Asia
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Day 7. Happy Valley Race Course, Hong Kong
After a very short rest we left the hotel at 5.15 pm and took a tram to Happy Valley in order to spend the evening at the Hong Kong Jockey Club ‘Happy Wednesday’ race meeting. We spent a memorable evening here on our last visit to Hong Kong and were eager to return. Ground entrance costs…
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Day 8. A ferry from Central to Cheung Chau
After breakfast we hopped on the MTR to Central so that we could take a ride on the Hong Kong Observation Wheel which stands 60 metres high and has 42 cabins. The wheel has been open less than two years so we hadn’t been on it before. Tickets cost HK$100 each and there was no…
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Day 9. A Day in Macau from Hong Kong
From North Point station we took the MTR to Sheung Wan as we wished to take the Turbojet ferry to Macau. Ferries depart at 15 minute intervals on hydrofoil boats, the journey taking only one hour. A single fare is HK$164 and there is no discount offered if you buy a return. We just purchased…
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Day 10. Nan Lian Gardens, Hong Kong
After a leisurely hotel breakfast we took the MTR to Diamond Hill, Kowloon so that we could visit the Nan Lian Gardens, a haven of tranquility set amidst a myriad of towering apartment blocks. The gardens which only opened to the public in 2006 are designed in the Tang style and cover 3.5 hectares. The idea…
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Day 11. Visiting Stanley in Hong Kong and Emirates to Dubai
Our final day in Hong Kong – how quickly the time has passed by! A leisurely hotel breakfast followed by quickly packing our suitcases before checking out. It has been an enjoyable second stay for us at the Ibis North Point, a convenient location, good value and rooms with superb views, we’d certainly consider it…
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Day 12. Emirates Dubai to Manchester
Our Emirates flight touched down in Dubai 50 minutes ahead of schedule so we had a walk through the terminal before settling down with drinks and snacks in one of the cafes. The terminal seemed much quieter than when we had passed through on our outward journey. Two years ago we had a nine hour…
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Day 1. Qatar Airways flight to Kuala Lumpur via Doha
Awakening with nervous excitement as our latest travel adventure was about to take place, luggage in the car and driven to Manchester Airport in good time for checking in at the Qatar Airways desk for our flight to Kuala Lumpur via Doha. Boarding cards at the ready, there was plenty of time for a cappuccino…
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Day 2. The Berjaya Times Square Hotel and Jalan Alor, Kuala Lumpur
Immigration and Baggage Reclaim were both quick and we were soon following signs to the KLIA Express. Single tickets cost RM35 each and the journey time to KL Sentral is 33 minutes. We obtained some Ringitts from an ATM in the station before buying two ‘KL Rapid Touch ‘N Go cards’ (similar to the UK…
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Day 3. Merdeka Square and Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur
We woke early (6.00 am) due to jet lag so we were eating breakfast in the hotel’s Apple restaurant bright and early. The restaurant was on the 14th floor and sitting at a window table we had good city views. There was pretty much everything on offer for breakfast, catering for all tastes. The waiters…
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Day 3. Petronas Towers and Jalan Alor, Kuala Lumpur
At 2.00 pm we set off again, this time to KLCC Park from where we took photos of the famous Petronas Towers. Although there was still haze overhead, the tops of the towers were visible. Around the far side of the complex lies a small park with fountains and a shallow lake which seemed popular with…
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Day 4. Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur
Breakfast at the Berjaya was again enjoyable, lingering over our complimentary newspaper and several cups of coffee. We needed to get going, so we took the monorail to KL Sentral followed by a Kommuter train out to Batu Caves which lies 8 miles north of Kuala Lumpur. Batu Caves is one of the most holy Hindu…
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Day 5. The Forest Research Institute of Malaysia and the Petronas Towers at night
It was harder to wake but we still made it down to breakfast by 8.00 am. The air pollution index (API) had now risen to 191 (100-200 being unhealthy) and it was now difficult to make out the outlines of the Petronas Towers and other landmarks due to the haze caused by illegal forest fires…
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Day 6. Putrajaya, the Mitsui Outlet Park and Jalan Alor, Kuala Lumpur
After a leisurely breakfast in the hotel’s Green Apple restaurant we took a train to Putrajaya which is the administrative capital of Malaysia and a planned city. The railway station is too far from the centre to walk so we waited a short time for a bus to the main square. The bus fare…
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Day 7. A Day in Malacca from Kuala Lumpur
It was an earlier start for us as we had booked a coach tour to Malacca. After breakfast we were picked up from our hotel by minibus and taken to KLCC where we transferred to a full size coach. There were only 10 of us on the trip to Malacca, 4 Australians, 2 Taiwanese, 2…
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Day 8. Perdana Gardens and the Petronas Towers
First on our ‘to do’ list after breakfast was a visit to the Perdana Botanical Gardens, also known as Tun Abdul Razak Heritage Park. It’s a large area of parkland with several museums and the National Mosque within its grounds. The first building we came across was the Royal Police Museum, we hadn’t planned on visiting…
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Day 9. Shopping at the Mitsui Outlet Park and a return to KLIA
Our final day in Kuala Lumpur, why does the time pass so quickly when on holiday! A window table once again at breakfast and the final opportunity to savour one of the Berjaya’s delicious omelettes cooked to order. We then packed our suitcases and checked out of our hotel. The Berjaya Times Square hotel had been…
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Day 10. Qatar Airways flight from Kuala Lumpur to Manchester via Doha
We boarded our overnight flight to Doha and after a snack of chicken wraps and chocolate muffins I settled back in my seat and watched ‘The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’, the sequel to the film I’d watched on my outbound flight. It was equally good. I then fell asleep for a few hours before…
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Day 1. Manchester to Hong Kong with Emirates
A seven night holiday to Hong Kong, flying from Manchester via Dubai. We took the train from our home station to Manchester Airport and checked in for our flight to Hong Kong via Dubai. After cappuccinos in the Giraffe Cafe, it was soon time to board the huge A380 airliner. It was our first time on…
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Day 2. Tsim Sha Tsui and The Star Ferry, Hong Kong
North Point metro station was our first stop, and literally about 2 minutes walk from our hotel. We bought two Octopus Cards (similar to the UK’s Oyster Card) as we find it much more convenient and cheaper to use travel cards than have to purchase individual tickets. These cost HK$150 each including an HK$50 refundable…
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Day 3. The Peak Tram, Hong Kong
We were up early on this, our first full day in Hong Kong. We had breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant then walked the few steps to North Point Station for the metro to Central. It was then only a short walk from there to the Peak Tram station. We bought single tickets which cost HK$28…
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Day 3. Riding the Mid-Level Escalators and visiting the Botanical Gardens
Feeling refreshed after lunch and a short rest, it was back out on the MRT again to Central from where we walked across to the Mid Levels Escalators. These are a series of connected, outdoor escalators that take 25 minutes to reach the top. During the mornings, the escalators run downwards and then reverse in…
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Day 4. NGong Ping 360 Cable Car and Tai O Village
We were up early to try and avoid queues at the cable car station. We had breakfast near to the hotel at a small cafe called ‘Family Kitchen’. It was mostly frequented by locals but also served western breakfasts. Our omelettes, toast and coffee cost a mere HK$22 each. Then it was onto the metro…
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Day 5. A Day in Macau
We set our alarm for 6.30 am, had breakfast on Java Road after leaving the hotel and still managed to buy tickets and board the 7.30 am TurboJet Ferry to Macau. Two tickets cost HK$318. The journey took an hour but we then had to join a lengthy queue at immigration. It was an extremely…
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Day 6 Kowloon Walled City Park and a visit to Stanley
Our first activity of the day was to take the ferry from North Point across to Kowloon, from where we caught a bus to Kowloon Walled City Park. This small, historic park was the site of the former Kowloon Walled City, a Chinese garrison in the 19th century that remained part of China throughout the British…
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