The last two days of our stay in Hong Kong were a blur. SRSLY. “Exploring Hong Kong” meant shopping for us. Hihi. For Day 4, we headed to the other island and explored Causeway Bay and Central.
Since our agenda for the day is mainly shopping, I wanted to wear something I could easily change in and out to. I chose the blouse+skirt combo. The weather was still a bit chilly since rain showers were here and there, so I opted to add a cozy sweater.
Sleeveless blouse and skater skirt (similar here) from Pixie Dust, Sweater from Forever 21, Bag from Longchamp, and Flats from Charles & Keith
From our hostel in Tsim Sha Tsui, we rode the MTR (Tsuen Wan Line) towards Central and dropped off at Admiralty station, where we boarded the Island Line towards Chai Wan. We dropped off at Causeway Bay station. The whole trip took us about 10-15 minutes in total.
First stop is, of course, Forever 21 at Jardine’s Bazaar. It’s the first thing you’ll see once you get out of the subway station. It has 5 floors, I think. Forever 21 at Causeway Bay is the flagship store in Hong Kong. Prices are relatively cheaper compared to here (duh!), so it’s worthwhile to shop here. Scored some dresses and makeup items since they have tons of makeup here. Didn’t get to “hoard” items since I was overwhelmed with the items in the store. Haha. Parang ang dami masyado, eh. My sisters and I spent about an hour or two here.
Photo from Katz
Photo from Tourism Hong Kong
We then headed to Times Square to visit SOGO, which is the last standing Japanese department store in the area. Times Square was really crowded, even if the weather wasn’t really nice.
SOGO is the biggest department store I’ve ever been to! It houses tons of brands, but mostly luxury brands, like Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, etc. I love their makeup “floor”! Kaso, ang daming tao so ‘di ako nakapag try masyado. They have Chanel, Shiseido, MAC, and many more! I wanted to try out the Japanese brands coz of its high quality, but I got too lazy to do so.
I also suggest you visit SOGO if you’re a brand-aholic (is there such a word???). Plus, as I’ve mentioned earlier, prices in Hong Kong are cheaper compared to Manila. Was able to buy a Longchamp Planetes Tote bag and LM Metal Tote bag, both large and long-handled, at only HK$1250 each (around Php6700). If bought at Rustan’s, I think the bags retail at around Php10000 to Php12000. Pretty good *steal*, huh?
We went to other malls as well, since Causeway is another shopping mecca. My sisters and I went cray cray at Etude House coz of the cheaper price. Since we really didn’t have enough time already to visit The Peak, we headed to Central instead. Guess what we did there? Yep! We shopped again. Haha!
Going to Central, we rode the tram, which cost us less than HK$4. The tram ride was relatively slower than the MTR, but we couldn’t pass up this experience! Haha! Ang cute cute kaya!
When we got to Central, the first thing we did was to visit H&M. To be honest, I wasn’t aware that there’s an H&M store near the hotel (at Silvercord City, Tsim Sha Tsui) kaya dinayo pa namin ‘tong sa Central. This is the flagship store kasi kaya ito yung pinuntahan din namin. It has four floors, and houses tons of clothing and accessories for men, women, and children.
Photo from Hong Kong Digital PhotoVision
The items at H&M are a tad bit pricier compared to Forever 21, but the quality’s ok din naman. I particularly like their selection of dresses. My favorite is their jersey dresses (bodycon dresses) at only HK$79 each. The fabric’s really comfortable, plus it’s really flattering on my petite frame. Too bad I only got one jersey dress.
After 2 hours in the store, my family and I were hungry already and were craving for rice. Good thing my tita brought us to Jollibee, which is near the Central station.
Jollibee in Central has two floors. The staff were all Filipinos, and most of the customers are also Filipinos. Nakakatuwa kasi ang babait nila. Hi-hello forever ang peg. Don’t convert HK$ to Php when eating! Hahahaha. Kasi, lalabas talagang mahal. When it comes to food, don’t be stingy! LOL
For me, the taste was quite different compared to the Jollibee in the Philippines; but heck, IT IS STILL JOLLIBEE AND CRISPY-LICIOUS CHICKEN JOY!!! Haha! Their menu is a tad bit different though; some of the items they were offering are exclusive in Hong Kong, so it’s worthwhile to visit Jollibee, too.
So for our last day in Hong Kong, we were supposed to visit Lantau Island to see Ngong Ping. But we had too much stuff, so it’s a hassle for us to carry all our things all the way to Ngong Ping. So, we decided to stay in Tsim Sha Tsui instead and stroll one last time. Good thing the hostel allowed us to check out later than usual at a fee (HK$20 per hour).
We visited the malls around the hostel. They were pretty much empty since most stores open at 11AM or 12NN.
Since it’s our last day, and we’d be heading straight to the airport afterwards, I wanted to wear something that would keep me warm if the airport (and airplane) would be chilly. I chose to wear this blouse my friend got for me in Bangkok, skirt, pink socks, and flats. I know I won’t be able to sport the socks+flats combo in Manila, so pagbigyan niyo na. Haha!
Studded blouse from Bangkok, Skirt and Flats from Forever 21, Bag from Longchamp, and Socks from Hong Kong
Picture below is my makeup loot from Hong Kong. I went gaga over the clothes, so I was able to buy few makeup items lang.
Left to right: Lash Perm Eye-long Mascara and Oh m’ Eyes Liner from Etude House, Liquid lipstick from LUSH, and Sheen Supreme Lipstick (in Insanely It) and Pro Longwear Lipglass (in Full Speed Ahead) from MAC
We had a late lunch at Paisano’s. We’ll surely miss this one-of-a-kind New York-style pizza! My parents and sister (Erika) are so funny in this picture!
Sadly, we had to leave to Hong Kong and end our vacation *cry*. The good thing about leaving Hong Kong is how easy and convenient to go to the airport. From our hostel in Mirador Mansion in Tsim Sha Tsui, we crossed the street towards Park Lane Shopper’s Boulevard. There’s a bus stop there, where Bus A21 (same bus from airport to TST) will pickup passengers going to the airport. Ain’t that easy???
We arrived at the airport at around 5PM, and our flight’s scheduled at 9:55 PM. I super love their airport! It’s really spacious, and there are tons of things to do there while waiting for your flight. This is such a convenience especially if your flight is delayed (ehem, delayed flight namin when my boyfriend and I visited Hong Kong last October. More on this later).
Goodbye, Hong Kong, and Hello, Manila!
I hope you guys enjoyed my first travel entry, which is my first trip abroad! I had so much blogging about this trip. You can check out my previous posts on day 1, day 2, and day 3!
Would love to hear from you!
Dianne
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