Hong Kong Hong Kong! part 3

People normally don't plan to spend too many days in Hong Kong. Even though I find plenty of things to do there, I would still make recommendation on some must see & do and introduce a few of my personal favorites in the following posts.

No. 1 must see would be the Peak <太平山>, aka. Victoria Peak and Mount Austin. (It's really the peak of a mountain on the Hong Kong Island. Its tram terminal is near the American Consulate.) It would be better if you take the tram (yes, the Octopus card can be used here!) up at least an hour before sun set, avoid going to the wax museum and spending too much time in the shopping center, take a walk around, and then wait for sun set at the top of the tower. The view would be amazing!

Things to do before going to the Peak:
Let's say you start your day before lunch, you could take a look at the area around the Star Ferry Pier <天星小輪碼頭> in Tsim Sha Tsui <尖沙咀>. Going from the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station, One of the first places you'll encounter is the Peninsula Hotel <半島酒店>. This is the only luxury five-star hotel with an historical building. Walk around inside, no one would bother you. Heading west, you'll immediately see a large plaza with Colonial style architecture. However it isn't authentic. Across the street from the Peninsula Hotel is a half sphere shaped building called the Space Museum <太空館>. The Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier is on its western side, and the famous Clock Tower <鐘樓> stands there. Then you can take the ferry (yes, the Octopus card!) to Wan Chai <灣仔>.

Even if you have tried dim sum <點心> before, you still should try it in Hong Kong. Luk Yu Tea House <陸羽茶室> is often recommended by many tourist organizations. I've eaten there once. Sure it did bring me back some old memories of yum cha <飲茶> and the food was decent. (I felt cheated when my favorite dim sim "har gau" <蝦餃> had only three pieces instead of the typical four.) If you worry about the language barrier, then Luk Yu would be a safe bet - just a little more pricey. Otherwise, pretty much any Chinese restaurants in busy areas, like Wan Chai, will do. Dim sum is normally served for breakfast, lunch and tea time (2-4 pm).

To go from Wan Chai to Central, you could either take the MTR or the old fashion double-deck tram (yes, Octopus card!). If you take the tram, get off at the stop in front of the HSBC headquarter building <滙豐總行大廈>. Central is a business district, and it's a gathering place for the Filipino maids on Sundays.

As a side note, many Hong Kong families who have children or elderlies hire live-in maids (HK$3,000-4,000 per month) from the Philippines or Indonesia to help with care taking and housework. The maids always have Sundays off. The Filipino maids like to gather in Central while the Indonesian ones like to gather in the Victory Park.

After yum cha and if time allows, you could consider taking a walk in the Zoological and Botanical Gardens <動植物公園>. It's on the way to the Peak Tram Terminal. The garden is surrounded by high-rise buildings, so it's quite an interesting view especially while standing by the fountain. And the monkeys could behave pretty frisky!

Things to do after going to the Peak:
Once you have enjoyed the view at the Peak, take the tram back down and take bus #15C from the Peak Tram Terminal to Central Ferry Pier. There're only 2,3 stations on this route with a stop near Lan Kwai Fong <蘭桂坊>, which is a popular area for drinking and clubbing for Westerners. If you come to the stop next to the Central MTR station, you've missed it. The walk back to Lan Kwai Fong isn't far, or you could take the MTR to go to Causeway Bay <銅鑼灣> for dinner and do some (window) shopping.

The Peninsula Hotel: 22 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
半島酒店: 尖沙咀 梳士巴利道 22号
Tel: 2920-2888

Luk Yu Tea House: 24-26 Stanley St., Central
陸羽茶室: 中環 史丹利街 24-26号
Tel: 2523-5464

Zoological and Botanical Gardens: Albany Road, Central
動植物公園: 中環 雅賓利道
Tel: 2530-0154
Free admission