Last month, I went on a 5-day trip to Hong Kong with my family. It was my first time to go on a trip with them and to be honest, I thought long and hard before actually deciding to go. Why? 9 people in a small Airbnb apartment. My introvert self wanted to hide in a closet and never come out. Lol.
As I’m used to traveling alone or with a small group, I have perfected a routine. I know exactly what time to leave my house, what to do when I arrive the airport, what to wear to easily make it through immigration, and all kinds of stuff. All of that was thrown out of the window.
Anxiety = 1, self-control = 0.
Everyday during that trip, I wrote little notes and observations on my phone that I found interesting, hilarious, and everything in between.
Here are my thoughts – have a blast!
1. EARLY BIRDS
Our flight to Hong Kong was at 7:00pm via Cebu Pacific. My family, bless their souls, wanted to leave our house in Antipolo by 1:30pm. So we did, and we arrived the airport at 3:00pm. Way too early for the check-in (it was still closed!!!).
Luckily, there were thousands of other people flying out that day and the extra one hour before check-in was spent queuing up to pay the travel tax.
And again, as luck would have it, we needed those precious extra minutes at the immigration. A person traveling with us was asked a bunch of questions by the immigration officer. We waited for at least another hour while she was being interviewed. This brings me to my next point…
2. BE NICE TO IMMIGRATION OFFICERS
Their jobs are not only to stamp our passports. These immigration officers protect our borders and ensure that Filipinos are not scammed, trafficked, or lured into monkey business when they leave the country. So yes, they will ask tough questions.
Smile, be kind and calm, and answer their questions truthfully and politely. My advise is do not get annoyed or angry with their extensive questioning, because you will only put yourself in a bad light. In the first place, you shouldn’t be scared if you’re not doing anything malicious.
3. MY FAMILY IS CLINGY
This is probably one of the things that tested my patience. My family wanted to stick together everywhere we went. So when one person needs to pee, the rest of us will have to look for a toilet and wait outside the loo.
It was definitely a new experience for me. I never really understood the fear of getting lost in Hong Kong. I mean, as long as you know where your meeting point/apartment/hotel is and the nearest MTR stop, you’re good to go anywhere. That’s how easy it is in Hong Kong, way better than Manila!
4. A PERSONAL OBSERVATION
I think I’ve reached a point of comfort in riding airplanes. My ears are used to the changes in pressure and I could just sleep throughout an entire flight. Awesome.
5. THERE IS NO SPACE TO SPACE OUT
We stayed in this quaint and lovely Airbnb apartment in Jordan. It was only 3 bedrooms but there were 9 of us. Some of us had to sleep on a mattress in the living room. It was crowded and as an introvert, I found it challenging to have a bit of peace in the apartment during those 5 days. Most importantly, farting was a challenge!!
6. READ THE SIGNS
After a full day at Disneyland, past 9:00 pm, we were on our way home via the MTR. My family, bless their souls, ran straight to the open train across our platform without reading where that other train was heading. It was heading to the other end of Hong Kong and not to the city center. I was the only who bothered to read the sign and thankfully, the train doors weren’t closed yet. We all laughed nervously and frantically as they dashed out of that train. Whew!
I cannot reiterate this enough. It’s not rocket science, exhaustion is not an excuse, read the damn signs.
In addition, I think the address our Airbnb host gave us was incorrect. We were able to get there because we ordered airport pick-up. However, when we looked it up on Google maps, it was an entirely different street. That little blunder caused a bit of confusion among us, but we managed.
7. EATING CHEAP & HEALTHY IS *PROBABLY* NOT AN OPTION / GOING GREEN WAS ALSO TOUGH
It is a well-known reality that Hong Kong is expensive AF. Plus, their establishments are tiny. Finding a proper restaurant for a group as big as ours was a feat. Plus, my family members are neat freaks and those hole in the wall places were a no-go.
Anyway, we managed to scour decent places and we also cooked in our apartment for breakfast. It’s cheaper that way. Which takes me to my next point –
8. NO SHAME IN HAULING CANNED GOODS FROM MANILA
YAAAS! We are your typical Filipino family. We tried to save every penny we could by bringing plenty of canned goods, biscuits, and even bottled water from Manila. No shame – just admiration for this culture.
9. NO ALCOHOL
They still don’t allow drinking even though they know we all do. Out of respect, we just don’t do it in front of them.
–
Truth be told, this is probably the most energy draining trip I’ve even been to, and I have had intense and mind-fucking work trips. I literally got sick as soon as we returned to Manila. I had colds, cough, fever – the works! – for a week.
Anyway, I think my family needs to travel more together. Not to annoy the F out of each other, but to understand each other’s quirks.
That said, this will probably be the first and last one in a long time because of my pending future plans. Nonetheless, I enjoyed their company. I had fun despite all the blunders and misadventures.