Today marked the end of our last full day in Hong Kong. We’ve had such a great time here, but we are eager to make it to Australia (next stop Cairns) and start diving and chillaxing by the beach (yes I said that).

Simon and I have fallen into the error of booking city breaks as our yearly holiday before and Hong Kong has been exactly the same as those (Barcelona, Rome and New York) in that it is go, Go, GO!!!! You never really get to stop and rest. I’ve clocked up 54,302 steps in the last 48 hours, walking a whopping 15.99 miles. I don’t regret it, and neither do my feet. All our Cornish cliff walking must have prepared us well.

So here’s a low down of what we’ve done:

Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Gardens

This place is STUNNING!!! We weren’t allowed to take photos inside of the Nunnery, but the interiors were just beyond words, just like the outside. The Gardens were made by the Nunnery back in the 1980s to promote the use of green spaces in the area of Diamond Hill. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Wong Tai Sin Temple

Again, for the first temple we have visited, I was blown away. The atmosphere was unbelievable and the wellbeing garden they have behind the main ‘shrine’ (I really need to check my terminology) was full of terrapins and goldfish, and just gorgeous. The smell of incense as you walk around the place just adds to the feel of the place.

Kowloon Park

This place was such a surprise to us. One thing I’ve noticed about Hong Kong is that many attractions are free, attractions that would absolutely no way be free in the UK. Inside Kowloon park is an aviary. This was the first sign to us that birds are very much loved here. We sat and cooled off for a while in the park and drank another litre or so of water, before heading off to the star ferry.

Star Ferry

The star ferry runs from Kowloon on the main land over to Hong Kong Island. A single trip worked out at $25 HKD each, or around 30p. The Star Ferry is a little like the Staten Island Ferry of New York. An amazing trip across the water, for a very reasonable price. As we crossed Victoria Harbour we were able to see the skyscrapers approach from Hong Kong Island. A very memorable sight.

 

Victoria Peak

The Peak tram was the first funicular built in Asia, with the original carriage being built in Scotland of all places. When we reached the counter to buy our tickets, I knew the price was a little steep. Having completed my research like a seasoned traveller, I knew that the extra $40 they were trying to charge per person wasn’t worth the extra you would receive. The extra money allowed you up to a viewing platform, maybe only 50 feet higher than the one I could access without paying more. RIP OFF!!! I explained what I wanted and we saved quite a lot of money. Victoria Peak was amazing. We had great views back across the city and I got to drink a bubble tea (thanks Jack for introducing this to me in Sheffield of all places). Simon had a boring iced latte.

Botanical and Zoological Gardens

This place was such a wonderful surprise. We walked through a large archway and was greeted by a map. Mammal enclosures? Aviaries? Reptile enclosures? Free?!?! And yes, before you ask, free! Now I’m not talking giraffes, elephants or anything of the like, but an amazing array of orang-utans, chimps, lemurs etc. We spent a lovely hour and half walking around. Simon thinks a chimp threw poo at me, but I think he was throwing me a leaf as a present.

Temple Night Street Market

For our first Asian market, I was a little disappointed. Mainly, the stall holders were selling cheap tat rather than authentic homemade goods. It also started to rain… quite heavily…

 

Jade, Goldfish, Bird and Flower Markets

In the Jade market people were very pushy to try and sell to you, but at the other markets we were able to just leisurely stroll around and enjoy. A thought we both had while walking around these markets was how do they ever get any business being all so close to each other? Imagine if you had 10 butchers next to each other, many of them would go out of business quickly and you would be left with a few competing with each other. At these markets there are 10s of very similar stalls, all seemingly doing business. How? Answers n a postcard please.

 

Din Tai Fung Restaurant

We had heard about this restaurant through a blog we like to watch ‘Psychotraveller’. This restaurant has been awarded a michelin star for their dim sum. It was AMAZING!!!!

Other places we visited on day 3 included the Mid-levels Escalator, Man Mo Temple, Hong Kong Park and Hard Rock Cafe (of course). The Mid-level escalator is the longest outdoor escalator system in the world. We took this up to Man Mo Temple, but was a little disappointed by this temple. I think we had spoilt ourselves the day previously and there was lots of building work happening in the temple. It didn’t really have a roof. Hong Kong Park was another lovely surprise with a free walk through aviary like the eden project and a free vantage point of the city. They definitely have the free activity thing sorted out there.

I know this has been a long one and its a little late, but I really wanted to share as much info with you as possible.

We are now in Cairns. One more Hong Kong post and then I’ll tell you all about our Australia adventures.