YesInn Hostel - A solo traveler's haven

As of January 2013, I have been to Hong Kong four times. The first trip was a touristy tour with my best friends, while the last three were for different segments of an exam. I had no problems with accommodations on the first trip since I was with friends, nor did I have any difficulties on the second trip as a family friend had got me a bed at a flat that served as a sort of transient home or meeting spot for overseas Filipino workers on their days off (the cheapest stay I had so far at HKD 50 per night). It was more like a boarding house with no permanent boarders.

The problem with the boarding house was that it was soooo far from everything, being in Tai Po in the New Territories. Cheap, yes, but too out of the way.

So I figured I'd find something closer to the center of everything on my third trip there last June of 2012. I had a checklist of things to consider before settling on accommodations:

1. SAFETY. I was traveling alone yet again, and to a foreign country at that. Granted I had been there twice before, but this time, I was well and truly by myself. It had to be in a safe location, with good staff and security.
2. PROXIMITY. Considering that it took about an hour by bus from Tai Po to Kowloon on my last trip for the written part of the exam, I wanted to be nearer to the city this time around. It also had to be near an MTR for ease of access.
3. PRICE. Ah, yes. I've never really splurged on any trip, especially on accommodations. I didn't want to be too cheap and compromise comfort, but it had to be worth the price I would be paying for it. As a rule, I didn't want to go over HKD 200 per night (decided on upon comparing different guesthouses' prices for single bed rooms).
4. FACILITIES. It would be a miracle indeed if you managed to score a guesthouse in Hong Kong that offered free breakfast. I was fine with free water. There also had to be WiFi since I needed to go online for some YouTube videos for review, and to be in touch with family, as well as with an old elementary classmate who had moved to Hong Kong with her family after our second year in high school who I was planning to meet up with after the exam. It had to have clean bathrooms as well.
5. ACTIVITIES. No, I wasn't planning on attending any soirees or whatnot, but there had to have been something near the accommodations for me to look into or visit after the exams were over and before flying back home. Since I was already there, why not visit some other places of interest that I had not covered on the previous trips?

With all those to consider, it was pretty hard looking for a guesthouse for myself. They were all either too pricey, too sketchy, or had way too many bad reviews on TripAdvisor.

HK Day 3 - An afternoon in rural Hong Kong, and the long way home :)

Day 3 (January 22, 2013)

Good Morning, Hong Kong!

My last day in Hong Kong started by me rising at around 6:30AM, and going out (in my jammies and slippers - yes, on that HK winter morning) to buy a microwaveable rice meal from 7-11. Really a lifesaver! Then, I went back to the hostel with my purchases, and prepared my breakfast. The hostel offered free coffee, chocolate, and tea, so I poured myself some of the coffee that was brewing on the coffee maker while the rice meal was being cooked.

HK Day 2 - THE Exam, and an evening of semi-directionless wandering :)

This day was the reason I was in Hong Kong to begin with.

My exam was scheduled for 11:20 AM, which meant I had to be at the venue by 10:40 AM, or 40 minutes before the time specified.

Because I was fortunately unfortunate enough the previous day to have boarded a bus that stopped in Hung Hom, I already knew where the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong was and how to get there. Thus, I could afford a bit of idling while I finished going over the assessment videos before heading out.

Breakfast was at Yoshinoya's - the breakfast set with either tea or coffee cost 20.40 HKD, but I added rice (my day would not be complete without it!) so the bill added up to 23.40 HKD. Went back to the hostel to get my stuff, then took the train to Hung Hom.

I was a bit surprised at how just anyone can go in and out of the university. The guard was very helpful in that even though he couldn't really speak English, he tried his best to point me to the right direction.

I arrived at the test venue at around 10:30AM. With 10 minutes to spare, I got to talk to fellow Filipinos. 2 were examinees (one was taking the exam with me at 11:20AM, and the other was there way early for her afternoon schedule). There was also a mom who was waiting for her daughter to finish her exam. They were all from Manila, so my Tagalog got challenged haha.

The exam went ok, better than the last time. Except I totally blanked out on Assessment. And to think I had been confident about Respiratory just right before the exam started! Bummer. Still, crossing my fingers for good results!!

There were 3 of us for the 11:20 schedule. The 3rd was, if I remember correctly, an Australian who was already living in Hong Kong. We headed down the building together, and talked about the scenarios we were given earlier before we parted ways at the MTR entrance (connected to the university). She gave me her email for correspondence.

I went back to the exam venue to see if Lois, the Filipino nurse I met earlier who took the exam with me, was still there but I didn't see here. :/

HK Day 1 - My 4th trip to the World City

Again in Hong Kong, but may just as well pass for a first time since I have never posted any of my pics from the previous visits hahaha.. Sorry na friends, will get around to doing so sometime VERY SOON lol. Unahon sa nako ang CamboThai :P

So this is day 1. To sum it up, I flew to Hong Kong on the same flight with Rash and Joy (na first time ra pud diay meet ni Rash lol), arrived there at around 1AM, stayed at the airport (studied, napped) til 8AM, before parting ways at the Bus Terminal to board our respective buses. Sayop na bus akong nasakyan (BUT THE INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE HOSTEL TOLD ME TO TAKE THAT BUS!!!) so I got off at another Bus Terminal in Hung Hom, which was coincidentally where the venue for my exam the following day was at.

Ran out of cushioned benches to sleep on :/