April 4, 2013
Hong Kong Walking Tour
After a quick rest in our hostel, we were off to see what Hong Kong has to offer. My Tita's friend was our tour guide for the day and she decided to take us on a bus - ferry - tram adventure on our first day in the city.
Victoria Harbour and Avenue of the Stars
From our hostel, we took Bus 1A along Nathan Road that will transport us to the Promenade. There we begun our walking tour of the Hong Kong bay.
We alighted at the Hong Kong Space Museum along Salisbury Street and decided to check out what was in store. There were several shows and a lot of people lining up, so we decided not to watch anymore. Tickets for the show ranges from HKD 16 to 32, depending on the attractions. Standard exhibition hall tickets are at HKD 10. Discounts for students and group viewing are given. Selected days and time on each show are on English translation.
At the back of the HK Space Museum is the Hong Kong Museum of Art where different musical and art shows are presented. During our visit, Andy Warhol's art was on display right outside the building, we didn't need to purchase any tickets.
Beside the Museum of Art is the Hong Kong Cultural Center where different musical and art performances were showcased. There were no entrance fees when you enter the center and there were no performances either. There were several exhibits in the lobby that you can check out. The Cultural Center is quite similar to the interiors of our very own Cultural Center. I guess there is really a call for grand spiral staircases with chandeliers on such places.
Right outside these three centers is the famous Avenue of the Stars, situated along the Vitoria harbour and overlooking the Hong Kong island. Since the weather is not cooperating during our visit (there were occasional showers as we walked along the harbour), we were not able to enjoy walking the stretch of it. Thus, we decided to move on to the next part of our tour.
Star Ferry and Hong Kong Island
Since our tour guide wanted us to experience all the transportation in Hong Kong, we walked towards the Star Ferry terminal at the far end of Victoria Harbour. You won't miss it since directions towards it are plenty along the walkway. You will pass by the Clock Tower Beside the ferry terminal is the Harbour City, a high end shopping center in Kowloon Island. Inside of it is the terminal for cruise ships that are usually bound for Europe and other neighbouring countries.
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| The Clock Tower |
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| Beside the Star Ferry Terminal (Pirate/Junk Ship can be seen) |
Star Ferry is the cheapest transportation from the Kowloon Island to Hong Kong Island, the business center of all of Hong Kong. Fares are at HKD 2.5, and can be paid through your Octopus card. The upper deck would have the best seats for tourist since you can see all of the Kowloon island harbour once you leave the terminal.
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| The Colorful Star Ferry. We didn't ride this one though. Similar interiors on all Star Ferry. |
From the Maritime Ferry Terminal in Hong Kong Island, you will see The Hong Kong Maritime Museum. Walking through, you will pass by several tour buses in Hong Kong, mostly operated by Big Tours. Further along the road, you can choose either to take the Landmark walkway passing by the biggest Apple Store in Hong Kong and window shopping at another high end shopping center, which reminds me of Greenbelt Makati.
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| Big Bus Tour. If I remember it right, this costs you about 100 HKD for the whole trip, that will bring you around Hong Kong Island. Open upper deck, but since its drizzling (aside from its quite pricey), we dissed this idea. |
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| The Largest Apple Store in Hong Kong |
Ding ding tram and Back to Kowloon Island
The famous Ding Ding Tram or simply the tram, was the first mode of transportation in old Hong Kong. The electrical lines are located at the top of each tram, and has only limited seats, compared to the buses on the city. As usual, we went directly to the upper deck of the tram to see the roads of Hong Kong district. After seeing all of it, we decided to alight at Causeway bay station.
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| Ding Ding Tram. One of the oldest form of transportation in Hong Kong. |
Ding ding tram is different from the buses, since you only need to pay once you get off. No worries, no matter how far your travel is, the fare remains the same - HKD 2.3.
We took the MTR back to Tsim Sha Tsui from Causeway Bay. Cool breeze after Central station means that the train is below the waters, adding extra imaginations of what ifs.
Since we didn't see much of the Avenue of the Stars during the first visit, we maximized the next few hours for photo-ops. Finally, we got to see Bruce Lee's statue and the stars including Jackie Chan, Stephen Chow and Bruce Lee.
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| Foggy Hong Kong Skyline. Since at the grounds, this is the view, we also dissed the idea of visiting The Peak. |
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| Avenue of the Stars. |
After the Avenue of Stars, we also visited the Former Marine Police Headquarter, now known as 1881 Heritage, just across the Hong Kong Cultural Center. The compound is a declared monument since 1994 as it is one of the four oldest surviving government buildings in Hong Kong. The Signal Tower, commonly known as Round House, was constructed to provide time signals to ships in the harbour. It was diminished in 1907 when the time ball apparatus was removed to Signal Hill, Kowloon.
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| 1881 Heritage |
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| The 1881 Heritage Facade |
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| Tiffany & Co at 1881 Heritage. |
By 8pm, we decided that it is time to head back to our hostel since we will have a long day the next day. We just grabbed some dinner at Cafe de Coral at Mongkok (few tumblings away from our hostel) and dozed off.
Travel Tips:
1. Always be ready. During our visit in HK, weather app has been accurate. We experienced rainshowers during our walking tour, and improved when we went to the Hong Kong Island. But when we got back to Kowloon, it started to drizzle. Stash an umbrella or scarf on your bag. Invest on a small umbrella (yes, the madamot one. For one person only).
2. Food stalls are available at the Avenue of the Stars. Do not miss the grilled squid, you won't miss the stall since the smell is all over the place. However, if you want to indulge on "not-so-backpacker-style" food, you can dine at Landmark in Hong Kong island.
Up next: Foggy Day at the High Land - Ngong Ping Experience
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