2013 would be a year of many
firsts in the field of travel. I’ve been to many places this year, which of
course was my first. But today I’m making it into words. This would also serve
as a try of a travel blog.
Travelling requires a lot of
factors and money is a first on the list. I do have limited budget but I find
ways to see the world and the beauty it offers.
November 10, 2013 was the day I
used my passport and received my first stamps at HKIA.
A first time outside the country (of
many more to come, fingers crossed haha). Hongkong is just a 3-hour trip from
Cebu via plane. With a currency of 1 hkd = 5.95 php and with a tight budget
(like me!), one can enjoy the culture, sights, food, attractions to name a few
at HK.
We booked our flight online via Cebu
Pacific Airlines. It was a Php 999 promo fare roundtrip, and totaled to Php 4480
including taxes and all. A flight from Mactan International Airport to Hong
Kong International Airport and vice versa.
We also booked our hotel accommodation
good for 6 days and 3 persons via ATJ Travel and Tours agency worth Php 14,000.
We needed to have proof to where we are staying since it was everybody’s first
time to go to HK and also for immigration purposes.
I planned our itinerary, searched
through the net and blogs. Good thing Pinoy Exchange Hong Kong thread was
there, helping me throughout the planning phase. Everything you will experience
may not be as well planned but meeting the unknown is an added adventure and
thrill, it may affect the way you treat who you are with but at the end you
will just all laugh it out.
It was a not so sure trip because
of the weather and the news. The super typhoon Haiyan was still raging the
Philippine islands and news about HK and Philippines not in good terms,
requiring tourist visa to be approved.
I was down to thinking if I
travel alone, I travel alone then. But thank God, Joan was with me throughout
the entire trip :D
AIRPORT
Our flight was at 6 am and I was
wide awake that night and can’t sleep because of the excitement. So I just
decided not to sleep and just get ready. We were at the airport around 3 am with our
bags and early drive through breakfast from Jollibee. Gates were still closed,
but the waiting area welcomed us with still a few people. After minutes of
waiting, everybody was up and ready to check in. We lined up and pay for some
travel tax (Php 1620) and terminal fee (Php 550), that’s good for each person.
And then the most awaited part,
immigration! Reading from blogs it was quite strict especially at HK, questions
were just almost the same at Cebu and HK. So questioning was done and then you
need to fill up the Embarkation Card, it is more like general information of
where you are coming from and going to. Be sure to have return tickets, voucher
for where you are staying. If you are staying with a relative, make sure you
know the exact address. Then you should bring your ID, better if company ID. And
if you are a government employee, try to hide it (haha) because they sometimes
ask you a lot and you need more documents to come with that.
The trip was okay. Sitting for 3
hours was already a pain in the ass, that’s 3 hours how much more with 16
hours. But then I just slept for half of the travel since I haven’t had enough
sleep from the night before. A little bumpy because of the typhoon but the
captain got through the dark clouds.
And hurray! Arrival at HKIA, the
airport consisted of 2 terminals about one minute travel by their airport train
(more like their MTR). The Airport was an attraction itself. Lots of escalators
everywhere, people of different race coming from every direction. And that was
it, the cliché, TOUCHDOWN!
aysasia
