Ocean Park, Hong Kong

Well...the last time I visited HK I only managed to visit:

1. Madam Tussauds
2. Victoria's Peak
3. Hong Kong Disneyland
4. Boat houses

I missed Ocean Park which I knew was very nice as they had pandas and a huge Aquarium. I made the decision that the next time if there is a chance we will visit Ocean Park at Aberdeen.

Well as it turned out Groupon had the offer of RM398 for a 3 day 2 night stay at Macao and since Macao was just an hour ferry ride away from HK we decided to make a day trip to HK the moment we landed at Macao International Airport at Taipa Island.

For a start the Macao Airport is kind of scary...this is because the landing strip is very near the sea! Anyway it was a beautiful day when we landed on Macao island on Friday 11 April 2014. We were there to celebrate Tim's 58th birthday!

From the airport we took a cab to the ferry terminal costing us about MOP 100. Now Macao currency is called Palatas or something like that. In Macao the currency is almost MOP 1 to HK 1 but most businesses appear to prefer HKD as the value is slightly higher. The taxi driver was very friendly as he started showing us photos of his family holiday to Penang!

From the ferry we took the ferry known as the Turbojet. Why is it called a Turbojet? I guess it is because it is quiet and extremely comfortable like a jet. By no means cheap (about RM170 per person) we made our trip to HK island. On the turbojet I had my first cup of lai cha or milk tea...delicious but it cost RM10 per cup! No wonder Malaysians who visited Macao and HK told me that things are very expensive!

From the ferry terminal at Shun Tak Centre, we took the Island line to Admiralty station. From Admiralty station, we had a tough time looking for the bus to Aberdeen where Ocean Park is situated. Thank God that Tim could speak Cantonese and there were many Filipino ladies who could give us directions in English!

Ocean Park is very big. There is a huge aquarium, a Panda center, a North Pole express, a polar bear center (although I never saw any polar bears), slides, rides, cable car ride. 

I could not help comparing Ocean Park with Sea World, Brisbane. Somehow Ocean Park paled in comparison with Sea World. In Sea World, we had performing dolphins that were really skilled and fun to watch. We had seals who could act! In Sea World, we could touch sting rays and feel their big wings....in Ocean Park, we were scolded for touching one miserable star fish without washing our hands!

The only thing I like about Ocean Park is old Hong Kong. Old HK is a part of HK which replicates buildings, houses and markets of old pre-war HK. We could take pictures with realistic looking buildings and also in front vegetable and fruit stalls!