26 March 2023
There are many must-see tourist spots in Hong Kong, but I haven't been to many of them yet. I used to tell myself every time I passed by Central Harborfront that I would ride the AIA Vitality Observation Wheel. But each time I notice the extremely long queue, I tend to back out, lol. Yet on the 24th of January, the second day of the Chinese New Year, I firmly pursued my desire to ride the enormous observation wheel since I felt that the night was still young.
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Central, the capital city of Hong Kong has a lot of beautiful things to offer, and places to visit. Aside from luxury malls, urban parks, street art, cafes, restaurants, bars, center for heritage and art, the most popular tourist spot is the AIA Vitality Park located along the Central Harborfront. But among all attractions in this park, the giant Observation Wheel stands out.
Lo and behold. Two of the giants in Hong Kong. The only observation wheel gorgeously glowing in its pink neon color and the second tallest building, IFC.
AIA Vitality Park is part of AIA Vitality company platforms for engaging with the community and tourists. This is always the busiest spot in Central, especially at night and on holidays. The park consists of the giant observation wheel, a carnival area, and the AIA Vitality hub.
Getting in isn't as easy as you think it is. At any part, the long queue is expectedly long, especially on holidays. Most people visit this place at night as it has the best view of the giant wheel and a more fun experience at the carnival. Who likes going to a carnival in daylight, anyway?
(Carnival queue)
Since it was Chinese New Year when I visited the place, these hanging Chinese red lanterns were part of the attractions.
Entering the carnival wasn't in my plan, but it is great to visit the place next time. Each part requires a separate entrance fee. I was supposed to have a curfew at eight in the evening, but at seven-forty-five, I was still in the queue, lol. I opted to ride the giant wheel that night regardless of the situation.
(Observation Wheel queue)
After queueing at the ticket booth for a little while, I received my ticket, and I was eager to board the gondola. I believed that the subsequent step would be simpler and that I could ride on the wheel right away, but as I entered the waiting platform, I was shocked to see a very long queue of visitors waiting for their turn.
Yet I didn't get bored waiting in line as I entertained myself looking at the wheel and I felt like a tiny creature underneath a giant one. The closer I got, the more enormous it became.
There was a souvenir photo booth, and of course, I didn't hesitate to line up. The photos can be downloaded but need to pay a certain amount using cards only. Although the souvenir photos can be purchased directly at the souvenir booth, they are more expensive so I opted to get the digital copy on their website using the provided QR code. However, for some reason, my card didn't work so I wasn't able to remove these watermarks. I'll gonna fix it once I have time because this will be a waste and I truly like the backdrop.
After waiting for more than half an hour, it was finally my turn to hop into the gondola. Each gondola consists of six persons (maximum of eight) so those who came solo were grouped with others. Covid protocols were still implemented at that time so wearing masks were strictly mandated, even on taking photos, especially inside the gondola.
It wasn't my first time riding a giant Ferris wheel as I rode one in the Philippines before, but HK's was the largest. This Observation Wheel is 197 Ft. tall with 42 gondolas, one of which is a VIP gondola with a glass bottom floor. I thought it would only take one rotation, but I was surprised when we had three rotations.
The 15-minute ride was enough for me to admire the beauty of Hong Kong from atop the wheel. I may have not been able to enter the carnival, but I saw it from above. It made me want to visit the place some other time and play some games similar to those I played during the good old days.
The view above was truly breathtaking. The higher the wheel was, the prettier the view. The Central Harbor, Victoria Harbor, and outlying cities can be seen from above. It was indeed a worthy $20 worth ride. Something I won't hesitate to do again and again.
The night is definitely the best time to ride the wheel. But for those who want to capture clear photos of Hong Kong cities, the day is recommended as well. It is undoubtedly great to bring a better camera to get stunning photos from the top of the wheel.
On the last rotation, although hesitant, I asked the couple if they could take a photo of me which they willingly did. With a mask though since it was prohibited to take off the mask while on the ride.
The entrance view from atop. People were like ants from the distance.
There are food stalls too along the park where visitors could eat their snacks. But the tables and chairs are limited so some usually go to the harborfront where there are benches.
It was 8:35 when my ride was done and it was truly worth it.
The carnival is just next to it separated by fences and one can only enter after purchasing a ticket.
I would definitely enter this place one of these days.
Before heading out, I took my last souvenir shot with the help of an ln old Chinese woman. This time, I took my mask off my face to capture my smile 😊 with the wheel as the backdrop.
Unexpectedly, the temperature got colder that night, especially since it's located by the harbor and the sea breeze just made it even colder. I was freezing and looked for a place to grab something hot to drink.
I grabbed a cup of hot latte and sipped it at the corner before leaving the place.
Because of the very cold temperature, I felt like I'll freeze if I stay longer by the harborfront so I went back home shortly. It was so worthwhile experience and something I will do again some other time.
I was supposed to post this on 3Speak but I forgot to make the video. So you can watch it instead on Youtube here.
Happy weekend. Thanks for stopping by.
(All photos are mine)
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