Hong Kong is made up of hundreds of islands, neighborhoods and villages, not just Victoria Island and Kowloon. You can discover parts of Hong Kong you never imagined existed. From time to time we will cover Macau and Southern China, here, also.
Tuen Ng Festival or the Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional Chinese festival held each year on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese calendar.
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Get In or On the Water
It’s easy, in the urban crush, to forget that Hong Kong was, at one time, almost completely made up of small fishing communities. The sea is very much a part of Hong Kong’s history and its present.
Two months ago I posted an item on Hong Kong’s beaches and how much cleaner they were than 20 years ago. I’ve also talked about riding the ferries to see how much of Hong Kong’s commercial life depends on the sea. I’ve mentioned how interesting it is to ride the water taxis in Aberdeen harbor to get a sense of how the thousands of boat people live.
Hong Kong Water Sports Center
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Visit!!!!!!!!!!
“Visit what?” you ask. Well, not the usual tourist traps but rather the outlying islands, 221 of which are uninhabited and a number of which are barely inhabited.
I’ll start with the three most popular and then talk about the others in a subsequent posting.
Lantau
Lantau is the largest island in the territory and the most visited. It is the home of Chek Lap Kok Airport, Disneyland, Po Lin Monastery and its 110 foot high sitting Buddha, the soon to be opened Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car Ride, Tai O with it’s stilt housing and Discovery Bay, an expat dominated enclave. But don’t think it doesn’t have its secret places where you are unlikely to run into many other tourists.
Tai O Village on Lantau Island
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Drink!!!!!!!!!
I don’t necessarily mean alcohol.
There are two types of venues that seem to attract local people. One is the teahouse. Teahouses come in all shapes and sizes and can be found in most every neighborhood. They serve herb teas. Many, but not all, of the teas are intended to help drinkers improve some aspect of their health. Some are just meant to provide a pleasant break in the day. Unfortunately I don’t know what does what for what? If you are curious, check out Dr. Chen’s Herbal Tea Website. The only one I’ve really spent time at is in the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. The shops are usually quite small with low stools for sitting. Some serve snacks or dim sum. If you are at all adventurous check one out.
As a side note, if you are interested in the history of tea and teaware the Flagstaff House Teaware Museum in Central is worth a visit. It is also the oldest colonial building left standing in Hong Kong so if you are into architecture, it’s also worth seeing.
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Walk!!!!!!!
I am referring to two kinds of walking here: walking as in “hiking” or “trekking” and walking as in “strolling” or “wandering.” Both apply to Hong Kong.
Aberdeen Country Park on Hong Kong Island
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Last night, while on the way to a Hong Kong Philharmonic performance, we stumbled into a new attraction next to the Cultural Center.
It’s a 10 minute water, light and music show and was truly amazing. One of the effects is to project messages and pictures on to a thin sheet of water so that the message moves and disappears as the water falls. The show we saw was at 7:30 PM. As far as I know the schedule has not been published.
The Cultural Center From Victoria Harbor
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This is a continuation of Ten Things to do in Hong Kong, #7A:visiting the outer islands.
I wish my wife, Pam, was writing today’s posting since she knows so much more than I do about the outer islands. She’s a hiker so she and her friends have explored many of the smaller inhabited and uninhabited islands.
Peng Chau Island Near the Ferry Terminal
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Bet!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you haven’t been to the horse races in Hong Kong, you have missed something special. I particularly recommend the Happy Valley track on a Wednesday night.
The ponies run only two days a week in Hong Kong. On week-ends at the new track in Sha Tin - usually on Saturday, sometimes on Sunday or a holiday. The mid-week meeting is usually Wednesday evening at Happy Valley, where the first race was run in 1847.
Happy Valley Race Track
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Ride!!!!
“Ride what?” you ask. Let’s start with one of Hong Kong’s icons, the Star Ferry. For HK$2.30 (US$0.30) or free if you are over 60, you can ride the ferry back and forth across the harbor. As long as you don’t get off, you can make the trip as many times as you wish. You better do it soon, though. At the rate the government is filling in the Harbor, the Star Ferry may soon be a memory.
The Star Ferry
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Number four in a series.
Museums
There are some fine museums in Singapore, especially the Asian Civilization Museum. The government is upgrading the museums so some are closed. Hong Kong, on the other hand has at least Six world-class museums, four of which are less than 10 years old. The Hong Kong Heritage Museum and the Museum of Hong Kong History are both “don’t miss” destinations if you are at all interested in museums. The Art Museum, the interactive Science Museum, the Coastal Defense Museum and the Space Museum are also worth spending time in. Except for the Heritage Museum and the Coastal defense Museum, the other four are within walking distance of one another. I’ll have to give Hong Kong the nod, here.
Cantonese Opera Exhibit, Hong Kong Heritage Museum
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