As I had so much time left to play with and staying in the city was expensive I decided I would do another long distance hiking trail, this time the Maclehose Trail. I planned it so that if I left on Sunday morning, I would return on the Wednesday ready for the England v Croatia game. At 100km in length the Maclehose Trail was described as taking in 8 different country parks with landscapes including rugged peaks, remote valleys, and ocean Coastlines. The trail started in a place called Pak Tam Chung, which was served by buses only on Sundays. Like with the Lantau Trail, there were marker posts every 500m, and the trail was split into 10 sections. I arrived into Pak Tam Chung about 11am, and after looking round the visitor centre I set off.
I soon entered the Sai Kung East Country Park where I followed this road along the edge of the High Island Reservoir. There were some great views along the way of the reservoir with the backdrop of the hills, as well as occasional views of the many harbours and coastline the other side. I eventually reached the East Dam which was home to some rather impressive geological features including this huge wall of reddish hexagonal rock columns, a legacy of volcanic activities 140 million years ago. Part of the cliff even showed the effects of earthquakes with the rock columns noticeably bent! There was also a sea cave and a large stack near the dam too.
I then headed up and over this hill to Long Ke, getting a great birds eye view of the cove as of descended down to the beach. I stopped there for lunch. I then had my biggest climb of the day to the 314m lookout of Sai Wan Shan which presented me with more brilliant coastal views and also some views of the reservoir from above. I then dropped into Sai Wan which is often referred to as ‘the back garden of Hong Kong’, due to its turquoise waters and pearly white sands although I instead had a massive downpour upon arrival so it more like black clouds and empty beach. It did clear eventually and I pressed on towards to this stream which had these waterfalls you could jump off. It was very busy there though so I continued onto Ham Tin where I had a nice swim in the sea to cool off there instead. I also set up camp there with the beach permitting freedom camping, although I did have several dogs and cows for company!
The next morning I set off relatively early, soon arriving in Pak Tam Au. En route I got more great views of the coastline, although when passing through this abandoned village I got stuck behind this group of cows which were walking single file down the narrow path. From Pak Tam Au I began some more serious climbing, heading up and over 4 mountains around about 400m high. There were brilliant views looking out towards some of Hong Kong's more remote islands. I did have a slight mishap on one of the descents though, taking quite a nasty fall whereby I fell forward on this rocky decline and hit my head on one of the rocks. Luckily I survived with just bump on the head and a few scratches, but it certainly could have ended a lot worse!
I eventually decended into Kei Ling Ha for lunch. I had a little scare shortly after lunch however, nearly treading on a snake. I'm glad that woke me though as not long after I came across another much larger snake which I soon found out was a cobra, something you definitely do not mess with. Unfortunately I had to mess with it as it was blocking the path, and after making my presence known it eventually went into the bushes, although I don't think it was very happy as it was hunting this frog so I probably interrupted it's lunch. After those small mishaps I continued climbing up the eastern face of Ma On Shan, where the views were absolutely stunning when reaching the saddle. I followed the ridgeline from the saddle, where the views just kept on coming and coming in all directions. I made it to my campsite late in the afternoon in the end so it was quite long day, although not long after arriving it started pouring with rain so I was stuck in my tent all evening.
It pretty much rained all night but luckily by the morning it had stopped somewhat, although it was still pretty overcast. I set off early once again with a big day planned, snaking my way along this ridgeline via Tates Cairn and Temple Hill. There was however a massive downpour which I got caught out in, although luckily by the time I later reached the 495m peak of Lion Rock it cleared and I got great views looking over the city, the closest the trail reaches proper urban Hong Kong. I continued along the ridgeline via Beacon Hill, the city skyline visible for large parts, before decending down towards this reservoir.
The following section just followed this road along this reservoir, before leaving the road and heading over to the Shing Mun Reservoir. I saw lots of monkeys along the way, as well several war relics including these old tunnels which were all named after streets in London. I stopped for lunch at the reservoir, and also to dry my tent out as by that point the sun was well and truly out. After lunch I began climbing again up to the 534m summit of Needle Hill which was incredibly steep, before decending down to this road which I then followed up to the 647m summit of Grassy Hill. It was a really draining couple of climbs as the humidity was really bad so it took a lot out of me.
From Grassy Hill I decended down to the Lead Mines Valley. The 957m summit of Tai Mo Shan which was my next climb looked very daunting as I decended, which was the highest mountain in Hong Kong. Tai Mo Shan is meant to be wettest and coldest part of Hong Kong, although I was lucky enough to have completely blue skies. The climb was actually pretty gradual which was nice, and the views up top were absolutely stunning. I'm pretty sure you could see the entirety of Hong Kong, and you could also just about see the skylines of Macau, and the cities of Shenzen and Zhuhai in China. I then decended down the other side to my campsite, and I had the luxury of a stream to swim in unlike the previous night which was definitely much needed! I was pretty spent upon arrival though, although on reflection I covered a pretty considerable distance and did a lot of height gain in what was very intense heat and humidity.
I left not long after sunrise the following morning, and much of walk was relatively flat through nice and shaded woodland which meant I barely broke a sweat. As it was so shaded there wasn't really much to see, but later on in the walk I got some great views of the Tai Lam Chung Reservoir before finally following this water catchment path above the town of Tuen Mun. I eventually dropped into the town and that marked the end of the trail, finishing just in time for lunch. After lunch I caught the metro back into the city where I just relaxed for the rest of the day, heading out to watch the England v Croatia game later that evening.
As the England game was one of them 2am kick offs again and it went to extra time it was another particularly late night, and I didn't really feel like doing much the following day. My legs were actually quite stiff as well after the hike so it was nice just to relax. On Friday the weather was awful so I couldn't really go very far, and the following day it was still a little iffy but I decided I would just go out and face it as it was my last day, catching the ferry over to Hong Kong Island where I looked round the Causeway Bay area as well as exploring some of the areas I visited before. There were constant showers all day though which prevented me from going back up Victoria Peak again to see the skyline at night which was a shame, although I did treat myself to a nice meal in the evening instead.
On Sunday morning I started my journey back to London to surprise everyone which I managed to keep a relatively well guarded secret. I informed most people I was going to Manila which was true, but from there I connected to another flight bound to London. The weather in Hong Kong was still horrendous though when leaving but it was a pretty smooth flight and when landing in Manila I transferred without any major problems, although they did scan my luggage a further two times so security was pretty tight! The flight to London was actually really comfortable with on flight entertainment and nice food by plane standards, getting 3 meals during the flight to add to the 1 meal in the previous flight. I also ended up watching 4 films by the end!
When arriving into London at about 8pm there was basically no security so I just walked straight into the country. I forced myself to stay awake on the entirety of the flight which meant by the time I managed to get some sleep it was during UK night time despite my body clock thinking it was Hong Kong morning time, hence minimising the effects of jet lag. It wasn't the most comfortable of nights though! I booked a cheap bus from Heathrow to Victoria Coach Station a few weeks prior and headed there not long after sunrise. When arriving at Victoria I had a little wander round London before waiting my prebooked train from Victoria to Lancing up in wetherspoons. Typically it was cancelled although luckily I managed to get on the one before without anyone questioning me, arriving home by the afternoon to surprise everyone!
Wednesday, 18 July 2018
Wednesday, 11 July 2018
Hong Kong (part 2)
As I had so much time to play with in Hong Kong I decided I would attempt one of the long distance hiking trails. With 4 to choose from I decided to do the Lantau Trail over on Lantau Island, which is the largest island in Hong Kong. Lantau Island is linked to the mainland by several road and public transport links though and is home to some of Hong Kong main attractions including the Disneyland Resort and the Ngong Ping Cable Car. The hike itself was split in 12 stages officially starting and finishing in the small village of Mui Wo, although I decided to start in Tung Chung and walk to the village of Tai O at stage 7, and finish in Tung Chung by leaving the trail at Ngong Ping at the end of stage 4. This effectively meant I was missing out on stages 5 and 6.
I didn't start hiking until after lunch, catching the metro from Tsim Sha Tsui to Tung Chung, before following this path called the Tung O Ancient Trail to Tai O. It took a while to negotiate my way out of Tung Chung which was full of bridges and subways, but when I reached this old fort it wasn't long until I left the high rise behind and started following the coastline. I passed several small temples and little villages, and on the adjacent island was the airport so I often got great views of the planes taking off. I also got some great views of this bridge they're constructing to link Macau to Hong Kong by road. It's actually quite a feat of engineering, whereby they've created two artifical islands in the sea linked by bridges to Macau and Hong Kong, and then tunnelled between the two artifical islands! When you think the two places are over 40 miles apart it's actually quite impressive what they're doing.
Eventually I reached the village of Tai O, the path into the village a particularly picturesque stretch of coastline as I'd well and truly left behind the city and airport by then. Tai O was a sleepy fishing village which the locals affectionately compared to Venice as many of the houses were built on stilts by the river. It was a lot poorer than the city, with many of the locals selling things like dried fish. I explored for a couple of hours before finally joining the Lantau Trail, soon reaching my campsite for the night which was actually a really well maintained site. There was even this small stream with a waterfall where there was a pool just deep enough to cool myself off in.
The following day I left early bright and early, soon arriving in the small farming village of Yi O. Upon arrival it said the path ahead was closed but I just went with the flow and I got through no problems, heading through this valley to the village of Fan Lau. Apparently there was a short detour to an old fort there although I couldn't find the path to get there, and after coming across a snake I thought I better just stick to the main path! The next section followed the coastline on an undulating path way above the water before eventually heading inland to the Shek Pik reservoir. I got my first glimpse of the cloud covered Lantau Peak and the Tian Tan Buddha Statue from there which I hoped to reach later in the hike.
I then headed back towards the coastline getting some more great views, before dropping down to Lo Kei Wan which was this really nice secluded beach and campsite, accessible only by foot. I stopped there for lunch and a swim to cool down as it was an incredibly humid day. After lunch I headed back up again via the village of Shui Hau before eventually reaching this concrete path adjacent to this water catchment system. The subsequent section was nice and flat, following the concrete path which had views of the beaches and villages below one side, and the mountains, all be it cloud covered mountains, on the other. After a good couple of hours following the water catchment I dropped down into the village of Pui O which seemed very popular with locals visiting the beach for the day. I had a rest there before continuing on a short way to my campsite which was another streamside campsite in the woods, just the right size to go for a nice and refreshing dip!
The next morning I set off bright and early again with the aim of the day to get to Ngong Ping via the mountains. I decided the previous night that I would take a shortcut which essentially saved me from decending to the village of Mui Wo just to climb back up again. When arriving at Nam Shan I began to start climbing more seriously towards the 869m summit of Sunset Peak. The path reminded me of the Inca Trail a bit with it being long stone staircase which seemed to go on forever. When I got out of the treeline I got my first views of the Southern Lantau Coastline, although they didn't last long as I soon went above the cloudline and there wasn't really much to see at all from there. When reaching the summit I didn't stay long, although I did enjoy the breeze up top on what was another very humid day. I had a somewhat steep and gruelling descent from the summit to Pak Kung Au nestled in this valley, which is where I stopped for lunch.
After lunch there was a massive thunderstorm, although I luckily found shelter before pressing on up to the 934m summit of Lantau Peak. It was a lot steeper climb than Sunset Peak, initially getting views of the surrounding area before heading back into the cloudline again. When reaching the summit there really wasn't much to see although there was a small stone shelter where I was able to shelter from the rain. The descent into Ngong Ping was again steep and also slippery, and when arriving in the village I found a nice cafe to shelter in. The rain eventually did clear and I had a look round the visitor centre, although I decided to save exploring Ngong Ping properly until the following day as it was still very overcast, heading the short distance to my campsite.
On Tuesday I had a more relaxing start to day as I wanted to visit the main attractions in Ngong Ping and they didn't open until 10am. One of the most popular tourist attractions in Hong Kong is the Ngong Ping Cable Car which goes from Tung Chung where I started hiking from up over the mountains into Ngong Ping which sits about 500m above sea level. On a clear day the views from Ngong Ping are meant to be stunning, although as with the previous day is was a very overcast day so there wasn't really much to see. I firstly checked out the Wisdom Path which was these 38 wooden poles laid out like an infinity sign symbolising something to do with Buddhism; I didn't really understand what though. I then went up to the Tian Tan Buddha Statue, which was literally only visible from within a few metres! It's meant to be the largest sitting Buddha Statue in the world and you were able to go inside which was cool.
Shortly after decending from the Buddha Statue there was a thunderstorm, although luckily I managed to get shelter whilst it passed over. I then visited the Po Lin Monastery. The complex had a series of temples and some of the interiors were very ornate, you weren't allowed to take pictures though. I then had a look round Ngong Ping Village which they described a cultural village experience but it was incredibly tourist orientated. Some of the shops were quite interesting to look round though. I then finally made it to the cable car, although I followed this path called the Ngong Ping Rescue Trail back down to Tung Chung. It was actually a really undulating path but the further I descended the less cloud cover there was and there were actually some really nice views as I went down. It was very slippery going down though!
When making it back to Tung Chung I had lunch, before catching the metro back to Tsim Sha Tsui where I planned to base myself again for the following few days. I had a chilled out rest of the day, although I did go out and watch the England game where I managed to find a pub with a really lively atmosphere. I didn't get to sleep until about 6am though, and I didn't really get much sleep as some idiot in my dorm kept snoozing his alarm clock from about 9am for ages which is always something which really frustrates me. I didn't do much during the day, heading out to West Kowloon to check out the views of the harbour from there, as well as stumbling across this really interesting museum about South East Asian architecture and culture which I was really able to relate to as I recognised several of the places. Come evening I crashed out pretty early as I was absolutely exhausted.
On Thursday I went and checked out a few of the temples, catching the metro to Diamond Hill and then walking back to Tsim Sha Tsui via some temples which seemed worth seeing. First stop was the Chai Lin Nunnery which housed these beautiful gardens full of rockeries and Chinese pavilions. I then went to to the Wong Tai Sin Temple which was apparently the most visited complex by locals in Hong Kong. It was certainly very busy and the complex had some fascinating statues and more nice gardens to explore. After that I grabbed some lunch before heading to the Kowloon Walled City Park which historically was an old fort but nowadays a Chinese Garden full of these pavilions. There was still evidence of the old fort though. I then headed back to Tsim Sha Tsui via Mongkok and relaxed for the rest of the day. The following day was a horrendous day in terms of weather so I couldn't really do much other than look round the shops which was frustrating.
On Saturday it was still a little overcast but I decided I would go to the town of Sha Tin for the day which was home to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum which was very interesting. The town itself was situated by a river and I followed that for a bit, visiting the Che Kung Temple. What I mainly came to visit though was the 10000 Buddha's Monastery which was probably the best temple I visited so far in Hong Kong. A long staircase flanked with these golden statues lead you up the complex, including the 10000 Buddha's Monastery itself which had 10000 mini figures on display on the walls. There were several other statues at the top, and some great views looking back down on Sha Tin. When back down at the bottom I found a massive IKEA store where I had lunch, before heading down to the shopping centre where I managed to buy a few new clothes in the sales they had on. Come evening I went out and watched the England v Sweden game which was a 10pm kick off so a lot nicer than the 2am kick offs have been having! It was a great atmosphere and result too!
I didn't start hiking until after lunch, catching the metro from Tsim Sha Tsui to Tung Chung, before following this path called the Tung O Ancient Trail to Tai O. It took a while to negotiate my way out of Tung Chung which was full of bridges and subways, but when I reached this old fort it wasn't long until I left the high rise behind and started following the coastline. I passed several small temples and little villages, and on the adjacent island was the airport so I often got great views of the planes taking off. I also got some great views of this bridge they're constructing to link Macau to Hong Kong by road. It's actually quite a feat of engineering, whereby they've created two artifical islands in the sea linked by bridges to Macau and Hong Kong, and then tunnelled between the two artifical islands! When you think the two places are over 40 miles apart it's actually quite impressive what they're doing.
Eventually I reached the village of Tai O, the path into the village a particularly picturesque stretch of coastline as I'd well and truly left behind the city and airport by then. Tai O was a sleepy fishing village which the locals affectionately compared to Venice as many of the houses were built on stilts by the river. It was a lot poorer than the city, with many of the locals selling things like dried fish. I explored for a couple of hours before finally joining the Lantau Trail, soon reaching my campsite for the night which was actually a really well maintained site. There was even this small stream with a waterfall where there was a pool just deep enough to cool myself off in.
The following day I left early bright and early, soon arriving in the small farming village of Yi O. Upon arrival it said the path ahead was closed but I just went with the flow and I got through no problems, heading through this valley to the village of Fan Lau. Apparently there was a short detour to an old fort there although I couldn't find the path to get there, and after coming across a snake I thought I better just stick to the main path! The next section followed the coastline on an undulating path way above the water before eventually heading inland to the Shek Pik reservoir. I got my first glimpse of the cloud covered Lantau Peak and the Tian Tan Buddha Statue from there which I hoped to reach later in the hike.
I then headed back towards the coastline getting some more great views, before dropping down to Lo Kei Wan which was this really nice secluded beach and campsite, accessible only by foot. I stopped there for lunch and a swim to cool down as it was an incredibly humid day. After lunch I headed back up again via the village of Shui Hau before eventually reaching this concrete path adjacent to this water catchment system. The subsequent section was nice and flat, following the concrete path which had views of the beaches and villages below one side, and the mountains, all be it cloud covered mountains, on the other. After a good couple of hours following the water catchment I dropped down into the village of Pui O which seemed very popular with locals visiting the beach for the day. I had a rest there before continuing on a short way to my campsite which was another streamside campsite in the woods, just the right size to go for a nice and refreshing dip!
The next morning I set off bright and early again with the aim of the day to get to Ngong Ping via the mountains. I decided the previous night that I would take a shortcut which essentially saved me from decending to the village of Mui Wo just to climb back up again. When arriving at Nam Shan I began to start climbing more seriously towards the 869m summit of Sunset Peak. The path reminded me of the Inca Trail a bit with it being long stone staircase which seemed to go on forever. When I got out of the treeline I got my first views of the Southern Lantau Coastline, although they didn't last long as I soon went above the cloudline and there wasn't really much to see at all from there. When reaching the summit I didn't stay long, although I did enjoy the breeze up top on what was another very humid day. I had a somewhat steep and gruelling descent from the summit to Pak Kung Au nestled in this valley, which is where I stopped for lunch.
After lunch there was a massive thunderstorm, although I luckily found shelter before pressing on up to the 934m summit of Lantau Peak. It was a lot steeper climb than Sunset Peak, initially getting views of the surrounding area before heading back into the cloudline again. When reaching the summit there really wasn't much to see although there was a small stone shelter where I was able to shelter from the rain. The descent into Ngong Ping was again steep and also slippery, and when arriving in the village I found a nice cafe to shelter in. The rain eventually did clear and I had a look round the visitor centre, although I decided to save exploring Ngong Ping properly until the following day as it was still very overcast, heading the short distance to my campsite.
On Tuesday I had a more relaxing start to day as I wanted to visit the main attractions in Ngong Ping and they didn't open until 10am. One of the most popular tourist attractions in Hong Kong is the Ngong Ping Cable Car which goes from Tung Chung where I started hiking from up over the mountains into Ngong Ping which sits about 500m above sea level. On a clear day the views from Ngong Ping are meant to be stunning, although as with the previous day is was a very overcast day so there wasn't really much to see. I firstly checked out the Wisdom Path which was these 38 wooden poles laid out like an infinity sign symbolising something to do with Buddhism; I didn't really understand what though. I then went up to the Tian Tan Buddha Statue, which was literally only visible from within a few metres! It's meant to be the largest sitting Buddha Statue in the world and you were able to go inside which was cool.
Shortly after decending from the Buddha Statue there was a thunderstorm, although luckily I managed to get shelter whilst it passed over. I then visited the Po Lin Monastery. The complex had a series of temples and some of the interiors were very ornate, you weren't allowed to take pictures though. I then had a look round Ngong Ping Village which they described a cultural village experience but it was incredibly tourist orientated. Some of the shops were quite interesting to look round though. I then finally made it to the cable car, although I followed this path called the Ngong Ping Rescue Trail back down to Tung Chung. It was actually a really undulating path but the further I descended the less cloud cover there was and there were actually some really nice views as I went down. It was very slippery going down though!
When making it back to Tung Chung I had lunch, before catching the metro back to Tsim Sha Tsui where I planned to base myself again for the following few days. I had a chilled out rest of the day, although I did go out and watch the England game where I managed to find a pub with a really lively atmosphere. I didn't get to sleep until about 6am though, and I didn't really get much sleep as some idiot in my dorm kept snoozing his alarm clock from about 9am for ages which is always something which really frustrates me. I didn't do much during the day, heading out to West Kowloon to check out the views of the harbour from there, as well as stumbling across this really interesting museum about South East Asian architecture and culture which I was really able to relate to as I recognised several of the places. Come evening I crashed out pretty early as I was absolutely exhausted.
On Thursday I went and checked out a few of the temples, catching the metro to Diamond Hill and then walking back to Tsim Sha Tsui via some temples which seemed worth seeing. First stop was the Chai Lin Nunnery which housed these beautiful gardens full of rockeries and Chinese pavilions. I then went to to the Wong Tai Sin Temple which was apparently the most visited complex by locals in Hong Kong. It was certainly very busy and the complex had some fascinating statues and more nice gardens to explore. After that I grabbed some lunch before heading to the Kowloon Walled City Park which historically was an old fort but nowadays a Chinese Garden full of these pavilions. There was still evidence of the old fort though. I then headed back to Tsim Sha Tsui via Mongkok and relaxed for the rest of the day. The following day was a horrendous day in terms of weather so I couldn't really do much other than look round the shops which was frustrating.
On Saturday it was still a little overcast but I decided I would go to the town of Sha Tin for the day which was home to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum which was very interesting. The town itself was situated by a river and I followed that for a bit, visiting the Che Kung Temple. What I mainly came to visit though was the 10000 Buddha's Monastery which was probably the best temple I visited so far in Hong Kong. A long staircase flanked with these golden statues lead you up the complex, including the 10000 Buddha's Monastery itself which had 10000 mini figures on display on the walls. There were several other statues at the top, and some great views looking back down on Sha Tin. When back down at the bottom I found a massive IKEA store where I had lunch, before heading down to the shopping centre where I managed to buy a few new clothes in the sales they had on. Come evening I went out and watched the England v Sweden game which was a 10pm kick off so a lot nicer than the 2am kick offs have been having! It was a great atmosphere and result too!
Tuesday, 3 July 2018
Hong Kong (part 1)
I left Hanoi Monday morning to catch a flight to Hong Kong. My original plan was to fly to Hong Kong on the 9th July and then fly onto Manila on the 15th July, but due to my issues with my Vietnam visa I had to change my plans. I managed to change my flight from Hanoi to Hong Kong, but was unable to change my flight from Hong Kong to Manila so I decided to leave it on the 15th July. This basically gave me 3 weeks in Hong Kong instead of my planned 1 week. Getting to Hanoi airport was fun and games as my bus dropped me off at the domestic terminal and not the international terminal, and the taxi drivers were trying to rip me off instead of helping me locate the international terminal which was only actually a 5 minute walk away. Once I was at the correct terminal it was easy, getting through check in and security with ease. I got through in such good time I was able to watch the full re run of the Colombia v Poland game whilst waiting for my flight.
The flight itself ran nice and smoothly although when landing it was a little bumpy, arriving in the pouring rain. I got through passport control without any problems, a nice change from my previous crossings. I stayed at the airport for lunch and to get my bearings, before catching a bus into the centre. Hong Kong is probably the most country like country which isn't a country in the world. To put it simple China 'leased' Hong Kong to the British Empire for 99 years in 1898 and for them 99 years and was under British rule. When that lease expired in 1997 Hong Kong was returned to Chinese rule, although China gave Hong Kong a new lease until 2047 whereby they maintained their separate government, currency, and border controls amongst other things. China describes it as "one country, two systems", although it will be interesting to see if they maintain that arrangement come 2047. Despite all that Hong Kong is arguably one of the most multicultural places in the world, housing an array of unique history, traditions, and modernity.
Hong Kong comprises of the Kowloon peninsula which is linked to the Chinese mainland, as well as over 250 outlying islands including Hong Kong Island lieing on the southern side of Victoria Harbour, which is where the main CBD is located. I decided to stay my first few nights in the Tsim Sha Tsui district which was on the opposite side of Victoria Harbour, but a great base to explore the city with frequent bus, metro, and ferry connections to just about anywhere. My hostel was located in a place called the Chungking Mansions, which felt like a completely separate city crammed into this skyscraper. The building itself was actually quite a tourist attraction in its own right with the many foreign residents living there offering budget accomodation as well as selling their local cuisines amongst other things from their home countries. It was a very multicultural place but certainly the most affordable place to stay in Hong Kong, with a great location to add.
The following day I went out and explored the Tsim Sha Tsui area, heading down to the harbours edge first thing where I got great views of the main city skyline the opposite side. I then followed the harbours edge, which was characterized by quite a large arts scene, to the Garden of the Stars which celebrated people in the Asian film industry. The Avenue of the Stars nearby was closed for renovation (Hong Kongs version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame), but the Garden of the Stars housed all the handprints of the film stars there instead. I'd never heard of anyone but it was interesting. I then checked out a couple of the museums which definitely seemed like something worth saving for a rainy day, before having a look round a few of the shops, something Tsim Sha Tsui had in abundance.
After lunch I went to Kowloon Park which was a nice and peaceful retreat from the busy skyscraper filled streets surrounding it. Within the park was the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre which was dedicated to Hong Kongs history and present day sites, as well as future developments which was all very interesting. I also particularly enjoyed this temporary exhibition dedicated to places to visit in China. Come evening I went down to the harbours edge to watch the Symphony of Lights, a light show produced by the skyscrapers the opposite side of the harbour. It was very impressive, although I think I needed to go down slightly earlier to get a better spot as it was very busy. I'm sure I'll get chance to see it again though!
On Wednesday I caught the ferry across to Hong Kong Island to explore the main CBD. Apparently when the British colonised the island it was just a few small fishing villages, now the entire northern shoreline is skyscrapers housing over 1.2 million people. After disembarking the ferry I followed the harbours edge to a few of the historic shopping streets, which included real weird things like dried turtles, deer fetuses, and birds nests. I then went down Hollywood Street which was famous for its antiques, the street also housing the Man Mo Temple, the oldest temple in Hong Kong. Inside was fascinating as it had these cages hanging from the ceiling full of burning incense sticks, which made the interior all smoky.
I then continued through to the Soho district which housed many of the high end restaurants, before heading up the mid level escalators, the longest escalator system in the world. Much of the city by the harbour is built on reclaimed land, and the buildings behind that are built on the hills edge which means the roads are incredibly steep. Once at the top of the escalator I continued climbing to Victoria Peak which gave great views over the city skyline. There was even a shopping mall and several entertainment facilities up there, serviced by a tramline. Whilst up there I did a short loop walk which gave further brilliant views, although you couldn't reach the true summit though.
After heading back down I continued exploring the city, which was just a maze of high rise buildings full of high end shopping and restaurants, and a lot of business people. I particularly liked these double decker trams which went through the city affectionately called 'ding ding trams' by the locals. I eventually made it back to the harbours edge where I passed this big observation wheel and got to the see what the skyline of Tsim Sha Tsui looked like. I caught the ferry back across later that afternoon. Come evening I went out and explored the Temple Night Market. Based down Temple Street it seemed to go on forever, and it seemed the further from Tsim Sha Tsui I got the cheaper it got too. By the time I reached the end I ended up in some area full a tarot readers, which is when I decided best to head back!
On Thursday I decided to go out hiking for the day, attempting a hike known as the Dragons Back which many people online seemed to recommend. Situated on Hong Kong Island, I caught the metro from the mainland to Chai Wan at the end of the island line. Within about half an hour of leaving the station I left all the skyscrapers behind and headed up into the Shek O Country Park. The walk headed along the ridge line of the hilltop with brilliant views of the coastline. I saw several snakes though so I had to be on the ball. It felt a world away from the city despite being so close! I eventually dropped down to sea level and stopped in the village of Shek O for lunch which had a nice and sandy beach.
From Shek O I followed the coastline as far as Big Wave Bay, before climbing back into the hills again, via this historic rock carving. There were more brilliant views of the coastline, and when reaching Pottinger Peak I got views over Victoria Harbour and the city. I then dropped back down into Chai Wan, emerging at this absolutely massive cemetery built into the hillside. On my way back to Tsim Sha Tsui, I had a quick look round the Wan Chai area of the island, before catching the ferry back across to the mainland. In the evening I went out and watched the Symphony of Lights again, although I still haven't worked out where the best spot to stand is! I then stayed up to watch the England game which was a 2am kick off.
On Friday I had a far more relaxing day as I didn't get to bed until gone 4am in the end. I decided I would go and visit some of the markets, focusing on the ones round the Mongkok area north of Tsim Sha Tsui. First stop was the Jade Market, although it was a nightmare looking round as the sales people were ridiculously pushy in their sales techniques, some even getting physical when trying to sell me their products. I gave up looking in the end, so headed to the Ladies Market which was more like a traditional British market selling just about anything. Nearby there was also this Clothes Market which sold all your standard fake designer clothing.
I then made it to the Goldfish Market which was basically this street full of fish shops, many selling the fish inside these bags hanging from their shop windows. My favourite market the day though was the Bird Market which had all these cages hanging up with all kinds of birds for sale. I finished off at the Flower Market, before having a look round some of the shops round the Mongkok area, which seemed to be home to primarily outlet stores. When getting back to the hostel I just relaxed for the rest of the day, having a nice and early night.
The flight itself ran nice and smoothly although when landing it was a little bumpy, arriving in the pouring rain. I got through passport control without any problems, a nice change from my previous crossings. I stayed at the airport for lunch and to get my bearings, before catching a bus into the centre. Hong Kong is probably the most country like country which isn't a country in the world. To put it simple China 'leased' Hong Kong to the British Empire for 99 years in 1898 and for them 99 years and was under British rule. When that lease expired in 1997 Hong Kong was returned to Chinese rule, although China gave Hong Kong a new lease until 2047 whereby they maintained their separate government, currency, and border controls amongst other things. China describes it as "one country, two systems", although it will be interesting to see if they maintain that arrangement come 2047. Despite all that Hong Kong is arguably one of the most multicultural places in the world, housing an array of unique history, traditions, and modernity.
Hong Kong comprises of the Kowloon peninsula which is linked to the Chinese mainland, as well as over 250 outlying islands including Hong Kong Island lieing on the southern side of Victoria Harbour, which is where the main CBD is located. I decided to stay my first few nights in the Tsim Sha Tsui district which was on the opposite side of Victoria Harbour, but a great base to explore the city with frequent bus, metro, and ferry connections to just about anywhere. My hostel was located in a place called the Chungking Mansions, which felt like a completely separate city crammed into this skyscraper. The building itself was actually quite a tourist attraction in its own right with the many foreign residents living there offering budget accomodation as well as selling their local cuisines amongst other things from their home countries. It was a very multicultural place but certainly the most affordable place to stay in Hong Kong, with a great location to add.
The following day I went out and explored the Tsim Sha Tsui area, heading down to the harbours edge first thing where I got great views of the main city skyline the opposite side. I then followed the harbours edge, which was characterized by quite a large arts scene, to the Garden of the Stars which celebrated people in the Asian film industry. The Avenue of the Stars nearby was closed for renovation (Hong Kongs version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame), but the Garden of the Stars housed all the handprints of the film stars there instead. I'd never heard of anyone but it was interesting. I then checked out a couple of the museums which definitely seemed like something worth saving for a rainy day, before having a look round a few of the shops, something Tsim Sha Tsui had in abundance.
After lunch I went to Kowloon Park which was a nice and peaceful retreat from the busy skyscraper filled streets surrounding it. Within the park was the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre which was dedicated to Hong Kongs history and present day sites, as well as future developments which was all very interesting. I also particularly enjoyed this temporary exhibition dedicated to places to visit in China. Come evening I went down to the harbours edge to watch the Symphony of Lights, a light show produced by the skyscrapers the opposite side of the harbour. It was very impressive, although I think I needed to go down slightly earlier to get a better spot as it was very busy. I'm sure I'll get chance to see it again though!
On Wednesday I caught the ferry across to Hong Kong Island to explore the main CBD. Apparently when the British colonised the island it was just a few small fishing villages, now the entire northern shoreline is skyscrapers housing over 1.2 million people. After disembarking the ferry I followed the harbours edge to a few of the historic shopping streets, which included real weird things like dried turtles, deer fetuses, and birds nests. I then went down Hollywood Street which was famous for its antiques, the street also housing the Man Mo Temple, the oldest temple in Hong Kong. Inside was fascinating as it had these cages hanging from the ceiling full of burning incense sticks, which made the interior all smoky.
I then continued through to the Soho district which housed many of the high end restaurants, before heading up the mid level escalators, the longest escalator system in the world. Much of the city by the harbour is built on reclaimed land, and the buildings behind that are built on the hills edge which means the roads are incredibly steep. Once at the top of the escalator I continued climbing to Victoria Peak which gave great views over the city skyline. There was even a shopping mall and several entertainment facilities up there, serviced by a tramline. Whilst up there I did a short loop walk which gave further brilliant views, although you couldn't reach the true summit though.
After heading back down I continued exploring the city, which was just a maze of high rise buildings full of high end shopping and restaurants, and a lot of business people. I particularly liked these double decker trams which went through the city affectionately called 'ding ding trams' by the locals. I eventually made it back to the harbours edge where I passed this big observation wheel and got to the see what the skyline of Tsim Sha Tsui looked like. I caught the ferry back across later that afternoon. Come evening I went out and explored the Temple Night Market. Based down Temple Street it seemed to go on forever, and it seemed the further from Tsim Sha Tsui I got the cheaper it got too. By the time I reached the end I ended up in some area full a tarot readers, which is when I decided best to head back!
On Thursday I decided to go out hiking for the day, attempting a hike known as the Dragons Back which many people online seemed to recommend. Situated on Hong Kong Island, I caught the metro from the mainland to Chai Wan at the end of the island line. Within about half an hour of leaving the station I left all the skyscrapers behind and headed up into the Shek O Country Park. The walk headed along the ridge line of the hilltop with brilliant views of the coastline. I saw several snakes though so I had to be on the ball. It felt a world away from the city despite being so close! I eventually dropped down to sea level and stopped in the village of Shek O for lunch which had a nice and sandy beach.
From Shek O I followed the coastline as far as Big Wave Bay, before climbing back into the hills again, via this historic rock carving. There were more brilliant views of the coastline, and when reaching Pottinger Peak I got views over Victoria Harbour and the city. I then dropped back down into Chai Wan, emerging at this absolutely massive cemetery built into the hillside. On my way back to Tsim Sha Tsui, I had a quick look round the Wan Chai area of the island, before catching the ferry back across to the mainland. In the evening I went out and watched the Symphony of Lights again, although I still haven't worked out where the best spot to stand is! I then stayed up to watch the England game which was a 2am kick off.
On Friday I had a far more relaxing day as I didn't get to bed until gone 4am in the end. I decided I would go and visit some of the markets, focusing on the ones round the Mongkok area north of Tsim Sha Tsui. First stop was the Jade Market, although it was a nightmare looking round as the sales people were ridiculously pushy in their sales techniques, some even getting physical when trying to sell me their products. I gave up looking in the end, so headed to the Ladies Market which was more like a traditional British market selling just about anything. Nearby there was also this Clothes Market which sold all your standard fake designer clothing.
I then made it to the Goldfish Market which was basically this street full of fish shops, many selling the fish inside these bags hanging from their shop windows. My favourite market the day though was the Bird Market which had all these cages hanging up with all kinds of birds for sale. I finished off at the Flower Market, before having a look round some of the shops round the Mongkok area, which seemed to be home to primarily outlet stores. When getting back to the hostel I just relaxed for the rest of the day, having a nice and early night.
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