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Hong Kong , Macau


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Travel time: 2010, 2003, 2001, 2000, 1998.

Hong Kong
(2010) The international airport is far out compared to the old one. To Kowloon you can take the bus (100 - 120HK$), subway (110 - 180HK$ return), speed train or taxi (600HK$) for the transfer. Some of the hotels have pickup service for little money (130HK$) if you have a reservation. Some have even free pickup.
If you need to take a shower go to departure gate 60. It´s 65 HK$ with soap and towels or 150HK$ for small room where you can have a nap for two hours.

Maps: Kowloon (5.64 MB), Hong Kong Island (5.99 MB), Cheung Chau, Island Overview.

Accommodation:
(2010) Hotel Harbour Plaza North Point at the eastern part of Hong Kong Island (www.harbour-plaza.com) at 665 King's Road, North Point has functional aircon rooms for reasonable prices @ bargain! The kingsize bed has a hard mattress but three of the four feather pillows where that smelly that you don't want to rest your head onto. The bathroom is fairly small. The complementary daily newspaper is delivered not before 7 AM. The breakfast buffet opens at 6:30 AM. It has a small range of Chinese and basic range of continental food. Egg anystyle are freshly prepared at the breakfast buffet if the cook is present. At certain times the hotel is packed with noisy Chinese tourist groups and the staff behind the reception could be more polite at this class of hotel.
A 25 meter outdoor swimming pool and a small gym is available. Transfer from/to the airport is 130HK$ and runs every hour. Two complemetary shuttle bus running on route A (Hotel - Taikoo Place - Oxford House - One Island East - 1067 King's Road - Cityplaza II) and route B (Hotel - Citicorp Centre - [HKCEC] - AIA Tower - Causeway Bay)every hour from 7:00 AM to 7:30 PM except Sunday. To reach the hotel by subway leave at Quary Bay exit C and you see the hotel in a distance of app. 100 meter. A supermarket, hair cut, Mc Donalds, 7eleven, Pizza Hut and Cafe de Coral is close by.
Not the best place to stay but also not too bad for this price.

(2003) "The Salisbury" YMCA of Hong Kong, 41 Salisbury road, Kowloon, Tel.: 852-2268 7888, www.ymcahk.org.hk, is just opposite Kowloon Hotel. Across the street is the water front promenade of Victoria harbor located and some rooms even faces towards it. Prices will start at 630HK$ for single which is not recommendable while located directly beside the elevator and through it quite noisy. Standard twin is 730, with harbor view 930 and 1.400HK$ for the executive suite.
Internet service is 50HK$ extra per day, rental notebooks 250 and fax machines 100HK$. Visa for China can be arranged all day!!! for 270HK$ single entry. Map
Breakfast at the restaurants buffet is 110HK$ additional but in the lobby is a coffee bar too with reasonable prices. There are also hot meals for lunch and dinner available starting at 39HK$ only.
The swimming pool (6 lanes around 15 meters) is free of charge and the well equipped health club is 65HK$ which includes introduction too.
Between 5:25AM and 9:25PM they have an hourly airport service for 90 to 120HK$ onway trip.

(2001) The Kowloon Hotel, 19-21 Nathan road, Kowloon, Tel.: 852-2929 2888, www.harbour-plaza.com, is very central and offers tiny rooms with all facilities including free Internet access and fax machine from each room starting at 904 HK$ per night but breakfast will be 140 HK$ additional. As guest you can use the swimming pool (54 HK$) and workout studio (130HK$) from YMCA-Hotel across the street for. Map

(2000) Far away from the city center is the Regal Riverside Hotel, Tel.: 852-26497878, www.regalhotel.com, charging 655 HK$ per day for a nice single room with own bathroom, AC, TV, mini bar, complimentary tea and coffee. Breakfast is 107 HK$ extra and not worth it. The hotel has a small 10 meter pool and swimming lesson early morning for children. It also offers free transfer to Kowloon , the island and airport every hour between 7 AM and 12 PM. It´s one hour ride each.

(1998) The best choice of the cheapest accommodation in the middle of Kowloon is the London Hostel, 13/F F2 at Mirador Mansion, next block beside Chungking Manson at Nathan road, Kowloon. Its 50 HK$ for a dorm with AC, TV and shared shower. If a tout will guide you there its 10HK$ extra per day of stay! It´s clean and you can use the fridge and water heater. In the same building are laundry service and cheap cigarettes available (ask the hostel owner). Also a supermarket is nearby.

Shopping:
WARNING: If you want to buy electronics avoid Nathan Road around Tsim Sha Tsui Station because most of the shops are cheating. A better place is at Mongkok area which is easy to reach by subway were prices are on display but bargain is possible. For computer hardware search at Sham Shui Po area.

Tung Choi Street at Mongkok: The street market is a must for shoppers. Best after sunset. Sportswear or electronic devices will be found at Sai Yeung Choi Street same area. At Shantung Street between Nathan Road and Yeung Choi is Sim City is specialized now for cameras and equipment but also for Apple assesoires. Some shops at the higher level are spezialised in pirated movies and software. Latest DVD is 20 to 40HK$, VCD 10HK$ and software 30HK$. Software will be chosen by catalog and need some 30 minutes for delivery. All movies can be taken along. Leave the subway at Mongkok Station exit D3.

Temple Street at Jordan: This is the night market for the tourists.Shirts, t-shirts, trousers, souveniers, traditional desses, pirated movies, small electronic items and many more. Prices are nearly similar to the Mongkok area but its not that chaotic and everything is within one street. At the north end are some fortuneteller waiting for a job and at corner Pak Hoi Street (south end) are some cheap openair restaurants serving fresh Chinese style food starting at 30HK$. Go for it and leave the subway at Jordan Station exit A.

Aplui Street at Sham Shui Po: Here you will find the for electronic items like cables, batteries, lamps, household equipment. Its not worth a visit.
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Sightseeing:
For the very modern subway it´s 4 - 5HK$ for short distance, 9HK$ for crossing the canal between the mainland and Hong Kong island and more as far you travel. It is the ideal transportation system except at the rushhour. The different lines are clearly marked and on each door inside the subway is a map indicating the next station, the direction of travel and at which door you have to exit.
Nevertheless if you don't know the correct exit at you destination you can easily get lost because the surrounding can look very different and you may not be able to path through the subway station anymore to search for the correct exit without buying a new ticket.

By crossing the canel with the ferry you can get an idea of the huge boat traffic on the water. The ferry connects pier 7 at Central and the pier at Tsim Sha Tsui every 6 minutes for 2.60HK$.

The view from Victoria Hill is very impressive especially by night. Take bus No. 15 from Hong Kong Station (west of Central pier) for 9.60HK$ or the minibus No. 1 (faster) from Lung Wui Road (east of Central pier) which will bring you to the peak within 30 - 60 minutes or more dependent on the traffic.
Most tourists prefer to go up the steep hill by the Peak Tram. The travel time is less than 5 minutes but if the queque starts at the fountain calculate additional 35 - 40 minutes waiting time. Its 25HK$ for adults oneway and 36HK$ return and service is from 7 AM to midnight all day. Detailed price list.
At the end of the Peak Tram line is the Peak Tower offering a great viewpoint even when its not at the peak itself. To enter the top terrasse is 20HK$ extra. Service hours are 10 AM to 11 PM.
For a sceenic walk on a footpath along the peak turn two times right when leaveing the Peak Tower and follow the horizontal path which offer great different views across the city. The path will lead fully around the peak but it takes app. 1.5 - 2 hours for a full cycle.

Search for nightlife around Lau Kwai Fong building, Central, between the zoological garden and the hillside escalator or the red light district near Wan Chai Station.

Cheung Chau Island is very sceenic and less than an hour away from the Central pier of Hong Kong Island. It has a lot of restaurants at the water front next to the pier spezialised for fresh sea food and a very nice sandy beach less than 5 minutes by foot with shallow water and almost no waves. To the right of the beach you can rent windsurfing equipment.
A great advanture is climbing thourgh the Cheung Po Tsai Cave close to the Sai Wan Tin Hau Temple. Nothing special inside the small cave with its length of app. 10 meter and hight of 5 meter. The thrilling part is the small entrance hole and the more narrow exit on the opposite where only slim person can exit. Here you will get quite wett on a rainy day because the water is running down the narrow walls where you have to scweeze through. And bring a tourch because the cave is completely dark.

There are four posibilities to reach the cave:
- By small boat from the pier next to the ferry pier running app. every 30 minutes and return.
- Along the water front by foot or with a rental bycicle.
- Along the water front and turning left after the Bingo Bar towards a temple. Following the road to the right at the temple leading you through some green hills to Care Village at Sai Wan which is close to the cave.
- The long, green and lonely way from Kwun Yam Wan Beach where the windsurfers are up through the green hills with the option to passing by a Chinese cemetarry.

Take the farry from pier 5 at Central for 17HK$ ordinary class or 27HK$ deluxe (aircon, upper deck). The normal ferry starts every full hour and takes app. 1 hour, fast ferry every 30 minutes later takes app. 35 minutes. Return is at the same timing.

Visa:
(1998) Time Travel Agency in Chungking Manson, 36-44 Nathan Road, Kowloon is a little bit chaotic but can arrange cheap tickets and is very helpful. They can arrange also tourist visa for China (130 HK$) or tickets for the Trans-Siberian Railway (2100 HK$, 2nd class sleeper) which must not be arranged in advance most time of the year. It´s more cheaper available in Beijing if you can afford to wait some days for a free coach.

Travel:
(1998) There is a daily train from HK to Beijing. It leaves HK main railway station at 3 PM every day and arrives between 8 - 11 PM the next day. You can get lunch and dinner package for 15 - 20 HK$ on the train. Hot water is every time available for free. So take some dried noodle soup, tea bags or coffee, a cup and spoon with you. You have to leave the train after one hour from HK for crossing the border with your whole luggage and enter the same train again after passing the customs office.
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Macau
(2003) Since end of 2003 there is a direct link between HK Airport and Macau by ferry. So there is no need anymore to pass through HK city center. More details and the timetable at: www.turbojetseaexpress.com.hk

With company First Ferry to Macau it`s 106HK$ for eco and 141HK$ for first class . Their trip takes 70 instead of the premised 50 minutes. They leave from China Ferry Terminal (Tower 1 north) from Kowloon which is 15 minutes by foot from the YMCA.
Company TurboJet has much better service and operate 24 hour with a connection every 30 minutes at least for 142HK$ for first class. Their port is at HK-Ferry Terminal which is on the island.
More details at: www.turbojet.com.hk
For return from Macau keep in mind to which port you want leave: HongKong is the island and Kowloon the mainland. Otherwise you have to take the subway for 9HK$ extra. And don´t forget your passport!

Just right-hand side after custom control in Macau is the restaurant Miraporto where hot drinks for 9, basic sandwich for 11 and noodle soup for 13HK$ are. available.
Almost same direction is the tourist information Turismo offering maps and info's for free.
More details at: www.macautourism.gov.mo
Their appointed travel agency Gray Line Tours leave at the tourist information at 11AM and 1:45PM for the Macau Highlight Tour (98HK$, 5h, recommendable) which includes the Tower and Museum of Macau too. A shoestring is the Island Highlight Tour (68HK$, 3,45h) which leaves at 10:15AM.

Most of the museum are closed at Monday or Tuesday.
The Macau Museum is 15HK$ and closed on Monday.
The Grand Prix Museum is 10HK$ and closed at Tuesday.
The Macau Tower is open all day. It has a platform on the 58 floor from where you have a great view 360 degree. It`s 70HK$ for the elevator. No staircase :-)) but skywalk (120HK$) and mast climb (1.100HK$) are possible and they might offer bungee jumping soon.
More details at: www.macautower.com.mo

Most passengers going to Macau for gambling and same than Las Vegas are the hotel prices quite cheap. For instance a 4 star hotel with pool will be 310HK$ including breakfast (Sun to Fri) and even 1 star more is for 420HK$ available. Saturday the price is more than double.
For couples they have special arrangements: Standard Twin room + breakfast + ferry tickets starting from Kowloon at weekday is 656HK$ at same 4 star mentioned above or 1016HK$ for the 5 star. Check out this at Shun Tak Centre HK just in front of the Macau Ferry Terminal at Hong Kong Island.
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