One Incredible Week in Hong Kong

February 12-18, 2010 --- While Nathan and I lived in Taipei, Taiwan, I thought it would be nice to visit other countries around East Asia, and Hong Kong came to my attention when I found a cheap air ticket to Hong Kong during Chinese New Year. Of course, I didn't think about the crowds of Chinese people during their biggest holiday, so I immediately booked the trip.

February 12, 2010 --- We got to Hong Kong International Airport early at night. We stayed at Silver Mine Beach Resort Hotel on Lantau Island. It was a very nice hotel; it was isolated from the crowded city and offered great breakfast buffet. We could go anywhere from here by taking a bus or a ferry. There are also many seafood restaurants at the waterfront, McDonald's and a supermarket close by. Nathan and I each bought an Octopus Card, an electronic card that is accepted by most public transportation, restaurants and stores. It was very convenient to make a deposit, and we didn't have to worry about carrying cash or change.

 February 13, 2010 --- Sine we were already on Lantau Island, our first mission of this trip was going to Ngong Ping Village. We took a bus near the hotel to Ngong Ping 360 for a cable car ride to Ngong Ping. There were two choices of cable cabins: standard and crystal floor cabins. We got in the standard cabin because it was cheaper and it was too foggy to see anything from the air anyway. The ride was very smooth but scary because it was the highest cable car ride I've ever ridden in my life, plus the fact that I couldn't see anything made me worried about the height.

 Ngong Ping Village is very small but interesting. There were many nice shops and tourist activities like Walking with Buddha and Monkey's Tale Theater. Nathan and I went to the Monkey's Tale Theater, but I don't remember it being worthwhile.

  






Po Lin Monastery is a short walk from Ngong Ping Village. There is the famous, world's tallest, outdoor, seated bronze Buddha called Tian Tan Buddha built in the early 1990th as the center of everything in the monastery. Nathan and I climbed over 200 stair steps to get to the Buddha's base. I remember there are exhibition halls and shops selling souvenirs beneath the Buddha statue.  

 Po Lin Monastery is the must-see destination for tourists who love nature and want to learn about the culture of Hong Kong. If you are afraid of heights and can't take the cable car, you can come here by bus instead. Check the Hong Kong Travel website for more information.

 


 Tai O Fishing Village was our next destination. It's located at the northwestern coast edge of Lantau Island. Tai O Fishing Village was not what I really expected to see in the highly developed place like Hong Kong. The stilt houses in the village are made of aluminum walls. The fishing boats were just like the old-fashioned wooden boats I have seen in South-East Asia countries.

 Nathan and I took a walk through the village's market, residential area, and around the waterfront. There were a few temples there. We noticed that every house had a small religious shrine in front of the house. The main statue in each shrine wasn't clear, and we couldn't tell if it related to any religion.

People in the village were nice. I love walking around seeing their peaceful life. I bought some grilled BBQ meat in the market, and it was super delicious. :-)

 Aside from the cold weather, our first day in Hong Kong was very nice. We toured around Lantau Island and learned a lot about the natural and cultural side of Hong Kong that not many tourists know about.

We took a bus back to our hotel in the evening and had a fabulous dinner at one of the waterfront restaurants. Nathan claimed that he had the best fried rice ever there.

  February 14, 2010--- We were still on Lantua Island of Hong Kong, and we knew that this island still had more to offer, so Nathan checked the map at the hotel and found that we could take a short hike to Silver Mine Waterfall and Silver Mine Cave.

It was a pleasant walk through the local residential area and then the mountain. Nathan seemed to learn a lot about local shrines and religions here.

The Silver Mine Waterfall isn't very big, There wasn't much water flowing when we visited, but it was quiet and peaceful to hang around. The cave was closed to the public, so we couldn't really see what was inside the cave. We met a few people hanging out at the garden and the waterfall with kids. This island is a really nice place to live if you don't like a noisy, crowded urban area like Kowloon Island.

In the afternoon Nathan and I took a ferry from Lantau Island to Kowloon because there would be a parade in town that night. There were millions of people on Kowloon Island waiting for the parade. Many people reserved a spot along the sidewalks and on the pedestrian bridges, making it difficult for us to walk around the city that day. Nathan and I found a random temple in the middle of the city, so we went in to check it out. The most interesting thing for me was the curling incense hanging on the temple's ceiling. I've never seen this kind of incense anywhere else in South-East Asia.

We still had a lot of time before the parade, so we took a double-decker trolley to explore the city. Later we went to Kowloon Park, the biggest public park in the middle of the city. There were a ton of people everywhere we went. Anyway, dinner was the best, and the parade was worth for waiting. Celebrating Chinese New Year in Hong Kong wasn't bad at all.

 February 15, 2010 --- The BIGGEST mistake I have ever made was booking a hostel in Tsim Sha Tsui. Because we would be in Hong Kong for a week, I thought it would be nice if we stayed downtown for a few nights so that we could extensively explore the city. I found a hostel room at a reasonable price in Chungking Mansions and booked it for 4 nights. Once we got there, the sketchy building was full of tourists and Indian touts. The owner of the hostel claimed that they didn't have our reservation and all the rooms were full and sent us to one of the Indian touts. He got us a room owned  by another Indian, and it was the worst hostel I have ever stayed. The price wasn't any cheaper than the resort hotel we paid on Lantau Island. It was during the Chinese New Year, and every hotel was booked up, so we had to take the room. I almost cried.... Well, at least we had a private bathroom and the beds were clean enough.... Never ever book any room in Chungking Mansions!!!!

 After being able to accept and adjust myself to the new hostel, Nathan and I took the subway to Wong Tai Sin Temple, a Taoist temple established in 1921, which is one of the most famous temples in Hong Kong. There were hundreds of people here worshiping their god/goddess. For more information, you can visit this website: http://scenery.cultural-china.com/en/128Scenery6197.html

 Then we took the subway to Nun Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery. These are the most beautiful places in Hong Kong I have ever seen. The garden was gorgeous and looked exotic in the middle of the modern city. This scenic garden was built in the ancient style of the Tang dynasty (AD 618-906), and the Buddhist nunnery has Tang dynasty architecture. For more information, click on this website: http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/attractions/culture-chilin-nunnery.html

Nathan and I didn't have a chance to get inside of the nunnery because we got there too late. If we ever go to Hong Kong again, this will be on top of our list. ^__^

{{February 16, 2010 --- Nathan and I took a ferry from Hong Kong to Macau for a day trip. I will put that separately in the Macau page.}}

February 17, 2010 --- A lot of people come to Hong Kong for Disneyland, but I have visited Disneyland in California already, so Ocean Park was my first choice for going to an amusement park in Hong Kong. I was impressed! The rides were so much fun. I felt like I was riding a train in the air over the ocean! It was scary but so much fun.

 At the end of the day, we decided to go to The Peak. It is the most popular attraction in Hong Kong, and during Chinese New Year's weekend, the line to get on the tram was unbelievably long... We were already there, so we went for it. It took us many hours waiting in line...push and pull... Once we got to The peak, the view was incredible! We walked around taking pictures and shopping for souvenirs for family. On the way back, we didn't feel like waiting in line for the tram, so we took a bus down.

 February 18, 2010 --- On our last day and night in Hong Kong, we decided to explore the New Territories. I don't remember the name of any places we visited or how we found out about them. We just took the subway to everywhere. It was fun, and we wish to come back to explore more of this part of Hong Kong.

On our last night, Nathan and I went to the waterfront along Tsim Sha Tsui to watch the daily Symphony of Lights. It plays everyday at 8 p.m. for free public enjoyment. Anyone who comes to Hong Kong wouldn't want to miss it.

 Our one week in Hong Kong was fantastic, aside from the freezing temperatures, horrible hostel, and the crowds on a Chinese holiday. Nathan and I have always wanted to come back to Hong Kong for more exploration of the New territories and to go across the border to southern China....

  

One Day in Macau

February 16, 2010 --- While Nathan and I were traveling in Hong Kong, we thought it would be nice to take a day trip to Macau. I didn't know anything about Macau other than gambling and the Ruins of St. Paul's. We went to buy a ferry ticket to go to Macau on February 15, but all the tickets were sold out. Of course, it was during the Chinese New Year, and all the Chinese people were traveling, so the last-minute plan wouldn't work during this biggest holiday. Luckily Nathan and I got a ferry ticket for the next day in the afternoon, so we could at least spend 4-5 hours in Macau.

We took a ferry at Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal (Shun Tak Centre) at Sheung Wan. The ferry ride was very smooth, and the journey took only about an hour. The tickets also included lunch. We got a very delicious grilled eel over steamed rice. This wasn't my first time eating eel, but it might have been Nathan's first time. :-)

When we got to Macau, getting through  immigration was easy. Neither of us needed a visa to explore the city and were allowed to stay up to one month. From the ferry terminal, we saw a lot of nice, air-conditioned buses from The Venetian waiting to take passengers to the casino at no charge. We hopped on the bus right away even though we didn't want to gamble in Macau. Why not, it's free!

The Venetian here wasn't much different from the one in Las Vegas. I'm not sure if this one is a little more spacious..... Actually, I felt like the one in Las Vegas is more attractive.

Nathan and I didn't spend much time here because we had a lot to see and so little time. We got on a taxi and asked the driver to take us to the Ruins of St. Paul's.

The Ruins of St. Paul's is the most famous attraction in Macau. It was built in 1850 and  caught on fires three times and was damaged by a typhoon, so the only remaining parts of the church are the front facade and the grand stone stairs. It used to be the biggest Catholic church in East Asia in the late 1630s. Now it has become the most famous tourist site of Macau. Nobody who has visited Macau would miss it.

Behind the Ruins of St.Paul's there is a museum called The Museum of Sacred Art and Crypt. It's a very small museum but very interesting. You can check on this website for more information: http://www.macaumuseum.gov.mo/w3ENG/w3MMabout/ScaredC.aspx

 Later I saw that there was a hill right next to the Ruins of St.Paul's, so we decided to climb up there. We got a really good view of the Ruins of St.Paul's and the city of Macau.The buildings were old looking, as if they never repaint their homes since they are first built. That is typical for any Asian country. The climate is so wet and humid, so it is difficult to keep things from getting moldy or peeling on the wall.

On top of this hill actually is Monte Fort, the oldest fort in Macau, originally built in 1616 to help defend the church from pirates. It later became a military fort. The view from the fort is incredible. A lot of people came up here to get a good view across Macau and to visit the Macau Museum.

Macau Museum is the biggest museum in Macau. There are three floors of exhibitions. The theme of the museum was all about different cultures, nationalities, and religions in the history of Macau .

Nathan and I spent quite some time at the museum. I would recommend anyone who visit Macau to consider spend sometime here. For more information about this museum, you can click on this link: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/macau/museum.htm

After visiting Macau Museum, Nathan and I walked back to the Ruins of St.Paul's and walked down the steps to Senado Square. There were a lot of shopping stores, restaurants, historical landmarks, and famous churches. Nathan and I visited all the famous churches like St. Dominic's Church,  St. Augustine’s Church, and The Cathedral.

We also tried Macau's famous egg tart here, and it was the best I've ever had! I bought a nice, green hat here, and I still have it till now. We went to one of the traditional restaurants, and all the food was fabulous! All of this good food and interesting historical landmarks have made us want to go back to Macau ever since!

 Our 4-5 hours in Macau were unforgettable. If we have a chance to be around Asia again, we would like to stay in Macau for a couple of nights to explore the city more. The Portuguese left a lot of influence on Macau's food, architecture and religions, and the harmony of Chinese and Portuguese traditions in Macau make it so charming and attractive to all tourists around the world.