A Day in Kowloon

12 April 2012

Early the next morning, I took the shuttle bus to the Central Piers, where I went straight to pier 7 for the Star Ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui. The pier had this mural thing that I thought was really cute:
Star Ferry operates from 6.30am - 11.30pm, 7 days a week. The tickets only cost HKD2.50 on weekdays and HKD3 on weekends, one way. You can either use the Octopus card, which is a really convenient Touch n Go type of card, or buy tokens from a machine near the entrance of the pier. There's a choice of sitting on the upper deck or the lower deck, but if you get sea sick easily, I would suggest NOT taking the upper deck. It's only a 9 minute ride, but it was enough to make me feel queasy on the upper, and I dont get sea sick that often.
View of Tsim Sha Tsui from Central Pier.

A short walk down from the TST pier, is 2A Canton Road, more famously known as 1881 Heritage.
It's a really pretty place, very Victorian, and filled with very high class shops and a cafe.  
I counted I think 3 of these pretty carriages situated on the grounds.
I have no idea what this is, but it brings a pop of colour, and is filled with flowers on the sides!
I got up the courage to ask some other tourists to help me take a couple of photos. =)

It used to be the headquarters of the Hong Kong Marine Police, and the former Ball Tower still drops the ball at 1pm every day. Unfortunately, I was about 2 hours too early, and I didnt want to waste any precious time! =) There's also a replica ship mast, and 3 gas lamps that were found on the grounds that have been reconnected.
View of the grounds from above.
Noon guns and signal cannons.
The old fire station has been turned into a hotel, but you can still see a fire engine behind the building!

Going around back to see the fire engine was actually a really good idea, because it was from there that I saw a sign pointing the way to the nearest MTR station. The public transport system in Hong Kong is really good; there are signs everywhere, and there are a LOT of stations. The only problem I had was finding the right direction of the train I wanted when I was INSIDE the underground stations! You can walk for miles in there, with about 5 different exits in each! I had to ask a couple of times, and seeing as my Cantonese isnt that good, and they dont really speak Mandarin/English, this was a little bit of a problem til I kinda got the hang of it, or walked around the whole station. Hahaha...

When I finally found the train heading to Mong Kok (旺角) - it's the one heading to Tsuen Wan (荃湾), I put HKD5 into the ticket machine, and was on my way! Ladies' Market (女人街) is really near the exit, and the actual street name is Tung Choi Street (通菜街).
Further up, on the same street, is Goldfish Street.
On one side of Tung Choi Street is Sai Yeung Choi Street South, where you can get all sorts of electronic goods, and on the other side is Fa Yuen Street, which has all sorts of sporting goods shops.
I dont foresee this hotel living up to its name though:
I also spotted this cool billboard for a Japanese restaurant there!
Then I stopped at this restaurant before continuing on my journey:
and ordered roast pork rice, as it's one of Hong Kong's most famous dishes.
I can see, or rather taste why! It really is very nice.. Although it's more fatty than Malaysia's. Lunch wasnt as expensive as dinner, I paid HKD45 for the meal plus a cold Chinese Tea. The drink was actually free, but to add ice I think I had to pay an extra HKD2 or something like that.

Before heading to the Flower Market, I took a little detour to the Kuan Yum Temple, walking up Soy Street. As you can see, the temples in Hong Kong are mostly old, and have the city built around them.
I have to say though, make sure you're up for a lot of walking if you wanna go to all these places.. They are walking distance, but it's not that close.. If you're not, taking the MTR should work, but honestly, I dont think it'd be worth the hassle.. The specialty streets like Goldfish Street and Flower Market Street are nice to visit, but if you're rushed for time, I wouldnt say you'd be missing much.
After Flower Market Street, I jumped on the Prince Edward MTR to Yau Ma Tei (油麻地). I was looking for the Jade Market, but on the way I passed by this little park called the Public Square Street Rest Garden. It was really pretty, so I climbed the stairs and was pleasantly surprised to see groups of older "uncles" playing Chinese Checkers! They were kind enough to let me take a photo, but as you can see, the weather was changing by then - 12 degrees to 26 degrees in the course of a week!
Be forewarned that the Jade Bazaar closes at 6pm (opening at 9am), so try to get there early. I arrived as they were getting ready to close, but still found some really pretty stuff! In fact, I'd prepare more money to spend there, as I found myself wanting to buy loads of stuff, while at the night markets such as Ladies' Market and Temple Street I found to be quite normal, like our own Malaysian Petaling Street really. Also, there are two small buildings for the Jade Bazaar, so dont miss out on the other! =)
One of the many stalls in the Jade Bazaar
A stall on Temple Street Night Market. 

You can also find a row of fortune teller stalls behind Temple Street, and the Tin Hau Temple is behind said row of fortune tellers, unfortunately, when I arrived around 6pm, the temple was already closed and gated up.

Now, allow me to leave you with this photo, and I will be back real soon with my last Hong Kong post: Avenue of Stars! =D
High Fashion Burger King Ad!

6 comments

  1. I love Hong Konggggg!! Kowloon the best food and place to visit!

    mt
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  2. Very nice.... except I can't read the words. :( words or background needs to change colour.... :))

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  3. Hi! Thanks for the suggestion!! Means a lot.. Been messing around with designs the past few days, but design has never been my strong point.. =/ Have changed it for now..

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  4. The shot of the carriage is the winner, it must have been slightly under cover because the lighting is perfect. Have you seen the price of a Hasselblad H4D-60? It's a Swedish camera and along with Leica is probably the best equipment known to the human race! A.B.

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  5. Haha.. I have no idea what those cameras are.. I've only got an old compact.. Hoping to upgrade to a semi-pro sometime this year though! =)

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  6. It's around $50,000 Australian dollars for a Hasselblad H4D-60 as far as I can see, I mentioned it for the shock value. It is, naturally, quite a camera. Never used one though.

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