2013 - Hong Kong (III)

Day 30 - October 8, 2013  – 香港一日游 One Day Trip in HK

KOWLOON PENINSULA

Today, I did not take the metro. I decided to visit HK by feet starting on Nathan Road @Yau Tsim Mong District to...

Yau Ma Tei (油麻地)

Do you recognize this building? Yes, it is the Police Station. It is often filmed in the TVB series because of its Edwardian architecture. Built in 1893 at the junction of Shanghai Street and Public Square Street then relocated at Canton Road in 1922.

Built in 1870, Tin Hau Temple is the largest temple in Kowloon. Tin Hau means Goddess of the Sea. It was rebuilt in 1890 due to a destruction caused by a typhoon.

Tsim Sha Tsui (尖沙咀)

Comic Stars Avenue is hidden in the Kowloon Park, biggest park in Kowloon. 

TST Waterfront Promenade is built in 1982. Every night at 8PM, there is the Symphony of Lights for about 20 minutes (I missed it...). TST Promenade is the perfect spot to catch this show and the nighttime panoramic view of Hong Kong Island including Victoria Harbour.

Opened in 2004, "Avenue of Stars (星光大道)" is located on the TST Promenade. This site is built to pay tribute to oustanding professional of the Hong Kong's film industry and to promote tourism industry. The main statue was under renovation.

Located at the Star Ferry Pier, the Clock Tower, measuring 44 meters high, is the landmark of Kowloon.

HK Cultural Centre.

Most of the museums are located at East Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to visit any museum due to lack of time.

HONG KONG ISLAND

Central District (中環)

Besides taking the metro or driving from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island or vice-versa, you can take the Star Ferry from Tsim Sha Tsui to Central District or to Wan Chai and vice-versa. The fare is also cheaper than taking the metro.

Lan Kwai Fong is known as the iconic stretch of pubs and bars in Hong Kong Island. Next time I have to go grab a drink with some friends during nighttime. (Sorry, no picture taken).

Queen's Road is the first built road in HK. Located in the middle of the financial district, it is always crowded.

Mid-Level Escalator is the longest escalator in the world. It goes from the Central District  up to the Hill. It takes approximately 15 minutes to walk down the stairs. There is a machine which gives you 2 HKD to add in your octopus card for environmental. The escalator goes down from 6AM to 10AM and goes up from 10AM to midnight daily. It is free.

From Central District, I took the "Ding Ding Tram (叮叮車)" to Victoria Park. It is a double-decker tram.

Causeway Bay (銅鑼灣)

Victoria Park is the largest park in Hong Kong Island and opens 24 hours. It features a children playground and many sports facilities. 

From Victoria Park, I continued until Wan Chai. On my way, I saw a big IKEA logo. I thought that it is a banner for advertisement. Unlike the usual size of Ikea warehouse, it is actually an Ikea store. Then, I had an ice cream at Haagen Daz and went to Toys R Us at Windsor House, a shopping mall in Causeway Bay (銅鑼灣).

Wan Chai (灣仔) 

Golden Bauhinia Square:
The bauhinia is the emblem of HK. This Golden Bauhinia is a gift from Central Government to mark the 1997 Handover.

The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre is a landmark of Hong Kong Island skyline.

I took the Star Ferry from Wan Chai to TST. Then shopped around on Nathan Road until I met my friends.

Have you ever had Dim Sum at 9PM?

After my late supper, my friends and I walked down to Knutsford Terrace, also known as Kowloon's Lan Kwai Fong (sorry, no picture taken). We walked back on Nathan Road.

Sources:
HK - Leisure and Cultural Services Department
Discover Hong Kong

2013 - Hong Kong (I)

DAY 28 - October 6, 2013 - The Peak

This morning, I had to wake up early to catch the first train to Hong Kong at 8:19AM. I simply do not like how the system works: Chineses do not line up.

I arrived at Hung Hum Station (紅磡站) at 10:17AM. I reloaded the Octopus Card at the Seven 11 and took the metro to Shamrock Hotel. At each metro station, there are young workers helping and guiding the tourists near the turnstiles or the tickets machines. After the check-in, I purchased a HK$50 SIM card. Therefore, I contacted my friends.

Shortly, my friends met me and showed me around. We had lunch together.

Round 1:

Round 2@Yee Shun Milk Company:

Following lunch, we passed by Temple Street (廟街). Merchants were setting their shops to be ready for the night market.

We went to The Peak in Hong Kong Island. There is a shopping mall: The Peak Galleria (山頂廣場). We ate egg tart (蛋撻) at Tai Cheong Bakery. Introduced in Hong Kong in the 1940s, egg tarts have become very popular ever since and come with many variations. In 2011, egg tart was classified as number 16 on World’s 50 Most Delicious Foods complied by CNN Go.

Then, we walked a loop on the mountain which takes about 45 minutes. We left around 5PM. It started to get crowded. There are bars and lounges. Apparently, the best time to go to The Peak is at sunset, around 5:30PM. To go to The Peak, you can either drive or take the shuttle train from Central (中環).

I had dinner at my godmother’s family. On my way back to the hotel, I passed by the night market at Temple Street (廟街). There are lots of shops. Beware of pickpockets.

Sources:
Hong Kong food: 40 dishes we can't live without

2013 - Guangzhou, Guangdong, China (IV)

DAY 25 – October 3, 2013 - Ordinary Day

Today was a relaxing day. I woke up at around 11 AM. I had lunch at Macau Street restaurant with other family members.

Late afternoon, I visited a fashion studio.

DAY 26 - October 4, 2013 - Liwan District

This morning, I visited Liwan District (荔灣區): Shamian Island (沙面島) and Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street (上下九步行街).

Shamian literally means "sandy surface" in Chinese. The land covers an area of 27,000 square meters, 900 meters from west to east and 300 meters from north to south. The island was connected to the mainland by two bridges. From Song to Qing Dynasty, Shamian was served as an important port for Guangzhou's foreign trade. After winning the Opium War, the territory was divided into 2 concessions given to France and United Kingdom; 4/5 belonged to the British and 1/5, to the French. From the 18th to mid-19th century, Shamian was the only location where foreign traders were permitted to set up their warehouses and factories. Today, Shamian is famous for its multitude of Western style buildings left over from history. The European architecture makes the island a prime destination for photo shooting.

(Pictures to come)

Between Shamian Island and Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street, there is a street with many pet shops
selling fishes, turtles, dogs, cats. There exists a type of fishes called rainbow fish. They are colorful and attractive. Do not purchase any of them. Apparently, the color on these species fade away once you bring them home. The sellers dye the fishes.

At Shangxiajiu, I finally tried some snacks (小吃) at Lin Lin (林林).

Then, I had Dimsum a Lianhualou (連花楼).

In the afternoon, I left to Longmen (龍門), a county located 2.5 hours from Guangzhou by car. We had supper in a restaurant.

After the hotel check-in, we went to karaoke located in a different floor. The karaoke room includes a dancefloor served by 2 employees.

DAY 27 - October 5, 2013 - 1 Fish 5 Dishes

It was the first time I had breakfast on the street. I had freshly made Rice Noodle Roll (腸粉) from the little oven.

Following the morning meal, we went up to the mountain. We took a boat ride while enjoying the beautiful landscape.

Time to prepare food:

(Look carefully: these chickens have beard.)

For lunch, we had fresh vegetables, 1 big fish cooked into 5 different dishes and 1 beard chicken. We were 14 people and could not finish eating the food on our table.

Following lunch, we returned to Guangzhou. I had my last supper at J M Chef, in Shamian.