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Published: April 15th 2012
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I arrived in Kowloon just after 1pm and HK immigration was very fast, lucky as my ferry was the only ship docking at the time. I think waiting times could blow out if you dock at the same time as a cruise ship (or two). I walked the length of the cruise terminals right down to the Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel which is at the tip of the Harbour City shopping centre and just before the TST Star Ferry Terminal. Location wise, this was superb for a panoramic view and my room did not disappoint. I had an unobstructed view of HK island across Victoria Harbour and it was indeed wow factor - definitely one of the best cityscapes in the world! This hotel was mid to high range and I loved it despite the slightly cramped room. The awesome view and the superior pillows makes it hard to get out of bed in the morning!
I had to draw myself away from the hotel and went for a walk around TST exploring the immediate area. Nathan Rd was 2 blocks away and it was hectic and all happening as expected. The pace of life in HK compares to
NYC to me and along with NYC, this place certainly makes you feel alive. It is hard not to get caught up in the pace and noise but yet it is still civilised and very westernised. I wandered aimlessly around, turning down side streets, into malls and shopping centres and basically immersed myself with the locals.
It was then time to meet up with 2 locals who now live in Sydney and I was lucky enough to be in HK at the same time they were. We started off by having a much needed coffee at Starbucks at the iSquare shopping centre which overlooks Nathan Rd. This was one of the best decorated Starbucks I have seen around the world! We then went for a stroll and the boys took me to a famous stall selling curried fish balls on a stick. This dish is what HK street food is all about and you see plenty of people walking around eating these sticks while they run from 1 job/meeting to another. It is awesome snack food and for less than $1AU for 5 fish balls, it is cheap too! I would have plenty of fish balls over the next
few days from various venders as I explored Kowloon. I didn't see any of these stalls in Central for some reason?
After showing me more sights around TST, the boys then took me to a small diner serving corn fed, free range chicken on numerous dishes. The chicken is boiled and the texture is different to any chicken I've had at home. The meat is almost crunchy and there is no soft flowery breast meat - the texture and sweetness of the meat is something to be savoured.
The most well known tourist attraction on Kowloon is the daily 8pm light show which you view along the harbour promenade and down to the Avenue of the Stars. You get views of HK island and all the lighted up skyscrapers. The daily light show is accompanied by music and a commentary. All I can is there is a lot of electricity usage in HK !!
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