Glimpse of Hong Kong

On August 15th, I visited Hong Kong for the first time. 

Public transportation

We took the airport express from Airport on Lantau Island to Tsingyi, then transfer via a subway to Kowloon, where our hotel was. The public transportation is very convenient - but expensive. A peculiar thing about the HK public transportation is that we could not purchase and top off the popular octopus card by credit card - which has to be paid by cash! This is 21st century at a world financial center. We were shocked.

HK international airport 

The main train lines were busy almost all the time. The pricy tickets and high occupancy make HK MTR (mass transit rail) the few profitable public transportation operations in the world.

a tunnel connecting different train lines

HK international airport has one big terminal

City and Parks

We stayed at a hotel in Kowloon right next to Kowloon Park. The first thing in the morning we noticed when looking outside the hotel window - building density is very high. One reason is that the majority of Hong Kong territory is mountainous. This makes HK actually a very good place for outdoor actives in the mountains, on the beaches, and in the sea.

HK terrain

forest of concretes

mountains in the north

The street in front of the hotel is Austin Road - an old street. There are many restaurants offering breakfast, and some pastries and grocery stores, which are convenient to residents and tourists.

Kowloon Park is a very big park inside the business district, a good place to have leisure walk, exercise, bird watching ...Sky corridor is a garden on rooftop, a good place to see the city skyline and the Victoria Harbor. Another Garden we visited was Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden, a neat, tranquil place among the city's hustle and bustle. We also hiked on HK island's dragon's back trail - it will be the topic of another blog.

Kowloon park is surrounded by high rises

Flamingo lake in the Kowloon Park 

There are a few water fountains

a sculpture garden

An entrance on Nathan Road - a major road 

sky corridor park

sky corridor

High rises on Hong Kong Island

Nan Lian Garden

A black crowned night heron

Chi Lin Nunnery 

Landmarks

The Central–Mid-Levels escalator system in Hong Kong is the longest escalator system in the world a covered outdoor system measuring over 800 meters (2,600 ft) in length, connecting the Central district to the Mid-Levels residential area. It is segmented, not a continuous escalator, and it is going up only. One has to walk downhill.

starting point of the escalator

Another landmark is Xiqu Center (center for performing arts)  . It is right at the corner near our hotel. We noticed it the first night we walked to the hotel from subway station - we found out what it was later. We went inside the building to see its beautiful decorations and architecture.

Xiqu Center - side view

inside Xiqu enter

font entrance to Xiqu center

Another culture center we went to is Hong Kong Museum of Art, which is located by the  Victoria Harbor. We enjoyed the museum exhibit and the environment

HKMOA

Modern Art

Interactive Animation

Mechanical Action 

 Another Guinness Record at Hong Kong is the "Victoria Harbor light show". It is the world's largest permanent light and sound show, officially known as A Symphony of Lights, a nightly multimedia spectacle featuring music, lasers, and lighting displays on buildings around Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor. We watched the light show on Sunday August 17 at Kowloon side of the harbor , a rainy night. Fortunately for us, the rain stopped when the light show started!!

We went to the Victoria Harbor on Hong Kong Island side next day during day time by train, and went back to Kowloon by ferry. 

Victoria Harbor front  - HK island side

Victoria Harbor front  - Kowloon side viewed from a Ferry

We visited HK Polytechnic University campus as well  - in fact visiting the university to welcome our nephew starting graduate school there was the main purpose of HK visit.