Tram Tour

Season's Greetings is getting close!! The street is also packed with people preparing for one of the greatest times of the year. Stores, shops are extending their business hours. A lot of us would like to get some nice gifts for our loved ones.

We usually shop around on different stores before spending any pennies. So we always get around back and forth between different areas. And I would like to recommend a nice transportation to get around particular on the Hong Kong Island side - TRAM.

The tram runs slowly along the island between the east and west end. Riding on the Tram does give me an unique feeling. Unlike the MTR, you can't appreciate the scenary because it is travelling underground. The weather is getting a bit chilled now, so it beats out the bus tour. I do enjoy the chill weather with light breeze. The best time to ride is some time between 7 pm and 10 pm. There will be a lot to see along the trip from Central to Causeway Bay.

The Tramway also offers two special antique trams for special tour. You can find out more from their website http://www.hktramways.com

For your information, the tram was in service since 1900s, for more than a century, WOW!!

Enjoy your ride
Kent

Hong Kong - Live It. Love It! 2007

Halloween - Ocean Park

The Stanley Market

The weather is getting cooler at around mid 25 degree in the last few days. It is the perfect weather to do all kinds of outdoor activities as well as getting around within the city.

So I hop to Stanley Market....

Stanley is a tiny peninsula located at the southeast tip of Hong Kong Island. In the old days, Stanley was a fishing village. Today, you hardly able to find a fishing boat. Instead, tons of shops are restaurants are scattered along the area.

To get to Stanley, only certain types of transporation are available such as buses, minivan, taxi or your own private car. Since I do not have a huge budget, I choose to get there by 16M minibus interconnecting from Chai Wan MTR station.

Once I get off the minibus, I walk along the trail to reach the beach coast. Shops, souvenir stores are sit on both sides of the walking trail. After a few minutes walk, I finally see the beach coast. As I keep walking, I start hearing that my stomach is rumbling. Ok, time for lunch!! There are a number of bars and grills along the coast. And I jump into one of the restaurants and enjoy a big lunch.

The Star Ferry

The Victoria Harbour separates between Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island. In the old days, the main transporation between the two places was by sea only. The Star Ferry was in service in 1888 to carry passengers across the harbour. The early vessel was powered by steam engine and it took 40 minutes to an hour to reach the other end. In 1933, it introduced a new diesel engine ferry which shortened the crossing time. The ferry was the main transportation until the launch of cross harbour tunnel in the 70's.

Despite the multi tunnels connecting between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, today Star Ferry still plays an important role in crossing the harbour with all kinds of reasons: (1) relatively low fare; (2) connecting between two landmark on both sides - Central and Tsim Sha Tsui and (3)offers the best view of the city while other transportation vehicle will never able to offer such a view when they are traveling underneath the tunnel.

Don't forget to bring the camera while riding on the ferry. There will be a lot of opportunities taking great snapshots. For more details, you can go visit http://www.starferry.com.hk.

Enjoy your ride :)

Hong Kong Disneyland

Another hot spot for tourists? I think it should probably be Hong Kong Disneyland. You will find all the signature attractions inside this theme park once passing through the main gate e.g. Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear and more....

As you walk along the Main Street, you are getting closer and closer to the main Castle. All the well known friends such as Mickey, Donald and others are waiting to give you a big hug.

Besides those attractions in the theme park, if you have some extra time to spare. I would highly recommend to stay and relax in the resort hotel for one night. It is located on the other side of the theme park. Other facilities e.g. big pool, tennis courts are available for all guests.

For more information, please visit http://www.disney.com.hk/en/index_flash.html to get details on admission pricing, park operating hours, transportation and accommodation info.

Fishing Village

A visit to Tai O, a unique and the only fishing village remains in Hong Kong. It was an interesting day trip. Tai O known as the Venice of Hong Kong as the area is completely inundated with water. The first thing you will see upon entering Tai O is a steel footbridge. Before the bridge was built, traveling from one shore to the other was by the old rope ferry. It may be interesting for tourists to take a ride of the rope ferry, but it was very inconvenient for people living here.

Tai O has kept on much of its old character, dried fish stalls, old temples and stilt houses. The stilt houses are situated so closely to one another and near the water. We could see inside their homes. It was quite strange to walk past the people as they sat outside eating or drinking and hanging their washing up. I suggest you guys to take a boat ride, you will see much more...haha. Tai O is a loverly fishing village and I recommend everyone come to feel it.

How to get to Tai O? It is really easy. Take the ferry at Central to Mui Wo. Then you can take bus No.1 which terminates in Tai O. Or take bus No.11 in Tung Chung MTR station.

Check This Out

We discussed what was the best way to promote our blog and let more people to know Hong Kong ?!! We finally decided to make this video and post it to You Tube. Hope everybody ENJOY it !!

Mountain-Top Experience

Ever wondered where the banner image of our blog is showing? It's a place you shouldn't miss during your visit in HK: the Victoria Peak.

Portrayed as a tourist attraction, I, as a Hongkonger, also like paying a visit to the Peak whenever I have time. It is such an all-in-one experience that simply nobody can resist. The excitement starts at the Hong Kong Park, where you can spend an hour or two relaxing yourself before embarking on the Peak Tram going all the way up to the Peak. Many say it is the most thrilling ride of all because the steepest part of the route is 27 degrees to the horizontal. Last time I tried to lean 45 degrees backward without actually falling!

Once you get to the destination, the Peak, there are numerous activities awaiting your discovery. First and foremost, shops selling HK-local souvenirs are around to whet your appetite. Bored of shopping again? No problems! How about having a picture with Jacky Chan, David Beckham, or Tiger Woods? Your dreams come true at Madame Tussauds, a wax figure museum housing celebrities from all over the world. Make sure you bring along with your camera (and have enough battery and memory space).

Here comes the most spectacular part of the day: a 360-degree panoramic view of Hong Kong! The brand new Sky Terrace (on the Peak Tower) is a scenic spot that no visitors should miss. Be it day shot, night shot, portrait, or landscape, you can definitely get some stunning pictures as long as you press the shutter LOL.

There are still heaps of goodies up on the Peak, but I'll let you explore them further yourself. Have fun!

A nice resort in the New Territories

It seems that most of the popular tourist spots are located on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula, people always neglect many nice places in the New Territories, Hong Kong Gold Coast is an example. It is a large tourist resort located at Tuen Mun, near Castle Peak Bay. The main facilities include the resort hotel, shopping mall, restaurants, barbeque site, yacht and country club etc. Walking along the Continental-style buildings, you feel like staying in a European small town. Due to this special feature, many couples choose to take their wedding photos there. On every weekend and public holiday, you can find booths selling handicrafts and artists displaying their works on Art Promenade. The Gold Coast Montmartre and the new Dolphin Square are suitable for family day, but you can also enjoy an romantic moment on the long Golden Beach, the first and biggest artificial beach in Hong Kong. Don't miss the beautiful sunset, it will be an unforgettable memory in your mind.

The story behind Ocean Park

This year Ocean Park is celebrating its 30th years old birthday. Opened on January 1977, Ocean Park experienced its tough period from 1998 to 2004, the number of tourists dropped dramatically and the park had been suffering loss. Facing the challenge of Hong Kong Disney, repulsion of the old sites and recovery from SARS, people began to suspect the value of the park, some even suggested to shut it down. However, the HK government did not give up. In 2004, known as the father of Lan Kwai Fong, Allan Zeman was invited to be the president of the park, then Ocean Park began its new era, it was established a more prominent image as an ocean theme park in Southeast Asia. With the introduction of new animal species, brand new amusement rides and also the individual visit scheme from mainland China, the number of visitors reached the peak of 400 millions on the same year. It was the highest record since the park has opened and the figure kept rising afterwards. The renewal did not only attract new comers, but also brought the old visitors back to the park. The success of Ocean Park symbolized the Hong Kong spirit- aggressive, hard-working and adaptive. It is our treasure to share with all people around the world. Next time when you come to visit Ocean Park, try to think of the story behind, you may find more than what you see.

What!? You didn't visit the Ocean Park during your stay in HK?

Yes, you’re seeing a panda. We ain’t at a zoo though. Rather we’re introducing to you one of the nicest places to visit in Hong Kong: the Ocean Park. You could hardly find another park that is so vibrant and offers such a variety of festivities as “Summer Water Fun”, “Halloween Bash”, and so forth. Don’t be fooled by the word “Ocean”. It’s not only about creatures like sea lions, dolphins, sharks, etc. You can also see our all-time-popular Panda buddies (you’ve just seen them in the picture haven’t you?), who bring in the park hundreds of thousands of fans every now and then. What make the Ocean Park so special are its ever-changing amusement attractions. Previously we had SkyFair, during which you could be taken up to the sky in a hot balloon. And now we’re looking forward to the Halloween Bash 2007! Believe me or not, you can pay a visit to the Ocean Park every day in a year and you’ll still be amused. That is why they are increasing the entrance fee by 10% starting Oct 1 2007. Despite this, I’d bet the number of visitors will just keep increasing!

Try to spend a whole day in the Ocean Park, have fun, and I promise you won’t be upset. Drop me a line or two to tell me what you think about it after your visit. I’d be very happy to hear from you.

emmmmmmm, there is one more thing………………. Don’t forget to take the Mine Train!