By that time it was time for dinner so we made our way back to the train to Paradise Dynasty. The menu looked DELICIOUS so we ended up ordered a bunch of items, including rice stuffed dates (which were super sweet), their signature xiao long boas (in every flavor imaginable), traditional dumplings (so yummy!), and sweet and sour crispy pork balls (tasted just what it sounds like). I also ordered an herbal tea but was surprised when they brought out a cold drink in a can resembling a ginger ale! Definitely not what I had in mind for an herbal tea 😉

 

After a delicious dinner, it was time to call it a night and get some much needed rest (though Avery passed out at the restaurant and we ended up carrying him all the way home because he was so tired…lol). Note to self: remember to plan the first day of travel with the time difference in mind!  We were exhausted by the time we got home and fell asleep about 1am but then still woke up around 5am-ish (damn jetlag!).

After an extremely filling breakfast (courtesy of the scrumptious buffet at the hotel), we took the subway to the Hong Kong Macau ferry terminal. Tip: if you buy your ferry tickets online ahead of time, make sure you check to see which terminal your boat is leaving from as there are multiple ferries leaving from different terminals. After clearing immigration (yup, you read that correctly…even though Macau is technically part of China), we headed to the lounge. Since we were in the “super class” for the Cotai Water Jet, we got to relax in the lounge before boarding the ferry.

The ride took close to an hour and actually comes with a meal of what looked like a sketchy hot cross bun (which I did not eat!).

We then had to clear immigration AGAIN when we finally arrived. There were taxis available right outside (along with aggressive tour guides offering so-called “cheap” tours) so we headed straight to the Macau Tower for our Skywalk experience. First, we headed to the bottom floor to pick up our vouchers then went upstairs to the observation deck. Although my photo probably doesn’t do it justice, the view was spectacular and we were able to see both the old and new sides of Macau.

Then it was time for the Skywalk!! At 764 feet high from the ground floor to its highest point, it definitely isn’t for the faint of heart but if Avery can do it at six years old, then anyone can! Our guide said they actually had someone as young as 4 years old do it 🙂 It was an awesome experience and would definitely recommend it.

Walking around the tower hundreds of feet above the ground and taking some crazy photos built up an appetite so we went in search of a restaurant in the Tower. We finally found one and decided on a low key lunch consisting of an all meats pizza, seafood fried rice with pineapple, and banana berry smoothies which were delicious.

Since the Macau Tower was a bit far from the other sites we wanted to visit on the “old” side of Macau, we grabbed a taxi right outside the building and made our way to the ruins of St. Paul’s (a 17th-century Portuguese church dedicated to Saint Paul the Apostle) and a VERY crowded Senado Square (which is part of the UNESCO Historic Center of Macau World Heritage Site).

In the area, there were lots of streetside vendors selling all types of meats and sweet treats interspersed with lots of expensive shops. After sampling some of the sweets and meats, we found a taxi stand to take us to Taipa (the newer part of Macau). At the Venetian (yes, like the one in Las Vegas), we walked around a bit until we found a café called Lord Stowe’s to get the famous Portuguese egg tart. I personally didn’t like it but I think it was more me not liking custard than the actual egg tart itself being bad.

Since we still had some time to burn before our show that night, we walked around the Venetian a bit more taking in the sights and sounds. Typically, I would’ve ventured out a bit more to other hotels but unlike Vegas, there was no “strip”. All of the hotels are pretty spread out and would require taxis/shuttles from one to the other so wasn’t worth it in my opinion since we were short on time.

We then took the free shuttle from the Venetian to the City of Dreams where the House of Dancing Show was being held. Reminiscent of a Cirque Du Soleil show, all of us were excited for what the next 90 minutes would hold…little did we know we would end up watching the inside of our eyelids because we ended up falling asleep through about half of the show (jetlag struck again!).

After awaking from our slumber and missing most of what I believe was a damn good show, we took the free shuttle outside the hotel to the Taipa Ferry Terminal where we  boarded the Cotaijet back to Hong Kong (but this time in regular class, no VIP this time). Tip: you can buy a later ticket to try and get on an earlier ferry but not vice versa. We tried to get on an earlier ferry, but unfortunately the standby line was way too long for us to make it on before it reached capacity. Between the jet lag, the late hour, and the ferry ride back, we were exhausted by the time we got back to Hong Kong and made the decision to cough up the money for a taxi (though we originally tried to avoid taking taxis in Hong Kong given the exorbitant cost).

The next day was dedicated to exploring Ngong Ping village on Lantau Island. The train ride took about 45 minutes to get there (BTW, the train is immaculate…I kinda felt bad about letting Avery eat fruit snacks but I made sure he didn’t drop anything!).

Since we booked our tickets on Klook (a website that offers reduced fares on popular attractions in various countries in Asia, including China), we used the separate (and much shorter!) line for Klook ticket holders and redeemed our voucher at the ticket window. The crystal cable car was slightly more expensive but definitely worth it since you are able to get views looking down as well since it had a glass bottom. (Note: The workers try to fill up every cable car to the max so you might have people besides your group in your cable car).

After the 25-minute ride, we reached Lantau Island. Since we had some time before our first “tour” started, we walked around a bit getting the lay of the land until it was time to meet the guide at the tea shop.

At the tea shop, we saw a tea demonstration of the blooming tea and then did a tasting. The tea was delicious and we definitely stocked up on some souvenirs to take back!

Next up was Tai O village, a fishing town where residents have built their houses on stilts. We took a short bus ride to the village, followed by a short boat ride to one of the stilt houses. The guide mentioned that sometimes you can see dolphins in the water but luck wasn’t on our side that day so no dolphin sightings ☹.

Once we docked at one of the stilt houses, we had the opportunity to use a “traditional” bathroom. Curious about what that is? Well I had to pee and was curious myself, so I went in…only to discover it was just a hole in the ground that led directly into the water! And yes, I used it (didn’t I say I had to pee?!?!).

After walking for a bit (at an abnormally fast pace), we ended at the snack shops with some very interesting treats. We saw the famous fish balls that I heard about but after looking at it for a few, fear got the best of me and I didn’t try it (so unlike me!). The trip through Tai O village went VERY quickly so I would recommend doing it on your own and not with an organized tour if you prefer a slower pace.

Next up was Po Lin monastery which is the largest of Hong Kong’s Buddhist temples. There was actually one with ten thousand Buddhas in the temple (of course, we doubted that at first but yea, when we saw it, there were Buddhas EVERYWHERE, including one giant one inside the temple!).

We then made our way to the giant Buddha that I had been waiting to see up close. It was a hot day so we were definitely huffing and puffing up the stairs but was worth the effort! Unfortunately, it was super crowded because it was a holiday but still a spectacular site to see.

Ngong Ping was definitely a lot bigger than I thought it would be so we took some time to explore a bit. Of course we found an ice cream shop and tried the lychee, kumquat, and rum raisin gelatos. So yummy!! Since it was still early after we were finished, we took the cable car and train back and went to the famous Tim HO Wan restaurant (the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant) for some dim sum since we were hungry. Between the quick service and yummy food, that Michelin star is truly well deserved…and it was indeed super cheap! We had fried dumplings, spring rolls, steamed ribs, and shrimp dumplings…all at a very reasonable price!

After a quick rest at the hotel, we later walked to the promenade near our hotel to watch the Symphony of Lights, the world’s largest permanent light and sound show. Unfortunately, we weren’t impressed.

After walking around a bit, we found ourselves at Chungking mansions, a building consisting of a hodgepodge of guesthouses, restaurants, and shops…all real sketchy looking. It was reminiscent of Jamaica Avenue (for my New Yorkers out there, you know what I’m talking about) and we hurried out as fast as we could!

For our last full day in Hong Kong, we went to none other than Disneyland! We took the train which actually was only about 50 minutes, despite having to take three trains. The Disneyland in Hong Kong was nowhere near as big as Disney World in Florida and doesn’t have a lot of thrilling rides for kids over the age of 6 but we still had a fun time nonetheless. Note: if you are looking forward to getting Mickey ears embroidered with your name in Chinese like I was, let me burst your bubble now by telling you they only do it in English 😦

After a few hours (we definitely don’t need an entire day), we headed back to the hotel for a quick rest and then went back out in the evening to the Temple Street Night Market. Lined with sketchy restaurants, there is a narrow walkway in the middle of the street with vendors on both sides where we bought cheap souvenirs. Tip: None of the prices the sellers initially quoted were final so definitely negotiate!

We then stumbled upon Mammy Kitchen that is famous for its egg waffles. I got the matcha waffle with ice cream topped with caramel sauce and sprinkles. Eating it felt like a party in my mouth…it was delicious and a nice way to end the night.

The next day our flight to Beijing wasn’t until the afternoon so Candra and I woke up early for a quick trip to Montane Mansion (stacked apartment buildings that are joined together in a U-shape). Note: due to too many tourists taking photos recently, now there is a sign that bans photos though we found a way around that of course by staying out of sight but also tried to be respectful and didn’t take any pictures peeping into folks’ homes!

The Beijing flight was a short 3 hours but boy was it COLD when we got there. Who knew two cities only 3 hours away could bear such different temperatures! Oh yea, I guess it is kind of like New York and Florida (duh!). Anyway, after arriving in Beijing, we went through immigration (and finally got a stamp since Hong Kong doesn’t give physical stamps anymore) then customs. After grabbing our luggage and finding our driver, we settled in for what was supposed to be a 30-minute ride to the hotel (but turned into an hour because of so much traffic). It was worth the wait though because when we pulled up to the Legendale, it was a sight to behold. The hotel was absolutely breathtaking.

 

On the downside, no one at the hotel spoke English except for one lady (but I figured this would be the case in Beijing). Our rooms were ready so we went upstairs to unpack, relax, and order room service (which was surprisingly fast). Since it was snowing (yes snowing in April when 4 days earlier the forecast for Beijing showed 80 degree weather!), we called it a night especially since we were jet lagged (something about planes just make me utterly exhausted).

The next morning our guide picked us up bright and early after a lavish breakfast at the hotel buffet.  Although it snowed the night before, we were NOT ready for how cold it was outside. We were bundled up as well as we could but did not pack for winter temperatures.

On our first stop we visited a couple of palaces, one of which had a great view of the Forbidden City.

 

The next stop on the tour was to a silk factory. This wasn’t part of the itinerary but similar to our experience in Egypt [see Egypt post], these unexpected stops seemed to be the norm for various tours.

Next up was the Panda Hall to see the giant pandas which I was extremely excited to visit. We were able to see five pandas during our visit and it was amazing watching them eat, play, and just being pandas 🙂 Interesting fact: They rotate the pandas out every year or they would die.

The next stop was a short rickshaw ride through hutongs (very narrow alleys) for lunch in a local family’s home.

The next to last stop was the Bird’s Nest which is the stadium where they held the 2008 Olympics.

The final stop on the tour was the Yonghe Temple which is more popularly known as Lama Temple. The temple includes five main halls separated by courtyards, including one that housed tens of thousands of Buddhas!

It was a long jam packed day of sight-seeing and at this point, I was in quite a bit of pain from the ear infection (which I didn’t realize was actually a ruptured eardrum at the time) so we took a quick rest at the hotel before dinner.

For dinner, we had reservations at a highly rated restaurant called Black Sesame Kitchen. Located in a dark creepy alley which our taxi could not drive down because it was so narrow, we initially had trouble finding it but eventually did (with the help of some strangers who of course didn’t speak English…thank goodness hand signals are a universal language). Pro tip: when in Beijing, make sure all of your addresses are written in Chinese because we encountered very few people who spoke, read, or understood English.

We were greeted warmly when we entered and seated in an open kitchen at a communal table for a maximum of around 15 people. It was an intimate setting and we were able to see the chefs preparing all of our food which was a treat. There was apple juice for the kids (with the only two kids being part of my travel entourage) and wine for the adults to accompany our 10 course dinner. Everything from the ambiance to the food to the host was impeccable.  It was worth every penny of the 350 RMB or about $50US and I would highly recommend it.

Despite all that good food the night before, the next day I woke up in complete and utter agony from the pain in my ear. Between the pain and the liquid gushing from my ear (sorry for the TMI), I knew it was time to get to a hospital (despite trying to avoid it at all costs). I told Candra and the kids to go on the private tour to the Forbidden City and Tienanmen Square without me and then come back to hotel after a couple of hours to pick me up. Luckily there was a hospital two blocks from the hotel, though the hotel staff I asked for directions to the hospital entrance didn’t speak English and had to draw me a not so very good map of where the hospital was. After several attempts to enter various prohibited doors, I finally made it to the international medical department. Of course, I didn’t have travel insurance so ended up paying $160 for the emergency room visit (note to self to always get travel insurance in the future!). In addition, the doctor that tended to me didn’t seem too confident that she knew what she was doing (e.g., she kept mixing up hydrogen dioxide and peroxide…no bueno) but wrote me a prescription for the pharmacy in the hospital which I filled but then didn’t end up using because I just didn’t trust it. Shortly after I got back to the hotel, Candra and the kids walked through the door shivering from being in the cold. Candra (being the trooper that she is) finished the tour by herself because the rest of us were either too cold or too sick to continue.

 

Later that evening, we walked to Quanjude restaurant for dinner located on the popular Wangfujing street only a few blocks from our hotel. Unfortunately, the service was terrible and the food was subpar. Their specialty was the duck which they slice right in front of you but even that wasn’t anything to write home about.

I wanted to save the best for our last day in Beijing so for our final excursion, we headed to the Great Wall of China. Although I felt utterly miserable and in excruciating pain from battling a sore throat, ear infection, and ruptured eardrum (and the trip to the emergency room and unexpected chilly weather due to a cold front from Russia didn’t help either), I wouldn’t let any of that stop me from seeing the Great Wall. We had booked a private driver ahead of time who came at about 7:20 in morning. Although we were going to the Mutianyu section (which was way less crowded than the closer but more crowded Badaling section), we still wanted to get there early to avoid too many people. The drive took about an hour and a half to get there but when we did, we were beyond excited. You hear about it, you read about it, but nothing could prepare you for actually experiencing it first hand.

After parking, it was actually quite a walk to the Wall itself (presumably to prepare us for all the stairs we would eventually need to climb). There are a couple of different options for getting up the wall: 1) walking (definitely wasn’t doing that!) or 2) taking one of two cable cars which each drop you off at different sections of the wall. We opted to take the open style ski lift type cable car up that put us at Tower 6 since that was closest to the toboggan and we knew that was the way we wanted to get back down.

I felt like I should’ve prepared accordingly in the gym beforehand because between the stairs and the walking between towers, it was definitely a workout. Naively, I didn’t realize that there are some really steep sections of the wall.

After we finished exploring the ins and outs, it was the time we had all been waiting for: the toboggan ride! Luckily, there was  no one in line for the toboggan when we got there which was great because if you get caught behind someone slow, it ruins all the fun. Anywho, the ride was awesome! They don’t allow you to video yourself going down (since presumably your hands should be steering the sled) but of course, I tried to capture some of the action 😉

Overall, we actually only ended up spending a couple of hours at the Great Wall but that was sufficient given the temperature and my aching ear. We were content ending the trip on our high from the toboggan so spent the rest of the afternoon packing, indulging in room service, and watching movies. Another great spring break trip in the books!

Tips:

1. Check out klook.com to find discounted prices for various activities in China (as well as some other countries in Asia)
2. Use the subway for everything in Hong Kong! Taxi prices are astronomical and can easily break the bank on the first day.
3. Always write addresses in the local language in case you need directions as English isn’t widely spoken or understood.

Overall, Hong Kong is a lot like New York City (the fast pace, the hustle and bustle, the bright lights) while Beijing is a like a trip back to the past in a time machine…it was hard to believe it was the same country!