Reckless Solo Trip to Hong Kong

This is my first blog post. And it tells about one of the most proud experience in my life.

It started when my Thesis Supervisor told me that she registered my paper to The International Multi Conference of Engineers and Computer Scientists (IMECS) 2017 in Hong Kong. And luckily it was one of 800 papers from over 50 countries that accepted. It means, the writer needs to go to Hong Kong to present. OK, great! Finally it's my time!

She said, you have to go. (*immediately there was a cloud of daydreams above my head contain skyscrapers and street full of pedestrians). Wait? What do you mean by "YOU"? What? No, you are joking.

YES, ALONE. You have to go ALONE!

Speechless. How can I do that? I never even go anywhere alone, I don't travel much too, and this is Hong Kong, overseas, quite far, not in ASEAN region, the language is totally different. Plus, I have never been involved in any Conference before, and this is an International Conference, which means I have to present my research in front of other great researchers from various countries. What?!

I took a deep breath. Well, okay, I'll tell my parents, if they say I can go, then I'll go.

Blablabla%*^##$@(..... "OKAY" (with a big worry in their eyes).

But, still, Yeay! I'll be in Hong Kong.

I started to do my research about Hong Kong. The currency, culture, daily language, the people, foods, and the most important is the security level. Cause again, I'd go totally alone.

Well, everything seemed to be okay, except the daily language, Cantonese. What? I don't even know some people use this kind of language on this earth.

But, it's not gonna stop me anyway!

PREPARATION

I prepared this trip as best as I could. I didn't want to take any risk.

• Completing Documents

The first thing I did was completing my documents, Passport. As an Indonesian citizen, I don't need visa to visit or stay in Hong Kong for a maximum of 180 days. Since it was my first time to go abroad, I need to make a new Passport. After a lot of tiredness at Immigration Office, finally my passport was ready about a week after registration. And it costed me IDR 350k.

• Airline and Hotel Tickets

I worked really hard for the cheapest airline and hotel tickets. You know, even funded by my lecturer, I still need to consider her money that would be spent for this trip. About ten days before leaving, I got my airline tickets, about IDR 3.5 million for round trip tickets with 20kg baggage allowance by Air Asia airline. Here are the routes:

Padang (BIM) - Kuala Lumpur (KLIA2) - Hong Kong (HKIL)

Hong Kong (HKIL) - Kuala Lumpur (KLIA2) - Padang (BIM)

Now, hotel. I find it a bit difficult to find the right place to stay. It must be the cheapest one with a good service, the best in terms of location, near to The Royal Garden Hotel, and good security level. After a long search, I found Safari Guest House. A guest house in Chung King Mansion owned by Philippines that I found from Agoda.com. It costed me about IDR 800k for three nights of twin bed room with facilities of AC, fan, TV, private shower & toilet, toiletries, and shared refrigerator, drinking water heater, and hair dryer. I chose this guest house because it's quite strategic, near to Bus Stop and Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station, near to Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and Ferry Pier. Also, the review from Agoda.com was very good.

By the way, why twin bed room? Just a preparation in case my lecturer changes her mind. Too bad, she didn't.

• Detail Trip Preparation

Well, I am a planner type person. I need to plan everything as detail as possible. Plus, again, I'll go alone, no guide, no one else, only me. I did my research very thoroughly, read so many traveler blog post. Internet helped me a lot. I made a very detailed trip plan. The places I wanted to visit, how I'd go from one to another places, the time, the budget, what I'd eat in between, as detail as that. About three days before leaving I had my detail trip plan with me.

Wait! You have to know this. I got a big issue about a week before leaving. I found that the Mansion I'd stay in is very dangerous. Yup, that Chung King Mansion. Some articles said this place is the nest of the criminals, drug dealers, and illegal immigrants from Middle East. It left me speechless. No exaggeration, it's almost every night I cried imagining that I wouldn't go back to my country, to my family, and get killed in stranger country. I tried to not tell my parents. I couldn't imagine how sad my parents when it happens to me. I kept it by myself 'till the day came.

• Conference Preparation

Too busy with the trip preparation, I forgot to prepare myself for my main purpose of visiting Hong Kong. Yes, the Conference. Cause, to be honest, it's more frightening for me to imagine going to the other country alone for the first time than doing a presentation in front of great researchers from around 50 different countries. I prepared my presentation slides only about a week before leaving. In that one week, still with the worries of Chung King Mansion security, I had to practice for the presentations while preparing the other things that may be needed. Kinda hectic. But, finally everything about this conference could be handled well.

• Packing Time

One last day before leaving, I got all of my stuff in one luggage bag and one backpack. Clothes, toiletries, make up, passport, Conference stuff, drugs, snacks, power bank, money, and cameras. Well, camera is a must for me, cause where ever I go, I want to capture the moments and keep it as a visual memories that I can show to my children someday. By the way, I brought two camera, action camera and DSLR camera. I also brought the print out of my detail trip plan, print out of map of the places I wanted to visit, route of the MTR, and download google maps and google translate offline in case I can't connect to any internet service. And I got a lunch and dinner box in my backpack. Yup, exactly, for the budget consideration.

Everything was ready! Oh wait! Money. I had not exchanged my money to Hong Kong or US dollar. I tried to find Money Changer in almost entire city, but I didn't find any of them who had enough Hong Kong dollars. The only last hope was Money Changer at the Airport. Unfortunately, it opened at 6 am, while my flight was at 8.30 am. It would be hectic I thought.

So, a learn for me and you guys. If you plan to go abroad. You must have at least a week before leaving to exchange your money. So, you have enough time to choose the best Money Changer which offer the best rate in your town.

1ST DAY

• Hectic Morning at Minang Kabau International Airport

Yeay! The day had come. That was March 13th, 2017. I stayed at my friend's house, Bebe, because her house is closer to the Airport than mine. I got ready at 05.30 am cause my flight was at 8.30 am and I had to check-in early, do my things such as exchange money and buy some other snacks. Bebe drove me to the Airport and back home. Arrived at 6 am, I needed to wait the check-in counter to be opened for a little while. I checked-in and dropped my luggage, out again to exchange my money. The Money Changer just opened right after I arrived at its door. And sadly, they had no Hong Kong dollar too. I had to choose US dollar instead and exchange it at the Airport in Hong Kong. I am not sure, but as I recall, I exchanged as much as IDR 2m for around USD 150.

Done with the money, I got back in and straight to the waiting room. I waited for my flight while recording my trip.

• Super Long Wait at a Super Big Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2

About an hour flying, I landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) at 8.35 am local time. Fyi, Kuala Lumpur is an hour ahead of Padang.

As I read before, this airport is amazingly big, well organized, and busy. I wandered around the Airport while waiting for the check-in counter for my next flight at 4.25 pm to be opened and got my lunch at the edge of check-in room while recording my activity. Actually, there is Kiosk Self Check-In there, but somehow, the machine I tried didn't work well. Waiting about 6 hours, I checked-in, dropped my luggage, and waited for my flight in a super cold waiting room. The atmosphere was a bit different, many Hong Kong people were sitting with an unfriendly face at all. Well, my flight was calling, and I took off from KLIA2 to HKIL. So excited!

• Landed at Hong Kong International Airport

About four hours flying, finally I landed on HKIL around 8.30 pm. There is no time difference between Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur. It was kinda cold, about 15°C. Came in line in the long queue of Immigration with Passport and Arrival Card (distributed by your airline before landing) in my hand. Finished with immigration matters, I went straight to Baggage Claim and waited a little bit long for my luggage to come. Got my luggage, I walked to the Custom Clearance.

The first thing I did after all arrival procedures finish was exchange my money to Hong Kong Dollar. The Money Changer was located in front of exit gate of Custom Clearance. I am not sure about the rate, but as I recall, I got around HKD 1,100. Then I walked to  the train ticket counter to buy the powerful card, Octopus Card. It cost HKD 150 for one card, with the detail of HKD 50 for deposit and HKD 100 for the initial stored value. This card is a must have accessory in Hong Kong I think. Cause you can use it for multiple transactions, such as MTR, Bus, Tram, and Ferry tickets just simply by swipe or tap it on. It also can be used for any transactions in 7-Eleven or buying the entrance tickets at most of the Tourist Attractions in Hong Kong. Also, you can top up it through Add Value Machine at all MTR Station or at Customer Service of any station or Airport in Hong Kong. And another good thing, when you leave Hong Kong or decide to not use the card again, you can refund the card and get your HKD 50 back.

• Met a Moroccoan Guy and Asked to be His 2nd Wife

Done with money exchange and Octopus Card. It's time for me to find a comfy spot to have a rest. Still in the airport, there was waiting chairs in front of MTR tickets counter, beside Mc Donald. That's my place. I took a seat and put my luggage with me. I opened my suitcase, and "what a bloody night!" My drinking water was spilled in my suitcase. All my cloths were wet. Oh my God! How could this happen to me?. I need to stay a night in this cold Airport. How can I sleep?. huh Whatever! I need to call my family.

While I was talking with my family, a Moroccoan guy said hello. Hmm, charming, tall, type of man in suit, but quite too old for me huehe. He was a businessman who had just returned from a business trip to China, and would be back to Morocco that night. He came with two male friends.

Well, he was also talking with his family that time. His wife and daughter said hello to me too. Very friendly and the little girl was so cute. Happy little family. When I tried to ask him where the drinking water tap is, he offered to buy me a bottle of mineral water from Mc Donald. I tried to reject politely, but he immediately walked to the Mc Donald and came back with a bottle of mineral water for me. It felt strange, bought a drink by someone you just met a few minutes ago. Several minutes passed, he offered me a dinner at Mc Donald. I said, "No, thanks! I have my dinner box". He said, "You can keep it for this night, you have to stay at this Airport, right? Come on!", while walking straight to Mc Donald. I was like, "Huh?" and followed him awkwardly.

I was a little scared, but he looked like a good guy who has a wife and a little cute daughter. And he was a good Muslim I think, cause he kept talking about praying, fasting, and another Islam talks. His name Amine, by the way. We had talk blablabla, and he offered me a job in Morocco after knowing that I am an Engineer who was seeking for a job. Of course no! I want to work overseas, but Morocco just never came to my mind before. Suddenly he opened the topic of polygamy. What? This conversation is too heavy for two strangers who just met 30 minutes ago. We had a tough enough debate, because I never agree with polygamy for any reason, including religion. You know, according to Quran the holy book, a man can marry up to four women, the prophet Muhammad did it. As a Muslim, I believe it 100%. But, who the man in this holy earth who can be as fair as the Prophet Muhammad? Even Muhammad can make Aisyah jealous of Khadijah. It does not make any sense.

suddenly he said, "do you want to be my second wife?", I choked. I already told my wife on the phone earlier, and she agreed

After I finished my dinner, he had to go for his next flight to Morocco. He said goodbye and gave me his USD 40. I was like "oh, you don't have to", "no, I don't need them anymore, you have to keep it". And again, why not? hahaha. Then he said the last goodbye by saying "I will contact you when I arrive to ensure you are safe". Gosh! How sweet. I was melting.

Then I met an Indonesian guy who want to go back to Indonesia by tomorrow morning, Koko Han. He would stay at the airport that night just like me. So I stayed with him and got a really damn cold stay at the airports' waiting chair.

2ND DAY

That was totally cold that I couldn't sleep well, while I have to present that afternoon. At the morning, Koko Han's girlfriend came and met us. Then I went to Tsim Sha Tsui with her by Double Decker Bus, and took a seat at the second deck, so I could see the whole Hong Kong on the way from airport to the hotel. But she arrived earlier, so, I have to go alone to the hotel.

It was 10.00 am. And finally, there was it. Chung King Mansion. The bus stopped not far from the mansion. I took my luggage and walked in. Yup, it's totally what some articles said about this mansion. Ground floor is like market full of illegal immigrants from Middle East and India who sell random things and there are so many restaurants there. Crowded, so many middle east or Indian guys offered me the hotels, SIM Cards, money exchange, etc, It smelled so bad, like Curry (cause I don't like Curry at all), and dirty as hell. But, it's not as scary as some articles said.

There were two lifts for each block, one for the even floor and one for the odd floor. I stayed at Safari Guest House, at Block C 7th floor. This guest house belongs to the Philippines. I paid for March13rd - 14th, 2017. But check - in at the morning of March 14th. So before, I told the owner that I'd stay at the airport on the first night and check-in earlier at the second day. Because, generally, check-in hotel should be after 12 pm. The owner was so kind, but not the guard. She was quite unfriendly. But ya, I didn't really take it too much.

After checked-in, I dropped my luggage. Hmm, the room was not that bad, but of course narrow as shit. There were twin bed room, AC, fan, TV, shower, a super narrow toilet with a decent enough toiletries. Ya, worth for the money.

I took a shower and got ready for the Conference. Oh, I was fucking sleepy and I couldn't believe that I have to sit in a room full of researchers and listen their boring explanation with limited English. I was like, "Okay, I'm here for this shit. So, I have to do this".

Everything was ready. I walked out from my room to The Royal Garden Hotel that's not far from Chung King Mansion, and totally only relying on Google Maps. It was quite cold and windy outside, about 14 °C.

Arrived at The Royal Garden Hotel and walked into the conference room. Aaaand everyone was already in the room. I had no idea where to sit. Whoops, there were empty seat in the middle of the room. Okay, that seat belonged to me. I sat down and listened the boring explanation. Stupidly, I fell asleep for a moment till the Host asked us to move into the other room to present our research.

Kinda nervous, cause it was the first time for me to present in form of people who don't understand Bahasa at all. There were American, British, Indian, Middle Eastern, Peru, and so on. But, finally, well done. I did great. The other researchers praised my research which discussed about running the banking business by considering the environmental impact.

 Well, I got the certificate and proceeding. Unfortunately, the pictures and videos of me presenting the paper was lost because I cut it from camera to a fucking stupid Flash Disk I bought in Street Market in Hong Kong.

Ya, at least, now, when I type my name on Google Search, not only photos on my social media that appear, but also the paper with my name on it as a writer. Kinda proud of myself. Done with the conference. It's time to go sightseeing.

Actually I planned to go to Hong Kong Museum of art that day. But, I was to tired. So I went back to the hotel. At the lift, I met South African guy, Cris who is an IT Engineer. We acquainted and he offered me a night walk over Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade. And again, why not? I only live once and I was alone there. Getting a new friend would be great.

About 6 pm, we walked down the street and went to Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade. I wanted to go to Avenue of Stars, but sadly it was on renovation. So, I went to Clock Tower and walked around Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade. There was Symphony of Light along the promenade. That was beautiful, but I lost the video. :(. Cris was a kind stranger, he took me a lot of pictures. He kept contact me till about a month ago.

About 9 pm I got back to my hotel without getting any dinner.

3RD DAY

I was so excited about this day. Cause I'd go to Victoria Peak to see the whole Hong Kong from the peak. Everything was ready, full charged cameras, a bottle of water, snacks, and there was something I needed to buy, rice! Cause I bought side dish from Indonesia to save money. Cause you know, for a budget traveler, food in Hong Kong is quite expensive. I bought rice from the Pakistan restaurant about HKD 17 (but I'm not sure :D). Okay, Dora is  ready to explore!

Based on my detail research before, some articles suggested to try Star Ferry and Iconic Transportation, named Tram. Well, based on the other research, I chose to go by Star Ferry - Bus - Tramp. I got this route from Hong Kong tourism website, (http://www.hk-victoria-peak.com/how-to-go-to-victoria-peak-hong-kong-from-tsim-sha-tsui.html). Actually there were another choice to get there, but I took this route because I wanted to try both Star Ferry and Tramp, this route is quite cheaper than MTR, and I wanted to enjoy the view along the harbor.

Still with Google Maps, I walked to Ferry Pier. On my way, I met an Indonesian woman. We talked, took a selfie, then passed away.

Well, talking about the Ferry, the fare is totally cheap. It was only HKD 3.4 and you can enter the gate as simply as attaching your powerful Octopus card to the card reader on the gate. There are two destinations, Central and Wan Chai. You can check the fare and schedule here, http://www.starferry.com.hk/en/news20120614A.

At the Ferry, I met a Malaysian girl, JY. This girl is totally cool. She is a solo traveler and had been travel to almost all of ASEAN Countries, Japan, Macau, Europe and etc, ALONE. She works in New Zealand for 6 months, and travel around the world for the another 6 months. What a great young life! She lives the life I've dreamed for so long.

She also wanted to go to the Peak but by Mid-Level Escalator, while I'd go by Tram. So, we parted at Central Pier after a quite long talks and exchanged phone number.

I walked to the Public Bus Stop and waited for bus 15C. I met some other travelers and had talks. And there was it, bus 15C. It drove me to Lower Peak Tram Terminus. I bought the round trip Tram Ticket together with Sky Terrace 428 ticket for HKD 90. You can check the ticket price here, https://www.thepeak.com.hk/en/5_5_6.asp.

The queue was quite long, but I have expected that because I read some articles about this trip before.

And here is it, the Iconic Peak Tram. The world's steepest funicular railway. I was kinda scared. But, I was like "If not now, when?". This route gave me the spectacular view of Victoria harbor and natural side of Hong Kong.

From the tram last stop, you just have to walk into the Peak Tower and up to the roof. On the ground floor, there are many souvenirs shop. You are not allowed to take any picture here. But, I took some secretly. huehehe On the second floor, there is Madame Tussaud Museum, the first in ASIA. Interesting! But, I didn't go in, because it was too expensive for me, which was about HKD 250. You can get the cheaper ticket if you buy it online. Check it out here, https://www.madametussauds.com/hong-kong/en/tickets-offers/. On the other floor, there is Madness 3D Adventure. There are both free and paid spot. While, the rest are stores.

Oh, here we go! Sky Terrace 428. The first thing came into my mind was "Thank God! I love my life".

It was colder and breezy at the top. As I saw at the ticket queue, this place was also pretty crowded. You have to make a little effort to take the best spot for the best view and great pictures. Actually, there are photographers who always ready to take your picture professionally, simply by paying about HK$ 100 (I'm not sure about the price). And again, I didn't get that offer for a budget consideration. There is also binoculars there, but it's not free. You can use it after insert some coins, I'm not sure how much.

Well, why 428? Because it's 428 meters above sea level. It's the highest viewing platform in Hong Kong that offer a great 360-degree stunning town view. At night, you can see the Symphony of Light from here. And for me, it's totally worth it to spend money as I mentioned before for this beautiful view.

I enjoyed the moment for a while and took some pictures and videos. And of course, asked random people to take some picture of me. That's kinda embarrassing, but ya, what else could I do as a solo traveler.

I met Malaysian family, have a talk, took some pictures together. Then I met two girls from Jakarta. But, I forget their names. Sorry hihi.

It was around 12 pm. Surprisingly, I met Edwardo. That guy who presented his research in the same room with me. He was a 40s years old Lecturer from Peru and was undergoing college for his doctorate. He was also travel alone. And he would go back to Peru at night.

He was like "Hey, you are that girl who presented that Green Banking paper, right?". "Hmm ya! Peru?" I was a bit surprised on confused. "Well, I'm Edwardo, in case you forget". "Oh, I am Gesti."

We had talks, took some pictures together. Actually, I wanted to stay at the peak until the night comes, cause I wanted to see Hong Kong night view and Symphony of Light from here. And also, it will save my money. But then, Edwardo changed my mind. He said, "why don't we go to another tourist attraction instead of stay here till night. We both have seen the Symphony of Light last night". I was immediately agree. And, "where should we go?". He had a map in his hand and pointing on The Mid-Level Escalator.

We went downstairs to the Peak Tram Terminus. On the way down, we took some pictures at Madness 3D Adventure, of course the free one. hehe.

He bought some souvenirs at the ground floor. And straight to the Peak Tramp Terminus. We waited a while till the Tram came and drove us to the Lower Terminus.

Still relying on Google Maps and Edwardo's maps, we walked to find the Longest Escalator. We both didn't get any lunch. Somehow I didn't feel hungry at all. But, I have to eat, so I wouldn't get sick. I took out the bread and water from my backpack and ate it while walking.

It felt too far. We had walked a long way, but can't find the escalator. That time Google Maps was quite confusing. It said that it is near, but still we couldn't find it. We asked a security to show us the way and he misunderstood our words. What's funny, he show us the way to toilet. Oh god! Me and Edward nearly died laughing. While the security looked confused. hahahaha

At that moment, a young woman who was smoking showed us the way. Yes! It's not far. It's above that we couldn't see it. hahaha

Yee! Here is it. The Mid-Level Escalator. The world's longest outdoor covered escalator, which is over 800 meters and rising 135 meters through the steep hillside street, ferries nearly 80,000 people up and down everyday. What an experience to ride it!

Sadly, we couldn't ride the complete length because Edwardo had to leave Hong Kong at night. So, we walked to the Central Ferry Pier and get back to hotel. He gave me a goodbye hug and passed away. On my way into the hotel room, JY texted me that she will spend the night with her friends in Tsim Sha Tsui, near my hotel. She offered me a night walk around Temple Street Night Market before she meet her friends. Coincidentally, I needed to buy some souvenirs, and night market would be a perfect place to find some. This market about 14 minutes walk from my hotel.

Around 6:30 pm, we met at the store near my hotel and walked to the Temple Street Night Market. This is not too broad, but crowded enough. There were many souvenir shops and street foods there. Hmm, the sellers looked less friendly. But ya, let's take a try.

I was interested in Ramen bowl, chopstick, kettles and cups of Sake. So, we tried to take a look some. It was quite expensive for me, so I tried to bid the price. It's kinda hard to talk with them because as I said before, mostly Hong Kong people have limited English. And yap, she was angry and threw us away while nagging. I was a little surprised, but then JY told me that mostly Hong Kong people are less friendly. We moved to the other shops and sometimes JY helped me to bargain because she has a good Mandarin while I don't know Mandarin at all. And finally, we found a friendly seller. And I got some souvenirs with the better price.

It was around 8 pm and JY had to leave, so I walked around still hoping to find another souvenirs. And at 9 pm, I walked back to the hotel with some Ramen bowls and cute super cheap flash disks.

It was a tired day, but it's not finish yet. I had to pack all of my stuff cause tomorrow I had to laid out them in the receptionist room while check out.

4TH DAY

It was the last day. My flight was at 8.50 pm. That day, I planned to go to Kowloon Park. I went out a little bit late, about 8.30 am, cause last day was a quite exhausted. Also, I slept a bit late, cause I was too busy thinking how I pack my stuff. Cause you know, I came here with two full bags. And now I have six bowls to take home.

As the last morning, I got my breakfast and all my stuff packed and brought them all to the receptionist room. I wasn't sure the guard wants to keep all my luggage, cause her room was quite narrow and my luggage was pretty much. But ya, I kept trying. She gave an offer, she would keep my luggage and I have to pay HKD 50. Great deal! Carrying all those stuff while walking around would be a hassle.

I carried my backpack with all stuff I needed, and walked out the building. Still with Google Maps, I walked to the Kowloon Park. One of the green spots in Tsim Sha Tsui. There were many elderly who were exercising, yoga, and etc. I felt healthy for a couple minutes. I took some pictures and proceeded to the Avenue of Comic Stars. There were so many comic star sculptures and of course I took some pictures of them, while occasionally took some selfie with my action camera. Not long, an old man came over and offered to take me some of pictures. It looked like that he was walking around the get some fresh air. He was a Pakistan man who lived in Hong Kong since 24 years ago, his name is Sam. And ya, he took me a lot of pictures and took me for a walk. We walked to the Breeding Bird and Bird Lake. So many birds there. I don't know the name but in the lake there were a lot of Flamingo. Too bad, visitors were not allowed to get too close to them. Sam was so nice, but he couldn't spend more time with me cause he had to back home. Then we parted in that park.

I continued to walk and took some pictures of the town view. Then suddenly met an Indonesian woman, Mba Aya. She was also alone but visiting Hong Kong not for traveling but training. Unfortunately, she had to back to Indonesia that afternoon. So, we didn't have much time to walk together.

Tired of walking around at the town side, I decided to get back to Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade. On the way there, I met a woman who was also walking alone. We were like pointing on each other, "Indonesian?". And then laughed, realizing we are both Indonesian solo traveler in stranger country. Her name is Angel. She used to travel to many countries just to attend her K-POP idol concert. Often, alone. So far, she has been to Thailand, Japan, Korea. And she planned to go back to Thailand and Japan to attend the same concert. WHAT? It was totally blew my mind. It's the same concert. He would sing the same song. What is the difference? Airline tickets, hotel, foods, and the other travel costs are quite draining my pockets, and she has to pay for the concert ticket which would not be less than IDR 1.000.000. Another shocking fact was, she didn't have any job. OMG, her husband must be so rich and totally generous.

She wanted to go to Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai to get her ticket. Because I didn't have any idea where to go before the flight,  I decided to join her. As I said before, to get to Wan Chai, you only need to ride the ferry once and the ticket was only HKD 3.7. So, why not? Maybe there won't be a second visit, so why don't visit all the places you can. As long as it's worth your dough, of course.

Wan Chai was more like a busy commercial area with many offices of small and medium-sized companies. There were a lot of renovation everywhere, the road, the buildings. Polluted, I didn't like it much. We walked to the Convention and Exhibition Centre, not far from the Ferry Pier. The grounds around the building was quite crowded. There were a lot of travelers, both local and foreign.

Mba Angel walked into the building to do her matters and I walked around the grounds which is seaside. There was a Golden Bauhinia Statue in front of the building. I took some pictures there and walked close to the seaside and took some pictures of Tsim Sha Tsui and Central view. Interesting, isn't it? When you are in Tsim Sha Tsui, you can take picture of Central and Wan Chai view. When you are in Wan Chai, you can take picture of Tsim Sha Tsui and Central view. Too bad, the weather was not too good, a bit cloudy.

After finished her matters, Mba Angel came over me. It was already around 1.30 pm, none of us had lunch. Tried to find some food around, but none of them worth my dough. Plus, it's hard to find Halal food. Gave up with the food, we decided to take some pictures with Golden Bauhinia Statue as the background. We tried to ask for a photographer help to take our pictures with our camera. He did it. Thanks! But, cunning, he also took our picture with his camera and print it without any permission and forced us to pay. It costed us HKD 50 for one small-sized picture. That's too expensive, moreover we didn't want it.

We decided to take back to Tsim Sha Tsui to find some foods for lunch. It's totally hard to find Halal food in Hong Kong. We walked down each side of the city for almost 1.30 hours, still we couldn't find any. Mba Angel was so nice, she is Christian, she has no problem with non-halal food. But, she continued to seek Halal food for me even I knew she was hungry and tired at the same time. It was already 3 pm. Okay, I give up. There was Mc Donald at the end of the street, and we walked in. I ordered fish burger which I didn't have any idea whether it was Halal or not. Whatever, I need some energy.

After a super late lunch, we parted and walked back to our hotel. Gosh, my feet felt to be dislodged. Swollen and reddened. I took my luggage at the receptionist room and carried them all to the bus stop. I thought I ran out of the time. My bus was coming, A21, as I googled. When I sat down, the driver ask me where to go, of course, the airport. He told me that I'm in the wrong bus. OMG. Finally, I made a mistake in this solo trip. He dropped me at the nearest station. Actually, he tried to explain what bus I need to get to the airport. But he has a limited English and talked in rush that I couldn't understand him well. Then I got off the bus with all hassles with my stuff. Oh God! I have no more idea. For the first time I felt lied to by Google in this trip. I texted JY then. Stupid me, I took the A21 bus at the wrong side of the street. Oh, relieved! Thanks JY! I crossed the street and took my A21 bus which was straight to the airport. Blablabla.... The bus arrived at Terminal 2 which was terminal for Airasia airline. The first thing I did was checked-in, so I didn't need to bring this heavy luggage. Then went to Octopus counter to refund the card and got my money back. Oh, I'm so so tired. I decided to walk to the waiting room and take a sleep there until my flight called.

8.30 pm, my flight was calling. I walked into the plane and finally, I could rest my leg and take a sleep. Blablabla, my plane landed at KLIA2 at 00.30 am. Oh, I'm not at home yet :( . Still have to spend the night at the super cold Airport floor. Lucky me, there were so many people who slept there, so I feel safe. The bad thing was it's difficult to find a place to sleep. Then I decided to sleep at the floor beside the electric plugs, so I could charge my phone. Set up my alarm at 5.30 am then went to sleep.

5TH DAY

My alarm ringed, it was already 5.30 am. I wanted to check-in but the check-in counter had not opened yet. I waited until 6 am and checked-in. Dropped my luggage and waited to the waiting room. My flight was calling and I took off from KLIA2. Blablabla... I arrived in Padang. My friend, Bebe was waiting for me outside at the Airport and drove me back to her house.

And ya, I got home with tons of experiences, and photos, and contacts of new people I met in the trip. God, I'm so proud of myself. I finally checked four of my bucket lists at once, to travel abroad, to travel alone, to be a presenter in a prestigious event, and to put my name on the internet in a better term.

#travel #hongkong #solotraveler