After our arrival in Hong Kong, we claimed our MTR Airport Express Travel Pass and boarded the Airport Express Train to the city center of Hong Kong. Our first agenda there was to check-in at Wing Sing Hotel in Yau Ma Tei. The airport express is the fastest way to get from the Hong Kong International Airport to Downtown Hong Kong taking only less than 30 minutes. We bought the “MTR Travel Pass with only one ride on the airport express” since we will be going back to the Philippines (after our 3 day trip) via the Macau International Airport.

There was only one other passenger with us during the whole ride. As you can see in the picture, the train looks very vacant and I have a feeling this is the usual situation on the Airport Express. No wonder the ticket is expensive. At the time, I was very hyped that our trip was finally starting to unfold and relieved that we’ve already gone past the ordeal of flying to Hong Kong successfully and safely.

While on the train, we got to see views of the beautiful landscape and seascapes of Lantau Island. Everything looks so clean and well planned. It was a very different scenario from what I’m used to back home.

I actually forgot what train station we alighted … I think it was Kowloon MTR Station. From the MTR Kowloon Station, we boarded a “double deck” bus to Jordan MTR Station, which is one station away from Yau Mai Tei MTR Station. It was our first time riding a double decker bus, so I got quite buzzed up about that. It’s most probably impossible to put those things along any highway in the Philippine since it, for sure, will get caught in all the low hanging power cables (we call them “cob webs”) hovering above the streets.

After leaving the bus we searched for the entrance to the MTR Station in Jordan. It took us a bit of time to soak up the new environment. We even took a wrong turn and burned like 5 minutes just to orient ourselves on how to follow directions on the map.

While walking the streets of Hong Kong for the first time, we were surprised to see so few people and cars considering it’s one of the densest cities in the world. We later found out that most of the city’s transportation network is built underground. It’s amazing how they have managed to plan and build massive spaces and tunnels on top of existing high rises and skyscrapers.

We took the subway train from Jordan MTR Station to the MTR Station in Yau Ma Tei and from there, it was just two blocks walk to Wing Sing Hotel. Here’s a picture of the hotel (the tall yellow building with the blue/green tinted glass windows):

The Wing Sing Hotel was recommended to us by my sister’s friend who also stayed there years ago. It’s a budget hotel (for Hong Kong standards) with small but clean rooms. We liked it because conveniently located near the MTR Station and steps away from Temple Street Night Market. There was also a cheap noodle place at the corner and a 7/11 store nearby.

We did not plan to stay in an expensive hotel since we reckon we would probably spend most of our time outside anyways. If you’re looking for a hotel in Hong Kong, I recommend Agoda for its low travel agency rates and safe online reservations.

We took some time to rest for a while after check-in and prepare for our first destination in Hong Kong: Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car Ride and Nong Ping Village in Lanatau Island.