Ocean Park 2013

Ocean Park Birthday Tour 2013

Yesterday was my birthday, I've taken the advantage of going to Ocean Park for free.  In fact, I did the same last year.  There were something quite different for this year.

Giant Panda - there are two pairs of giant pandas in the Park.  I remember I made this comment last year - giant pandas are always sleeping and red pandas are active.  But this year is exactly in reverse.
I had never imagined to see a a panda in motion, and especially eating bamboo leaves.  Wonderful!  Everyone were so excited.  On the other side, the red pandas were sleeping.  Oh well, I learn a lession from pandas - the world is forever changing!

The Penguin Encounter is new.  Last year it was not open yet.  Be prepared, as it is only 8-10 degrees inside.  There are many species of penguins here.  The large ones are 2-3 feet tall while the small ones are just about a foot. 

I would say I saw more penguins here than in Philip Island Australia.  I like seeing them swimming, diving or jumping up to the shore.  Lovely creatures.

 

Grand Acuqarium

 

Sea Jelly Spectacular

 

At the Main Entrance

As the Ocean Park is one of the world most popular theme parks, there are lots of tourists, both from local and around the world.  The Park is full of people everyday.  But on my birthday, I had a little privilege.  I didn't have to queue to buy a ticket, there is a special counter for birthday guests and it is free.  Although the Park is always full of people, you can still take a good photo if you have patience.  See my photo at the main entrance.

Couple of Things To Note

1. No personal food is allowed.  You have to buy from the expensive F&B outlets inside the Park.
2. Every point of interest has photo service.  They are expensive, minimum charge HK$288, inclusive photo, frame and key chain. You are free to take the photos, but you don't have to buy if you don't like the photo.

Transportation

1. From Wanchai - take bus 90 or 97 (east bound), get off immediately after the tunnel.  HK$4.7.  A few minutes walk to the Park.
2. From Admiralty - take bus 629 to the main entrance.  HK$10.9
3. From elsewhere - take MTR to Admiralty and change to bus 629

Standard Admission Fee

Adult - HK$280
Children (3-11) - HK$140

Hong Kong Travel Blog - Ocean Park

Ocean Park Hong Kong

I went to the Ocean Park this Monday (25/6) on my birthday, free of charge (hey, local residents only).  In the same period Ocean Park is celebrating it's 35th anniversary.  Being one of the world's most visited theme parks, Ocean Park has a completely new look after its recent rennovation in 2011.

Many come to the Park to see the giant pandas.  Let me tell you, they are always sleeping.  Don't expect to see them in motion as in promotion videos.  Of course, if you are lucky enough, you'll see a sleeping panda, or you'll simply see an empty cage.  In order not to let you down, you must have to see the Red Panda.  This active lovely creature is far more worth seeing.

Must See
The Grand Aquarium
Goldfish Treasures
Sea Jelly Spectacular

Must Do
Cable Car (long waiting line)
Ocean Express (minimum waiting, 5 min ride connecting low and highland of the Park)

Shows (approximately 20 minutes)
Whiskers Harbour (Seals)
Ocean Theatre (Dolphins)
Birds Theare





Getting There
Take bus 629 from Admiralty MTR

Admission
Adult: HK$280
Children: HK$140
Birthday (local resident only): FOC, half price for accompanying partner

Time Table
Open daily 10am. Opening hours and show time has seasonally changes. Make sure to pick up a guide map at the entrance.

Bird Viewing in Hong Kong

If you are a fan of bird viewing, Hong Kong has some excellent sites to offer.

The Wetland Park is rich in mangrove birds and some of them are close to extinction such as Black-faced Spoonbills. If you enjoy watching birds in the wild, it is certainly an ideal site which has a lot of visitor facilities.

If you don’t want to travel a long way to the Wetland Park, there is a more convenient way to watching birds. Hong Kong Park has an aviary with plenty of bird species. Apart from the birds living inside the aviary, there are also many other types of bird habitants including the beautiful Cacatua Sulphurea 小葵花鳳頭鸚鵡. Bird watching groups gather here every Wednesday. Depending on opportunities, they may even set up binoculars for visitors to view the wild birds they’ve spotted. I had that chance to share the fun last week.

Last Wednesday October 5 was actually the Double Nine Festival (9th of September in Chinese calendar) and it’s a public holiday in Hong Kong. According to Chinese tradition, we need to go up to high altitude in order to avoid bad luck. Hence the Peak Tram line was long and other public transportations going up to the Peak were full. We’ve therefore decided to go mid level where the Hong Kong Park is. Conveniently situated in central Hong Kong, you can easily access the Park by MTR. Get off at Admiralty and you’ll be connected to the Park by escalators.

On a regular day, you can go watch the birds at the aviary and then continue to go up to the Peak, as the Peak Tram station is just next to the Park. Alternatively you can visit the Tea Museum within the Park. Also next to the Park is the Bank of China where mini exhibitions are usually held at the lobby. On the day of our visit, we decided to go there to see The Living Earth exhibition.

Back to bird viewing, below are a few of my photo collections. Hey, I’m not a professional photographer and birds are not photogenic models. The photos I’ve taken were results of luck.

Maroon-breated Crown Pigeon 紫胸鳳冠鳩

Bali Mynah 長冠八哥Red Lory and Wompoo Fruit Dove
紅頂吸蜜鸚鵡 / 巨果鳩

Australian Pelican 澳洲鵜鶘

Crested Pigeon 冠鳩

Java Sparrow 爪哇和雀
Following instruction, you can exit the Park and cross the road to the Peak Tram station.
Bird Watching Sites in Hong Kong
Bird Species in Hong KongHong Kong Travel Blog - Bird Viewing

Red Trees in Hong Kong

If you visit Hong Kong in the months of May or June, you are going see sights like these. Red trees everywhere. Being a native Hong Konger, I just can't stop myself behave like a visitor. Today (May 28, 2011) I go to the Victoria Park and take these photos. Hope you like them.

I am trying to take some close up of the flowers, but I'm not a professional photographer. And my camera is not professional also. But if you want to take a good look of the flowers, visit my friend Gao Lao's blog, his flowers are brilliant.

The building behind is Hotel Park Lane. If you want to have a good view of the Victoria Park and the red trees, do book a room with a park view.

Red Trees in motion.

Hong Kong Travel Blog - Red Trees at the Victoria Park

Hong Kong Botanical Garden

Just went to the Botanical Garden and took a few photos and videos. Weather was good. So it was rare chance to be able to take these photos. At the central fountain, all the most beautiful and famous Hong Kong commercial buildings are served as the backdrop. Enjoy.





I could rarely take such a good video - in terms of weather.
It's really a beautiful day.



I love these ring-tail monkies. The Park noticeboard said that there was a new born baby still under parental care. But I had no luck in seeing the baby.

National Geo Park, Sai Kung, Hong Kong

You may not aware that Hong Kong has this type of geography - volcanic rocks - hexagonal pillars at Sai Kung, Man Yee Reservior. The journey is a little long to get there, but it is certainly worth it.

Getting There:
From Diamond Hill MTR Station, change to bus 92 (HK$5.8/person) to Sai Kung Pier Terminus. Change to green taxi to go to Man Yee Reservior East Dam. The taxi ride is around HK$100, averaging HK$20/per person if you have 5 in a group. Make sure to ask the taxi driver to wait and take you back, or ask for a paging number to page a taxi to take you back to Sai Kung bus terminus. Otherwise, it is going to be a 3-hour walk. If you are an eco fan, you can try to walk.

Spend about an hour or an hour and a half for a scenic walk. It's going to be a leisure walk, easy to walk even you have kids with you.

The landscape here is pretty impressive!

Sea Caves

Volcanic Hexagonal Pillars!

Try Rock Climbing
Beware of Rocks Rolling Down!

Seafood Lunch After the Geopark Visit

It is highly recommended to have a seafood lunch at the Sai Kung Pier after your geopark visit. There are plenty of seafood restaurants around the bus terminus and you can pick your favourite live seafood - a unique dining experience in Hong Kong.

View photos of my Sai Kung seafood dinner


Hong Kong Travel Blog - Sai Kung National Geopark and Seafood

2010 Hong Kong Chinese New Year

February 14, 2010 - Year of The Tiger

恭喜發財

Today is Chinese New Year. I've taken some photos at the flower market at the Victoria Park yesterday. Here's my photo portfolio.

New species at the flower market

Lecttuce

Sounds like 'wealth generation' in Cantonese

Begonia - Red
Begonia - Organge

Okura

Relatively Traditional Species

Orchard
Cymbidium

Cymbidium

Fengshui Bamboo

Fengshui Bamboo

Very Traditional Species

Five Generations

Peony

Narcissus

Tao Hua

Hong Kong Travel Blog - Chinese New Year

Victoria Park Flower Market

Disneyland Hong Kong

Location: Lantau Island

Disneyland Hong Kong was opened in 2005, the newest among all Disney theme parks in the world. An adult ticket costs HK$350 and varies on special days. It is a highly targeted destination for visitors from mainland China.

Disney Journey Starts with MTR

It takes around 45 minutes from Central to the Disneyland Hong Kong by MTR. There are two resort hotels and shuttle buses run on a circular route connecting the two hotels with the Park and the MTR station.

Resort Hotels
Resort hotels are rare in Hong Kong. The Disney's Hollywood Hotel and the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel are 5-star resorts, with excellent facilities. If you want to stay here, be prepared to put up with the noise as there are many kids running around you, mostly from mainland China.

The Disneyland Hong Kong opens daily 10.30am to 8pm. It is a good strategy to go early and play as many games as possible. Make sure to pick up maps and guides at the entrance.

Within The Disneyland
One of the cultures of Disneyland is queuing. Disneyland Hong Kong can’t be an exception. Fortunately the lines won’t be terribly long except on holidays. On regular days, 10 minutes is quite an average.

My Favourite Points of Interest
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic – A terrific 3-D Show
- Jungle River Cruise - There are four lines depending on the guide’s language
- Tarzan’s Treehouse – Rafting and rope climbing
- Festival of the Lion King - A 30-minute musical on the story of Simba
- Autopia – cart driving, good for those who look for a safe game. More exciting games at Tomorrowland

Re-Entry Policy
You must be familiar with this if you’ve been to other Disneyland in the world. Stamped your hands and you can return to the Park whenever you want within the same day. So you might want to take a break and had dinner at the hotel and come back watching the daily firework at 8pm.

Anna’s Notes:
Disneyland Hong Kong features many other famous Disney games such as Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters and a daily parade. There are plenty of gift shops and restaurants. Unfortunately our hand stamps only allow us to return to the Park on the same day. My recommendation is go early in the morning. Unless you really want to try out the resort hotels here, you don’t really need to stay overnight at the Park.

Travel Information
Disneyland Hong Kong Tickets are available at the Park’s main entrance, online and some dedicated points in town.
Admission: HK$350/Adult on regular days, variable on special days
Opening Hours: 10:30 – 20:00 on regular days, variable on special days
Transportation: MTR Tung Chung Line, change at Sunny Bay to Disneyland

Hong Kong Travel Blog - Disneyland Hong Kong

Ocean Park - Hong Kong

Location: Wong Chuk Hang, southern part of Hong Kong Island

Ocean Park is ranked 7th among the top ten most popular amusement parks in the world, according to forbes.com’s announcement on June 1, 2006. Figures indicate that it outperforms the newer theme park Disneyland.

The Park recorded just over four millions of visitors in 2005. It is one of the world’s biggest marine and educational themed parks.

It is an ideal place for you take your kids for a day of outing. Children can make fun in Hong Kong while learning at the Park.

Best-of-the-Best of the Ocean Park, Hong Kong

Please make sure you don’t miss any of the following:
· Cable Car – be patient, there might be long lines on Sunday and holidays
· Ocean Theatre – it’s always full, go early and look for your favourite seat
· Sea Jelly Spectacular – latest state-of-the-art attraction of the Ocean Park · Giant Panda – no need to go to Sichuan, kids would love to see them
· Red Panda – the newest member of Ocean Park
· Atoll Reef – biggest aquarium in Asia with rare breeds, huge and beautiful fishes
· Shark Aquarium – Asia’s first underwater tunnel gives you an undersea feeling

Travel Information
Transportation: Admiralty MTR Exit B2, change to Citybus 629.
Adult: HK$10.6, Children: HK$5.3

Admission:
Adult: HK$208, Children (3-11): HK$103, Under 3: Free

Some travel agents might be able to get you better rates.

Opening Hours
Daily 10:00 – 18:00 Sunday & public holiday 09:30 - 19:00

Tickets are available at:• Ocean Park main entrance and Tai Shui Wan entrance• MTR Admiralty Exit B nearby Citybus route 629 terminal• MTR Customer Services Centre at Admiralty station

Travel Tips: Ocean Park, Hong Kong
The 629 double-decker bus ride is a fun experience. Take your children to the front of the upper deck to catch all the excitement and feel the pulse of the city of Hong Kong.

Bring lots of water. There are lots of food stalls and restaurants inside the Park, though expensive. Please expect to sweat a lot in the summer heat. Hong Kong can go up to 33 degrees Celsius in June, July and August. Bring a small towel, it would work better than a handkerchief. Of course don’t forget your hat, sun glasses and comfortable walking shoes.

Please spend at least one whole day at the Ocean Park. Otherwise you won’t have enough time to visit all the interesting spots.

My Mini Photo Album - Ocean Park

Sea JellySea Jeally
Dolphin Show

View my Sea Jelly videos at my other blog
View my Ocean Park Photo Album at my other website

Hong Kong Travel Blog - Ocean Park