Lantau without the Buddha & the Mouse, Plus Goodbyes for Now (Day 5)

Our flight back to Manila was scheduled 5 pm, so we still had half a day in Hong Kong and we decided to go to Lantau Island.  This area houses the Tian Tan Buddha, Ngong Ping Village and Cable Car, the Po Lin Monastery, the fishing village of Tai O, a Citygate Outlet, and most famously, Hong Kong Disneyland.

Most of these spots can be found near the Tung Chung Station of the MTR where  there are easy connections on foot, bus or cable car.  To get to Disneyland, get off at MTR Sunny Bay Station, then transfer to a Disney train which leads to the park entrance.  It takes almost an hour to get to Lantau Island from the city center.

The long interchange at Central Station

Our first stop was the Citygate Outlet Mall which is connected to the Tung Chung Station.  As the name implies, this is an outlet mall, where mid priced brands like Nike, Adidas, Giordano, Nautica and the likes sell their unsold merchandise of the previous seasons at discounted prices.  For me, the discounts and sales offered at the Citygate do not represent a good deal.  The discounts range from 15 to 40% on old items that would naturally deserve a reduction in price cause they're old.  Because most members of my family are shopaholics, we easily burned a few hours here.  We ate at the Food Republic food court at the top floor from where you have a view of the cable car going to Ngong Ping.

Inside the Citygate Outlet

Hainanese Chicken Rice

View of Tung Chung Station from the food court

Couldn't find a decent map

We weren't able to see the rest of Lantau Island because of time constraints and because my dad is paranoid on being late for anything, so we headed back to the hotel for checkout and then we were on our way to the airport.  We got to the airport early....which sucks, but I just had to be content with exploring the airport which come to think of it isn't all that bad.  I just prefer spending more hours on the city rather than the airport.  Moving on, I checked out the shops, ate more Chinese food, explored all corners and bought some last minute souvenirs for .............................. wait for it........................... myself.

HK's newest mall

Chek Lap Kok Airport

One of my favorite pics of the trip

Airplane Museum

NBA 2k12 anyone?

Cute

Train to boarding gates

Looking back, I always enjoy my visits to Hong Kong and Macau (to any city for that matter).  I like shopping at Nathan Road and always finding something to buy.  I like eating Cantonese food which tastes like Filipino Chinese food.  I envy their comprehensive public transportation system where riding the MTR will take you almost anywhere.  I like feeling nostalgic when I ride the Star Ferry and the Peak Tram with a view of Central's postcard material skyline.  I like the Macau freebies and experiencing old Macau's Portuguese charm side by side with its modern casinos.  Most of all, I like getting lost, scared, excited and amazed all at the same time as only travel can do.

I have arrived at the conclusion of my first ever travel blog series.  Thank you for reading, I hope you've enjoyed it and helped you in any way about Hong Kong.  Please feel free to post questions, suggestions and whatever you feel at the comments section.  I will try to respond to the best as I can.  Salamat.

Helpful Links:

PEX Guide Hong Kong
Wikitravel Hong Kong
PEX Guide Macau
Wikitravel Macau