City of Sky Scrapers

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Geo: 22.33, 114.18

My flight with Air Asia to Bangkok was smooth and there was a layover of about 3 hours for the flight to Hong Kong, the heat at Bangkok airport was unbearable, I reached Hong Kong at about 8 pm and I took the airport express train to the central HK and a taxi to my daughters flat. I did have circulation problems on these flights and in the middle of the night, I can't feel my legs at all and when I stepped out of the bed, I almost fall to the floor in a graceful heap. My daughter reassured me that my legs were still intact, it was because I walked a lot in the past few days and then I had been sitting in one position on my flights which was the cause. In the morning she took me for the foot massage which did the trick and I was back to normal; Thank goodness.

Chi Lin Nunnery
We took a metro and got off at Diamond Hill MTR Station on the Kwun Tong line, from there we turned left and we followed the signs to the gardens which was about 100 meters away. The nunnery is very tranquil and well maintained away from huge crowds and noise of Hong Kong. There are two vegetarian restaurants here and there is no entrance fee.

Nan Lian Garden

Once a hidden gem, the Nan Lian Garden is now regularly visited by many tourists and is the most beautiful spot in all of Hong Kong. The gardens are beautiful and well maintained away from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong; it is very tranquil here with all the greenery, pagoda, waterfalls and the vegetarian restaurants. Nan Lian Garden was created with the Chi Lin Nunnery, located beside the garden and the Hong Kong government.

Nathan Road which was previously known as the Golden Mile is ablaze in activity with the street packed with local people and a few tourists thrown in. We strolled down the street; there are neon sign after another next to shops which open until late hour with non-stop activity, lights, markets, red light districts and a feast for the senses like few other streets in the world. With constant roar of the city buses which can be deafening to ears, which send out whiffs of toxic exhaust fumes and the pollutions level is very high up here.
The entire Kowloon strip within several blocks of Nathan Road is an attraction though some of the best sights are on neighbouring roads which have less traffic and bus exhaust.

Today evening we went to Victoria peak by taxi, it is beautiful in the morning when the sun is at your back, allowing you to see the skyline with a blue sky behind Victoria Peak but is best seen at night because it's really smoggy most of the time and the city lights are really beautiful with the buildings when they are lit up. The mall across from the viewing area has quite a few shops and eateries as does the tower building; I did not find any bargains in either place. We paid extra to take the elevator to the very top sky terrace 428 and it is the highest terrace on the peak, you can see all Hong Kong skyline area from here, which is amazing and there are 360 degrees views of Hk lovely skyline from up there. After taking few pictures we went to the peak lookout restaurant which looked nice. We sat outside which has great ambience and they have good vegetarian menu. The food was delicious and their cocktails were great, we liked this restaurant.

We took the metro to Kowloon and the ferry to Kowloon harbour, lots of people lined up across the waterfront with cameras in tow, and the atmosphere grew tense with anticipation and people trying to get good position to see the symphony of lights. Then at 8pm or thereabouts the music started playing and a series of spotlights shooting off the roofs of skyscrapers in tune also shooting of the odd laser into the sky and flashing a few lights. It is definitely worth spending a few minutes on the Avenue of the Stars to see the city lit up and looking gorgeous, with lights reflecting of the harbour. Then we walked past the Asian walk of fame, which have commemorative plaques, celebrity hand prints, descriptive milestones, movie memorabilia, a life-size statue of kung fu action hero Bruce Lee and a bronze rendering of popular cartoon character McDull, The Avenue of Stars fittingly sets the glamour of Hong Kong's film industry. I took the picture of Bruce Lee and headed to the lobby bar of the Intercontinental Hotel, where the floor-to-ceiling glass walls afford an unobstructed view of the entire Hong Kong skyline. The ambience here was lovely; we had drinks and food here which was really nice and the service was excellent.

Lantau Island

We took the metro to Kowloon and then a cable car to the Big Buddha. The cable car is an effective and enjoyable way to make your way up the mountains of Lantau Island to see the Giant Buddha and the Monastery; the cable car ride represents good value for money as it is a 25 minute ride to Ngong Ping Village and the scenery is amazing on the way with great views of Lantau Island, the airport, the greenery and the ocean. We took the Crystal car which has the glass bottom cable car and the best part is that we passed up all the standard ticket people in the line, which was very long. Now this was most helpful as it only cost little extra money, so definitely worth it. People, who are keen on trails can ride the cable car one way and then return via a walking track which would probably take a whole day. At the top is a tourist village with a few restaurants, souvenir shops and ice cream stands, and walking with Buddha where you learn about the first Buddha, and a Monkey attraction that is for kids. Tian Tan Buddha, also known as the Big Buddha, is a large bronze statue of a Buddha Amoghasiddhi, completed in 1993, and located at Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, in Hong Kong. Sitting 34 metres high and facing north to look over the Chinese people, this majestic bronze Buddha draws pilgrims from all over Asia. You have to climb the 268 steps for a closer look at the Buddha with the views of Sweeping Mountain and sea.

The Po Lin Monastery is one of Hong Kong's most important Buddhist sanctums which is home to many devout monks, this monastery is rich with colourful manifestations of Buddhist iconography. The gardens have nice flowers and there is a vegetarian restaurant here. It was a good day excursion and we had great day.


We went for foot massages almost every day and we also visited the local markets shops, few restaurants and bars, Hong Kong has many night clubs and famous for its night life. I had fantastic girlie time together, it was so much fun doing things with my daughter; it was sad to say goodbye to my daughter and I will miss her the most.

Restaurants we have been to:

Life Café

Life is an organic vegetarian restaurant right in the middle of soho, along the escalator. It caters to the eating food in a healthy and green way. The place has a very rustic feel, and can get quite busy at lunch/dinner so make sure you book in advance. The food is actually pretty good with quite a varied extensive selection even offering gluten free options. The pasta with Italian veg sausage is my favourite but there's definitely something to suit everyone, they even
has organic sangria.

Sevva Bar

This is one of the more upmarket bars in HK, situated right near the landmark hotel in central HK. They have a rooftop selection with views or the city and of Kowloon harbour. More often than not there is a piano player and the vibe here is sophisticated fun. The drinks menu is endless, lots of different cocktails and wine choices but note the drinks are definitely pricey even for HK standards. The drinks themselves are lovely and perfectly executed. Worth seeing purely for the experience!

Cafe Grey – The Upper House hotel

The Upper house is Hk's most expensive hotel and as you'd expect the bar there is something to be seen. It has panoramic views of the harbour possibly the best on HK island side. The drinks are perfect, each one beautifully presented. If you're in town and want to spoil yourself this is the place to go, opulent luxury!

Quinary

This bar is on Hollywood road in Soho, not far from the infamous Wyndham street. It's a bit classier than the bars around Wyndham and as such a little more on the pricey side. They have a wide selection of cocktails, each come out perfect. The signature drink here is the earl grey Martini, which comes with a huge froth of foam on top!

Brickhouse

One of my favourite restaurant/bars in Hk is brick house, its situated down an alley in LKF. Most would just walk past it, but then you'd be missing out! It's got a fun vibrant vibe, and serves Mexican food and similarly styled cocktails. They serve lots of yummy tacos but my favourite is the Mexican street style corn! The drinks are pretty good, I would recommend the Diablo if you can handle jalapeño flavoured drinks! This place gets super busy during the weekend and does not take table reservations.

Sushi Ku

This Japanese restaurant is one my daughter's favourite in Hk, it's on Wellington street. The actual décor is okay not as flash but the food makes up for it. There are lots of choices even for vegetarians. The sake here is actually pretty good, I prefer cold sake and they have lots of different types to choose from.

My flight was with Virgin Atlantic at 10 pm and I put my luggage and checked in at Hong Kong Express station in the morning and I went straight to the Airport in the evening after sightseeing. I was very pleased with this system in Hong Kong; I wish we had this system here in London. Yeah I am going home now !!!

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