|
explore lantau on way to airport?
We leave Hong Kong for Vietnam on Vietnam Air at 14h55 on December 14th.
Would the following be feasable and how would we do the last bit: Explore Kowloon in the morning until say 10h30, then get to the airport on the airport express. Can we get our boarding passes at the airport express counter? Can we then go through to the airport with our baggage, have our main bags go through the system and leave our hand luggage at left luggage. We thought we could maybe then go to the Po Lin Monastery and Tai O from the airport and then what time would we need to head back to the airport - if we can get our boarding passes earlier on. Is a taxi the best way to get from the aiport to the monastary and back? thanks for the help |
Possible, but you have to leave Kowloon earlier than that in my opinion.
You can do online check-in at the Airport Express station in Kowloon. Get to the airport and leave your handcarry at left luggage. Just like you think. From airport to Po Lin Monastery, with the cable car not running, your only choices are taxi and the bus. Bus you need to take the S1 shuttle bus to the Tung Chung MTR bus terminus, and switch to New Lantao Bus #23 to Po Lin Monastery. Schedule is here: www.newlantaobus.com/road_23.htm It is not that frequent on weekdays. If you have that little time, you have to use a taxi. It'll still take about 45 minutes each way. To get to Tai O, you can take Bus #21 from Ngong Ping, <b>infrequent</b>, about 15 minute ride: www.newlantaobus.com/road_21.htm Or you can take any bus that gets out of Ngong Ping, and then switch to any bus heading to Tai O at the Keung Shang Road/Shum Wat Road junction. Or taxi, of course. It's just that on weekdays, there may not be any readily available at Ngong Ping/Po Lin Monastery. From Tai O, taxi back to the airport. Again about 45 minutes. Or you can take Bus #11 back to Tung Chung: www.newlantaobus.com/road_11.htm Then S1 shuttle back to airport. I would suggest doing it early. Even if you use a taxis for all trips, the road portion will take 2 hours. You want at least an hour at Ngong Ping and Tai O each. To get back to the airport by 2pm (which is already pushing it), you'll need to leave the airport at 10am the very latest. You'll be using the blue-colored Lantau taxi. It's about HK$150 from airport to Po Lin Monastery, slightly more for Tai O to airport. About $50 for Ngong Ping to Tai O. |
BTW, are you still staying in HK for 3 nights? If so, I would go to Lantau on an earlier day. It's too much trouble to do all the luggage and everything and worry about time getting back to the airport.
Go to Lantau on one of your other days, I will highly suggest. Do what I did last fall. Take the ferry from Central to Mui Wo. Take the #1 bus to Tai O. Then #21 up to Ngong Ping and visit Po Lin Monastery. Have vegetarian lunch there if interested. Either take #2 bus back to Mui Wo and ferry back, or take #23 to Tung Chung and ride MTR back. Good trip for about 5-6 hours. No hurry, no need to worry about catching the plane. |
I think you are probably right as usual! Trouble is so much to see in so short a time. So far it looks like this:
Day 1 arrive at Y about 2pm, shower and then take Star Ferry to Central, the 15C to the Peak Tram then up to the Peak. Explore there and do one of the two walks to the very top as per Cicerone's very detailed and brilliant route suggestions. Then head back to the Y to sleep - remember we will have flown in from Cape Town and Johannesburg - 15 hours in the air excl airport time! And there is a big time jump. So by the time the light show ends, we'll be asleep! Day 2 Breakfast at Y then Star Ferry to Central bus station and 6 or 6A to Stanley for the morning and lunch. Afternoon we head back to Aberdeen for Ocean Park and then dinner at the new restaurant at the top of Jumbo (as per Cicerone). Then back to the Y Day 3 - still working on but want to do Mid level escalators and Soho, would also like to see the walled village museum (have your notes on that) plus flower market and bird garden. Do want to see a temple or two - important for the children - and the grandmother! Do not want to do shopping malls or Nathan Road shops. I keep telling myself that I will come back to HK so I don;t need to do everything now but I do want to get a good overview - heeeeeeeeeelllllllllppp! Thanks for you help as always |
Day 2:
Nothing's open in Stanley in the morning. Go to Ocean Park first, which opens at 9am. Go to Stanley mid-afternoon, and then Aberdeen for dinner. Day 3: Go do the Lantau tour as I described the morning. Ferry to Mui Wo. Bus to Tai O. Bus to Po Lin Monastery. Lunch there. Bus to Tung Chung. You'll be done early afternoon. Take the MTR to Wong Tai Sin to see the temple. Then another stop on the MTR to Diamond Hill to Chi Nin Nunnery. That'd be a full day, and you can visit the night markets on Temple St or Ladie's Market. Day 4: Bird market and flower market opens early, so do those this morning. You won't have time to visit a walled village. But I don't think they are really a must... |
This makes a lot more sense - and thanks for the top re Stanley for the afternoon rather.
The "walled village" I was thinking of was either the Sam Tung Uk Museum in Tsuen Wan or the Sheung Yiu Folk Museum I guess we take the Star Ferry from the Y to Central and then the ferry to Lantau leaves from Pier 6? i like the idea if going out to the nunnery thanks so much |
Yes, ferry to Mui Wo leave from Pier 6, which is right next to Star Ferry (Pier 7).
Here's the schedule: http://www.nwff.com.hk/english/sched...=25&line=H This time of the year, I actually prefer the slow ferry (those with the asterisk). Takes about an hour but you can get open air and roam around. Instead of stuck in a seat on the catamarans for 35 minutes. Cheaper too. I've not been to the Sheung Yiu Folk Museum, but it's quite far from the city. Takes too much of your limited time. Sam Tung Uk is closer (with MTR service), but it's also very small and not really worth your limited time. |
Thanks Bob - the more I am reading the easier it seems to get around Hong Kong - I think I will take the slower ferry.
will sleep on this lot now - many thanks |
capetownfolk -
I am Ray, rkkwan. Bob is rhkkmk. Two different posters on this board. |
You guys have me completely confused! Have you both met each other? Your computer names are so similar that at first glance you don't quite register who's who
Anyway thanks for the help |
On your planned itinerary, some things to remember and some suggestions:
1. On your first day here around December 11, the sun will set at 5:30 pm, so by the time you check-in, shower, change, etc get over to the Hong Kong side and get up to the Peak, the sun may very well have set or be close to it. I am writing this at about 5:15 pm on November 19 and it is getting quite dark now even though the sun has not quite set, and it will be dark even earlier in December as days are even shorter. Don't get me wrong, the view from the top of the Peak will still be very beautiful with dusk and the city lights, but IMO it will be quite difficult to do any of the walks I have suggested, other than perhaps the Luggard Road/Harlech Road loop which is flat and is lit and many people walk and jog on it. I would NOT suggest you do the climb up Mt Austin road or Severen Road after sunset, the lighting is simply not good enough for someone not familiar with it. I don't really like to walk Severen Road at night myself as parts of it are quite dark. 2. I agree that you should not try to "do" Lantau on the same day as your flight. Too much rushing around, checking bags, and then always that looming thought that you may not make it to the airport; and without the cable car, from the airport you really would have a lot of backtracking to do to get to and from the Buddha. I also am just not a fan of the Buddha at all, but that is another story. (Plus, with the quite bad air pollution we have had, I am afraid you won't see much of what normally are excellent mountain and harbour views, which is IMO, the only saving grace of a trip to see the Buddha.) Instead, you can do the Kowloon area on your last day, the bird market and flower market, and some of the nearby temples or perhaps the walled village museum in Tseun Wan (see below). As noted above, the bird market and flower market are really at their best in the morning, the earlier the better IMO, so you can get an early start on your last day. You can also ride the Star Ferry for the last time and see any areas near Central that you did not get a chance to see previously, or have lunch somewhere interesting like Maxim's City Palace for dim sum or in Soho or the Star Street area. The Y will hold your bags for you, and you can hop in a taxi from there to the train station, or take the airport express bus or even just take a taxi to the airport from there. 3. For temples, there is a very nice Tin Hau temple in Kowloon, walkable from the Y, which could be incorporated into a trip to the bird market, it is on Shanghai Street (cross street with Public Square Steet, it backs up to Nathan Road). It is one of my favourites as it is set in a pretty courtyard with a large Banyan Tree, there are several side temples to other gods, and this seems to be quite an active temple. There is also the Wong Tai Sin temple also in Kowloon which is the fortune tellers temple and could easily be incorporated into a trip to the bird and flower market. You can visit one of the dozens of fortune tellers in the "mall" of fortune tellers next to the temple. It is very easy to find, just take the MTR to the Wong Tai Sin stop, take Exit Door B 3 and follow the signs, the temple is right at the stop. There are two small Tin Hau temples in Stanley, they are at the opposite end from the main shopping area, just walk across the waterfront past the restaurants, the first one is on the right just past the last restaurant, you really can't miss it. The second is up the hill a bit. (Tin Hau is the goddess of the sea and fishermen and is particularly worshipped in Hong Kong.) There is a temple with huge statues of Tin Hau and Guan Yin /Kwan-yin (the goddess of mercy) in Repulse Bay, which is on the way to Stanley, get off the bus here on the way to and from Stanley to see it, walk down to the lovely wide curving beach, as you face the water turn left and walk to the end of the beach, you cannot miss this temple it is so big. Finally, the Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road in Central is easily doable as part of a trip up the escalator in Central/Mid-levels and should IMO be one of the stops, it is near the Cat Street/Ladder Street antique markets. It is probably the most atmospheric with lots of incense burning and small dark rooms. Most guidebooks describe many of the above temples as they are quite popular with tourists, and I believe the Fodors "Destination" guide above describes them. 4. On the walled villages, I am of two minds on this. I was just out in Sai Kung yesterday, which is where the Sheung Yiu Folk Museum walled village museum is located. The museum is located in a county park on the coastline and the whole coastline area is really lovely, you can take a nice flat walk out to the museum in about 20 minutes and also extend the walk a little longer if you want; if you want to make a half day or full day of walking there are TONS of possibilities in this area. The port fishing village of Sai Kung is, IMO, quite an interesting little dumpy kind of Chinese town with some actually good seafood and other restaurants, narrow little streets full of people going about business and just overall a nice vibe which makes for an interesting trip. You would take the MTR to Diamond Hill (or Choi Hung), then a bus to Sai Kung, from there another short bus of about 15 minutes to get you to the county park where the museum is located and the good walks are. For the MTR and bus combo door to door to the museum I think you are looking at something over an hour each way and a few changes. My main hesitation is whether you want to go to all this effort to see what is essentially a rather small, if well preserved, museum. It is kind of a long trip. My other hesitation is the air pollution: if it is like Saturday it will be brilliant, sunny and very good visibility. If it is like yesterday it will be like sitting in a fog, and you may not be able to appreciate the beauty as you won't be able to see more than about ½ a mile. (This would be true of a trip to Lantau or anywhere under the same conditions.) The other walled village is larger, but is in much more of an urban location so you don't quite get the same sense of what "village" life was like. However, I think it could be combined with a Kowlooon day, as it is in Tseun Wan, so you could take the MTR to the Tseun Wan station and then a quick taxi ride. I don't think it would take more than 30 minutes for the trip. You might consider going to Lamma Island rather than making the trek out to Sheung Yiu Folk Museum. While there are no official preserved villages, there are several small villages with some very old houses indeed, and even the largest ones there on a weekday will have a tiny village feel. Lamma is easily accessible via a very short ferry ride from Central. There is a very nice easy walk from one port to the other which takes about an hour. In Sok Ku Wan, where you pick up the ferry back to Hong Kong, there is a nice Tin Hau temple, and if you go up the concrete steps off to the right a bit, this will lead you to a quite interesting Buddhist cemetery (and a great if little bit challenging trail up an over the hill and down into two tiny villages on the other side, including the village of Tung O (where the actor Chow Young Fat grew up). You can also reach Tung O by walking along the coast path from Sok Ku Wan, past the seafood restaurants, the cut off for the beachside area of Mo Tat (very decent continental restaurant there called The Bay which has an excellent view http://www.thebayhk.com/). and continuing on about 30 minutes or so until you reach tiny Yung She Hue village and an even Tung O beyond (with a tiny but charming Tin Hau temple on the beach). You have to then walk back, so it does make for a longish walk. Finally, the Hong Kong Museum of History on Chatham Road in Kowloon has several good representations of village life as well, and it is close to your hotel. See http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/History/index.php |
Thank you Cicerone
A couple of questions for you 1. Is the Barker Rd route and Severen on Peak the same thing - I am a bit confused. I understand the Mt Austin/ Luggard one and will see what time we get there 2. I agree with you about the big Buddha but am getting a bit of pressure fromthe other - I have said there will be plenty of Buddha's in Thailand. What are your thoughts on Tai O - the reviews I see are poor quality and give very mixed opinions - I suspect i will experience "better" water side villages in Vietnam so I should give this one a miss? 3. Would a taxi for 5 be possible and would it perhaps be quite a bit cheaper than the airport express x 5 people - I think I saw HK$90 each way? 4. Have you been to Ocean Park - to keep the visit not too long - say 2-3 hours maximum what would we focus on - I would think see the Pandas as we don't have any in Africa! Ride the cable car - we do have an excellent aquarium in Cape Town which our 12 year old loves and i think yours has a very good jelly fish display - anything else? I think I shall just have to schedule another visit to HK and if ever you need adice on Cape Town....... |
1. Barker Rd and Severn Rd are both to the east of the Peak Tram station. It should be included in the same walk, but I'll let Cicerone clarify.
2. I've seen plenty of buddha statues in China and around the world, and I still think the one at Po Lin Monastery is definitely worth seeing. Not only for its size, but also its location, its setting, AND the statue itself. It has great propotion, a very "kind" face. Tai O is really not that special. I will think that after Vietnam, you can skip it. 3. A taxi can legally hold 5 passengers, but with luggage, you'll have a hard time fitting everything. Many cab drivers have lots of junks or extra spare tire in the trunk, so it can't hold that much luggage. For 5 adults (child is 3-11) going to the YMCA Salisbury, the fare on the AE is HK$310 by buying a Group of 4 ticket for $220 plus a single for $90. That's about the same price as taxi and will be more comfortable. At the Kowloon AE station, take the free K3 shuttle to the Peninsula. |
we clearly think alike, Po Lin is in, Tai O is out.
I didn't know you could buy the airport express tickets as a group -that makes a difference. Now I just need to sort out this checking in thing - I know only some airlines can check in at the airport express ie rather than at the airport - we are fly out on Vietnamese Air - I can ask when arrive on day 1. The Po Lin day is starting to look really good - we can make an early start for lantau - I thought we might get the slower ferry to Miu Wo, then take the MTR back from Tung Chung to Central (thinks it bus number 2) Then I thought Maxims for Dim Sum - the 16 year old loves dim sum - you should have seenher in New York! and then a walk up Peddar, Wyndham and Hollywood - still working on the next bit - its a lot to do when you filter through all the cut and pastes I've done from this forum. I thought Po Lin and Central would be good for day 2, because if anyone gets tired they can always go back to the Y then explore the museums on their own (free on Weds!) until we all meet up later. The Stanley/ ocean Park day will be better for day 3 when we are all hopefully recovered from the flights. Not sure if I want to visit Ocean Park, but with such a diverse group you need to cater for everyone - Ocean is for the 12 year old and husband. On yours and Cicerone's advice we will explore Kowloon on the last day (the day we fly out). thanks again - you are all so very kind |
Here's a webpage that may be useful:
www.mtr.com.hk/eng/train/ae_compli_e.htm It has the free AE shuttle listing, and the airlines that <b>don't allow</b> ITCI (in-town check-in. Vietnam Airlines don't allow <b>previous day</b> check-in, but it's <b>not on the excluded list</b> for same-day ITCI, so you should be able to do it. Another possibility is to use a 6/7-seater van. There are two official limo companies that provide them. Parklane is HK$550. www.hongkonglimo.com/html/rate.html Trans-Island is HK$520. www.trans-island.com.hk/eng/index.html These will be door-to-door, faster than using the train/shuttle. And a little cheaper than two taxis. There are also unofficial vans that can pick you up at a remote garage, but I don't have experience with them or their number. Locals like to use them though. For you guys, I don't think it's worth the trouble. |
| All times are GMT -8. The time now is 06:50 PM. |