hazygrains

This trip was supposed to be from September 24 to 29, but a super typhoon, Ragasa, made landfall in Hong Kong on our original departure day. I kept tracking everything online since I already had paid bookings, like our accommodation and Victoria Peak tickets, which were non-rebookable. After doing some research, I found out that if the typhoon signal reached 10, these bookings could be rebooked. And, Cebu Pacific allowed us to reschedule our flight, so I pushed everything back by a day.

Day 1 • September 25, Thursday

Departure day. I was really hoping the weather would be better because our Disneyland tickets could not be rebooked. We arrived around 9 AM, rushed through immigration, picked up our Octopus cards, and withdrew cash.

We took the bus to Tsim Sha Tsui, and on the way there, I looked out the window and my first thought was how futuristic everything looked. All the high-rise buildings made it feel like I was suddenly in a dystopian movie scene. I was also amazed at the airport bathrooms, the bridges, and even the roads. It was nice to see where people’s taxes actually go, where everyone can truly benefit from quality infrastructure.. something the Philippines can’t relate to.

Anyway, we had booked rooms at Chungking Mansions and, honestly, it ended up being a bad decision. The rooms were so tiny that you could barely move. We didn’t switch hotels since it would have been a waste of money, so we just kept telling ourselves that we were only there to sleep. Pure self-gaslighting. Lol. The only good part was that the accommodation allowed us to move our booking by one day.

After dropping our bags, we grabbed brunch at Fairwood beside Chungking. We then booked an Uber to get to Disneyland quickly. We arrived a little before 2 PM, which was still okay because we still had plenty of time to get on rides. Most queues were less than five minutes, and many had no lines at all. Some rides were closed, but that was fine. We also got our free mini party hats, and a first-time pin.

To be honest, I am not a Disney fan, but I enjoy amusement parks. Asis and I tried everything, especially the extreme ones. I personally loved Mickey’s PhilharMagic, Mystic Manor, Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars, and Frozen Ever After.

The weather was gloomy and it drizzled occasionally, but overall it was manageable. It was humid but not too hot, and we still had a really good day at the park. Finally, at 8 PM, the fireworks show started. We found a spot that was not too crowded, and I really enjoyed the villain-themed parts. There was a moment when it started raining and the lights hit the raindrops, and it looked magical. I loved it. After the show ended, we hurried to the MTR station and commuted back to our hotel.

It was so easy to get around because of their train system. Also, can I just say that everything in Hong Kong was so expensive when converted to PHP. It definitely hurt our wallets. It was such a long and tiring day. So yuuup. Disneyland, you have been magical!

The last four photos were taken with my film camera, a Yashica T4D, using Harman Phoenix 200. I was disappointed with the results. I had used this film stock before, and it turned out so nicely. Oh well, the uncertainty and surprises of shooting film.