Its is perhaps appropriate that Hong Kong is an island and Kowloon on the mainland of continental Asia. The 7-minute Star Ferry ride may as well have
transported you from Europe to Asia. For, if Hong Kong Island is where you dress in your best to go dancing at the clubs on Elgin Street with gentleman who read only the Kowloon Peninsula expects you to including in its teeming street
markets, its massage parlours and discount lodges.
Step out of the Star Ferry Pier and turn right on Salisbury Rd. First up On your right are the museums, planetarium and Teddy Bear Kingdom. On your left is the YMCA and The Peninsula Hotel. Walk through the museums to the Tsim Sha Tsui Waterfront Promenade for stunning Hong Kong skyline views, or turn left after the Peninsula onto the backbone of Kowloon, Nathan Road. If you've come here after dusk, the first thing you'll discover is how Hong Kong got its neon-lit image. Everything is advertised along Nathan Road. Just keep walking.
A short walk into Kowloon's manic-streets is the Golden Mile, the stretch of Nathan Rd that dominates the frenetic shopping area of Tsim Sha Tsui.
Waterfront museums
The first in a string of museums on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront in Kowloon, the Hong Kong Cultural Centre's distinctive futuristic shape has become Kowloon's most famous landmark. The centre often holds Chinese opera performances in the foyer, which you can watch gratis. Walk through the centre to get to the Tsim Sha Tsui
Promenade at the back, marked on one end by the Kowloon Clock Tower, which used to be part of an old railway station that was replaced by the centre, for a walk along the harbour. The views of the Hong Kong skyline are unmatched.
▪ Location Next to Star Ferry Pier Address 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
▪ Connections MTR: Tsim Sha Tsui; Star Ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui Pier, short walk from both
▪ Timings 9 am to 11 pm
Next in line from the centre is the Museum of Art . Four floors of excellent exhibits cover an eclectic range of art, from the permanent exhibitions of Chinese calligraphy, historical photographs, ceramics and jade, to the more modern contemporary and experimental art spaces.
▪ Location Next to the Cultural Centre, behind Space Museum Entry fee HK$ 10; Wednesdays free
▪ Timings 10 am-6 pm;
Thursdays closed.
The Hong Kong Space Museum completes the waterfront trio, and is itself divided into three parts the planetarium, the exhibition halls and the Omnimax theatre for giant screen
I-Max movies. The Space Museum is one of the world's largest and has an excellent show. ▪ Location 5-min walk from Star Ferry Pier, right after Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Entry fee HK$ 10, Wednesdays free Entry for Omnimax HK$ 24-32
▪ Timings 1-9 pm Monday to Friday; 10 am-9 pm on weekends and public holidays,
Tue closed.
Kowloon Park
This huge park in west Kowloon is the citizens escape from the urban sprawl and neon lights of Tsim Sha Tsui. Stroll through the bamboo thickets and sculpture garden and aviary, or take a lap in the swimming pools.
Kowloon walled city Hong Kong's famous criminals once operated out of the remnants of
the walled city, but have no fear as you inspect the plaques that once
adorned its gates, unearthed during excavations when the city was being
turned into the present-day Kowloon Walled City Park. The only building left
intact from this mid-19th century garrison town is the Yamen Building, an
office of the Qing Dynasty government, which has been restored. ▪ Timings 6.30 am-11 pm
Chi Linh Nunnery
This is Hong Kong's hidden secret.Designed to look like a typical
14th-century Buddhist nunnery, Chi Linh is a magnificent temple framed by
hills on the outskirts of Kowloon. Sunlight catches the water between the
lotus blooms in the immaculate pond which greets you as you step into the
courtyard and then into the corridors and rooms of the nunnery, built in the
style of the Tang era. Equally beautiful are the statues of Buddha and the
Bodhisattvas. ▪ Address 5 Chi Linh Drive, Kowloon ▪ Connections MTR: Diamond Hill Nunnery ▪ timings 9.30 am-4 pm
Lotus Pond ▪ timings 6.30 am-7 pm
Wong Tai Sin After the tranquility of the Chi Linh Nunnery, the Sik Sik Yuen
Wong Tai Sin Temple will wake you up. Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism,
China's three great faiths, converge here at Hong Kong's largest and busiest
temple. Elaborate gates lead into the main altar dedicated to Wong Tai Sin,
a shepherd-turned-healer thought to be able to cure many illnesses. Check
out the gilded roofs and the red-and-gold carvings. The temple was built
according to feng shui principles, and represents the five elements of
metal, wood, water, fire and earth see if you can spot them all.
Afterwards, have your fortune told by the many tellers outside the temple.
▪ Location Wong Tai Sin Estate ▪ Connections MTR: Wong Tai Sin Entry Free ▪ Timings 7
am-5.30 pm.
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