Destination Hong Kong : an ultra modern city, three hours and half by plane away from Singapore.
History, first, Hong Kong has belonged to the British Empire in the 19th century. It returned to Chinese since 1997 and now considered as an Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. HK has several territories : HK Island, The Kowloon Peninsula, The New Territories.
I noticed one thing which is enjoyable in the big cities of Asia : you never waste your time. At Hong Kong International Airport, Jerome and me bought an “octopus” card, it allows you to catch the Airport Express which brings you within 22 minutes to Central District. This pass is accepted by almost all public transport : MTR; ferry; bus; tram or taxi.
From the Airport Express, there are six lines : the Island, Tsuen Wan, Kwun Tong, Tseung Kwan O, Tung Chung and Disneyland Resort.
From Central MTR, we took the world’s longest escalator to Soho. We are lucky because ours friends ‘ flat was exactly in this famous district. It’s a cosmopolite place. There are all kind of food : Asian ( Chinese, Vietnamese, Singaporean, Malaysian…) and Western (Italian, Spanish, French…).
HK Island is very dynamic, it’s lively night and day city. Most of malls opens until 11pm everyday. The most famous ones where yo can find luxurious brands name : IFC Mall, Pacific Place, The Landmark, Alexandra House… There are also fashion outlets with low price : Island Mall, Lee Garden Road, Stanley Market…
For night life entertainment, we have fun in”Lan Kwai Fong”, a place near the Mid-Levels Escalator. There are happening and lounge-bars, pubs, restaurants, nightclubs… We didn’t have time to be bored : every night, it’s crowded.
Concerning visits, we went to the”Golden Bauhinia Square” situated on the waterfront in Wan Chai. It represents the return of HK to the People’s Republic of China. We had a great view from the harbour on Kowloon. In the middle of skycrappers, there is a little greenery named HK Park. I walked there and I visited its aviary. The Edward Youde Aviary is located all in the the top of HK Park. It has been opened to the public since 1992. The admission is free. It looks like a rain forest; it’s a really relaxing place. thanks to the elevated walkaway, I listened the sounds of the birds and saw them from differents angles.
We took the Star Ferry which links HK Island and Kowloon from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui. It’s an inexpensive and fast mode of travel. At Kowloon, near Mong Kok MTR, we walked to the “Ladies’ Market”; as its name indicates, ladies makes deals at less price! I can speak about it because I tested it.
On October 1St, the national day, we saw the wonderful fireworks from Kowloon. It was opportunity for me to use for the first time our new video-camera.
