rkkwan

Don't take the E32, but the stops for A31 are closer to where you need to go (Heung Sze Wui Rd @ Cheung Wan St) than the AE/MTR station.

Get off the bus at the Cheung Tsing Bus Terminus (Stop #5 on KMB's site). Walk north through the bottom of the Tsing Yeung House apartment block, then cross the wide Heung Sze Wui Road using the elevated bridge. Total distance just over 1/4 mile, about half the distance from the AE/MTR station.

http://maps.google.com.hk/?ie=UTF8&l...07778&z=17

The Cheung Tsing Bus Terminus is near the bottom of the map, in front of the Cheung Tsing Community Centre. Switch to the satellite mode to see that footbridge across Heung Sze Hui Road.

rkkwan

In fact, in the satellite mode, you can see the buses at the Cheung Tsing Bus Terminus. And all the elevated pathway from the bus stop to across Heung Sze Wui Road next to the Vigor Industrial Building.

klam_chowder

Wow, thx a mint rkkwan - details much appreciated! I've gone thru the map in detail with the instructions and will print it out and take it with me.

Glad you pointed out the elevated pathway - altho I could see it I wouldn't have known what I was looking at.

Might be a silly question, but do the buildings generally have English on them too (e.g., will Yeung House be on the building or only the Chinese characters)?

Also, are the elevated pathways generally wheelchair accessible (i.e., do they have ramps or should I anticipate carrying my luggage up and down flights)?

Thx again for any insights - enjoy-la!

rkkwan

English are on all buildings and permanent signs. Only problem is if there are temporary closing and those hand-written signs may not have them. Print out that map. With both English and Chinese on it, you can point and ask people if there's an issue.

I don't know that area personally, but in general, you wouldn't find escalators for those footbridges in that type of areas. But it should be just one flight of stairs going up and one down. Shouldn't be a problem unless you have heavy luggage, in which case, you should take a taxi direct from airport.

klam_chowder

Thx again for sharing your expertise, rkkwan!

Enjoy-la!

rkkwan

Back to the question about souvenir, right now the "hottest" things are dairy products that don't use Chinese milk or milk powder as ingredient.

Baby formula, milk chocolate, etc...

klam_chowder

Great tip - I'll check and see if she wants anything milk powder-based.

Another question...LOL! I'll be travelling with the usual electronic stuff - digital camera, ipod, etc. that will need to be recharged. Any idea of which type of electric converter is best, what type of plug head?

Thx for any insights - enjoy-la!

rkkwan

220v, UK-style with the 3 big square pegs.

klam_chowder

Thx again (=

I plan on spending a day going to Stanley, Repulse Bay and Aberdeen areas. Leisurely pace, if I run out of time, that's fine I will go back on another day to see the rest.

The directions I've read generally start from the Tsim Sha Tsui area. Since I will be leaving from Tsing Yi, should I just take the MTR to Causeway Bay and start from there or is there a better route?

Another day's suggested outing (from one of your PP!) I'd like to make is to ferry to Mui Wo, bus to Tai O, bus to Ngong Ping, bus to Tung Chung and take the MTR back to city. Where does one catch the ferry? Could all this be done in a leisurely day; I'd want to see the Big Buddha and have a vegetarian lunch. Should I bus to Ngong Ping first after the ferry, or just take the MTR from Tsing Yi to Tung Chung?

Also do you happen to know what bus # is the direct ride to Tai O from the Po Lin Monastery?

Thx for any insights - enjoy-la!

rkkwan

Take the MTR from Tsing Yi to Hong Kong. The terminus for #6 bus to Repulse Bay and Stanley is on ground level of Exchange Square, which is the office complex directly to the south of the ifc complex. 6A, 6X and 260 also goes from the same terminus to Stanley, but those three uses the Aberdeen Tunnel. 6 takes you over Wong Nai Chung Gap, and is a little more interesting and thrilling.

Many people have followed my 2/3-day itinerary of ferry/cable-car/subway to Lantau. But they don't start from Tsing Yi. For you, I'd say forget the ferry, as you waste a lot of time, compared to just take the MTR from Tsing Yi to Tung Chung.

For you, you can do it this way:

- MTR to Tung Chung
- #11 bus to Tai O
- #21 bus to Ngong Ping (check timetable at Tai O, this bus is only once an hour. If you miss this bus, take any other bus out of Tai O, get off at the Sham Wat Road junction at the top of the gap - ask driver; then switch to any bus that goes up to Ngong Ping)
- Tour Ngong Ping and lunch
- Cable car down to Tung Chung
- MTR home

If you start late, you can do reverse, and go up to Ngong Ping first. After lunch, then go to Tai O.

Mind you Tai O has severed two serious natural disasters in the last few months - huge landslides and then the worst flooding on record last week during Typhoon Hagupit. If you're going soon, you may want to skip Tai O this time.

rkkwan

If you still want to take the ferry, it departs from Pier 6 in Central, next to Star Ferry and just north of the ifc complex.

The ifc complex is where the Hong Kong MTR/Airport Express terminus is located.

Website for buses on Lantau is here (note spelling, which is correct):

www.newlantaobus.com

Website for ferry to Mui Wo is at:

www.nwff.com.hk

Buses for Hong Kong Island and Cityflyer airport buses and selected cross harbor routes are at: [That includes the 6, 6A, 6X, 260 to Central.]

www.nwstbus.com.hk

Buses for Kowloon, New Territories, selected cross harbor routes, the Airbus airport buses are at [including the A31 and various buses for Tsing Yi]:

www.kmb.hk

One more thing. Whoever you're staying with probably can tell you better, but from many parts of Tsing Yi, it's often more convenient to take a taxi, bus or minibus to the Kwai Fong MTR, instead of going to the Tsing Yi MTR. The Tung Chung MTR line can be fairly infrequent outside rush hour, and requires a change to get to Mongkok and Tsimshatsui.

klam_chowder

Thx a mint for your detailed reply - it is very helpful!

Terrible to hear the news of Tai O - I hope there has been adequate support for the residents to recover. I'm going in November but will ask the bus drivers the day I go if it is reasonable to go there.

Good tip about the Kwai Fong vs. Tsing Yi MTR stations. I did notice on the MTR site, it says how long the trip is and the service hours of the stations but not the frequency of the trains.

I will check out the links to plan some routes.

Thx for mentioning all these items.

As you probably guessed, I'm staying in a residential flat but it is currently vacant. If someone is staying there while I am there too, they would be a tourist like me. Hence my many questions here...LOL!

I've read there are vegetarian food courts and lunch at the Po Lin Monastery, are these the same thing? I also read there is a combination ticket to purchase for entrance to the Big Buddha and lunch at the monestary, where does one buy this?

Thx for any insights - enjoy-la!

rkkwan

There's a vegetarian restaurant in Po Lin Monastery, and outside the restaurant they also sell vegetarian snacks and there are tables where you can sit and eat. But it's not like a real food court with many different vendors. Inside the restaurant, there are two levels of set lunches. Not sure the current price, but the cheaper ones should be around HK$80. It includes 4 dishes and soup and rice. Never had the fancier one, but you also get to sit in a nicer room with that.

The set lunch tickets include an entrance to the pedestal of the Big Buddha. Inside that base, there are some exhibits, including a piece of relic of Sakaymuni.

Climbing up the steps to visit the Big Buddha is free, just can't go to those exhibit without a ticket (not sure the cost of separate non-lunch ticket just for the exhibit). If you decide to visit the Big Buddha before lunch, you can also buy your combination ticket at the base of the Buddha, before climbing the steps.

rkkwan

If you are staying at Greenfield Garden or Grand Horizon, there's the 88B Public Light bus (16-seat, green-colored minibus) to Kwai Fong MTR. [If you're staying at Serene Garden or Tivoli Garden, there's the 88D, but that one takes a longer route.]

These routes cost about HK$3.5, and should be very frequent (every 6-8 minutes), as I'd imagine that's how a lot of the residents get to/from their home at those private apartment blocks.

They are a good alternative to walking to the Tsing Yi MTR if you're going to some place not on the Tung Chung MTR line.

klam_chowder

Thx again rkkwan. The monastary info is very helpful and I'll check out the 16-seaters for trips on the red line.

I was trying to figure out if there is a better way to get to Ocean Park than Tsing Yi > HK > Admiralty, then Citybus route 629. On the bus links you provided, I can't figure out which one is the Ocean Park route as it needs a District and I don't know what district OP is in. Is there a better bus route from Tsing Yi area to OP?

Also, do you happen to know if Continental arrives in Terminal 1 at the HK airport? I've found an HSBC ATM at Terminal 1. I plan to pull funds from there for my Octopus card, and to get me started.

Thx for any insights - enjoy-la!

rkkwan

The 629 also departs from Pier 7 at the Central Pier, though every 20 minutes and not every 10 from Admiralty. Still that's the best way. Just the Tung Chung line MTR to Hong Kong and then walk out to Pier 7.

"Terminal 2" in Hong Kong is only for checking-in for certain airlines. All arriving passengers to HKG will arrive at Terminal 1. CO's check-in for departure is also at Terminal 1.

There are ATMs of several banks in the arrival hall at HKG. You're not limited to HSBC ones. Yes, go get cash, then go the circular manned Airport Express ticket counter to get your Octopus.

klam_chowder

Continued thx, rkkwan. The detail you provide is fab and will make for better stress-free travelling (=

I'd like to take the HK Trams. I've gone to the HK Tramways' website but can't decide which route is best. Would you recommend going east or westbound, and are there any particular stop & starting terminals you would suggest? That is, that have "the most to see". My thoughts are to catch it at Central and ride it up to Shau Kei Wan Road.

I will ride it just to get a flavor of the city and likely hop on & off but was just wondering about your thoughts on this since you are very familiar with HK.

Thx for any insights - enjoy-la!

rkkwan

Well, I have no particular preference of one direction over another, but keep in mind that the tram is slow and it's an hour for the 5 miles from Central to Shau Kei Wan, compared to 20 minutes on the MTR. Unless there's a particular reason for you to go to Shau Kei Wan (like connecting to the #9 bus to Shek O, or visiting the Museum of Coastal Defense - both recommended), you may want to get off in North Point.

Going west from Central, you'll past through the Western District with all the dried seafood and chinese medicine shops. Pretty interesting as well. But no big reason to ride all the way to Kennedy Town for that direction either.

Or you can take the tram to Happy Valley. Not much to see there on a non-race day. Get off and then get on the next departing tram - but check the destinations. They either go east through Causeway Bay, North Point to Shau Kei Wan; or go west past Central to Kennedy Town.

yk

The vegetarian lunch at Po Lin Monastery was HK$60 back in Jan 08 when I was there. That's the regular lunch, not the VIP lunch.

If you're by yourself, you probably will end up with just 3 dishes, rather than 4-5 dishes if you are there in a group. Having said that, it should still be plenty to eat. The lunch also comes with soup and white rice; both of which you can ask for more for free.

klam_chowder

Thx for the details rkkwan & yk!

My trip is really coming along now and I'll start stitching together all my research into coherent days/clusters of activities.

I will definitely spend a weekday at HK Disney (I'm a Mouse Fan!). Are there any places that sell discount tickets?

Thx for any insights - enjoy-la!