True friendship defies time and distance. This is why my friend Jimmelyn and I promised to meet again after she moved to Hongkong. After few years of failed planning, I finally decided to book the flight. If you see my FB and IG posts, you will probably have a clue that I am a loyal Cebu Pacific seat sale getter. Last June 2017, during one of their festive seat sale, I got my ticket to Hongkong dated February 2018. This gave me a long time to prepare for my expenses.

This travel doesn’t only mark my meeting my friend after few long years but also my first solo international travel. Let’s see how it went!

TAKE NOTE: Hongkong is a visa-free country for Philippine passport holders (not exceeding 14 days of stay).

I had months to list all the places I wanted to visit as well as everything I needed financially. To make it easier, I used another travel friend I have to book destinations early: Klook. Klook prices are really affordable, not to mention that it gives you all the details that you need in order to use each of their products/services. Again, since you will be using card, it gives you the time that you need to actually pay for what you purchase.

TOTAL PREPAID EXPENSES

Airfare (Hongkong-Manila-Hongkong): PHP5,396

Hongkong Airport Express Train (Airprot-Tsing Yi-Airport): PHP550

4G Sim card (for pick up at HKG airport): PHP350

Octopus card (this is important for getting around different attractions): PHP648

Oceanpark Ticket: PHP2, 410

Disneyland: PHP3, 492

Ngong Ping 360 Standard Cabin: PHP1, 106

For accommodation, I was blessed to be allowed to couchsurf in Jimmelyn’s flat. No expenses for that.

February 19 – Arriving in Hongkong around 9:15AM, my friend Jimmelyn was waiting at the arrival area the moment I went out. Bless her for having the day off at that date. I went to Counter A13 to get my sim card and my octopus card before we went straight to her place in Tsing Yi to drop my things. Why waste time, right? TAKE NOTE: I will use the Hongkong Airport Express Train voucher from and to the airport. I will use the octopus card the rest of the tour.

MTR is as very convenient way of travelling around Hongkong on a budget so make sure you get one when you visit. You just need to refill the card as needed. After you tour, you can take it home as souvenir!

Before we started wandering, Jimmelyn treated me to a taste of authentic Hongkong cuisine.

Our first stop: Tsim Sha Tsui. We walked along the Promenade all the way to Victoria Harbour while sharing stories of our time apart. We also went to The Peak for a little sightseeing.

At night, we went to Mongkok for some shopping. TAKE NOTE: Make sure to check out the area first before buying. Barter too, since some storekeepers will try to sell you things double the actual price just because you’re a tourist.

TOTAL EXPENSES

Travel Tax: PHP1, 620

Octopus card refill: HKD100/ PHP665

Souvenirs: HKD150/PHP997

February 20 – Since we had an early night, I was well-rested and ready for my solo adventure going to Macau. At 6:30AM, I am already at the port to buy ferry ticket. After passing immigration, I got the earliest ticket I could buy.

TAKE NOTE: I bought expensive tickets because I made a mistake of having second thoughts whether to buy it on Klook or not. When I finally decided, the date was no longer available in Klook so I had to buy at the port. Try to buy ahead of time to save more.

TAKE NOTE 2: Don’t worry. There is a hack to make sure you spend money as little as possible in Macau.

Upon reaching Macau Outer Harbor Ferry Terminal, I cleared the immigration and went straight to the shuttle terminal. Here, you have free shuttle to different casino-hotels in Macau. No need to rent transport!

SHUTTLE 1: I rode the shuttle going to Grand Lisboa. Here I got carded before going inside the casino. Hahaha. I am so happy so they thought I was underage. For someone going on her 30s that year, I got a total boost on my ego.

After exploring inside, I went out and walk along Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro towards Senado Square. This is one of the main attractions of Macau. Walking around the place, you will see different landmarks such as the St. Dominic Church. You can also buy Macau’s famous egg tarts in here.

At the end, you will find the famous Ruins of St. Paul. Once you go inside the ruins, you will see an area where they allow you to use their St. Paul Ruins stamp. If you have postcards or business cards, you can stamp it as souvenirs. There are also stalls a few steps away from the Ruins. I find their souvenirs cheaper than Mongkok. You are free to use Hongkong dollar here too, so no issues in buying.

SHUTTLE 2: Going back to Grand Lisboa area, just find Sintra Hotel where you can find the shuttle going to City of Dreams. After City of Dreams, you can also explore other casino-hotels in the area such as MGM, Parisian, Galaxy, etc. My last stop in this place is, of course, the Venetian Macau. I was not carded this time (so sad).

SHUTTLE 3: Venetian has its own shuttle terminal. You can choose which one you want to take. For me, I decided to ride the shuttle going to Sands Hotel and Casino which is a walking distance to Fisherman’s Wharf. Let me get this straight: Fisherman’s Wharf is supposed to be a replica of the old Colosseum in Rome and other famous ancient attractions. It had restaurants and shops targeting tourists. However, when you visit, it is more of a ghost town now. It still has some shops but people mainly go there now for picture-taking. From the Wharf, I walked the short way back to the port.

Needless to say, I went through the whole immigration thing again. I rode the MTR back to Tsing Yi Station (which is also a mall), got my Starbucks frap then went back to the flat. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day!

TOTAL EXPENSES

Turbojet (Hongkong-Macau-Hongkong): HKD500/PHP3320

Egg Tart: HKD10/PHP67

Bottled Water: HKD 9/PHP60

Souvenirs: HKD35/PHP233

Starbucks: HKD45/PHP299

February 21 –  Oceanpark Day! This is an attraction that I probably would have passed if it wasn’t Jimmelyn’s favorite. She got day off from work again so we went to see her beloved pandas. I had to admit I enjoyed the rides, the view and the pandas too. You have to come early and spend the entire day to get the most out of it.

TOTAL EXPENSES

Food and Beverage: HKD80/PH531

Oceanpark Tumbler: HKD40/PHP266

February 22 – If Jimmelyn got what she wants yesterday, I got mine today. Disneyland! What more can I say? It is my first experience in the happiest place on earth so I will let the pictures do the talking. By the way, it rained a little on this day. Some of you may think that it was such a bummer. Think again. We actually got fast track on the rides because very few people were there. Let me tell you: this girl was so happy and fulfilled.

TOTAL EXPENSES

Octopus Reload: HKD50/PHP333

Food and Beverage: HKD99/PHP658

February 23 – Ngong Ping Day! Another favorite of mine. If you want to see the whole of Hongkong: the mountains, the buildings, the skyline, this is the best way to do it! It I actually my favorite cable car ride so far. You can choose between standard cabin or crystal cabin. I chose standard because, no need to scare myself, right?

Once you are at the other end of the cabin ride, you will enter the Ngong Ping Village. Here you can see the beautiful mountain upfront as well as the famous Giant Buddha. There are also many shops where you can buy antique and jewelries.

TOTAL EXPENSES

Food and Beverage: HKD44/PHP293

February 24 – Finally, it was my last day in Hongkong. I didn’t want to leave yet but the only down side is the high cost of living. For this day, I was solo again so I decided to just explore Tsing Yi while waiting for Jimmelyn to finish work. I went to Tsing Yi square, walked beside the sea, ate some waffles and dumplings— I love authentic Hongkong dumplings. I couldn’t get enough of them!

TOTAL EXPENSES

Waffles: HKD13/PHP87

Dumplings: HKD38/PHP253

My flight was at 9:00PM so I said my goodbyes to Jimmelyn, made new promises to meet again and went off to the airport. My total expense in this tour is approximately PHP24, 000.00. You can make it cheaper. It depends on your food choices. As for me, being able to visit all major tourist attractions was worth more than that price.

All-in-all, my Hongkong-Macau experience is very productive and inspiring. I saw a lot. I learned a lot. I felt like I found the direction I need while I was there. I wanted a break from my normal life to decide which path to take… and being there? It helped me relax and think. This tour was the start of a pivotal change in my life.