Betcha by Gong Cha, Wow!

When the boyfriend and I went to Hong Kong a couple of years ago, we had milk tea everyday for five consecutive days. Instead of going straight to bed after a tiring day, we would stop by for some street food and a glass of milk tea every night. It was a little routine we had during our short vacation there.

That was, of course, way before the milk tea craze hit Manila! As you can imagine, I was craving  for milk tea like a lunatic when we came back. There was a Bubble Tea branch in Megamall, but it just wasn't the same. I missed milk tea so much that I just had to shout it out in Facebook! 

I guess the Facebook gods heard me because these days, milk tea shops are everyfreakingwhere in my beloved city! There's Teaology, Serenitea, Moonleaf, Cha Time, Sip and my super favorite so far, Gong Cha!

Have you ever tried the Wintermelon Milk Tea of Gong-Cha? It's one of their house specials and it's superb! Have them add some pudding instead of pearls, and it becomes a whole new level of awesome! I think the special milk cream on top does the trick. My mouth waters just thinking about it. Yum!

Source because I forget to take pictures when I'm too excited to eat or drink. Haha.

Oh, I just remembered that I also had this awesome Taro Milk Tea from a store near the Ruins of St Paul in Macau. I have no idea what the store's name was because everything was written in Chinese, but I hope it lands on Philippine shores soon! I think it was what got me hooked to milk teas in the first place! 

This was where we bought the best taro milk tea (ever!).
 Care to identify the name of the store for me?

As for Happy Lemon, no, I haven't forgotten all about it. The store has quite a following! Sadly though, I haven't tried any of their drinks. I hope they put up a branch near where I live because I am itching to try the Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese that everyone is raving about! 

So, what is your favorite milk tea store? Please do share so I can try as well!

Hong Kong Series: The Million Dollar Question!

For travelers staying in Hong Kong on a limited budget and time period, the million dollar question is whether to go to Ocean Park or Disneyland. I did not want to trouble myself with choosing between these two themed attractions, so I intentionally made sure that we had sufficient time in Hong Kong to see both. I am too lazy to write a long post on this, as I would like to get on  with recounting our trip and showing you some pretty pictures, so here are my two cents in bullets:

• If you have kids with you, Disneyland is definitely the better option. It has well produced shows and non-extreme rides that kids will like. If you are going as an all adult group however, Ocean Park might be more suited to your interests, unless of course, you are a kid at heart still caught up in childhood fantasies of becoming a princess or a cheesy drama queen who still believes in happy endings and magic.
• Some parents argue that Ocean Park is more educational, but then again, are you in Hong Kong for a vacation or for education? Give them kiddos a break! I first experienced the magic that is Disneyland when I was 7 or 8 and I tell you, I felt like the luckiest kid in the world! My cousin, who was in her early adult years at that time, had tears in her eyes when we watched the Fantasmic show in Disnelyand, California.
• Disneyland is definitely more expensive, no question about the price tag. Tickets cost 350 HKD each, while Ocean Park's are just about 250 HKD. You can get the tickets at a cheaper price though, if you know where to look! See where we bought our discounted tickets in my previous entry.
• Food and souvenirs are miles better (but more expensive of course!) at Disneyland, but you are not there for the food, are you? Besides, souvenirs from theme parks are overrated.
• If you have been to Disneyland elsewhere, you might get a tad disappointed. Disneyland Hong Kong is smaller and it has fewer attractions than its Western (probably even, Eastern - ever been to Japan?) counterparts.
• If you have ocean/marine parks in your home country and have never stepped foot on any Disneyland, go to Disneyland! Ocean park has a lot of adult rides, but they are not unique in any way. If you are residing in the Philippines for instance, you can get the same thrill riding Enchanted Kingdom's Space Shuttle and you can learn all the marine life lessons you want in the ocean parks of Manila and Subic.

I personally enjoyed Disneyland more than I enjoyed Ocean Park, but I may be biased, because I went to the former on my birthday and the boyfriend made me feel like a princess that day.  It was also Philippine-summer-hot-and-humid the day we went to Ocean Park, so we spent quite some time bitching about the heat and called it a day even when the afternoon was still so young. So yeah, I blame my not enjoying Ocean Park so much on the weather!

What about you? Ever been to Disneyland and Ocean Park in Hong Kong? Which would you recommend?

Hey Big Spenders!

In preparation for our upcoming HK-Macau trip, the boyfriend and I went mall hopping to shop for some travel "essentials." I wonder if what we got were really essentials though. The wallet damage is severe, I tell you.

To start off everything, we filled ourselves silly with food at Cajun Red Rock, Megamall.

Look, free buttered popcorn as you wait!

Not so tender Chicken Tenders.

Bountiful Platter Feast. It's all Pork! 
Breaded Porkchop with bland Alfredo sauce,
 nice and creamy Pork Steak and
 sweet Bourbon chops. Filling, but forgettable.

Yummy hashbrowns with herbs and spices!

Total wallet damage for pre-shopping food: Php 800.00 (approximately $17)

We hardly finished the food and had no room for dessert anymore so we proceeeded to buy the things that we would be needing for the trip.

I know that I would be doing a lot of walking in HK and in Macau so I looked for a comfy pair of shoes as he looked for some camera equipment. I wasn't planning on spending much on shoes, but I couldn't resist the comfort of Italian made leather shoes so I got this very comfortable pair from Pab Der uomo.

Basic, but comfy shoes for everyday wear.

Total wallet damage for comfy Pab Der uomo shoes: Php 2780 (Approximately $60)