By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net

On a recent trip to Hong Kong, I visited a good friend of mine who lives with his family in Lamma Island, about 20 minutes by ferry from the mainland.

It was my first time there and I had this wild guess that Lamma (not Llama as I earlier thought) is filled with somewhat luxurious beach houses for vacationing Hong Kong residents. As pictured above when I boarded down the ferry, it looks more like a quiet and peaceful fishing village, away from the hustle and bustle of mainland Hong Kong.

Walking along the narrow and somewhat crowded streets, it reminded me of Sabang Beach in Puerto Galera. I learned that Lamma is famous for its restaurants. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo paid Sampan restaurant a visit during a recent trip to Hong Kong.

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CHECK out this iVDO clip that INQUIRER.net multimedia reporter took of the Disney in the Stars nightly fireworks display at Hong Kong Disneyland.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

HONG KONG is such a busy city (I remember being there on a Sunday, wondering why the heck everyone was running up and down the escalators when it was a weekend) that people almost have no time to greet each other, let alone (gasp!) give each other hugs.

These young people want to change that situation.

Check out this video clip from Reuters.

By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net

FOR those visiting Hong Kong (it’s going to get colder there soon, which means it’s a good time to visit), here’s a cheaper way to the mainland city without taking the Airport Express.

After getting out of the airport, exit to the right and walk just right across to find the S1 bus stop. Hop on it, pay HKD3.50 and go down at the Tung Chung MTR station. From there, pay about HKD23-25 (depending on which station you’re going — Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, etc.) to get to the main city. At HKD30 or less, it beats the HKD75 you pay when taking the Airport Express.

I learned about this route last week, thanks to these two Filipino settlers in HK I met at the bus stop who graciously told me about it. Otherwise, I would’ve taken this other bus that goes all the way to the city but takes an hour and 20 minutes. From Tung Chung, it’s only about 20 minutes to the city.

The Airport Express gets you straight to MTR Central station in about 15 minutes but it costs some HKD75 — in peso terms times six you save at least P200. And you get to practice riding the MTR, one of the best city train systems anywhere in the world.

Also, remember to have coins ready because buses charge exact fare. Coins are a precious commodity when you’re traveling in Hong Kong.�