Victoria's Peak (2.5 of 5)
Since the day we got here, Hong Kong has had a foggy haze plaguing the city. The forecast didn't look any better over the next week and with the Tram closing for maintenance starting on Sunday, the chances were dwindling to go up. The view at the top turned out to be just as expected - NO VISIBILITY past 20 feet... yes you read that correctly. It was the journey though that made the trip for us though. We took the Ding Ding train (which is a really old cable car) to Central Pier. From there, we got to ride an open top bus to the Tram which takes you up to the top. You could take a cab up, but really the tram is a lot of fun. The climb is so steep that buildings appear to be slanted - which turns out to be a neat effect. I'd go as far to say that without this tram, there is little left to the entire experience. The same cannot be said though for the Sky Gallery - the highest point where to see Hong Kong. Save the $25 HKD and go to the open terrace in the Peak Galleries which are free and offer just as good a view. When you are on top, taking one of the hikes is refreshing. If you don't have kids, try the circle hike. If you do have kids, hike to the playground that is a 10 minute walk.
HK Zoological & Botanical Gardens (3 of 5)
Once we came down from the Peak, we hiked it over to the gardens which was only 10 minutes away. There you will be taken into a little sanctuary in the heart of the city that houses many animals. It is essentially a small zoo that is free. You can see monkeys, lemurs, and jaguars. Much like the Nan Lian Gardens, there were only a few dozen folks scattered throughout. The same theme seems to reoccur quite often in our travels in that many locals don't seem to enjoy what they have in their own city. Unfortunately, I know we're guilty of this same thing in Calgary.
2012-03-09
2012-03-07
Review on the Run: Yuen Po Bird Garden (1 of 5), Flower Market (1 of 5), Goldfish Market (1 of 5), HK Space Museum (1 of 5), HK Arts Museum (2 of 5), Star Ferry (1 of 5)
Yuen Po Bird Garden (1 of 5), Flower Market (1 of 5), Goldfish Market (1 of 5), HK Space Museum (1 of 5), HK Arts Museum (2 of 5), Star Ferry (1 of 5)
You know that saying about the whole is greater than the sum of its parts? Well today was a great example of the true meaning of that statement. Each individual sight we saw by itself was a big disappointment - yet the whole experience turned out to be a lot of fun. Our day started like most - to the MTR station and headed to Prince Edward in Kowloon. The Bird garden was quite lame. Several old guys showing off their birds to one another and it turns out to be a social gathering more than anything else. Both the Flower and Goldfish markets turned out to be a couple of dozen stores on a couple of streets all selling the same thing. The Space Museum looks like it didn't update any displays since the early 1980's... which is why they still had a display touting the next Challenger space shuttle launch... in 1986! The Arts Museum didn't do it for us and the much hyped Star Ferry felt more like you were docking a fishing vessel on its way to get the morning stock of fish. Did I mentioned it rained on and off the entire day? So why was the sum of all these disappoints fun? The attractions were such a disappointment that it was comical so we made the best of a bad situation. We had a good laugh at the old guys being macho with one another. Sort of like a car club in America except with birds. On the way through the Flower and Bird markets, we had the best Stinky Tofu we've had since Taiwan - which brought back fond memories. On Nathan Rd, I was tempted several dozen times (since that's how many watch stores there are) in finally purchasing that RADO that keeps staring me in the face. I swear there were 5 Chow Tai Fook's on Nathan in a 6 block stretch.
Hopefully better luck tomorrow - but this is a day we won't soon forget for all the right reasons.
You know that saying about the whole is greater than the sum of its parts? Well today was a great example of the true meaning of that statement. Each individual sight we saw by itself was a big disappointment - yet the whole experience turned out to be a lot of fun. Our day started like most - to the MTR station and headed to Prince Edward in Kowloon. The Bird garden was quite lame. Several old guys showing off their birds to one another and it turns out to be a social gathering more than anything else. Both the Flower and Goldfish markets turned out to be a couple of dozen stores on a couple of streets all selling the same thing. The Space Museum looks like it didn't update any displays since the early 1980's... which is why they still had a display touting the next Challenger space shuttle launch... in 1986! The Arts Museum didn't do it for us and the much hyped Star Ferry felt more like you were docking a fishing vessel on its way to get the morning stock of fish. Did I mentioned it rained on and off the entire day? So why was the sum of all these disappoints fun? The attractions were such a disappointment that it was comical so we made the best of a bad situation. We had a good laugh at the old guys being macho with one another. Sort of like a car club in America except with birds. On the way through the Flower and Bird markets, we had the best Stinky Tofu we've had since Taiwan - which brought back fond memories. On Nathan Rd, I was tempted several dozen times (since that's how many watch stores there are) in finally purchasing that RADO that keeps staring me in the face. I swear there were 5 Chow Tai Fook's on Nathan in a 6 block stretch.
Hopefully better luck tomorrow - but this is a day we won't soon forget for all the right reasons.
2012-03-06
Review on the Run: Ocean Park (4 of 5)
Ocean Park (4 of 5)
If Seaworld and Disneyland ever had a kid, it would result in Ocean Park. Built in 1977 and located on the south part of Hong Kong Island, Ocean Park is where the locals go when the tourists go to Disneyland Hong Kong. Ocean park had an authentic feel to it that wasn't over the top and reminded us a lot of Parc Asterix during our stay in Paris - except a heck of a lot more efficient. Ocean Park has two parts to it: The Summit and The Waterfront that are physically separated by a huge mountain in the middle. To travel between the two, there is a 10 minute gondola ride where you get awesome views of the South China Sea. On the summit, they have a Shamu-esque show and many standard adult rides. We spent most of the time though in the Jelly Fish exhibit, which boasts over 1000 jellyfish, the Chinese Sturgeon Pavilion, and watching the dolphin show in the main stadium. The Waterfront had way more rides for Chloe though and had the best Panda exhibit that I've seen. We finished the day going to the Grand Aquarium which is 4 stories high and had a 20 foot high tank on display. If given a choice to only see either Ocean Park or Disneyland HK - I'd highly recommend Ocean since Disney is never gonna be close to their American cousins and it'll give a unique theme park experience - complete with BBQ cuttlefish ;)
2012-03-05
Review on the Run: Wong Tai Sin Temple (3.5 of 5), Nan Lian Gardens (4.5 of 5), Chi Lin Nunnery (4.5 of 5)
Our first full day of site seeing took us to the NE part of Kowloon and some under appreciated sites that in our opinion shouldn't be missed.
Wong Tai Sin Temple (3.5 of 5)
Serving as the largest Taoist temple in Hong Kong and located right at the MTR station of the same name, this temple was built in dedication of Wong Tai Sin [a Chinese Deity associated with the power of healing] and draws thousands of tourist each day looking for there fortune to be told. The temple it self was comparable to many others we've seen - but what made it more special was the often forgotten Good Wish Gardens located in the back that took up more than half of the facilities. While most were lining up to get there fortune told, the gardens had all of 10 people where there were dozens of turtles in the ponds, caves, bridges, and waterfalls that made it a serene place.
Nan Lian Gardens (4.5 of 5)
When we went to Japan in 2005, we read how the Japanese learned many gardening techniques from the Chinese. We've seen no real evidence of this during our trip to China in 2006 until arriving at the Nan Lian Gardens yesterday located just the next MTR stop [Diamond Hill] from Wong Tai Sin. It was as if you were in Kyoto (one of our favourite sites in the world) and visiting the Kinkakuji temple. Perfectly manicured gardens surrounding a temple in the middle that is completely covered in gold was something special to see. The big plus, there were only about 100 people in the gardens.
Chi Lin Nunnery (4.5 of 5)
Speaking of Japanese influences this reminded me of the Byodoin temple in Kyoto. The nunnery is an architectural masterpiece as it was built using traditional techniques of interlocking pieces of wood with not a single iron nails used in the place. Connected by a bridge to the Nan Lian Gardens, the entrance is extremely dramatic and often goes unnoticed from the side of the road. A sign that the Nan Lian Gardens and Chi Lin Nunnery is under appreciated (besides the lack of crowds) was when we took a taxi to the sight, the taxi driver had no clue where these places were.
Wong Tai Sin Temple (3.5 of 5)
Serving as the largest Taoist temple in Hong Kong and located right at the MTR station of the same name, this temple was built in dedication of Wong Tai Sin [a Chinese Deity associated with the power of healing] and draws thousands of tourist each day looking for there fortune to be told. The temple it self was comparable to many others we've seen - but what made it more special was the often forgotten Good Wish Gardens located in the back that took up more than half of the facilities. While most were lining up to get there fortune told, the gardens had all of 10 people where there were dozens of turtles in the ponds, caves, bridges, and waterfalls that made it a serene place.
Nan Lian Gardens (4.5 of 5)
When we went to Japan in 2005, we read how the Japanese learned many gardening techniques from the Chinese. We've seen no real evidence of this during our trip to China in 2006 until arriving at the Nan Lian Gardens yesterday located just the next MTR stop [Diamond Hill] from Wong Tai Sin. It was as if you were in Kyoto (one of our favourite sites in the world) and visiting the Kinkakuji temple. Perfectly manicured gardens surrounding a temple in the middle that is completely covered in gold was something special to see. The big plus, there were only about 100 people in the gardens.
Chi Lin Nunnery (4.5 of 5)
Speaking of Japanese influences this reminded me of the Byodoin temple in Kyoto. The nunnery is an architectural masterpiece as it was built using traditional techniques of interlocking pieces of wood with not a single iron nails used in the place. Connected by a bridge to the Nan Lian Gardens, the entrance is extremely dramatic and often goes unnoticed from the side of the road. A sign that the Nan Lian Gardens and Chi Lin Nunnery is under appreciated (besides the lack of crowds) was when we took a taxi to the sight, the taxi driver had no clue where these places were.
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