15-Hr Transit in Hong kong - 2016
Aug 31 (Wed) - Sept 2 (Fri): Huntsville - Dallas - Hong Kong
Very glad that we had the middle seat empty for our 16 hours flight (window+aisle strategy success). AA doesn't have as much leg space but this made the journey so much better . P.S. We've both flown several times between US and Asia visiting each other in the past but this was actually our first transpacific flight together. =P
AA's food was a lil' disappointing but it's alright coz we know that we're about to have a lot of good food for the next 2 weeks. =)
Landed in HK after a lack-of-sleep 16 hours, dropped our luggages, freshened up ourselves, and off we go on our self-planned night transit tour of Hong Kong. And yes, I made an itinerary even though it was only for a few hours...lol!! (P.S. Hubby was ko-ed)
First stop...Xiao Long Bao at Din Tai Fung on Nathan Road. Initially, I thought about having dim sum but found out that most places only accept cash (we prefer using cc). Hubby specifically requested for this so dinner was an easy decision. =) Xiao Long Bao is hubby's favorite Asian food so far (but sorry I don't know how to make it...lol!).
After a very satisfying meal, we walked along Nathan road towards Tsim Sha Tsui to Victoria Harbor as we enjoy all the lights of this busy city. It's been 14 years since my last visit to HK so this was also a good visit for me to see how much the city has changed.
At Victoria Harbour with hubby.
The view that never gets old. We then took Star Ferry across to Central.
As seen from Victoria Harbor, it was a very cloudy day but since we had nothing else to do, we decided to risk seeing nothing and took the bus up to Victoria Peak, at 10.45pm. The journey took about 40 minutes and we were the only ones in the 'private' bus...lol! Obviously I did a lil' too much research for this transit and found out that the best spot for photo at Lugard Road lookout. Walked about 15 minutes along the dark terrace to the lookout point and saw nothing but fog (bottom right pic). =.= Oh well, we tried...haha!!
Took the bus back to the airport at 2am and was surprised that the immigration was still open at midnight. Was cool being at the airport at this hour coz it was so empty and quiet. =) Managed to find a lounging area to rest and took a nap.
Thanks to mom for the United lounge pass, we were able to use the lounge when it opened at 6am to take shower (after more than 24 hours) and have breakfast before catching our flight to KL at 8.30am. Coincidentally, our boarding gate was right below the lounge...perfecto!
Clean, refreshed and full...definitely fully utilized the lounge. =)
The Cathay Pacific flight to KL was quite empty so we got a whole middle row for ourselves. Note to self, avoid watching tear jerking movies (i.e. Me Before You) during a 4-hr flight, puffy eyes at arrival is doesn't look good...lol!
That's it for our 14hr40m layover in HK. HK is not a cheap city but we only spent HKD150/$20 per person (excl. dinner) for this transit. Summary of our transportation costs:
Octopus Card - HKD 150/person (HKD 100 credit + HKD 50 deposit)
- Bus A22 from airport to Jordan Road - HKD 39
- Star Ferry from Tsim Sha Tsui to Central Pier - HKD 2.50
- Bus 15 from Central Pier to Victoria Peak - HKD 9.80
- Bus 15 from Victoria Peak to Central Pier - HKD 9.80
- Bus N11 from Central to airport - HKD 31
