A Tour to Hong Kong

After traveling Beijing and Shanghai, I headed for Hong Kong as planned. When I was young, I read lots of fictions with Tai-pans, dashing heroes & action and saw some of the Bruce Lee films. Most of them were set against Hong Kong, and I finally got the chance to explore it by myself.

Hong Kong is a mix of east and west and gateway to China, after returning to China in 1977, Hong Kong has the official name Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It is made up of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories. The most prosperous parts are Hong Kong Island and the southern section of Kowloon Peninsula.

My plane launched at Hong Kong International Airport located on Lantau Island. It was still early to check in the hotel my friend booked for me, so I went to Ngong Ping, which is on Lantau Island, not quite far from the airport. It took about 10 minutes' ride on S1 from the airport to Tung Chung Bus Terminus, which is next to the Ngong Ping Tung Chung Cable Car Terminal, the place to take Ngong Ping Cable Car. After a marvelous cable car experience for about 25 minutes, I reached the top and visited the mighty Big Buddha and the Buddhism holy land Polin Monastery. That place was called Ngong Ping Village and 3 hours past when I went down to Tung Chung Cable Car Terminal. Then I hopped on MTR at Tung Chung station and moved for the place where I was to stay. Unfortunately, the hotel was fully occupied and I was transfer to its sister hotel, the Novotel at the West Point on Hong Kong Island. Though it was not as convenient as the previous one, the service was excellent and the staff was nice. After a short rest, I proceeded on to Star Ferry, the little, double-decked boat that runs regularly between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon. So I was then transferred to Kowloon from Hong Kong Island. It was a little dark and the right time for night market, the Ladies' Market and the Temple Street. When time run to 20:00, I was at the Avenue of Stars adoring those super stars and also awaiting the Symphony of Lights. It was cloudy and misty, a good day for laser performance. Awesome!

The second day I went for the Ocean Park. The staff of the park told me that I went at the right time. It was actually on weekdays when children were in school thus there were no crowds. Those cute and lovely marine animals and their wonderful performance appear in my dreams now and then. I highly suggest this park on your Hong Kong travel agenda. This is also true of the next stop, the Peak, boasting the most recognizable views of Hong Kong. High on top of the hills, it has spectacular view of the Victoria Harbor, Kowloon and the city in general. Two ways to go up: by taxi or tram, and the tram was which I think sort of expensive yet the best way. It was beautiful up there. Whatever way you will choose, remember to go up there. When the second night drew, I was in Lan Kwai Fong, the most famous bar district in Hong Kong located at Hong Kong Island. Those bars and eateries were all westernized with simple furnishing. I was in La Doice Vita 97, drinking in the live music show. It attracts the white collars and the westerners at night. I stayed until the Happy Hour ends and went back to the hotel as the next day was kind of big day.

The next big day was spent exploring the so-called wonder land Hong Kong Disney. It was much smaller than those in Tokyo, U.S. etc, which made me a little disappointed. Anyway, it is not a bad choice for those from Asia, esp. South East Asians who are on a tight budget but yet dream of a magical Disney experience.

So much about some major spots I visited and the loose structure of the paragraphs, here comes something that may be of some practical use.

Hong Kong has excellent transportation system. The MTR has many exits to adjourning street, so passengers are exempted from walking under the sun unnecessarily. Do mark sure that when booking a hotel in Hong Kong that is adjacent to MTR stations. And do get an Octopus Card. It works pretty much everywhere except for McDonalds, 7-11 and so on. If time and money permits, consider a side trip to Macau, 15 minutes helicopter ride from Hong Kong.

In conclusion, it was a nice trip and I would love to go back Hong Kong for a second time!