Everything was firmed up and decided on that fateful rendezvous in HK (Hong Kong) four years ago.

The deal was informally signed while I was eating strawberry parfait on top of Hong Kong’s tallest peak and Jeff was enjoying a cold glass of lemonade. On that day, we said “yes” to our future life together.

No wedding proposal happened. But we did talk about careers, financial matters, and family-related issues. It was a business meeting more than a romantic meet-up of two people hailing from different cultures and living/working in two different countries.

We were two individuals living two separate lives. Jeff was in Guangzhou working for an airline and still reeling from his back-to-back success in the organizing committees of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics and 2010 Guangzhou Asia Games. I was juggling two roles as social development worker crafting corporate-community partnership under a contract with the Philippine Business for Social Progress and German Agency for International Cooperation while writing as Visayas correspondent for the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

A smile changed our lives for the better and after a month of communicating online and two weeks of Jeff’s persistent writing of love letters, we decided to rendezvous in Hong Kong. The ever cautious and practical woman that I was (and still am) I chose HK as our neutral ground as it was only two hours away from Guangzhou by train and two and a half hours from Cebu (Philippines) by plane.

So there we were in Asia’s World City hoping for the best turnout of our “business meeting”,

I am happy to report – three going four years after the meeting – that the turnout was favorable for both parties – and for two, three entities (spell: offsprings) that were produced thereafter.

Hong Kong has since been a special place for us as a couple and as a family. HK is a city where everything is connected, it will always be one of our favorites homes away from whichever place we call home.

There were six spots in our HK rendezvous special to us and I’d like to share that with you in this issue of ‘Travels & Travails’.

 

1. The Airport

The HKIA or Hong Kong International Airport is unarguably one of the world’s best airports. Terminal 1 is well connected with Terminal 2, they have a shopping mall and a UA IMAX theatre within the complex and you are given a variety of dining options to choose from. I was on Air Philippine Express (before they got rid of the brand and rebranded it to PAL Express) and Jeff met me at the arrival area of Terminal 2. It was strange to see him like that but I gave him a hug an the  excused myself for a pee break. Ah yeah, I was nervous.

 

2. The Peak

You reach The Peak by riding a tram that gives you a scenic view of the city. You won’t get lost finding the Lower Terminus because the spot is a tourist magnet with people shutting to and away from the terminal all the time. Different prices for the tram ride itself and the access to the Sky Pass so decide if you want to go the highest point or just stay around the area where the tram stops .

From the highest point, you get the general view of the city that was once colonized by the United Kingdom (hence the reason why they drive on the right side just like the British). On July 1997, the transfer of sovereignty from UK to the People’s Republic China marked the end of HK’s 156 years under the colonial governance of the British . Officially, it is called the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.

 

3. Disneyland

I grew up with Disney movies and singing Disney songs. Jeff spent most of his life visiting Disney parks with “specialization” in the Disneyland in Anaheim, California.

Hong Kong Disneyland is the smallest Disneyland in the world but it still holds the Disney promise of being “the happiest place on Earth”. I left my worries and all thoughts of work-related responsibilities the moment I stepped into the Disney line specifically constructed and operated for visitors to reach the land that Walt Disney built. HKIA and Disneyland are both located on Lantau Island so the two destinations are relatively close to each other. You can take a cab or if you want, try the MTR. The park opens at 10:00 a.m. and closes at 8:00 p.m. with a traditional fireworks display at Fantasyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle. Over time, Jeff and I decided to get a Magic Access card which allowed us entry without having to wait in line to buy tickets . The card gave us discounts when we eat at restaurants and buy merchandise from any of the stores.

 

4. Trains and Taxis

Everything is connected in HK. You will notice that the moment you arrived in the airport. It’s easy to get a van to get to mainland China. We usually take the black van going to Guangzhou with ticket booths at Terminal 2. I love that option because we don’t need to get out of the car to clear customs and immigration. The car can only accommodate six to eight passengers and is very comfortable. The driver just stops at the border and gives our passports to the immigration officers from both sides. The officers show passports and the owner just raises his/her hand to confirm his/her identity.

You can even visit Macau for a day by taking the ferry. Learn more about how you can do that here.

To get to Central and the busy parts of HK is not a problem because the Airport Express provides a convenient travel option. One-way ticket from HKIA to Central is priced at 100 HKD but the travel time is only less than 30 minutes.

 

5. Victoria Harbour

Jeff and I spent four hours watching fireworks and talking endlessly on the first time we visited Victoria Harbour, which sits between HK Island and Kowloon. It is home to the world’s busiest ports and here you’ll see cruise ships, fishing boats, and cargo ships. The Symphony of Lights , an evening multimedia show featuring 40 buildings participating in what is dubbed as the “World’s largest permanent light and round show” by the Guiness World Records, is a famous attraction. I’m not a big fan of this though so what we do is to just sit in one of the benches and do what we do best of all in  place where there is a large crowd: people watching.

If you fancy other activities to do at Victoria Harbour, you can opt for an afternoon or evening cruise. You can also take a sunset cruise or sail through HK’s waters while the Symphony of Lights is going on. Curious? More details from the Hong Kong Tourism Board here. 

 

6. Peccato

This is  a closed restaurant now. We used to go there often because it’s small and reminds us of the cafés in Paris. This was a cozy Italian restaurant in the Soho area and a great place to have lunch or dinner. They served a great plate of burrata mozarella with prosciutto and assorted tomatoes that I just want to eat forever. A rack of lamb with a glass (or two or three or four?!) of red wine is just about enough to get you settled for the night; that is, if you’re ready to let go of their chocolatey dessert selection.

It was sad to say goodbye to this restaurant where Jeff and I had our first dinner date but we know exactly where it is located so maybe when we come back we can go visit and check which restaurant or store replaced that little corner of ours in the fast-changing Soho landscape.

Several meet-ups happened after the first rendezvous. The airlines and restaurants should have made us their official endorsers because we almost traveled to HK every month to sustain our then long-distance relationship. When we finally lived in one country (Guangzhou in mainland China, that is), Hong Kong became our respite from the Great Firewall. In Hong Kong, you can freely check your social media accounts (yep, Facebook and Youtube) without having to go to proxy sites or purchase a VPN (virtual private network) account to get around all the restrictions.

I’d be happy to go back to Hong Kong and live there.

Have you visited Hong Kong recently? How was your experience? 

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”