stories from the middle earth press room

i labored over our hong kong album last night (ordered the prints from digitprint.com.ph and had these delivered yesterday at home) since i've cut out brochures, maps tickets and put these on the album. i've been making "scrapbooks"(literal na scrap talaga yun) for years even before it became the rage with all those pre-fab scrapbook stuff.

ako what i do is naggugupit talaga ako noon (started in gradeschool) ng mga roman letters and pictures from magazines to form words and mga characters from stationeries and mga tickets nilalagay ko sa albums. minsan ang albums ko yung clearbook na nabibili sa school supplies store para mas nalalagyan ko pa ng mga kung anu-ano. kaya nga nagugulat ako sa mga presyo ng binebentang scrapbooks and paraphernalia na yan kasi people can make their scrapbooks without those things. mas interesting pa.

anyway, mawawalan ng business ang scrapbook ek-ek na yan kung mga tao eh ganun ang ginagawa tulad ng ginagawa ko.

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Hong Kong Part II

since we were already by the bay, Other Half decided that we should cross the victoria harbor via the star ferry to reach hong kong island for only HK$2.20 (almost P13).

it was such a short ride -- about 5-10 mins i guess -- that we didn't care if we were on the lower or upper deck of the ferry. when we got to the other side, we started our search for the victoria peak tram station. Other Half was consulting his tourist map (available in airports and any tourist spots for free) and we sort of got lost. or maybe it was not such a good idea to walk since it was far. the cheapskate me told Other Half taxi is too expensive for a sight-seeing trip.

that's the international finance center. we didn't get inside (there's a mall and a free viewing area on top) since we were rushing to see the view from vitoria peak before the sun sets.

and around and 'round we went searching for the tram.

people here do not look "busy-bisihan" and this was shot in HK CBD. very laidback nga eh, sabagay it was a friday afternoon.

and on and on...we went looking for the peak tram...

that's the bank of china building, which according to Fodor's Hong Kong travel guide (we bought days before the trip) has been designed with bad fung-sui in mind...triangles and two antennae on top? baaaaad fung-sui!

the ugly building (in my opinion) in the middle is HSBC, supposedly the most expensive building in HK. i can't see why.

after walking for i don't know how long, we were able to see the tram -- but a different kind of tram. it's the street tram, one of which got derailed during our second day in HK . anyway, we still had to pass by some plaza or garden to reach the peak tram station.

yey! finally arrived there. it gets better as it goes up the mountain.

me, waiting for the tram to "slide" down.

up and up we go...

...finally we arrived.

see that viewing deck? below that are restaurants, shops and shops. basically it's a mall with a viewing deck on top.

voila! worth all the hassle.