checo64

Hi Everyone,

I've been pouring over previous posts and am trying to finalize my itinerary for Hong Kong. Haven't even started on the rest yet, but would appreciate any suggestions.

Here goes:

We have 4 days in Hong Kong, arriving early morning , so 1st day would be walking around Central area, taking the Duk Ling tour, going to Tsim Sha Tsui. Wondered if a walk in Kowloon park would be interesting? Maybe, walking along Nathan Rd. We will be staying at Langham Place, so thought we would see the markets if we wanted later. Any suggested walks would be great. We'll probably to pretty jet lagged. We arrive on Sat , so wanted to also check about Happy Valley for races.

2nd day: Thought about going to Macau for the day. Do we need to go early on a Sunday? Maybe dinner in the Lan Kwai Fong area? any suggestions?

3rd day: Going to the Peak . We really would like to try the hike suggested by Cicerone along the Dragonback to Shek-O. Any suggestions whether we should have dinner at Shek-o or at the Peak? My husband is allergic to seafood so we are always a bit nervous where we eat.

4th day: Going to Lantau Island. Is it easy to do on our own, or should we go with a tour? We want to see the monastery, (? maybe have the vegetarian lunch?) , go to Tian tan buddha, the tram and Tai-0 Any suggestions on best way to go to Lantau?

Sorry for all the questions and the long post, but my head is so filled with possibilities, I'm having a hard time putting it all down.

Cicerone

Just some random thoughts:

1. Please don't go to Macau on a Sunday, its just too crowded with Hong Kongers and people from the PRC on their day off. Ferries will be crowded, and unless you have a confirmed ticket for your return, you may be waiting a while to get back. Go on a weekday, it will just be easier overall for you. You might want to consider doing the Dragon's Back walk on Sunday, as more public transport options will be available to you then. (see below).

2. Kowloon Park is actually not as large as it appears on a map, as big parts of it are taken up by things like the public swimming pools and a sports centre, and it is rather urbanized, but has some interesting bits including some nice water features. If you are up along that part of Nathan Road, you can stop and walk through it. I also think that Shanghai Street, which starts at the north end of the park, is quite interesting, it has a number of shops selling incense and temple goods like incense burners, altar tables and gods for the altar table, ancestor tablets, etc which are worth a look, and also stop into the interesting temple complex on Shanghai Street which includes a Tin Hau temple (cross street with Public Square Street, it backs up to Nathan Road). This temple 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. The Jade Market is a few blocks up from here and is worth a visit, esp as it is not open at night like the other night markets (the jade is all pretty much fake, but there is lots of it and souvenirs too, good prices and it's fun IMO, and I am <u> not </u> generally a fan of tourist markets here). You might also consider something like tea in the lobby of the Peninsula for the charm and history (can be a line on weekends, but go late like at 5 pm and you should be OK and this will stop you from napping) or lunch/tea or a drink in the lobby bar or the Habourside Restaurant in the Intercontinental for the great views. For sure walk the Esplanade along the waterfront to see The View (and go back at night sometime as well.) If you are in Central for tea time, then consider the Mandarin Hotel for tea and tai-tai watching (means wife, but is used pejoratively here to mean the ladies who lunch).

4. The races at Happy Valley are a good idea, assuming you aren't too tired. I assume you have the info on getting in, if not take a look at the website for the Hong Kong Jockey Club at http://www.hkjc.com/english/index.asp. You can buy visitors admission tickets (bring your passport) at the betting office on Nathan Road while you are out walking. If you want to have dinner at the Stable Bend Restaurant while you watch (very average food but great viewpoint) you may need to call ahead, check the website.

5. The Dragon's Back walk is not anywhere near the Peak. While it is possible to do the walk and see the Peak on the same day, I don't want there to be any misunderstanding that you can start the Dragon's Back walk from the Peak or anywhere near it. You would have to travel by bus or taxi between the two areas. A bus is going to be problematic, esp on a weekday as there is much more limited bus service from the Peak area to the Shek-O area, but in any event you would have to change several times, this would take at least an hour and could well take more, a taxi would not take long, maybe 20 minutes, but would cost a bit. If you do want to try to do both, my suggestion would be that you do the Dragon's Back walk <u> first </u> and then go over to the Peak. You can't start the Dragon's Back walk too late, as you don't want to be in darkness for any portion of it, as none of it is lit.

However, IMO a better thing to combine the Dragon's Back walk with would be a visit to Stanley Market for a meal and souvenir shopping (there are also two small temples here and a large WW II cemetery if you are interested in history). Stanley would be a much shorter taxi ride from the end of the Dragon's Back walk than going to the Peak (also on weekends you can take a bus from Shek-O to Stanley). There is a waterfront of restaurants in Stanley, favourites are the Boathouse, but there are many good restaurants there, and a little place called Lucy's which is back in the market area (hard to find address is listed as #64 Stanley Main Street but it is really in an alley to the left of the main street ask around to get directions) and has no view but very good food. From Stanley you could take a bus back to Central (the very fun #6 bus, try to do it in the daylight to appreciate it). I would do the walk in the morning (get there via MTR to Chai Wan, and the walk up through the cemetery, I have given pretty precise directions on this in another recent post), then after the walk bus or taxi over to Stanley for lunch and some shopping. You could then actually go to the Peak for sunset and to watch the lights come up over the city (IMO the best time of day). You can get to the Peak from Stanley by a taxi or a series of buses (or on weekends the #315 bus goes to the Peak from Stanley). That's a lot to do in one day, so you may want to break this up, i.e. do the Peak on another late afternoon.

IMO it is better to be up on the Peak at sunset and dusk and as the lights come up at night to see the view both in daylight and then at night, than to just go up in the afternoon. Also there is nothing to see at night from the Shek-O area (and of all the restaurants there, only the one at Big Wave Bay has a water view).

Don't forget that there are some very good walks ON and around the Peak, I have posted on one of my favourites of these before, look for “Cicerone’s Favourite Hong Kong Walks: Severn Road, the Peak”. You should also consider doing the 45 minute loop around Lugard/Harlech Roads starting and ending at the Peak Tram station which will give you some very nice views as well. It would also be possible to walk from the Peak to Stanley, but this would take 4-5 hours, albeit a great walk (there is an easy way and a hard way, both take about the same time).

If you do decide to stay in Shek-O for a meal, you should not have a problem finding non-seafood items on the menu at either Black Sheep or the Thai Chinese Seafood restaurant (the two best in town), although obviously the latter is primarily seafood. Also the Blue Wave Restaurant, just down the road in Big Wave Bay, is on the beach and has a nice water view and pizza, pasta, etc.

4. I am not really a fan of the Big Buddha. At the end of the day it's just a very big Buddha sitting up there, and for some reason I do not find it a moving one. (I will admit to liking Theravada/southern-influenced Buddhist art much better than northern/Chinese or Japanese so that is certainly part of it.) IMO it's a longish way to go to look at the thing when there are lots of temples in Hong Kong where IMO you can see some interesting things, i.e. the Pak Tai Temple on Stone Nullah Lane in Wan Chai or the Wong Tai Sin temple in Kowloon r the Chin Lin Nunnery. The vegetarian meal I have had once and would never do again, very average. Don't go on a Sunday, it's too crowded. If you want to take the cable car, you can make a reservation, on a weekday, you should be OK without one but go to http://www.np360.com.hk/html/eng. I would not take a tour, as I can't imagine anything more canned than a bus tour of the Buddha and then Tai O (which would inevitably include a seafood lunch I would think if they did not force you into the vegetarian one).

I do like Tai O, I think it has a lot of sort of crummy charm (pretty much only seafood here). There is a <u> marvelous </u> easy walk DOWN from the Buddha to Tai O, this will take about 3.5 hours or a bit more, although you can cut off an hour by taking a bus or taxi and skipping the first bit or the last. This walk will show you several other monasteries, and some fantastic views on a clear day, as there are just dozens on Lantau (including one for Trappist monks). IMO it's one of the only reasons to go to the Big Buddha, but not everyone feels that they can make the time to do the walk, which is unfortunate (they have to go buy their copy watches.....)

5. What month/date is your trip? There may be special events going on that you may want to attend and therefore rejigger the itinerary a bit (of course like Chinese New Year next week, but also we have a grave sweeping festival in April and Dragon Boat in June). Also, if your trip is this month or next, IMO you should have some contingency plans for the Dragon's Back and Lantau in case the weather is not good. These months are generally cool, foggy and damp and you may not be able to, or want to, do the walk or go to a place where you won't be able to see the Buddha or the great view it normally could have. In general, I would have some flexibility in your plans for any months other than mid-October to mid January, as we can (and often do) get a good heavy on any given day.

checo64

Cicerone,

Thanks for the quick reply. Your suggestions give me a lot more to think about. We are coming to HK at the end of this month. Cool and foggy weather don't usually bother us for hikes as we live in Canada and hike in any weather. ( unless you think the terrain will be too difficult to manage in wet weather)

My husband and I are not into really touristy places, but feel we have to see some of the classic tourist locations in HK. We are also not big shoppers especially in crowds, but thought we would see some of the markets as there really is nothing like that here in Canada.

I like the idea of tea somewhere like Penisula and also the walk in Kowloon Park and along Shanghai St. As for the Peak, thanks for the info. I had also wanted to do the Peak in the afternoon and do some of the walks up there and wanted to have dinner up there one night. Do you have any suggestions for dinner at the Peak?

Do you also have any suggestions for alternate plans if the weather is not good for the hikes?

I also wanted to know if you know how to get up to the cemetery that's up along the side of hill? I know I'm being vague, but it's what I remember. I left HK when I was 5 and remember that my grandfather is buried up there and wanted to try to go to the cemetery for a look. I also have memories of what an incredible site it was. Maybe it's from a child's perspective, but wanted to ask if you had any ideas what I'm talking about. It will be the first time I've been back to HK since I was a child, so I have some odd memories of the place and wanted to see some of it as well as show my husband the sights.

I also remember a restaurant in Sha Tin that was famous for it's roast pidgeon, but heard that with all the expansion it's gone now. I am also probably dating myself as that restaurant was there a very long time ago.

Thanks for all your help. You are definitely a fountain of information.

rkkwan

Few thoughts:

- Go to Macau on a weekday, and you need whole day there. Don't plan to come back early and have dinner somewhere else. Go hiking on Sunday.

- My recommendation for doing Lantau is this (several parties have used my itinerary, and no one has complained): Ferry from Cental to Mui Wo. Bus #1 to Tai O. Bus #21 to Ngong Ping. See Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery and have mediocre vegetarian lunch. Take cable car down to Tung Chung. MTR back to city.

- Lung Wah Pigeon in Shatin is still there: www.lungwahhotel.com.hk/index.htm

- There are many cemeteries around Hong Kong. You need to know which one and the specific location for your grandpa. It's actually a lot easier to visit grave sites outside the Ching Ming and Chung Yeung festivals, as you can use a taxi to get to most cemeteries during the off-season.

checo64

Thanks rkkwan,

I appreciate the input and the information about the Shatin restaurant. I'll try to find out which cemetery my grandfather is buried in. All I remember about it is that it has an amazing hillside location with very old headstones set on a steep side of the mountain overlooking the city.

We definitely have some exploring to do.

Thanks again.

rkkwan

Do you remember what part of the city you see?

Because you said it's old, and in the city, most likely, it's the HK Cemetery overlooking Happy Valley. Or perhaps the Tsuen Wan or Aberdeen Cemetery. Newer and larger ones are at Chai Wan and Tseung Wan O.

Cicerone

Virtually ALL cemeteries in Hong Kong (and in China generally) are built into hillsides facing water, but not the open sea. This is considered good luck. (The only one I can think of that is not on a hillside is the cemetery in Stanley which is primarily for British soldiers who died in the Japanese prison camp there during the Japanese occupation in WWII.) I would agree that the odds are better that your grandfather is buried in the cemetery in Happy Valley on Hong Kong Island as that is an older cemetery. But there are other cemeteries all over town both the Kowloon and Hong Kong side of the harbour; on the Hong Kong side there is notably a huge one in Chai Wan (which you walk through part of to get to the Dragon's Back walk), which also has a WW II veteran cemetery. There is also one in Pokfulam near the Chinese University. All have water and city views, although Pokfulam's is much more of a water view of the Lamma Channel. On the Kowloon side, there is one in Diamond Hill and one in Tsing Ying which would have good views of the city of Hong Kong as well. I believe there is a small one up on the hill virtually in TST as well. Did you live on Hong Kong Island or in Kowloon? Did you visit the cemetery often from your home? Did you walk, or take a tram, bus or a car? These might help. A list of cemeteries and crematoria can be found at http://www.fehd.gov.hk/cc/introduction.html, you may be able to find a place that has a listing of all people buried in a cemetery which may be a place to start looking. If he served in the Canadian or other Commonwealth armed services and was buried in connection with that, you may find him listed in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site at http://www.cwgc.org/. Otherwise, there is a wonderful tour guide here name Jason Wordie who gives great walking tours, including one of the Happy Valley Cemetery, who may be able to help or you may want to do one of his tours (expensive but IMO very much worth it), see www.jasonswalks.com. (He has also written about several books on good walks in various neighborhoods in Hong Kong, you might want to get his book called &quot;Streets, Exploring Hong Kong Island&quot;. You can buy it at local bookstores here in Hong Kong.)

If you want to go to the Hong Kong Cemetery in Happy Valley on Hong Kong Island, this is on Queens Road East in Wan Chai, and starts at the corner of Queen's Road East and Stubbs Road. It is not really near the subway, the closest would be the Wan Chai stop, but it would be a bit of a walk from there. A taxi would be better, or the #6 bus from Central, you can alight at the stop after the bus has made a sharp right turn and started up Stubbs Road, the cemetery entrance would be back down the hill, turn right onto Queens Road and look for the entrance on the right past the Sikh temple on the corner. (You could also take a tram, personally I think this is too confusing for someone not familiar with the area.)

I don't think the terrain for walks is too difficult to handle in the fog, as it won't be heavy rain, so there won't be a lot of mud to deal with like you might get in July after a good rain. The trail on the Dragon's Back has fewer paved portions than most other walks, but is still doable, IMO in February. You may not be able to appreciate the views nearly as much, but its a good walk in any event. Many of the other walks like Severn Road are paved roads and paths, and foggy weather is not going to make those any harder in February. For some other walks in the Peak area, and ideas on what to do in Hong Kong generally, see my thread called “Cicerone’s Reccos for What the Locals Do for Fun in Hong Kong (Hint: We DON’T Go to those Awful Night Markets....)”

For things to do if weather is bad for hiking: there are several good museums here, the Hong Kong History Museum, the Museum of Modern Art are two that are definitely worth a visit, further out in the New Territories (in Sha Tin in fact) is the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. See http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/cs_mus.php for information on all museums in Hong Kong. Walking the wet/vegetable markets in Central and Wan Chai is always possible in any weather, and I would recommend that in any event, as is a visit to any of the myriad of temples like the Man Mo Temple in Hollywood Road, the Wong Tai Sin to get your fortune told, the Pak Tak Temple in Stone Nullah Lane in Wan Chai (easy to combine with a visit to the markets in this area), the Tin Hau temple in Causeway Bay and/or Repulse Bay, or there are just dozens of other temples around town.

I have also been to the roast pigeon place in Sha Tin, and agree that it is good, not sure if it is the one from your childhood. You can rent bicycles in Sha Tin and ride all the way out to Tolo Harbour, this might be a fun thing to do (do this on a weekday when there are less people, esp people who have never been on a bicycle!) As I mentioned above, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum is in Sha Tin. There is also a nice little restored walled village museum, the Sheung Yiu Folk Museum (http://www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk/eng...ch_sel_syf.htm) not far from Sai Kung and near the High Island Reservoir that is interesting and there is a little walk that takes about an hour. You could do a day in the New Territories and include a meal back in Sha Tin. (There are of course some <u>wonderful</u> longer and more difficult walks in the New Territories if this interests you, like #2 or #3 sections of the Maclehouse Trail which have great sea and mountain views. You can also take a ferry from near Sha Tin up through Tolo Harbour and out to remote places like Tap Mun (Grass Island) for good walking as well. Lots of options in the New Territories, Sundays are probably better for this as you will have ferries running more often and buses as well.

For dinner at the Peak, there are few choices. For very good food, a great view and more on the expensive side, you have Pearl on the Peak. For perfectly fine, if not exciting food, a great view, and more moderate price there is Cafe Deco, get a window table or there is no point. It's like a nicer version of a TFI Fridays, IMO. A very nice restaurant with basically no views is the Peak Lookout, they have a pretty tree-shaded terrace out back with some limited water views of the Southside, but only during the day really. Nice for brunch, lunch or late afternoon. There is also Simpatico which I think has very good food and a nice outdoor terrace with water views of the Southside; however, I would not go there at night (at least not outdoors) as the outdoor terrace looks out onto the plaza in front of the Peak Tram which has a huge jumbotron TV screen that runs ads and other stuff and is quite noisy and distracting at night, IMO. Simpatico is quite nice for lunch, however, if you don't want the city/harbour view. There are also more fast-food type places in the Peak Galleria, like a Bubba's Gumbo Shrimp which may have views, I have not been to them. There is a Chinese place on the ground floor with a nice outdoor terrace but which I don't think has any views unfortunately as it is too low. There is a Pacific Coffee Company with an absolutely tremendous view and a terrace, not that you want to have dinner there, but good for a coffee and to gawk at the view (and free internet), it's in the very front to the Peak Tram building on the ground floor.

Pearl on the Peak
Level 1, Peak Tower
128 Peak Road
tel: 852-2849-5123

Peak Lookout
121 Peak Rd
Tel: 852/2849 1000
http://www.thepeaklookout.com.hk/

Caf&eacute; Deco
Peak Galleria
118 Peak Road
The Peak
Tel: 852.2849 5111
http://www.cafedecogroup.com/cafed/v_deco.asp

Simpatico
Shop 19, First Floor
Peak Galleria
118 Peak Road
Tel: 2849-0001

checo64

Thanks rkkwan and cicerone for all the information about the cemeteries and peak. I'm inclined to think it's the cemetery overlooking Happy Valley as they lived in Tsim Sha Tsui and I don't remember travelling very far to go to the cemetery. I think my great grandfather is also buried there, so the location is very old.

Thanks for all the information. I'll look into the walks by Jason Wordie also.

I'm getting very excited about coming to HK now.