Hong Kong Sightseeing (part 1)

Our way of visiting HK may not suit you, coz I am of those type that don't know how to appreciate the museum, the zoo, gardens, temple, etc. Basically, all those that 'normal' tourists would go, we missed them.

I didn't go to the Ocean Park and the famous Disney Land. I don't like to squeeze with the crowds. I will only do that if I bring my children - suffer for them is okay. :)

Okay, what did we do in Hong Kong then? It was mainly an eating trip! Apart from eating, we went to a few places, for some reasons...

Ngong Ping 360 (昂坪360)
This is the latest attraction in Hong Kong, even newer than the Disney Land. It is opened early this year. To get there, we first took the MTR to Tung Chung station, and from there, we took the Ngong Ping Skyrail and started the journey.

I forgot to take the photo of the Skyrail. Anyway, due to the foggy condition (or hazy??!), the view wasn't good. We couldn't see far away, though the view is supposed to be attractive. It is a 20-25 minutes cable car jouney, allows visitors to glide across Tung Chung Bay and up to the Lantau Island, towards the Ngong Ping Plateau.


In the past, the only ways to go up the Lantau Island (大屿山) is by walking, or by bus - going through the snaky uphill road. It could take very long to reach up, and one may get motion sickness easily. With the Skyrail, it became a pleasant trip. But the cost was, ahem! expensive! We paid HKD 88 per person, that is without the tickets to two other attractions: Walking with Buddha (与佛同行) and Monkey's Tale Theatre (灵猴影院). I'm not that interested in those things lah!

At the end of the Skyrail, there is the Ngong Ping Village (昂坪市集), adjacent to the Tian Tan Buddha Statue in Lantau.


In the village, the first thing came to us was the Ngong Ping Tea House, like the ancient China tea house. We only took a few photos here and there, then left. Not really interested in those commercial stuff. :P


The Peak (山顶)
Watching HK movies, The Peak is always mentioned, a place couples like to go for dating, a place tourists like to go for night views... The Peak is indeed the top 3 night scenaries of the world (well, at least according to my siste - I don't have any reference!).

To get there, depends on what you'd like to do along the way. We took a different way to go there and another way to get back. We alighted at Central station (中环), had some food around there, then walked across the government buildings and the financial district, passed by the St. John church and the Court of Final Appeal (终审法院).


Along the way, my sister pointed me to this building:

She said the HK people believes in Fengshui, and this building is in the shape of a chopping knife - to go against its business rival! I wonder if it works?

Anyway, we then turned right into the Garden Road, a few minutes later we were at the Peak Tram station already. HKD33 per person. The track is 1.4km long with a gradient of between 4 to 27 degress, rising from 28m to 396m above sea level.


Look, this is the night view from atop.

Don't really know how to appreciate this, coz it was just so hazy on top there. To me, it is just another city view... a much more beautiful city than some. That's it. :P Sorry HK, no offend!

Avenue of Stars
It is at the southest tip of the Tsim Sha Tsui area. To get there, take the MTR, exit at Tsim Sha Tsui exit F, take the subway/pedestrian tunnel to the East Tsim Sha Tsui KCR Station Exit, then follow the signs. One thing good about HK is that, they have very good signboards everywhere!

At the Avenue of Stars, there are plaques, handprints of stars, sculptures, including a two-metre-tall statue of Bruce Lee.


If you can, try to arrive before 8pm, as there is a Symphony of Lights at 8pm daily, which brightens the HK skyline and can be seen very clearly and attractively from the Avenue of Stars overlooking the HongKong Island.