Hong Kong with Kids (2019)

Last May, my friend and I took our kids to Hong Kong. To be honest it was my first time to travel abroad with my son without any help. And it really opened my eyes to how different it was to travel with adults and with kids.

Our flight was at 6 AM and the kids were all seated together. I thought since we're already at the airport at 2 AM, they'd all be sleepy and still during the flight. I WAS DEAD WRONG. They were so excited that they made the boarding area into their playground. They ran and played hide and seek until our flight was called for boarding. And all throughout our flight all they did was talk. No matter how many times I told them to stop, they didn't listen. I knew the other passengers were sleepy and were cursing the parents. I know. I was sleepy too but could't sleep because of them, though I didn't curse.

From HK airport, we rode the A21 bus to the city and sat on the upper deck. The kids were so excited and happy.  They really liked the ride.

We checked into our AirBnB and rested for a while. We're supposed to take the Peak Tram but it was under maintenance so we took Bus 15 instead from Admiralty station and the kids were delighted to know it was once again a double decker bus. My son wanted to sit at the first row on the upper deck but the seats were taken already.  We sat behind them instead. It was a long ride with winding roads and a great view of the city. My son was in awe. I could see he was already sleepy but he's refusing to sleep. But his body won over his mind, he felt asleep on the way and I had to wake him up at the top.

It was hot at the top so we didn't stay long. We rode the Bus15 to Central Pier and the kids were excited again to sit on the upper deck. We saw a lot on our way down. It was a holiday so most Filipina OFWs were taking over Central. I hoped they enjoyed their day too. Then we crossed the river through the Star Ferry and I was regretting that we didn't take the night cruise. The river crossing was short and about 15 minutes only. If only we're not tired yet, the kids would have enjoyed cruising the river at night and watching the lights show at 8PM.

We went for a quick grocery run at Wellcome for our daily breakfast and dinner. We're staying at an AinBnb so cooking was allowed. By the time we got to the apartment I was dead tired and sleepy. Of all the years I'd been traveling, that by far was the most tired I'd been. My son and I were already asleep by 6 PM.

We spent 2 days in Disneyland. The first day, we stood in lines for a long time and rode all the kiddie rides. The kids didn't like the Mystic Manor and so did I. On our 2nd day at Disneyland, we rode all the "chill rides", watched Moana; Lion King which we all liked (I would highly recommend it); the parade at 3PM and the Parade of Lights at 8PM. If you're planning to go to Disneyland, spend 2 days there. One day is just not enough. They say bringing food items are not allowed. But they're not strict though. We saw a lot of families eating their own sandwiches and other kinds of snacks so we brought our own on the 2nd day. We also brought tumblers as refilling stations are aplenty.

On the 4th day we took the train to Lantau Island and rode the Ngong Ping 360. To be honest, I had not much expectation on the cable car ride as I had ridden it in Singapore and Taiwan. I thought why would it be any different. Well the difference was I was riding it with three boys. Three active and curious boys. The ride was really wonderful. It was fast and on one side you'll see the airport, to the kids amazement. "Mama, airplanes!" And the other side is all about greens.

It rained after we had our lunch so we didn't proceed to go up the Big Buddha but the kids being kids were not affected by this at all. They even played in the rain! I had to call and stop them several times as I was afraid they'll get sick. Being sick in a foreign country is one of my fears, especially with the language barrier.

We went right ahead to ride the Ding Ding (old tram) from Causeway Bay to Sheung Wan. We sat on the upper deck and saw how the neighborhood changed as we passed by the "HK Times Square", the high end boutiques at Central and the dried seafoods stores at Sheung Wan. My son enjoyed the sights at first but after Central he fell asleep. I had to wake him up when we're almost at Whitty St. We entered from the back and exit from the front door. No need to pay or tap your octopus card during entry but you have to do it before getting off the tram. Then we proceeded to the Ladies Market to buy toys and souvenirs. Unfortunately, it was raining so we didn't stayed long. I bought shirts, ref magnets and toys for the kids. We returned to Wellcome Supermarket to buy chocolates and fruits for our families and friends back home.

We flew home on the 5th day but our flight was later in the afternoon. Since we still had time, we went to Nan Lian Garden for a quick trip. It was beautiful and peaceful. And while I was enjoying the view, one of the kids said "This is it? We're just going to walk around and that's it?" It was a huge realization for me. Kids and adults like and appreciate different things. So I'll keep this in mind next time I travel with kids again. As the weather was good, we returned to Ladies Market for last minute shopping but the stores were still closed and some were in the process of putting up the street stalls. It was before 12 noon. So again, I'll keep this information for next time. We returned to our accommodation and checked out. We had our lunch at McDonalds and bought more meals to eat at the airport. According to Google Maps, a bus stop for A21 bus was just nearby, but we didn't see it and just passed by. We had to walk far before we were able to locate another bus stop. We saw the bus stop while riding the bus and realized our mistake. We were looking for a shaded area with seats and signs, but in reality it was just a thin pole with a sign. And so of course the kids were very fast to go to the upper deck and secured the seats on the second row. They sat beside each other and talked about the things they were seeing. Note to self: if possible and convenient, ride buses instead of trains when traveling with kids.

The check in counter was still closed when we got to the airport so we had to wait long. The kids made the airport their playground. They had the time of their lives. We separated them inside the plane so other passengers can sleep and so can we. And they did too!

Note to self again: they don't have any restaurant or food stall at the boarding area.

Our 5-Day Hong Kong Itinerary

Day 1: Arrived Hong Kong at 8AM

           Bus to Victoria Peak

           Bus to Central Pier

           Star Ferry to Promenade (Avenue of Stars)

Day 2 and 3 : Disneyland

Day 4: Lantau Island (Ngong Ping 360 and Lantau Peak)

            Ding ding (old tram) from Causeway Bay to Sheung Wan

            Ladies Market

Day 5: Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery

            Leave Hong Kong