We sailed into Hong Kong on a beautiful clear sunny morning. A completely different perspective to when I was there in April as you could not see the other side of the harbour due to a complete "white out" caused by fog and smog!
We docked at the Ocean Terminal which is attached to a large shopping centre which you have to walk through to get out into the street. When we disembarked the shops hadn't opened so there was no temptation shop!. Having said that from my experience in April shopping in HK is either at the very high end with every second shop an expensive name brand or at the other end in the markets. There is not much in between and nothing that I would say was better priced that at home or at the sizes that we are used to.
We decided to go to the top of the Sky 100 building first thing while the visibility was so clear. We got a taxi from the stand near the ferries straight to the Ritz Carlton Hotel which is where the Sky 100 access is. The taxi cost around $18 AUD and took about 10 minutes. The foyer of the hotel was stunning as was the high end shopping centre attached to it. Eventually we found the lift to go to the top which was 393m and took no time at all.
Once at the top we took in the view from all sides which was amazing…. so clear, so high and so far! The air con was great as was the free internet so we spent quite a bit of time there.
We then put our Octopus cards to the test and got the train from Kowloon station across the harbour to HK Island. The station was under the Sky 100 building and the cost was $1AUD. The train system is very easy to use wit lots of help available if needed.
I had my eyes (and stomach) set on Dim Sum for lunch at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel which was an easy walk from the HK station.
We found the hotel without any dramas but were a bit hesitant when we saw the chandeliers and footman outside the front of the hotel and the elaborate lobby. We were directed to the top floor and a table on the window with fabulous views over HK city and the harbour across to Kowloon.
We opted for the menu that included wine and we were not disappointed. We will definitely go back when next in Hong Kong but will go to the up market restaurant in our finery.
After lunch we walked back to the harbour and went on the iconic Star Ferry harbour cruise which took us back to Kowloon.
We put our Octopus card to the test again and caught the bus up Nathan Road to the Ladies Market. It was now raining on and off which made it difficult walking around dodging umbrellas and any shop that you went into insisted on putting your umbrella in a machine that put a plastic bag over it so that it would not drip on the floor.
By this time our legs and feet were very tired so a bus back to the dock was sought. We were back on board about 30 minutes before our curfew which gave us time to get our drinks and be in our usual place on Deck 11 for drinks and the laser light show on the harbour which is at 8pm most nights. I must say the light/laser show was a disappointment but the harbour is beautiful when all lit up at night. I think Sydney harbour is still my favourite. We sailed away on time with intermittant bursts of heavy rain showers.
A successful and enjoyable but tiring day in Honkers.
Next stop Incheon, South Korea.
Quick Facts:
Population: Approx. 7.07 million
Currency: HK dollar
Language: English and Cantonese
Climate: Humid subtropical
Hong Kong translates to "Fragrant Harbour" from the area's historical export of fragrant incense.
Arriving into Hong Kong
Hong Kong Island
The Clock Tower
The digital display in the lift in Sky 100 to the 360 degree lookout
The view from the top of Sky 100
Hong Kong Island
Mandarin Oriental Hotel
Dim Sum at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel
The view from our table
Star Ferry Harbour cruise
The laser light show
No comments:
Post a Comment