• Hong Kong Island
• Kowloon
• New Territories
• Outlying Islands
Hong Kong
Island
As the oldest colonized part of Hong Kong, its administrative
and business centre, and site of some of the most expensive real estate
in the world, Hong Kong Island is naturally the heart of the whole
territory. Despite its tiny size, just 15km from east to west and 11km
from north to south at the widest points, and despite the phenomenal
density of development on its northern shore, the island offers a
surprising range of mountain walks and attractive beaches as well as all
the attractions of a great city.
On the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, overlooking Victoria Harbour
and Kowloon on the mainland opposite, are the major financial and
commercial quarters of Central and Wanchai , which in the last two
decades have sprouted several of Asia's tallest and most interesting
skyscrapers. To the east is Causeway Bay , a shopping and entertainment
area, while to the west is Kennedy Town , one of the most traditionally
Chinese parts of the city, where streets are lined with shops selling
dried fish and ancient Chinese medicines. A cliche it certainly is, but
whether it be a smoky temple squatting among skyscrapers, or Chanel -dressed
shoppers jammed into a smelly fish market, the built-up areas of Hong
Kong are a fascinating blend of East and West.
The southern shore of the island, on the other hand, is more notable for
its beaches, greenery and small towns, among them Aberdeen , in whose
harbour you'll still see the traditional barrel-shaped fishing boats (junks)
and the smaller sampans, as well as Hong Kong's famous floating
restaurants. Meanwhile, the centre of the island rises steeply to a
series of wooded peaks. Of these, the most famous, Victoria Peak ,
immediately south of Central district and accessible on the one-hundred-year-old
Peak Tram , commands superb views of the city and the harbour below.
Kowloon
A four-kilometre strip of the mainland grabbed by the British
in 1860 to add to their offshore island, Kowloon was part of the
territory ceded to Britain "in perpetuity" and was accordingly developed
with gusto and confidence. With the help of land reclamation and the
diminishing significance of the border between Kowloon and the New
Territories at Boundary Street, Kowloon has over the years just about
managed to accommodate the vast numbers of people who have squeezed into
it. Today, areas such as Mongkok, jammed with soaring tenements, are
among the most densely populated urban areas in the world.
While Hong Kong Island has mountains and beaches to palliate the effects
of urban claustrophobia, Kowloon has just more shops, more restaurants
and more hotels. It's hard to imagine that such an unmitigatedly built-up,
crowded and commercial place as this could possibly have any cachet
among the travelling public - and yet it does. One of the reasons is
that this is the best place for viewing Hong Kong Island. The view
across the harbour to the island, wall-to-wall with skyscrapers, is one
of the most unforgettable city panoramas you'll see anywhere, especially
at night. This, and its ritzy neon-lit streets full of hotels and
restaurants in the couple of square kilometres at the tip of the
peninsula that make up Tsimshatsui are enough to keep drawing in the
crowds. A further attraction of Tsimshatsui is the presence of a very
visible community of immigrants from the Indian subcontinent. Their
great stronghold is the Chungking Mansions , which, as well as being a
budget accommodation haven, is a superbly atmospheric shopping arcade
where the great cultures of Asia mingle in a haze of spices and incense.
North, into Yaumatei and Mongkok , you'll find less touristy districts
teeming with local life, while farther north still, beyond Boundary
Street - technically just outside Kowloon - is a scattering of sights
including one of Hong Kong's busiest temples, the Wong Tai Sin .
New Territories
Many people fly in and out of Hong Kong without even
realizing that the territory comprises anything more than the city
itself. The mistake is an unfortunate one, for it is in the New
Territories that some of the most scenic and traditionally Chinese areas
of Hong Kong can be found. Comprising some 750 square kilometres of land
abutting the southern part of China's Guangdong Province, the New
Territories come complete with country roads, water buffalo, old
villages, valleys and mountains - as well as booming New Towns which now
house well over three million people.
It's the country areas that hold most appeal, and there is a whole
series of designated country parks , including the amazingly unspoilt
Sai Kung Peninsula to the east, offering excellent hiking trails and
secluded beaches. For serious extended hikes, the MacLehose Trail
extends right across the peninsula and beyond. Some of the towns are
also interesting in their own right, either as ordinary residential
districts, or as gateways to relics from the past such as Shatin's Ten
Thousand Buddha Monastery , or the walled villages near Kam Tin.
Getting around the New Territories is simplicity itself - frequent buses
connect all towns, while the MTR reaches as far as Tsuen Wan and the KCR
runs north through Shatin, the Chinese University and Tai Po. There are
also a number of boats from Central, including the fast hoverferries
that connect with Tuen Mun in only thirty minutes. Tuen Mun is the
terminus of the LRT rail line that runs north to Yuen Long. You can get
a flavour of the New Territories in just one day's independent
exploration, or it's worth considering a HKTA tour ($385, children
$335). These run every day, take six hours and include lunch. Covering
such a large distance, this is probably one of their best tours in terms
of convenience and value.
By public transport , a satisfying do-it-yourself tour can be made in a
few hours along the following route, starting from the Jordan Road Ferry
bus terminus in Kowloon (accessible by bus #8 from Tsimshatsui): take
bus #60X to Tuen Mun bus terminal, then from here ride the LRT north to
its terminus at Yuen Long. From Yuen Long, take bus #76K to Sheung Shui
bus terminal in the north. Finally ride the KCR train south back to
Kowloon.
Outlying Islands
Officially part of the New Territories, the outlying islands
of Hong Kong offer weary visitors a chance to escape after the urban
hubbub has become too claustrophobic. Covering twenty percent of the
land area of the territory but containing just two percent of the
population, the islands offer a delightful mix of seascape, old fishing
villages and relative rural calm, almost entirely free of motor vehicles,
except for the taxis and buses on Lantau Island. The islands are
conveniently connected to Central by plentiful ferries and other boats.
By comparison with other areas, development has been relatively
restrained, although the opening of the new Chek Lap Kok airport on the
northern shore of the largest and emptiest island, Lantau, means that
this is likely to change.
Although most tourists come on day trips, there is some accommodation on
the islands, and restaurants of the fishy variety are also numerous.
|
