Midlifers Go East
Hong Kong
Hong Kong was a place I’d always wanted to see so being quite close to North Vietnam it was a perfect opportunity to visit.
I’d done some research on what I wanted to do and see whilst there and I also spoke with my cousin who had lived there for 4 years to ask his advice.
So with an itinerary all planned we were excited to explore this vibrant cosmopolitan mega city.
We decided to stay on Hong Kong island in the Wan Chai district.
As transport links are so fantastic in Hong Kong it didn’t really matter if we stayed on the Island or Kowloon side.
We got the bus direct from the airport to the hotel. Buses are cheap and plentiful. I’d googled the nearest bus stop to the hotel and the airport bus stopped almost outside.
Once checked into the hotel we headed straight out. The first thing we wanted to do was purchase a ‘Octopus card’ this is a card you can use all over Hong Kong for most forms of transport and can also be used in lots of shops and restaurants. It’s kind of a ‘one for all’ card but also gives you discounted travel fares.
I had read that you can get them at any MTR station (subway) so we went to the nearest one just a block away.
The tourist one costs £25 and comes loaded with £20 and £5 is a deposit you get back when you return the card.
Octopus cards purchased we thought we would try them out whilst in the MRT station and decided to head over to the Kowloon side first using the subway. You just scan them when you go through the turnstiles and scan again when you exit and it calculate the cost of the journey and deducts it from the card.
Over on the Kowloon side we headed towards the waterfront and the harbour promenade. From here you have the best view over to Hong Kong island and its magnificent skyline and at 8pm each evening there is the ‘Symphony of Lights’ light show. This spectacular multimedia show, combines lights and music involving 19 key buildings across the water on Hong Kong island.
So we hung about and waited for the light show. It only lasts 10 minutes but didn’t disappoint.
After the light show the easiest way for us to get back over to Hong Kong Island was on the Star ferry which is located just next to the harbour promenade.
They have two routes. One that goes to the ‘Wan Chai district’ which was the one we needed and one over to ‘Central district’.
Even though you can cross the harbour by subway and road tunnels, the Star Ferry is iconic and a must do in Hong Kong.
The ferry ride is also well known as one of the world’s best value-for-money sightseeing trips at 50p for the crossing. The journey only takes 10 minutes and it gives you another opportunity to take photos of the impressive skyline.
Where we exited the ferry back on Hong Kong Island we decided to walk down the waterfront as the Wan Chai harbour front promenade is a really nice green space with park areas, doggie play areas. Its a pleasant walk and spotlessly clean. It stretches the full Victoria harbour promenade for 5.5km so you can walk all the way from Wan chai to the Central District with great views of the harbour.
What we also had really liked about Hong Kong was seeing remnants of the British Influence as it was only handed back from Britain to China in 1997 becoming now a Special Administrative Region.
The buses were just like home, as was the roads and all the road signs. We passed M&S and Waitrose and it was just nice after so long on the road to have a little homely feel.
Our second day was overcast with a bit of drizzle so we ruled out going up to the peak as we wouldn’t see anything if it was thick with cloud. So from my itinerary of things to see we decided to get the bus to Stanley which is a seaside village located on the east side of Hong Kong island.
The easiest way was on the bus which is super cheap I think each journey is around 50p.
It was a scenic bus journey up past Happy Valley and Hong Kong’s famous racecourse.
Leaving the city and the maddening crowds behind the bus hurtles the narrow and winding coastal road past Repulse Bay and Deepwater bay. It was a shame the weather wasn’t at its best as we passed some beautiful beaches.
Stanley is known for its market so we had a good look around and picked up a few bits. It’s not just all about the market if you explore just a little further, Stanley also has a couple of good beaches, a little waterfront promenade with a stretch of bars and restaurants.
It reminded us of a British seaside village, maybe more so because it was quite a dull day, but we liked it for that. It’s such a contrast to the metropolis of the city, you wouldn’t think you were on the same island. It’s a perfect day out away from the city.
Everyone had said to us you must go up the peak which is where you get the best views of Hong Kong island, Kowloon and the surrounding islands so the next day we said that’s what we would do.
The only problem was that we had woken up to cloudy conditions yet again. This was due to the time of year and the forecast didn’t fare much better for the next few days so we decided we would take a chance and go anyway.
There are several ways you can reach the peak. You can walk if you’re feeling energetic and in a hiking mood, take the bus, taxi or use the Peak Tram.
We decided to do the touristy thing (as on our list) and experience the Tram.
The Peak tram is one of the world’s oldest and most famous funicular railways, the tram rises to 396 metres (about 1,300 feet) above sea level. It is so steep that the buildings you pass look like they are leaning.
When we exited the tram we were in full cloud and couldn’t see a thing, so much for our spectacular view of Hong Kong.
We had a walk about and found a trail which stretches a couple of miles around the peak and if weather conditions good you would get spectacular views of both sides of Hong Kong.
We thought we may as well do the walk whilst here and as luck would have it the cloud started to lift and as we made it all the way around back to the view point it was about 70% clear so our trip up here wasn’t a waste of time after all.
The photographs could have been a little better but I wasn’t complaining I didn’t think we were going to get any at all.
We used the Peak tram to get back down and just close by to the Tram station we came across Hong Kong Park so decided to take a look.
It’s wonderful to have a big pocket of nature like this in the heart of such a big city and quite special to see all the skyscrapers towering around the greenery.
There were signs for an Aviary so we went in search of it. We soon found the ‘Edward Youde Aviary’ named after the late governor of Hong Kong and it was brilliant. The aviary has a raised walkway that allows you to walk through the tree canopy, from which you can watch the birds. There was so many beautiful species of birds which were so colourful. We were really lucky to come across the place.
To check out the nightlife in Hong Kong my cousin recommended a few areas. One was Lan Kwai Fong which is a popular place for partygoers in the Central district. It covers just a couple of narrow streets and alleys lined with restaurants and bars.
They all seemed to offer happy hour which was good to take advantage of as Hong Kong was much more expensive than the places we’d been travelling, the prices here are more like home.
The next day we returned to the Central district to explored more. This area is crammed with Skyscrapers, swanky malls and luxury hotels.
It’s also in this area that you can find the Central Mid-Levels escalator which is the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world stretching 800m.
It was built to ease traffic congestion in the residential Mid-levels district, and has 20 escalators and three inclined moving walkways. The system runs downhill from 6am-10am to cater for commuters, and uphill from 10:30am-midnight.
It is not only residents who use it, it’s become a popular tourist attraction as it takes you through a historical district and up to the Soho and nightlife hub.
It starts at the Central market and each section break you can exit to walk around to explore the areas.
We hadn’t decided how long we would stay in Hong Kong. We were really enjoying it and with still so much to see we extended our stay 3 more nights but moved down to the Central district just to have a change.
The Dragon Boat Festival which is held annually was also on whilst we was here so there was different activities and events going on all over the city.
To kick off the festival we found out there was going to be Drone show held at Victoria harbour on the Wan Chai waterfront so by extending our stay we would be able to see this.
It was amazing! we were lucky to witness this creative show as more than 1,000 drones teamed up to form one exquisite pattern after another in a 10-minute display.
When the show ended Shane was collared by the local press for an interview, he was put on the spot with lots of questions which he answered well yet he will beg to differ. We laughed at the thought of them using it on BBC World News (Shane live from Hong Kong) ha.
We hadn’t explored much of the Kowloon district so we headed back to that side one day.
Using the buses again we decided to venture out to the ‘Choi Hung Estate’ which is one of the oldest public housing estates in Hong Kong dating back to 1964 when it was built to provide locals with affordable housing.
This area has become popular to photograph especially on Instagram with the buildings rainbow coloured facade.
Many find it offers a grittiness and vibrancy not often found among the glitz and glamour of the business district.
The estates are being redeveloped so we thought we would take a look as they won’t be there much longer.
To be honest it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary as it wasn’t that dissimilar to many of the big housing estates we see back home. However it was still good to see another side of Hong Kong and the bus ride was interesting throughout the residential districts.
We went back over to Kowloon one evening to check out Temple street night market. The market has an array of food stalls where you can try a wide range of Hong Kong-style snacks including fish balls, claypot rice, dim sum, snake soup and more. In addition they have other Asian stalls including Indian cuisine.
I know ‘when in Rome’ I should have been trying these delicacies but when Indian food is in the offering for me nothing else can compete. So we devoured fresh Samosas washed down with spicy chai tea.
There are so many islands close to Hong Kong which are great for day trips.
We decided to visit Lantau Island as we wanted to see the Big Buddha at Po Lin Monastery. The majestic outdoor bronze Buddha statue sits solemnly on top of Mount Muk Yue a 10 minute walk from Ngong Ping village and has impressive views.
The Big Buddha, whose real name is Tian Tan Buddha, is not old, despite its traditional appearance; it was completed in 1993 and is a major draw for Buddhist pilgrims.
You can reach Lantau various ways. We decided to go by ferry from the Central Piers (No6). The ferries are frequent departing every 40 minutes. They operate the ordinary ferry and the high speed one. You need to check the timetable depending on which one you want to use. We just turned up and whichever was next we used. Again it’s cheap around £2 each way on the ordinary ferry which takes an hour and £3.70 for the high speed which takes 30 minutes. (You can use octopus card).
As you near the Island look out for Pink Dolphins which make this area their home. The dolphins off Lantau are Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins which are an endangered species.
I was on dolphin watch but unfortunately we didn’t get to see any on this occasion.
We got the ferry to Mui Woo on Lantau which is a small town with a few hip cafes and eateries and it main draw being its beach at Silvermine Bay.
We wasn’t here for the beach today but you can see why it would make a perfect day trip to escape the City.
To reach the Buddha we had to take a bus. The bus terminal is right in front of the Mui Woo ferry port. It’s the no2 bus that you need and takes 55 minutes.
The journey is so scenic as it meanders the country lanes and you are rewarded with some spectacular views of Lantau Island and its white sandy beaches.
The island is also home to the Ngong Ping cable car that will also take you up to the Big Buddha but you need to use the MTR from Central Hong Kong to Tung Chung MTR station as this is where the cable car terminal is located.
Unfortunately weather wasn’t on our side again so as the bus climbed the hilly roads towards the Buddha you could see we were heading into clouds.
When we departed the bus it was quite eerie as we were now in full fog. It was a refreshing experience to walk in the cool, misty air and the 268 steps that lead to the Big Buddha would be easier to climb, unfortunately we wouldn’t be rewarded with the spectacular views you would normally get from the top.
We still had a good day despite the weather and was glad we got to see part of the island. Lantau is quite a big island double the size of Hong Kong island and also home to Disneyland and a popular expat community in Discovery Bay which is apparently the beating heart of laid back Lantau.
Another good thing about extending our stay was we were able to go to the races at the Happy Valley racecourse which holds race nights each Wednesday.
There’s nothing quite like a night at the races in Hong Kong! What an amazing venue. Night time racing surrounded by skyscrapers.
Entry was free and between each race there was live music. Even the bar prices were reasonable which was surprising for such an iconic venue.
Unfortunately we had no big wins on the night but we had a fabulous time nonetheless.
So that brought our time in Hong Kong to an end. There was still so much more we could have done, there’s water parks, theme parks so many more islands to visit. However we’ve had a good taster of what this fabulous place has to offer.
I think we will be a little sad to leave but with so many places to see it’s time to move on.
Our next stop is not too far from Hong Kong. We are visiting Macao which we can get to by high speed ferry. A place of contrasts where old meets new.
Macao
I’d read a few things about Macao and seen pictures of its big casinos on social media, so it was a place which piqued my interest.
When I read deeper about the place, what did interest me was ‘Old Macao’ as that sounded like it was steeped in history.
I knew if we were visiting Hong Kong then it was easy to get to Macao as there is a ferry terminal just next to the Central piers on Hong Kong island that goes directly to Macao. It’s a high speed ferry and only takes an hour.
Macao, like Hong Kong, is a special administrative region of China.
A Portuguese territory until 1999, it reflects a mix of cultures with its unique blend of Chinese heritage and Portuguese influences.
Its giant casinos and malls on the Cotai Strip, which joins Taipa and Coloane, have earned it the nickname, “Las Vegas of Asia.”
The Ferry from Hong Kong was fast. These custom built Catamarans can shift, making it a great transport option.
You can travel by road or use the shuttle bus via the newly opened Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge which stretches 55km and is the longest sea crossing bridge in the world, but this takes a little longer.
There are two ferry terminals on Macao the ‘Outer harbour terminal’ closest for Old Macao or ‘Taipa terminal’ which is close to the airport and big casinos in Cotai.
We decided to stay in Old Macao so we got the ferry to the ‘Outer harbour terminal’ and from there got a bus into the City.
Buses like in Hong Kong are cheap and frequent so there was no need to use a taxi.
In Macao they accept the Hong Kong Dollar as well as their own currency so we didn’t have to worry about changing money for the bus.
We only booked the two nights which we felt gave us enough time to explore the old and the new of this City.
Old Town Macao is listed by UNESCO as a world heritage site. With its historic streets of Chinese and Portuguese buildings it really is a mix of East and West.
The Portuguese arrived in the mid-16th century and it remained a Portuguese colony until it came under Chinese administration as recently as 1999.
With a map of the old town we went exploring. We ventured uphill through steep alleyways into a maze of narrow streets lined with little cafes and bakeries, which then opened up into European style squares, with floors decorated with mosaic tiles.
One such place was ‘Senado square’ surrounded by colonial style buildings and fountains which then lead up to the beautiful church of St Dominic’s.
The square was a hub of activity, filled with tourists and locals alike, with its many shops and eateries.
Many of the streets around the square have been pedestrianised, which lead all the way up to the ‘Ruins of St Paul’s’ also known as Ruínas da Antiga Catedral de São Paulo in Portuguese.
Ruins of St. Paul’s is actually the wall ruin in front of the old St. Paul’s Cathedral. This is all that now stands after a fire in 1835 that left it beyond repair.
Just to the right of the Ruins is ‘Monte Fort’ which also houses the Macao Museum. This 400 year old fort has large canons set along the top battlements and is a great place to see views over the city and watch the sunset.
We found most the churches and places of historical interest on our map as we ventured deep into the city.
To keep us fuelled we enjoyed the street food. Shane was pleased to see that the Macao’s most favourite snack is the pork chop bun. Simple as they are, these well seasoned large pork chops are served in a fresh crusty bun with garlic mayo. These cheap eats are found on every street corner throughout Macao as are the delicious Portuguese custard tarts. We sampled a few of those too – still hot from the oven.
Like Hong Kong Macao is a lot more expensive than many places throughout Asia but you can always find ways to keep costs down with the likes of street food etc.
As night fell we walked to ‘Casino Grand Lisboa’ which is an iconic building in Macao with its bright exterior lights and pineapple shaped design. Soaring high above the strip at 856 feet it’s the largest building in Macao.
This area is also home to many big hotels and casinos such as The Wynn with its water fountain show every 15 minutes, MGM Macao and Yoho treasure island resorts.
Close by is also the Macao Tower which looks a little bit like the Space Needle tower in Seattle.
This tower has an observation deck for 360 degree views of the city and adrenaline junkies can bungee jump or walk the sky deck which is 233m up.
Back into the old town we found ‘Rua da Felicidade’, which during the 19th century was known for being the city’s red light district and mainly populated with brothels and opium shops.
After the Second World War prostitution and opium were made illegal and banned. However, the government decided to revamp the area and what you have today is a hip area with little bars and eateries. Most of the doors now painted green with just a few left red to represent the colour of love.
We ended our evening here sat on little stools outside one of the bars. Two guys were playing guitar and singing. We met a nice crowd so it was a perfect way to finish our rather hectic day.
Day two we wanted to visit the big hotels and casinos that are in the Cotai area of Macao known as the Cotai strip. Two bridges connect this side of Macao to the old town.
We used the bus to get there as cheap and regular.
OMG this place is crazy!
We got off the bus at ‘The Londoner’ and were met with a life size replica of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. A canopy over the entrance replicates London’s Victoria station. Inside the British theme continues with a Victorian style lobby, restaurants serving afternoon tea or fine dining by Gordon Ramsey.
Across the road, The Venetian and The Parisian hotels contain replica landmarks like canal gondolas and a climbable Eiffel Tower, while the Galaxy Macau has a water park and Vegas-style live entertainment.
Millions have been spent on these enormous resorts and it’s all done well so we had to see it whilst here.
Personally, we prefer the cultural and historical sites but we still appreciate the magnitude of these buildings and apart from Las Vegas there’s not many places in the world you get to see something like this.
We enjoyed our short visit to Macao, I think in the two days we covered everything we wanted to and made the most of our time here.
Our next stop is into Malaysia to the island of Langkawi to explore tropical Beaches, jungle clad hills and duty free shopping.
