The Philippines and Hong Kong (1 Viewer)

[i-love-maynard]

Hey, my mum is taking me to the philippines and hong kong at the end of the year. I've never been out of Australia before and I don't know what to expect when I go to these places. What should I know about these countries before I arrive there?

 

[AsyLum]

There are asians. Lots of them.

Shopping is cheap.

Depending on where you go, stay close to the 'popular' areas or else risked being kidnapped. (Phils anyway)

 

[pattii]

filos a sceming little bastards, ifyou dont know how to bargin in filo they will overcharge you.

in the phils there are alot of cops in the shops at every doorway (dont be intimidated as they are corrupt)

go ice skating at sm in manila fucking fun

lolsmog
umm generally its pretty dirty imo

 

[AsyLum]

Yeah Manila is pretty boring tbh, go out to the other places, so much nicer, beaches so clean...yum

 

[Zrap]

I've been to philippines 8 times and going again after schoolies.
There are that many shopping centres:
Asia Mall - Biggest mall in Asia
SM
Robinson Galleria
Mega Mall
Rockwell
These ones are all massive
Check out the Kamayan Restaurant, food delicious.
There are also a lot of strip clubs.
Go see the volcano at Tagaytay.
Go see the Chocolate Mountains in Bohol.
Highly recommend Palawan. The water is crystal clear, it's prolly the cleanest place in the Philippines. Go island hopping to all these little islands and stuff. Heaps good place.
Bargaining just get your parents to buy if they are filipino, cause they usually try to upsell on tourists but that's fair enough cause they are a developing country.
What to expect - the airport is a bit shatty, coppers walk around with massive ak-47s, and is fairly polluted. Might take a while to get used to but acclimatise lol. Also do not drink the water out of the tap, just buy bottles of water.

Now Hong Kong isn't cheap. Not even the markets. Still a pretty cool place. Check out disneyland of course. The food is insane as well as the technology.

 

[catzhernandez]

I've been to philippines 8 times and going again after schoolies.
There are that many shopping centres:

Why have you been there 8 times?

 

[Zrap]

yeah mang, soon to be 9

 

[Zrap]

No, i have relatives up there.
They are the friendliest people.
There are shitload of things to do up there.
Cute Filo girls toooo.

 

[catzhernandez]

Oh right, so you're of Pinoy descent?


That explains everything. Thank you for clearing things up for me. Now, my life for the rest of today is complete.

 

[Zrap]

Yeah, oh you're not Half or full?
No wonder, should have went with a friend or something who is, they can show you the ropes.

 

[catzhernandez]

my mum is at the philipines atm...

i would say that i haven't really noticed but that is kind of slack

Lol, you haven't noticed that your mummy is not there to feed you?


You ungrateful beast of a daugther.

 

[CloudStrife]

Hong Kong:

All the places below are quite touristy.

General Shopping
Causeway Bay for decent non-dodgey shopping
Mong Kok for cheap/market shopping
Central/TST for designer label shopping
There's also Stanley Markets but there's nothing special there.

Major shopping centers:
Times Square (Causeway Bay),
IFC Mall (Central),
Ocean Centre (Tsim Sha Tsui),
Festival Walk Shopping Centre (Kowloon Tong),
Langham Place (Mong Kok)

Site Seeing
- The Peak (Take tram up to the peak to see the Hong Kong city night sky. It's amazing)
- Catch Star Ferry from Central at night towards Tsim Sha Tsui. Very nice view of Hong Kong Island.
- The Buddha on Lantau Island. Although I don't know how reliable the cable cart is since it frequently stopped working a couple years back.
- Possibly Clear Water Bay. It's meant to have a beach with clear water . lol
- Disneyland - I heard its heaps smaller than other Disneylands but I haven't been to any other so I found it pretty good. Remember to use your Fast pass to save waiting time.
- Lan Kwai Fong (Central): the place for internationals to drink up. Whole block of bars/clubs.
- Go to Mong Kok or Causeway Bay at like 7-8pm. It's packed out with people walking around in the streets. Experience night life up til 10-11pm.

Food to eat/try
- Street stalls: curry fish balls, egg puffs. Try this near the end of your trip. Can be 'dirty', if you have a weak stomach,.
- Mos Burger: It's a japanese fast food franchise. But it's burgers are more gourmet than maccas. Worth trying. Can be found in Langham Place and a couple other shopping centres.
- Maccas: Try the shaker fries if its available.
- Honeymoon Desert: Chinese deserts. There's one in Sheung Wan, and many others in shopping centres. Try the mango sago.
- Hui Lau San: It's a franchise drink/snacks store with a red sign and gold chinese writing. Sells drinks with mango, aloe vera combinations.


Travelling:
Hong Kong's public transport system makes Sydney's public transport look like a piece of crap.
First thing to do is probably get yourself a temporary OCTOPUS Card. It's a must if you want to travel around Hong Kong. It's a debit card that is used by all public transport (except for taxis and some mini vans). You can even use it at some supermarkets, McDonalds, and Seven Eleven.
MTR: Easiest mode of traveling in Hong Kong for foreigners. Underground train system that takes you to the most popular districts. Waiting time at the station is no more than 2-3mins.
Buses: Are good if you know where you are and where you want to go.
Mini vans: Don't bother unless you're with a local
Trams: Operate only in Hong Kong Island. Costs 2 bucks (30 cents aussie) and it can take you from one side of Hong Kong Island to the other. But it can be quite slow.
Ferry: Quite cheap. Less than a dollar aussie.

 

[AsyLum]

I've been to philippines 8 times and going again after schoolies.

I haven't been back for a few years now, before that only went 3-4 times.

Bored of the place rofl.

 

[Zrap]

It has changed

 

[melanieeeee.]

i was suppose to go with my mum but yeah i kinda had school

 

[i-love-maynard]

Wow, guys! Thankyou! Some really helpful information here. My mum is filipino so I'll get her to help me when haggling. I should really learn to speak tagalog.

 

[Zrap]

it's their number one sport

 

[chicky_pie]

Hong Kong:

All the places below are quite touristy.

General Shopping
Causeway Bay for decent non-dodgey shopping
Mong Kok for cheap/market shopping
Central/TST for designer label shopping
There's also Stanley Markets but there's nothing special there.

Major shopping centers:
Times Square (Causeway Bay),
IFC Mall (Central),
Ocean Centre (Tsim Sha Tsui),
Festival Walk Shopping Centre (Kowloon Tong),
Langham Place (Mong Kok)

Site Seeing
- The Peak (Take tram up to the peak to see the Hong Kong city night sky. It's amazing)
- Catch Star Ferry from Central at night towards Tsim Sha Tsui. Very nice view of Hong Kong Island.
- The Buddha on Lantau Island. Although I don't know how reliable the cable cart is since it frequently stopped working a couple years back.
- Possibly Clear Water Bay. It's meant to have a beach with clear water . lol
- Disneyland - I heard its heaps smaller than other Disneylands but I haven't been to any other so I found it pretty good. Remember to use your Fast pass to save waiting time.
- Lan Kwai Fong (Central): the place for internationals to drink up. Whole block of bars/clubs.
- Go to Mong Kok or Causeway Bay at like 7-8pm. It's packed out with people walking around in the streets. Experience night life up til 10-11pm.

Food to eat/try
- Street stalls: curry fish balls, egg puffs. Try this near the end of your trip. Can be 'dirty', if you have a weak stomach,.
- Mos Burger: It's a japanese fast food franchise. But it's burgers are more gourmet than maccas. Worth trying. Can be found in Langham Place and a couple other shopping centres.
- Maccas: Try the shaker fries if its available.
- Honeymoon Desert: Chinese deserts. There's one in Sheung Wan, and many others in shopping centres. Try the mango sago.
- Hui Lau San: It's a franchise drink/snacks store with a red sign and gold chinese writing. Sells drinks with mango, aloe vera combinations.


Travelling:
Hong Kong's public transport system makes Sydney's public transport look like a piece of crap.
First thing to do is probably get yourself a temporary OCTOPUS Card. It's a must if you want to travel around Hong Kong. It's a debit card that is used by all public transport (except for taxis and some mini vans). You can even use it at some supermarkets, McDonalds, and Seven Eleven.
MTR: Easiest mode of traveling in Hong Kong for foreigners. Underground train system that takes you to the most popular districts. Waiting time at the station is no more than 2-3mins.
Buses: Are good if you know where you are and where you want to go.
Mini vans: Don't bother unless you're with a local
Trams: Operate only in Hong Kong Island. Costs 2 bucks (30 cents aussie) and it can take you from one side of Hong Kong Island to the other. But it can be quite slow.
Ferry: Quite cheap. Less than a dollar aussie.

LMAO! I know (about public transport) their transport is luxury, you don't see transit officers hassling you so they can catch you out and hand you a fine.

 

[Donski]

Hong Kong:

All the places below are quite touristy.

General Shopping
Causeway Bay for decent non-dodgey shopping
Mong Kok for cheap/market shopping
Central/TST for designer label shopping
There's also Stanley Markets but there's nothing special there.

Major shopping centers:
Times Square (Causeway Bay),
IFC Mall (Central),
Ocean Centre (Tsim Sha Tsui),
Festival Walk Shopping Centre (Kowloon Tong),
Langham Place (Mong Kok)

Site Seeing
- The Peak (Take tram up to the peak to see the Hong Kong city night sky. It's amazing)
- Catch Star Ferry from Central at night towards Tsim Sha Tsui. Very nice view of Hong Kong Island.
- The Buddha on Lantau Island. Although I don't know how reliable the cable cart is since it frequently stopped working a couple years back.
- Possibly Clear Water Bay. It's meant to have a beach with clear water . lol
- Disneyland - I heard its heaps smaller than other Disneylands but I haven't been to any other so I found it pretty good. Remember to use your Fast pass to save waiting time.
- Lan Kwai Fong (Central): the place for internationals to drink up. Whole block of bars/clubs.
- Go to Mong Kok or Causeway Bay at like 7-8pm. It's packed out with people walking around in the streets. Experience night life up til 10-11pm.

Food to eat/try
- Street stalls: curry fish balls, egg puffs. Try this near the end of your trip. Can be 'dirty', if you have a weak stomach,.
- Mos Burger: It's a japanese fast food franchise. But it's burgers are more gourmet than maccas. Worth trying. Can be found in Langham Place and a couple other shopping centres.
- Maccas: Try the shaker fries if its available.
- Honeymoon Desert: Chinese deserts. There's one in Sheung Wan, and many others in shopping centres. Try the mango sago.
- Hui Lau San: It's a franchise drink/snacks store with a red sign and gold chinese writing. Sells drinks with mango, aloe vera combinations.


Travelling:
Hong Kong's public transport system makes Sydney's public transport look like a piece of crap.
First thing to do is probably get yourself a temporary OCTOPUS Card. It's a must if you want to travel around Hong Kong. It's a debit card that is used by all public transport (except for taxis and some mini vans). You can even use it at some supermarkets, McDonalds, and Seven Eleven.
MTR: Easiest mode of traveling in Hong Kong for foreigners. Underground train system that takes you to the most popular districts. Waiting time at the station is no more than 2-3mins.
Buses: Are good if you know where you are and where you want to go.
Mini vans: Don't bother unless you're with a local
Trams: Operate only in Hong Kong Island. Costs 2 bucks (30 cents aussie) and it can take you from one side of Hong Kong Island to the other. But it can be quite slow.
Ferry: Quite cheap. Less than a dollar aussie.

very detailed.

whats this Hui Lau San? looks like equivalent to easyways

 

[jemsta]

except i dont think hui lau san doesnt milk teas. Its kind of like a dessert restaurant where you order sago, ice cream, fruit salads etc
http://www.creationsdessert.com/
thats the website showing what they offer, nutritional values etc