Leaving Manila, landing in Hong Kong: airport guide

A a lot more updated version of this post can be found here:
Hong Kong travel Guide
First Time Abroad: airport Guide

Our trip to Hong Kong was filled with first times. For starters, it was my family’s first trip abroad. It was also my first time in Hong Kong. It was their first time to ride the plane and first time to stay at an airport. imagine the excitement of my mom, sister, niece and nephew. That’s why even though our flight was scheduled at 5:40 am, we were already at the NAIA terminal 3 as early as 3am.

What to Do Upon checking In

Cebu Pacific Air’s check in counter opens at around 4am so we had a full hour to kill. We made a decision to check the crucial items that we needed to bring. I’d like to share with you our check list!

Passports

Cebu Pacific Air tickets/itinerary

DSWD travel clearance (only if you have minors whose parents are not opting for you)

Valid IDs (just to be safe. The passport serves as an ID already)

Credit cards (in case we made a decision to splurge)

Money (in us dollars)

Maps of Hong Kong

Our travel plan in Hong Kong

A sheet of paper where we wrote crucial contact numbers and addresses (Important!)

Pero!

You might be thinking, “Why must I bring a pen?” Well, you will need it. In fact, one of the first things you must do is to find a stack of immigration forms at the check in counter. accomplish the immigration form by supplying personal information and the address of the hotel where you will be staying. thus the sheet of paper with addresses and contact numbers in the check list. You must also accomplish forms for the children with you. You will need to present these forms with your passport and ticket upon check in.

After filling out the forms, we fell in line and when it was our turn, we handed the check-in agent our documents. We made a decision not to check in any baggage considering that we were traveling light. but apparently, my sister brought an umbrella. Umbrellas are not allowed to be hand-carried in the Philippines so we had to throw it away. poor umbrella.

Travel tax and departure Fee

After the check-in agent processed our boarding passes, he asked us to pay the travel tax and departure fee first (the counter for this is at the near end of the airport).

Travel tax — P1,620

Departure fee — P550.

After paying, we returned to the check-in counter and secured our boarding passes. (We didn’t have to fall in line this time. The check-in agent just handed them to us.) We then headed to the immigration Booths to have our passports stamped. Yipee! may tatak na naman passport ko! basic joys, sorry. 😛

And then of course, the final safety check.

Během letu

Our plane departed at exactly 5:40am as scheduled. My niece and nephew couldn’t believe they were on a plane. They kept on looking outside. It was sunrise and the clouds entertained the kids.

At one point during the flight, flight attendants distributed arrival cards to all passengers. We accomplished it.

Don’t forget to fill out these forms because you will have to present it at the Customs/Immigration booths in Hong Kong.

Arriving at Hong Kong international Airport

Our plane landed two hours later, on schedule. However, we were quite saddened by the rain. It was raining so hard when we arrived.

Because our plane parked in the far end of the terminal, we had a long walk to the immigration Counter. We walked really, really fast because we kinda expected the long lines at this point considering that the immigration Officers would be asking routine questions to tourists.

When we approached the immigration Counters, we presented our passports and immigration cards (the forms we submitted on the plane). As expected, the immigration Officers asked us routine questions like “When is your flight back to Manila? Kde zůstaneš? Do you know any individual in Hong Kong?”

Another crucial thing to remember is that taking pictures around the immigration area is prohibited.

Hong Kong tourism Board visitor information and Octopus Cards

After going through Immigration, we chose to drop by the Hong Kong tourism Board visitor information to get complimentary brochures and maps. Yes, it’s complimentary so don’t be shy grabbing some.

We also gotten Octopus Cards for each of us. It was wise to get Octopus Cards because every form of transportation we would use accepted Octopus Cards. We didn’t have to worry about coins or change. All we need to do was flash the card when boarding the bus or train.

The standard Octopus Card costs HK$100 plus HK$50 deposit. There is a special rate for children: HK$20 load and HK$50 deposit. The deposit for both standard and children’s cards is refundable when you surrender the card. To learn a lot more about Octopus Cards, visit their official web site here.

Exchanging Currencies (PHP or US$ to HK$)

While we were planning the trip, we learned from online communities that although the exchange ratE na letišti byl dobrý, měniče peněz v Tsim Sha Tsui (Downtown) používaly lepší sazby.

Naším původním plánem bylo jen vyměnit malou částku, dost na snídani a autobusové jízdné, a poté převést spoustu našich amerických dolarů na HK dolary v Tsim Sha Tsui. Naštěstí jsme to nemuseli dělat vzhledem k tomu, že jsme již měli chobotnice a to bylo vše, co musíme jít na Tsim Sha Tsui.

Z letiště na tsim sha tsui

Tai San Guest House, náš hotel, se nachází v Tsim Sha Tsui. Přesněji řečeno, je to v 15. patře, Burlington House, 91-94 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Z toho, že se tam dostane z letiště, je jen jízda autobusem. Bylo skvělé, že déšť trochu ustoupil.

Podívejte se na tuto značku, pokud jedete autobusem do Tsim Sha tsui. Podívejte se na značku A21. (Airbus 21)
Moje neteř pózuje pro kameru při čekání na autobus. Hongkongský místní obyvatelé s ní neustále mluvili a říkali nám, jak roztomilá byla!

Moje neteř si užívá dlouhou jízdu!

Abychom se tam dostali, nastoupili jsme na Airbus 21, dvojitý autobus. Byla to dlouhá jízda, ale my jsme nespali. Nechtěli jsme přeskočit naši zastávku. Věděli jsme, že autobusové nádraží Tsim Sha Tsui bylo 13. zastávkou (s prvním letištěm), takže hloupě, jak to může znít, jsme vlastně spočítali počet zastávek. (Vlastně jsme to nemuseli dělat, protože název zastávky byl zobrazen na obrazovce uvnitř sběrnice.)

Více nápadů na YouTube ⬇

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