Hong Kong Trip 2017 – Day 5

On our 5th day we didn’t go out as it was our last day in Hong Kong and the day of our flight. We packed our things and checked out before noon. We went out for some lunch and then went back to the hotel to take our luggage. The hotel provided free luggage storage service. We then walked to the Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station bus stop to wait for the Cityflyer bus to airport. There were two routes to airport available there, bus A20 or A21 for $33.

We got down at Terminal 2 of the airport. We arrived at the airport at about 3 p.m. It was very early, we had about 6 more hours before our flight. The check-in counter for Airasia was not opened yet. There was not any self check-in machine either, so we could not print our boarding pass or check-in our luggage. I took a rest at the benches near the check-in counter area. The bus driver’s driving made me feel dizzy. My sister wandered around the area to see some shops nearby.

One of the shops in the airport

Check in counters

Hong Kong Trip 2017 – Day 4

• One Dim Sum (一點心)

On our 4th day we went to Mong Kok. Our first stop was a dim sum restaurant, One Dimsum. It wouldn’t be complete to go to Hong Kong without eating in one of the dim sum restaurants. One Dim Sum obtained one Michelin star in 2012 and it was said to be a favorite of locals, so we decided to try dim sum there. One Dim Sum is located near Prince Edward Station, so we took MTR to Prince Edward Station and walked to the restaurant. We arrived there at 11:15. There were already people lining outside to dine in the restaurant. When we got there, we told the waitress that we came in a group of three people, then we were given a number, menu, and order sheet. We stood outside the restaurants and picked the menu we wanted and wrote it on the order sheet. The waitress would come out later to take our order and left us with the number given earlier. There were seats available outside the restaurant for people on the waiting list. When our number was called, we got inside and not long after, we were served three cups of tea and the dim sum we ordered. We were also given chili sauce and soy sauce on a small condiment plate. We ordered five items as seen below, and they were all very tasty.

One Dim Sum

Lo Bak Go

Hong Kong Trip 2017 – Day 3

• Going to Macau

On our third day, we went to Macau by ferry. There were two ferry service providers connecting Hong Kong and Macau: TurboJet and Cotai Water Jet. The tickets for these ferry rides could be purchased online, either directly from their official websites or via travel agent. We purchased our tickets online before our departure to Hong Kong.

From Hong Kong to Macau we took the TurboJet ferry. There were several routes for the ferry ride, departing from Hong Kong either from Sheung Wan (上環), Kowloon (九龍) or Hong Kong Airport to Macau Outer Harbour or Taipa. We took the ferry from Sheung Wan to Macau Outer Harbour, as there were more ferry trips available from Sheung Wan than Kowloon. We booked the 08:00 ferry, but there were vacancies for the 07:30 ferry when we arrived at the ferry terminal and the ferry staff offered us to take the 07:30 ferry, so we boarded the ferry earlier than stated on our tickets. The ferry ride was quite a rocky one. The ship swayed back and forth when we boarded it. I am very prone of seasickness, even though the ferry trip only took an hour, I still got sick at the end of the ferry ride.

Hong Kong Trip 2017 – Day 2

• The Peak (太平山頂)

On our second day, we went to The Peak to see a view of Hong Kong from high altitude. We took  MTR to Central Station (中環) then walked from the Station to the Peak Tram Lower Terminus. The tram ticket costed us $45 each for return ticket. Since it was weekday and still morning (about 9 a.m.), it was not crowded and we did not have to queue to buy the tram tickets. There was a tram waiting on its track, so we got on to the tram and it took off several minutes after.

The Peak tram upper terminus was connected with the Peak Tower. We entered the Peak Tower straight from the tram terminus and there was Peak Market at level P1. Peak Market had a few stalls selling mostly things for souvenir.

Peak Market

One shop in Peak Market

Hong Kong Trip 2017 – Day 1

In June 2017, I went to Hong Kong with my sister and mother. I flew from Jakarta, while my sister flew from Bandung and my mother flew from Medan. We met at KLIA2 airport in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, since we flew with AirAsia.

• Soekarno-Hatta International Airport

I departed from Terminal 2E in Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. Terminal 2 used to be the terminal for all international departure. After Terminal 3 Ultimate was built, many airlines were moved to the new terminal. Note: always check your airline departure terminal if the airport has more than one terminal. The last time I flew with AirAsia abroad in 2015, it was located at Terminal 3, but it was moved to terminal 2E when I flew in 2017. For AirAsia terminal location, check this link.

I did mobile-check-in from AirAsia app, so I did not have to go to the check-in counter at the airport. I got QR code after checking in from the mobile app, but the AirAsia check-in kiosk could not read my QR code when I tried to print my boarding pass. After 3-4 failed attempt to print boarding pass by using QR code, I chose the option of printing boarding pass by entering booking code, and I got 2 boarding passes right away, one for CGK-KL and one for KL-HKG.

Travelling to Padang and Suwarna Dwipa Part 3

Continuing from my post about Suwarna Dwipa, we arrived at about 1 or 2 pm at Padang to get some lunch. The city had become more lively compared to when I was there during the first day of Idul Fitri holiday. We went into a restaurant serving traditional Nasi Padang, but I didn’t take a photo because it was really crowded and chaotic in the restaurant. After having our lunch we had some dessert at Es Cendol Berkat Yakin. It was a small foodcourt, there were es cendol, sate padang and some other vendors selling food in the same area. We ordered es cendol and sate padang, which were both very delicious. I liked that the es cendol had shaved coconut in it, which was not found in any es cendol I had before. The coconut gave an additional texture to the dessert. The sate padang was also really good, the meat was tender and the sauce/gravy was thick and spicy.

Es Cendol Berkat Yakin, Padang

Es Cendol Berkat Yakin, Padang

Sate Rahmat, Padang

Travelling to Padang and Suwarna Dwipa Part 2

The next day we met with the rest of our family and headed to Suwarna Dwipa.

Suwarna Dwipa is a resort located at the western side of Sumatera Island, but there was no land transportation from Padang to Suwarna Dwipa, so we had to take boats from Padang to go to this resort. It was about 50 minutes ride on boat. We docked at Suwarna Dwipa’s pier and proceeded to the reception area, which was also public area and dining area. There were rooms at either side of the reception area, and some cottages with different capacity not far from the reception area. All buildings in Suwarna Dwipa resort were made of wood. There was also some camping ground for people who wanted to camp there instead of renting a room.

Suwarna Dwipa Beach Resort

Suwarna Dwipa Pier

Travelling to Padang and Suwarna Dwipa Part 1

During the Idul Fitri holiday in 2016, I went to Padang and Suwarna Dwipa with my family. Padang is the capital of West Sumatera Province in Indonesia, while Suwarna Dwipa is a small beach resort at the western side of Sumatera Island, located south from Padang.

I flew from Jakarta to Minangkabau International Airport in Padang. It was the first day of Idul Fitri holiday, so the city was very quiet and there were not many shops open for business. Luckily the Damri bus service still operated as usual even in holiday. My sister and I took Damri bus to reach our hotel, Deivan Hotel. The Damri bus costed us only Rp 23.500 per person.

Damri from Minangkabau International Airport