|
Aberdeen, on the southwest side of Hong Kong Island, is famous for
the thousands of boat people living on the thousands of dilapidated
boats in the harbor; its two very large, very good floating restaurants
which serve magnificent seafood; and its small harbor. At night,
the myriad of neon lights up the area. Near here are the Ocean Park
and Waterworld complexes (see below) so it's not a bad idea to combine
the two into one trip.
Designer clothes, trend-setting fashion houses, exclusive outlets
line Hennessy and Yee Woo streets, while more traditional Chinese
wares are available on the side-streets housing Jardine's Bazaar.
If you prefer department stores, the Japanese have a number of large
stores here including the centerpiece, 10-story Sogo in the middle
of it all just above the MTR Station. Finally, the modern (and big,
of course) Times Square shopping/office complex dominates the southern
part of the area. If you want to shop or just want to see why Hong
Kong is often referred to as a shopper's paradise, come to Causeway
Bay.
Lamma is just off the southwest coast of Hong Kong Island just across
from Aberdeen. It's a picturesque, sleepy island with a nice hiking
trail across it. Do the round-trip and then have a delicious seafood
dinner at the port. Ferries to Lamma are run by the Hong Kong and
Kowloon Ferry Company (2815-6063) and leave from the series of seven
piers just west of Central's Star Ferry pier, in back of the Airport
Express Line's Hong Kong station. You want pier Number 5. The cost
is about HK$20.00 (less than three US dollars) for the 45 minute
ride.
Located in Central, just a bit west of the area covered by our Central
map, is Hollywood Road. Your hotel's Guest Relations Officer can
give you a map and show you how to get there. This is a terrific
area for antiques, Chinese porcelain, paintings, etc. Ladder street
is called that because it's almost straight up! The little shops
here sell everything Chinese. Worth a visit.
Ocean Park, Southeast Asia's largest leisure complex, lies between
Aberdeen and Repulse Bay and provides a great day out for all the
family. Attractions include a cable car and the world's second-longest
outdoor escalator, marineland shows and exhibitions, a shark tunnel,
an aviary, a butterfly house, the 72-meter Sky Tower, the Dinosaur
Discovery Trail, a huge roller coaster and other thrilling rides.
Adjacent to Ocean Park is Middle Kingdom, which presents a "living"
history of China through replicas of ancient palaces and pagodas,
temples and street scenes. The park is open daily from 10.00 a.m.
- 6.00 p.m. and admission is HK$165 for adults and HK$85 children
ages 3-11. To get there, take the Ocean Park Citybus from the Admiralty
MTR station, which runs every 10 to 20 minutes.
Located next to Ocean Park's lowland entrance and under the same
management, Waterworld is a good place to cool off on a hot summer's
day. It contains several pools with various slides and diving platforms,
a winding "river" you can float down, a rapids ride, and
even a pool with a sandy beach and waves. Don't forget your bathing
suit. The park is open daily from 9.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m. in July
and August, from 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. June and September. The
park is CLOSED from October through May. The admission is HK$65
for adults and HK$33 for children. This drops to HK$44 and HK$22
respectively after 5:00 p.m. Free admission is granted to children
under 3-year-old and senior local residents aged 65 or above with
Hong Kong Identity Card. These prices may, of course, change any
time without notice. For more information, please call 2552 0291.
Tickets are also available at all 7-eleven outlets.
Another obligatory attraction, the Peak Tram is a cable-pulled railway
(funicular) running 1.4 kilometers from Central near Hong Kong Park
up to the top of the high hills above the city, called The Peak
or Victoria Peak. At The Peak is a huge, wok-shaped shopping and
eating complex, not to mention a sprawling, gorgeous, panorama of
Hong Kong, Kowloon and beyond. The fare is advertised at HK$20 but
that's if you plan to stay up there! A round-trip ticket will cost
HK$30. The Peak Tram runs every ten minutes from 7:00 a.m. to midnight.
Sit on the right side on the way up for the best views
The Stanley Market is a deservedly popular outdoor market in this
attractive fishing town on the southeast of the island. Shop for
leather, blue jeans, porcelain, linen, fashions, you-name-it along
with flock of locals and foreigners alike. Nearby are plenty of
good places for food and drink, or take a stroll down a short path
to one of the surrounding beaches.
|
