Hiking in Misty Mountain

 Hiking  1 Response »
Sep 282011
 

Tai Mo Shan (misty mountain), at 957 metre, is the highest peak in HK. It is also part of a designated country park, Tai Mo Shan Country Park. As the highest peak, it is the coldest place in HK, attracting some people to drive up here to sight the frost when the temperature drops to near freezing point.

The trail I walked in the park recently is called Twisk Nature Trail. I walked it after rain. The trees looked so green, and sometimes the whole surrounding was shrouded in mist – I then realized why it is called Misty Mountain. With little slope, the trail is definitely a pleasant walk with nice soil paths to walk on, and native trees in their plenty.

The trail is only about 2km – in about 1.5 hours you will finish the walk. But towards the end of the trail, you can detour (there is signpost to direct you) to hike to Chuen Long where there are Chinese restaurants famous for Yum Cha. That would add another 1.5 hour walk. At the end of a long walk you can enjoy dim sum with Chinese tea. What a treat.

I have posted about Yum Cha in Chuen Long. Check out here.

How to get to Twisk Nature Trail
For details about the trail and transportation, check out here. My tip for going to the Country Park and the trail is take bus No. 51 from Tsuen Wan MTR station. Exit to the flyover parallel to the station, where you can see stairs going up. Follow them and you will see No. 51 bus stop at Tai Ho Road. But make sure that you choose the right bus stop that is in the direction of Country Park. The bus runs every 25-30 minutes. So be patient – the wait can be long.  You get off at Country Park stop.

Or take bus No. 51 from Kam Sheung Road MTR station, which is quite far from the city.

 Posted by Anna at 11:21 pm

Special Area in Sai Kung

 Where to Visit  No Responses »
Sep 172011
 

I have blogged about what to do in Sai Kung. Here’s one more suggestion – on the way to Sai Kung town centre, stop by this place: Lions Nature Education Centre.

Lions refers to LIONS Clubs, which is named for its sponsorship of the centre. The centre is listed as a Special Area by HK government for its potential for conservation and nature education. There are a total of six such designated Special Areas across the territory for helping visitors to understand and enjoy the countryside. The one in Sai Kung features native plants, small fields, fruit trees, and crops. A small valley covering about 16 hectares, it has such displays as Butterfly Valley, Fisheries Hall, Shell House, Dragonfly Ponds, Chinese Herbal Garden, etc.

It seems to be a popular place for families with parents bringing their kids here for nature education and for dog owners who walk their dogs here. No pets are allowed in Hong Kong’s country parks and designated Special Areas, except dogs.

The Centre also has a number of designated spots for picnics, with wood benches in the tree shade, an idyllic setting.

After taking in the exhibits, a walk in the valley and a picnic, you can walk the Tsiu Hang Nature Trail, which is 0.8km long, to the top of the valley, before heading to Sai Kung town centre for some nice food.

How to get there:

The centre is situated on Hiram’s Highway near Sai Kung Town. Any bus or mini bus going to Sai Kung will pass by the intersection on the highway where there is a quiet road leading to the centre. There are signs at the intersection. Follow the signs to walk along the road for 2-3 minutes before the centre appears at your left hand side.

 Posted by Anna at 10:56 am

The legend: Chung King Mansion

 Where to Stay  8 Responses »
Sep 072011
 

Chung King Mansion is legendary. A building located at 36-44 Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, a busy tourist area, Chung King Mansion is famous for its curry restaurants, low-budget guest houses and the mingling of the Africans, South Asians and the locals doing trading.

Hong Kong has over 700 licensed guesthouses and nearly 25% of them, a whopping 160, are located in Chung King Mansion. This is a stunning figure. So if you are looking for a cheap place to stay, go to Chung King Mansion and you are almost guaranteed that your wish will be granted. Chung King Mansion has the city’s cheapest guesthouses and accommodation. And the advantage is not only its low cost but also its convenient location. Located in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui, the MTR station is just right across the road, with tourist spots such as Star Ferry pier, Hong Kong Art Museum, etc just a stone’s throw away.

I viewed a documentary about Chung King Mansion lately, which unfortunately is in Cantonese.  But if you go through it quickly, the visual can still give you a sense of what the Mansion is like and what the cheap accommodation in it is like. (And, you can use “translate” function of Youtube to help you understand! An English-speaking anthropologist speaking upfront also helps! )

“For the past ten years, I have not raised prices. It is still HK$60 per bed. I will not raise the prices either in the future,” a guesthouse owner vowed. His 40-year-0ld guesthouse is therefore very popular with backpackers. And this guesthouse owner is surely a character. Hong Kong’s latest inflation rate is over 7%. And he insisted on not raising prices. Chung King Mansion is legendary partly because of characters like him.

The lower-end accommodation in Hong Kong all has commonality: very small space with full array of facilities such as 24-hour hot shower, clean shower rooms/toilets, water facility, storage service, laundry room, etc. If it is an ensuite twin room, the room will have everything, including a TV set on the wall to save space, and a tiny shower room with toilet. But be prepared that the room is only slightly bigger than the space for a bed, and you have to pay HK$250-300 (US$32-40) per person per night.

 Posted by Anna at 10:27 pm

World’s largest lantern sculpture

 Where to Visit  1 Response »
Sep 032011
 

To celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival on 13 September, a big lantern display will be held in Victoria Park on September 3-12. The centerpiece is a huge sculpture in the form of fish made from more than one thousand lanterns. Measuring 37 metres in length and 13 metres in height, the sculpture is set to break world record as the largest sculpture made from lanterns.

I passed Victoria Park last night which was deserted and could take some photos of the sculpture. Enjoy!

 Posted by Anna at 8:30 am
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