Going to Hongkong Disneyland for a family trip .𖥔 ݁ ˖! | 2:

Previously on "Going to Hongkong Disneyland for a family trip .𖥔 ݁ ˖"...

"Great. What are we gonna do for the next 3 hours now?" I dejectedly say.

"Well, we could find the nearest Jollibee..." Mum mindlessly states while searching for the nearest Jollibee in Google Maps, and there's a brief moment of silence. She looks stern as her index fingers do a series of scrolling before exclaiming "THERE'S ONE 3 MINUTES AWAY."

"Really?? WHERE?!" 

"It's in Tsuen Wan West... exactly where we are right now." We both stare at each other, then without a moment to waste, starving and desperate, head to the Jollibee. The automatic sliding doors move out of the way to reveal frigid air, sending goosebumps down my whole body. A step outside and we're both crossing our arms, shivering. But no pain no gain. We are hungry. We are freezing.

But we must push through.

So we power on through the cold, which feels like we're inside of a fridge and we're just chilling away like ice cubes. At this point, I could actually turn into an ice cube if I stay outside for any longer. Frantically, we search and hunt for a bee with a red backdrop anywhere. We pass by McDonald's, KFC, a few more shops but... no luck. It wasn't until then that the map lead us into a tiny mall right after the fast food chains that we saw on the way. "Apparently Jollibee's supposed to be..." Mum slowly points to the tiny mall's direction. "There."

"Well what are waiting for them?? Let's go, I'm dying out here."

*

Our walking pace quickens, both of our sets of eyes fixated straight ahead, eyes on the prize. We step forwards onto the elevator as it lifts us up, and slowly but surely, as the elevator is getting us closer and closer, I spot red... I practically gasp aloud like an animated cartoon character. "MUM. IT'S RIGHT THERE. JOLLIBEEE!"

I lose my mind at an instant as my legs carry me away into a near sprint. I'm fully aware that I may be overreacting and to the people walking by, I seem like a maniac yelling "JOLLIBEEE!", but this is what hunger - and missing your childhood food - does to you. As I enter the restaurant, the faint smell of a typical Jollibee kitchen hits me like a truck. Every memory I've kept of Jollibee over the years I now recall into my mind, from the aroma of crispy Chickenjoy, and if it made sense, I could imagine the taste of tasty delicious fried burger steak doused in gravy and mushrooms... I can feel my mouth watering already. And based on what Mum's expression is telling me, I can sense that she feels no different. Both our faces are plastered with a huge grin. A Filipina* at the counter notices us, and stomachs empty, energy depleted, we both take our orders. 

*A Filipina is a term for a female filipino

"One Double Burger Steak and one Chickenjoy please."

Although I may seem like I'm not, in the inside, I'm freaking out. I'm glad this is fast food, because they serve food fast. I need that Burger Steak ASAP. I try my hardest not to think about the meal that's going to be served to us in a few moments, but when you haven't tried it for years and miss it a lot, it's very difficult to do so. 

Eventually, the Filipina who took our orders calls out our order number. "Number...", she scans the number from the receipt, "58?" Mum stands from her seat, acquires the food, and sets the food onto the table. Like a predator keeping an eye on its prey, I gaze intently at the packaging that reads "Burger Steak", and it just sits there, on that tray, almost like it's begging me to open it. Or more like, it's me who wants to open it. But, I open the packaging carefully, and its contents reveal exactly how I remembered it, a stack of 2 burger steaks atop of each other, covered in gravy sauce and mushrooms, and on the side, an enormous, and I mean ENORMOUS pile of rice. It's extremely large in portion almost to the point where 2 or 3 people could divide it into equal portions and eat it. 1 person, even a starving one, wouldn't be able to finish this. The rice is more than the food! "That's a lot of rice...", I say. Mum bends forward to see my food, since we're both facing each other. "You have to finish it, because we won't be eating after this." 

I gulp uncertainly for help.

But a Double Burger Steak meal is a Double Burger Steak meal. Even if it's a concerning pile of rice, I'll still eat it anyway. Mum and I both dig in into our meals. I quickly cut a piece of steak, scoop some rice, and before you know it, I devour the 2 pieces of steak at a worrying rate. Mum doesn't seem to mind though. That, or she's probably wolfing down her meal too. "It's sooo goodd...."  I say between mouthfuls of food. Mum grins. "You like yours? Mine's good too~" 

I finish my meal until I'm the exact opposite as I was before then, completely stuffed. I may be full, but I am satisfied. I pat my stomach. "That was a good meal." Now, even though I've finished most of my Burger Steak, there's one matter that can be addressed. The rice that remains. And there's a lot of it.  "Do I... have to finish it?"

"Yes. You do." 

The only thing that I can do in this situation is to either not cooperate or just give up, so I might as well do the latter option. With a sigh, I grab my spoon and start eating once more.

 3 hours (of mall hopping) later ...

At this point in time I'm quite exhausted after all that browsing, and my legs feel like jelly. And Mum feels the same. And there's not only that to consider. So, this family trip is not just going to be me, Mum and Ninang in it. My relatives, all coming from Thailand, are gonna be joining us on our time in Hongkong Disneyland!! And apparently, they'll be arriving in Hongkong to meet us here approximately at night time. So Mum and I have to check in right now to unpack all our items, and make the room clean and spotless so that they'll come in the room, exchange greetings, shower, and sleep after their 3 hour flight.

After checking in and a lift up via elevator later, we arrive at level 37, and since this company is grand and (according to what I've seen so far) wealthy, level 37 is basically halfway up the whole building. There's a whopping 70 levels in this building that we're in, all filled with hotel rooms by the way. And Mum still said to me that this hotel is normal for her... 

The key cards were actually smaller than I anticipated heh

She swipes her square-shaped key card and clicks the door open. It reveals a spacious room with a modern interior for its layout, along with 2 huge beds, both of which look super comfortable to rest on since my back is killing me. "Wow... it's so nice." My eyes wander around the room in astonishment. The first thing that crossed my mind when I saw the bed was laying on it, so without even thinking, I flop myself onto the bed, and I practically sink into it. "Sophia, I think since they're coming soon, we need to keep this place super tidy, so I don't think you should lay down on it." Mum says. "Ahh... okay."

"Why don't you help me unpack?"

I nod in agreement as I sit up straight from my laying position. 

"I'll help." 

At this point in time, the night creeps in. Our view from the window is narrow roads with bright tiny dots that represents cars, and massive - but not as tall as our hotel - buildings that fill the landscape. In Queenstown, since that place is more filled with green rather than your typical city layout, you could never find anything like this there. So I admire the view all at once, and peek downwards. Exhaling, my breath stains the window I'm peering at below with steam, blurring my perspective. I rub the steam off with my index finger, and continue to attentively observe the city life in Tsuen Wan West.

A notification pings in Mum's phone, and she picks it up. She scans the text, and my heart skips a beat. Could the notification have something to do with my relatives being close to our hotel?  I can't help but wonder. "THEY'RE HERE!!" Mum exclaims. We don't even think. We put on our shoes and rush to the elevator, and during the journey, I nervously fidget with my fingers.

An excruciatingly long time later, we finally reach the ground floor. My heart rate is rapidly speeding up, and as I walk out of the lift, I spot... 

My uncle. And following him is my auntie, held on one arm is my cousin nicknamed Cubby, and my grandma.

"TITO RAM!!" I wrap my arms around him into a tight embrace. I do all the same for my other relatives. "Tita Pretty, Mamu, and Tito Ram I've missed you guys so much!"

We all exchange warm greetings, and I'm so overjoyed by meeting them I forgot I was even tired in the first place.

~ Thank you for reading! See you next week! ~