The life of television actors is very busy, and if both husband-wife belong to tinsel town, it becomes even more difficult to spend time together. Since our anniversary was on February 15, I decided to surprise my wife Debina and take her for a short but romantic holiday. In this endeavour, Hong Kong Tourism Board invited us to celebrate our anniversary in their country. I accepted their invitation and got excited to visit Asia's most romantic destination, Hong Kong!
To ensure that we make the most of it, I planned each and every hour of the trip: from shopping to sightseeing, mouth watering Chinese cuisine to theme parks and exploring Chinese culture. Thanks to the tourism board, they lined up an extensive itinerary for us, which included visiting famous attractions like the Discovery Bay, Ocean Park, Harbour City Mall, Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car and the Big Buddha at the Po Lin Monastery at Lantau Island, and of course lots of shopping at the famous HK streets and seeing the nightlife.
Right from the destination to the extremely organised itinerary, I kept everything under wraps from Debina. Yes, when we reached the airport she came to know that we are going to Hong Kong but the rest was our little secret!
Day 1
We arrived by an early morning flight in Hong Kong. The immigration work, which I thought would take long surprisingly, was quick and swift due to their easy visa arrival policy. After a thirty minute drive from the Hong Kong International Airport, we reached The Mira Hotel. Our suite was decorated with flowers and a bottle of champagne was waiting for us. After getting refreshed at the hotel, we started our tour with a visit to the Discovery Bay. We took a ferry ride to reach the most beautiful yet romantic place ' Discovery Bay resort. Once we reached there, I took Debina for a short and romantic horse carriage ride along the waterfront promenade. While we were exploring the place I came across the White Chapel. It was a seaside facing Chapel and I told Debina to renew our vows. The Chapel ceremony brought back our unforgettable memories of togetherness.
To compliment the Discovery Bay further, we also experienced the Bounty Sail, a legendary tall ship with classic design. The historic dcor of the Bounty takes you back to the setting of 18th century cruise. Debina and I even did a Titanic pose while we sailed.
Keeping our wedding anniversary and Valentine's Day in mind, I also arranged a special treat for her ' nearly 200 candles were lit in a heart shape on Tai Pak Beach. After that we headed for dinner at ZAKS (Western cuisine at D'Deck) and enjoyed Disneyland fireworks in the evening.
Day 2
Our second day began with the morning buffet breakfast at the hotel. There were varieties of cheese, breads, fresh fruit juices, eggs, exotic fruits to choose from. The food at East Hong Kong Hotel was unbelievably scrumptious.
After having our heart's fill, we decided to head towards Ocean Park, a marine mammal park, oceanarium, animal theme and amusement park, situated in the Southern District of Hong Kong. We experienced the birth of a baby penguin at the Pengiun Encounter, which had opened in 2012. Newly opened attractions at Ocean Park were the 'The North Pole Encounter' and 'The South Pole Spectacular'. I was thrilled to see the exquisite Pacific walruses, seals, and northern sea lions, chattering excitedly across the water. At the South Pole, I was in the world of the rarely found penguins, including 70 penguins from three species ' endearing King Penguins, dramatic Southern Rockhopper Penguins, and Gentoo Penguins. A tip: it was eight degrees inside and it was freezing, so carry an extra overcoat if you visit. Debina was so excited 'she even wanted to take a penguin home. Guess what? After the Penguin encounter, Debina literally forced me to join her in a very scary ride. What to do husbands have to obey orders!
We wrapped up the trip by having some delicious Chinese dim-sums. I know my lovely wife was very tired so I organised a nice spa experience for her at The Mira Hotel. A blissful experience indeed! Then I took my lady love for a special romantic candle light dinner at Whisk. Since both of us like to explore different types of cuisines, a special menu was crafted for us. Degustation Menu-Voyage ' a menu which had 8 different cuisines and may I say, a travel through a slice of Europe ' with all its flavors and ingredients. We even played a game of guessing how well we knew one another after so many years of togetherness. And guys no surprise for guessing ' my wife won! And our romantic dinner was completed with a slow dance on Voh Pehli Baar jabh hum mile! I had that song specially played for Debina (I call it Hong Kong Mein Desi Song).
It was now time to experience the night life of Hong Kong. I took Debina to Ladies Market ' yes, the famous shopping destination of Hong Kong. We were fascinated to see different types of themed markets all together in one place, like sportswear, luxury goods and electronics. Hong Kong is definitely a shopper's paradise! And yes, she shopped till she dropped. We bought a lot of bags, designer clothes and some gifts for our relatives and friends.
Day 3
It was the last day of our trip and we decided to reserve it for the best ' Harbour City and the Ngong Ping 360, a breathtaking 30 minute scenic cable car ride to the tallest outdoor seated bronze Buddha at Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island. Harbour City which is located in Tsim Sha Tsui, is an ideal place to shop for your all favourite brands. But what really excited Debina and me was the chocolatier store, Godiva. And my friends, I was again carrying shopping bags. We then headed towards the Giant Buddha. We were spellbound with the view after seeing the Giant Buddha from our cable car. We even bought miniature jade Buddhas, three Gods of Prosperity, Fortune and Health and a few laughing Buddhas for my friends. Hong Kong was indeed a fun and unforgettable experience for Debina and me.(ignore if posted earlier)
Cricket
